A Maximum Lifespan of Two Hundred Years

Or perhaps that expert had merely been passing by and was not from the Qi residence at all. Otherwise, why would he have stopped?

Zhan Li slowly put away the other golden paperweight in his hand. It was his trump card. If there truly was no other way, he could still summon the power of ghosts and gods into his body and fight the other party.

A dark look shifted in his eyes as he glanced toward the Qi family after a moment.

His mission had now failed. He could only return first to report and await his next assignment.

A trace of gloom lingered in his eyes.

In the main branch's inner residence, when Qi Yuxian brought the iron jar she had found to Qi Yi and the Heavenly Void Daoist, they quickly dispelled the Nightmare Suppression Art afflicting Madam Zhou.

Though this Nightmare Suppression Art was strange and vicious, once the object used for the suppression was found, breaking the spell was not difficult.

Zhang Granny, meanwhile, was taken away and locked up by Qi Yi, to be interrogated thoroughly.

Qi Yuxian did not conceal the many reasons behind the matter and told Qi Yi everything one by one.

At the entrance to the main branch's residence, Qi Yi and the Heavenly Void Daoist walked side by side as they left the inner quarters.

"Old friend, who do you think acted this time to help my Qi family drive back that outside enemy?"

Qi Yi looked toward the Heavenly Void Daoist.

After Qi Yuxian voiced her suspicions, Qi Yi had also agreed. At such a critical moment, the odds of coincidentally discovering the Nightmare Suppression object Zhang Granny had buried were infinitesimal.

How could there be such a coincidence—finding the key at precisely this juncture?

And those several crossbow bolts!

After weighing the matter himself, he knew that if not for an expert's aid this time, the Qi family would not have been able to save Madam Zhou so easily.

The Heavenly Void Daoist shook his head.

"Fengyang Commandery has always been a place where outstanding people and spiritual lands abound. Perhaps some passing expert could not stand the hidden culprit's actions and lent the Qi family a hand!"

The Heavenly Void Daoist was also astonished. Since when had another expert come to the Qi family? Even with his spiritual awareness, he had failed to detect them.

This meant that the hidden person's cultivation might not be inferior to his own!

Qi Yi sighed inwardly. "I suppose the fortunate are watched over by Heaven. We narrowly passed this trial. It is only a pity that I cannot meet that expert and form a good connection with them!"

Fengyang Commandery was shrouded in wind and rain. At a time when the Qi family was swaying in the storm, having one more powerful expert to hold the fort would undoubtedly grant them far greater autonomy.

Fortunately, Madam Zhou had come to no harm this time. Otherwise, the Qi family would not only have faced pressure from several powers in Fengyang Commandery, but also the Dingyuan Marquis's estate's censure.

The two listed some of the commandery's experts, yet in the end found nothing.

After handing out the good person card, Zhang Jian remained at his lodgings, quietly accumulating spiritual power within his body.

Cultivation at the Nourishing Spirit stage required him to continuously transform spiritual power to nourish the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit, tempering his own spiritual power. Once he reached a certain level, he would find a way to chart his own Life Palace and complete the process of Foundation Establishment.

This step was of vital importance.

His accumulation of spiritual power and the nourishment of his soul would likely be faster than that of ordinary cultivators.

Because his soul had been innately powerful beyond compare.

Zhang Jian was absolutely certain of this.

His divine sense was extraordinarily sharp, and after breaking through to the Nourishing Spirit stage, the area covered by his divine sense was also far larger than the ten zhang recorded in the Nine Chapters of Paulownia Mountain Purity.

It was likely several dozen zhang wide.

If not for the innate strength of his soul, Zhang Jian could not explain it.

As for the speed at which he accumulated spiritual power, that lay in his innate immaculate body and the purity of his spiritual roots. Though he had never deliberately tested his constitution, Zhang Jian could be certain that he possessed some talent in this regard.

All these talents could shorten some of the slow, grinding work.

He would not have to spend decades or even centuries being worn away at this stage.

Once cultivators reached the Nourishing Spirit stage, their lifespans could indeed gradually approach their natural limits, reaching nearly two hundred years.

But being able to afford the time was one thing. If he could reduce some of that grinding process, that would naturally be better.

During his spare time, Zhang Jian thought of another matter and had several old soldiers under his command buy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Yet when Zhang Jian looked at the writing supplies Little Xie had bought, he still shook his head. Little Xie had clearly been fooled by the commandery's unscrupulous merchants, who had passed off inferior goods as quality ones. In the end, he lacked the seasoned shrewdness of Zhang Jian's own personal servant. Still, Zhang Jian did not blame him. He picked up a brush and began to draw.

Before long, the graceful figure of a woman gradually came alive on the paper, with a stone mirror in her hand.

It was precisely the figure of that "ancestor" in the ancestral hall.

After being away for some time, Zhang Jian had begun to miss that female ancestor in the clan shrine.

Regretting that he might be unable to worship his ancestors during his travels, Zhang Jian wondered whether he could change the method somewhat—for instance, copy that ancestor's portrait and then worship his ancestors from afar?

He did not know whether it would work, but he decided to try.

Once the entire portrait had been completed, Zhang Jian had Little Xie hang it in the room to dry, intending to try making an offering once they bought some gold ingots.

Then Zhang Jian stepped out of his residence beneath the faint morning light.

The Qi family was growing increasingly lively. As his maternal grandfather's sixtieth birthday drew near, guests from other places arrived in an endless stream. Zhang Yi and Madam Zhang Qi were also on the road.

There was also a younger brother and younger sister born of the same parents.

He raised his head. Though it was early morning, the vicious sun was already showing its fangs.

The severe drought in Fengyang Commandery and the surrounding commanderies continued.

Only the area around Fengyang Commandery City had water stored behind Dragon-Locking Dam, and it was instead growing ever more prosperous.

Zhang Jian did not go out. There had been more and more refugees outside lately. Even though the commandery governor had specifically assigned more men to patrol, the outside had become increasingly chaotic.

Without realizing it, Zhang Jian arrived at the flower garden again.

The two water hibiscus plants greedily gathered the tiny bit of pure dawn spiritual essence beneath the sunlight, nourishing themselves.

Yet Zhang Jian's gaze fell upon a nearby draw well. The Myriad Worlds Spirit Orb in his mind stirred, and he once again heard two voices arguing heatedly.

A smile appeared in his eyes. He simply sat in the pavilion beside the well and openly eavesdropped.

At first, the two were merely complaining or gossiping about the various residences in the city, but one part of their conversation gradually drew Zhang Jian's attention.

"Big Brother, when do you think we'll be able to leave this place? The bottom of this well is far too dark, damp, and cold!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? We are well Dragon Kings. Where would we go if we left the well? To Whitewater River?!"

The last voice sounded somewhat irritated.

"It is not as though there is no hope. The Whitewater River Dragon Lord was trapped long ago. A dragon trapped in shallow waters—why should we fear him?"

The other voice was clearly unwilling to remain quiet.

"This is an opportunity before us. Fengyang Commandery and several surrounding commanderies are suffering from drought. If we can find a way to bring down sweet rain, we will surely draw the worship of the people in those commanderies. Perhaps we can cast off our identities as well Dragon Kings and take possession of the vast Whitewater River. The divine office of Whitewater River is far better than being Dragon Kings of this cramped little well!"

As he listened to the two voices argue, Zhang Jian's eyes stirred.

A glimmer of light appeared in them.

He did not know whether Foundation Establishment methods from other great Dao traditions required fortune, but the Nine Chapters of Paulownia Mountain Purity clearly stated that a supreme Dao foundation forged with great fortune would be closer to the great Dao of Heaven and Earth, making cultivation more suitable.

If he could resolve the drought affecting Fengyang Commandery and several surrounding commanderies, great fortune would surely descend upon him. Not only could it help him reveal his Life Palace and measure his fate for Foundation Establishment, it would also make it easier for him to go fleece the clan shrine further!