Meeting the Ancestor

Cloud Horn Prefecture and Ying Prefecture are separated by more than a hundred prefectures, a distance of countless miles. It was only because Fei Tianqin was exceptionally fast that the Sect Leader Kang Da, would have been delayed on the road for an unknown amount of time.

However, aside from riding on the back of this old bird and witnessing the beautiful mountains and rivers and the vast sea of clouds along the way, Sect Leader Kang Da also realized that even someone as powerful as this noble of the Immortal Dynasty still had many forbidden places to visit along the way.

Naturally isolated areas are few in number; most are bustling cities and towns.

It seems that these are all Daoist temples whose ruling sects are not very fond of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty. Even Fei Tianqin, that arrogant old bird, has to take a detour to avoid trouble.

However, Kang Dabao felt that Fei Tianqin was visibly much more amiable and approachable this time. In his spare time, he not only took the initiative to preach and answer questions, but also gave him several books of previous practitioners' notes for reference.

Even Changyi and Changxi benefited from this; during their rest time, the old bird even took time out of his busy schedule to guide them in their cultivation practices, truly displaying great kindness.

Sect Leader Kang Da was quite surprised by this. Perhaps he had never encountered such good fortune in his life, so he was naturally more concerned and could not enjoy such favors as he did with his wife and children. He was just being cautious in secret.

Even with Fei Tianqin, a top-tier Demon Officer of the Third Tier, leading the way, it still took the group several months to travel from Shannan Circuit to the capital region, demonstrating the vastness of the Immortal Dynasty's territory.

No wonder the various kings' rebellions have all lasted for centuries. If it weren't for the various flying boats, the journey would have been much longer by the sheer number of low-level cultivators on foot.

As soon as they entered the airspace over the capital region, Fei Tianqin visibly felt much more relaxed, and even the Sect Leader Kang Da felt his back soften a little.

Ying Prefecture, the destination of this trip, is not exactly in the heart of the capital region. The Fei Household may be considered prominent in the southern part of the Mountain South, but in the Capital Circuit, even if the Fei Household is barely the most powerful family in the world, they are still just a powerful family.

This place is governed by a number of prominent families, such as the Yukun Han Household and the Jinlin Liu Household. Even Outer Dao families like the Liaoyuan Gui Household, because of important figures like Gui Nianzhi who came to the court to work, temporarily received official land in several prefectures for their livelihood.

Therefore, even though Fei Ye Shui, the current head of the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, is somewhat outstanding, he is still far inferior to these noble families. It is only because of his close relationship with the Kuang Household clan that he can be considered to have a slightly superior status, and some Nascent Soul True Person are even willing to condescend to treat Fei Ye Shui as an equal.

However, Fei Ye Shui's lifespan is limited. After his death, whether the Fei Household can still control the fertile land of Ying Prefecture will depend on the Emperor's decision.

In this Great Wei realm, regardless of whether they were powerful figures in the capital region or those in other areas, there was a rare consensus. "The Kuang Household cannot be entirely trusted."

The Ying Prefecture Fei Household may not be unaware of these things, but their family has been linked to the royal family through marriage since the time of the late emperor, and even produced an empress.

After Fei Ye Shui took over the household, perhaps because the Fei Household's descendants had already shown signs of decline, even the number of upper-level cultivators was only a handful, and they were gradually unable to safeguard the Lineage's foundation.

This left them with no other choice, and in a rare turn of events, the Ying Prefecture Fei Household completely sided with the Kuang Household clan, thus gaining the Emperor's trust and support.

During the hundreds of years that Fei Ye Shui was in charge of the family, the Fei Household not only gained control of the entire Ying Prefecture region due to their status as maternal relatives and the lives of their descendants, but also produced a continuous stream of True-Grade Golden Core pills.

Excluding outsiders, the Ying Prefecture Fei Household already has seventeen high-level cultivators stationed there, including Fei Nanying, a Middle-Grade Golden Core cultivator.

Therefore, from any perspective, Fei Ye Shui made invaluable contributions to the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, and the title of "ancestor of the family's revival" is well-deserved.

However, whether the Ying Prefecture Fei Household would decline after Fei Ye Shui's death, as outsiders predicted, was something no one could be entirely certain of.

This may depend on how well Fei Nanying, the well-known successor, performs. Everyone knows that in order to maintain the Fei Household's current prestige, the position of head of the Fei Household cannot be held by just an ordinary Golden Core.

However, Fei Ye Shui was quite adept at betting, Fei Nanying had already secured a key position in the highly coveted Office of the Duke of Qin.

If Kuang Liuting, an Upper-Grade Golden Core cultivator whom the Great Wei family of David has been hoping for for generations, were to truly ascend to the throne, then Fei Nanying, as a former member of the Prince's residence, would naturally rise in rank as well. Perhaps, a True Person, unlike any the Ying Prefecture Fei Household has ever produced before, would indeed emerge.

The current Sect Leader Kang Da, is merely a minor True Cultivator. He couldn't truly see the seemingly prosperous Ying Prefecture Fei Household, which was actually in dire straits. However, he could glean some insight from Fei Ye Shui's bet on the Kuang Liuting.

When he was down on his luck, he frequented gambling dens in Linghe Market, hoping to make some quick money. But after losing so much, he realized that this money was not something he could earn.

However, after Sect Leader Kang Da had squandered all the Spirit Stone he had painstakingly collected, like water flowing away, he wasn't entirely empty-handed; he had at least gained a little bit of knowledge:

In gambling dens, gamblers who bet everything generally fall into two categories: those who own vast farmlands and don't care about the chips on the table, and those who have no other options and are willing to risk everything.

Kang Dabao didn't think that Ye Shui, the patriarch of the Fei Household, was like the former type of person, so what about the Ying Prefecture Fei Household?

The fact that Elder Fei Tianqin specially brought Kang Dabao's family back from Cloud Horn Prefecture was a significant event for the Fei Household.

The youngest and least senior servant, Senior Sister Fei Nanxi, who was staying at home, personally greeted him. Accompanying her were a group of attendants, two rows of maids, and a particularly handsome young man with a single horn who stood out.

The Sect Leader Kang Da had seen this person serving by Fei Dongwen's side when Fei Dongwen came to Xuanwei City to comfort the cultivators of the She Mountain Hall and hold a small competition. In his memory, this person should be Fei Shuhe's uncle, named Fei Nanyi.

"Our ancestor has had a long and arduous journey,"

"This is such a short distance, how can it be considered arduous? Compared to when I, your ancestor, personally accompanied you on your campaigns, it was..." Fei Tianqin was clearly in a good mood, reminiscing with the younger generation before him. After calling Kang Dabao and his group to greet their elders, he then turned to Fei Nanxi and asked:

"Has my younger brother recently come out of seclusion?"

Fei Nanyi was clearly more knowledgeable about these complicated matters Fei Nanxi. Hearing Fei Tianqin ask the question, he stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Ancestor Ye Shui just visited the Core-Embracing Terrace ten days ago to discuss alchemy methods with Attendant Peng. He returned in high spirits three days later."

"Attendant Peng"

After Kang Dabao murmured a few times, a picture appeared in his mind, and he saw Fei Tianqin, who had shrunk to a height of ten feet, nodding at Fei Nanxi.

This old bird didn't exchange any pleasantries with these younger generation members, only asking that Fei Nanxi take good Fei Shuhe and her two children.

When a married daughter Gui Household home to visit her family, she is considered a guest and cannot be treated poorly, otherwise it would be disrespectful to her in-laws. The Fei Household will make proper arrangements according to etiquette.

As for Sect Leader Kang Da, he had no time to rest and had to accompany Fei Tianqin to the Core-Embracing Terrace to meet Fei Ye Shui.

Ever since he followed Fei Tianqin to Ying Prefecture, Kang Dabao's anxiety had never ceased.

Although, according to common sense, Fei Ye Shui, who is known for his magnanimity, should not hold a grudge about what happened back then, he is, after all, a top-tier Golden Core below the Nascent Soul. If he really has any resentment or dissatisfaction, then Sect Leader Kang Da can only use the Azure Smoke of Creation to save his life.

Unfortunately, there is only one wisp of this Azure Smoke of Creation, which may not even be enough to deal with two top-tier Golden Core cultivators, let alone in Ying Prefecture, where the Fei Household's main sect alone has more than two hands' worth of cultivators.

Kang Dabao felt uneasy and remained silent the whole way. Fei Tianqin, who was walking ahead, spoke first, "The Nanyi had a trace of Kui Dragon bloodline manifested in his body. That's why he showed outstanding talent after reaching the Foundation Establishment and was even able to extend his lifespan by half a century."

Therefore, even though his aptitude was far superior to Nanxi and the others, his bloodline meant that the resources required for advancing to the Golden Core stage far exceeded those of his peers, which delayed his progress.

"Kui Dragon bloodline?"

Although Sect Leader Kang Da's knowledge was limited, he knew that anything in this world that bore the word "dragon" was no ordinary object. Of course, there were also many things that forcibly attached themselves to the word, such as "Yellow Dragon Wood," which required careful discernment.

But why would Fei Tianqin suddenly want to talk to me about these things?

"Are you telling me that the Ying Prefecture Fei Household has the bloodline of the Kui Dragon? Do you want me to have more direct descendants with Shuhe?!" Kang Dabao pondered for a while, but couldn't be sure.

After all, this line of thinking is quite far-fetched. Even if what this old bird said is not an exaggeration, the Kui Dragon bloodline in the Fei Household members must be extremely thin. Even if it takes another five hundred years, it is unlikely that another person like Fei Nanyi will emerge.

Not to mention the resources required for the latter to Core Formation, even the old bird Fei Tianqin described it as "far surpassing those of his peers." So, for Fei Nanyi personally, this matter may not necessarily be all good.

Fei Tianqin held a superior position in the Fei Household and was used to taking shortcuts. He was already familiar with all the restrictions within the clan's territory. His eyes flashed incessantly, and he led Kang Dabao through the area in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The two of them, one human and one bird, arrived at the Core-Embracing Terrace.

This place of cultivation belonging to Fei Ye Shui also greatly surprised Kang Dabao, this country bumpkin. The richness of Spiritual Qi within it was something the latter had never seen before in his life, and he had the same thoughts that Jiang Qing had back then:

"If this cave abode could be moved back to Little Ring Mountain, I'm afraid I'd have much less to do."

This is undoubtedly wishful thinking. Not to mention that Sect Leader Kang Da has no ability to demand a top-tier cultivator's cave abode dwelling, even if it were possible, it would be more convenient to simply move all the disciples of the sect here.

Fei Tianqin, clearly familiar with the route, led Kang Dabao to the jade bed in the center of the Core-Embracing Terrace without any prior notice. The jade bed was empty, but at the very front was a particularly conspicuous jade throne, probably several times larger than the surrounding thrones, clearly belonging solely to Fei Tianqin.

The old bird casually sat down and urged Kang Dabao to come closer and sit down. Then, the straw puppets in the cave abode came one after another.

The table was laden with all sorts of rare and precious delicacies, each one something that Sect Leader Kang Da was usually reluctant to buy. If he weren't still mindful of his wife and the sect's reputation, he would have already started packing Storage Bag away.

"This straw puppet is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship."

Fei Tianqin, that old bird, has recently become much more attentive to Sect Leader Kang Da. He quickly noticed the slight eagerness in the latter's eyes and coughed lightly again.

"These grass puppets are arranged in the number of the heavens. Although they are only doing some cleaning and sweeping in the Core-Embracing Terrace, if they were to form an array and fight, ordinary Golden Core cultivators would certainly not be able to defeat them."

It was personally crafted for my younger brother by Guyangzi, the previous leader of the Desert Sea Circuit Chen Craft School. His family and my family have been on good terms for generations, and Guyangzi and my younger brother are also very close friends.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Ancestor," Kang Dabao said, bowing in thanks, while a question lingered in his mind.

He had heard of the reputation of the Chen Craft School before; they were particularly skilled at crafting magical Law Treasure and puppets, and were of the same lineage as the Lu Craftsman Sect in the current Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

Although the Chen Craft School cannot compare to the latter, a major sect of Nascent Soul, it still has nearly ten Golden Core cultivators in charge, making it a force to be reckoned with.

What's even more noteworthy is that the Lu Craftsman Sect of Desert Sea Circuit is one of the few major sects that have raised the banner of rebellion against the Wei, and the Chen Craft School, being closely aligned with it, naturally followed suit. The Ying Prefecture Fei Household, as a supporter of the imperial clan, has a good relationship with the Chen Craft School.

Then I recalled what Jiang Qing had said before, that the Empty Sword Orchid that Fei Ye Shui had given him back then seemed to have come from Daoist Yiqiu, the Blood Sword Sect leader who had just died in the battle.

"How can the relationships between these sects and Aristocratic Clan be so complicated? No wonder it is said that the current emperor, despite being Nascent Soul True Person and enjoying the bestowal of the world's wealth, still cannot live past 1,500 years old. It is because he is exhausted by these trivial matters."

After entering the Core-Embracing Terrace, Fei Tianqin seemed to have some worries on his mind, and his enthusiasm for conversation was much lower than before. Sect Leader Kang Da was still uneasy, so he didn't say much either.

The man and the bird remained silent for a while, and after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Fei Ye Shui finally arrived late.

Before Sect Leader Kang Da could even straighten his clothes and compose himself, this pillar of the Fei Household rushed towards the old bird in the head seat and said with a laugh, "Brother, the Phoenix Yang Cinnabar Fruit that the Original Buddha Sect invited before has finally ripened."

When Attendant Xiao spoke of it this morning, I didn't believe him. I only said that even those old bald men chanting scriptures in their temples would need five or six decades to grow, while this tree I brought here has only been planted for a short time."

"Oh, is that so?" Fei Tianqin's eyes showed a rare hint of joy, clearly indicating that he was very interested in the spiritual object that Fei Ye Shui had mentioned.

Fei Ye Shui's face was also full of joy. "Elder brother, you have had a long and arduous journey back from the Mountain South, and you happen to love pepper wine the most, so I will cook these cinnamon seeds to make a fine brew."

That would be best.

The two brothers got carried away and, without prior arrangement, completely ignored Kang Dabao, their son-in-law who had come to their door.

With a flick of his finger, Fei Ye Shui conjured a celadon Spirit Artifact into the air. With another flick of his finger, an indigo flame spontaneously appeared at the bottom of the celadon urn.

The flames at the bottom of the jar suddenly turned a deep blue, and the pure brew inside boiled over in no time.

Fei Ye Shui Hand Seals. He then poured a handful of the Phoenix Yang Cinnabar Fruit he had just mentioned into the urn. After the oil droplets inside slowly seeped out, he added several Third Tier spirit medicine.

After patiently simmering for about half an incense stick's time, the originally clear spirit wine in the celadon Spirit Artifact gradually turned amber in color.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, sitting to the side, dared not move, but the aroma of pepper wafting from him made his heart race. Even the old bird Fei Tianqin had a hint of eagerness in his eyes.

After the spirit wine in the jar had been boiled until it was completely clear of any impurities, Fei Ye Shui took out three jade cups. With a flick of his fingers, the pepper wine from the jar poured into the cups one by one.

Fei Tianqin didn't stand on ceremony and swallowed the scalding hot wine with Fei Ye Shui. However, after swallowing it, the old bird's expression changed.

Fei Ye Shui's reaction was a little slower, but her face also darkened.

Kang Dabao, unaware of the unusual situation, was at a loss when he heard Fei Ye Shui burst out laughing.

"Haha," Fei Tianqin laughed along with him, "The Complete Perfection Supreme Teaching Mnemonic of Quanzhen School states that the Phoenix Yang Cinnabar Fruit cook wine. The pepper is as fiery as fire, and the wine is as soft as water. It can be used to cook dragon and tiger."

This wine definitely doesn't taste right. Perhaps Attendant Xiao were flawed; the elixir hasn't fully matured. It lacks the invigorating aroma of pepper permeating the entire body, and can only slightly boost the cultivation of low-level cultivators."

Fei Ye Shui nodded, then smiled and said, "Brother is right. It is Attendant Xiao and I who were both fooled. We are truly ashamed of ourselves."

After the man and the bird finished laughing, they finally had time to turn around and look at Kang Dabao.

"Brother, pour me some wine. Why aren't you drinking? Are you afraid we two old folks will harm you?" Fei Tianqin said in a deliberately harsh tone. Sect Leader Kang Da naturally said he wouldn't dare. If he really wanted to deal with him, he wouldn't need to go to such lengths with just this man and this bird.

As soon as the scalding hot pepper wine entered his stomach, Sect Leader Kang Da felt completely refreshed. His already incredibly solid spiritual power increased even further, causing the Core Fire within his body to suddenly become busier, condensing each strand of spiritual power into an even more solid form.

"Thank you for the wine, Ancestor!"

Both the man and the bird showed surprise at the sight. In the end, Fei Ye Shui spoke first, patting Sect Leader Kang Da's shoulder affectionately and saying gently, "I thought I would see you sooner, but I didn't expect you to come only today."

"I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

"Hey, I didn't call you here to interrogate me." Fei Ye Shui showed no anger, waved his hand to help Kang Dabao, who was kneeling on the ground, to his feet, and then said:

"I have summoned you here for two reasons: first, to meet my Fei Household's son-in-law; and second, to see if you have the destiny to seize this opportunity."

"Fortune?!" Kang Dabao felt a surge of joy, but also a sense of unease.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Take this jar of pepper wine back with you. Some outstanding peers will be visiting later, and you'll need to make good friends with them then."

"Yes!"

Sect Leader Kang Da dared not say more and followed a straw puppet out of the cave abode.

Just then, the expressions of both the man and the bird changed. Fei Ye Shui hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself, while Fei Tianqin interjected, "Let's discuss everything after he Core Formation."