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

Li Yang, whose face turned red and white, saw that guests had arrived and cautiously reminded, "Master..."

"Shut up! Do you want to plead for them too? You also have a responsibility!" Li Henian angrily shouted, and the bamboo whip fell like raindrops. It seemed like he really wanted to beat someone to death.

"I am at fault!" Li Yang knelt down with a thud, followed by a row of servants and maidservants kneeling down.

"Brother!"

Standing far away and watching for a while, Zhong Yan saw that Li Henian had no intention of stopping, so he shouted.

Li Henian stopped and turned his head. He had sensed someone approaching earlier and thought it was a servant.

Seeing that it was Zhong Yan, his face softened. He was about to speak when his gaze froze, and he exclaimed, "Brother, you've broken through to the fourth level?!"

Immediately, he kicked his concubine who was holding onto his legs five or six meters away and scolded, "You embarrassing thing, get out of here!"

"Apologies for embarrassing Brother and Sister, please come inside quickly!"

Li Yang also stood up and quickly walked forward, smiling and holding hands with Jiang Ping. "Ping'er sister, come in. It's cold outside, let's talk inside."

Zhong Yan nodded to his wife and followed Li Henian to the study in the backyard.

"What made Brother so angry?"

"That bastard, at such a young age, he learned to gamble and lost over a thousand taels in half a month at the gambling house, and he still owes several hundred taels! Not to mention him..."

Li Henian carefully examined Zhong Yan for a while, firmly grasping his wrist, and then patting his shoulder.

"Congratulations to Brother for breaking through to the middle stage. I am truly happy for you! It's not easy!"

Both of them had four spiritual roots. They had both broken through to the third level within a year, but Li Henian had only stayed there for less than three years before breaking through.

Zhong Yan sighed, "Yes, eighteen years. I had given up, but I never expected a pleasant surprise from heaven. It seems that mindset is really important."

Li Henian nodded and smiled, "That's why leaving the mountain was the right choice. Azure Sun City is your blessed land."

"..."

After a conversation, Zhong Yan learned that Zhong Yan's talisman making was going smoothly. The two of them agreed on a time and planned to go to the market before the New Year.

At noon, the two families sat together and had a feast. Li Henian's concubines and children from the third household attended, while the concubine from the second household who had been beaten and Li Shangwen, the second son, did not make it to the table.

Back at home.

Jiang Ping immediately smiled and congratulated, "Congratulations, husband, on breaking through. You've taken another step towards Foundation Building! We must celebrate tonight!"

Zhong Yan gave her a meaningful look and asked, "How does Ping'er want to celebrate?"

Understanding the meaning, Jiang Ping's face blushed slightly, and she smiled lightly, "I will follow my husband's lead."

But since that day, Jiang Ping became more cautious and diligent in pleasing her husband in bed, afraid of doing anything to make him unhappy. The scene at the Li residence occasionally flashed through her mind.

It wasn't until half a month later that she realized her husband remained the same, never getting angry or losing his temper. The shadow in her heart gradually dissipated, and she happily sighed that she had married the right person.

As the New Year approached, Azure Sun City was filled with joy.

Jiang Ping led Xiao Huan to prepare for the usual New Year goods.

Zhong Yan and Li Henian went to the market.

Three hundred and twelve materials were made into two hundred and forty-five talismans, with a success rate of nearly eighty percent, much higher than the usual four to six percent for ordinary talisman masters.

Earth Prison Talisman, Body Protection Talisman, Rejuvenation Talisman... various talismans of different qualities.

Zhong Yan secretly kept a small portion and sold the better quality ones to the "Fire Cloud Pavilion," while the lower quality ones were sold at stalls.

This way, it wouldn't appear that the success rate was too high, and it would maximize profits.

In the end, he earned 109 Low Grade Spirit Stones, subtracting the costs, leaving a net profit of forty-nine.

For Qi Refining cultivators in the early and middle stages, this was not a small income.

However, Zhong Yan was not greatly affected. After all, he had once snatched several hundred Spirit Stones. He just felt a little emotional and realized that having a skill to make money was more reliable.

To reduce the number of trips to the market, he did not rush to return the Spirit Stones to Li Henian. Instead, he spent eighty Spirit Stones to buy materials and several samples of talismans like the "Diamond Talisman."

Spirit Rice, medicinal herbs, Demonic Beast meat... After purchasing, before leaving the market, Zhong Yan handed a Spirit Stone to Ma Zhida, who was on duty.

They rode side by side on their horses.

Li Henian exclaimed loudly, "I underestimated it before. I didn't expect that skilled talisman masters could make so much money. They are probably not much worse off than alchemists. With that said, Brother, you have hope for Foundation Building in the future!"

It was well known that alchemists were the wealthiest. After all, even if they stayed at home and didn't go out, as long as they wanted to progress, pills were indispensable.

Zhong Yan smiled and said, "I estimate it will be far off. Thirty-two pieces of spiritual stones for a 'Broken Mirror Origin Returning Pill' is not much. Many Rank One alchemists can refine it. Just thinking about it makes people envious!"

Li Henian shook his head and sighed, "Even if I envy it, there's nothing I can do. Independent cultivators like us don't have the conditions. Even if we want to become Rank One alchemists, we need a large amount of materials for learning and trial and error. And we might not even have the talent..."

As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced back, saying, "It's better to just rob directly!"

"Hahaha..." Zhong Yan burst into laughter. More than half of this guy's wealth comes from side businesses.

After five days of travel, everything went smoothly.

Zhong Yan returned home, where his wife and maidservant were counting the items in the front yard.

Jiang Ping approached and pointed to a pile of goods, smiling, "Husband, these were sent by the city lord's mansion. They just left. There are fabrics, various ingredients, and fifty taels of silver, all as New Year's gifts."

"Hmm, keep them." Zhong Yan was somewhat surprised. They didn't mention this benefit when they registered as guest officials.

Fifty taels for one family, with over a hundred cultivators in the city, plus other goods, this expenditure was not small, showing the wealth of the Azure Sun City's city lord's mansion.

"Husband, should we prepare something in return?"

"Yes." Zhong Yan nodded. "Relationships" like this cannot wait until they are needed to be cultivated.

"Please tell me, husband. I will go shopping tomorrow."

"No need, I have arrangements."

Two days later.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, amidst the sound of firecrackers, snowflakes fell from the sky, a sign of a prosperous year.

On the main table of Zhong Mansion's main hall, Jiang Ping and Xiao Huan prepared a sumptuous feast.

"Xiao Huan, sit down and eat with us."

Zhong Yan was in a good mood. He took out a jar of spirit wine from his storage bag, bought at the Sun Spring Market. Two jars cost five pieces of spiritual stones, and he gave the other jar to Li Henian.

"I dare not, master!"

The little maid was startled, thinking she had done something wrong. But seeing her master's kind smile, she just nervously lowered her head and didn't dare to kneel and ruin the atmosphere.

Jiang Ping was also surprised. She looked at her husband's face and smiled, "Master told you to sit, so sit. Go and get another set of bowls and chopsticks."

"Yes, thank you, master. Thank you, madam."

After the New Year's Eve dinner.

Zhong Yan and his wife stayed up late on the bed.

"This jade pendant has the effect of calming the mind and aiding in the comprehension of martial arts techniques."

Zhong Yan took out a pendant and handed it to Jiang Ping, "It's your New Year's gift."

"Thank you, husband. Ping'er likes it!"

Jiang Ping, who had only drunk a small cup of spirit wine, had a flushed face and misty eyes. She took the pendant and leaned into Zhong Yan's arms, blushing and whispering, "Husband, Ping'er wants..."

Hiss~

It was truly captivating!

Zhong Yan supported her shoulders and smiled, "Wait, I still have another gift for you!"

"What is it?" Jiang Ping blinked.

"Something good!"

Zhong Yan took out a book.

The title was "Startling the Hearts of Women." According to the vendor's promotion, it was from the Yan Kingdom's royal family and claimed to be a secret book of the imperial court.

And it only cost one piece of spiritual stone.

Of course, it was just a general "technique" suitable for ordinary people, a technique for the bedroom.

The cultivation techniques used by real cultivators required at least a million low-grade spiritual stones, which was equivalent to ten thousand middle-grade spiritual stones.

Zhong Yan couldn't afford it for the time being.

Even if he bought it, his wife couldn't cultivate it without spiritual roots.

Jiang Ping took it and opened it, her cheeks turning even redder.

"Husband, Ping'er is afraid she can't do it."

"I'll teach you."