Elder

"Then let's keep him for now. Our Lei Family is in a difficult spot, and we shouldn't pass up any opportunity to strengthen our power. Sigh..." the man let out a long sigh.

Outsiders wouldn't know that the seemingly glorious Lei Family was actually in a precarious situation.

Among the four great families of Willow Forest City, aside from the Ye Family, which was backed by the royal power of the Yunli Kingdom, the other three were local factions. However, both the Liu Family and the Lin Family were major powers with hundreds of years of heritage; only the Lei Family had risen quite suddenly, with a history of only a few decades to this day.

Rising too quickly meant a lack of deep foundations. To bolster their family strength, the Lei Family had spared no expense in recruiting many high-level, unaffiliated Spirit Cultivators.

In recent years, the situation in Willow Forest City had been turbulent, and the Liu and Lin families had grown increasingly wary of the Lei Family. The Lei Family deeply felt that maintaining their status and resources was becoming harder and harder.

Early in the morning, Sanbao sat cross-legged on his bed, using his spirit power to thoroughly cleanse his body. These past few days, being locked in the dungeon and exposed to the miasma had left him feeling somewhat unwell. Fortunately, it had only been a short time; otherwise, it would have certainly impacted his cultivation.

After completing a few cycles, Sanbao exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes, a faint glimmer of light flashing within them.

Not bad, his cultivation had improved.

Sanbao felt secretly pleased before stepping out of his room.

"Sir, please allow us to help you wash up, and then you may head to the dining hall in the front," several maidservants stood respectfully on both sides. Seeing Sanbao emerge, they quickly bowed to serve him.

No one knew what Lei Fang had said to the servants, but Sanbao's status had undergone a 180-degree turn. Overnight, he had leaped from a prisoner of the Lei Mansion to an honored guest.

"I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself!" Sanbao hurriedly shooed the maids away.

Just as Sanbao stepped out of the dining hall, Lei Fang approached him.

"Young Master Luo looks refreshed; I trust you rested well last night? My father would like to invite you over for a chat!" Lei Fang said with a beaming smile, looking at Sanbao.

"I am grateful for the Eldest Miss's generous hospitality; I am unworthy of such kindness," the two exchanged pleasantries all the way until they stepped into a council hall within the Lei Mansion. In the center of the hall, a handsome middle-aged man sat smiling. Seeing Sanbao enter, he even stood up to welcome him.

This person was none other than the man Lei Fang had met the night before—her father, Lei Li, the eldest son of the Lei Family head and the primary manager of the Lei Mansion.

"Sanbao greets Senior Lei!" Sanbao cupped his hands in a salute.

"No need for formalities, no need. I heard from Fang'er that little brother Sanbao is young and promising, so I wanted to meet you. Now that I see you, I realize you truly are a hero among youths, with extraordinary talent!" Lei Li was all smiles, immediately flattering Sanbao upon their first meeting.

If it were an ordinary youth, he might have been easily swayed by this shrewd father-daughter duo, but to Sanbao, who had lived two lives, it seemed somewhat artificial.

Of course, Sanbao wouldn't point it out; he simply responded with neither servility nor arrogance. The other party's intention was clear: they wanted to recruit him, and he also needed the support they could provide. Since it was mutually beneficial, things would naturally be easier to handle.

Sure enough, after a few pleasantries, Lei Li got straight to the point.

"Nephew Luo, since you are traveling alone, I wonder if you have any interest in joining our Lei Family's Elder Council? Once you become an elder of our Lei Family, not to mention ordinary wealth, we will also gift you a certain amount of Spirit Pills, along with all other favorable conditions to support your cultivation. Even in terms of artifact refining, as long as your contribution to the family is sufficient, you can obtain everything a Spirit Cultivator needs: Spirit Skills, Spirit Pills, Spirit Weapons, and so on..."

Lei Li's flowery promises of recruitment made Sanbao drool, though his heart remained as clear as a mirror; he still had to put on a good show.

After Lei Li finished speaking, Sanbao kept his mouth agape for a full half-quarter of an hour. In the eyes of the Lei father and daughter, they were secretly delighted.

After all, he was just a fledgling; it was perfectly normal for him to lose control in the face of such powerful incentives.

After a long while, Sanbao finally came to his senses, glanced at Lei Li, and lowered his head in contemplation.

Seeing the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot, Lei Fang hurriedly added:

"Young Master Luo, our Lei Family's Elder Council is not so easy to join. For other Spirit Cultivators, the minimum requirement is the peak of the Spirit Commander realm. However, because you are a person of excellent talent and also a Treasure Refiner, we have made an exception to accept you. Once you become a Guest Elder of the Lei Mansion, we will provide you with certain assistance in terms of Spirit Pills—something you would absolutely never enjoy in other families or factions!"

Within the Lei Mansion, both Lei Li and his daughter were Alchemists, so producing some low-level Spirit Pills was no trouble at all. However, the entire Lei Mansion lacked a single Treasure Refiner, which was why the two had developed the desire to recruit him. Of course, they hoped even more that by using Sanbao as "bait," they could lure out his master, which would be even more useful to the Lei Family.

After all, Sanbao's cultivation was still low, and it was unrealistic to expect him to make immediate contributions to the Lei Family in terms of artifact refining.

The father and daughter played the "good cop, bad cop" routine with exceptional skill.

"Fine, I agree to stay, but I have a few conditions."

After "carefully" considering it, Sanbao finally decided to stay.

"No problem. You can discuss the other details with Fang'er; I won't disturb you further," Lei Li, maintaining his status, stood up and left immediately, leaving the clever Lei Fang to deal with Sanbao.

After a conversation that seemed like mere courtesy but was actually a negotiation, the two left together.

The result was naturally a win-win. Sanbao agreed to stay and become a "special" Guest Elder of the Lei Mansion. Although his treatment was slightly inferior to that of the Spirit King elders, for someone with only the cultivation of a one-star Spirit General, it was already an exception for the Lei Mansion.

Of course, Sanbao had his own considerations for deciding to stay in the Lei Mansion. He certainly couldn't return to the Cloud Saint Sect, and while the Hunting Hall could provide shelter, it clearly fell far short of the conditions the Lei Mansion could offer.

Sanbao lacked nothing now; what he needed was time and a good environment for cultivation. Undoubtedly, the Lei Family was a great choice.

Moreover, regarding the situation of his master, Jing Yifei, Sanbao also needed to use the Lei Family's power to investigate.

As one of the four great families of Willow Forest City, the Lei Mansion possessed over a dozen Guest Elders of various types. Except for one or two with eccentric temperaments, the rest lived in an independent estate specially opened for them by the Lei Family.

It was called the Elder Pavilion.

The Elder Pavilion was located deep in the back courtyard of the Lei Mansion. It didn't occupy much space, but dozens of pavilions of varying sizes were distributed within it in an orderly fashion.

Soon, Sanbao became the owner of one of the small pavilions.

The treatment for Guest Elders of the Lei Mansion was excellent. In addition to money, every elder could receive a certain amount of Spirit Pills annually, the quantity of which depended on the elder's rank and their contribution to the family.

Beyond that, there were also good Spirit Skills, and even Spirit Treasures; as long as one's contribution to the family was sufficient, these could all be obtained.

For high-level Spirit Cultivators, worldly wealth was no longer of much use; the only things they cared about were items that could enhance their power.

Undoubtedly, these things were all capable of enhancing power, and among them, the allure of Spirit Treasures was the greatest.

Good Spirit Pills had immeasurable effects on one's cultivation speed and breaking through bottlenecks, while possessing a suitable Spirit Weapon could instantly elevate one's strength by an entire level.

Of course, while the benefits are good, the elders are also required to shoulder certain responsibilities and complete tasks assigned by the Lei Family. On specific occasions, they must also charge into battle for the Lei Family; as the saying goes, one keeps soldiers for a thousand days to use them for an hour.

Fortunately, the elders of the Lei Family can spend most of their time cultivating on their own, and their conduct is extremely free.

Thinking about his future benefits, Sanbao followed Lei Fang to the front of a pavilion within the Elder Pavilion.

The pavilion had three floors in total, each with several rooms and fully equipped functions. Besides the living room, reception room, and cultivation room, there were flowers and plants in front of and behind the building, supplemented by one maid and one servant each.

This place is really not bad, Sanbao thought to himself, it truly is: one can keep a dog in the front and plant flowers in the back.

"Young Master Luo, how is the place?" Lei Fang asked with a smile, extremely confident in the architecture of the Elder Pavilion.

"Not bad, truly not bad. It's just that these two servants won't be necessary; I prefer things a bit quieter. There is just one thing: if I wish to cultivate the way of fire control, I wonder if there is a place for that?" Sanbao nodded continuously, appearing very satisfied.

"Oh, you can rest assured about that. My Lei Mansion has a dedicated Fire Hall, equipped with several furnaces and cauldrons. Young Master Luo is welcome to come at any time..."

After Lei Fang left, Sanbao shook his head, unable to believe it himself. The world is unpredictable; in the blink of an eye, he had turned his life around, going from a prisoner to an honored guest.

However, he had to thank his master Jing Yifei for all of this. It was she who gave him the status of a Treasure Refiner. Thinking of this, Sanbao felt even more worried. He didn't know if his master was safe, and he would have to rely on the influence of the Lei Mansion to get news in that regard.

But this matter could not be rushed; he had to settle down in the Lei Mansion first, otherwise, it would easily arouse the dissatisfaction of the Lei Mansion.

After getting himself settled, Sanbao decided to take a trip to the Hunting Hall.

Since he was free, he naturally should let Lin Hai know, so as to avoid them worrying further.

Donning the ornate robes unique to a Guest Elder of the Lei Mansion and carrying the waist medallion that symbolized his status and position as an elder, Sanbao strutted through the Lei Mansion with an air of arrogance.

"Hey, you there, come over here..."

ps: Brothers, a new week has begun. Continuing to charge the new book charts, four updates today, requesting your support.