Good People

Time flew, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Evergreen Valley by Wanfang Lake had become the Yun Clan's firm foundation.

One day, two people arrived among the ridges of farmland outside the valley.

The middle-aged man in the lead wore a brocade robe and carried himself with steady composure. He was Ning Yongrui, the guardian of Wanfang Lake Town and a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

At his side followed a still-boyish youth with a hint of heroic spirit between his brows. He was Ning Shaojie, his son, who had likewise stepped through the threshold of Qi Refining.

"Father, what are we doing here?" Ning Shaojie asked, watching the tenant farmers working in the fields.

Ning Yongrui swept his gaze over the flourishing crops, an inscrutable smile resting at the corner of his lips.

He casually pointed at an old farmer resting nearby and said to Ning Shaojie, "Go. Ask him what he thinks of the Yun Clan."

Ning Shaojie did as told and stepped forward to strike up a conversation with the old farmer.

The old farmer was somewhat reserved at first, but the moment he heard that Ning Shaojie was asking about the Yun Clan, the floodgates of his words burst open.

"The Yun Clan? They're truly good people!" The wrinkles on the old farmer's face smoothed as it filled with gratitude. "Tenant farmers like us used to work land for other households, and we had to hand over most of the harvest. After a whole year, we could barely keep a few coins for ourselves."

"But the Yun Clan is different. Their rent is dirt cheap—just twenty percent! And during holidays and festivals, they even reward us with rice, flour, and cloth."

"And that's not all." The old farmer's voice rose, his excitement plain to hear. "The Yun Clan's master even taught us a fist art called Arhat Fist."

"Cultivating this Arhat Fist is far better than the haphazard training we did before. Even at my age, I actually broke through to the Mid-stage Body Tempering Realm."

"Working for the Yun Clan, we can even speak louder when we're outside."

"And whenever a family has a new child, the Yun Clan sends people over with congratulatory gifts. They even help examine the child's bones, saying they're checking whether the child has talent for martial arts."

"A while ago, my old wife fell ill. We couldn't afford a doctor, but the Third Miss of the Yun Family came to our door herself to treat her. She didn't charge a single coin, and after a few doses of medicine, my wife was completely cured!"

"The Yun Family Matriarch is pregnant. May Heaven bless her with a big, fat boy!"

The old farmer rambled on, recounting every good deed the Yun Clan had done over the past three years. His words brimmed with simple, heartfelt praise.

Ning Shaojie listened with a slight furrow in his brow, then returned to his father's side.

"Father, this Yun Clan is merely an ordinary little Martial Dao family, yet they certainly know how to win people's hearts." Ning Shaojie lowered his voice. "Bestowing favors like this—they must be trying to gain a firmer foothold around Wanfang Lake."

Ning Yongrui neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he asked, "Then why do you think I brought you here today to see an ordinary little Martial Dao family?"

Ning Shaojie froze.

In his eyes, no matter how capable the Yun Clan might be, they were ultimately just a mortal Martial Dao force, impossible to mention in the same breath as cultivators like them.

He truly could not understand his father's purpose.

Seeing the confusion on his son's face, Ning Yongrui did not spell it out directly.

"Observe more. Think more," he said evenly. "When we return today, give me your answer."

With that, he turned and led Ning Shaojie away from the fields.

Returning from between the field ridges, Ning Yongrui led Ning Shaojie onward without slowing, heading straight toward the Yun Clan's manor in Evergreen Valley.

Before they had even approached the manor's main gate, an open expanse came into view.

It was a newly renovated training ground. Its rammed-earth floor was level and solid, while several weapon racks stood around it, stocked with sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and every other sort of weapon.

At that moment, more than a dozen sturdy men were shouting as they trained there, their fists and kicks stirring the wind.

Ning Yongrui knew that the Arhat Fist the Yun Clan taught the tenant farmers was instructed here by a Yun Clan man named Yun Hu.

His gaze did not linger long on those men practicing their fists, instead shifting to the other side of the training ground.

A boy of around twelve or thirteen held a wooden sword and practiced sword moves with painstaking precision.

The boy's frame was still somewhat slender, clearly not yet at the age to begin formal Body Tempering cultivation. At present, he was mostly studying the swordplay's forms and familiarizing himself with its variations.

Ning Yongrui recognized him from afar as Shi Chen, the son of Shi Tie, a peak Xiantian realm expert of the Yun Clan.

Seeing that the boy had a strong interest in swordplay, Yun Hu had taught him several moves of Qingcheng Swordplay.

Ning Shaojie followed his father's gaze, his brows lifting slightly.

"Father, look at that kid's swordplay."

Though young, he had some discernment. The sword art the boy displayed was orderly and methodical between each move, faintly carrying an extraordinary bearing.

"The Yun Clan is rather generous." Ning Shaojie lowered his voice, sounding somewhat puzzled. "Aren't they afraid outsiders will learn such swordplay?"

In his view, if such profound martial skill belonged to one's own household, it would certainly be treasured and kept hidden. How could it be displayed so casually?

At those words, Ning Yongrui's lips curved into a meaningful smile, but he did not answer.

His strength and insight were far beyond those of Ning Shaojie, a youth who had only just emerged into the world.

The instant Shi Chen swung his wooden sword, Ning Yongrui's faintly gleaming pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Ordinary people might have seen only the intricacy of the boy's sword moves, but he could clearly sense a faint layer of spiritual radiance winding around Shi Chen's body.

It was the sign of a Spiritual Root.

Moreover, judging by the intensity of that spiritual radiance, it was far from as weak as an ordinary low-grade Spiritual Root.

This Yun Clan was truly interesting.

Ning Yongrui's thoughts raced, yet his expression did not change in the slightest.

He did not tell Ning Shaojie of his discovery.

A child with a Spiritual Root, yet instead of rushing to have him advance into Qi Refining, they first had him study martial techniques and swordplay. From the looks of it, they were waiting until after he turned twelve to formally begin Martial Dao cultivation.

The Yun Clan head's vision was remarkably far-reaching, and the depths of his plans likely far exceeded what outsiders could imagine.

After crossing the training ground, Ning Yongrui and Ning Shaojie entered the reception hall of the Yun Clan manor in Evergreen Valley under the guidance of a Yun Clan servant.

The hall was elegantly and simply furnished, with a faint scent of sandalwood drifting through the air and calming the mind.

Before long, footsteps sounded from the inner hall.

A young man in a plain-colored long robe slowly emerged. His features were handsome, and his brows carried a composure that did not suit his age.

He was Yun Long, the current head of the Yun Clan.

Ning Yongrui's gaze fell on Yun Long, and his heart stirred slightly.

He had long learned of some of this young Yun Clan head's deeds through various channels, but seeing him in person, he still could not help marveling inwardly at his youth.

This boy had likely only just reached adulthood, hadn't he?

Ning Yongrui assessed him silently. This man's aura was restrained, yet whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, he naturally possessed the bearing of a deep pool and towering mountains. He was absolutely not comparable to an ordinary Rogue Cultivator.

He secretly circulated his spiritual power to probe him, but it vanished like a clay ox entering the sea, unable to detect the slightest depth.

That left Ning Yongrui even more shocked.

He was a Sixth Level of Qi Refining cultivator!

Unless the other party's cultivation was far above his own, or he possessed some secret technique for concealing his aura.

Thinking of the Yun Clan's rise over the past three years, as well as the faint fluctuations of Spiritual Energy within Evergreen Valley, Ning Yongrui had already reached a conclusion.

This Yun Long was likely at least at the Mid Qi Refining Stage, perhaps even on par with himself, having reached the Sixth Level of Qi Refining!

To possess such cultivation at this age—his talent was truly terrifying beyond measure!

Ning Shaojie stood behind his father. He had not initially held much reverence for the head of this "little Martial Dao family."

But upon seeing True Person Yun Long, he felt that the other man's gaze was calm and still, yet seemed capable of seeing straight into people's hearts.

An invisible pressure rushed at him head-on, causing even his breathing to falter.

Only then did he understand why his father regarded the Yun Clan so highly.

This was absolutely not the ordinary little Martial Dao family he had imagined!

This was a Cultivation Family!