Journey Afar

As the Zhou Clan secured its final victory.

The chaos outside gradually settled.

Chen Sheng and his wife erected an unmarked grave for Li Huayao, visiting from time to time to pay their respects.

Time slipped by slowly, unnoticed.

Each day, Chen Sheng refined Pills and cultivated in the workshop.

Just as before.

Yet.

The Pill Workshop grew ever livelier.

Laughter from the inner courtyard was noticeably more frequent than in the past, and several brand-new little lives had been added.

Every day brought the sound of crying and playful shrieks.

They were Yi Jing's children.

Time seemed like the gentlest medicine, smoothing away the sorrows of old.

That once-melancholy youth now had wives and concubines aplenty, along with a whole brood of children at his knees.

He had completely immersed himself in ordinary happiness.

Living most carefree.

The worries of his younger days were nowhere to be seen.

As Tang Yijing's family tree branched and flourished.

Chen Sheng spared no expense to purchase the entire connected courtyard next door, only then finding enough room for the ever-growing household and its clamor.

"Good, good!"

Watching the bustling scene in the courtyard.

With new additions to the family and the ancestral line continuing, Huang Yueyang, now a great-grandfather, beamed every day.

He even took out a sum of personal savings.

And gave it to Tang Yijing, telling him to keep up the good work.

Huang Wangyou had become a grandmother, and the smiles on her face grew ever more frequent.

She had taken a Beauty-Preserving Pill.

There were not many traces of time upon her face; she still possessed the graceful bearing of a woman in her early thirties.

Yet as the years passed.

Her temperament seemed to grow younger and younger.

She had now become the undisputed "king of the children" among the Tang Family's third generation.

Every day, she was either crouching beside the flowerbeds.

Leading a group of little radishes in solemnly planting a few ordinary flowers and grasses.

Or directing the children to chase and play in the spacious courtyard.

What merriment!

In the rear courtyard.

An exquisite tea set rested upon a small wooden table, wreathed in the curling fragrance of fresh tea.

Holding a little radish in her arms, Huang Wangyou secretly jabbed a finger at Tang Xichen.

"Fortunately... Jing'er lived up to expectations. Otherwise, who knew whether I would ever have had the chance to become a grandmother in this life?"

Chen Sheng smiled softly.

"Chen'er has lofty ambitions. Her heart is now set wholly on Foundation Establishment, with no thoughts of romance or children. Why must you blame her?"

He took a light sip of the mellow tea, its fragrance lingering between his teeth and cheeks.

"She chose this road herself. Why should you and I force our own wishes upon her?"

Huang Wangyou sighed faintly.

"Of course I know this girl's ambitions."

"I simply pity Yuan'er. She has delayed him entirely."

"Some time ago, I thought of arranging a marriage for Yuan'er, but he said he only wished to improve his cultivation and Alchemy Skill, and had no..."

Though Qin Yuan had said as much.

Where his heart truly lay—how could the husband and wife fail to see it?

Qin Yuan had also been raised by the two of them.

Their affection for him was no weaker than for their own child.

No wonder Huang Wangyou complained about her daughter a few times.

Chen Sheng set down his Tea Cup, the warmth of its walls lingering in his palm for a moment.

He pondered for a while, before it finally became a long, wordless sigh in his throat.

"The children's affairs... let them handle them as they will."

Another month passed.

Tang Xichen emerged from the silent seclusion chamber.

The spiritual pressure around her slowly receded, becoming even more restrained and rich.

She had reached the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer!

She walked straight into the inner hall.

Chen Sheng, who sat by the window reading a volume of the Medicine Scripture, looked up. His gaze paused slightly upon his daughter before a gratified smile appeared.

"Not bad!"

"It has only been six years since you broke through to the Qi Condensation Late-stage, yet you have already reached the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer."

Tang Xichen had used only ordinary cultivation-aiding Pills, never taking Mana-Increasing Pills, lest impurities taint her Mana.

With such speed.

It could be called extraordinarily fast!

For her, refraining from Mana-Increasing Pills was an exceedingly worthwhile choice.

The three barriers of Foundation Establishment were the Blood-Qi Barrier, the Mana Barrier, and the Spiritual Sense Barrier.

At the Blood-Qi Barrier, before ordinary cultivators reached their peak vitality at sixty, the gap between them was not great.

The Spiritual Sense Barrier was much the same; ordinary cultivators simply could not widen the gap.

Only at the Mana Barrier did cultivators differ greatly.

With Tang Xichen's Spirit Root aptitude, and the Cultivation Method she practiced being far from weak, the purity of her Mana surpassed that of cultivators at the same stage by a great deal.

If she cultivated diligently until Qi Condensation Perfection.

When she attempted Foundation Establishment, she would hold every advantage.

Compared with an ordinary Rogue Cultivator.

It was equivalent to possessing half an extra Foundation Establishment spirit item.

Yet there was not much joy at her breakthrough in Tang Xichen's brows and eyes. She sat to one side, her posture as straight as a sword, and spoke slowly.

"Father, your child is thirty-one this year."

"Barring mishap, I will only reach Qi Condensation Perfection at around forty-five. Counting it out, there are only a little over ten years left before the sixty-year limit."

As she spoke.

Her gaze turned toward Chen Sheng.

And gradually revealed a determined light.

"Your child has thought this through deeply. I cannot waste away in the Market Town, waiting idly. I have decided to travel afar and seek an opportunity for Foundation Establishment."

At her words, Chen Sheng's gaze froze at once.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

Over these years, he had long calculated matters in secret.

Once his daughter reached Qi Condensation Perfection.

He would call in favors and pull strings, relying on the Qingmu Merchant Association's connections and exhausting their savings of many years to purchase a Foundation Establishment spirit item.

He had never expected.

His daughter to have other plans.

Chen Sheng silently looked at his daughter, suppressing the thoughts in his heart before asking.

"Where do you plan to go?"

Tang Xichen answered without hesitation.

"Linglong Immortal City. A False Core Great Power presides there, and it lies against the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range. Its resources are abundant, and Foundation Establishment spirit items are not scarce."

"Your child possesses skills in Hunting Demons. There should be a place there for me to put them to use."

At this, Chen Sheng recalled all the information he had regarding the Lixiao Sect and Linglong Immortal City.

Linglong Immortal City.

Seventy thousand li from here, it had been established by the Lixiao Sect. Its geographic advantages were clear, its resources abundant, and it gathered numerous Rogue Cultivators...

Chen Sheng slowly nodded.

That place was rich in resources. It truly could not be compared to the secluded Qianji Market, and was suitable for Rogue Cultivators to make their way in the world.

"You are going alone?"

Tang Xichen shook her head.

"The Qingmu Merchant Association has large merchant caravans that regularly travel between the Immortal City and the inland. One caravan will depart at the end of next month."

"Your daughter will travel with them. Safety on the road should be assured. I need only pay a considerable sum of Spirit Stones for protection and passage expenses."

She had clearly already investigated everything.

Chen Sheng sighed, had her come over and sit, then slowly explained his original plan.

Tang Xichen, however, shook her head.

She did not wish for the family to empty its coffers for her, nor did she believe that a single Foundation Establishment spirit item could guarantee success beyond all doubt.

Otherwise, the Li and Zhang families of old would not have had only one Foundation Establishment cultivator each to hold the fort.

She pondered for a moment, choosing her words so as not to wound her father's goodwill.

"There are so many nephews and nieces at home. In the future, many of them will need to cultivate Qi Condensation—how can the family empty its coffers because of me?"

"Your child's path of cultivation must be pursued in one unbroken push. With the Three-Foot Green Blade in my hand, I will cleave through thorns and briars, carving out an open road!"

At this point.

Her voice suddenly rose, every word striking the ground like iron.

"Father, please understand: your child has made up her mind. If I do not achieve Foundation Establishment, I will never return to Qianji Market!"

Chen Sheng's heart jolted at her words.

He instinctively glanced at the longsword on his daughter's back, and could not help letting out a soft sigh.

She had truly grown up!

"Very well. Since you have made up your mind, your father will support you."

Tang Xichen immediately spoke.

"Then Mother's side..."

Chen Sheng waved a hand.

"I will speak with her for you."

After a pause, he added.

"But as for Yuan'er, you must give him an explanation."

Tang Xichen fell silent at this, a rare occurrence.

Only after a long while did she speak.

"I understand Junior Disciple Brother's feelings."

"But your child has given her heart to the sword. Right now, I only wish to achieve Foundation Establishment. It is difficult for me to divide my attention toward romantic feelings, nor do I intend to involve myself in them."

"His sincere devotion—I fear I owe him too deeply..."

Chen Sheng raised a hand and cut off her words without room for argument.

"Do not tell me. Tell your Junior Disciple Brother."

Tang Xichen nodded solemnly.

She spoke with gravity.

"Father, rest assured. I will explain everything clearly to Junior Disciple Brother."