The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 380 (Patreon)

Chapter 380: Long-Held Wish, Advancement, Conceal and Report Not

Granny An froze for a moment. When she came back to herself, she hurriedly knelt to An An.

“Patriarch, when this old slave sent in supper last night, the four An sisters were all fine. This is my dereliction of duty. Please punish me!”

As she spoke, she banged her head on the floor with a thud, thud, thud.

Though the four An sisters would be held accountable, the incident happened under her watch. No matter how one put it, she had failed first.

An An ignored Granny An. With a few flashes he entered the side chamber. His right hand swiftly checked the neck of Xia He, who lay collapsed on the floor. Discovering that she was still breathing, he exhaled a little in relief. He swept his gaze around and found no signs of another’s hand in the matter.

With a flick of his sleeve, the three corpses hanging from the eaves were wrapped in spiritual light and slowly floated down to the ground.

An An lifted Xia He and headed out. As he passed Granny An, he said, “Bury these three properly, then go to the Hall of Punishments and accept your penalty.”

Hearing this, Granny An—still prostrate—let out a breath.

A beating would be unavoidable, to be sure, yet the Patriarch had not expelled her from the mountain gate over this.

After they left, her eyes fell on the three bodies. She had wanted to curse the ill luck, but thinking they’d had no say in any of it and now had lost their lives, the words stuck in her throat. She thought, too, that after taking her punishment she’d have to find a better post. She’d hoped to live out her days on the mountain; she couldn’t end up losing even her late years.

…

Elsewhere, An An brought Xia He straight to the Patriarch’s residence.

On the way, he sent a thread of magic power into her body. Xia He gave a soft groan and woke. Seeing the Patriarch beside her, her heart jumped; panic flashed across her eyes. She tried to speak and found her throat damaged; she could only sob in a muffled wail.

At the Patriarch’s hall, Fu Changsheng sat in the chief seat. Seeing An An arrive with only one person, a trace of doubt flickered in his eyes.

An An spoke quickly: “Father, when your son arrived, the other three An sisters had already hanged themselves. Judging from the bodies, they likely tied the noose around midnight. As for An Xiahe—because the bedsheet they used for hanging wasn’t tied firmly—she survived by luck.”

“Suicide to escape punishment!”

Fu Changsheng’s brows knit.

He had children of his own. Yu Kun’s death had not been directly caused by the four An sisters; their crime was not capital. Pity welled for the three, and he sighed inwardly. When he rose to his feet, Xia He was so frightened she collapsed flat on the ground.

After marrying into the Yu family, she had learned from the late Yu Kun that his birth father was the lord of a seventh-rank clan—what a lofty status that was.

Could it be that even the three sisters’ deaths weren’t enough to appease his anger?!

When those footsteps stopped right before her, Xia He trembled like a sieve and even her sobbing halted.

Fu Changsheng flicked his sleeve to help her up, then sent a wisp of spiritual sense into her body. After a moment of sensing, his eyes lit and he said, “Lady An, Kun’s matter is past. The clan will not hold you to account.”

Xia He shuddered.

She… she would live? She truly would live? Overwhelmed, she knocked her head to the floor, sobbing without stop. She wanted to give thanks, but with her throat injured, not a word would come.

Fu Changsheng kept it short: “Lady An, you are already with child. The dead are gone; you must restrain your grief. When you safely deliver the child, you will have honor without end.”

Xia He stared up, stunned.

She was with child?!

By reflex, her hand went to her belly.

The child had come at the perfect time. Not only would she live, she would rise by the child!

She tried to bow again in excitement, but Fu Changsheng flicked his sleeve and a coil of spiritual power surrounded her.

“Your fetus is still unstable. These cumbersome courtesies can be waived within the clan.”

As he spoke, he gave An An a look.

An An immediately understood and had the attendants at the door take Xia He away.

Only, he did not quite understand. The fifth brother had left behind several descendants who were already grown—some even grandfathers themselves. Why had Father summoned only Lady An?

Fu Changsheng did not explain.

He entered a secret chamber, closed the formations, and with a thought stepped into the Five Elements Space.

There were matters he had intended to delay; but after the fifth’s death, he tasted how fickle the world was!

Hum!

Golden light surged within the thatched hut.

In the next instant, the Family Jade Seal roared out from within his body and hovered before him. On the seal lingered a dozen strands of family destiny yet unused.

He struck a spell seal.

Boom!

One strand of destiny turned to yellow light and shot into the void.

…

Meanwhile, An Xiahe was resettled at Bamboo Grove Cottage—housing reserved for Qi Refining clansmen. The first-grade, low-grade Heavenly Spirit Bamboo in the courtyard exuded thin wisps of spiritual energy. Secluded and quiet, it was perfect for pregnancy.

An An also specially assigned rough maids, a close-serving maid, and an experienced midwife to attend her—someone by her side at all times—lest she do something foolish again.

Lying upon the bed, she had the curtains lowered. Seeming to close her eyes, she suddenly opened them; a hot tear slid down.

“Elder Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Sister… rest easy below. I will take care of Mother and our younger siblings. When my hundred years are done and I cross the Yellow Springs, I will ask your forgiveness.”

Xia He had been through much and was exhausted; before long she drifted to sleep.

At that moment—

Hum!

From the void, a mysterious wisp of power sank into the embryo in her womb. A subtle, profound aura immediately coiled about it. Even Xia He’s own weakened body flushed with sudden color; the marks at her neck faded as well.

…

After finishing the An sisters’ funeral arrangements, An An went straight to the rear courtyard.

His mother had just suffered a son’s death; as a son himself, he could at least accompany her more.

In the courtyard, Yu Qingru sat alone in the pavilion, gazing toward Jingzhou, lost in thought.

“Mother,” An An called softly.

Yu Qingru returned to herself and pointed to the seat beside her. “An An, I wonder how your sister fares in the Commandery Prince’s residence?”

“Mother, if you miss her, now that we’ve advanced to an eighth-rank clan we can use the teleportation array. Why don’t you go to Jingzhou—see Sister and also ease your mind a bit?”

Yu Qingru was moved, but soon shook her head.

Eighth-rank clans could use the arrays, yes—but the cost was no small thing. An An had yet to break through to the Purple Mansion and was in urgent need of spirit stones. Longing as she was, she could only tuck it away.

She changed the subject. “An An, you’re not young anymore. It’s time to prepare to break through to the Purple Mansion. Hand your mundane affairs to Qin’er and focus on seclusion.”

“Mother, Qin’er hasn’t experienced much. Your child…”

“Worry not. I’ll be here for a while and won’t leave the clan. With me about, I can back him. Your talent is so good—don’t let trifles delay you. No matter how important the chores, they can’t compare to your own cultivation!”

Qin’er was An An’s eldest son, raised by his side to learn clan business.

Hearing this, An An did not insist. After the fifth brother’s death, he too was eager to advance; otherwise, a hundred years hence he might vanish from the world just like the fifth.

Yu Qingru patted her storage pouch. A glow flashed and a small case floated to An An.

An An blinked. “Mother, this is…”

Yu Qingru formed a soundproofing spell and transmitted quickly, “In the case are Soul-Guiding Pills your father gave me. When I broke through to the Purple Mansion I still had one left; the other I obtained by chance. With your spiritual roots, one should be enough—but to be safe, take both.”

An An’s heart pounded.

Soul-Guiding Pills were many people’s dream.

Refuse? He could not bring himself to do it.

He took them with both hands, thrilled. “Many thanks, Mother. Your child will not disappoint you!”

Yu Qingru carefully taught him her own insights on breaking through to the Purple Mansion and gave him the jade slips of others’ breakthrough experiences that Fu Changsheng had previously provided.

An An accepted them with both hands.

With Yu Qingru’s help, the clan chores were handed over. He immediately announced he was going into seclusion.

Once the stone chamber door closed, he lit a stick of mind-focusing incense and began running his cultivation technique.

Before this, he had completed the first step toward the Purple Mansion: opening the Niwan Palace. But the meridian apertures linking upper and lower dantians were not yet fully pierced—seven or eight tenths had been done; the few remaining were tricky and a misstep could end in death.

After his inner power ran three great cycles through his dantian—

Suddenly, in the unseen depths, it was as if a barrier was pricked through.

In that instant, his whole body felt lighter.

Then a rank stench spread through the chamber—the foulness purged from his body.

He felt as if he had been washed and reforged. As his technique ran, the surrounding spiritual energy trembled and with a hum flocked into him like a hundred birds returning to the nest.

“What…”

An An was stunned. He didn’t understand how good fortune had descended mid-cultivation.

His meridians were suddenly smoother; spiritual power coursed within like a clear river.

There was no time to ponder. He felt he was standing at the threshold of the Purple Mansion: one small step and he would break through.

With a flick of his sleeve he shattered the grime off his skin, calmed his mind anew, sat cross-legged, and cultivated.

…

Inside the thatched hut of the Five Elements Space, Fu Changsheng focused his will on the panel: [Child’s Spiritual-Root Aptitude Enhancement].

“Enhance An An’s aptitude.”

Hum!

The panel quivered. A flood of golden light poured forth.

Then, a mechanical voice sounded: “A chance to enhance your Talisman Crafting skill has been triggered. Will you send your true body or your consciousness?”

“Talisman craft?” Fu Changsheng paused.

If so, he likely wouldn’t be entering as Fu Ziwei this time—and wouldn’t see Concubine Yue and the others.

Last time, when his true body went, the Fu family where Fu Ziwei lived was attacked; he had nearly died mid-teleportation. He hesitated, then said, “Consciousness.”

Hum!

As the thought fell, his vision swam and he entered a sealed space.

Six walls formed by runes surrounded him. When he looked closer, the runes faded to nothing—then, in a blink, the scene shifted and he was in a round water vessel.

Here, it felt as if he had returned to his mother’s womb; worldly distractions fell away. With each pulse of water, the runes of the Taixu Talisman Canon he had studied lit one by one and reappeared. In moments, dense talismanic glyphs coiled around him.

Hum!

The runes shivered and condensed three special talismans from the Taixu Canon: the Spirit-Nurturing Talisman, the Time Talisman, and the Boundary-Breaking Talisman.

However, aside from the Spirit-Nurturing Talisman, the latter two required him to reach third-rank peak as a Talisman Master before he could craft them.

That said, the Taixu Canon’s talismans could be re-ordered and recombined.

In this space, his thoughts were unprecedentedly clear. Having already advanced to second-rank Blood-Sigil Spirit Body, as he re-studied the Canon, problems that had baffled him opened one after another. Excited, he began to form seals.

Hum!

The three talismans quivered, then dispersed back into primal runes. With his changing seals, the runes began to recombine.

Cultivation knows no years; in a blink, several years passed within that mysterious space.

Just when Fu Changsheng was in the heat of research, his vision flickered and his consciousness returned to his body.

At the same time, all the Taixu Canon insights from the space poured into his sea of awareness like sweet dew. After a while, the panel trembled:

[Talisman Master: Third-Rank High-Grade (20/300)]

Clearly, after several years within that space, he had successfully advanced to a third-rank high-grade Talisman Master.

He had also comprehended two kinds of third-rank high-grade talismans from the Taixu Canon.

One was the Sky-Imprisoning Talisman: once activated, it would turn into a Heavenly Silkworm–thread prison; even a late–Purple Mansion cultivator would find it hard to escape in a short time. The other was the Sky-Shaking Hammers Talisman—just as the name implied, it summoned Sky-Shaking Hammers whose power rivaled a third-rank high-grade magic tool.

Both would greatly benefit him and the clan.

While the thoughts were still fresh, Fu Changsheng intended to “strike while the iron was hot,” copying the crafting methods of the two talismans into jade slips to hand to the clan. At present, Fu Changlei was already a third-rank high-grade Talisman Master and could also refine them.

Just then, the panel quivered again.

A line of text emerged:

[Yu Tian’an: Spiritual-Root Aptitude (100/100)]

An An’s aptitude had clearly been filled to the brim.

Fu Changsheng watched, a little tense, wondering if, once full, An An would awaken a special spirit body.

But as time passed, the panel shook slightly—and no new information appeared.

Fu Changsheng was a little disappointed. “What a pity.”

Soon he chuckled and shook his head. In the past, when the bar filled, Shou ge’er had awakened the Ten Thousand Corpses Body, and Fu ge’er the Myriad-Feasts Spirit Body. He had thought that with An An’s aptitude, he too would awaken a spirit body. Now it seemed An An’s roots were excellent, but his talent in the Hundred Arts of cultivation was merely average.

At that moment, the panel trembled once more and the clan contribution points changed to forty thousand.

Fu Changsheng hesitated and didn’t continue adding points. Matters at Yinyun Valley in the Eastern Wasteland were unsettled; he had no mind to linger. Once done here, he had to hurry back. If anything happened there, he would be too far to help.

Leaving the secret room, he met Yu Qingru and learned that An An had entered seclusion to break through to the Purple Mansion. He nodded—his timing had been just right. With An An’s roots now filled, the breakthrough should be no problem.

“Qingru, something urgent has come up in the Eastern Wasteland. I must return.”

By rights, having just lost a son, he should have stayed with her longer. But the instability at Yinyun Valley weighed heavily.

Yu Qingru had always been reasonable. “Husband, shall I go with you?”

Fu Changsheng shook his head. Since An An had shut himself away, Yu Qingru had to remain to sit in command. The Yu family was no longer what it had been; now an eighth-rank clan, it could not go without a pillar to receive guests and handle affairs.

After a few words of instruction, Fu Changsheng went to Yu Kun’s grave and lit incense.

“Kun, barring accidents, you will soon welcome a child with spiritual roots. You can rest easy in the spring beneath.”

Indeed, after seeing An Xiahe and learning she was pregnant, Fu Changsheng had dropped a strand of family destiny into the fetus in her womb. With seventh-rank clan destiny blessing it, even if the child were born without roots, their descendants should have them in time—thus fulfilling Kun’s long-held wish.

Leaving the Yu family, Fu Changsheng rode the Azure Flood Dragon swiftly toward the Eastern Wasteland. Along the way he released Qiu Chan to guard him while he used the travel time to refine the Sky-Shaking Hammers talismans.

Just then, the familiar mechanical chime sounded in his mind:

“Ding.”

“You have added two third-rank high-grade talisman-crafting methods to the clan, gaining three hundred clan contribution points.”

The panel changed again: forty thousand three hundred.

…

Yinyun Valley.

Spiritual light surged on the Wind-Slaughter Array. A gap opened and three Purple Mansion elders in Tianyin Tribe garb flashed out.

Seeing no one behind them, the fifth elder on watch frowned. After he closed the formation, he asked, puzzled, “Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother—why are only you three here? Where are the Grand Elder and the chieftain?”

Tianyang Zhenren was a fourth-rank peak formation master and especially adept at ancient barrier formations. The fifth elder had thought the Tianyang Grand Elder would certainly come in person—he could have shown his face before him.

The eldest—cold-faced, naturally imposing, hair white as frost tied in a high topknot held by a simple jade pin carved with “Xuanming”, his life-bonded artifact—shook his head. “The chieftain said he couldn’t reach the Tianyang Grand Elder. Grand Elder Tianshan is also in seclusion. So he sent us three. We four are to investigate first without alerting the other tribes.”

At that, the third elder could hardly wait. Grinning, he said, “Old Five, we’re all formation masters. Without Tianyang, it’ll just take longer. But if we’re the ones who open this secret-realm gate, the credit will be quite different, won’t it?”

The second elder urged him to lead the way.

The fifth elder thought that made sense. They were all Purple Mansion; with five hundred years of life, a little extra time was nothing.

“Brothers, this way.”

All four were late–Purple Mansion, and the eldest had already formed a False Core—one step from the Golden Core, lacking only a core-forming item. He had burned much life in his youth using secret arts; he had less than twenty years left. When the Eastern Wasteland secret realm opened last time, he missed his chance. Heaven be witness—now that an opportunity stood before him, he would not let it pass.

His eyes burned with heat.

Led by the fifth elder, the four soon reached the Redflame Wolves’ lair.

Anxious, they quickly arrived at the black stone wall.

At a glance, it looked nothing like a formation. The fifth elder flipped his palm, producing an ancient compass. With a seal, faint runes lit upon it; with a snap of his fingers, a beam from the compass fell upon the wall.

Hum!

The stone wall trembled and mysterious runes surfaced.

The eldest looked closely—and delight burst across his face. With a flick, scrolls rose into the air and unfurled: ancient formation diagrams. After comparing, he smiled.

“Not bad.”

“What Old Five found is indeed an ancient barrier!”

At that moment, a twin-pupiled seeker mouse leapt from the third elder’s sleeve. It gestured at the wall and its master. Mind-linked, the third elder understood at once, eyes wide with mixed shock and joy.

“According to my Xiaobai’s sensing—there should be a Spirit-Nurturing Stone vein within!”

“What?!”

The other three’s eyes flew open. Even the eldest lost his composure; his lips trembled.

“Third, the ‘Spirit-Nurturing Stone’ you mean—is it the legendary stone that can gestate a Postnatal Spirit Treasure?!”

“Without mistake!”

The third elder was firm. His twin-pupiled mouse was an ancient variant; once its bloodline memories awakened, it knew many ancient items like the back of its paw.

The fifth elder’s jaw dropped wide enough to fit an egg. “A Postnatal Spirit Treasure!!!”

Golden Core cultivators used magic treasures; above treasures were spirit treasures—divided into Postnatal and Innate. Who knew how many tens of thousands of years this barrier had stood!

If true, then something within might have gestated into a Postnatal Spirit Treasure!

The fifth elder had never dreamed of such fortune. Swallowing hard, he blurted, “In that case… we must report back to the chieftain at once!”

A matter of a Postnatal Spirit Treasure was momentous. If the two Golden Core Grand Elders heard, they might fly here immediately—and his own core-forming item would be within reach.

He produced a spirit mirror—only for the eldest to seize it away.

“Big Brother, what are you doing?”

The eldest, second, and third were triplets. Though the fifth had no blood tie to them, he was someone the eldest had brought back from outside; no one knew the truth of that. For years the eldest had been close to him in private, though on the surface they were at odds, water and fire—to keep up appearances.

In truth, the fifth would never have reached the Purple Mansion without the eldest’s hidden help.

With the eldest’s end less than twenty years away, the fifth roughly guessed his thinking.

“Big Brother… you mean to conceal this and not report?”

The eldest answered with a question of his own. “Old Five, how have I treated you all these years?”

“Big Brother, without you I’d have died long ago beneath a starving wolf’s claws. How would I have today’s achievements?”

The fifth clenched his jaw. His face showed struggle, but in the end he said, “Big Brother… this life is yours. However you say to do it, I’ll do it.”

The second and third—twins of the eldest—were of one mind with him and needed no persuading. Seeing this, the eldest nodded in satisfaction and narrowed his eyes.

“Our Tianyin Tribe may look like a Golden Core tribe, but ever since Tianyang took the seat we’ve been on the decline. He’s leveraged his Golden Core to build a force of his own. Grand Elder Tianshan only cultivates and doesn’t meddle. The chieftain seems fair, but he’s nursing his own little plan to break into the Golden Core!

“Otherwise, last time that core-forming item—by seniority, by merit, by talent—should have been mine!

“But the chieftain embezzled it, failed to form a core, and thinks we don’t know.

“For this tribe, no matter what we give, that core-forming quota won’t land on us. To advance, we can only rely on ourselves!

“And here is our chance!

“If we miss it, we may never go beyond the Purple Mansion.”

The four grew flushed, breath roughening as memories of slights and unfairness flashed by. They spoke in unison, eyes on the eldest.

“Big Brother, say no more. We’ll follow you! With this secret-realm bounty, why should we go on begging in the tribe?”

“Good!”

“If I truly advance to the Golden Core, I swear on my life-soul to do all I can to help you three form your cores!”

“Thank you, Big Brother!”

They shared a look. In that instant, it felt like swearing brotherhood in blood.

When they cooled, they began studying the barrier.

The eldest’s mind moved and a jade-azure staff howled forth. He tapped its tip to the ground; rings of runes rippled out. Borrowing the earth’s power, he probed from below for a weak point. Runes lit along the staff; a gentle yet tenacious force seeped into the barrier, seeming to resonate with its power.

The other three watched with open admiration.

After a cup of tea’s time, the eldest ceased his seals and the visions faded.

“How is it, Big Brother?” they asked at once.

The eldest had once apprenticed under Tianyang Zhenren and had fine talent in formations—but for some reason, he had never won Tianyang’s favor, who only used henchmen raised from childhood.

Now a faint unease stirred in the eldest. The layout of this barrier faintly resembled Tianyang’s style.

“Maybe the one who set this formation came from the same lineage as Tianyang,” he mused. Or perhaps Tianyang had inherited that person’s legacy.

He did not dwell on it. He took out formation disks and flags and began a trial run, also setting the others to assist. Thus passed several years. The Tianyin chieftain sent inquiries from time to time and even visited once; but seeing the four diligently working on a method to break the barrier, he did not press.

After several more years, the eldest’s eyes lit.

“I have it.

“With this completed Ancient Four-Symbols Barrier-Breaking Array—array against array—we should be able to open it!”

Thanks for reading! This chapter swung from grief to opportunity—exactly the kind of whiplash our cultivation families specialize in. If you’re enjoying the journey, please consider supporting me on Patreon; even a small pledge keeps the talismans inked and the tea hot. And if you have a moment, a rating or review on NovelUpdates really helps more readers find this series. Your encouragement keeps me going!

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