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

The eighth day of the new year.

A joyous banquet at the Li Residence.

Li Henian had a wide circle of friends in the city. Although there was currently no hope of his return, his influence still remained. This was the first time Li Henian had been invited since his departure, and with Zhong Yan's relationship, many cultivators in the city who had a relationship with him came to show their support.

It was a lively scene.

After the guests dispersed and left, the festive atmosphere at the Li Residence quickly dissipated. The family members sat together in silence.

They all knew in their hearts that this should be the last time cultivators would gather at the Li Residence. Without Li Henian's cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and without his network of connections, it would be difficult to maintain a relationship with cultivators in the future.

With only Li Shangwu, the current head of the Li family, at the fourth level of the acquired realm, it was difficult to maintain their position even among martial practitioners, let alone cultivators. It would be hard to preserve their current family business.

After a long silence, Li Shangwen spoke up, "Actually, the situation isn't that bad. We still have Uncle Zhong. Father said before he left that we can turn to Uncle Zhong for help when needed."

"Even if we have a good relationship, it's because of your father. We can't always trouble others, even if they are willing to help us once," Li Yang sighed lightly and looked at her son, who was dressed in a red ceremonial robe. "Shangwu, let's close down the businesses in the city for now and only keep the martial arts school and the liquor brewery. What do you think?"

Li Shangwu thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, when my cultivation level improves, I can start some other small businesses. We won't let everyone go hungry."

Li Yang looked at the concubines and said, "Third sister, visit the Zhong Residence more often and bring Jingqiu with you."

The third concubine glanced at her daughter beside her and nodded, "Yes, eldest sister."

...

A few days later.

Wang Yi Fang sent fifty spirit stones to the Li Residence, which was the reward for Li Henian's participation in the expedition and hunting demon team. It was a response to the news about Li Henian.

From then on, the Li Residence became unusually low-key.

...

Time passed to the sixteenth day.

Numerous cultivators in Qingyang City gathered at the "Guest Officials Residence" - a newly renovated mansion in the eastern district, which served as the office for guest officials.

Although it was called an office, it was actually a place for living and gathering. Two people were assigned to be on duty at a time, and other cultivators were summoned only when necessary, without the need for daily attendance.

At this moment, eighty-nine people gathered in the large martial arts arena. Some independent cultivators did not register as guest officials, so they did not come.

For example, Yang Yanqing, the highest cultivation level in the city, and the cultivators in his residence.

Qin Ben publicly read the decree of the city.

It was not surprising that Bai Siyuan became a follower mage. Apart from Yang Yanqing, there were only four late-stage cultivators in Qingyang City, and Bai was one of them. Now, he was only one step away from reaching the eighth level, which was well-deserved.

When Zhong Yan's name was announced, all eyes turned to him, full of surprise and astonishment. They whispered and speculated that it should be related to the destruction of the Xue Residence.

Being a follower mage at the fourth level of Qi Refining was unprecedented in the entire cultivation world.

After the initial shock, some congratulated him, some sneered, and some remained expressionless.

Zhong Yan remained calm. Since he had made up his mind, he would not hesitate or feel any pressure. He looked around, smiled, and said, "Please guide me, everyone."

After a while.

"Esteemed cultivators!"

Qin Ben raised his hand to signal and laughed, "I believe some of you have heard of the 'Guest Officials Residence.' Every city in Zhongzhou has such a mansion, and some countries in the Eastern Region also have them. They are specifically built to manage the cultivators in the city."

"Qingyang City is the first city in Yan Country to establish the Guest Officials Residence. It is an experiment, not for managing you esteemed cultivators, but to provide convenience and better cooperation for everyone."

"If any of you are dissatisfied, I must remind you that this opportunity was not easy for me to plan and obtain. I must emphasize that activities such as gathering to fight or causing trouble in the city should not happen, so as not to give others a handle to suppress the Guest Officials Residence and cause losses to all of you. I don't need to say more about this..."

"The position of a follower mage is held for one year, with two people per term. The number can be increased depending on the situation. Next year, it will be decided by voting or through a competition. You can decide for yourselves..."

"From today onwards, all matters related to cultivators inside and outside the city will be handled by the Guest Officials Residence. You can discuss among yourselves and only need to file a report to the City Lord's Residence..."

"Each guest official will receive two low-grade spirit stones in addition to the usual salary and benefits. If the situation at the Guest Officials Residence improves, I will apply to the court for more benefits..."

Qin Ben explained in detail the duties of the Guest Officials Residence and the position of follower mages, as well as other matters that needed attention.

Then, Zhong Yan and Bai Siyuan stepped forward and briefly spoke about their appointment.

At the end.

Qin Ben waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to deliver the tokens of the accompanying mage to Zhong Yan and the others. He smiled and said, "There happen to be two matters at hand. Let the two mages and all the immortal masters decide how to proceed."

"The first matter is the civil war in the Wei Kingdom. The various princes' armies are deadlocked. At the end of the month, Shunyi City is preparing to send out a vanguard army of 300,000 soldiers. Our Qingyang City will send out 50,000 troops, and we need five cultivators at the Qi Refining mid-stage or above to accompany the army."

As soon as these words were spoken, almost all the cultivators' faces showed excitement and restlessness.

In general, cultivators are unwilling to accompany the army in war. Not only is it laborious, but there is also a great risk to their lives.

But this time is different. It is a guaranteed victory in the war. In addition to the generous rewards for accompanying the army, they can also plunder the small-scale cultivation forces and independent cultivators in the Wei Kingdom, making a stable profit.

Zhong Yan was also somewhat surprised. The five spots should have been obtained by Qin Ben's efforts. In the past, they would have been benefits for disciples of sects and families.

He scanned the crowd and his gaze happened to meet Yu Qingyao's.

This Guo Wang actually looked nervous and immediately lowered his head, afraid of being chosen.

"..." Zhong Yan was speechless. How could he be afraid of such a good opportunity?

"..." Yu Qingyao's heart thumped, secretly wondering: Could this idiot Zhong not want me to go?

Someone spoke up and asked, "City Lord Qin, how many cultivators will be sent from Shunyi City?"

Qin Ben replied, "The first batch will have 20,000, including 1,800 Foundation Building cultivators recommended by various sects and families."

"Damn, that's too many!" someone muttered.

"It's good enough if there's soup to drink!" someone laughed.

"Draw lots!" voices rose one after another.

Bai Siyuan smiled and said, "Then let's draw lots."

Qin Ben waved his hand, and a soldier came forward with a wooden box.

Cultivators who met the requirements immediately displayed their gravity manipulation techniques.

Everyone received a lot, looked around, and there was a buzz of discussion. Some muttered about going privately, but it was obviously a joke. If they didn't follow the army, they might be mistaken for enemy soldiers and killed.

Zhong Yan lowered his head and laughed. He actually drew the lot.

But he had no intention of going at all. He didn't lack spirit stones in his hands. What he urgently needed now was to improve his strength and quickly learn the 'Great Void Art.'

He asked Bai Siyuan next to him, who also didn't want to go, so he exchanged it with another cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining who had a good relationship with him.

Qin Ben spoke again, "The second matter is that there is a demon problem in Shagou Town. According to the news, it should be a green python at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining. Everyone is familiar with this matter. Which immortal master would like to go?"

The interest of the cultivators suddenly waned.

Remote towns and villages often have demon beasts causing trouble, and it is the duty of guest cultivators from the city to lead the soldiers to deal with them.

However, this kind of thing takes time to search for, and the city lord's mansion only provides material rewards. Cultivators can only sell the bodies of the demon beasts for some money.

Zhong Yan had been invited twice before and didn't care for it.

At this moment, he couldn't help but look at Yu Qingyao again. Sure enough, this woman also looked over, with an eager expression this time.

There is no other reason, the rewards are low, but safety is guaranteed.

Cultivators are generally responsible for using their divine sense to search for the whereabouts of the demon beasts, and then join the soldiers in surrounding and killing them. It's not difficult.

Seeing that Zhong Yan had no special expression, Yu Qingyao stepped forward and clasped her fists, "City Lord Qin, Yu is willing to go."

...

Yangquan Market.

Feixian Pavilion, Room 69 underground.

Shuixian had a mocking expression and sneered, "Now you can give up, right?"

"If he cared about you, he would have come long ago!"

"While your belly is not too big, hurry up and get rid of it. I can still help you get through this difficult time!"

Ruo Yun lowered her head, pursed her lips, and gently touched her abdomen. Her cultivation was too low, and she couldn't suppress it with her vitality for long. If she continued to delay, she would be exposed as soon as she went out.

After a long silence, she calmly said, "If sister has a way, then help me. I can't do it myself with this child."

Shuixian's anger surged to her head, her lips moved, but seeing Ruo Yun's indifferent and hopeless expression, she swallowed her words and left in a huff.

...