Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Wang Mingren never imagined that a crisis that could have annihilated the Wang Clan would be resolved in just a few words. The thought made everything he had done feel like a joke.

It was hardly surprising. Even the current Song Clan wouldn’t dare to confront an old Purple Mansion Influence like the Celestial Sword Sect head-on. The Wang Clan was just a small Foundation Establishment Family, so it was perfectly normal for them to panic in such a situation.

It was a good thing he had already considered surrendering; otherwise, Cyan Ape Mountain would have long since been overrun by the Allied Army formed by the seven great families of Yang Province.

“Clan Leader Wang, Clan Leader Wang.”

When Wang Mingren didn’t respond, Song Changsheng frowned and called out to him again.

Wang Mingren finally snapped out of it and looked at Song Changsheng with trepidation.

“Take me to the vein.”

“As you command.” Wang Mingren hurriedly led the way.

The two soon arrived at the foot of a barren mountain. Strangely, while the surrounding peaks were lush and verdant, this one was completely bare. Vast patches of rock lay exposed, with only a few unknown weeds growing stubbornly in the crevices.

Wang Mingren walked up to a dark cave entrance, took out a Jade Token to open the Guardian Array, and said respectfully, “Sect Leader, this is the place.”

“Let’s go inside.”

Song Changsheng strode into the mine and found that work inside had long since stopped.

The mine was a network of tunnels reaching in all directions. Some ran deep, while others had only recently been excavated.

He waved his hand, and a large chunk of dark soil and rock was torn from the wall. Under the influence of his Mana, the earth and stone flaked away, leaving three translucent Spirit Stones hovering in his palm.

“Such high density?” Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He tested a few other spots and extracted two to five Spirit Stones each time.

It might not sound like much, but in reality, this density surpassed that of the two Spirit Stone Veins under the Song Clan’s control. A find like this was rare in all of Daqi.

Wang Mingren hadn’t exaggerated. It was indeed a rich vein, just a bit small in scale. Otherwise, its value would be immeasurable. Even so, for a family like the Wang Clan, it represented an enormous fortune.

No wonder Wang Mingren had initially suspected the Song Clan was also after the Spirit Stone Vein. At this moment, even Song Changsheng himself felt a little tempted.

Reading his expression, Wang Mingren quickly cupped his fists. “Thank you, Sect Leader, for saving the Wang Clan from this crisis. We have no way to repay you. All we can offer is this Spirit Stone Vein. We hope you will not find it beneath you.”

“That is very thoughtful of you, Clan Leader Wang,” Song Changsheng said with a smile and a nod. Though he had already considered the vein his, since Wang Mingren was so perceptive, there was no need for him to play the villain and demand it.

Next, Song Changsheng inspected the Black Gold Mine Vein. He found the quality to be superb and the ore easy to excavate. ‘If I can reach an agreement with the Celestial Sword Sect,’ he thought, ‘this could be another source of revenue.’

After leaving the mine, Song Changsheng didn’t immediately return to Vast Mist Peak. Instead, he traveled alone to Qiaojiang Mountain. Gazing at the beautiful peak before him, his thoughts drifted back more than ten years.

Back then, he had only been a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. While taking Song Qingxing and Song Qingxi to the Celestial Sword Sect, the Flying Ship he was piloting was ambushed by Chi Huo Old Ghost and his men, damaging its propulsion system.

After subjugating Chi Huo Old Ghost, he had come here searching for a Celestial Artisan to repair the Flying Ship. Along the way, he had adopted Lingyun, the sole survivor of the Ling Clan.

It was also then that he met the Celestial Artisan Master Lu Tianchou and obtained a Quasi-Celestial Ship from him.

‘How time flies. In the blink of an eye, Lingyun, who was just a baby in swaddling clothes back then, is already twelve years old.’

“It’s been so many years. I wonder if Master Lu still lives here,” Song Changsheng murmured to himself.

His purpose for this visit was twofold: to visit his old friend Lu Tianchou, and to see if he could recruit the master for the Song Clan.

‘There’s no helping it. The Song Clan is desperately short on talent in this field. We have the desire to train our own, but we lack the necessary legacy and, more importantly, a suitable mentor.’

‘If I could just recruit Lu Tianchou, all our problems would be solved.’

“Song Changsheng of the Song Clan, here to visit. Is Master Lu present?”

His steady, calm voice echoed through the mountains, startling a dark cloud of birds into flight. Song Changsheng waited quietly for a moment, but there was no answer.

“Song Changsheng of the Song Clan, here to visit! Is Master Lu present?”

He asked again, his voice louder this time, but still there was no reply.

Song Changsheng frowned. In a flash, he was at the mountain’s peak. What met his eyes was a scene of devastation. Lu Tianchou’s small courtyard had been completely destroyed, and the wreckage clearly showed signs of a struggle.

His powerful Divine Sense swept out, covering the area like a net and probing every corner.

‘There’s no blood, so Master Lu should be unharmed.’

‘He put up a fierce struggle, but he was quickly subdued. It must have been a Purple Mansion Cultivator who made the move personally.’

‘The tracks are still fresh; this must have happened recently. Who on earth would dare to attack a Celestial Artisan?’

Song Changsheng frowned. Across the entire Daqi Cultivation World, you could count the number of Tier Two Celestial Artisans on both hands. And Lu Tianchou had been a Tier Two Top Grade Celestial Artisan for over a decade.

‘Rarity begets value. With his status, he’d be a guest of honor anywhere he went, with extensive, first-rate connections. For someone to use force against him… they’ve got some serious nerve.’

“Hm? What’s this?”

Song Changsheng’s expression tightened. He crouched down and picked up a single, fine hair from the ground.

‘I don’t know whose hair this is, but it must belong to one of the people involved. Unfortunately, a single strand of hair is nowhere near enough. Trying to find Lu Tianchou with this will be incredibly difficult—like finding a needle in a haystack.’