Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

Chapter 57: Chapter 23: Entering the Yan Family

Receiving the message, Li Ji’an was not surprised at all.

Ever since two years ago, when conflicts between the Yan Family and the Wei Family repeatedly flared due to that piece of medicinal field, he had anticipated this.

Now that the conflict had intensified and the elders in the late Qi Cultivation stage within the clan started to intervene, the dispute could no longer be reconciled.

Cutting off each other’s resource supply in the market was bound to happen.

In this regard, Li Ji’an actually had some expectations.

Entering the Yan Clan Territory in such a manner was very beneficial to him.

The Spirit Vein Dao Field of the Second Tier, even at the edge of the clan territory, was certainly more abundant in Spiritual Qi than the Lower Grade Spirit Vein Land market of the First Tier.

Moreover, with the Clan Protection Array and a Foundation Establishment Ancestor stationed there, the safety had greatly increased, at least significantly reducing the potential threat from that unknown family in Golden Splendor Immortal City.

In fact, in the first year after he arrived here, after understanding the situation and basic information about the Cultivation Realm in this region, he already had such expectations.

But just like any other unsupported loose cultivator in the market, with poor aptitude and no particular skills, wanting to enter the Eight Great Clans required paying a price.

Back then, the price to enter the Yan Family was to go pioneering.

The risk of pioneering was much greater than hunting with Chen Zhaohu. With bad luck, one might encounter high-tier demon beasts on the first day of pioneering, and the Yan Family cultivators in the late Qi Cultivation stage would not risk themselves for a pioneering odd-job worker.

So at that time, he chose a more prudent route.

Now, it could be considered a fortunate misstep.

After packing up briefly, Li Ji’an headed to the Pill Shop.

”Not having a storage pouch is indeed inconvenient.” But there weren’t too many large items, mainly some bottles and jars, mostly left over from Yan Qingwan’s alchemy, along with eighteen spirit stones and a dozen or so jin of spirit rice and spirit noodles that he had just stocked up.

Fortunately, as a mid-stage first-tier body cultivator, he bundled everything up with a bedsheet, slung it over his shoulder, and set off.

”Hey, Old Li, you’re just in time, someone’s looking for you.” As soon as he arrived at the Pill Shop, a fellow shouted.

”Hurry up and meet them, then come out to help, it’s urgent.” The fellow added immediately.

Most of the staff at the Pill Shop were from the Yan Family, at the very least granted the surname even if they were outsiders.

On the surface, Li Ji’an was just a servant at the Pill Shop, considered a contract worker, seen as lower-tier in the eyes of these people.

Li Ji’an nodded and entered the Pill Shop.

He immediately saw Chen Zhaohu sitting there conversing with an unfamiliar middle-aged man.

Chen Qingling stood respectfully behind Chen Zhaohu, slightly bowing his head.

Yan Qingwan sat quietly beside the middle-aged man, listening silently.

”Old Li, why didn’t you say earlier that you knew Fellow Daoist Chen? Hahaha, come over, Fellow Daoist Chen specifically came to find you.” Yan Tong greeted with a smile.

”Seventh Elder, this is indeed an old friend of Fellow Daoist Chen, who also worked as an alchemy room servant for Alchemist Mo in our Pill Shop for three to four years. Honest and straightforward, Alchemist Mo was quite satisfied with him.”

”Old Li, quickly pay your respects to Seventh Elder.”

Li Ji’an put down the bundle from his shoulder and cupped his hands towards Seventh Elder: ”Greetings, Seventh Elder.”

”Hmm.” Seventh Elder nodded perfunctorily.

He hardly spared a glance at Li Ji’an, then immediately turned to Chen Zhaohu and said, ”Nowadays, the Yan Family is in need of people. We affirm Fellow Daoist Chen’s strength, but the conditions you proposed are a bit high; you should go back and reconsider. I will also talk to the Clan Leader when I return to the clan.”

Chen Zhaohu first glanced at Li Ji’an with a smile, then looked at Seventh Elder: ”Actually, my request isn’t high. If it weren’t for my brother... hehe, I kindly ask Seventh Elder to put in a good word within the clan.”

”No problem, I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave and not disturb your reunion.” After Seventh Elder finished speaking, he turned and headed towards the backyard, with Yan Qingwan leaving silently in tow.

As soon as the two left, Chen Zhaohu stood up, patted Li Ji’an on the shoulder, and headed out: ”Come, let’s have a good chat, brother.”

”Old Li, you have to set off within a quarter hour, don’t miss the hour. If you miss this opportunity, I’m afraid you won’t have another chance to enter the clan.” Yan Tong reminded with a smile.

”Thank you, Steward Yan, for the reminder.”

The three left the Pill Shop, and Chen Zhaohu led them directly into a restaurant across the street.

”Brother, you really have great fortune, to have actually stabilized yourself in the market.” Chen Zhaohu had visited once or twice over the past four years, but by then, Li Ji’an was already living in Yan Qingwan’s small secret courtyard in the West District, and he hadn’t met him.

However, from Chen Qingling, he knew that Li Ji’an had reached the Qi Cultivation 1st Layer within half a year back then.

Moreover, he had helped Chen Qingling solve a minor issue with Yan Spring, further solidifying his belief in Li Ji’an’s fortunate fate.

”Brother Li, your magical power aura... Could it be you’ve also reached Qi Cultivation 3rd Layer?” Chen Qingling exclaimed suddenly.

”What? Qi Cultivation 3rd Layer?” Chen Zhaohu was even more shocked.

He remembered four years ago, when Li Ji’an insisted on leaving the gathering area to seek Immortal destiny in the market, none of them were optimistic. After Li Ji’an left, Chen Zhaohu and the others even bet on how long it would take for Li Ji’an to return.

As a result...

Li Ji’an smiled slightly: ”Just lucky, by chance.”

”Indeed, Brother Li, you truly are blessed with great fortune!”

”Ah, and now you even have such good luck, being able to follow the Pill Shop to the Yan Clan Territory... tsk tsk, the future is limitless!”

Chen Zhaohu was even more excited.

”Hahaha, this time... it really is luck.” Due to the interest conflict between Yan Qingwan and Alchemist Mo, their matters had always been a secret not to be revealed, so Li Ji’an could only smile and nod.

During the ensuing conversation, Li Ji’an learned the reason for Chen Zhaohu’s visit.

He surprisingly wanted to submit himself to the Yan Family to secure Chen Qingling’s entry into the Yan Family.

Besides the grand strategy of the rivalry between Yan and Wei Families, with both families massively recruiting valuable combat power from the outside, it also stemmed from Chen Zhaohu’s encounter at Fallen Dragon Ridge a year ago.

”Brother, I dare say I was able to get this opportunity all because of your fortunate aura.”

”On the day before I departed, I divined, and it seemed no different from usual. Unexpectedly, I accidentally fell into a cliff cave and discovered a dried-up giant python corpse of unknown age, revealing itself to be a demon beast with ancient bloodline traces. Amazingly, it had already formed a blood core. I ingested the blood core and refined it, causing my stagnant blood-and-qi body cultivation of ten years to make a breakthrough, now almost touching the doorstep of late first-tier body cultivation.” Chen Zhaohu did not conceal this opportunity from Li Ji’an.

Because of his significant increase in body cultivation strength, combined with the increasingly favorable recruitment terms offered by the Yan and Wei Families, he finally decided to involve himself for Chen Qingling’s sake.

The reason he chose the Yan Family wasn’t because he could assess the chances of success in the Yan-Wei struggle; it was solely because his lucky charm, Li Ji’an, was in the Yan Family.

Though just a servant.

The condition he proposed today, which the Seventh Elder of the Yan Family did not agree to, was that apart from the Yan Family’s offered benefits, he also requested that Chen Qingling enter the Yan Clan Territory and become an outer sect disciple.

With his current mid to late first-tier body cultivation strength, capable of battling late Qi Cultivation stage elders in close combat, and with the two clans engaged in warfare, he indeed had such leverage.

”Brother, have you put aside body refining these years? How come I feel your blood-and-qi has thinned considerably?” After sharing his story, Chen Zhaohu suddenly turned to Li Ji’an, slightly furrowing his brow.

Li Ji’an smiled gently, without answering directly.

Before stepping into Qi Cultivation, he could already masterfully control his blood and qi, and if he wished, he could diffuse all his blood-and-qi, finer than Chen Zhaohu’s, into every hair, leaving others unable to sense it at all.

Though not having spent much time on body refining over the years, thanks to the Immortal Dynasty’s foundational elements, the spiritual energy bathing here, his blood, and qi were steadily growing.

He maintained his surface-level blood-and-qi at only a primary first-tier body cultivation level to match his growth trajectory from the gathering area to the market.

After some idle chat, until the Pill Shop was tidied and ready to depart, Li Ji’an and Chen Zhaohu separated.

This time, the one responsible for leading the Pill Shop’s retreat back to the clan was none other than the Yan Family’s Seventh Elder, Yan Hongsheng, a standout among the Yan Family’s second generation, initially with the potential to break through Foundation Establishment but stuck in Qi Cultivation 9th Layer for twenty years, making him the top combat force within the Yan Clan apart from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor.

This illustrated the clan’s importance regarding the Pill Shop’s retreat.

Besides the existing pill inventory in the shop, the stockpiled medicinal materials were also of significant value.

Of course, most importantly, was the person of Alchemist Mo!