Raising an Alt

Eight months later, on a dirt ridge by the fields.

"Beep! Beep!"

The sharp whistle sliced through the quiet fields. Two crimson-feathered eagles spread their wings at the sound and shot up from Yue'er's wrist.

After circling briefly in the air, they flew straight toward the Mizhang Mountains to the north.

Yue'er lowered her bronze whistle and watched the eagles shrink into black dots before turning around and trotting toward Jiang Fu'an, who sat at the edge of the field ridge.

Bracing herself with both hands, she swung herself onto her father's back, poking her head out beside his shoulder and peering at what he held in his hand with her bright black eyes.

"Dad! What good stuff are you reading?"

Jiang Fu'an snapped the book shut and turned to look at her.

"Why did you come over? Didn't I tell you to properly train the Blazing Fire Eagles to recognize their prey?"

Last month, once the pair of eagles' wings had grown strong, he had told Yue'er to teach them how to distinguish wild beasts, Half-Spirit Beasts, demon beasts, and cultivators flying through the sky.

An eagle's eyes could see extraordinarily far. If they were properly trained, it would be like gaining a pair of eyes that could see a thousand miles away, making future mountain patrols and scouting far more convenient.

Yue'er wrapped her arms around his neck and said affectionately, "I was training them! I just had them scout around Mizhang Mountain to see whether there were any traces of demon beasts."

After saying that, she tilted her head and studied the closed booklet in Jiang Fu'an's hand.

Jiang Fu'an pried her little hands from around his neck and gently set her on the ground.

"Go hunt with Stone, then. And practice your Cloud-Soaring Steps while you're at it."

Only after sending Yue'er away did he reopen the booklet and continue studying it.

This was the dual-cultivation manual he had obtained from the Storage Ring, called the Dragon-Phoenix Twin Cauldron Art.

Originally, neither Su Wanqing nor Miao Ruolan had Spiritual Roots, so the technique had been of no use to him for the time being, and he had never examined it closely.

But ever since Miao Ruolan had entered the household, tending to two wives at once had gradually left his thirty-one-year-old body feeling less than equal to the task.

A few days ago, he had suddenly remembered that this manual recorded a bedchamber secret art called the Dragon-Locking Secret Art.

It was said to not only strengthen one's foundations and nourish one's vitality, enhancing one's ability in that regard.

It could also lock in Primordial Yang Qi, preventing a man from being drained dry by beauty.

How could he not be tempted by such a secret art?

But if he read it at home and either of his wives happened to see it, he would lose all face.

So he could only secretly study it while out hunting.

"Screee!"

Who knew how much time passed before a piercing eagle cry suddenly tore through the air, jolting Jiang Fu'an out of the delightful text.

He looked up to see two red dots on the horizon diving rapidly downward. In the blink of an eye, they landed in the grass nearby—it was the pair of Blazing Fire Eagles.

Yue'er crouched beside them, stroking their necks and listening closely to their low chirps.

A moment later, Yue'er ran over to him.

"Dad! The little eagles reported that they saw three more cultivators flying in the sky near the Mizhang Mountains to the north!"

"They found them again?"

Jiang Fu'an's expression turned grave.

Ever since the earthquake more than half a year ago, high-flying cultivators—once a rare sight around Peace Town—had gradually become more common.

Sometimes, he could see streaks of light flash across the distant sky from his own courtyard, heading straight toward the Mizhang Mountains.

Could something have happened over there?

He often hunted in the Mizhang Mountains. If some true upheaval had taken place, he needed to find out as soon as possible, lest it bring disaster upon himself.

Unfortunately, whenever the Hall of Sacrifice bestowed Fu Yuan, it would take a full year before it could possibly appear again. He could not count on it now.

After pondering for a long while, he suddenly thought of Sun Xiuyuan.

Though the man was a mortal, he was still the magistrate of an entire county. His information was surely far better than Jiang Fu'an's.

Besides, three days from now would be Sun Xiuyuan's younger son's full-month celebration. Jiang Fu'an had received an invitation as well, so he could use the occasion to probe for information.

That was right—at the age of forty-five, Sun Xiuyuan had somehow fathered another son.

Not long after returning from the Melodious Sound Sect, he had taken a young concubine. Within a few months, she had become pregnant.

In private, Jiang Fu'an figured that Magistrate Sun probably thought the Sun Zhiwei account had been ruined beyond repair and could no longer be relied upon, so he had simply decided to raise a new alt.

Three days later, at the Sun Family estate in Peace Town.

The estate was as lively as a marketplace.

More than twenty banquet tables had been arranged both inside and outside the courtyard. The clinking of cups and plates, laughter and chatter, and children's shouts all blended together.

The guests coming and going were smartly dressed, most of them notable figures in town.

Jiang Fu'an sat at a table in the corner, watching Sun Xiuyuan move among the banquet tables from afar.

The magistrate wore a dark red brocade robe with subtle patterns today. Though gray showed at his temples, he remained vigorous and alert. He was currently exchanging formal greetings with a local gentryman, his smile polished and his responses flawless.

Watching him, Jiang Fu'an sighed inwardly.

When it came to connections and social finesse, I couldn't catch up even if I whipped my horse to death.

It was not until the sun had begun to sink westward and more than half the guests had departed that Sun Xiuyuan finally found time to come over. He lifted his robe and sat beside Jiang Fu'an, letting out a long breath.

"Finally, I can catch my breath."

A maidservant freshly brewed a pot of hot tea.

Jiang Fu'an lifted his cup and took a sip. Rather than rushing to business, he first asked, "Why didn't I see Brother Ma today?"

Sun Xiuyuan gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"I went out of my way to invite him. Who would have thought that the fellow had gone into seclusion? He said he would never come out unless he broke through to Qi Refining Mid-Stage."

"Qi Refining Mid-Stage?"

Jiang Fu'an froze.

If he remembered correctly, Ma Ping had the same Five-Element Spiritual Root as he did.

No one understood better than Jiang Fu'an how difficult cultivation was with such aptitude.

Even though the Wang Family now had that Spiritual Vein, which could speed up cultivation somewhat.

The bottleneck between Qi Refining Early-Stage and Qi Refining Mid-Stage was not something one could cross through cultivation alone.

The worse one's aptitude, the firmer the bottleneck.

He had heard that without breakthrough pills to assist them, cultivators with Five-Element Spiritual Roots basically had no chance of breaking through on their own.

And with the Wang Family's meager resources, even if they really had Qi-Gathering Pills, how could they possibly give them to an outsider who had married into the family?

Sun Xiuyuan clearly did not think much of Ma Ping's chances either. He sighed.

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he seemed determined as iron.

"At this rate, if he truly refuses to change his mind, I'm afraid I'll never see him again for the rest of my life."

After chatting idly about family matters for a while, Jiang Fu'an finally returned to the main subject.

"Brother Sun, these past few months, I've often seen cultivators flying toward the Mizhang Mountains from my courtyard.

"Have you heard whether something happened over there?"

Sun Xiuyuan showed no surprise at his question and replied evenly, "It's not really a major matter. That earthquake more than half a year ago cracked open several mineral veins in Mizhang Mountain.

"I heard that quite a few spirit ores were exposed. The people you saw were most likely Rogue Cultivators going there to try their luck."

He looked up at Jiang Fu'an, his tone growing more serious.

"But Brother Fu'an, don't get any ideas about going there yourself.

"With mineral veins exposed, there will surely be fierce competition. And Mizhang Mountain was already dangerous to begin with—poisonous miasma and demon beasts aside.

"Now that all manner of fish and dragons are mixed together there, killing people and seizing treasures is probably commonplace as well.

"One careless move, and you could leave your life there."

"Don't worry, Brother Sun. I know how dangerous it is."

Jiang Fu'an agreed aloud, but his mind had begun to turn.

It had nearly been a full year since Fu Yuan had last appeared.

If Fu Yuan truly appeared again next time, could it have something to do with those newly exposed mineral veins?