Chapter 466: Chapter 219: City Walls Beneath the River_6

The son, Shen Xiuyun, possesses a Fire Attribute Spirit Root. Not only is his cultivation aptitude remarkable, but he also has a deep interest in artifact refining since childhood.

As the daughter of the chief of the Hundred Refinements Valley, Xiao Hongxiao also hopes to nurture his talent in the Artifact Refining Dao. Unfortunately, the Hundred Refinements Valley only mastered the foundational part of the ancient refining skill, unable to produce genuine magical artifacts.

For the past two years, she could only teach Shen Xiuyun the most basic hammering techniques.

“Yun’Er, stop now.”

Seeing that the piece of metal in front of him had already been hammered down to a third of its size, Xiao Hongxiao finally spoke.

The little fellow landed the last strike, then placed the forging hammer to the side, excitedly coming before Shen Chonghong.

“Ah Die.”

Gently patting his son’s head, Shen Chonghong nodded slightly and said, “You haven’t been slacking off in your cultivation while father was away, have you?”

Shen Xiuyun shook his head slightly, then glanced at Xiao Hongxiao and said, “Mother is much stricter than you.”

“Isn’t mother doing that for your own good?” Xiao Hongxiao glared at him.

“Hehe, alright, go wash up first, it’s time to eat.”

As night fell, the family of three sat around together.

Xiao Hongxiao watched her son, who was intently eating spirit rice, somewhat absent-mindedly.

Noticing his wife’s expression, Shen Chonghong cast an inquisitive look.

Xiao Hongxiao smiled and shook her head, then lowered her head to eat.

In the still of the night, after a moment of intimacy on the bed, Xiao Hongxiao nestled tightly in Shen Chonghong’s arms. After a long contemplation, she spoke softly, “Husband, regarding Yun’Er’s artifact refining, I have nothing more to teach him.”

What the Hundred Refinements Valley had mastered, she had imparted all without reservation to Shen Xiuyun.

Believing her son has a talent for the Artifact Refining Dao and genuinely loves it, she felt very upset.

Shen Chonghong gently stroked his wife’s fragrant shoulder, his expression somber, unsure what to say.

The Shen Family’s heritage in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation is still too limited.

To continue fostering their son’s development in this area, they must find another path.

“Husband, I have an idea, but…”

“Speak it out first,”

Shen Chonghong said.

Between husband and wife, any idea can be shared first, then discussed.

Xiao Hongxiao shifted slightly, hesitating as she said, “Luoxia Mountain holds part of the Artifact Refining inheritance, Third Aunt…”

Shen Chonghong shook his head slightly.

“The relationship between the Shen family and Luoxia Mountain is very cordial, but crossing the line is unacceptable.”

Artifact refining is the core inheritance of Luoxia Mountain. All these years, the Shen family has sought to gather the foundations of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation but never asked Wei Qiuling.

This is a matter of principle.

“Don’t be so quick to refuse, husband, listen to what I have to say,”

Xiao Hongxiao pinched his arm in displeasure and said, “I know this very well and won’t make things difficult for Third Aunt.”

“If Yun’Er were to apprentice at Luoxia Mountain, wouldn’t that perfectly resolve this issue?”

Apprentice at Luoxia Mountain?

Shen Chonghong was momentarily stunned, then looked at his wife in his arms with a strange expression, saying, “Your idea is quite crafty.”

“However… the other people at Luoxia Mountain aren’t foolish; they would clearly deduce this.”

“This move might lead some at Luoxia Mountain to think the Shen family is overly calculating, causing a rift between the two families.”

Xiao Hongxiao’s face showed a hint of unwillingness, then she said, “I think we can speak plainly with Luoxia Mountain. This is purely to give Yun’Er the opportunity to cultivate the Artifact Refining Technique, achieving success in the Artifact Refining Dao.”

“Moreover, Yun’Er can take a True Spirit Oath like the other disciples at Luoxia Mountain, never to pass on what he learns to anyone in the Shen Family.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Chonghong was deeply conflicted.

He knew his son had good talent in the Artifact Refining Dao and hoped the Shen family would have an Artifact Refiner.

But doing so seemed somewhat cunning and calculating, making it hard for him to make a decision.

“Let’s sleep first, tomorrow morning I’ll take Xiuyun to see Big Brother, hear what he says.”

After much consideration, Shen Chonghong still couldn’t make up his mind.

“Can’t you take Xiuyun directly to see our father? Big Brother, he…”

Before Xiao Hongxiao could finish, she sensed a change in her husband’s demeanor and immediately dared not continue.

“Big Brother is now the head of the Shen family; don’t have such thoughts in the future.”

Shen Chonghong said sternly.

Xiao Hongxiao realized her concern had made her speak wrongly, so she dared not say another word.

The next morning, father and son left the small courtyard and went to Shen Chongming’s residence.

After exchanging pleasantries, Shen Chonghong directly expressed his inner thoughts.

“This matter is somewhat difficult to handle.”

“But… it’s not impossible to try.”

“Elder Jiang is now in Yunzhong County City. I’ll take Xiuyun to see him in person later.”

“If successful, the Shen family won’t have to ask others to help refine magical artifacts from our future spirit ores and demon beast materials.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Chonghong quickly cupped his hands, “Thank you, Big Brother.”

Shen Xiuyun happily bowed, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Shen Chongming smiled, patted his head, and said, “Kid, Uncle tells you, if you are apprenticed at Luoxia Mountain, you must cultivate diligently.”

“Although the refining techniques you learn there can’t be passed on to the Shen family, creating new techniques would be a fortune for our family.”

“Do you understand?”

Shen Xiuyun contemplated for a long time and nodded solemnly, “I understand, Uncle, please rest assured.”

“Hehe…” Shen Chongming laughed, stood up, and then said, “Alright, there’s nothing much at home right now, I’ll take Xiuyun there immediately.”

“Do tell our father later.”

Shen Chonghong repeatedly cupped his hands as he watched the two leave the Shen family.

…

Deep within the Hidden Dragon Mountain.

Within the secluded valley, ancient trees stood tall, exotic flowers were fragrant, with spirit fruits and spirit medicine scattered throughout the forest.

A massive waterfall cascaded down the cliff face at the other end of the valley, the water roared, and mist filled the air.

At the mouth of the valley at Huishui Bay, a simple hut stood amid the ancient tree forest.

Inside the hut, an old man dressed in a gray-white robe, with white hair and beard, sat cross-legged on a mat, his brows furrowed.

This elder was Fu Yang, who once helped Yunshui City lay the Ren Water Concealing Spirit Array.

When the Wushi Puppet of Fushan Country forcibly attacked the Void Combination Corridor Array with the Imperial Extreme Tripod, Fu Yang relied on his understanding of the array to obstruct the three for a period.

Ultimately, realizing the situation was irreversible, he hurriedly withdrew from the grand array’s celestial curtain and, after much wandering, hid deep within Hidden Dragon Mountain.

The waterfall in this valley is one of the main sources of the Laishui River. Fu Yang had been residing in the mountains for several years, through understanding the forces of heaven and earth, he astonishingly discovered that some change seemed to be happening in the Yangnao Land.

Among these changes, the most notable was the Laishui River stretching between Yangnao Land and the Southern Border.

Thus, he traced its course upstream to one of the river’s sources, wanting to see what secrets this land truly held.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep