Withering

Time passed.

The second year.

Huang Wangyou finally began attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

Yet there was no surprise—the attempt failed!

Her state of mind remained quite good.

She had never expected to reach Foundation Establishment in the first place.

Had Chen Sheng not kept pushing her, she would have given up long ago.

Now that her breakthrough had failed, Huang Wangyou lay on the bed, a sly smile appearing on her face instead:

"At last, I won't have to cultivate every day!"

Chen Sheng smiled softly and took her hand.

"Alright. We'll do as you say."

Time flew by.

Another cycle of spring and autumn drifted past.

The blooming season of the old peach tree in the courtyard seemed to have shortened somewhat.

Even its falling pink petals carried the twilight weariness of a fading strength beyond saving.

Huang Yueyang, too, had reached the edge of his dying flame.

In the late autumn of that year, he lay in bed and stopped breathing.

He was ninety-eight years old.

The old man departed with great calm.

During the final stretch of his life, his favorite grand-disciple, Qin Yuan, had remained by his side.

Before him, Qin Yuan had even displayed the Flame Control Technique, revealing his mastery of Ten Thousand Strands of Fire Threads.

This achievement had completely surpassed those who came before.

The old master let out a hearty laugh.

At the brink of death, Huang Yueyang handed Chen Sheng a jade slip containing the Incomplete Formulas he had researched over the years.

"Pass them on."

Grief showed on Chen Sheng's face.

"Rest assured, Father-in-law. I will definitely pass these things on."

The Mourning Hall was set up in the front hall.

White funeral banners hung low, while smoke curled through the air.

Huang Wangyou knelt before the coffin, weeping silently, her tears soaking the front of her plain-colored robes.

Her mother had died young.

Her father had raised her all by himself.

Now, she no longer had a father.

Chen Sheng stayed at her side, gently drawing her into his arms to comfort her.

The blow struck Huang Wangyou hard.

It took her two months to recover.

Time slipped quietly by.

With Huang Yueyang's passing, Chen Sheng began taking charge of the cultivation of the family's juniors.

At the Martial Arts Arena.

"Watch carefully!"

Chen Sheng flicked a finger.

A Fire Serpent more than a zhang long suddenly shot forth, its scales gleaming with lava-red radiance beneath the sun.

Wherever it passed, the air warped from the heat, and the blue bricks beneath it instantly split into spiderweb cracks.

The Fire Serpent let out an ear-splitting hiss and slammed viciously into the Black Iron Statue thirty meters away.

In an instant, a blinding flare erupted.

The little ones were immediately left tongue-tied, clapping their hands in unison.

"Grandfather is amazing!"

"So amazing!"

Seeing that he had captured the little ones' attention, Chen Sheng smiled.

Only then did he begin explaining the most basic Fire Attraction Technique.

Then he had them start trying it for themselves!

"Grandfather, I did it!"

Tang Wenya cried out loudly. A tiny flickering flame had appeared at her fingertips.

Chen Sheng smiled lightly and encouraged her.

"Not bad. Keep it up!"

These little ones all had Low-grade Spiritual Roots.

Their aptitudes were not far apart!

But in every other respect, they differed as greatly as heaven and earth.

Chen Sheng quietly took note of each little one's strengths.

In the future, he would teach them according to their talents.

Half an hour later.

Everyone had learned this basic spell technique.

"Begin your qi cultivation!"

Imitating his Father-in-law's manner, Chen Sheng held a Ruler as he supervised them.

Several of the little ones immediately looked reluctant.

Clearly, they could not sit still either.

But with Chen Sheng's Ruler in hand, they could only sit properly cross-legged on their Cattail Mats and begin today's qi cultivation.

An hour later, Chen Sheng nodded.

"Alright, that will be all for today."

"After you return, properly practice the Fire Attraction Technique I taught you today."

"Yes, Grandfather."

The children answered in unison, their young voices ringing through the courtyard.

Another three years passed.

It was still that same courtyard.

The little radish heads of old had all shot up considerably.

They had become youths and girls who understood reason.

Much of the time, they would cultivate of their own accord without Chen Sheng needing to watch over them.

"Alright, dismissed!"

After leading them through today's basic cultivation, Chen Sheng headed toward the Fire Room.

Before long.

In front of the Alchemy Furnace, Chen Sheng was already seated cross-legged on the Cattail Mat in the center of the Alchemy Room.

He held his breath and focused, forming the River-Burning Seal Hand Seals with both hands.

The Mana within his Dantian suddenly boiled, drawing in the fire energy from the air. Countless wisps of wandering fire energy gradually gathered into two clusters of dancing flame.

Like two Fire Serpents, they wound their way in through his nostrils.

Fire qi entered his body!

Chen Sheng turned his inner sight inward.

Driven by the fire qi, the newly opened meridians were widening inch by inch.

"Hmm~"

With another breath, two pillars of fire burst from his nostrils, trailing flames half a zhang long.

Then he inhaled the fire qi once more...

This cycle repeated, and who knew how long passed.

Chen Sheng's Dantian suddenly grew hot.

A dazzling red light burst from his entire body.

Countless Crimson Flood Dragon scales emerged from beneath his skin, layer upon layer, covering his limbs and torso.

At that moment, he seemed to have become a humanoid flood dragon.

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes and ran a hand over the scalding scales on his arm.

"All eight meridians are open. The first layer has finally reached completion!"

For years, he had painstakingly opened one new meridian after another, finally cultivating the Crimson Scale Armor to completion.

Chen Sheng shook his head.

"This is only the first layer. As expected of a top-grade Daoist technique—it truly is difficult!"

"But progress is progress. I may not have much else, but I have plenty of time!"

At dusk, in the rear courtyard, Chen Sheng and his wife drank tea and chatted.

Huang Wangyou suddenly spoke.

"By my reckoning, Chen'er's letter should have arrived by now, shouldn't it?"

Chen Sheng shook his head.

"Maybe, like the first time, it was delayed."

"I'll go to the Qingmu Merchant Association and ask tomorrow."

At first light the next day, Chen Sheng tucked the Qingmu Merchant Association's jade access token into his sleeve

and headed for the merchant association's main hall at the eastern end of Market Town.

Outside the vermilion-lacquered gates, Chen Sheng had barely given his name

before the attendant on duty led him inside with a smile plastered across his face.

The name of a High-grade Alchemist

was just that useful in Market Town!

After passing through a corridor lined with verdant bamboo, he ran into a steward.

"Why has Tang Master come in person?"

"Didn't you usually send a servant to collect the pill orders?"

Chen Sheng waved a hand.

His gaze swept across the trade route map hanging on the wall, his fingertip coming to rest on the red dot labeled "Thousand Mechanisms Workshop."

"I came to ask whether the caravan from Linglong Immortal City has been delayed."

The steward froze for a moment, then shook his head.

"No. It should have passed through here three days ago."

Those words were like a stone cast into the still lake of his heart.

Chen Sheng's brows instantly furrowed. Unease stirred within him as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

"What exactly happened?"

"This time, why hadn't he sent a letter back?"

With that in mind.

Chen Sheng strode quickly into the rear hall.

He found Manager Li, who was in charge of coordinating the trade routes.

The man was dozing with a tea bowl in his hands. Seeing him enter, he hurriedly rose to his feet.

"Tang Master has arrived—my apologies for failing to welcome you from afar!"

"Manager Li, no need for such ceremony."

Chen Sheng held down his hand and explained the situation.

"Could I trouble you to make some inquiries for me?"

Manager Li thumped his chest and readily agreed.

"Since Tang Master has asked, how could I dare refuse?"

"A merchant caravan will be setting out for Linglong next month. I'll have Old Zhou, who's leading it, look into the matter."

"The moment there's news, I'll have it delivered to you!"

Chen Sheng cupped his hands in farewell.

"Then many thanks."