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

In the courtyard of the Li Mansion.

Zhong Yan looked up at the floating clouds in the sky, memories flashing through his mind.

About to possess a spiritual root.

Yet he found himself unable to feel any joy.

If he could, he would rather exchange it for Li Henian.

In one's lifetime, how many like-minded friends can one make? How many comrades can one trust to protect their back?

Now, he had lost one.

The one he was closest to.

"Cultivator... Immortality..."

Zhong Yan murmured, suddenly feeling a hint of weariness and exhaustion in his heart.

Even with a system, there was no guarantee that he would be able to live until Foundation Building. After Foundation Building, there was Gold Core, and after Gold Core, there was Nascent Soul... Each step was extremely difficult.

If he could continue on.

What about his loved ones?

They would watch as each wife, concubine, and child slowly aged, turned into bones, and returned to the earth.

Zhong Yan stood still, watching the clouds roll by until the sunset, and the lanterns were lit.

Not far away on the corridor, Li Yangshi and Li Shangwu exchanged a glance and walked forward.

Li Shangwu bowed and called out, "Father, please accept our condolences."

Zhong Yan closed his eyes and then opened them, turning slightly to nod. "You will be in charge of your father's funeral."

"Yes, Father!"

Li Yangshi handed over three storage bags. "Uncle, these were left by the master. He said to give them to you."

Zhong Yan took them and scanned them with his divine sense. They were mostly fresh herbs, spiritual fruits, and the corpses of hunted monsters, in large quantities.

Five Law Weapons, fifty-seven spiritual stones, and no talismans or elixirs.

Fifty spiritual stones should be the ones sent by Wang Yifang last time.

"Go and take care of your tasks first. Come find me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

"Thank you, Father!"

Seeing Zhong Yan off, Li Yangshi and her son talked for a moment before letting him go busy himself, while she gathered her sisters in a room.

"Father is gone, we have to rely on ourselves from now on."

Li Yangshi's gaze swept across each pretty face.

"Eighth sister, ninth sister, you should pack your things and go to the Zhong Mansion to find Ping'er. Although Uncle hasn't explicitly agreed, he probably won't refuse. Lower your status, be clever, and see if you can win his favor and become concubines. It's up to Uncle's decision."

The eighth concubine hesitated and spoke up, "Eldest sister, what about Father's funeral..."

Li Yangshi said, "You two only had a few encounters with Father, and when you entered the mansion, it was just a formality. You usually kept a low profile and didn't attract much attention. Do you want to wait until everyone knows before going to the Zhong Mansion? Sacrificing your own capital for nothing?"

The two looked at each other and said, "Yes, thank you, eldest sister."

"Third sister, after Father's funeral and Jingqiu finishes her mourning, choose an auspicious day to marry into the Zhong Mansion. Father and Uncle have already agreed on this..."

Li Yangshi walked around the room as she spoke, suddenly pulling out two daggers from her sleeve and stabbing them towards the backs of the fifth and seventh concubines.

The sudden change shocked the remaining four, their faces turning pale as they stepped back.

"Father is lonely, so let the fifth and seventh sisters accompany him!" Li Yangshi looked around calmly, but she was also ruthless.

The fifth and seventh concubines had not been in the mansion for long, and their relationship was not deep. She couldn't allow any leaks about things that shouldn't be seen.

As for whether there were other ulterior motives, outsiders wouldn't know.

Zhou Yunning clenched her fists in her sleeves, her heart resolute. She knew that if it weren't for her intact body and value as a pawn, she would probably have been assassinated.

But now she wasn't afraid. She was the strongest in the Li Mansion, and no one could harm her.

The eighth concubine lowered her head, her body trembling uncontrollably. She was also intelligent and understood the key points, but she was not a cultivator and had no power to resist.

The second and third concubines both had their own advantages. The former had a son, Li Shangwen, who was favored by Uncle, and the latter had a daughter who could marry into the Zhong Mansion.

If someone had to die, it would definitely be her.

Her brain quickly turned, and the eighth concubine raised her head slightly, busy saying, "Eldest sister! From now on, Xue Ning will only listen to you. I will follow your arrangements and instructions!"

Li Yangshi glanced at her and said, "You're wrong. From now on, you belong to Uncle. Whatever he says, goes!"

"Yes, eldest sister!"

Li Yangshi looked at Zhou Yunning and smiled. "Yunning, I can see that Uncle looks at you differently. He must have some liking for you. With your Innate strength, you should take care of Uncle's worries."

"Yes, eldest sister."

...

On the other side.

Zhong Yan returned home and summoned Jiang Ping and Yan Sandao.

"Ping'er, make good use of your time with Yu Qingyao."

"Sandao, tomorrow you go to the Marriage Pavilion, get two more, and then go to the North Street to pick a few female slaves among the refugees."

Yan Sandao asked, "Master, are the female refugees going to be maidservants?"

Zhong Yan replied, "They can be maidservants too, but I want to take one or two as concubines. In any case, find more of them."

Jiang Ping reminded, "Master, very few of those slaves can read or practice martial arts, and it's difficult to find ones with outstanding looks and figures."

"It doesn't matter."

The two immediately understood that their master had another purpose for taking concubines.

"Go and do your tasks, I'm a bit tired."

Zhong Yan waved his hand and dismissed the two. He sat in the study for a while, then went to the cultivation room to refine pills and practice cultivation to dispel his heavy heart.

In the corridor, Yan Sandao pursed his lips and said, "Seeing the master like this, I also feel uncomfortable."

Jiang Ping nodded slightly, "Yes, the master has a deep bond with Brother Li from the Li Residence. Now that I think about it, when the master left the Fire Cloud Sect and chose Qingyang, it was probably largely related to Brother Li. Now, sigh~"

The two fell silent for a while.

Jiang Ping called a nearby maidservant and said, "Go and inform everyone in the mansion not to disturb the master these few days. Let Xiaoqing notify everyone in the mansion to keep a low profile and refrain from entertainment..."

"Yes, Madam!"

Jiang and Yan had a conversation and went together to the front courtyard of the ninth residence. They happened to see the maidservants from the eighth and ninth residences of the Li Residence being led in by a maidservant, which surprised them.

"Greetings, Madam, Second Madam!"

Zhou Yunning and Xiao Xueling immediately knelt down and paid their respects.

Jiang Ping and Yan Sandao exchanged a glance and saw that the two were dressed plainly, in the attire of unmarried women, and were carrying bundles and luggage in their hands.

They immediately understood.

Jiang Ping stepped forward and helped the two up, smiling, "No need for so much courtesy, from now on, we are one family, let's address each other as sisters."

Zhou Yunning and Xiao Xueling were immediately grateful. They had been thinking about how to approach this, but they didn't expect that the Lady of the Zhong Residence would be as kind and perceptive as usual, without causing any trouble.

But they had to be chosen.

Jiang Ping had already anticipated that when there were rumors that Li Henian wouldn't return, there was a high possibility that the eighth and ninth residences of the Li Residence would come to the Zhong Residence.

Moreover, the two had come to the mansion many times. How could she not notice? Naturally, she could see that her master had a favorable impression of Zhou Yunning, who was also a martial artist in the Innate Realm, and she would be a good helper.

"Xiao Qin, go and tidy up the rooms for the Tenth Madam and the Eleventh Madam."

...

More than three months passed in a blink of an eye.

It was the end of another year.

The heavy snow arrived as expected, fluttering down.

The Zhong Residence was decorated with lights and decorations, filled with joy.

Except for attending Li Henian's funeral, Zhong Yan had been in seclusion in the cultivation room, temporarily putting aside dual cultivation. It was a way of showing respect and bidding farewell to his good friend.

On this morning.

Zhong Yan stepped out of the cultivation room and stood under the eaves, reaching out to catch the falling snowflakes.

His aura was restrained, his eyes filled with a profound light.

After this period of seclusion and adjustment, he regained his fighting spirit.

The path ahead was long, but he would reach it.

He couldn't change the choices he had made, but he would do his best to let more people live longer.

"Master!"

"You've come out of seclusion!"

At the arched doorway, Jiang Huan peeked out and saw Zhong Yan, her smiling face blooming. She ran over in the snowy ground and knelt down, "This servant pays respects to the master!"

Li Jingqiu, who was behind her, also followed suit and bowed, her pretty face slightly red, not knowing how to address him, "Jingqiu pays respects... Uncle!"

Her mother and the eldest madam had already discussed with the Lady of the Zhong Residence and decided not to hold a grand ceremony. At this point, she was already considered a member of the Zhong Residence, waiting for Zhong Yan's approval.

"Get up!"

Zhong Yan nodded. After not seeing each other for a few months, Jiang Huan appeared even more stunning, wearing a white robe that accentuated her beauty, almost suffocating.

Li Jingqiu had also grown into a graceful young beauty, with a face that was eight or nine points similar to her mother's. If they stood together, they would probably be mistaken for sisters.

"Waking up so early to practice, have you made progress?"

...