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

Autumn Xiang reported on the learning and growth of a group of children in the Zhong family.

Xia He reported on the progress and strengths of the martial arts realm of the people in the mansion.

Tang Xiaoshu reported on the details of the previous search for martial artists and the disappearance of Chunyu.

Seeing that no one else stood up, Zhong Yan looked around and asked, "Is there anything else? No matter what it is, bring up any requests or difficulties together!"

Li Yang quickly pinched his son secretly.

But Li Shangwen preempted him.

"Uncle, I have something to report!"

Zhong Yan looked at him, a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth. It had been several months since he last saw this boy, and his handsome face had become much darker. "Tell me."

"I heard that the number of Independent Cultivators in Wangyi City has increased by more than 600, and it has now exceeded 3,200. The cities of Heishui and Shunyi also have more than 500 people, while Qingyang has the fewest..."

Wangyi is one of the large cities in the northwest of Yan Kingdom, with a population of over five million in the city alone, and nearly twenty million in the surrounding towns and villages.

Moreover, there is a small market in the city where Independent Cultivators who have come from Wei Kingdom gather, which is normal.

As for why Heishui and Shunyi have more people than Qingyang, Zhong Yan immediately knew it was related to the "Guest Officials Mansion".

The existence of the Guest Officials Mansion has allowed the Independent Cultivators in the city to form a preliminary order, and naturally, they are not pleased with the restrictions and regulations.

Unlike the cultivators in other places, who can fight at the drop of a hat.

Accepting new things takes time.

Zhong Yan dared to conclude that in a few years, as long as the Guest Officials Mansion continues to exist, a stable order will attract a large number of Independent Cultivators to flood into Qingyang City.

From this perspective, Qin Ben is indeed very visionary and daring to break the rules and try new things.

The Central Plains, known as the "Holy Land of Cultivation", implements the management model of the "Guest Officials Mansion" in all the vassal states. How could it be unreasonable?

"I heard that Yangquan Fangshui Xian Ge has recruited more than sixty courtesans who are at different levels of Qi Refining, ranging from the first to the sixth level. It seems that they are disciples from the 'Baihua Gate' of Wei Kingdom..."

"I heard that Fire Cloud Sect has dispatched five hundred inner disciples to various markets in the sect..."

Zhong Yan raised his hand and smiled, "Why is it all hearsay? Who did you hear it from? What's the use?"

Li Shangwen smiled awkwardly, "I heard some in the city. I went to Yangquan market with Uncle Bai last month and heard it from others while setting up a stall."

After a pause, Li Shangwen clasped his fists and said seriously, "Uncle! In addition to Fire Cloud Sect, all the major sects in Yan Kingdom have made big moves. I speculate that there will be major changes and adjustments in the cultivation forces of Yan Kingdom!"

Zhong Yan raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and looked at Zhong Xiaozhong, "Has the cultivation world in Wei Kingdom collected any information?"

Zhong Xiaozhong replied, "Yes, Young Master Wen is right. I will give you a detailed report later. Currently, the small sects and small clans in Wei Kingdom have been destroyed due to the war, but the three major sects have not been affected. Only some disciples have become accompanying mages and followed the army.

According to convention, after Wei Kingdom is completely destroyed, the sects will support the new national court. Mortal wars cannot shake the foundation of the immortal sects, unless the cultivation forces of other countries launch a major attack on the sects."

However, Li Shangwen said, "But now, in addition to the alliance army of our country, there are also large armies from four other countries gathered within the borders of Wei Kingdom. It is impossible for them to keep fighting forever. After the peace talks, the territory will be divided into five parts, at least four parts. Which sect in Wei Kingdom will be supported by the cultivation sects?"

"How can the land acquired through struggle be easily handed over? The cultivation sects of each country will definitely dispatch their disciples there!"

Li Shangwen said confidently, then blinked and added, "It is also possible... that the sects in Wei Kingdom will disband and disperse to other countries, becoming small sects or small clans, provided that the sects of the four countries unite and exert pressure."

This speculation is bold but not impossible.

The territory of Wei Kingdom is larger than that of Yan Kingdom, and its three major sects are stronger.

But if the four countries unite, the three major sects will naturally not be able to withstand it.

The foundation of sects and clans lies in spiritual veins, and the basis for their development and growth is "population and land". The population provides disciples with spiritual roots, and the land provides cultivation resources.

As Li Shangwen said, the acquired territory will not be easily given back.

Zhong Yan looked at Li Shangwen and smiled, "You have made progress, being able to make such speculations based on these scattered rumors."

"Thank you for your praise, Uncle!"

Li Shangwen smiled and asked again, "Uncle, which situation do you think is more likely?"

Zhong Yan squinted his eyes and said, "It depends on whether the three major sects of Wei Kingdom are strong enough."

Suddenly, he had a strong premonition that the chaos in Wei Kingdom might trigger a major earthquake that would affect the cultivation world of several countries.

In the end... even the current power structure of Yan Kingdom's cultivation forces would change!

Zhong Yan couldn't help but glance at Li Shangwen, who was even better than his father, Li Henian, in terms of analytical ability.

"We'll discuss this later."

Zhong Yan took the tea from Jiang Huan's hand and took a sip, then looked at Li Shangwu. "Shangwu, do you have anything to say?"

Li Shangwu stood up and clasped his fists. "Reporting to Father! I have closed all the businesses in the city and left only thirty elite disciples in the martial arts hall to train as family guards."

"With the significant reduction in expenses from the martial arts hall, the income from several good fields in the countryside is more than enough to cover the daily expenses of the entire household."

"I plan to focus on martial arts for now, and once I break through to the Innate Realm, I will consider some small business ventures for a living..."

Zhong Yan nodded slightly. It was a conservative but secure plan.

With the family business left by Li Henian, as long as they didn't indulge in extravagance, it would be enough to support the next three generations of the Li family.

As for the generations after that, it would depend on the descendants, which also fulfilled Li Henian's dying wish to "continue the Li family."

Zhong Yan looked at Li Shangwen. "What do you suggest?"

Li Shangwen blinked, scratched his face, and said, "Please give me some guidance, Uncle."

Zhong Yan chuckled. It was clear that this guy didn't care about the family affairs, otherwise, with his displayed intelligence, he would have some ideas.

However, the Li family's business was currently controlled by the eldest branch, Li Yangshi, and Li Shangwu.

If Li Shangwen got too involved, it would likely cause internal conflicts and discord between the brothers.

After pondering for a moment, Zhong Yan said, "Originally, the Li family's businesses in the city were maintained by your father's reputation and strength. Since that aspect is lacking now, it might be worth considering a different approach."

"There are 360 trades, and every trade has its own champion. Agriculture is the foundation of livelihood. The Li family has many good fields in the countryside, so you can focus on that."

"Although the harvest and rent from crops are not as fast as the businesses in the city, it has the advantage of being long-lasting and low-cost. Nowadays, there are many cheap laborers among the large number of refugees, and the competition is much smaller than in the city..."

"In recent years, the areas around Qingyang have had good weather and abundant harvests. But as you just heard from Xiaozhong, out of the 127 cities in Yan Kingdom, nearly twenty cities experienced famine and riots last year, causing public anger and unrest."

"The premise of stability is peace in the world. If a war breaks out one day, only those who have control over food can survive and continue..."

Li Shangwu's eyes flickered, and he clasped his fists firmly. "Yes, I will remember Father's teachings!"

After a moment of silence, no one spoke.

Zhong Yan looked at two unfamiliar faces.

Jiang Ping stood up and waved his hand. "Twelve, thirteen, Yunning, come forward!"

He shouted outside, "Xiaoqing, bring them up!"

Soon, a row of ten people stood in the hall.

There was a clear distinction.

Zhou Yunning, Xiao Xueqing, and two newly purchased girls from the "Yinyuan Pavilion" were all stunningly beautiful.

As for the six refugee slaves bought from Beijie, although they were dressed in gorgeous clothes, their appearance and beauty were incomparable.

There was no doubt about this.

Ordinary women wouldn't catch the attention of the Yinyuan Pavilion, so how could they spend money and effort to cultivate them?

After a brief introduction by Jiang Ping, Zhong Yan pointed at two of them, and the other four were taken away by Xiaoqing.

"Wife, should we pick a date for a wedding banquet..."

Jiang Ping smiled and noticed Li Yangshi's signal, so he added, "Oh, right, there's also Jingqiu, come here!"

"Wife, Jingqiu is not young anymore, what do you think?"

Yu Qingyao rolled her eyes, feeling extremely annoyed. How many times had this happened?!

...