Chapter 156 (Patreon)

“Wengze, what brings you over?” Shu Yang asked with a smile as he stepped into the reception room in the Main Mansion.

“You have received a message,” Duo Wengze answered, rising to his feet and handing over a jade slip to Shu Yang.

“From?” Shu Yang asked, taking the jadeslip and gesturing for Duo Wengze to sit down again.

“True Person Fenglin,” Duo Wengze answered.

‘So it’s Bian Fenglin again.’

Shu Yang took a look at the contents in the jadeslip and quickly understood why Bian Fenglin felt the need to contact him again so soon.

‘So Xinmo has gotten back safely. That’s good.’

‘I wonder if he told Bian Fenglin about comprehending sword intent? There is no mention of it.’

‘That’s a bit strange. I feel like even if Xinmo tried to hide it, Bian Fenglin definitely wouldn’t be fooled.’

‘Was I mistaken then? But what else could increase his Bloodline Power like that?’

‘It’s either that, or Bian Fenglin is hiding it from me. But that doesn’t make much sense either.’

Shu Yang frowned slightly; he couldn’t figure out what was going on.

“Is everything alright?” Duo Wengze asked carefully, seeing Shu Yang’s reaction.

“Everything is fine. My grandson has made it back safely from his mission,” Shu Yang explained with a smile.

Shu Yang already knew Xinmo was back, as he had been watching him intently through his Piercing Gaze. Especially after he felt that rush of power, and noticing that the source was Xinmo, as the kid’s bloodline had advanced to the Founding grade in one fell swoop.

Strangely enough, he didn’t see Xinmo ever utilizing it whenever he looked over, but he figured that he just didn’t have any need for it. Shu Yang never caught him in the middle of a fight.

But now, he thought the reason he never saw Xinmo use it might be because he hadn’t actually comprehended it. 

‘But what was the reason his Bloodline Power increased then? Did he find some precious spiritual plant out there? I've never heard of anything with that ability.’

‘I’ll wait for his next letter to his parents. If there is no explanation, I’ll head over there and take a look at what’s going on.’

Shu Yang felt a bit relieved that he hadn’t told Tianhu about it yet, as he wanted Xinmo to be the one to reveal it.

Either way, it was a good thing, so Shu Yang didn’t worry too much.

“I still find it funny how you made me believe you just had a shallow connection with True Person Fenglin back then,” Duo Wengze said, shaking his head.

Shu Yang rolled his eyes. He hadn’t lied to Duo Wengze; he and Bain Fenglin really didn’t have any particular connection at the time. But it was hard to explain away now that Duo Wengze was tasked with bringing messages to Shu Yang from him, even concerning such trivial matters as his grandson’s safe return from a mission.

“Well, it’s all the past,” Shu Yang simply said, taking a seat opposite Duo Wengze. “Thank you for bringing me the news. Tianhu and Xiaoshi have been worried about their son.”Shu Yang had only seen Xinmo on a flying ship returning to the Sword Sect, and thus hadn’t told them anything yet, wanting to wait until he was sure Xinmo was back.

The message Bian Fenglin had sent hadn’t been transported by flying ship, but by a special communication formation. So the news of Xinmo’s return was very fresh.

“It’s nothing. I’m glad I get to have an excuse to visit and taste some of your tea,” Duo Wengze said with a chuckle.

“Drink as much as you want,” Shu Yang said, filling up his cup.

“Anyway, since I’m here, I might as well give you this,” Duo Wengze said, pulling out a letter and handing it over to Shu Yang.

Shu Yang took the letter and opened it up.

“A wedding? Your wedding?” Shu Yang asked, looking up at Duo Wengze in surprise.

Duo Wengze chuckled happily. “It’s just a small ceremony, for close friends and family. I hope you can attend.”“Definitely. It’s an honor,” Shu Yang said, smiling. “Who’s the lucky girl?”Shu Yang knew that Duo Wengze had been thinking about starting a family of his own ever since his advancement, but he had never heard him talking about any particular girl who interested him.

“Her name is Zhi Weili,” Duo Wengze answered.

“Of the Golden Zhi Clan?” Shu Yang asked.

“That’s right,” Duo Wengze said, nodding. “It was arranged by the family. They knew I was looking for a partner and set up a meeting for the two of us. She has also reached the Foundation stage with little hope for further advancement, and thus has been starting to think about focusing on the next generation.”“Do you like her?” Shu Yang asked.

“She is perfectly suitable in every way,” Duo Wengze said, nodding slowly. “I definitely can’t hope for a better match. As for feelings, that can be nurtured over time.”Shu Yang nodded. Not everyone had the privilege to choose a partner purely out of feelings, and had to consider talent if they wanted their children to have a strong bloodline.

“Well, I’m looking forward to the ceremony,” Shu Yang said smiling. “I’ll have to think of a good gift.”“What gift?” Duo Wengze said, shaking his head, “Just showing up is enough.”Shu Yang obviously didn't take his word seriously. He would have to prepare something suitable for his family’s status.

“Right, there was one more thing,” Duo Wengze said after a few more minutes of small talk. “My brother-in-law has been looking into that elixir of yours, the one you give to your students.”“Looking into?” Shu Yang asked.

“He wasn’t trying to deconstruct it or anything,” Duo Wengze said with a chuckle. “He just became curious about it when his son told him it was better than the other stuff in the market, adamant about buying it for his body cultivation.

“My brother-in-law came to talk to me about it a couple of days ago. You see, his family does some business around Zhixian Immortal Land, mostly transporting goods from the Immortal Cities to smaller markets. He imagined your body cultivation would do quite well in those areas, as there are plenty of low-level Qi Refiners who are desperate for every bit of increase in strength. 

“How does it sound to you? Is it anything you’re interested in?”

“It doesn’t sound uninteresting,” Shu Yang said, nodding slowly. He had considered selling their elixir to other places since he opened up the Shu Sword Hall; he just needed to wait for word to spread first.

Now, if there was someone experienced to handle everything for him, leaving his family only with the responsibility of producing the elixir, Shu Yang was definitely interested.

‘If there is a large increase in sales, I can look into buying a property just for the purpose of alchemy. As long as Xinxiao, Xinru, and Xinchu look over the process, and handle the more intricate steps, we should be able to increase production.’

It would require a lot of people, but Shu Yang’s family had gotten quite big, with the majority of the Xin generation already having grown to adults.

‘Having a lot of work is a good thing, too. I can’t just let the kids be idle, without a purpose to serve.’

It wasn’t just for his own sake. Shu Yang knew very well that no one wanted to be idle and feel like a waste. Everyone wanted to feel useful. They wanted to contribute to the family.

“It’s definitely worth exploring,” Shu Yang said. “Can you set up a meeting?”“Of course,” Duo Wengze answered with a happy laugh, “You don’t have to force things for my sake, though. It’s my brother-in-law's family who will see the profits. It has nothing to do with me. If the deal isn’t good, feel free to reject it.”“I will,” Shu Yang answered with a smile.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, interrupting their conversation.

“Dad,” Tianyue opened the door and peeked her head inside, “A man is here from the Sword Sect’s Communication Office. He says he has a message from True Person Fenglin.”“What?” Shu Yang asked, looking over at Duo Wengze with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s strange,” Duo Wengze said, frowning slightly.

Duo Wengze was currently stationed at the Communication Office, and he had just brought Bian Fenglin’s message, so it didn’t make sense for another one to arrive just an hour or two later.

Shu Yang spread out his divine sense, spotting the man waiting outside. He didn’t notice anything suspicious.

“Show him up, please,” Shu Yang told his daughter.

A moment later, a young man stepped inside the room, and Duo Wengze seemed to recognize him.

“Tihan, what’s going on?” Duo Wengze asked.

“Another message arrived for Elder Shu,” The young man said with a bow. “It arrived just after you left. It’s from True Person Fenglin, so I didn’t dare wait for you to come back.”“Another one?” Duo Wengze asked.

“Give it here,” Shu Yang said, getting up to his feet and stretching out his hand.

The young man, Tihan, gave Shu Yang another jade slip.

He hurriedly read through the contents, a bit worried something had happened.

‘A Winged Tiger? Xinmo killed it?’

Bian Fenglin started his message by apologizing for sending a message before actually going to see Xinmo; he had just received a report from a subordinate and passed it on to Shu Yang.

But after that, he immediately went to see the boy, and Xinmo had shown him the carcass of a Winged Tiger, having encountered one in the Heaven-Reaching Forest.

Apparently, he didn’t show it to any other Elders because he didn’t want to explain how he had killed it, but he knew he couldn’t keep the presence of the Winged Tiger Clan a secret, so he had shown it to Bian Fenglin.

The message ended in a bit of a hurry, with the words ‘Either way, the implications of a Winged Tiger so close to the sect are quite severe. I’m sure Xinmo will be questioned about everything that occurred. He seems a bit reluctant to tell me, though, so I didn’t push it. But I think he might have comprehended sword intent. I will send a message once everything is settled.’

Shu Yang was thoroughly shocked. Just what had that kid experienced? And what did Bian Fenglin mean with those final words?

‘You think he has comprehended sword intent? You can’t tell?’