Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 26: The Hidden Cultivation Family Behind the Scenes

Changning Riverbank.

Dozens of painted pleasure boats were moored here, creating a picturesque scene and enjoying rare tranquility. The girls rested during the day, and these boats began their maintenance.

One of the painted pleasure boats.

Two people were drinking in the room, admiring the scenery of the Changning Riverbank through the window.

"Who would have thought that after committing a major crime, not only did we not escape, but we also dared to stay in the city to drink and have fun. Lao Zhang, this trick of hiding in plain sight is truly brilliant."

"Speaking of which, if it weren't for the thin spiritual energy in this mundane world, I would really want to stay here forever. The scenery here is beautiful, the women are beautiful, and the wine is also good."

The speaker was a burly man with a beard, pouring wine into his mouth with a jug, displaying a rough and bold drinking posture.

"Being here, I finally understand what it feels like to be a big shot. Every time I see those awe-filled eyes, I feel like I haven't come here in vain."

"Although the worldly glory is good, how can it compare to longevity and eternal life? If it weren't for the clan providing us with Nourishing Spirit Pills to nourish our Dantian, we might not even be willing to use a single spiritual technique. You still want to be a big shot, it's already good enough not to be treated like a pig and slaughtered."

A young man dressed as a scholar, with a handsome appearance, played with his wine cup and suddenly spoke with a meaningful tone.

"I remember there is a martial arts organization in the Kingdom of Yue called the Immortal Execution Alliance, specializing in hunting down cultivators like us. Many wandering cultivators who entered the Kingdom of Yue were targeted and killed because they were too high-profile. Our actions this time have probably attracted their attention."

The bearded man poured himself two more mouthfuls of wine and disdainfully said, "Those wandering cultivators are useless. They were actually killed by a group of ants. Even if their cultivation is weak, can't they even escape?"

The scholar smiled playfully and said, "Ants can kill an elephant. In the world of cultivation, there have been countless examples of cultivators being killed by mortals due to a momentary carelessness. Only by reaching the Foundation Building stage can one truly transcend the mundane and not care about mortal means."

"Foundation Building... Unfortunately, Foundation Building is too difficult."

The bearded man remembered the glory of Foundation Building, his throat moved, and his eyes were filled with longing.

"I'm thirty-two this year, but I'm only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. I don't even know when I will be able to break through to the later stage of Qi Refining, let alone Foundation Building."

"After completing this mission and receiving the rewards from the clan, we will have a chance to break through to the later stage of Qi Refining. As long as we break through to the later stage of Qi Refining, we will have a chance to become Foundation Building cultivators."

The scholar encouraged the bearded man and himself.

The bearded man cheered up and said, "That's right, the rewards from the clan this time are generous. We may indeed have a chance. But Lao Zhang, you have a wide network of contacts, and you have a relationship with the steward. Do you know why the clan sent us to rebel in the Kingdom of Yue this time? If I remember correctly, the Kingdom of Yue is the territory of the Jiang family, and the patriarch of the Jiang family is a peak Foundation Building cultivator, only one step away from becoming a Gold Core cultivator. Once they discover that we are behind the scenes causing trouble, our Lin family will not be a match for the Jiang family."

Territory in the mundane world is not something that anyone can occupy at will. After all, even if mosquitoes are few, they are still meat. They have long been occupied by powerful cultivation families in the surrounding area as their own reserves.

For example, the Kingdom of Yue is the ancestral land of the Jiang family in Shangyang City.

It is rumored that the first generation patriarch of the Jiang family was a native of the Kingdom of Yue. He entered the cultivation world from the mundane world and eventually became a second-level Body Refining cultivator through martial arts. With a pair of iron fists, he established a great family business, which has continued for hundreds of years.

Although the Lin family is not weak, their patriarch is only a late stage Foundation Building cultivator, slightly weaker than the Jiang family.

If they are really caught by the Jiang family, all the cultivators involved in the mission will become scapegoats.

The scholar sneered, "If it weren't for such hidden dangers, do you think these rewarding missions would fall to us outsiders? If it were just showing off in front of mortals and killing a few people to complete the mission, those Lin family members with the same surname would have taken them all."

The bearded man's face darkened, and he said sourly, "That's right, they were lucky to have a good background."

"It's their ability to choose a good background, but we are not really here to be scapegoats. After all, the one in charge of the affairs in the Kingdom of Yue this time is the Second Young Master. He is the future Gold Core seed of the Lin family and has boundless prospects. Unless it is absolutely necessary, the family will not abandon him. If it weren't for knowing that the Second Young Master is also here, I would never have gotten involved in this mission."

The scholar touched his small mustache at the corner of his mouth, curling it up with pride, obviously pleased with knowing such secrets.

The big man scratched his head in embarrassment, "One moment you say it's very dangerous, and the next moment you say the Second Young Master is also there. What's the deal with this mission?"

The scholar tapped the table, and the big man immediately understood, pouring him a glass of wine.

"Alright, now you're the boss, boss drinks up."

"Hahaha..."

The scholar proudly took a sip and said, "This matter is even more secretive than the Second Young Master. I'm telling you because we will be companions in the future and we need to support each other. You must not easily reveal it to a third person."

The big man hesitated, "Shouldn't we tell Lin Wenjun?"

Upon hearing this name, the scholar shook his head and said, "This person seems humble in front of us, but he is actually arrogant and reckless. He acts too ostentatiously and will eventually get into trouble. On this journey, how many innocent women do you think he has defiled? He specifically targets the young ladies of local wealthy families. Things that could be solved with money, he insists on doing it the hard way. We won't be traveling together for long."

The big man nodded in agreement, "I heard that he used to be a poor man in the slums, hurt by a rich girl's love, and later developed a grudge. When he was in Guangnan County before, he tortured the county magistrate's wife to death."

The scholar shook his head disdainfully, "Clearly, it was he who offered a girl to seek fame and fortune, in order to enter the Lin family for cultivation, but because of this, he became paranoid and insane. Only when he came to the mortal world did he dare to reveal his true nature, only bullying the weak. Ha, he's just a pitiful creature."

The big man finally understood the hidden situation and felt even more contempt for his companion.

"Speaking of which, why hasn't he come back yet after going to the Wang Mansion to gather information and contact spies? Could it be that he has set his sights on another girl? If he dares to ruin our plans, I'll twist his head off!"

The big man's face turned fierce, then he waved his hand in frustration, "Forget it, let's not talk about him. Lao Zhang, you haven't said what's going on yet?"

The scholar asked, "Since you said that the Patriarch of the Jiang family is extraordinary and almost a Gold Core cultivator, do you know how long it has been since the Patriarch of the Jiang family appeared in public? It's been ten years."

"Come to think of it, I haven't heard any news about the Patriarch of the Jiang family in recent years." The big man was shocked, "Could it be that the Patriarch of the Jiang family has already passed away?"

But soon he shook his head and denied it, "I remember when I was eight years old, it happened to be the Patriarch of the Jiang family's hundredth birthday, and I went to see the excitement with the adults. It's only been more than twenty years since then, how could his life span be nearing its end?"

The scholar sneered, "Things change unpredictably. How do you know that the Patriarch of the Jiang family hasn't encountered a calamity? Moreover, it is precisely because the clan cannot confirm the news of the Patriarch of the Jiang family that we, this group of people, have come here."

"Yue Country is the ancestral land of the Jiang family, and its status is not to be underestimated. Once there is a problem here, the Jiang family will definitely react. If we really discover any flaws and reveal our fatigue, then the Shangyang City will be surnamed Lin."

"And with our Second Young Master having Yue Country as a source of cultivation resources, coupled with the assistance of the Lin family, there may be a real chance to remove the words 'Gold Core' from behind his name. By then, we, the old ministers who follow the Second Young Master, will naturally rise with the tide and may even be bestowed with a Foundation Building Pill."

The big man's eyes were dazzled by the prospects described by the scholar.

Before, he was just bragging while drinking, but now he truly saw a glimmer of hope.

He quickly expressed his stance, "Lao Zhang, no, Brother Zhang! I'm not good with words or thoughts, but from now on, I'll follow you. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"

The scholar smiled, "Lao Yu, you're exaggerating. From now on, you and I will support each other and progress together."

Just as the two were getting closer, about to burn yellow paper and perform the ceremony, a figure stumbled in.

"Help me detoxify, I've been poisoned!"

The person who came in was the young man in the red robe who almost took away the princess from the royal mansion. At this moment, his face was grayish-black, his aura was weak, and the green talisman stuck to his chest turned into flying ashes in an instant.

(End of this chapter)