Banshee Family Training Record

Page 361

"Well, it's getting late, would you like to stay and have dinner with us?"

Wenren Jing knew this was a dismissal, so he quickly stood up and said, "No need, Senior Zhu, I have important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now, haha."

The Zhu family patriarch tried to persuade him to stay, but seeing that he couldn't, he personally saw him off. After seeing Wenren Jing off, he returned home and saw that all the Golden Core cultivators looked resentful.

"This is submission, kneeling down like a dog!" a younger member of the clan roared. "Look at Wenren Jing's servile manner. Ah, he has clearly lost all dignity and considers being a dog for the Yun family an honor!"

The Zhu family glared at him coldly and growled, "Shut up! Zhu Guangmei, listen to what you're saying! What do you mean by 'becoming a dog'?"

“Our Zhu family has also bought other people’s properties and sold mineral resources that others didn’t want and considered a burden. So, isn’t this a normal business transaction?”

"Has our family never purchased ore from other families and then outsourced it to another company to forge the magical artifacts they wanted? According to you, our family has been working as dogs for other families for generations?"

He unleashed a torrent of abuse, silencing the ringleader. The Zhu family patriarch then glanced at the other Golden Core stage elders, knowing they shared similar sentiments, but that without change, there was no way to reverse the family's decline.

Fortunately, the head of the Zhu family, who led the family to become the wealthiest and most prestigious family in the former Youqiong Kingdom, also possessed some skill.

Chapter 718 The Capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty

"In the end," he said, "it's all because of the younger generation of the family. They all grew up lying on mountains of gold and silver, lazy and good-for-nothing, so they can only do simple things. They can't do anything even slightly complicated like smelting, carving, setting up arrays, or drawing talismans!"

"If things continue like this, even without Yun Chu'an, each of them will be eliminated in the competition!"

His definition was entirely true, and his words left everyone speechless.

Finally, he concluded, "It's time to get rid of some heavy burdens. Those low-yield mines, forests, medicinal herb fields, and fish farms are all a mess. Why keep them?"

“Let’s do the math and come up with a plan. Yun Chu’an wants it, right? Let’s sell it to him for a pittance. If he’s willing to clean up this mess, let him. From now on, we’ll only do high-quality work.”

He said this in a few words, casually and nonchalantly, that he would pack up and give away many of his family's major assets, making the Yun family the owners of these assets, while his entire family would gradually transform into working for the Yun family.

"Does everyone have objections?"

He asked one last question, but none of the elders answered. Seeing this, the Zhu family patriarch sneered inwardly, cursing them all as cunning old foxes who dared not speak their minds, sending the younger generation to take the lead while they hid in the background. "Where is Lin? Is Lin here...?"

"Alright, since no one has any objections," he concluded. "Then I will go to the palace today to personally meet with Yun Chu'an and discuss these matters with him."

"The meeting is dismissed!"

After saying this, he didn't delay, got up and went out, demonstrating his decisive and efficient nature. The elders of the Zhu family, each with their own thoughts, whispered amongst themselves, discussing which assets to transfer to Yun Chu'an to minimize the impact on the family.

But less than a quarter of an hour later, they saw that their patriarch had returned home, and his expression was rather unpleasant.

Immediately, everyone felt uneasy and rushed forward, asking hurriedly, "What's wrong, Patriarch? Does Yun Chu'an refuse to accept our sincerity?"

The Zhu family patriarch looked grim and shook his head upon hearing this: "No, he is not in Caozhou right now."

"He went to Luoyi with the princess to meet the Zhou emperor."

A chill ran through everyone, and they immediately realized that these days of continuous losses would likely continue for some time.

……

Yun Chu'an has already left.

Time flies, especially for high-level cultivators. In the blink of an eye, the appointed day arrived. Yun Chu'an and Sheng Linglong led their delegation on their journey, and after flying high in the sky for a full hour, they arrived at Luoyi, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When he was still more than a thousand miles away from the city, the massive spirit-gathering array that was rumbling and operating above the great city deeply shocked him.

The enormous vortex was tens of thousands of meters above the ground, with a diameter of a hundred miles. In the center of the vortex, golden lightning faintly appeared, and with each strike of lightning, many spirit stones would condense within it, then be drawn to the center of the vortex and collected.

That place is the core of the entire Central Plains, the source of most of the high-grade spirit stones in the Central Plains, and something that the King of Qin desperately wanted to obtain due to his wolfish ambitions.

Yun Chu'an and his group landed in front of the city wall. According to etiquette, Sheng Linglong presented the documents. The guards in front of the city wall let them pass, and the group proceeded along the wide avenue of the royal city.

On the way forward, Yun Chuan couldn't help but look around at the magnificent and prosperous royal city, with its carved buildings and painted beams, a truly spectacular sight.

The road was bustling with cultivators. In this capital city, where the rules of etiquette and law were the strictest, even Golden Core cultivators could not fly freely and could only walk obediently on the ground.

Because many cultivators in the Great Zhou royal family are not yet at the Golden Core stage, or even the Foundation Establishment stage, if rogue cultivators fly in the sky, it would be equivalent to riding on the heads of royal family members, which would be considered a transgression of etiquette and a violation of the rules.

Elsewhere, due to the aging of the emperor and the decline of the Zhou dynasty, people may no longer place as much importance on etiquette and law. But here, under the emperor's nose, the Zhou emperor can monitor the entire city at any time with his divine sense. Anyone who dares to disobey the Zhou etiquette here will face the most severe punishment.

The group proceeded along the main road and arrived at the front of the Great Zhou Palace. There, they were led by attendants dressed in red official robes and settled into special guest rooms in a side hall.

Of course, while it's called a guest room, it's actually a grand courtyard filled with ancient trees and rich in spiritual energy, exuding a classical charm. Just by taking a breath here, one can sense just how wealthy and prestigious the Great Zhou Dynasty truly is.

They rested there that night. The next day, Sheng Linglong went to the palace to represent the Jin Kingdom and report to the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty on the relevant matters and to formulate subsequent plans.

Yun Chu'an was not idle either. This time, the delegation that came to Luoyi was not only from the Jin state. Delegations from the Yan, Qi, Chu and other states also arrived.

When the dukes with titles personally report to the emperor in the imperial court, these attendants, who have no titles but truly possess power, can also have a good exchange.

This is Yun Chu'an's current task.

Coincidentally, behind his residence was a huge martial arts arena, where nobles and special envoys from various countries could meet and make friends through martial arts in their spare time.

The next morning, when Sheng Linglong went to the palace of the Great Zhou Emperor to attend a meeting, Yun Chuan and a group of servants arrived here.

Coincidentally, he also met with delegations from other countries.

Behind him, Sima Lixin followed closely, never leaving his side. By now, he had completely placed himself in the position of "Yun Chu'an's follower," completely convinced of his worth and harboring no more resentment.

He was now quite certain that as long as he continued to follow in his footsteps, the State of Jin would eventually reach a new peak.

At this moment, the sun was shining brightly on the training ground, and several people from other delegations were also there, chatting in twos and threes.

As soon as Yun Chu'an arrived, several people recognized him and waved to greet him, saying, "Fellow Daoist Yun, it's been a long time!"

He turned his head and looked over, and saw that the person waving and greeting him was a tall, thin, and capable middle-aged man with shining eyes, gorgeous clothes, and a face full of smiles.

After thinking it over carefully, Yun Chuan remembered that the other party was a cultivator from a prominent family in the State of Wei who had done business with him when they fought against Qin on the front lines in the State of Zhao.

The two weren't particularly close, but they had at least done business together, and the other had made a small fortune with him, so they still greeted each other with a smile.

Yun Chu'an nodded in response, smiling and nodding: "Long time no see!"

Before the Wei official could say anything more, a male voice suddenly came from the side: "You are Yun Chu'an?"

He turned his head and saw a young male cultivator wearing yellow scale armor, with two small blue flags stuck on his shoulders and a long sword at his waist, staring at him with high fighting spirit.

Yun Chu'an nodded: "It is I. May I ask who you are?"

The man, with his neck stiff, replied, "Qi State, Jiang Ren."

The surname is Jiang?

That seems to be the surname of the Qi royal family as well?

Is this person a member of the royal family of the State of Qi?

Yun Chu'an was unsure and felt a little guilty. In fact, before coming here, Sheng Linglong had been urging him to do more research, to study the members of royal families of various countries, and at the very least, to study the key figures, especially the outstanding talents of recent years.

Although Yun Chu'an verbally agreed, he hadn't really taken it to heart. Now, facing the other party, he couldn't figure out their identity.

Before he could even offer a perfunctory "I've heard so much about you," another exceptionally loud male voice rang out from the side: "I've long heard of Fellow Daoist Yun's illustrious name, and I've been itching to spar with you. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yun would be interested in exchanging a few blows with me?"

Yun Chu'an's expression shifted, and he turned his head again, only to see a young man with a square face, long black hair, wearing bright silver armor, and carrying two battle axes on his back, staring at him with wide eyes.

Yun Chu'an asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

The man carrying two battle axes said, "Xiang Guang."

Chapter 719 The sons and grandsons of Xiang Yu, the King of Chu?

Is the surname Xiang a member of the royal family of Chu?

Could this person be one of the sons or grandsons of the "King of Chu"?

He was unsure, then his expression shifted, and he looked up at the distance, where he saw another young man in a black Taoist robe with yellow inscriptions, holding a whisk in his left hand and his right hand hidden under his sleeve, also looking in this direction with an enthusiastic gaze.

It seems he's also eager to see his own abilities.

Upon realizing this, Yun Chu'an understood. And after understanding, he couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

These guys, probably after hearing about his amazing performance on the Qin and Zhao battlefields, were all dissatisfied and wanted to challenge him, hoping to climb over his reputation to make their own.

Sigh, they're all so calculating.

Yun Chu'an had no interest in this kind of competition, and observing the spiritual energy fluctuations of the others, although they were all at the late Golden Core stage, they posed no threat to him.

To put it bluntly, even if the three of them attacked together, Yun Chu'an could take them down one by one without a scratch, thanks to the convenience brought by "Raging Storm Step".

Therefore, he truly had no interest in it whatsoever.

Therefore, he had no intention of fighting them.

He tilted his head slightly back, glancing at Sima Lixin out of the corner of his eye. The latter understood, immediately stepped forward, drew his double whips, and said, "Lord Yun has important matters to attend to and is not in a position to engage in a duel easily. Since you two wish to try, why not have a match with me first?"

Jiang Ren's expression changed as he looked at Sima Lixin, his face filled with undisguised contempt: "Who are you?"

Sima Lixin said in a deep voice, "I am Sima Lixin, a cultivator from the Sima family of the Jin state. Further words are useless; who dares to be the first to confront me?"

He deliberately used the word "dare" to provoke, and at the same time, the two steel whips in his hands clashed together, making a crisp sound, which was quite arrogant.

Immediately, Xiang Guang's expression changed, and he drew his double axes and stepped forward: "You don't know your place, do you dare to come up to the arena and fight me?"

Sima Lixin said, "Why not? Let's go!"

He turned and went up onto the stage, and Xiang Guang followed. Yun Chu'an didn't even bother to look at these petty squabbles. His gaze searched the other delegations present, trying to find something of interest, but he quickly realized that most of the people present were now focused on the martial arts competition.

He seemed to be in high spirits.

At this moment, Yun Chu'an suddenly felt a sense of loneliness. Most people here simply didn't have a high enough perspective; what value was there in watching a martial arts match where the outcome was already decided?

He shook his head slightly, but had no choice but to continue watching.

On the stage, Sima Lixin and Xiang Guang bowed to each other, then drew their weapons and charged into battle.

Xiang Guang's eyes were wide open in anger, his face was ferocious, his arms were muscular and powerful. As soon as the battle began, he swung his two battle axes and attacked Sima Lixin like a madman.

In contrast, Sima Lixin, wielding two whips, appeared more composed and resolute. After all, he had fought on the battlefields of Qin and Zhao for two or three years, enduring every hardship and suffering, and had grown up amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, becoming extremely mature in combat.

He could tell at a glance that Xiang Guang's desperate fighting style could not last. Excessive force would only result in missing the target with the axe, leading to a significant depletion of his physical strength.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry at all, dodging and weaving, seemingly at a disadvantage, but actually waiting for a turning point.

Finally, when Xiang Guang was eager to launch a preemptive attack and his old forces were exhausted while his new forces had not yet been generated, Sima Lixin suddenly launched an attack.

His body suddenly accelerated, transforming into a bolt of lightning, spinning behind Xiang Guang, and lashing out with a steel whip that struck Xiang Guang's lower back!

"what--"

Xiang Guang let out a scream, his body flying backward and crashing to the ground in a sorry state. Sima Lixin slowly sheathed his weapon, his breathing heavy, but his expression remained calm: "You flatter me."

Although he had expended a great deal of physical and spiritual energy, he could be considered to have won this battle without sustaining any injuries.

"you--!"

Xiang Guang got up from the ground, glaring angrily at Sima Lixin, who was still standing on the stage. However, the latter simply said, "I need to rest. I can compete in the next match in an hour."

He was no longer looking at him, which made Xiang Guang's anger get stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say a word.

He stiffly turned his head, looking in Yun Chu'an's direction, gritting his teeth, his heart burning with rage.

How embarrassing!

Mingming came here today to investigate Yun Chuan's true strength and weaknesses, to see what was really going on with him, and even to see if he could step on Yun Chuan to make his own fame skyrocket.

To his surprise, he didn't even get a chance to fight him. Some nobody sent in to easily defeat him!

He felt a burning sensation on his face and was momentarily humiliated. He snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Jiang Ren's expression was subtle, and he felt a little scared. He knew Xiang Guang well. He had fought with Xiang Guang many times before. Although he claimed that the two were evenly matched, he knew the truth: he had always lost more often than he had won against Xiang Guang.

And now, Xiang Guang has been defeated so easily by one of Yun Chu'an's followers... This...

Does he really want to go back to the ring and embarrass himself?

He was confused, and his heart pounded wildly. He couldn't help but observe Yun Chu'an, only to find that the latter didn't care about the martial arts competition at all. Instead, he turned around and chatted with several older Golden Core cultivators, laughing heartily from time to time. They seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.

Jiang Ren quietly crept over to eavesdrop and discovered that they were all discussing interesting business matters, complaining or joking about the different habits of cultivators from different countries, and so on, in order to bring them closer together.

Clearly, this guy didn't take the martial arts competition seriously at all. He was more concerned with things like economic and trade cooperation between countries.

A surge of anger rose within him; he felt slighted. "You're also in the late Golden Core stage, and so am I. I'm even older than you. Just based on age, you should call me 'elder brother.' Why do you treat me with such contempt?"

He gritted his teeth in anger, then turned to look behind him. There, on a futon, Sima Lixin was not doing much. He was meditating and resting, closing his eyes to prepare for the next match.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, Sima Lixin also slightly opened his eyes, just in time to meet Jiang Ren's gaze.

Jiang Ren gritted his teeth, and his anger instantly transformed into overwhelming fighting spirit.

Then hit!

Even if you don't steam buns, you should still fight for your honor. What kind of hero retreats without taking a chance?

Moreover, I'm not without my own secret weapons. If necessary, I could very well turn the tide and win!