Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Three Sects Stand in Triumvirate

There are still half a month until the Yang family clan celebration, and the envoy from the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion to fetch Lu Zhenhua will likely not arrive until after the celebration.

To hitch a ride, Li Jizhou decided to wait patiently.

Not wanting to get too entangled with the Yang family, he mostly stayed within his quarters these days.

Being in such a stable Spirit Vein Dojo for the first time in this world, Li Jizhou did not want to waste the opportunity, so he immediately immersed himself in cultivation.

During this period, the Yang family’s Third Elder, Yang Yongxin, visited three times, initially to discuss talisman crafting, and eventually frankly inviting Li Jizhou to stay with the Yang family, offering him the position of a Talisman Master.

He only needed to provide a limited number of talismans that wouldn’t interfere with his duties as an Honored Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, and to conduct classes to nurture some junior talisman makers for the Yang family.

The remuneration was quite generous.

The first offer promised ten Spirit Stones a month, fifty pounds of Spirit Rice, and ten pounds of Spiritual Flesh, along with a stable Spirit Vein Dojo.

However, the dojo was only in the Yang family’s outer region, equivalent to the outer city of Inverted Mountain, with a Tier One Lower Grade spirit vein, standing out for its stable Spiritual Qi.

The second offer increased to fifteen Spirit Stones, with an option to choose any courtyard within the Yang family’s inner grounds, equivalent to a Tier One Middle Grade area, and they specially mentioned he could marry a Yang family woman without becoming a house-in-law.

The third time, they even mentioned a direct-line daughter of the Yang family could be an option! They vaguely hinted that if Li Jizhou devoted himself to teaching the art of talismans, there might even be a chance to earn a Middle Grade Breaking Rank Pill as a reward.

Nevertheless, Li Jizhou didn’t leave room for negotiation and flatly refused using the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion as a shield.

Thinking the Yang family had given up, to his surprise, the very person who recruited a son-in-law cultivator at Inverted Mountain eight years ago, Second Elder Yang Yuanzhen, came bearing significant gifts.

He expressed a lot of apology regarding the incident eight years ago.

Li Jizhou didn’t care at all about what happened eight years ago.

The journey of cultivation is long, with countless encounters and events; if one really quarreled over every little thing, wouldn’t it be a loss?

Moreover, living long in this world, maintaining a good mindset is crucial.

Even ordinary people who are petty and egotistical tend to lead a short and illness-ridden life.

The key to cultivation in this world is a calm and peaceful mind!

What grudges, what hatred? They are simply unnecessary!

A few days later, Wu Daniu came to visit with Yang Yutong.

Only then did Li Jizhou understand why Yang Yuanzhen acted that way on that day.

Who started it was unclear, but recently there have been murmurs within the Yang family at Qingshui River about the Second Elder’s muddled resentment.

It was also at this time that Li Jizhou understood why Yang Yutong specially came to see him before leaving Inverted Mountain and gave him Spirit Stones on behalf of Wu Daniu.

As it turned out, Wu Daniu, who seemed unassuming but was devious at heart, had already enthralled the then eight-year-old Yang Yutong when he first came to the Yang family.

The way he did it was through the culinary skills he honed since childhood at Inverted Mountain.

Deeply capturing the taste buds of Yang Yutong, the little foodie.

Recalling the scene when he first met Yang Yutong a year ago, Li Jizhou couldn’t help but marvel that girls with a fondness for food tend to develop well.

At the time, he always thought Yang Yutong was seventeen or eighteen.

Unexpectedly, Yang Yutong had just turned fifteen then!

This time, with Wu Daniu present, Yang Yutong was not as pretentious as when visiting Li Jizhou at Inverted Mountain, and soon revealed her true nature.

She was full of mischief and quickly became familiar with Li Jizhou, calling him “Brother Ji” affectionately, quite charmingly.

It was not until she asked a particular question that Li Jizhou shot a contemplative glance at Wu Daniu.

“When did I ever say such things? I haven’t even met the Yang family’s eldest daughter, how could there be rumors of disdain?”

Wu Daniu was stunned for a moment and then recounted, “It was Aunt Zhang who said so at the time; she said she told you the eldest daughter of the Yang family is as beautiful as a celestial maiden, no less than Lin Caiwei, yet you still…”

Li Jizhou was rendered speechless.

Once again, he marveled at the ever-changing winds of the cultivation world, finding himself inexplicably caught up in some baseless misunderstandings.

This further strengthened his resolve to remain aloof from worldly affairs!

Fortunately, during this time, the Yang family’s eldest daughter, Yang Yuyan, whom he had never met, has not appeared, sparing him a lot of unnecessary explanations.

Soon, the Yang family’s three-hundred-year clan celebration arrived.

Zhao Qian arrived just in time, giving plenty of face to Wu Daniu by bringing four of his Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation friends.

Unavoidably, Zhao Qian and Li Jizhou met.

Compared to the spirited youth who had just been accepted by the Golden Sun Sect eight years ago, Zhao Qian now appeared more composed, effectively restraining the aura of a young family head.

Perhaps due to experiencing internal conflicts within his clan and being sent back by the Golden Sun Sect, Zhao Qian seemed not only more mature but also more seasoned, handling people and matters with more finesse.

Upon first seeing Li Jizhou, he expressed genuine emotion at meeting an old friend once more.

He also very sincerely apologized to Li Jizhou, admitting that he had been somewhat young and reckless after being accepted into the Golden Sun Sect, and he had committed many offenses, requesting Li Jizhou’s forgiveness.

He immediately took out a specialty from the Zhao family of Twin Lakes, fifty pounds of Spirit Rice, from his storage bag.

After a bit of pushing back and forth, seeing Zhao Qian’s firm attitude, Li Jizhou humbly accepted.

Later, when Zhao Qian inquired about Li Jizhou’s recent circumstances and prepared to invite him to the Zhao family, they happened to encounter the Third Elder of the Yang family cordially inviting Li Jizhou to the high seat.

This left Zhao Qian stunned and speechless.

Finally, from speaking with the Yang family members, Zhao Qian learned about Li Jizhou’s current status, as if in a dream.

“Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, Honored Guest Elder, Middle Level Talisman Master!”

As he gazed at Li Jizhou’s perpetually calm figure, the smile that often adorned Zhao Qian’s face gradually froze, leaving him somewhat lost.

“Ah!” In the end, all the negative emotions turned into a helpless sigh, and he put on a smile again.

The three-hundred-year celebration of the Yang family was remarkably lively, with nearly three hundred guests coming to congratulate them.

More than thirty guests at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation were present.

Among them was Lu Zhenhua, the youngest shopkeeper from the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion.

Even the nearby joint markets, like the Spirit Pearl Mountain Market, specially sent a steward over, giving the Yang family plenty of face.

Even at the last moment, a friend of the Yang family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor arrived, also a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, directly pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

The grand feast lasted seven days and seven nights, filled with songs and dances, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves immensely.

The only slight regret was that not a single person from the largest sect in the eastern Qi Kingdom, the Golden Sun Sect, turned up.

Initially, besides Lin Caiwei who was on good terms with Wu Daniu, there were a few others within the clan who had connections with disciples of the Golden Sun Sect.

In the end, they all canceled for various reasons.

This forced the Yang family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor to reflect on whether the Yang family had inadvertently offended the Golden Sun Sect.

After much thought, the only potential reason seemed to be the conflict with the Qian family.

Eight hundred years ago, when the Thunder Flame Sect dominated the entire Qi Kingdom’s cultivation world, the Golden Sun Sect was on par with the Divine Intent Sect and Cold Wind Valley.

After the fall of the Thunder Flame Sect, the three sects rose to prominence, thriving within their respective regions. Nowadays, the Golden Sun Sect even vaguely appears to overshadow the other two sects.

Given time, it may yet restore the power the Thunder Flame Sect once wielded.

Once, the Thunder Flame Sect occupied the central region of the Qi Kingdom’s cultivation world,

the Golden Sun Sect held the eastern region,

the Divine Intent Sect dominated the northwest,

the Cold Wind Valley took root in the southwest,

and now, the central region has remained vacant for eight hundred years,

the three sects stand in a long-lasting tripartite division, and with the news of Daoist Venerable Mo Li’s fall circulating widely, and the loose cultivators within Inverted Mountain forming alliances, the situation is unstable.

If any sect could occupy the advantageous position of Inverted Mountain,

there might indeed be a chance to rally allies, call the shots, and dominate the Qi Kingdom’s cultivation world single-handedly!

In view of this, the Yang family’s ancestor soon issued a permanent ceasefire order with the Qian family!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep