108: Chapter 108 The Huai River and the Qi Family

After Uncle Lei left, Pei Sili's expression finally slumped.

What kind of mess is this?

He was not even sixteen yet, in the prime of his youth.

And he was about to step into the grave of marriage.

Is this really the inescapable fate of me, Pei Sili?

The more he thought about it, the more bitter Pei Sili felt.

The road home was long and arduous.

After a short while, Pei Sili took a deep breath, sweeping away his previous dejection. "No, I am still young. My life has just begun; how can it end so quickly? It's just a marriage alliance; I'll ruin it. At worst, I'll just get a beating."

Thinking of this, Pei Sili felt he could do it again.

As he walked, he was full of spirit.

...

The Huai River is located south of the Jinhuai Prefecture city, while Wuyang is located east of the Jinhuai Prefecture city.

Traveling from Wuyang County to the Huai River by land is a journey of approximately 180 li. Under smooth conditions, it takes only two and a half hours to arrive.

However, if one travels by water to the Huai River, it requires navigating 200 li of waterways. Even with favorable winds and currents, it takes nearly four hours.

Logically speaking, most people would choose to take the land route to the Huai River.

However, the reality is the exact opposite. Almost no one chooses the land route.

The reason for this is that between Wuyang and the Huai River lies the Hengduan Mountain Range.

The Hengduan Mountain Range stretches for tens of thousands of li and spans across multiple major provinces. The vast majority of its area is uncultivated, with an extremely high level of danger.

Even a Five-Viscera Martial Artist entering the outermost regions can hardly guarantee their own safety. Not to mention that to get from Wuyang to the Huai River, one must also pass through a small section of the inner region.

That is a place that even a Six Viscera Grandmaster would not dare to tread lightly.

Thus, traveling by water has become the choice for the vast majority of families.

It is precisely for this reason that the South Port, located on the border of Wuyang, is extremely prosperous and wealthy.

Unfortunately, this port is not controlled by the families of Wuyang County but belongs to the Great Jing Dynasty.

Every year, tens of thousands of ships pass through the South Port. Especially at the beginning of spring, there are hundreds of ships every day. At its Peak, it can even exceed a thousand.

Departing from the South Port and passing through three other ports, one can reach Nanfeng Port, located on the Huai River.

Nanfeng Port is different from the South Port; it does not belong to the imperial court's control but is managed by two major families.

And the Qi Family is precisely one of the two major families of Nanfeng Port.

As one of the families of Nanfeng Port, the Qi Family has operated shipping businesses for generations. It has been established for less than a hundred years, making it a relatively young Family.

Tracing back to the founding Old Ancestor of the Qi Family, he passed away less than thirty years ago. In terms of foundation, it seems less profound than the Pei Family, but in reality, it is not calculated that way.

The development of a Family has its ups and downs; it is not to say that the longer the time, the more powerful it is. It might be prosperous in one period and on the verge of decline in another.

Compared to the Pei Family of a few months ago, the Qi Family is undoubtedly more prosperous, boasting two Five-Viscera Martial Artists.

The strongest Qi Family Elder is even at the Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm. However, this elder is old, already over seventy, and his Qi and blood have long begun to decline.

Unlike Pei Qingyun, who, due to his Bloodline and Cultivation Technique, did not show signs of Qi and blood decline until he was over eighty.

Even so, the Qi Family Elder can still be counted as half a Five-Viscera Martial Artist.

The current head of the Qi Family, Qi Zhongyin, is only thirty-five years old and is already at the Early stage of Five Viscera Realm.

Generally, Five-Viscera Martial Artists only start to experience Qi and blood decline around the age of sixty.

This means the Qi Family has at least twenty-five years of preparation time.

Twenty-five years is enough time for the Qi Family to produce another Five-Viscera Martial Artist. It is not impossible for them to produce two more Five-Viscera Martial Artists within that twenty-five-year period.

By then, the Qi Family's status as a third-rate Family will be unshakable.

It can be said that if not for Pei Qingyun strongly leading the rise of the Pei Family, the Pei Family would have no qualifications to enter into a marriage alliance with a direct daughter of the Qi Family.

From this, it can be seen that the revenue from Nanfeng Port is quite substantial.

Boarding a passenger ship from the South Port, Pei Tianlin did not bring his usual entourage to the Qi Family, but instead brought his own Family of three.

The reason for doing so is that his mother-in-law was one of the direct daughters of the previous generation of the Qi Family.

Even though she has passed away, his wife still shares a Bloodline connection with the Qi Family.

This is also one of the reasons why Pei Tianlin chose the Qi Family.

Departing at the hour of the Dragon and arriving at the hour of the Monkey, they had been on the boat for almost half a day.

Bored, Pei Tianlin stood on the deck, gazing into the distance.

Although they were several li away, Pei Tianlin could still vaguely see the flag of the Qi Family's merchant ship.

It was a huge sea flag, with a giant sun painted on it.

This was not Pei Tianlin's first time going to the Qi Family, so he was not unfamiliar with the Qi Family's flag.

However, Pei Tianlin was not planning to board the Qi Family's merchant ship.

Rather, through the Qi Family's merchant ship, he knew that they were about to arrive at Nanfeng Port.

Sure enough, just as Pei Tianlin came down from the deck.

A message-delivering crew member walked into the ship's cabin while shouting at the top of his lungs, "We are about to arrive at Nanfeng Port. Passengers who wish to disembark, please get ready and quickly gather in Cabin No. 1."

As the crew member kept shouting, some passengers also woke from their drowsiness.

This world is not like modern society; if you disembark at the wrong port, it is a troublesome matter. If things go wrong, it is quite possible that it will cost you several extra days.

It was at this moment that Pei Tianlin brought his Family of three to Cabin No. 1.

After waiting for about two quarters of an hour, the passenger ship steadily docked at Nanfeng Port.

After disembarking, Pei Tianlin noticed a middle-aged man wearing a dark robe with a scholarly appearance at the exit of Nanfeng Port, looking at him with a smile.

With Pei Tianlin's eyesight, he could clearly see the middle-aged man's Face from a distance. This person was none other than the Qi Family head, Qi Zhongyin.

Pei Tianlin did not expect Qi Zhongyin to come and greet him personally. Although he was also the Grand Elder of the Pei Family, there was still a slight difference in their status.

But Pei Tianlin quickly understood; it was likely that the other party was doing it for the sake of his wife.

Back then, his mother-in-law was the youngest direct daughter of the Qi Family, so naturally, the previous generation of the Qi Family loved her, and by extension, his wife's relationship with these cousins from the Qi Family was quite good.

Soon, the two families met.

After some pleasantries, Qi Zhongyin brought Pei Tianlin and his Family of three into the Qi Family grounds.

Along the way, besides reminiscing, Qi Zhongyin's gaze would occasionally scan Pei Tianlin.

It had been three years since Pei Tianlin last came to Nanfeng Port.

Four years ago, Qi Zhongyin had just entered the Five Viscera Realm and was in high spirits. Pei Tianlin, on the other hand, was only a Late-Stage Divine Strength Martial Artist at that time.

After four years of accumulation, Qi Zhongyin noticed that Pei Tianlin's aura had changed significantly, vaguely giving him a sense of pressure.

You must know that Divine Power Perfection would never give him this feeling.

Could it be that Pei Tianlin is already a Five-Viscera Martial Artist?