Chương 20: Chapter 20 What Defines a Family

In the early morning of springtime, the temperature at the peak of Fangmu Mountain was very low, with moisture drenching the entire mountainside. Droplets one after another fell, hitting the leaves, the grass, and the ground.

Lin Shiming stood at one corner of the mountain's edge, looking down, only to see a sea of clouds billowing, rolling towards the east.

Further east, a glimmer of the rising sun broke through the horizon, piercing through the cloud sea, a truly magnificent sight.

This was Lin Shiming's second day back at Fangmu Mountain, and he had been notified to wait here.

In the distance, a Spirit Talisman flew towards him, transforming into a burst of flame—twisting spiritual power turned it into a line of text.

"Hurry to Qinglian Pool, the clan elder summons you!"

Without delay, Lin Shiming applied a lightness charm to his feet and headed towards the cobblestone path leading higher up the mountain.

Upon reaching Xing Pavilion, a middle-aged man in green robes was waiting for him, none other than the Second Elder, Lin Yuqi.

"The elder has summoned you near Qinglian Pool, don't let the old man wait too long!"

"Understood, Second Grandpa!" Lin Shiming nodded and then passed by the pavilion, continuing on his way.

The farther he walked, the denser the spiritual energy he felt. Fangmu Mountain was a Third Rank Spirit Vein, and the Qinglian Pool was derived from it, making the spiritual energy here the richest within the entire mountain.

Soon, Lin Shiming saw a spirit pool about twenty meters in diameter. Compared to the one in Peach Blossom Valley, the spirit pool on Fangmu Mountain was larger, the mist of spiritual energy thicker, giving off the immediate sensation of a Mortal Fairyland.

In the center of the spirit pool, lush lotus leaves floated on the surface.

Next to the pool, there was also a cool pavilion.

A young man was seen fishing inside.

But what was strange was that the young man's hair was as white as snow!

"Are you a descendant of Hou Yuan?" the young man asked as he saw Lin Shiming approaching. He lifted his fishing rod, flipped it, and stowed it away in his Storage Bag.

"In reply to Uncle Ancestor, I am indeed!" At this moment, Lin Shiming also understood that the person before him, who appeared to be around his age, was actually the old clan elder of the Lin Family, Lin Xianzhi.

He seemed to be in much better shape than the rumors suggested.

"Come and sit down!" Lin Xianzhi said, taking a seat first near a stone table inside the pavilion.

On the stone table, there was a chessboard. The white pieces were noticeably suppressed by the black pieces, with the black continuing to steadily consume the white.

Lin Shiming walked over, taking a seat as per Lin Xianzhi's arrangements.

His mind raced, wondering if he was being asked to play chess—simply to continue the game with another black piece, devouring white.

"Shiming, what do you think a family is?" Lin Xianzhi was the first to speak, but not about the chess pieces on the board.

Hearing this, Lin Shiming was momentarily taken aback.

What is a family?

At that moment, Lin Shiming truly couldn't come up with an answer.

Cultivators often say to seek only for a chance at immortality, to not worry about what lies ahead.

Seeking embodies the effort to forge ahead, the bravery to challenge the sun and moon to change the sky, the daring to compete with the heavens, the audacity to battle with the earth!

So, if that's the case, how could one concern themselves with whether the road ahead was a splendid avenue or a thorny, muddy path?

And what about family? Lin Shiming's mind was in turmoil, unable to find the correct answer.

Upon deeper reflection, were those previously perceived truths about family actually correct?

Just as a person must have a goal, what then is the goal of a cultivator from a family?

"Don't rush; take some more time to think," Lin Xianzhi said as he noticed Lin Shiming's hesitation, continuing to speak.

Lin Shiming refocused his attention on the chessboard and saw that indeed, the main forces of the white pieces were still intact, with only the peripheral branches having been lost.

However, mounting a successful counterattack would not be easy, especially given the existing power disparity between the white and black pieces.

This made Lin Shiming think of the Lin Family, which had been weakening over the years as part of the Purple Mansion Family. Would this be possible without someone in the background orchestrating it?

After all, the Lin Family had a Profound Rank Purple Mansion cultivation technique, capable of reaching the Purple Mansion Realm.

He also thought of the Second Elder, who had always been suppressed and was continuously healing from his injuries.

The Second Elder was waiting to recover and return to his peak, and the Lin Family was waiting too, for an opportunity to rise, a chance to turn the tide.

Then the Second Elder's intentions became clear.

The Lin Family had enemies, powerful ones, and he was questioning Lin Shiming's feelings and dependence on the family.

Of course, this also meant that Lin Shiming was gradually ascending to the Lin Family's upper echelons, moving towards management.

Within families of cultivators, there were always some who concentrated solely on the path of cultivation, feeling that family ties would hold them back, and thus set out alone to make their own way.

There were three thousand paths to immortality; each person chose their own.

This was not uncommon; there had even been a cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root who, after helping his family become a Purple Mansion Family, departed, citing the completion of his karma, never to be seen again.

For a family that had invested everything in nurturing a genius, this was nothing short of heart-wrenching, yet they were powerless to change it.

"Responding to the Second Elder, Shiming is dull; he only understands that the family is the root," Lin Shiming replied earnestly, "I was born here, raised here, and the family is as my Taoist heart!"

"The family prospers, I prosper; the family declines, I decline!"

"Therefore, Shiming is willing to become the family's sharp sword, cutting down all enemies!" Lin Shiming said, each word deliberate.

And at that moment, his concept of family became much clearer.

Indeed, as a cultivator of the family, he had been with the family from birth. To reach the true pinnacle of the immortal path, the word "family" could not be escaped.

"Mm! Your answer is much better than your father's," Lin Xianzhi nodded, then continued speaking,

"You must have guessed already, our Lin Family has a powerful enemy, the Purple Mansion Family!"

"I was also injured by those people, and they afflicted me with a strange poison. Although I've managed to suppress and dissolve most of it over the past thirty years with the help of the Green Lotus Spirit Pool's lotus root and lotus seeds, the meridians throughout my body are still greatly damaged and blocked, and my cultivation level even started to regress—acting is out of the question!"

"Fortunately, the Second Rank Supreme Grade Spiritual Wine you brought back this time happens to be able to treat internal injuries, regulate the meridians and harmonize the spiritual energy. I estimate it won't be long until I recover the combat power of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

"Calling you here was also to ask what reward you would like?"

"Responding to the Second Elder, retrieving the Spiritual Wine was the achievement of the entire family; Shiming just contributed a little bit of meager effort and dares not ask for a reward," Lin Shiming waved his hand dismissively.

The family had won a great victory this time, with the efforts of the elders and the lives of uncles lost; he dared not claim the credit.

Nor was he capable of doing such a thing.

"A family must have rewards as well as punishments. Since you won't say, I'll give you a Second Rank Superior Grade Flying Sword!" Lin Xianzhi didn't wait for Lin Shiming to reply, but simply waved his hand, and a dark green sword appeared in Lin Shiming's hands.

"This sword is named the Lotus Sword; it was used by me in my youth, and now it also has sentimental value to me. I bestow it upon you! I hope you will continue to harder and reach new heights!"

"Also, you may cultivate here for a bit to break through to the sixth level of Qi Cultivation!"

"Thank you, Second Elder!" Lin Shiming quickly waved his hands in gratitude, and he was delighted with the old clan chief's suggestion to use this place for a breakthrough.

This Spirit Pool was, after all, a Third Rank pool; cultivating here not only meant you could break through twice as fast, but it also made solidifying one's cultivation level easier.

However, before that, Lin Shiming had two other matters to inquire about.

"Second Elder, Shiming has an item he cannot identify; may I please ask the Second Elder to help identify it?" Lin Shiming brought out the stone from the Magical Pavilion, intending to search for information in the treasure trove's records, but with this experienced Second Elder present, naturally having him take a look would be faster.

"Eh!" Lin Xianzhi took it, glanced at it, clearly startled by the stone's absorption of divine sense.

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