Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 92: The Ancestral Home of the Zhao Family

Shangyang City, Zhao District.

This entire area belongs to the Zhao family, covering an area of over 300 acres, which is even larger than two small rice districts.

Upon entering here, one can see the vast land, well-built houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo.

The streets are bustling with traffic, and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard. There are also many hardworking farmers busy in the fields, presumably tenants of the Zhao family.

It feels like a paradise on earth.

Yu Xian strolls among them, taking in the crops in the fields one by one. His previous identity as a farmer allows him to instinctively recall the names of these crops in his mind.

"Golden Silk Rice, Dragon Tooth Rice, White Lotus Rice, Fragrant Bamboo Rice, Honey Flower Rice..."

"The second-level spiritual veins are indeed extraordinary. The crops grown here are all top-grade among the first-level spiritual rice, and they are quite valuable."

"But from the looks of it, regardless of the other cultivation families in Shangyang City, just looking at the Zhao family, their style seems not that high."

"A farming family is nothing more than a larger landlord, just a landlord in the cultivation world."

"It seems that the production methods in the cultivation world are still in their early stages."

"But it could also be that I am in a lower level and cannot observe the world from a global perspective..."

"Forget it, I'm not here to reform or lead a productivity revolution. Why bother thinking so much?"

Various thoughts keep popping up in Yu Xian's mind.

He came here this time because he was invited by the Zhao family's ancestor to meet him. The one accompanying him all the way is Zhao's steward.

The steward of the Zhao family has been paying attention to Yu Xian's expression. Seeing his unusual expression, he can't help but smile bitterly and say, "The Zhao family's place is simple, please forgive my nephew for any shortcomings."

Yu Xian laughs, "This place is like a paradise, exactly what I have been longing for."

The steward of the Zhao family probes, "Since my nephew likes it here, if I were to invite my nephew to live here in the future, would my nephew be willing?"

Yu Xian neither agrees nor disagrees, "Let's see."

The two of them walk and talk, and soon arrive at the center of the Zhao family—a large mansion with red walls and green tiles.

It doesn't have the grandeur of an immortal's residence, nor is it a magnificent building or pavilion...

It's just that kind of down-to-earth feeling.

It can also be simply called an old landlord's mansion.

Yu Xian feels that the buildings in the Prince Fu's Mansion have a much higher artistic atmosphere than the Zhao family's mansion.

But height does not determine greatness, and depth does not determine value. The people living in this mansion are cultivators.

So if you bring a hundred people over, all one hundred of them would say that the Zhao family's mansion is a fairy residence, while the Prince Fu's Mansion is a shabby room.

After entering the mansion, Yu Xian finds that there are very few people in the courtyard, giving it a somewhat desolate feeling.

The steward of the Zhao family explains that the cost of living in the city is too high.

Therefore, there are no servants in the Zhao mansion, or rather, all the servants in the Zhao mansion are the children of the Zhao family who also work part-time.

They work while cultivating.

Some of the Zhao family's children from peripheral branches even have to go out and farm with the tenants.

Soon, the steward leads Yu Xian into the mansion and arrives at the residence where the Zhao family's ancestor lives.

"Ancestor, Yu Xian has arrived."

The steward bows to a white-clad young man in the courtyard.

The young man turns around, and it is Zhao Qingfeng, the mid-Foundation Building cultivator and the ancestor of the Zhao family.

He bows to Yu Xian and shows a friendly smile.

"Friend Yu, I have heard of your great name. I, Zhao Qingfeng, am honored to meet you."

Seeing how polite the ancestor is, Yu Xian is surprised and quickly returns the gesture, "Ancestor is too kind. I am just a junior who started late in cultivation. I am not worthy of being called a friend."

"There is no distinction between senior and junior in the pursuit of the Dao. Since you have already broken through to the Foundation Building realm, you are more than qualified to be called my friend. You don't have to call me ancestor, just call me friend."

Zhao Qingfeng's face is adorned with a gentle smile, and his words are spoken softly, making people feel as if they are bathed in a gentle breeze.

"Um... Friend Zhao?"

Yu Xian feels a bit unsure about this attitude.

Has he fallen into an illusion?

After all, theoretically speaking, he can still be considered a suspect in the crime.

On the side, Manager Zhao suddenly remembered how he used to boast about his talented nephew, and his face slowly turned pale.

The patriarch called himself a friend, and I called myself a nephew, which means I am claiming a higher status than the patriarch.

Suddenly, he felt his legs go weak.

Fortunately, Patriarch Zhao waved his hand in time and said, "Third Younger, you may step aside for now. I have something to discuss with Friend Yu."

"Yes, Patriarch."

Manager Zhao hurriedly stepped back.

Manager Zhao's full name is Zhao Dechun. Strictly speaking, he is the great-grandson of Patriarch Zhao, and because he is the third in seniority, he has always been called the Third Younger by Patriarch Zhao.

If it weren't for this relationship, he wouldn't have been able to hold the position of the manager of the Yingchun Pavilion.

After Manager Zhao stepped back.

Patriarch Zhao extended his hand to invite Yu Xian and revealed a tea table behind him, saying, "I have brewed some tea. Would Friend Yu honor me with your presence?"

Yu Xian didn't understand why, but since they were being so polite, he naturally wouldn't offend them.

"It is my honor to taste the tea brewed by Friend Zhao."

"Now that Friend Yu has married into our Zhao family, you can be considered half a member of the Zhao family. I heard about your breakthrough, and I am very happy for you. Let me offer you a belated congratulations."

Patriarch Zhao poured tea for Yu Xian and began to chat casually.

Yu Xian clasped his hands on the tea table as a gesture of gratitude.

"It was just a lucky breakthrough. Looking back now, I still feel a bit scared. If it were to happen again, I definitely wouldn't dare."

"Haha, a breakthrough is a breakthrough. There is no such thing as luck."

"It is because of Friend's firm determination and diligent cultivation that you were able to achieve this breakthrough."

Patriarch Zhao was very polite to Yu Xian, but when it came to the Zhao family, his expression suddenly turned cold.

"After I broke through the Foundation Building stage, it has been more than forty years, and I have only found two Foundation Building Pills for the Zhao family, but no one has been able to break through. Compared to Friend, the thousands of descendants of the Zhao family are all useless!"

"So today, I sincerely invite Friend to formally join the Zhao family as a guest. The descendants of Friend and the Zhao family will have equal opportunities to inherit the family business in the future."

Yu Xian's heart stirred.

Originally, he just wanted to reveal his Foundation Building cultivation to avoid unnecessary trouble for himself.

But he didn't expect Patriarch Zhao to have such keen insight and immediately recognize his talent.

Now it seems that his goal can be changed again.

But there is no rush at this moment. He asked in return, "Now that there are rumors outside that I assassinated the son of the clan leader, are you not afraid of causing criticism by inviting me to join the Zhao family?"

"If Zhao Zhongliu was killed by Friend, then he deserved it even more."

Patriarch Zhao first gave Yu Xian a reassurance pill before saying, "To be honest, I am not qualified to be the patriarch. I provided a stable cultivation environment for the Zhao family, but they have forgotten what danger is. Back then, our Zhao family was just a small Qi Refining family, struggling to survive on this land. At that time, in order to deal with a late-stage Qi Refining beast, the whole family had to work together, be cautious, and not dare to slack off in the slightest. Otherwise, the result would be death and annihilation of the clan. But now that these descendants have better conditions, all they care about is power and profit, living in a dreamlike state. Zhao Zhongliu, a mere son of the clan leader, openly declared that he would give our Zhao family's daughter to the Lin family as a concubine, treating her as a servant. Even if he hadn't died, I would have dealt with him according to the family rules. So I invite Friend to join the Zhao family, not only to appreciate your character and strength, but also to serve as a warning to others. If one day the Zhao family loses me, what will become of the Zhao family's descendants? In this world, without strength, everything is meaningless."

Yu Xian didn't care about the situation of the Zhao family. He was more curious about another question.

"Why do you think I am not the killer?"

He might as well have the words "killer" written on his forehead. Others, like Manager Zhao and Zhao Shiwen, believed without a doubt and even acted as if they were keeping his secret. It was only Patriarch Zhao who seemed to be the only one awake among the intoxicated.

(End of this chapter)