Longevity: Starting From Getting Down The Mountain And Marrying A Wife

Zhong Mansion.

Accompanied by his wife and concubines, a sumptuous feast continued until the sunset in the evening.

After settling Shi Lingzhen for rest, the family members of Zhong Mansion gathered in Jiang Ping's room, sitting together in silence, with unpleasant expressions on their faces.

This feast was truly heart-wrenching, causing a stagnation of qi and blood.

They experienced the "hot face pressed against a cold butt" treatment from Shi Lingzhen, as well as her obvious "arrogance, contempt, and disdain" that she tried to conceal but was still noticeable... This made the group of women who had once forgotten their lack of future in Zhong Mansion and remembered their own lowly status and the various hardships of the past.

Although they knew that there was a huge gap between mortals and cultivators, this scene still made them feel the discomfort of having their dignity trampled upon.

Especially seeing their husband being so cautious and eager to please, each of them felt uneasy in their hearts.

Xia He pursed her lips and glanced at the door. She took out a "soundproof talisman" from her sleeve and recited a spell to activate it.

When the entire room was enveloped in a faint light circle.

She immediately said angrily, "Hmph, what's there to be so arrogant about! In the end, we all turn into a pile of bones. She just lives a few more years than us. If we talk about looks and beauty, any one of us sisters can surpass her by ten streets! Just thinking about her fake smile makes me angry!"

Qiu Xiang smiled bitterly and said, "Even if we're angry, what can we do? Not only are we unable to win against her, but with a simple gesture, she can explode us, Body Tempering martial artists."

Xia He sneered, "When I become a grandmaster, I'll punch her into a basin. A small airport is laughable, still pretending to be so high and mighty. Right, Little Shu, you will definitely become a grandmaster!"

Tang Xiaoshu smiled and remained silent.

Chun Yu blinked and asked, "Fourth sister, what's an airport?"

Xia He giggled and said, "Go ask our husband. Anyway, you're not one. We sisters are all brain cushions who can't see beyond our own noses. We're the big pillows that our husband likes!"

The group of sisters understood and laughed to make light of the situation.

After a while.

"Alright." Jiang Ping glanced at Xia He and said, "You all saw it. It's not easy for the master of the house to have this family. Some people we can't afford to provoke, so we can only endure. Sisters, remember not to cause trouble for the master. But Zhong Mansion is not a place where everyone can be bullied. We must work together to share the master's worries. Everyone, go back and rest."

"Yes, eldest sister."

...

On the other side, Huo Donglai and Zhong Yan went to the study under the pretext of reminiscing alone.

The maidservant left, and he immediately hugged Zhong Yan tightly, only letting go after a while, his eyes reddened, "Big brother! Yunmei... "

Zhong Yan sighed inwardly, already guessing what happened.

When he had the opportunity to enter the Fire Cloud Sect and settled down completely, he searched multiple times, and it took him six or seven years to find the two little followers he used to beg with. He brought them into the sect, and both of them had spiritual roots. They entered cultivation together.

The other woman, Zhou Yun, who was six years younger than Zhong Yan and two years younger than Huo Donglai, also had dual attribute spiritual roots and entered the inner sect.

Zhong Yan was able to live peacefully in the outer sect for many years, thanks to the help and care they secretly provided.

The three of them have always had a deep bond, and Huo Donglai and Zhou Yun are particularly compatible, privately becoming Dao companions.

At present...

Huo Donglai's eyes were filled with tears, "In the second month after Big Brother left the mountain, Yun Mei took on a mission to Yunmeng Swamp for training and has not returned since."

I don't know if she's alive or dead... Zhong Yan raised an eyebrow, "What about her soul token?"

All inner disciples of the Fire Cloud Sect have soul tokens left in the sect. When there is a life-threatening danger, the soul token will react and show cracks, until it shatters, indicating the person's demise.

Huo Donglai let out a sigh of relief and said, "At that time, I was held up by other matters and couldn't go with her. When the agreed time came, I went to the 'Hall of Hundred Affairs' to check her soul token, and it was intact."

Half a month later, when the training team returned, only Yun'er was missing. When I looked at her soul token, it was already shattered. I asked a few of them, and they said that Yun Mei voluntarily left during the return journey. It was unexpected that she would perish. It didn't seem like they were lying..."

Zhong Yan asked directly, "Do you think Yun Mei is still alive? Was her soul token intentionally shattered? Is it related to Shi Lingzhen?"

Huo Donglai fell silent for a moment, "During that time, she was always around me, and there was nothing suspicious or any evidence."

Zhong Yan's mind was clear. He had definitely suspected Shi Lingzhen.

Although Huo Donglai had a close relationship with Shi Lingzhen, who often showed affection, Zhong Yan could see that the two of them were just putting on a facade. Huo Donglai didn't actually like her, he was just accommodating on the surface.

And earlier at the banquet, it was already known that Shi Lingzhen was the daughter of the Fifth Peak Master of the Fire Cloud Sect. She had motives and conditions.

"If you believe that Yun Mei is still alive and that there will be a chance to see her again in the future, you should calm down and break through to Foundation Building."

When Zhong Yan left the mountain, Huo Donglai had already reached the stage of Qi Refining, and with his aptitude, he should have already reached Foundation Building long ago.

"Shi Lingzhen has prepared the Foundation Building Pill for me..."

After a pause, Huo Donglai said, "Big Brother, I want to leave the sect and become an Independent Cultivator with you!"

Zhong Yan looked at him and said, "Putting aside whether the sect will let you go or not, do you really think being an Independent Cultivator is that easy? Even if you have true spiritual roots, it's difficult to form a Core without enough resources! It's better to stay in the sect than to risk your life for a meager amount of spirit stones!"

There was another thing Zhong Yan didn't say. Huo Donglai's personality was not suitable for being an Independent Cultivator. He had a kind and righteous heart, but he was indecisive. It was better for him to stay in the sect. It would be difficult for him to thrive outside without a ruthless heart.

Huo Donglai fell silent.

Zhong Yan continued, "You are about to reach Foundation Building. If you don't like it, can I force you? It's not easy to endure being at the mercy of others, but before you have the ability to resist, you have to endure it. When you become stronger in the future, you will find a way to uncover the truth and find Yun Mei's whereabouts, or seek justice. If you truly become tired of it, there's no need to force yourself. The world is vast and there are many places to go. Big Brother will always welcome you. You just have to think it through."

"Yes, Big Brother, I understand."

Huo Donglai nodded, then looked apologetic, "At the banquet, I caused trouble for the sisters-in-law. I hope Big Brother can apologize to them on my behalf."

Zhong Yan patted his shoulder and gave him a firm pat, "It's nothing."

"By the way, Big Brother, before I left the mountain this time, Senior Li came to me once and asked about your whereabouts."

"She asked me?" Zhong Yan was quite surprised. Senior Li, Li Lin, was the Seventh Peak Master of the Fire Cloud Sect and was the one who brought him into the sect.

Huo Donglai nodded and said, "I guess she heard from somewhere that you had left the sect. I truthfully told her that you came to Qingyang."

After a pause, he continued, "Big Brother, I heard Senior Li speak highly of you. If you stay in the sect and establish a relationship with her, your situation might improve a lot. Maybe you could even enter the Seventh Peak."

Zhong Yan smiled and said, "Do you think I haven't thought about it?"

He had entertained thoughts of relying on his good looks to get close to the charming senior sister and the beautiful elder, especially since Li Lin had saved his life before.

However, during his many years in the Fire Cloud Sect, apart from the first year or two when she took care of him a few times, he had only seen her from a distance during events like the sect's general assembly.

They had no real relationship to speak of.

Furthermore, the Fire Cloud Sect had nine peaks, and apart from the main peak, each peak had no more than thirty disciples. Their status was even higher than that of inner disciples, so he had no place among them.

Curious about something, Zhong Yan asked, "What did she say about me?"

Huo Donglai replied, "She didn't say much, just that your character is good, mature and stable at such a young age. She also said that leaving the mountain might be the right choice for you."

Zhong Yan nodded. It was indeed the right choice to leave the mountain and enter the mortal city. "Has she successfully formed her core?"

Huo Donglai shook his head with a hint of regret. "She failed. This time, she failed to form her core when she came out of seclusion. It's her second attempt, and it's unlikely she'll have another chance in the future."

Zhong Yan fell silent.

Forming the core was many times more difficult than building the foundation.

In the entire Fire Cloud Sect, there were over twenty elders and peak masters who had successfully built their foundations, but there were only two core formation cultivators.

When they first met, Li Lin was already at the eighth level of foundation building. Now, thirty years had passed, and she was still at the foundation building stage. Moreover, her aptitude was excellent, with two true spirit roots.

Huo Donglai blinked and said, "Maybe she'll come to Qingyang just to see you."

Zhong Yan: "..."

Huo Donglai laughed, "Big Brother, I'm not belittling you, but with your cultivation level, apart from newly recruited disciples, you're at the bottom among the outer disciples. Why would a fully formed foundation building cultivator like her pay special attention to you? If she's leaving the sect to travel far to the Chu Kingdom or even beyond the Eastern Region, it's normal for her to take a look at Qingyang along the way."

Zhong Yan nodded slightly. It was indeed possible. After all, he had saved her life back then, and there might be other stories that made him successful in the Fire Cloud Sect if he hadn't been just a young boy at the time.

This trip would probably be her last chance to find a breakthrough opportunity.

It would be best if she succeeded in forming her core this time.

If she failed once, there might still be some hope.

But if she failed twice, her hope would be almost completely cut off.

And even if she reached the peak of foundation building, her lifespan would only be around two hundred years, a few more years at most.

In the end, time would turn everything into dust, and the beauty would be buried with the red bones.

After some idle chat, Zhong Yan felt the communication talisman in his storage bag vibrate. He scanned it with his divine sense and couldn't help but smile.

It was about to begin.

...

...

The moon was hazy, and the mist rose.

In the sea area southwest of the Wei River.

Ten large cargo ships sailed side by side, moving slowly through the undulating black waves at a snail's pace. Red and black flags with the character "Qi" fluttered in the wind.

On the deck of the middle ship stood a woman wearing a white robe and a veil over her head. She was none other than Yan Sandao from the Qingyang Zhong Family.

She put away the communication talisman and showed a worried expression. It had been half a month since she set sail, and she didn't know how things were at home.

Surrounding her were straw figures arranged in human form. The front row wore armor that glinted with cold light, holding halberds.

The other ships were the same, with less than a hundred people wearing armor.

These straw models were made by thirty hired refugees who were on the same ship.

"Sister Sandao, there's no need to worry. Uncle has already made arrangements, so there shouldn't be any problems," a woman wearing a veil said as she walked up. The sea breeze lifted her light veil, revealing an unparalleled beauty that surpassed even Yan Sandao.

She was Zhou Yunning, the ninth concubine that Li Henian had spent thirty spirit stones and fifty thousand taels of silver to marry. She was a twenty-four-year-old Innate Triple Realm martial artist.

Yan Sandao remained silent for a while before saying, "We're at least seven days ahead of schedule. Something unexpected must have happened, but I believe my husband can handle it."

Zhou Yunning nodded and after a moment, blinked and asked, "Sister, has Uncle ever mentioned when our master will return?"

Yan Sandao smiled at her and said, "Sister, rest assured. My husband said that Brother Li is powerful and experienced, so he will definitely come back."

In reality, Mangdang Mountain was dangerous, and no one could guarantee that they would definitely return. Moreover, Li Henian's danger level on this trip was higher than before.

But it wasn't appropriate to say such things.

Yan Sandao and Zhou Yunning, who had both married into the Li Family, had not even lifted their red veils before Li Henian left for Wangyicheng.

If he didn't return, they would have to remain widows for the rest of their lives.

Before long, Yan Sandao felt a movement at her waist and took out a talisman to listen to the sound. Her face lit up.

"We can go back now!"

Zhou Yunning smiled and turned to the ship next to them, shouting, "Master Li, full speed ahead!"

"Yes, Ninth Madam!"