Longevity: Starting From Getting Down The Mountain And Marrying A Wife

"Greetings, sir!"

"Greetings, sir!"

"Good morning, husband!"

"Husband!"

"Daddy~"

Zhong Yan walked towards the Ninth Courtyard, carrying his daughter Zhong Qining, and sat down in the main hall. A group of family members gathered one after another.

The hall was filled with joy and laughter, and the crowd was large.

Except for the third branch, everyone was present, and there were two unfamiliar faces.

Among the crowd were also the third branch of the Li family, which was Li Jingqiu's birth mother. The mother and daughter stood together, truly resembling a pair of sisters.

Zhong Yan whispered to Jiang Ping and kissed his daughter on the face, smiling indulgently, "Why didn't Ninger sleep a little longer? It's so early."

The little one pointed her small finger at Xia He, pouting and said, "It's all because of mother. The bed is so warm, Ninger was still dreaming. A big deer was carrying peach pastries for me..."

As she spoke, she even waved her short arms.

This caused a burst of laughter.

Xia He rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "Both the older brother and the younger brother are awake, and you dare to stay in bed. Aren't you ashamed? The plan for the day lies in the morning. If you don't study and learn, don't even think about eating peach pastries!"

"Daddy~" The little one looked aggrieved, and buried her head in Zhong Yan's arms, acting spoiled.

"Eat, eat, eat peach pastries every day!"

Zhong Yan laughed and felt emotional. He couldn't help but say that blood is thicker than water. Even though they haven't grown up yet, they are still very close.

"It's cold in the middle of winter. The child should sleep a little longer. It's fine."

"Yes, husband."

The little one immediately turned her head, stuck out her tongue, and made a funny face, making her birth mother, Xia He, laugh and speechless.

Before long, the maidservants brought the children into the hall, and they all rushed towards Zhong Yan, calling him "daddy".

After some teasing and inquiries, with innocent and childish language, the joy of family was truly delightful.

Not long after.

Three figures walked quickly into the hall.

Li Yang curtsied, "Uncle, Liuer greets you!"

Li Shangwu and Li Shangwen, the two brothers, knelt down and saluted, "Children pay respects to their adoptive father (uncle)!"

"No need for formalities!"

Everyone gathered together, and the sounds of joy and laughter continued.

When Jiang Ping led Yu Qing in, Zhong Yan handed his youngest son to the maidservant and signaled them to take the group of children downstairs.

"We are all family, let's sit down and have a meeting."

Yu Qingyao looked at the crowd with a strange expression. What kind of "family" am I to you? But after thinking about it, she was a guest of the Zhong family, so she seemed to count.

"Speak up, about the recent events."

Everyone looked at each other, and Jiang Ping looked at Dongcao and smiled, "Dongcao, you go first."

"Yes."

Dongcao stood up.

"Reporting to the husband, this year's total income is 21,962 taels and 5 qian and 2 li. Among them, Yuelai Restaurant..."

"There are still some miscellaneous accounts from the two restaurants that have not been settled, totaling approximately 1,830 taels. The rent from several villages in Hubei Village needs to be collected after the spring planting next year..."

"The total expenditure is more than 45,000 taels, with the majority used for the expenses of the martial arts hall and social interactions, including..."

"The accounts have been submitted to the eldest sister for review, with the help of several sisters-in-law from the Li family. Currently, the business in various places is thriving. Dongcao will continue to work hard and strive for profits next year."

Each item was explained in detail, without the need for a very detailed account book.

Zhong Yan nodded repeatedly as he listened, "Dongcao is good. From now on, you will be the official steward of the Zhong family. You will be in charge of all the money, goods, and resources. Find two sisters to help you, capable maidservants will also do!"

"Yes, thank you, Lord Zhong, for your trust!"

Then, Zhong Xiaozhong stepped forward and bowed, "Reporting to Master, there are a total of 113 disciples in the martial arts hall. As per your request, all of them are under the age of 20, with the youngest being nine years old. They have all reached the entry level, with the highest cultivation level being the peak of the Body Tempering stage..."

"The war between Wei Kingdom and Yan Kingdom, Chen Kingdom, Wu Kingdom, and Youye Kingdom has reached a stalemate. The five allied forces have been in peace talks for two months. According to the news from the Lord's Mansion, there will be another battle at the beginning of the year due to uneven distribution of benefits..."

"The Lord's Mansion has gathered a large number of refugees and is building three towns outside the west city as suburbs. The population is expected to exceed 1.5 million. If the population of the subordinate villages is included, the total population under its jurisdiction is close to four million. Qin Ben has already applied for the city to be listed as a major city..."

"A large number of martial artists and cultivators have flocked to the city. The highest cultivation level among the martial artists is Innate Completion, and there are nearly 200 cultivators. Many of them should be independent cultivators from Wei Kingdom. Among them, there are eight more in the late Qi Refining stage, and there are also some who have not registered as guest cultivators in the Lord's Mansion..."

"Yang Yanqing seems to have broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining. Six mid-stage Qi Refining guest cultivators have been added to the mansion..."

"Master Bai has broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. Two months ago, he made a move in the east district and killed a sixth level Qi Refining cultivator on the street. The reason was that the person accused you, Master, of seizing his brother's family, business, and wife..."

"There is accurate news from Yangquan Fang Market that an auction will be held in 'Wangliu Fang Market' in March next year, gathering cultivators from Qingyang, Wangyi, and Heishui cities..."

Zhong Yan listened quietly. The changes in Qingyang over the past year were indeed significant, with the key factor being the war in the neighboring Wei Kingdom.

As for being accused of seizing a friend's wife and children, he couldn't avoid it.

He had long expected it and didn't need to pay attention to it.

After Zhong Xiaozhong finished speaking and left, Yan Sandao looked at Zhong Yan and hesitated for a moment.

"Sandao, just say it."

"Husband, there were masses of refugees gathering on the small roads outside the city before. The Lord's Mansion and the Ten Thousand People Hall were too busy to handle them all. Acting on my own, I secretly selected a thousand people and settled them in Fuyang Town. They are all young people under the age of 30, mostly teenagers. I have confirmed that none of them have tested their spiritual roots. Husband, what do you think? Should we test them to see if we can find one or two with potential? If not, I can give them some money and send them away."

Zhong Yan's eyes lit up. Although the probability of finding someone among a thousand people was small, there was still some hope. "You did well. I will personally go there when I have time."

Jiang Ping waited for a while but didn't hear her husband speak again. She stood up and said, "Husband, as of yesterday, a total of 9,600 pounds of various monster meat, 870 pounds of monster blood, medicinal herbs, first-grade talismans, and a total of about 573 low-grade spirit stones were consumed this year."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingyao's beautiful eyes widened, and she gasped in shock, her delicate body trembling. Nearly 600 spirit stones were actually spent on daily expenses, cultivation, and gifts.

If Zhong Yan's own cultivation needs were added, how many would it take?!

And all of this was actually entrusted to an ordinary mortal wife to manage.

Jiang Ping continued, "The Lord's Mansion sent your salary as a attendant mage the other day, which was 15 low-grade spirit stones. They also included three bottles of Qi Condensation Pills, 18 pills in total, and medicinal herbs worth about three low-grade spirit stones..."

"The Yang family sent a total of about 20 low-grade spirit stones in pills and medicinal materials, and the Cheng family's Master Cheng sent two bottles of Qi Condensation Pills..."

"Husband, while you were in seclusion, the Lord's Mansion sent an invitation for you to attend a banquet. Master Bai, Master Liu, and 26 other immortals visited once. I declined their visits on the grounds of your seclusion..."

The three people from the Li family below listened in a daze, exchanging glances with each other.

When Li He was still alive, he personally handled all the finances and goods related to the Li family's cultivators, without going through anyone else's hands.

Although they had long known that the women of the Zhong family had an unusually high status, they didn't expect it to be this high.

At this moment, they even had the privilege of participating in such important information.

For a while, the three of them felt infinitely moved and touched, feeling a sense of trust and recognition.

Yu Qingyao's mood was also complicated. It had only been a few months since her husband went into seclusion, and there had been a constant stream of visitors to the house.

Unlike her family, who only had one friend visiting each year, and that friend was a mortal—Jiang Ping.

Unconsciously, Yu Qingyao looked towards the man sitting at the head. She saw his extraordinary face, bright star-like eyes, and his fingers tapping on the table as he listened to the reports, seemingly pondering something.

His serious expression was captivating.

It made people unable to resist reaching out and touching his angular face, to see if there were really stars hidden in his eyes.

Suddenly, their eyes met.

Yu Qingyao hurriedly lowered her head, her pretty face blushing, her heart pounding like a little deer, and she got up in a panic and ran away.

...