Chapter 4

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This chapter is edited by Sheepadu. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 4: A Casual Encounter With Nan Mountain

After the New Year, Lin Jiang made several changes to the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. First, he gathered the tenants and had them dig a fish pond that spanned over ten acres within the estate. Then, he purchased a hundred Silver Light Fish from the Lin family market. These fish, low-ranked monster beasts with fierce temperaments, were known for their delicious meat. Lin Jiang had eaten them during a family gathering and vividly remembered the taste.

Next, they built a pig shed and raised twenty Iron-backed Pigs. Although these wild animals hadn’t reached a high level—they were among the lowest rank—their meat was prized for its quality. Lin Jiang also had the tenants develop twenty acres of special land. Two acres were used for growing vegetables, while the rest was dedicated to cultivating spiritual herbs to feed both the Iron-backed Pigs and the Silver Light Fish.

From that point on, Lin Jiang secluded himself at home. He spent his days meditating, cultivating, chopping firewood, feeding the pigs, and taking care of the fish. He lived freely and happily. The Lin family visited less and less, and if it weren’t for Zhuang Rong and Lin Ying occasionally mentioning him, the family would have almost forgotten he existed.

Three years later, at the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa, a young and beautiful girl, holding a steel fork, stared intently at a creature in front of her—no, it was actually a Silver Light Fish.

“Bang!”

In an instant, the girl thrust the steel fork forward.

“Wow, Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother, I hit it! We have fish to eat again!” she exclaimed, beaming with excitement.

She put away the fork, revealing a Silver Light Fish weighing about ten kilograms. Holding the fish triumphantly, she made her way to Lin Jiang.

“Sister, you’re amazing. Come, let’s add a dish for lunch,” Lin Jiang said with a smile.

Lin Jiang happily put away the Silver Light Fish, skillfully removing its scales and internal organs. He cut some wild ginger into pieces, added cooking wine and a few other spices, and placed the mixture in a bowl to marinate.

“Sixth Brother, your place is still so comfortable,” the girl complained, pulling over a blanket and lying down on it. “Dad is getting more and more crazy, wanting me to practice cultivation all day long. It’s so boring.” She had secretly sneaked out, clearly slacking off.

“Who made you so talented?” Lin Jiang replied with a chuckle. “Dad has high hopes for you. Look at Third Sister, Lin Die—she’s almost at the Foundation Building stage.”

Lin Jiang casually picked up a few skewers of already grilled Iron-backed Pig meat and handed them to Lin Ying, his smile warm.

The speed of cultivating immortality depended on two factors. One was aptitude, determined by a person’s Spiritual Root. Lin Jiang’s Five Spiritual Roots were the worst kind, while Lin Ying had Three Spiritual Roots, which wasn’t as good as one or two but still considered good among the second generation of the Lin family. The second factor was understanding. Some people struggled to grasp a cultivation technique even after months of practice, while others could learn it after only reading it a couple of times. Lin Ying was exceptional in this regard, which is why she was becoming increasingly valued by Lin Batian, who had grown stricter with her.

“I’m not as hardworking as Third Sister,” Lin Ying sighed. “She spends eight hours practicing every day and only sleeps for one hour. She’s even studying alchemy!”

Lin Jiang smiled, handing her another skewer. “Fine, I won’t practice anymore.”

“Not practicing won’t work either,” Lin Jiang said, shaking his head. “We already have 20 brothers and sisters, and Mother relies on me too. We can’t count on you.”

“Our father is still skilled with his ‘sword,’” Lin Ying muttered with a playful smirk.

Lin Jiang could only shake his head in response. After three years, Lin Batian hadn’t forgotten about ‘farming.’ After having nine sons and six daughters, he continued to have more children. Now, the twentieth child had just been born.

“Brother, when will you break through to the second level? It’s been ten years for you, but I broke through when I was fourteen.”

“Taking my time,” Lin Jiang replied with a shrug.

He tossed a wine flask toward her. Inside was Peach Blossom Wine, brewed from the spiritual peach blossoms of Peach Mountain Villa. The taste was extraordinary and delicious.

As for Lin Jiang’s cultivation, he wasn’t in a rush. He had been practicing at the first level of Qi Refining for ten years, and it would only take a few more months to break through.

“If you don’t make progress next year, Dad will really kick you out. Even the others call you a shame of the Lin family. Mom won’t be able to plead for you anymore.” Lin Ying’s voice was tinged with concern. Two years ago, Lin Batian had said he would kick out Lin Jiang, but their mother, Zhuang Rong, had pleaded on his behalf. This year, it seemed there would be no saving him.

“Alright, I’ll make progress this year,” Lin Jiang said, his tone light.

“Really, Brother?”

“Really, I’m not lying to you. Here, have a peach.”

“Where did the peach come from at this time?”

“It’s a secret,” Lin Jiang grinned. “I bought an ice-cold spell to use as a freezer. I still have a bunch of magical peaches.”

“It’s really delicious, Brother. You have it so comfortable here—with fish, pork, alcohol, and peaches. You’re self-sufficient. No wonder you don’t want to go home.”

“Come by more often in the future,” Lin Jiang said. “I don’t like crowded places.”

Though he was quiet and didn’t like noise, Lin Jiang genuinely enjoyed his sister’s visits. Whenever she came by, he would slaughter an Iron-backed Pig just for her.

“Okay, I’ll come more often. I’m full now. I need to go home. If Dad finds out, he’ll scold me again.”

“Wait, let me bring something for Mom,” Lin Jiang said, standing up with a smile.

Lin Jiang packed some fresh Iron-backed Pig meat, caught two Silver Light Fish, and took out dozens of spirit peaches from the cold ice array. After a moment of thought, he also picked some fresh spirit vegetables, filling a large bag.

“You’re really filial. Mom didn’t raise you in vain. Goodbye.” Lin Ying smiled, then summoned a flying sword. She stepped on it and, in the blink of an eye, was gone.

Lin Jiang watched his sister’s figure with a hint of envy. He, too, had a flying sword, but his cultivation wasn’t high enough to fly. He needed to be at least at the fourth level of Qi Refining for that.

“Oh dear!”

Just as Lin Jiang was about to leave, he heard Lin Ying scream. She had fallen off her flying sword, but before Lin Jiang could react, she miraculously flew back up, albeit unsteadily.

Lin Jiang smirked. Lin Ying must have recently broken through to the fourth level and was still getting the hang of using the flying sword. It served her right to take a tumble.

Afterward, Lin Jiang didn’t eat the leftover Silver Light Fish. Instead, he continued grilling the fish, and once he was full, he unsteadily walked back to his room to meditate.

“I need to work harder on my training. Let’s increase the daily practice time from four hours to eight hours.”

“No, no, no, eight hours is too long. How about six?”

“Six won’t work either. I still need to take care of the spiritual land, feed the pigs, and raise the fish. Let’s make it five hours—five hours a day, five days a week, and weekends off. Perfect.”

After a painful internal struggle, Lin Jiang finally decided to increase his practice time by just one hour and leave weekends for rest.

Lin Jiang had already made up his mind long ago. He would never push himself too hard. If he could lie down, he would.

Three months later, at the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa, a burst of laughter echoed through the air.

“Hahaha…”

A cheerful laugh echoed from Lin Jiang’s room. After years of practice, he had finally reached the second level of Qi Refining, a joyous occasion that warranted celebration.

Lin Jiang walked out of his room and informed the servants that there would be an additional meal that evening, to celebrate the significant improvement in the cultivation of their Sixth Young Master.

After a night of revelry, the next day, Lin Jiang rode his horse back to the entrance of the Lin family estate, carrying the specialty products from Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. He presented them to Lin Batian, making it clear that he should not be expelled from the family. After all, Lin Jiang had now reached the second level of Qi Refining.

“Eldest, tell me,” Lin Batian began, “is your Sixth Brother really my biological child? How did I, Lin Batian, end up with such a strange creature?”

Watching Lin Jiang leave with great excitement, Lin Batian voiced his doubts to his eldest son, Lin Shan. He was beginning to suspect that this “Sixth Brother” wasn’t really his child—how else could he be so different?

Thinking of himself, Lin Batian—mighty and extraordinary—started cultivating at the age of twelve, broke through to the Foundation Building stage at thirty, and reached the Golden Core stage before he was a hundred. More than ten of his offspring had also embarked on the path of cultivation. But then there was this son.

“Ahem, Dad, Fourth Auntie is not that kind of person,” Lin Shan replied, his voice a mix of amusement and confusion.

Among his younger siblings, Sixth Brother had always gone his own way. But perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing. If all of his younger siblings were talented, it would be difficult for Lin Shan, as the eldest, to manage. It would be embarrassing if he couldn’t outdo them.