Banshee Family Training Record

Page 292

He tried to relax the wolf bone, but the latter remained wary, its eyes fixed on him, and it spoke in a low growl: "What are you going to do?"

Yun Chu'an recalled yesterday's words of defiance after this guy was defeated by Sima Lixin, and continued, "Don't be in a hurry, friend. I'm here to make friends. I long for strong people to be my friends, so that I can improve."

After a string of nice words, he extended his hand to the other person as a gesture of friendliness: "And you are the kind of friend I want."

Wolfbone's mood improved slightly, but his eyes remained wary as he deliberately said, "I'm not strong enough. I'm just a defeated opponent of yours."

Yun Chuan said, "I can't say that. Your strength comes from your own abilities, and that's what I value most. In fact, I think, brother, if you had a slightly better weapon, you would definitely have won yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Wolfbone suddenly felt refreshed. He had always believed that his defeat was due to the inferiority of his weapon, and the ridicule and sarcasm from others made him feel extremely aggrieved.

So now, Yun Chu'an's words really struck a chord with him, making him incredibly excited, and he immediately let down his guard: "Hmm... Hmph!"

He snorted as if his anger hadn't subsided, but his face clearly showed he was quite happy. Yun Chu'an stepped forward and asked knowingly, "Brother, tell me your name. From now on, we'll be friends."

He subtly changed his form of address, but Wolf Bone seemed unaware, saying, "My name is Wolf Bone. I'm very good at fighting, I can endure hardship, and I'm not afraid of pain. You can come to me if you need anything!"

Chapter 583 Accumulation of Industry

Yun Chu'an laughed: "No rush, at least not now. My competition is over. But you, you still have a competition. Is there anything you need? A teleportation ability? A wind and thunder technique to manipulate water and fire? Pills to quickly restore physical and spiritual energy? Or a magical artifact or something? Since we're friends, I can help you with anything."

Wolfbone scratched his head; he didn't want any of these. Lacking systematic education, he wasn't particularly interested in them, considering them mere tricks and gimmicks, far less useful than primal rage and fighting instincts. (The rest of the text appears to be random characters and doesn't translate directly.)

After thinking it over, he finally spoke up: "Could you give me a better axe? With a good axe, no one will be my match."

Yun Chu'an hesitated: "Axes... I do have a few that I captured before, but the quality isn't very good. I don't know if you'll be able to use them properly."

As he spoke, he took out his storage bag and pulled out more than ten axes, placing them in front of the wolf bone for him to choose from.

These were all spoils of war he had previously captured, as well as treasures obtained from exploring various secret realms, etc. However, he was not used to using an axe as a weapon and had no opportunity to give it away. Now, he could do a favor for Wolf Bone.

Wolfbone stared wide-eyed, nodding repeatedly and saying "good, good, good." Then he walked over, touching this axe and weighing that weapon, seemingly liking each one to the extreme and unwilling to let go.

Finally, he picked the heaviest one, not the best one, held it in his hand, and whispered, "This one is the best, brother, I'll take this one!"

As he spoke, his voice became excited, and even his way of addressing Yun Chu'an changed involuntarily.

Hearing this, a subtle smile appeared on Yun Chu'an's lips.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Li Woyu appeared to be at a disadvantage, but in reality, he remained calm and composed, constantly looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

She finally found a loophole in her opponent's movements and suddenly launched an attack. The threads used to control the puppet wrapped around the opponent's body, rendering him unable to move in an instant.

Caught off guard, the latter was terrified, but it was too late. A puppet punched the man in the face, causing his head to spin 720 degrees and rendering him immobile.

"Li Woyu wins this battle!"

The old referee, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, announced the news, after which Li Woyu released the threads binding his opponent. The latter circulated his spiritual power, reattached his head, his face flushed red with dissatisfaction.

He wanted to say that he had just been careless, and that if he had played another match, the result would definitely not have been like this. But then, meeting the referee's cold gaze, he immediately knew that the smart choice was to keep quiet, so he quickly shut his mouth and slunk off the stage.

Li Woyu stepped off the stage, letting out a sigh of relief. Her mood wasn't light; she knew the competition ahead would be fierce. Although winning the championship was already impossible, the path to second place wouldn't be easy either.

Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted around her. Her expression shifted, she looked up, and then, terrified, she quickly knelt on one knee: "This humble subject, Li Woyu, greets Your Highness!"

Sheng Linglong looked at the female cultivator kneeling on one knee in front of her and sighed inwardly. She had just thought that this person was going to lose, but she never expected that Yun Chuan'an's judgment was more discerning. Her nature was so calm and composed. Even when she was at such a disadvantage, she was still able to turn the tide and win.

Seeing her respectful demeanor, Sheng Linglong maintained her princess-like dignity, parted her lips slightly, and said, "Rise."

After a pause, once she stood up, Sheng Linglong continued, "I have some good news to tell you."

……

Time moved slowly forward, and gradually, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

With the support of Yun Chuan and Sheng Linglong, Lang Gu and Li Woyu both performed exceptionally well in the following competitions, winning the runner-up title and living up to expectations.

At this point, the rankings of the three major competition venues were finally completed, and the grand martial arts tournament came to a complete end.

Following this, the Duke of Jin announced a momentous event to the nation in court: because the King of Qin disregarded the rites of Zhou and arbitrarily invaded another country, Jin would set aside its old grievances and support Zhao to fulfill its oath of "the world uniting to attack him".

The news caused an uproar throughout the country, and many senior cultivators were quite shocked that the Duke had actually made such a decision.

However, a grand discussion soon ensued, with many people believing that the decision was correct, although their opinions differed: some believed that the Zhou rites were paramount, while others believed that times had changed and that the Zhao state was now relatively wealthy and powerful, so taking the opportunity to actively ease relations with the Zhao state would be beneficial for future development.

Some people believe that the Duke of Jin is dying, and Princess Sheng Linglong has not yet broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. Therefore, he is seeking a way out for his country. As long as he can prolong his life until Sheng Linglong breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, the Great Jin Dynasty can continue to exist...

Regardless, the order had been issued, and the Duke's will had to be carried out. Each household began organizing its forces to prepare for the rescue. The specific teams were led by Sheng Linglong, with Yun Chu'an as her assistant, and their first destination was the border between Zhao and Jin to await orders.

That is, near the Wei River, in those rolling mountains, is Yun Chu'an's home.

On this day, halfway up Huai Mountain.

"This is a new business that Chu An started before he left. Currently, the family is still lacking a trustworthy person in charge."

You Wensi took Rong Jieyu's arm and slowly walked into the cave, whispering to her as they went.

Today, You Wensi changed into the bright red backless long dress that Yun Chuan had given her. A snow-white choker adorned her slender neck, concealing her voluptuous figure. Black stockings covered her thighs, which peeked out from under the skirt as she walked, making her look sexy and alluring.

At this moment, the enclosed interior of the mountain is as hot as an oven. The firelight illuminates the walls with an orange-red hue, and several tall, burly bear demons are carrying ore in and out, while a few cultivators from the Wenren family are patiently processing the ore.

They were conducting the most basic initial screening, not the final refining. Because of Yan Yao's presence, their work was merely auxiliary, making it easier for this young girl to utilize her abilities and obtain the highest quality ore.

Rong Jieyu's long, black hair was styled in a bun, and she wore a fox fur coat that hugged her full, slender figure, making her look elegant and noble. She looked at all this, her brows furrowing slightly, but she didn't really feel any interest.

In truth, she had always looked down on these rough, heavy physical jobs, but things were different now. She had fallen into slavery, so she could only suppress her resentment and nod slightly.

"You must study diligently. You don't need to be an expert, but you must be able to fully grasp the work process and understand its principles. At the very least, you should be able to keep it a secret from everyone."

You Wensi spoke softly, so as not to be overheard by the cooperating cultivators sent by the Wen family: "In this way, the master can rest assured to entrust all of this to you."

Rong Jieyu nodded slightly, without saying anything more. The many cultivators in the cave continued their work, seemingly unaware of their arrival.

A cultivator from a prominent family wiped the sweat from his brow, estimated the time, and said, "It's time to send these things over."

After saying that, he directed several people to put the coarsely sieved ore into storage bags. Then, a bear-man went up the mountain, walked along the mountain path, and came to the front of Huai Shan Courtyard. He gave a signal, marked the spot, placed the ore in the center of a secluded courtyard, and then turned and left.

Chapter 584 Rong Jieyu's Desires

In the room next to the courtyard, Hua Caiyan, with her hair in pigtails and wearing a backless red dress, sat at the octagonal table, watching the two little girls, Yan Yao and Sui Sui, eat.

Yan Yao, with her hair styled in pigtails, was dressed up beautifully. Holding a bowl and chopsticks, she slurped down her noodles, finishing the broth in one gulp before putting down the bowl, quite pleased with herself: "I'm full!"

Hua Caiyan smiled and nodded: "Okay, remember to finish your homework, and then go play."

Yan Yao nodded, already used to this. She got up and walked to the neighboring courtyard, came to the pile of ore, stretched out her small hand and released spiritual power, intertwining them together to begin refining.

For her, doing this has become a daily routine, just like taking a walk after dinner; it has become a habit.

As her spiritual power surged, threads intertwined on the ore, peeling away its various components, classifying and arranging them neatly.

A moment later, the ore, which had only undergone coarse sieving and was still in a mess, was divided into pieces. At the very front, there were even a few precious pieces of copper essence lying there quietly.

That is the most precious part of copper ore, priceless. Only a little bit is needed when refining weapons. By drawing it into threads, whether it is used as a magic array to enhance power or as the "meridians" of a weapon to transport spiritual energy, it can greatly improve the quality of the weapon, making it extraordinary.

This substance is extremely secretive and precious, scattered in ordinary copper mines with a very low concentration. If you're a little unlucky, let alone smelting it, even a Nascent Soul stage blacksmith would have a hard time finding it.

However, Yan Yao not only accomplished all of this, but also did so effortlessly and without much effort.

Then, she clapped her hands as if she had done something insignificant, clapped her hands, turned around, and went to play with her little friend Sui Sui.

Outside the gate, Rong Jieyu looked complicated, wondering who that little girl was and how she could have such skills.

Although her cultivation level is far lower than before, her vision and experience remain, and she could tell the skill level of that move just now.

Even some Nascent Soul cultivators might not be as good as her.

Rong Jieyu's expression was complicated. Then, You Wensi took her arm and walked into the courtyard. As they approached the ores, You Wensi persuaded her, "Look, this copper essence, once we've collected enough, can be used to forge another magic weapon for you."

Rong Jieyu was tempted, but she quickly composed herself, hesitated for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, "Junior sister, we both started out making zombies and made a living by killing people. Even if we acknowledge Yun Chu'an as our master now, do we really have to abandon all our old skills and do this kind of thing?"

You Wensi paused for a moment, sighed softly, and nodded gently: "Yes, Master, now that he has an official identity, he needs to stand with the righteous path, so we also need to seek transformation."

"However, even if we don't cultivate zombies, don't the Corpse-Driving Sect have many soul-capturing spells? With a little repackaging, we can use most of these spells."

She comforted her softly, but Rong Jieyu remained silent. Indeed, many spells were still usable, but the essence of the Corpse-Driving School was to drive zombies and simultaneously use them to execute various exquisite combat techniques.

Giving up all of this now is indeed hard for her to accept.

As she remained silent, Hua Caiyan pushed open the door and came out. Seeing You Wensi, her eyes widened, and she called out, "Mother."

The little fox's cultivation was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and Rong Jieyu couldn't help but look at her with disdain. But then You Wensi pulled her aside, signaling her to calm down, and continued, "Caiyan, I'll teach Rong Jieyu about minerals. I plan to entrust her with this aspect of the work in the future."

Hua Caiyan didn't see any problem with it. She was happy to have some free time and nodded, "Okay, it's up to you."

Before she could finish speaking, she turned to leave. But before she had gone far, a familiar male voice suddenly rang out from the edge of the sky: "Don't go yet, Caiyan!"

That was Yun Chu'an's voice. Mei, are you here? Lin, are you here? Yongkong, are you here? Lin, are you here?

Hua Caiyan suddenly turned her head back, her two ponytails swinging behind her, her eyes filled with surprise: "You're back!"

Yun Chu'an transformed into a streak of light and landed steadily. You Wensi's eyes also lit up with joy, but Rong Jieyu wore a complicated expression, unsure of what to do.

She instinctively wanted to kneel down, but You Wensi stopped her from moving. She knew that her senior sister was not yet able to properly handle the appropriate boundaries in her interactions with Yun Chu'an, and these details needed to be taught to her step by step.

Yun Chu'an descended from the clouds and landed in the center of the courtyard. His gaze swept over the people around him, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

He stepped forward and, without any hesitation, embraced Hua Caiyan, gently stroking her hair with one hand, and said softly, "Yes, I'm back, and I've brought some important news."

As he spoke, he glanced around and said in a deep voice, "The Duke of Jin has decided that Jin will respond to the Zhou rites and participate in the war against the tyrannical Qin by Zhao."

“We should get involved too. Caiyan, go and call Third Sister and Fourth Sister over. Our family needs to discuss this matter properly.”

Hua Caiyan was shocked upon hearing this, as she was naturally aware of the enmity between the two countries. However, she immediately nodded, turned around, and transformed into a streak of fire, quickly disappearing away.

Yun Chu'an's expression shifted, and he turned to look back, only to find that Rong Jieyu was looking at him with an excited expression.

"Um..." Her throat bobbed, her face full of anticipation, "Since our family is going to get involved in a war between great powers, wouldn't we need more Golden Core cultivators...?"

She didn't say it explicitly, but the implication was clear: since Yun Chu'an was able to bring You Wensi, who had been stuck in the Remnant Core Realm for many years, back to the Golden Core Realm through a satisfying dual cultivation session, could he also do the same for himself...?

The woman looked expectant, but Yun Chu'an did not answer. Instead, he turned and walked towards the main gate of Huai Shan Courtyard.

You Wensi quickly grabbed Rong Jieyu's small hand, her voice extremely urgent: "Senior Sister! We can't accept it if Master won't give it to us!"

Rong Jieyu was taken aback, then realized that she had been too hasty and had made a fatal mistake in her words. That one sentence had probably lowered her favorability in Yun Chuan's heart even more: "Then... what should I do?"

You Wensi sighed, not in a hurry at all: "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I know how to please him. Although it may be a bit troublesome, just bear with it. Once Master is happy, returning to the Golden Core stage won't be a problem."

Rong Jieyu nodded gently, but her heart was still filled with unease. She didn't know what her future would hold.

The two women immediately followed and went together to the small courtyard where the meeting was being held. Yun Chu'an was already there, with Qi Qiao, who had just woken up, sitting beside him, holding his little hand and talking about how much they missed each other.

Before long, Nie Ningshuang arrived as well. The pink-haired girl was still wearing her white long-sleeved shirt, which covered her ample chest, and her lower body was bare except for a blue mini skirt. She was yawning, as if she hadn't woken up yet.

Zhu Yunqing arrived shortly after, looking radiant with tears in her eyes and a solemn, worried expression.

Immediately after, Liu Mengshen and Hua Caiyan arrived. With the family members all present, Yun Chuan glanced around and said, "Caiyan should have told us everything, right?"

Zhu Yunqing nodded: "I did, but how could this happen? What exactly is the Duke thinking?"

Yun Chuan said, "There are advantages to be gained, that's all. So, we don't need to discuss the decision-making process anymore. Let's just take it as a premise and see what we should do in this situation."

Chapter 585 The Mutant Medicinal Herbs

Zhu Yunqing looked thoughtful, then his expression turned somewhat resentful: "It's too fast. We just fought against Ancestor Huangmang, and less than a year later, we're already going to fight against Qin again."

"We barely have time to recuperate, let alone go into seclusion to cultivate and improve our strength. These newly acquired businesses require a lot of time and energy to invest, so we simply can't leave..."

She grumbled a bit, saying that war always drains a nation's resources, and this was true for families like theirs as well; medicines and spirit stones were all expenses.

As the head steward of the family, this spider spirit was usually thrifty and hardworking, but now that a huge expense was about to be made, she couldn't help but complain.

Yun Chu'an gave a wry smile and shook his head, advising her to turn her attention back to business: "Don't worry, there's money to be made. Especially now, the family business is expanding. As long as it's managed properly, making a fortune from the war isn't particularly difficult."

After he offered this advice, Zhu Yunqing suppressed his resentment and continued, "The workshop has started operating smoothly. In the past few days, in addition to normal production, we have also accumulated some special materials."

"Based on these figures, the initial costs have basically been recovered. The most crucial element is the essence of copper."

"Thanks to Yan Yao's talent, the family now has a reserve of about forty taels. If it can be used to forge top-quality weapons, it could bring in a considerable amount of profit."

She spoke casually, but what she said was shocking.

Forty taels of copper essence, according to the common standards of Nascent Soul craftsmen, is enough to forge forty divine weapons. Such weapons would have a wide market not only among Golden Core cultivators but even among Nascent Soul cultivators; some Golden Core cultivators are willing to spend high-grade spirit stones to purchase them. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the preceding sentences.)

It should be noted that high-grade spirit stones are extremely rare, even among Nascent Soul cultivators. Golden Core cultivators seldom possess them, and even if they do, they often keep them as a bottom-line treasure, using them to restore spiritual energy and save their lives in critical moments, or to help them break through to the Golden Core stage and achieve Nascent Soul!

Weapons crafted from the finest copper are indeed incredibly expensive. If they were ever made, the value of these forty weapons would exceed the total wealth accumulated by the Huai Shan family over the years.

However, few of the people present showed any unusual reaction. Zhu Yunqing, who had initially been shocked, had now become somewhat used to it and, without further ado, continued speaking.

only……"

Her expression hesitated, and Yun Chu'an's expression shifted: "Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Good steel should be used where it's needed most," Zhu Yunqing said. "At present, it seems that the Wen family's level is not capable of handling such extremely rare materials. Letting them forge weapons would be a waste of these excellent materials."

After listening, Yun Chu'an looked thoughtful, then nodded slightly: "That's true, hmm, after all, the Wenren family doesn't have any Golden Core cultivators, hmm..."