58: Chapter 58 Establishing a Clan

Spring passed and autumn came; Ye Qingshuang achieved a Breakthrough to the 8th Layer of Qi Refining.

Meanwhile, news arrived from Qingzhou City.

Master Ziyang personally led a team to clear out the last secret stronghold of the Black Lotus Cult within Qingzhou territory. With this, the power of the Black Lotus Cult in Qingzhou was completely eradicated.

As a reward for Ning Yuan's killing of Right Envoy Yin Wuming, The Alliance decided to designate the three hundred li surrounding Pingan County as the exclusive territory of the Ning Family. This meant that within this three hundred li range, all spiritual materials, mineral deposits, and Spirit Beast resources belonged to the Ning Family, and other cultivation forces were not allowed to enter without permission.

With this territory, plus the thousand-acre Ning Family Manor, along with three Foundation Establishment Cultivators and thirty children, the Ning Family now possessed all the conditions to establish a Sect and Family.

After receiving the official document from The Alliance, Ning Yuan climbed to the stargazing platform alone.

The night sky was clear, and the seventy-two stars of the Pure Yang Heavenly Star Array slowly rotated above his head.

He opened the System interface. The progress bar on the Family territory panel was completely full—thirty descendants, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and a manor scale of one thousand acres. At the very bottom of the panel, a new option appeared: "Do you wish to initiate the formal construction of the Family territory?"

Ning Yuan did not click it immediately. He closed the System interface and cast his gaze toward the outline of Qingyun Mountain in the distance. Across the mountain was Qingzhou City, further south were Cang Province and Yong Province, and beyond that lay the entire Great Yu Kingdom and the vast Immortal Realm.

Ten years. The Pingan Ning Family had transformed from a small landlord Family with few people into a force in the Qingzhou cultivation world that could not be ignored. But this was only the beginning.

He turned and walked down the stargazing platform, heading toward the main hall.

The main hall was brightly lit, and his wives and concubines were discussing the date and ceremony procedures for establishing the Sect and Family.

Madam Lin was holding an account book to calculate expenses; Su Yuniang and Zhao Qingli were arguing over what positions they would hold during the ceremony; Ye Qingshuang rarely joined the discussion, while Gu Qingyin sat to the side, holding her zither and smiling as she watched them.

Shen Qingyi couldn't get a word in, so she simply returned to the Pill Refining Room to continue refining peiyuan pills.

Ning Yuan stood outside the door, looking at the women in the hall and the smiles on their Faces, recalling that night ten years ago—when he was squatting alone on the ridge of a field, looking at the sparse wheat seedlings in the soil, feeling that his life would just be like that.

He pushed the door open and walked into the main hall. The gazes of his wives and concubines all turned toward him.

"The date for establishing the Sect and Family is set for the seventh day of the seventh month."

The seventh day of the seventh month.

Pingan County had never been this lively. From the county town to the foot of Qingyun Mountain, the thirty-li official road was lined with carriages and Spirit Beast mounts.

Flags of various great families and Sects fluttered in the morning breeze—the Scarlet Flame Flag of the Wang Family, the Qingyun Banner of the Li Family, the Cold Sword Flag of the Zhao Family, and even several banners Ning Yuan had never seen before, belonging to small families that had rushed over from neighboring provinces and counties upon hearing the news.

Three of the four great families of Qingzhou City had come; only the Sun Family had not sent anyone. Since the night raid by the Blood-Hand Butcher, Sun Buhuan had been bedridden, and the Sun Family was now managed by Sun Boan's son, already overwhelmed.

The main gate of the Ning Family Manor was wide open. The "Ning Residence" plaque that had hung on the lintel for many years had been taken down and replaced with a larger new plaque—black background with gold characters, reading "Pingan Ning Family" in four large characters.

The calligraphy was bold and ancient, inscribed personally by Master Ziyang. Once this plaque was hung on the door, it was no longer the facade of an ordinary wealthy household, but a declaration of a cultivation Family formally taking root.

The manor was decorated with lanterns and festoons inside and out. The stone lions on both sides of the main gate were tied with red silk, the ten arrow towers were covered in big red lanterns, and even the seventy-two stars of the Pure Yang Heavenly Star Array twinkled slightly in the daylight, as if celebrating too.

The martial arts arena had been temporarily converted into an open-air celebration venue, with dozens of long tables set up, covered in red cloth and filled with spiritual fruits and spiritual tea. The spirit gathering grass just harvested from the spiritual fields was bundled into bouquets and placed in the center of each table, emitting a faint, refreshing scent of Spiritual Qi.

The entire Ning Family had risen before dawn.

Madam Lin wore a newly made navy blue brocade dress, with a jade hairpin brought back by Ning Yuan from Qingzhou City pinned in her bun. She stood at the entrance of the main hall arranging and coordinating, her voice a pitch higher than usual, but her logic was clear and orderly.

Su Yuniang and Zhao Qingli had changed into their best combat outfits, with Flying Swords personally forged by Ning Yuan hanging at their waists, standing on either side of the main hall, the aura of Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators naturally exuding from them.

Ye Qingshuang was still in her green robes, standing under the corridor of the main hall hugging her sword, a rare faint smile on her Face. Gu Qingyin had set up a zither stand inside the main hall and tuned her seven-stringed zither.

Shen Qingyi had stayed in the Pill Refining Room until midnight last night just to ensure the Medicinal Pills to be displayed today were foolproof—ten each of peiyuan pills, ningyuan pills, rejuvenation pills, and pulse protection pills, sorted into four exquisite jade boxes and placed on the display stand in front of the main hall.

The children were even more excited.

Brothers Ning Changqing and Ning Changhe had changed into uniform green combat outfits, each with a refined iron sword hanging at their waists, standing at the entrance of the main hall to welcome guests. Nine-year-old Ning Changhe was so nervous that his palms were sweating, constantly asking his brother if his collar was crooked.

Ten-year-old Ning Changqing stood straight, with the steadiness of an elder brother already in his eyes.

Ning Yao and Ning Qi led a group of younger siblings running around the martial arts arena, with the youngest, Ning Qingxue, stumbling after her sisters, clutching the somewhat worn little cloth tiger in her arms.

"Fellow Daoist Ning! Congratulations, congratulations!" Deacon He Song was the first to arrive. This Alliance deacon had changed into a brand-new green robe today, his Face glowing, holding a brocade box in his hand. "Master Ziyang ordered me to offer congratulations on his behalf. This is the congratulatory gift from The Alliance—three 4th-grade 'ningshen pills' and one 5th-grade 'Xuanyuan Pill'!"

A low gasp of astonishment arose among the watching guests. 4th-grade Medicinal Pills were already very precious, and 5th-grade Medicinal Pills could not be bought at all in the Qingzhou City market.

Ning Yuan cupped his hands in thanks and invited Deacon He Song to take a seat. Immediately after, Wang Lie of the Wang Family strode through the main gate with two attendants, his voice arriving before he did: "Family Master Ning, the Wang Family's congratulatory gift—one piece of 4th-grade spiritual mineral 'Red Gold Marrow', and three Yellow Rank top-grade Flying Swords!" The Old Matriarch of the Li Family arrived in person, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. The Li Family sent a three-legged Pill Furnace, made entirely of bronze, with fire gathering runes carved all over the furnace body; it was clearly a Profound Rank Low Grade Pill Furnace. As soon as this Pill Furnace was lifted up, even Shen Qingyi couldn't help but poke her head out from behind the display stand, staring straight at the furnace. House Master Zhao Heng arrived last, bringing only a sword as a gift. But that sword was Profound Rank Low Grade, the blade like autumn water, chilling and piercing, named "Frostfall".

"The Zhao Family doesn't have many good things. This sword is what I used when I was young. If Family Master Ning doesn't mind, I will gift it to the Ning Family disciples." Zhao Heng spoke lightly, but those in the know could see the value of that sword—a Profound Rank Flying Sword could sell for thousands of Spirit Stones in the Qingzhou City market.

Small families from neighboring provinces and counties also presented gifts one after another. Zhao Dehai from the Pingan County government even brought a cart of rice, flour, meat, and eggs in person, his attitude more respectful than ever, calling him "Master Ning" with every breath, the smiles on his Face piled up in layers.

Ning Yuan returned the courtesies one by one, neither humble nor pushy in his small talk. He moved through the crowd, cupping his hands in greeting to every guest who came to congratulate him, neither making people feel that the Ning Family was putting on airs, nor making people feel that the Ning Family was easy to take advantage of.

As noon approached, the guests had all arrived. Ning Yuan walked onto the wooden platform temporarily built in front of the main hall, facing the crowd, pressing his hands down in the air. The noisy voices gradually quieted down, and dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward the navy blue figure on the stage.

Ning Yuan was wearing a brand-new navy blue robe today, with a black jade belt tied around his waist and the blazing sun sword hanging on his left side.

His Face still looked like that of a man in his early thirties, but the faint aura around him already made all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present feel subtle pressure.

Although the Spiritual Qi fluctuations of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage were not deliberately released, they were already as deep and immeasurable as a deep pool or a towering mountain.

"Fellow Seniors, Fellow Daoists, fellow villagers." Ning Yuan spoke, his voice not loud but clearly spreading throughout the entire manor. "Today is the day of the Ning Family's Sect and Family establishment. That you could all come is giving me Face, and also giving the Ning Family Face. I, Ning, will remember this favor."

A burst of friendly laughter and applause erupted from under the stage.

"The roots of the Ning Family are in Pingan County. Ten years ago, this was still a wasteland, and I was just a small landlord guarding a few dozen acres of thin fields. Ten years ago, standing here and talking about establishing a Sect and Family, no one would have believed it. But my wives and concubines believed it, and my children believed it. It was they who followed me, from three adobe houses to a thousand-acre manor, from having nothing to three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Every brick, every Formation pattern, and every acre of spiritual field in this manor was built, carved, and forged by their own hands." Ning Yuan's voice was not high, but it seemed as if every word struck people's hearts. "Establishing the Sect and Family today is not because the Ning Family is strong enough, but because the Ning Family needs a Foundation. This Foundation is not for hegemony, but for Legacy. To let the Ning Family's descendants have a place to Cultivate, to let the Ning Family's wives and children have a place to settle down. To let the Cultivators on this land of Pingan County have a home to rely on."

Applause erupted from under the stage again, this time even more enthusiastic than before.

Ning Yuan raised his hand to press down, announcing the iron rules of the Ning Family—do not bully Mortals, do not suppress Loose Cultivators, and do not participate in the internal strife of Qingzhou City. These three rules were the Foundation of establishing the Family and the bottom line for the Ning Family to gain a foothold in the Qingzhou cultivation world.

He also announced the allocation of the Ning Family's deacons: Madam Lin would preside over internal affairs; Su Yuniang would be in charge of the West Courtyard and responsible for the manor's defense; Zhao Qingli would be in charge of the East Courtyard and responsible for external affairs; Ye Qingshuang and Gu Qingyin would assist in managing spiritual fields and Formations; and Shen Qingyi would be in charge of the Pill Refining Room.

Finally, Ning Yuan took out a Jade Slip and held it in his palm, injecting Spiritual Qi into it. The Jade Slip cast a ray of spiritual light, projecting lines of text onto the shadow wall in front of the main hall—the Ning Family genealogy.

At the very top was Ning Yuan's name, followed by the names of his nine wives and concubines: Madam Lin, Madam Liu, Su Yuniang, Zhao Qingli, Shen Xiaohe, Qin Waner, Shen Qingyi, Gu Qingyin, and Ye Qingshuang. Further down were the names of the thirty children.

Ning Changqing was ranked first in the second generation, followed by Ning Changhe, Ning Yao, Ning Qi, Ning Qingxue, Ning Changming, Ning Qinghe... thirty names, neatly carved on the genealogy. Every name was a strength of the Ning Family.

Ning Yuan looked up at the genealogy and said word by word: "The Pingan Ning Family, established today."