Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 385 - 231: Zhao Wanyi: I don’t mind...

Zhao Wanyi’s smile was tinged with bitterness. She hesitated for a moment before continuing,

"To be frank, our family’s Third Rank Alchemist was poached by the Qin Family a while back..."

"Poached?"

Ling Changqing’s expression faltered. ’Such an important person should have received the best possible treatment from the clan. How could he have been lured away by outsiders?’

Zhao Wanyi pressed her lips together and said softly, "Normally, one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry in public. But with the family in its current state, I don’t really care about that anymore..."

As she spoke, Ling Changqing began to understand the full story.

The enmity between the Qin and Zhao Families ran deep. To be precise, over seven hundred years ago, these two Nascent Soul powers had actually been a single clan.

Back then, a rebellious son from a cadet branch of the Zhao Family, emboldened by his contributions to the clan and his Late stage Nascent Soul cultivation, plotted with outside enemies to assassinate the Patriarch’s heir so that he could seize control of the family himself.

But the plot failed. Humiliated and enraged, the man injured his own father, declared his secession from the clan, and swore never to set foot in the Zhao Family’s lands again.

He had spent many years building his influence within the clan and had won over a significant number of kinsmen. With the Zhao Family’s rivals seizing the opportunity to intervene, this long-established Nascent Soul Clan was torn apart.

With the backing of those rivals, the breakaway son established his own house, taking his supporters with him. He seized thirty percent of the Zhao Family’s territory and assets, annexed several smaller neighboring powers, and changed his surname to Qin. Thus, the Qin Family of today was born.

The Zhao Family, its strength severely depleted, could do nothing against the Qin Family for the time being and was forced to bide its time. But the relationship between the two clans was forever shattered.

In the more than seven hundred years since, the Qin and Zhao families have fought countless battles, large and small. Both sides have suffered losses, but neither has ever had the strength to eliminate the other.

"...Before our Zhao Family was torn apart, we had six Nascent Soul True Monarchs watching over the clan, and a seventh was on the verge of breaking through. The clan’s status and influence were on the cusp of reaching a new height..."

Zhao Wanyi sighed. That internal conflict had not only cost the Zhao Family dearly, but it had also shattered the clan’s rising Destiny, which had yet to recover even to this day.

Now, one of the Zhao Family’s Nascent Soul Ancestors was nearing the end of his Lifespan. And as for Zhao Wanyi, the one with the greatest hope of advancing, she had no confidence at all that she could successfully overcome this hurdle.

And to make matters worse, at this critical juncture, the Zhao Family’s sole Third Rank Alchemist had been turned by the Qin Family.

When the man fled, he not only took all of his apprentices with him but also made off with a large quantity of rare Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Herbs from the Medicinal Garden. For the Zhao Family, it was like having salt poured on an open wound.

Now, the Qin Family had the upper hand. The entire clan was sharpening its blades, just waiting for the Zhao Family’s Nascent Soul Ancestor’s Lifespan to end and for him to pass away after performing the Scattering Technique. Then, they would launch a war to swallow the Zhao Family’s entire foundation in one fell swoop.

"...If you truly are a Loose Cultivator, young man, I would very much like to hire you as our clan’s Pill Master Honored Guest. But I suspect you wouldn’t agree."

Zhao Wanyi smiled helplessly. She was truly out of options. Otherwise, why would she reveal her clan’s weaknesses to a Cultivator she had just met?

Of course, being with this young man gave Zhao Wanyi an inexplicable sense of peace; she couldn’t bring herself to feel the slightest bit of wariness or suspicion toward him.

She didn’t realize this was the subtle influence of his Destiny, which made her so friendly toward Ling Changqing and instinctively want to be close to him.

Ling Changqing, however, was fully aware of this. ’Gong Ling can alter my appearance and physique, concealing the phenomena of my Destiny. Even a Divinity Transformation Great Power wouldn’t be able to see through the disguise, even face to face.’

’However, the subtle influence of a supreme Destiny on one’s surroundings and on other people cannot be hidden.’

"Very well," Ling Changqing finally said after a moment of contemplation. "Since you have been so hospitable, Sister, I will help you refine a batch of Elixirs. I won’t make grand promises, but anything below Quasi Rank Four will be no problem."

"Then I must trouble you, young man!"

Zhao Wanyi’s face lit up with joy, her beautiful, lustrous eyes sparkling.

She didn’t doubt Ling Changqing’s words in the slightest. In any case, she would soon find out whether he was capable or not.

Ling Changqing said no more and lowered his head, beginning to feast. A spread of rare delicacies like this was priceless and couldn’t be wasted.

Zhao Wanyi watched the young man with a beaming smile, her mood inexplicably lifting. It seemed that as long as he was around, even the crisis her family faced felt insignificant.

What she didn’t notice was that her own fate had quietly begun to change. It was now slightly brighter and more condensed than before, and this trend was continuing.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two descended the stairs together and boarded the carriage once more to depart.

The Zhao Family’s main headquarters was quite far from the Marketplace district. Therefore, after leaving the Marketplace, the beautiful woman accompanying Zhao Wanyi summoned a magnificent Tianzhou Skyboat. They boarded it with the maids and guards, then ascended into the sky and sped away.

After traveling at full speed for more than an hour, the Tianzhou Skyboat finally decelerated, slowly descended, and landed in a vast, flat plaza.

As Ling Changqing stepped out of the Tianzhou Skyboat, he was greeted by the sight of a grand Jade Archway and Magnificent Pillars. Not far off stood a sprawling complex of palaces and pavilions in various architectural styles.

Gazing into the distance, he saw majestic mountain peaks rising and falling, wreathed in iridescent clouds and shrouded in dense Spiritual Qi, like a paradise on earth.

"A fine place indeed!"

Ling Changqing praised inwardly.

The geomancy and terrain of this area were indeed exceptional. It possessed a complete Rank Four High Grade Spirit Vein, which could easily support a dozen or more Nascent Soul True Monarchs in their Cultivation in Seclusion.