Immortality: Beginning With The Great Zhou Divine Dynasty

Chapter 3: The First Hearing of the Peach Blossom Banquet

Since the gathering of several Dao Ancestors, starting with Nan Hua Dao Ancestor's preaching of the Great Thousand Dao, followed by the propagation of Guang Cheng and Duo Bao's teachings.

The orthodox sects, Buddhist teachings, and various other sects and paths emerged one after another, shining brightly in the vast world, blooming everywhere.

When he first arrived, he had many doubts and curiosities about the legends in this field. However, he had long let go of them and went with the flow. Thinking too much would only bring unnecessary troubles.

But over the years, he had always revered Nan Hua Dao Ancestor.

Those who have achieved success in the orthodox cultivation of the Dao are like dragons, rarely seen in the Great Zhou Empire in the past few hundred years.

After a night of cultivation.

Lin Xuanzhi finished his morning lessons with the "Calm Scripture," the Eight Great Divine Mantras, Nan Hua, Earth Mother, Wood God, Gold Mother, and other sacred treasures. Then, he practiced a set of Bagua Floating Body Palm before concluding his practice.

In the world of Chi Ming, the Dao teachings did not have as many rigid rules as in the morning and evening classes. The requirements for practicing at home or as an independent cultivator were even fewer. After all, the Dao was a manifestation of holiness, and with a sincere heart, there would naturally be a response from the divine.

After having breakfast, Lin Xuanzhi studied talismanic techniques in his study. Before noon, he saw Bi Yue standing outside the door and saying, "Young Master, Madam has sent Jin Suo to invite you over."

From the Lin family's patriarch, Lin Tianhu, down to the fifth generation, there were five branches. The main branch, third branch, and fourth branch were the legitimate children of the Madam. The second branch and fifth branch were born from the two concubines, Hua and Rong. Each branch had a prosperous lineage.

Lin Xuanzhi was the legitimate eldest son of the third branch's patriarch, Lin Ze, and also his only son. His mother was the elderly daughter of the Grand Academician Zhang Dongxian.

The patriarch of the main branch was also a military general who had been stationed in the northwest for the past three years and had not returned.

Madam Cui, the Madam of the main branch, came from a prestigious family and had been managing the affairs of the entire family for many years. She was in charge of the household and social interactions, and could be considered fair and just.

Apart from the patriarch, who was the strongest in the family and comparable to a Mysterious Light cultivator of the Dao, only the main branch patriarch had reached the Martial Dao Core Incubation stage.

The Zhong Yong Manor had five entrances and many courtyards. There were three gardens of different sizes, but the large family did not appear crowded.

In the Great Zhou Empire, it was common for men and women to be engaged at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and it was normal to get married around the age of eighteen or twenty. It was rare for someone like Lin Xuanzhi, who was twenty-three years old and still unmarried.

Among his elder brothers of the same generation in the manor, two had already married, and there were also several sisters who had married into other families.

Passing through the front garden, Lin Xuanzhi quickly arrived at the main hall, Yan Qing Hall. He happened to see a luxurious-dressed teenager of about thirteen or fourteen years old walking out of the courtyard.

"Nephew greets Fifth Uncle." The teenager greeted Lin Xuanzhi with a smile.

Lin Xuanzhi nodded gently and asked, "Is it Sheng'er? Are you here to pay respects to your grandmother?"

Lin Sheng's eyes lit up as he smiled and replied, "Yes, I'm here to report on my studies to my grandmother. Does Fifth Uncle have something to discuss with her? I won't delay you."

Lin Xuanzhi nodded lightly and walked past him, arriving at the front hall. He saw a middle-aged noblewoman dressed in apricot yellow robes, attentively looking at account books from the main seat.

She was the Madam of the Lin family, who, despite being over fifty years old, appeared to be in her forties. She obviously took good care of herself and did not show any signs of weakness. It was clear that she had formidable skills.

"Aunt, I greet you." Lin Xuanzhi greeted the Madam with a warm and respectful tone.

The Madam looked up and smiled. Although her face showed kindness, her eyes revealed a shrewd and capable demeanor. She said, "Look at me, these messy accounts have given me a headache. I didn't even know you had arrived, Wulang."

Lin Xuanzhi had a perfectly timed smile on his face as he calmly replied, "Aunt has been managing the household for over thirty years. Even if the accounts are a mess, you can handle them. Grandmother often says that you are the most reliable person."

Upon hearing this, the Madam sighed, "What use is reliability? Outsiders only see how well I manage the family, but they don't know the endless worries I have every day. But I believe you understand, Wulang."

"Not to mention the affairs of the manor, there are also social interactions in the Divine Capital, letters from relatives and clan members in our hometown that come every now and then. If something is missing or lacking, we can't just brush it off. Otherwise, people will think that our branch is just a one-day dragon, and they won't care about our relatives anymore."

Lin Xuanzhi agreed with this. Managing the household seemed glamorous, but it was something that ordinary people couldn't handle. Madam had been able to manage the Zhong Yong Manor so well for so many years, with increasing assets and no losses, which showed her ability.

"Aunt, you've worked hard. I and the rest of the family appreciate it."

The Madam's expression relaxed slightly, but she couldn't help but say, "But a clever woman can't cook without rice. You also know that there are some things that can't be obtained with money."

"Aunt, this time I had no choice but to reduce the frequency of your Tiger Bone Body Tempering Soup from every three days to every five days. Although the medicinal materials in Zhuangzi are stable and abundant, the spinal bones of the mountain lords above five hundred years are not in good condition, and those above a thousand years are already beyond the reach of people like us from the third-class families. Now that the martial examination is approaching, we must prioritize the needs of the clan members who need to take the exam."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuanzhi smiled and replied, "So Aunt called me here because of this matter? It's not a big deal. In extraordinary times, resources should be allocated to those in urgent need."

The Great Zhou Imperial Examination, held once a year, aims to select outstanding soldiers who can make use of the abundant national power. Moreover, it is rumored that the Witch-Barbarian Race has become increasingly restless, and it is feared that the Divine Dynasty is also secretly preparing.

"And Shenger has already reached the second level of Tendons and Bones, with strong tendons and bones. It seems that he is confident in achieving a good ranking, right?" Lin Xuanzhi asked.

The Lady of the House relaxed and smiled, saying, "When it comes to being considerate, Wulang, you are the most thoughtful towards Aunt. Others only think that I am taking advantage of my position as the housekeeper."

Thinking of her eldest grandson, the Lady of the House smiled even more, saying, "I didn't expect him to see it as soon as he broke through to the Tendons and Bones realm. It seems that your cultivation has truly achieved success."

Lin Xuanzhi only smiled in response. The beauty of cultivation is not something that can be easily explained to others.

In the Divine Capital, there are countless high-ranking officials and nobles. Even if cultivation is pursued solely for the purpose of living longer, there are still many who do so. Naturally, Lin Xuanzhi is not the only "noble cultivator."

However, there are not many who have successfully entered the path of cultivation. Most of them are still stuck in the Foundation Building stage. More than ninety percent of them struggle with their wandering thoughts and have difficulty focusing their minds. The few individuals who have achieved Essence Nurturing are often limited by various internal and external factors, resulting in slow progress.

After all, the Divine Capital is prosperous and full of temptations. If one cannot control oneself, cultivation will be neglected. Even during the process of focusing one's thoughts, if one cannot control their thoughts and emotions, it is easy to become mentally disturbed or even go insane.

Therefore, even though some independent cultivators may possess unique cultivation techniques, it is rare to hear of any children from noble families reaching the Astral Malevolence level or above. Those who truly have their hearts set on the path of cultivation have probably already left home to cultivate.

Over the years, there have been only a handful of Fellow Daoists who have maintained communication with Lin Xuanzhi, and only two of them have a good relationship with him. As for the older generation, he is not able to interact with them.

Thinking of how Aunt has taken care of him since he was young, Lin Xuanzhi immediately smiled and said, "Since Shenger has just made a breakthrough, he will probably need some medicinal soup for nourishment. I will provide him with my daily cultivation portion first. Consider it a small gesture from his uncle."

Upon hearing this, the Lady of the House couldn't help but say, "Wulang, even if you reduce your portion, it is still Aunt's responsibility. It should be me, as the elder, who should provide for you."

"If it were in normal times, it would be fine. I could afford the materials even at a high price, and it wouldn't come to the point of reducing portions. But now..."

"Wulang, you know that during normal times, your aunt's family, the Cui family, can help gather some precious medicine, but now they can't do much."

Lin Xuanzhi also knew that the market was chaotic these days. Although the Cui family and the Earl's Mansion were not lacking in resources, they couldn't compete with the truly powerful and noble families.

"You also know that Aunt Dao Ancestor gave Jiaogu Yangshen Paste to your nephew, and the Tiger Bone Body Tempering Soup is for Sheng'er to use."

After some hesitation, the Madam blushed and reluctantly accepted Lin Xuanzhi's kindness. Then she took out a note and handed it to Lin Xuanzhi, almost ordering, "On the third day of next month, the Eight Virtuous Princesses will host a Peach Blossom Banquet at the Wan Tao Garden in the east of the city. There will be many young talents and noble ladies. You should have been married by now, but you have been avoiding it repeatedly. Don't be absent this time, otherwise the Madam will punish both of us."

In the past, Lin Xuanzhi didn't like attending such occasions, and the Madam had often covered for him. But it seemed that it wouldn't work this time?

Helpless, he smiled and took the note, saying gently, "Nephew will listen to Aunt."

Only then did the Madam smile and turned to instruct Jin Suo, "Why haven't you brought the jade pendant prepared for Wulang?"

Jin Suo respectfully responded and left. In a short while, she returned holding a brocade box in front of Lin Xuanzhi. Inside was a round jade pendant, about the size of a palm, carved with the shape of a pine crane, with a milky white color and a warm luster. The Madam said, "This is a jade pendant made of thousand-year Primordial Yang Jade. It has the effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit. There is no one in the mansion more suitable to use it than you."

Lin Xuanzhi didn't refuse and respectfully accepted it. He chatted with the Madam for a long time before thanking her and leaving.

Now was the time for him to focus on his cultivation, but when his grandmother spoke, it was really difficult for him to not go to this event.

"In March... that guy should have returned to the Divine Capital by now."

"And there's Qingjie..."

"As fellow unmarried young adults, they might also be forced to go."

Thinking of his two good friends, Lin Xuanzhi's face showed a smile, and he didn't resist as much.

Otherwise, being surrounded by a group of noble and privileged people, he felt annoyed and disgusted.

This week, there will be one update per day. The manuscript and outline need some adjustments. Starting next week, there will be two updates per day, totaling around 4k-5k words.

(End of this chapter)