Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: Lin Family Sons

At the end of the year, the family gathered for a meal in a large hall, where three tables were set up. The women sat at one, Lin Batian and the second generation of the Lin family at another, and the third generation had their own table.

Lin Batian had nine sons and six daughters. His eldest son, Lin Shan, was forty-eight years old and had reached the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining. The second son, Lin He, was forty-six and also at the tenth level of Qi Refining. The third child, Lin Die, was twenty-five and had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, making her the most talented among the second generation of the Lin family.

The fourth daughter, Lin Yuan, was twenty-four and had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Her younger brother, Lin Hai, was also twenty-four and had reached the fifth level. The youngest son, Lin Jiang, was seventeen and at the first level of Qi Refining. His younger siblings had not yet started their cultivation. Cultivation didn’t have to begin early, and Lin Batian had set a rule that it would start at age twelve. Before that, the children engaged in physical exercises. Now, with the family’s wealth, they could even afford medicinal baths.

Lin Shan’s eldest son, Lin Keli, was thirty years old and had already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. There were also seven or eight younger descendants at the third and fourth levels. Thanks to Lin Batian’s tireless efforts over decades, the Lin family had firmly established its position in Yun State.

As was tradition, Lin Batian would use this gathering to review the achievements of his descendants. Those who had excelled would naturally be rewarded, while those who had faltered would receive stern criticism.

“Lin Jiang.” Lin Batian’s voice carried a note of dissatisfaction, though he saved Lin Jiang for last. Throughout the meal, Lin Jiang had done little more than eat, almost pushing his father to the edge.

“Dad, I’m here,” Lin Jiang said lazily, looking up from his plate.

“Can you stand up for me? Your nephew’s cultivation level is higher than yours,” Lin Batian snapped, his patience thinning.

Lin Batian was generally pleased with his children. Even if their cultivation wasn’t advancing quickly, they each had other talents that helped him manage the family. But Lin Jiang was a different story. He couldn’t seem to get anything right. Five years had passed, and he was still stuck at the first level of Qi Refining.

“I understand, Dad. I’ll definitely work harder on my cultivation,” Lin Jiang mumbled, offering a half-hearted promise.

“If you can’t break through to the second stage by next year, I’ll kick you out,” Lin Batian warned, his frustration evident. “It’s really starting to make me angry.”

“I understand, Dad,” Lin Jiang replied lazily, not particularly bothered. He wasn’t in a hurry. After all, he was already over five hundred years old—older than his father. Cultivating to the second level of Qi Refining didn’t seem like a pressing matter to him.

The other brothers of the Lin family exchanged glances and silently shook their heads. If Lin Batian weren’t present, they would have been far less kind. They felt embarrassed by their younger brother’s lack of progress and often found themselves ashamed to acknowledge him.

The Lin family hadn’t yet established any particularly grand traditions. The family was still growing, and the atmosphere at this gathering remained relatively lighthearted. For Lin Jiang, however, there was little concern for anything beyond the food. It was simply too delicious.

Everything—from the meat to the vegetables—was grown on spiritual land, and the head chef had a gift for bringing out the best in every dish. Lin Jiang was far too busy enjoying the meal to care about much else.

“Sixth Brother, stop eating,” came a voice from the table. “You’re still at the first level of Qi Refining. Do you want to explode and die?”

Lin Hai, standing beside them, couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He quickly intervened to stop Lin Jiang. The food was infused with spiritual energy, and someone at the first level of Qi Refining couldn’t handle much of it. If they ate too much, the spiritual energy would overwhelm them, potentially causing them to explode and die.

Lin Jiang, startled by his brother’s warning, quickly put down his chopsticks. However, his mind was already made up. When he returned to the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa, he would raise some magical beasts to eat and cultivate a few acres of spiritual land to grow his own vegetables. After all, life was about enjoyment. If you weren’t happy, what was the point of living forever?

The younger disciples, unable to handle the spiritual energy, quickly excused themselves and left the scene. Those with higher cultivation remained, and Lin Jiang followed his sister, Lin Ying, who was thirteen years old and had been practicing for a year. She had reached the same level of cultivation as Lin Jiang.

“Sixth Brother, they’re all going to the market. Should we go too?” Lin Ying asked.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you,” Lin Jiang replied, nodding. Although the original owner had visited the market before, Lin Jiang hadn’t had the chance and was curious to see it for himself.

Thirty miles from Lin Jiang’s mountain gate, the Lin family had established a market, serving as a trading hub for cultivators within a thousand miles. It was a crucial source of income for the family, and Lin Jiang’s eldest brother usually oversaw its operation.

Of course, it wasn’t just his eldest brother handling everything. Lin Batian had recruited many auxiliary officials, all at the Foundation Establishment stage, to help guard the town. The Lin family’s heritage was still fragile, and many vital positions were filled by people Lin Batian had brought in. As the cornerstone of the family, Lin Batian was irreplaceable—without him, the Lin family would likely collapse, unable to withstand the forces that would seek to swallow it whole.

It would take several decades for the second and third generations of the Lin family to fully mature and for them to amass a group of cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. Only then would the Lin family be truly stable.

The Lin family’s market was bustling with a large number of independent cultivators, as well as many ordinary people. With the end of the year approaching, the market grew even livelier, offering a wide array of snacks and other goods.

The currency in the market consisted of spirit stones and spiritual beads. A standard spirit stone in the cultivation world measured three inches long, one inch wide, and one inch thick. Any leftover scraps from these stones were polished into spiritual beads. In theory, one hundred spiritual beads could be exchanged for one spirit stone.

As long as one didn’t buy cultivation resources, spirit stones still held significant purchasing power. Lin Jiang bought a variety of snacks for Lin Ying, and it cost him only around twenty spiritual beads.

“Brother, Brother, look, this is Mother’s shop,” Lin Ying pointed out, her excitement evident.

“This is grandmother’s, and that’s also grandmother’s,” she continued, pointing to various stalls.

“That belongs to Aunt Wu.”

“And this one belongs to Auntie Lin.”

Lin Ying pointed to several shops in the market. “More than half of the shops here belong to Lin Batian’s wives and concubines. Of course, they don’t run the shops themselves—they rent them out to others and collect the rent each year.”

Lin Jiang, however, wasn’t interested in such matters. He had no talent for business. His heart lay in the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. He loved farming—something that seemed to be ingrained in his very genes.

They spent the evening exploring the market, enjoying the sights and sounds, until it was well past midnight. At that point, the group of Lin family young masters and ladies hurried back to the mountain gate. Ordinarily, they wouldn’t be allowed to return so late, as it wasn’t very safe.

Early the next morning, Lin Jiang bade farewell to Zhuang Rong. He needed to return to the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. With his somewhat cold personality, he found the crowd at the Lin family’s mountain gate too large and too bustling for his liking.

Before he left, Zhuang Rong handed him a bag of spirit stones. “Son, you must cultivate well. If you can’t break through to the second level by next year, your father will really kick you out.”

“Mom, I have money. What do I need this for?” Lin Jiang protested.

“Listen, take it. Starting this year, all the earnings from Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa will go to you. Don’t send them to me anymore. I have enough. Your grandfather left me a lot. Since you’re my only son, who else should I give it to?”

“Lin Ying has also started practicing, and I need to take care of her a bit.”

“Keep it,” Zhuang Rong insisted. “Don’t worry, practice well.”

“Got it, got it,” Lin Jiang said, accepting the spirit stones with a sigh. In his heart, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of his mother’s love. It was something he couldn’t easily let go of.

Two days later, Lin Jiang returned to the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. The tenants were busy decorating for the New Year. Mortals still paid attention to these things, but cultivators weren’t as concerned. High-level cultivators, in particular, usually focused on seclusion and didn’t bother with such matters.

Lin Jiang reflected on how to manage the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa properly. Now, all the income from the villa belonged to him, but what did that really mean? Even though Lin Jiang took life easy, he wouldn’t mind having a few more spirit stones. After all, the more spirit stones, the better.