Banshee Family Training Record

Page 144

He said this, and quickly gained the approval of the other serpents: "Agreed. We need to concentrate our forces and crush one side in the shortest time to avoid being attacked from both sides. We are not familiar with the Jin army. If we rashly fight a decisive battle with all our strength, we may very well punch a cotton ball. Or worse, we may fall into their trap and be doomed."

Several large snakes nodded, but one of them spoke up: "But as things stand, the strength of the Zhao state is definitely much greater than that of the Jin state..."

The giant snake, who had just spoken, said, "It's just a matter of paying a higher price. Our family isn't poor now, and we still have plenty of Blood Pool Powder in reserve. With that, we can give the Zhao people a good beating in the coming months!"

The other large snakes nodded in agreement. However, at that moment, a giant yellow-scaled python in the Foundation Establishment stage suddenly rushed in, its pupils contracting and its body trembling: "Elders, something terrible has happened! There's a traitor in the clan! A thief has appeared!"

"The warehouse storing the blood pool powder was robbed. Based on the current inventory of losses, nearly half of the powder has been stolen!"

Immediately, the several golden-core serpents were utterly shocked, one of them glaring angrily: "Who has the ability to steal five thousand catties of blood pool powder in one go?!"

The snake demon said with a bitter face, "No, I don't know. We're conducting a thorough investigation right now, and the prime suspect is Zou Min, the green snake spirit who's still missing..."

"Investigate! We must investigate!" a giant golden-core snake roared. "Investigate to the death! We must find this thief!"

The other giant snake, though furious, also appeared worried: "Our reserves are running low. What should we do next?"

The numerous giant snakes all turned their heads to look at the elder in charge. The largest snake hesitated for a moment, then gritted its teeth and said, "Proceed according to the original plan, attack the Zhao people first!"

Enduring the potential for enormous battle losses, the Yellow Pythons began their operation, deploying their forces towards the Zhao state in preparation for a decisive battle of epic proportions.

Time slips away quietly, and while undercurrents surge, a rare period of calm often appears on the surface. Despite their tense state of mind, the Huai Shan family actually enjoyed a long period of peace.

On this day, in Zhu Yunqing's cave on Huai Mountain.

"That's it. Now, let's tie a spiritual energy knot here to combine all of these together... Alright, it's done."

In the cave filled with spider webs, Zhu Yunqing and Yun Chuan sat side by side on a large rock, stretching out their hands towards the huge spider cocoon in front of them, so that all four of their hands were placed on it, nurturing the magical treasure that was brewing inside.

The spider demon was teaching her how to create a magical artifact derived from the "Dragon Binding Rope," a spell that her original family was so proud of.

This process is extremely complex. Simply put, it involves first weaving a complete spider web capable of trapping an enemy of a certain level, then processing it to weaken it to the point where it can be contained within a palm-sized spider cocoon, and then suddenly becoming huge and strong when activated to trap the target.

Although its effects are temporary and this magical artifact is a one-time use item, its powerful functions mean that once someone obtains it, they can almost guarantee victory.

Previously, Zhu Yunqing had used this kind of magic weapon as his main means of making money, exchanging it for some low-grade spirit stones to meet his own and his family members' cultivation needs.

Frankly speaking, her magic weapon has a large market. Although the production process is very complicated and lengthy, the profit is not low.

If it weren't for her second sister's constant greed and demands, and the fact that most of the previous profits had been taken by her and You Wensi under various pretexts, Zhu Yunqing would be even wealthier now.

Previously, this spider demon had hoped that You Wensi would help her solve her problems, so she had agreed to all of the latter's requests. But now she was completely disappointed, and thus made up her mind to share everything with Yun Chu'an, and give You Wensi even less.

"Have you learned it? Why don't you try it yourself?"

She then used her spiritual power to destroy the magical artifact nurtured within the giant spider cocoon in front of her, restoring it to its original state. She turned to look at Yun Chu'an, her tone encouraging.

Yun Chu'an didn't say much, silently chanting incantations and controlling his spiritual power to penetrate the area, mimicking Zhu Yunqing's movements step by step.

His movements were quite clumsy, so Zhu Yunqing supervised him from the side. When she saw him make a mistake, she stroked his little hand and taught him step by step.

After another hour of working on it, the two of them finally completed the already formed magic weapon once again.

Then, the spider demon smiled with delight: "Congratulations, Chu'an, you've learned it and are ready to graduate."

The system notification sounded in Yun Chu'an's ear, reminding him that he had acquired this skill.

His eyes were bright, and he was extremely happy. He nodded vigorously and looked at Zhu Yunqing: "Yes, Fourth Sister, I'll do some research and see if I can also make a few matching machines so that we can make dozens or even hundreds of them a day, just like printing Vajra Talismans!"

Zhu Yunqing smiled gently, looking at him with tender eyes, but her tone was not in agreement: "I'm afraid you can't do that."

Yun Chu'an asked, puzzled, "Why?"

“There isn’t enough spider silk,” Zhu Yunqing said. “Even if you supply me with spiritual energy non-stop and let me use my spiritual organs to create spider silk, I still won’t be able to produce much in a day.”

"Besides, I can't do this all day long; I have to do other things too."

Yun Chu'an frowned slightly: "Is there anything that can be used as a substitute? For example, silk, or something else?"

Zhu Yunqing smiled and said, "The properties of silkworm silk and spider silk can be completely different. If we really want to find different materials, then the subsequent processes will probably have to be modified. The difficulty is no less than inventing a completely new magic weapon."

Yun Chu'an nodded, understanding the situation, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed: "Sigh, I thought I had a chance to make a lot of money."

Looking at his expression, Zhu Yunqing couldn't help but ask, "Chu'an, you have so many spirit stones on hand now, why are you in such a hurry to open a new production line? That should be enough for you."

Yun Chuan shook his head and gave a wry smile: "Yes, now the Mist Flower can produce independently. The princess comes to collect it every few days. Even if I do nothing, I can earn more than 10,000 a day on average."

"But those are all low-grade spirit stones." He sighed. "I'm already at the Foundation Establishment stage, so those things aren't really of much use to me."

For him now, low-grade spirit stones are fine for occasional emergencies to replenish his depleted spiritual energy, but they are of no help whatsoever when he is cultivating or preparing for a breakthrough in his cultivation realm.

Therefore, he wasn't really interested in it; all he could think about was how to make a fortune of mid-grade spirit stones.

Chapter 316 We didn't do what you think...

"You're not bad either," Zhu Yunqing said. "You have so much blood pool powder that you've seized. Selling some of it should be enough for you. Princess Jin can't possibly refuse it. Then, you'll get some mid-grade spirit stones, right?"

Because they had already given up on You Wensi, they decided to keep the Blood Pool Powder a secret and have Yun Chuan keep it without revealing a single word to anyone.

In matters concerning their families, they have begun to deliberately sever ties with the locust tree spirit.

Yun Chu'an shook his head and said, "That's a life-saving item, and we don't know how to produce it yet. I want to keep it for now and not sell it unless absolutely necessary."

"The family still needs a more stable industry... Sigh, Fourth Sister, how many low-grade spirit stones could you exchange for a mid-grade one?"

Zhu Yunqing rolled her eyes at him: "Dream on. Unless there really is a Foundation Establishment cultivator who urgently needs low-grade spirit stones for some very special reason, and you happen to run into him, then you might be able to exchange some for them."

"Otherwise, under normal circumstances, no Foundation Establishment cultivator would do such a thing. No matter how much you offer in exchange, it will be difficult to get it."

Seeing his hopes dashed, Yun Chu'an had no choice but to give up: "Alright, then I'll look into other methods. A genuine Vajra Talisman is, after all, a life-saving talisman that can defend against attacks from Foundation Establishment cultivators. I wonder if it can fetch a decent price."

He pondered the possible ways to make money, then fell into thought again. Seeing that he was still worried, Zhu Yunqing didn't say anything, but reached out and hugged him, gently patting his back, her eyes full of affection.

Although she told him not to rush, it was also out of concern that he wasn't in a good mood. Essentially, the reason Zhu Yunqing fell for him in the first place was because he always had such a strong desire to share the burden on her shoulders and support their family with his abilities.

This wish gave her a sense of security, like finding a safe haven and a place to rely on, and made her cherish his embrace even more.

She nestled against Yun Chu'an, closing her eyes slightly as if to drift off to sleep in this safe atmosphere.

However, at that very moment, Liu Mengshen's voice suddenly came from outside the cave: "Fourth Sister, may I come in now?"

Zhu Yunqing suddenly woke up, opened her eyes, shifted her position to create some distance between herself and him, her cheeks slightly flushed, and reached out to straighten her slightly disheveled clothes. Her eyes looked a little unnatural, but she still tried to appear calm and said to the outside, "I'm here, come in."

Outside, Liu Meng, dressed in a sky-blue nightgown and with long, flowing black hair reaching her waist, entered the cave. A distinct spiritual energy emanated from her. With ample resources and persistent cultivation, her cultivation had broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining; the ninth level and Foundation Establishment should not be far off.

Looking at the two people sitting on the rock and her fourth sister's awkward expression, the girl chuckled and revealed an expression that said, "I knew it": "I guessed right."

Zhu Yunqing immediately felt flustered and hurriedly said, "Meng Shen, you've misunderstood, we didn't..."

Liu Meng smiled as she looked at her fourth sister, her delicate face now appearing rather cunning: "Nothing, fourth sister?"

Zhu Yunqing pursed her lips: "I didn't do what you're thinking."

As she spoke, her cheeks grew increasingly flushed, and she lowered her head, not daring to look her younger sister in the eye. Her words lacked confidence. This demeanor only fueled Liu Mengshen's desire to tease her fourth sister. Her personality seemed to have been somewhat influenced by Hua Caiyan, and she suddenly felt playful: "What am I thinking? I don't know, fourth sister."

Seeing that Zhu Yunqing was struggling to cope, Yun Chuan quickly reached out, grabbed the girl's sleeve, pulled her to his side, and picked her up, placing her on his lap: "Fourth Sister is teaching me how to make the 'Dragon Binding Rope,' and she's afraid you'll misunderstand if you see it."

Liu Meng sat obediently on his lap, her soft body curled up in his arms. Hearing this, she blinked slightly and smiled, "What could I possibly misunderstand? Aren't you two in the same relationship?"

Her words made Zhu Yunqing even more embarrassed. Yun Chuan realized that the girl was deliberately trying to embarrass Zhu Yunqing, so he reached down and pinched her bottom hard, causing her to cry out in pain. She then started punching and hitting his chest.

Yun Chu'an held her close, not minding her hitting him: "Tell me, what brings you here?"

Liu Mengshen stopped playing around and snuggled into her arms: "I came to find you. I have some good news to tell you."

Yun Chu'an's expression shifted, and he wrapped his arms around her body: "What good news? You're pregnant?"

Zhu Yunqing, who had been feeling secretly embarrassed, suddenly looked up upon hearing this, her expression one of astonishment.

Hearing this, she couldn't help but wonder if Yun Chu'an actually really wanted a child.

Should we have a child with him?

As soon as she started thinking about it, her cheeks flushed again, and she began to have more worries.

Ahead, Liu Mengshen gently punched him and said in a sweet voice, "No way, I don't even know if I can get pregnant."

After saying that, she quietly revealed the answer: "I've pretty much figured out the ingredients of the Blood Pool Powder."

Yun Chu'an's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! How can we configure it?"

He couldn't help but be excited. If he could reverse engineer the formula for the Blood Pool Powder, he could study how to prepare it in the future, and then have the system set up a factory to mass-produce and sell it to the Jin royal family.

In that case, he would have no shortage of mid-grade spirit stones in the future.

He was excited, but Liu Mengshen immediately poured cold water on his excitement: "Don't be so happy yet. We can use ginseng or lingzhi to replace the ingredients and achieve similar effects. There is only one ingredient that I know, but we can't get much of it right now."

Yun Chu'an's eyes were hopeful; he didn't think the problem was insurmountable: "What?"

“A saffron gourd,” Liu Mengshen said.

Saffron gourd?

Yun Chu'an frowned slightly. He had not studied pharmacology and had only been cultivating for a short time, so he did not know what this was.

Behind her, Zhu Yunqing looked up, her eyes wide with surprise: "Saffron gourd? Isn't that a kind of poison?"

Yun Chuan looked at her, feeling a bit out of place. Then, Liu Mengshen said, "Every medicine has some toxicity. And even if it's poison, if properly prepared, it can become a life-saving medicine, and vice versa."

She spoke casually, then turned to look at Yun Chu'an: "In short, this one ingredient is extremely precious, and there's currently no way to obtain it, so..."

She stretched out her finger and drew a circle on his chest: "Your plan to mass-produce this powder is probably going to fall through."

Yun Chu'an looked troubled. He scratched the back of his head and muttered, "Then, Fourth Sister, do you know where I can buy this kind of medicinal herb?"

Zhu Yunqing frowned slightly and thought carefully for a while: "The Nalan family refines pills, so they may have such medicinal materials in reserve, but it is unclear whether they are willing to sell them."

"As for the nearest option, there's only Weihu Market, which isn't really reliable right now. And if we consider things further away..."

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said, "The State of Zhao might have one."

The State of Zhao?

Yun Chu'an's expression shifted: "But, well, we have to cross the mountain to the vassal states on the other side?"

Zhu Yunqing nodded slightly: "Yes, at least compared to our poor and remote place, there are large cities adjacent to the Yellow River, which are more developed and prosperous, with more cultivators. We should be able to find the Crimson Gourd there."

Chapter 317 Why would I be jealous of you guys!

"Shall we take some time to go over there and have a look?"

Yun Chu'an's heart pounded. He could be considered the royal merchant appointed by the princess of Jin. If he really went to Zhao... would she misunderstand him as a traitor?

If I take the initiative to tell her, will she allow it?

Hmm... never mind, it's better to have some autonomy.

He weighed the options in his mind, and finally nodded slightly: "Alright, let's make time to go to the State of Zhao."

Zhu Yunqing nodded, then his gaze fell on Liu Mengshen. He saw that the girl was still sitting in Yun Chuan'an's arms, her little bottom on his lap, her two fair arms wrapped around his neck, looking so intimate.

For a moment, a pang of jealousy rose in her heart: "Meng Shen, you are the older sister, yet you let Chu An hug and hold you like this, what kind of behavior is this?"

"Get down quickly. Stand properly and sit properly."

She spoke with reason and evidence, but Liu Mengshen was not swayed by it at all.

The girl blinked. She had heard a similar tone from Hua Caiyan before, and immediately a mischievous smile appeared on her lips: "Fourth Sister, you wouldn't be jealous because Chu'an is holding me, would you?"

Zhu Yunqing's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly denied it, saying, "No way, why would I be jealous? I have so many things on my mind, how could I be in the mood to compete with you girls for my affections..."

She said this, but her tone was so weak that it had no persuasive power whatsoever, which made Liu Mengshen giggle, and the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere for a moment.

Yun Chu'an also looked at her fourth sister and chuckled inwardly. Zhu Yunqing was undoubtedly the family's head steward, whose word was law. Even though her cultivation was not the highest, everyone respected and feared her, and even her eldest sister had to give her some leeway.

But now, ever since she got together with her, not only Hua Caiyan, but even Liu Mengshen dares to tease her, and she always manages to make the spider demon crumble with just a few words.

He was happy to watch the two girls tease and bicker with each other, and he didn't try to stop them. He held Liu Meng's soft body and cuddled with her for a while before finally putting her down, getting up, and preparing to go out.

Every month, I have to deliver the goods to the princess, and today is the agreed-upon day again.

Without asking anyone to accompany him, he set off alone, using his "shrinking the earth to an inch" technique to reach the outside of the mountains.

He waited for a while under a huge willow tree, and soon, the elegantly dressed Sheng Linglong appeared before him. However, she did not come alone today; behind her, Prime Minister Ge, dressed in black and hunched over, also appeared before him.

Yun Chu'an glanced at the old man. He hadn't appeared the previous few times, but he suddenly showed up today. Yun Chu'an guessed that the old man must have something to ask him.

He was wary inside, but his face remained impassive as he performed a show of propriety and respect. He knelt on one knee before Sheng Linglong and said, "This humble subject, Yun Chuan, greets Your Highness."

Sheng Linglong was already somewhat disgusted by these formalities. Subconsciously, she considered herself and Yun Chu'an to be friends, but now she had to put on this show of respect: "Rise, my dear Yun."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Yun Chu'an stood up, then took out a storage bag containing three hundred high-grade Vajra Talismans, all of which could deflect a full-force attack from a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator. "Your Highness, this is this month's quota."

Sheng Linglong nodded slightly and took the storage bag. Then, Yun Chuan said, "Your Highness, I have been working hard on research recently. Perhaps in the future, a true Vajra Talisman that can withstand a full-force attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator will be able to be mass-produced. I wonder if this will be useful to our Great Jin?"