Thus, it could be seen that there seemed to be a large number of people in this world secretly pursuing immortality.
At the same time, an old acquaintance's son arrived at the Xu Family's Jing'an Hall.
The visitor looked to be in his early forties. He was the younger son of Director Yao, who had once been Old Man Xu's superior, and his name was Yao Le.
He had come specifically to visit Old Man Xu.
They spoke in the reception room of Jing'an Hall. After exchanging the usual pleasantries, Yao Le said bluntly, "Uncle Xu, I heard your eldest and second sons are frantically searching for your third son?"
Old Man Xu frowned. Apparently displeased by Yao Le's questioning tone, he said, "Le, what do you mean by that?"
The corners of Yao Le's mouth curled up as he said, "Uncle Xu, don't tell me you're asking when you already know the answer."
Old Man Xu's brows knitted even tighter. He said, "Le, you didn't come looking for me because of my youngest son, did you?"
Yao Le nodded. "Uncle Xu, give me the copy of the Longevity Sutra in your possession. Over the years, your youngest son, Xu Jiping, has searched everywhere for the missing portions of the Scriptures, nearly making the matter common knowledge. If my elder brother, Director Yao, hadn't been holding things down from above, he would have been sent to prison long ago."
Old Man Xu's expression changed dramatically. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Yao Le suddenly smiled. "Uncle Xu, stop now. Live as an ordinary citizen, and our Yao Family can pretend nothing ever happened. But if your eldest and second sons keep causing trouble, perhaps Director Yao will have to personally come and have a proper talk with you."
A trace of suspicion flashed through Old Man Xu's eyes. Then he asked, "You found out where the complete Scriptures are?"
Yao Le sneered. "Uncle Xu, at your age, don't you understand the meaning of the four words 'it is wise to seem muddled'?"
At that moment, Old Man Xu seemed to have had his bones pulled out. He collapsed into the chair and muttered, "So that's how it is. Director Yao saw farther than I did back then."
Yao Le said, "Uncle Xu, don't worry. Once our Yao Family produces a cultivator, guaranteeing your Xu Family a lifetime of wealth and honor won't be a problem."
Old Man Xu said weakly, "I'll call my eldest and second sons back. Le, can you tell me what happened to my third son?"
Yao Le answered very directly, "Your third son should be dead, barring any unexpected circumstances. A few months ago, someone secretly sold an entire set of Bronze Ritual Vessels on the black market. They were similar to the items your third son had previously put into circulation."
Old Man Xu said, "Thank you for telling me."
Yao Le said, "Uncle Xu, remember what you promised me."
Old Man Xu said, "Come with me."
Afterward, he took Yao Le to the Xu Family Ancestral Hall, retrieved the copy of the Longevity Sutra, and handed it to him.
"My family only has this one copy of the Longevity Sutra. Neither my eldest nor my second son has seen it, and they don't know I possess it. Only my third son has seen it, but he disappeared." Old Man Xu explained this to Yao Le.
"I believe you."
Yao Le did not even open it. He simply put the copy of the Longevity Sutra into his bag.
Then he left the Xu Family.
Old Man Xu, meanwhile, sat blankly in the ancestral hall for the entire afternoon.
Afterward, a ruthless glint flashed through his eyes.
The Yao family's descendant had become a high-ranking official, yet he still wasn't satisfied. He even wanted to obtain immortality? That was unforgivable.
Back then, he had outmaneuvered him and taken away the precious original. Now it seemed that the original contained something he had failed to discover at the time.
"Since your Yao Family wants to sever my Xu Family's path to immortality, don't blame this old man for showing no mercy." Old Man Xu silently steeled himself.
Then he called his eldest son, Xu Jian, and told him to come back.
After that, he called his second son, Xu Jisheng, and ordered him to go directly to Jingcheng and stand by.
After making the calls, a disdainful smile appeared on Old Man Xu's face.
Then he took a hidden box out from beneath the ancestral hall's floor tiles.
There was another copy of the Longevity Sutra inside.
Moreover, compared with the copy he had given Yao Le, the one in the hidden box was even more primitive.
The writing on it had even been made by taking rubbings.
Back then, to ensure the information remained complete, he had specially taken rubbings of the information from that Jade Scroll.
In addition to the writing on it, he had also copied the patterns on the back of the Jade Scroll.
At the beginning of the new year, everything took on a fresh appearance.
With the arrival of the Lunar New Year of the Rat, Zhou Mei gave birth to a son and a daughter for Li Zhi.
From then on, the family had a pair of Dragon-Phoenix Twins, a brother and sister.
Li Zhi named the boy Li Jizu and the girl Li Xian'er.
At first, Zhou Mei thought the names were old-fashioned. But after hearing Li Zhi's explanation, she quickly accepted them.
The reason he had named his son Li Jizu was so that he would never forget his ancestors' legacy, inherit the family business, and continue the Li family line for generations.
As for Li Xian'er, her name carried Li Zhi's hopes that she would achieve immortality and attain the Dao.
As the Golden Age approached, Heavenly Prides from every era emerged one after another. Yet in the end, only Ye Fan's wife and daughter became immortals and departed.
It had to be said that this was a tremendous irony to the Supremes who had hidden in the Forbidden Zones after using the Self-Severing Strike.
To the Heavenly Prides who struggled across the sea of suffering in hopes of becoming Emperors, it was a resounding slap in the face.
Li Zhi was not certain what level he would reach in the future, but he still hoped to become an Emperor, or even an immortal, amid the mortal world.
But he would never blindly assume that he was destined to become an Emperor.
He was not the child of a True Immortal, nor a descendant of an Immortal King, and he certainly did not have a Great Emperor for a sister.
Everything depended on him fighting and struggling for it himself.
To eliminate future worries, Li Zhi had quietly registered his marriage with Zhou Mei and held a simple wedding ceremony before she gave birth.
It also gave Li Jizu and Li Xian'er a legally recognized status as siblings.
As for the two of them, Li Zhi did not expect them to enter the path of cultivation.
If he achieved something in cultivation in the future, perhaps he would return and guide the siblings onto the path. If his journey along the immortal path proved full of hardship, then there would be no need to make them take the risk with him.
Li Zhi planned to let them walk their future paths themselves.
With two little ones added to the family, the household became incredibly lively.
To care for the siblings, Li Zhi hired four professional nannies.
With experienced nannies looking after the children, Li Zhi and Zhou Mei were not troubled by all kinds of trivial matters. They simply enjoyed the happiness brought by the two new lives.
Every day, Li Zhi persisted in cultivating the Breathing Method, the Longevity Art, and the Xingyi Twelve Forms Fist.
He also tried teaching Zhou Mei the Breathing Method so that her body could recover more quickly.
He did not know whether it was a difference in constitution or a limitation of talent, but Zhou Mei saw no obvious results after cultivating it.
Its effects were about the same as those of broadcast calisthenics.
After keeping it up for a few days, Zhou Mei stopped practicing the Breathing Method.
Instead, she began exercising with a yoga instructor hired at great expense to restore her figure.
Li Zhi had practiced the Breathing Method for more than a year, yet he still had not sensed the Bitter Sea. He had merely grown much stronger. His deadlift had finally broken through the five-hundred-kilogram limit and was advancing rapidly toward six hundred kilograms.
He even seemed to be catching up with Ye Fan.
This secretly thrilled Li Zhi.
At times, Li Zhi even felt that his body had broken through the limits of the Mortal Physique and was advancing toward the strength of a Thousand Jin Single Arm.
Although he did not know whether his current condition counted as having embarked on the path of cultivation, Li Zhi's qi and blood were vigorous and his energy abundant. No matter how one looked at it, he no longer seemed like an ordinary mortal.
With the births of Li Jizu and Li Xian'er, it seemed that the family's fortune had also improved considerably.
Before the New Year had even ended, Li Dapeng brought him good news.
The people who had secretly been searching for Xu Jiping had found him.
Moreover, they had put on a melodramatic show.
The struggle between the Xu Family and the Yao Family had finally come to an end.
The Yao Family, which had warned Old Man Xu, suffered a crushing setback.
Perhaps Yao Le's warning had directly enraged Old Man Xu. He joined forces with his students and delivered the Yao Family a devastating betrayal.
In the end, the Yao Family Eldest not only lost his position, but was also sent to prison.
The arrogant Yao Le was so frightened that he fled overseas.
However, although the Xu Family had brought down the Yao Family, it did not gain much from it.
The Jade Scroll in the Yao Family's possession had vanished without a trace. Even after the powerful figure above issued an uncompromising order, they still failed to find the original copy of the Cultivation Method.
Old Man Xu had also proactively confessed to his own problems. After handing over the rubbing, he was not held accountable.
It seemed that, to the powerful figures above, ancient Cultivation Methods passed down from antiquity were not particularly precious.
The turmoil ended there, and Li Zhi was not implicated.
It seemed that the crucial role Li Zhi's sacrifice had played that day had completely erased all related cause and effect.
On the afternoon of the eighth day of the New Year, Li Zhi was sitting in the living room watching television with Zhou Mei when he received another call from Li Dapeng.
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