Immortal Residence

Shen Jingchuan quickly reached out to support him.

"Uncle, you mustn't." He gestured for Father Zhou to sit down again. "Let's not talk about that now. The entire Yuxi Prefecture has rebelled. Azure Cloud Stronghold is one of its strongholds."

Shen Jingchuan then briefly explained the background of the village.

"The leader of Azure Cloud Stronghold Hu Tieniu, a straightforward and honest man." He said frankly, "We've been through thick and thin together; he's a friend, not an outsider."

"I won't hide this rebellion from you, Uncle."

He explained the reason briefly.

"Last year Yuxi Prefecture suffered a severe drought, resulting in a complete crop failure. Instead of providing disaster relief, the imperial court continued to levy taxes and collect grain as usual, leading to widespread famine and even cannibalism."

"They could no longer survive, so they rose up in rebellion and occupied Yuxi Prefecture. It's a classic case of officials forcing the people to rebel."

Shen Jingchuan shrugged.

"I happened to be there at the right time, and I had some spare capacity, so I helped them with the arrangements."

He looked at Father Zhou, his tone sincere.

"What are your family's plans? I'd like to hear your thoughts first."

"After all, a rebellion has been raised here. If you don't want to stay here long-term, then stay for a few days to recover, and I'll send you away. I can help you arrange where you can go and who you can seek refuge with."

Father Zhou held his teacup, remaining silent for a moment. He turned to look at Zhou Tong, put down his cup, and sighed.

"Tong'er, you've grown up now."

He spoke solemnly, enunciating each word carefully.

"I'm thinking that from now on, you'll be in charge of making decisions about things in this family."

"Whatever decision you make, the future of our Zhou Household will be entirely up to you. Your mother and I will follow your arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong immediately stood up and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Father, what are you saying? In our family, you are the one in charge."

Father Zhou shook his head, his expression quite calm.

"You're an adult now, you even have a son, what do you have to worry me about?" He smiled. "From now on, I can just relax and enjoy taking care of my grandson and granddaughter."

"Just make your decision, and I'll support whatever you decide."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, supporting himself on the table, looking somewhat weary.

"Alright, these old bones of mine are tired too, I'm going to rest now."

"You young people, take your time talking."

Shen Jingchuan and Lin Yue quickly stood up.

"Uncle, please take care."

Father Zhou waved his hand, and with Zhou Tong's help, slowly walked out of the main room to rest.

The burden of this family has now been completely placed on Zhou Tong's shoulders.

There were only three people left in the room.

Zhou Tong stood there, looking at Shen Jingchuan, scratching his head, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Brother Shen, to be honest, I don't know what to do either."

He paused, then grinned.

"I only know one thing—whatever Brother Shen decides to do, I'll follow along, and I'm sure I won't go wrong."

He turned to look at Lin Yue.

"So, Yuxi Prefecture has rebelled, and Brother Lin, you've rebelled too?"

Lin Yue slapped his thigh, raising his voice even higher.

"Of course!" His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "I've long been fed up with those corrupt officials. I've already killed quite a few of their Government Army."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"What else is there to say!" The hesitation on his face vanished instantly. "Brother Lin is already like this, what do I have to be afraid of?"

"I was just running my business peacefully, and they're the ones who won't let me live. It's the royal family that's forcing me to this, so I'm rebelling!"

The Lin Household is Shen Jingchuan's in-laws. Even Lin Yue killed Government Army and rebelled. How could Shen Jingchuan ignore it?

He didn't know what cultivators or ancestors were behind the imperial court; he only recognized Shen Jingchuan as a true immortal master. With him backing him up, there was a good chance of success.

Besides, they were a family that broke out of prison; if they were caught and brought back, they would definitely face the death penalty. Rather than hiding their identities and going on the run, it's better to openly join in the fight.

Zhou Tong thought about it more and more and it became clearer, so he patted his chest.

"Brother Shen, our family will stay here!"

As he spoke, he looked somewhat embarrassed and rubbed his hands together.

"Well... all the money in our house was confiscated. The little I had with me was barely enough for my family to get by."

Zhou Tong could finish speaking, he remembered something, and his eyes lit up.

"By the way, my dad was a businessman his whole life. His visible assets were confiscated, but how could someone like him not have some backup plan?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed to work.

"I haven't had a chance to ask yet, but I'll go ask later. If there really is a hidden hand, I'm willing to give all of this money to support the Rebel Army."

Shen Jingchuan reached out and pressed down on his shoulder, tucking him back into the chair and patting him on the shoulder.

"Brother Zhou, don't worry about the money." He said confidently, "We have plenty of money, food, and weapons."

"What's truly lacking is team training and local governance."

Shen Jingchuan looked at him, his tone becoming serious.

"This vast territory is desperately in need of literate and capable scholars."

"With your abilities, I'll recommend you to Chief Hu. Whether you become a civil official, manage local affairs, or join the army and handle military supplies, you'll be of great use."

"You'd better also try to persuade your father to come out and lend a hand."

Lin Yue listened attentively and nodded emphatically.

"That's true." His gaze towards Zhou Tong warmed. "Brother Zhou, you're a straightforward person, which suits my taste perfectly."

"My older brother and I have already discussed it. We'll both go down the mountain in the next couple of days to serve in the army."

"This business up the mountain is now in my father's hands."

As Lin Yue spoke, he turned to Shen Jingchuan, but his voice softened slightly.

"Brother-in-law, now that you've taken care of my sister and the others, I have no worries."

"You have your magical powers, I won't ask where my sisters went."

"From now on, I'll dedicate my life to doing damn it all, to turning this world upside down!"

He paused, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Jingchuan.

"But if you have the energy, brother-in-law, could you help look after Azure Cloud Stronghold?"

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, agreeing readily.

"It's alright, you can go ahead."

He stood up, his eyes carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"I'll turn around and tell the guards that from now on, Azure Cloud Stronghold is my territory."

"Just tell people one thing: this is where the immortal masters live; it's the residence of the immortals."

Shen Jingchuan gave a cold laugh.

"An army of mortals, who would dare to set foot inside?"

He patted Lin Yue and Zhou Tong on the shoulder.

"You should go down the mountain, join the army, and work hard to make a name for yourselves."

"There's still a chance he might be made a king or a prime minister in the future."

"Don't worry about your father-in-law, or your two families. With me here, nothing will happen."

After hearing this, Lin Yue and Zhou Tong felt full of energy and stood up together.

"Good!"