Nattering Liu Qing'er

After more than an hour, the azure paper crane landed at the foot of Azure Lotus Mountain.

Azure Lotus Mountain stood over five hundred zhang tall, and a vast array of exotic flowers and rare grasses grew upon it.

Azure Lotus Mountain had a Tier 1 Low Grade defensive formation set up upon it called the Triple Talent Six Harmony Array, and even if five or six Foundation Establishment Cultivators attacked it simultaneously, they definitely could not breach it without a full day's time.

Of course, that was on the condition that the Wang Family cultivators controlling the formation possessed sufficient spiritual power, otherwise the formation would be broken within a few short hours.

Many buildings stood constructed on Azure Lotus Mountain, with some mortals lacking spirit roots residing halfway up the mountain slope, where they either took responsibility for repairing houses, worked as a shop assistant in the shops opened by the Wang Family, or performed duties in the Spirit Food Hall, preparing meals for Qi Refining Stage cultivators who had yet to achieve grain avoidance.

At the mountain top lay a second-rank low-grade spirit vein three miles in size, atop which the Wang Family had established a massive estate where clan members possessing spirit roots resided.

Inside the study, Wang Mingyuan was perusing an ancient text, with over a dozen books and scrolls laid out upon the desk featuring both textual introductions and illustrations.

Liu Qing'er stood behind Wang Mingyuan, kneading his shoulders.

"Profound gold is a commonly used Tier 1 refining material, and most spirit tools have profound gold blended into them to strengthen their toughness and utility. Most metal-attribute spirit tools with greater might are forged using profound gold, and that coin sword you gave Sheng'er was forged using profound gold," Liu Qing'er stated slowly.

Wang Mingyuan put down the book in his hand and nodded as he said, "I just don't know how large the vein is or how long it can be mined. Still, even if it can only be mined for a year, it will be enough to tide us over the immediate crisis."

"This time Sheng'er has rendered such a massive service, how do you plan to reward him? Let me make this clear to you beforehand: as the Family Head, you must be strict and fair with rewards and punishments. No matter what, you ought to reward him with two hundred—no, three hundred spirit stones! Ten catties of profound gold alone are worth three hundred spirit stones, so since Sheng'er discovered a Profound Gold Mine, rewarding him with three hundred spirit stones isn't asking too much, is it?"

"I will definitely reward Sheng'er, but right now we don't know the scale of the mine yet. Let's wait for Seventh Brother and the others to send someone back to report the scale of the mine before we discuss it further. I just hope the scale of the mine is larger so it will allow us to mine it for a few more years. That's right, Qing'er, has this year's harvest of spirit mulberry leaves decreased? Are there enough to feed the spirit silkworms?"

"That girl Changxue takes very good care of the spirit mulberry tree, so there are plenty of spirit mulberry leaves—more than enough to feed the spirit silkworms. However, there aren't many First Grade Lower Rank Spirit Grains left to feed the snowcloud chickens, with only a little over a hundred catties remaining, which won't last for many days. Furthermore......"

Before Liu Qing'er could finish speaking, a hurried voice suddenly rang out: "Third Brother, Third Brother, good news."

"Seventh Brother is back." Wang Mingyuan rose and stood up.

Wang Mingzhong strode inside, his face beaming with joy.

"Seventh Brother, how is it? How large is the mine? How many years can it be mined?" Wang Mingyuan asked impatiently.

"It is a small Profound Gold Mine. According to Qinglin's estimation, it can be mined for three to four years, and the profound gold ore mined in a single day can refine two to three catties of profound gold. However, manpower is insufficient, and Fifth Uncle has asked you to dispatch an additional thirty Qi Refining Cultivators. Oh, and make sure to bring array-formation apparatuses along to prevent petty thieves from causing trouble—the Huang Family serves as a clear lesson from the past!"

An expression of ecstatic joy surfaced on Wang Mingyuan's face, and he nodded, saying, "I will immediately dispatch manpower. By the way, why did you return alone? Has Qinglin not returned yet?"

Wang Mingzhong smiled slightly and said, "Qinglin has returned as well. Third Brother, I've brought you a surprise—come on in!"

"A surprise?" Wang Mingyuan was slightly stunned.

No sooner had his voice fallen than Wang Changsheng and Wang Qinglin walked in.

"Sheng'er, why have you returned?" Liu Qing'er's face revealed a delighted expression when she saw Wang Changsheng.

A trace of joy appeared in Wang Mingyuan's eyes, but soon his brows furrowed and he said with a stern face, "Sheng'er, why have you run back without authorization? Your four-year term of office has not yet expired, so if you run back, who is responsible for guarding Peaceful County? You are neglecting your duty here."

"Fifth Uncle-Grandfather was the one who told me to come back," Wang Changsheng said softly.

In Wang Changsheng's impression, Wang Mingyuan always wore a stern face, and over time, whenever Wang Changsheng laid eyes on his father, his heart would flutter with trepidation.

"Third Brother, Fifth Uncle is the one who told Changsheng to come back. Changsheng discovered that Profound Gold Mine, so it is only right that he report it to you. As for the position of celestial master, it will be temporarily held by other clan members, and with Fifth Uncle keeping watch, nothing will go wrong," Wang Mingzhong smoothed things over.

Liu Qing'er cast a sidelong glance at Wang Mingyuan and said with a displeased tone, "Fifth Uncle told Sheng'er to come back. Now you have nothing more to say, do you?"

Wang Mingyuan's expression softened as he said, "The country has its laws, and the clan has its rules. Since Fifth Uncle told you to return, then forget it. Tell us about the process of how you discovered the Profound Gold Mine."

Wang Changsheng felt a weight lift from his heart, and he recounted everything without omitting a single detail—from receiving the carrier pigeon message from the Green Stone Town clan elder and heading to Green Stone Town to exterminate the jiangshi, all the way to discovering the Profound Gold Mine.

When Liu Qing'er heard about Wang Changsheng dealing with the jiangshi all by himself, her heart leapt into her throat, but upon learning that Wang Changsheng was uninjured and had exterminated the jiangshi, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Mingyuan's face wore an expression of approval, and nodding, he said, "Well done. It seems that having you go to Peaceful Town to serve as a celestial master was the right decision. Go and rest for now! I'll call for you if anything comes up."

"This child obeys," Wang Changsheng answered repeatedly.

"Husband, Seventh Brother, you two chat slowly; I won't disturb you anymore." Dropping those words, Liu Qing'er led Wang Changsheng outside.

"It's been three years, and you've lost quite a bit of weight, Sheng'er. The worldly food must not have been any good. Mother will make you some Jade Ginseng Lotus Seed Noodles to nourish you. Oh, your clothes are torn too; Mother has made you a few new sets of garments. It's been three years, and you've grown a bit taller. You can try the clothes on later to see if they fit, and if they don't, Mother will alter them for you. Mother has even made shoes for you as well......"

Hearing his mother's endless stream of chatter, Wang Changsheng felt deeply moved within his heart.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Wang Changsheng followed Liu Qing'er into a wooden cottage where pots, bowls, basins, and ladles were set out—evidently the kitchen.

"You've traveled such a long way, so you must be very tired. Sit down and rest for a moment first while Mother kneads the dough." Liu Qing'er had Wang Changsheng sit down to rest while she walked over toward the stove.

Liu Qing'er retrieved a crude wooden jar from her storage pouch, poured all the flour out from inside, added water, and began kneading the dough with practiced ease.

As she kneaded the dough, she spoke up: "Sheng'er, you must have suffered quite a bit of hardship in Peaceful County. Don't harbor resentment toward your father; your father also wanted to let you stay on Azure Lotus Mountain to cultivate in peace, but as the Family Head, he has to take the lead, otherwise he won't be able to command public respect. Managing a large clan isn't easy for him, so you should be a bit more understanding toward your father. Those items I entrusted Changxue to send you every year also included a share from your father. During that very first month after you left Azure Lotus Mountain, your father couldn't sleep properly a single night and kept dreaming that something happened to you, which scared him awake. Every time Changxue returned from delivering items and reported that you were safe and sound, your father would sleep a bit more soundly. Furthermore......"

Listening to his mother's somewhat nattering words, Wang Changsheng felt a warm glow inside his heart.

After finishing the dough, Liu Qing'er retrieved a piece of blood-stained meat the size of a fist from her storage pouch.

"An accidental illness struck a First Grade Lower Rank Mountain-Pushing Beast, and it stopped eating and drinking, so your father had someone slaughter it to supplement the younger generation's health. Our household received a share of it as well, and I originally intended to have it cooked before sending it to you via Changxue, but I never expected you to return. Mother will make you a dish of purple bamboo shoot stir-fried with meat! Eating noodles alone won't fill you up, and at your age, you need to eat more spiritual items so that advancing your cultivation will also be somewhat easier. Changfeng is already at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer."

Forgot to set the timer, apologies.