Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Master Xia, Looking for a Dao Companion? Xia Changge was truly infuriated. These darn things had caused him so much trouble that he couldn't even peacefully tend to his fields. He was truly cursing in anger! If Xia Changge had the power right now, he would definitely make these guys pay. "Have the servants dig channels and divert water from the mouth of the river to the spiritual fields through several shallow waterways," Xia Changge instructed. After conducting a geological survey, Xia Changge finally settled on this policy. It was the only way to ensure the cultivation of the spiritual rice fields. The spiritual rice required water several times more than regular rice. In addition to this, Xia Changge himself no longer resided in his own mansion. Instead, he moved to the farm to better stabilize his cultivation industry. Not only Xia Changge himself, but also the students under him moved out together. With Yang Zhe, who was at the Foundation Establishment realm, guarding the farm, there shouldn't be any major issues. Xia Changge's intention in bringing the students out was simple—to train and discipline them. He led these students carefully clearing the river nearby of demonic fish. With such a valuable training opportunity, how could he not make use of it? With Xia Changge around, even if the students were accidentally harmed by the demonic fish, they wouldn't die immediately. With a powerful Eighth Layer of Qi Refining like Xia Changge, plus around ten scattered cultivators, they wouldn't encounter any trouble before the demonic fish grew completely rampant. Leaving aside other matters, at least the demonic fish near Xia Changge's farm were effectively cleared. The Green Silk fish were harmless if they didn't transform into demons. But once they did, they would emit thick demonic energy. Those with a cultivation base at the Qi Refining realm could sense it easily. Xia Changge's decision was very wise and decisive. It had been more than a month since they went out for training. Because the students hunted and killed the demonic fish that came ashore every day, Xia Changge's more than 80 students had gained ten additional cultivators at the First Layer of Qi Refining! Such a good thing was an insane stimulus for the other students! This could change their destiny, perhaps as early as today? The benefits to these students were immense, but Xia Changge also gained greatly. Xia Changge's two spirit beast pets, the Gale Swift Sparrow and the Red-Crowned Crane, had awakened their inner demonic beast bloodlines. They were now close to the First Layer of Qi Refining, no longer just ordinary beasts but true demonic beasts! Unfortunately, they were still too small and couldn't carry Xia Changge for flying yet. Furthermore, Xia Changge hadn't carved slave marks on them yet, so he couldn't release them either. He had to continue raising them in iron cages. The days spent training with the students in the water were temporarily disrupted by the arrival of Yu Keqing from the Yu family. Xia Changge had thought that Yu Keqing had come to negotiate a partnership with the Xiao family. He never expected that this woman had actually come to find him! "Master Xia, you seem to have a leisurely and carefree life. It's truly enviable," Yu Keqing greeted Xia Changge lightly as she stopped on the opposite riverside. Xia Changge knew that this woman was actually one of the decision-makers in the Yu family. Officially, she was in charge of the family's external communications and overseeing their industries. She was very experienced and could even be described as meticulous. Since the last auction she hosted, Xia Changge had never underestimated her again. This woman was much more formidable than Xiao Wan, the strong-willed woman he had seen before. In the future, she might be comparable to the powerful character Xiao Yun. In truth, Xia Changge didn't really want to deal with such a scheming woman. But since she had come to his doorstep, Xia Changge had no choice but to answer with a straight face, "Senior is joking. Senior is a Foundation Establishment expert, the goal that we younger generation cultivators pursue in our entire lives. My ordinary life cannot compare to what senior has described." Yu Keqing seemed unfazed and said, "Master Xia, can you refine more Qi-Gathering Pills? It's simple for a Qi Refining cultivator like you to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I must say, Master Xia, you are truly remarkable. In the entire Yun'an Immortal City, only Foundation Establishment experts can refine Qi-Gathering Pills. But you can refine them even with your Qi Refining level. Your future is limitless, and in the future, our Yu family will rely on your help." News of Xia Changge's refining of Qi-Gathering Pills couldn't stay hidden after the Xiao family began selling them in Huaying Immortal Town. After all, there were only a limited number of alchemists in the Xiao family. It didn't take much speculation to figure out that Xia Changge was the most likely candidate. "It's just alright. It's just that I've been lucky. I don't know why Senior Yu has come to find this junior?" Xia Changge said, not feigning ignorance about the reason. Yu Keqing didn't seem to mind and said, "Master Xia, I heard that you still don't have a suitable Dao companion. Have you been considering finding one recently?" Xia Changge couldn't believe that he had caught someone's eye. But when he thought about it carefully, it wasn't really a surprising thing. After all, he was now more or less a money-making tool. "A Dao companion… I have always had the idea of finding someone who is just right to accompany me for life. It's just that I haven't met a suitable person yet," Xia Changge honestly replied, without any pretense. He didn't have any ulterior motives about this matter. Such a trivial matter didn't require any deceit or cover-up. He really hoped to find a beautiful little fairy. Xia Changge's answer satisfied Yu Keqing greatly. "Our Yu family has many outstanding young women. Among them, my niece Yu Qiaoyan is now only nineteen years old, with Three Spiritual Roots. She has already reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. After hearing about Master Xia's deeds, she admires you greatly. Master Xia, would you be willing to meet with her?" Marriage... This was the first time Xia Changge had encountered it. He had considered arranging for his son to marry into another family, but he never expected that it would happen to him. If it had been any other Foundation Establishment family besides the Yu family, Xia Changge would have agreed with a smile and without any hesitation. But there was something about the Yu family that gave Xia Changge a bad feeling. He didn't feel confident that he could handle it if he were to be married into that family. "Forget it, Senior Yu. Your niece is too young. As an old man in his fifties like me, I don't want to hinder the young girl's life. I should try to find someone who is closer to my age," Xia Changge said. Take sides, and you had to choose the right one! Now that Xia Changge had finally established such a strong trust relationship with the Xiao family, it wouldn't be wise to add another family into the mix. So Xia Changge casually found a reason to refuse. It was truly a casual reason. Deep down, he still preferred someone young and lively. Xia Changge's words made Yu Keqing feel regretful. It was exactly the same as the information they had gathered. Perhaps this guy really did prefer someone a bit older, especially... For the sake of her family's plan, Yu Keqing closed her eyes and berated herself for a while. She apologized in her heart to her own biological brother who sacrificed himself for the family's sake. "If you prefer a different type of woman, our Yu family also has options. My sister-in-law has been widowed for three years and is now at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. She's on the edge of reaching Foundation Establishment. Would Master Xia like to meet her? Perhaps you two would get along very well," Yu Keqing said. This sentence almost made Xia Changge spit out the tea he had just drunk. He found it truly difficult to understand such thinking. Using his sister-in-law as a potential connection? Aren't they afraid that her brother's coffin would be crushed!? Was this what they called "serving the family"? Sacrificing everything for the family? PS: Shamelessly recommending my new book, "Cultivation: I Have an Enlightenment Space," which I am diligently writing with the help of everyone's encouragement. It's a traditional cultivation novel that you might like. Those who are interested can go take a look. It will start updating daily from the first of next month, with a minimum of ten thousand words per day! (End of this chapter)