Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Gift of Two Commanderies

The next day, I woke up to a splendid spring light.

In the main hall, the Grand Elder was managing some items. These included the spoils from eliminating the demon cultivators yesterday, as well as some gifts prepared by the Lu Family.

Two hundred jin of Jade Emperor Rice.

Two hundred jin of Red Copper.

Two hundred jin of Profound Iron.

Two hundred jin of Spiritual Iron.

Ten jin of Gold Essence.

And several other things, with a total value of three thousand spirit stones.

Lu Xuanji looked on with a slight heartache.

The Grand Elder also felt the pain, but still reminded, “These are gifts for our Golden Core Ancestor. The Ancestor might not care, but we must offer them. Many times, when giving gifts to big figures, they might not even remember you; but if you don’t give gifts, they surely will remember you.”

“The Golden Core Ancestor saved our Lu Family, and we must be grateful. These small gifts must be sent up!”

Lu Xuanji nodded and said, “Ancestor, I understand.”

“Xuanji, last time…”

The Grand Elder wanted to say more, but then fell silent, “Forget it, I won’t say more!”

With that, Lu Xuanji left Changyuan Mountain.

The journey was five thousand miles, flying with his sword, maintaining an altitude of a hundred meters, heading for Purple Sun Mountain.

After flying for seven hours, he reached Purple Sun Mountain.

Upon arrival at Purple Sun Mountain, he headed to the Green Willow Manor at the base to be welcomed by the guests.

Here, he encountered a group of cultivators gathering with gifts at the manor, hosting a banquet that seemed to be celebrating something. Cultivators were coming in one after another, making the manor quite festive.

Lu Xuanji was slightly stunned.

He approached a passerby and asked, “Fellow Daoist, what is happening here?”

“Dan Yang Sect has issued a decree, granting Qingshui Commandery and Beihai Commandery to the Golden Core Ancestor. Henceforth, the cultivators of the two commanderies will offer their tributes directly to Purple Sun Mountain instead of Dan Yang Sect, and all land, population, and resources will belong to the Golden Core Ancestor!”

The passerby said.

Lu Xuanji was slightly surprised.

Dan Yang Sect controls only the Twelve Commanderies of Chu Country, directly giving up two commanderies’ territories, which is quite generous.

“Our Lu Family is a cultivator clan in Qingshui Commandery!” Lu Xuanji said, “Why weren’t we informed? Why haven’t we received any notice?”

“Because Dan Yang Sect just decided this internally, the decree hasn’t been issued yet. Some people learned early and came with their gifts to celebrate!” the passerby explained, taking his gifts and leaving.

Lu Xuanji felt a hint of regret.

In Dan Yang Sect, the Lu Family lacks influential figures, so news comes to them relatively late.

At this moment, the jade pendant in the storage bag vibrated.

He took out the jade pendant, and some words appeared on it: Dan Yang Sect grants Qingshui and Beihai Commanderies to the Golden Core Ancestor.

He couldn’t help but feel shocked. Change was coming.

What people saw was only the tip of the iceberg; beneath the water, the main part of the iceberg had yet to be revealed.

On the surface, it was just an issue of the two commanderies, but behind it was the Golden Core Ancestor’s maneuvering.

The city gate catches fire, but doesn’t harm the fish in the moat.

When great characters clash, smaller ones suffer.

With this in mind, he could only silently pray.

At the entrance, there were five Foundation Establishment female cultivators welcoming guests. Each had a graceful figure, heroic and valiant, receiving guests. As guests presented their gifts, maids led them into the manor.

Lu Xuanji also presented his gifts and announced his name.

“Lu Family, Lu Xuanji!”

The female cultivator listened to the name and seemed to recall something, “Do you have the gold medal?”

“The gold medal, is this it?”

Lu Xuanji seemed to realize something, immediately taking a gold medal from his storage bag, engraved with the words ‘Jin Xi’ in gilded script.

The female cultivator looked at the gold medal and said, “May I inspect this?”

“Of course!”

Lu Xuanji said, handing over the gold medal.

The female cultivator pointed her finger at the gold medal, and immediately, it emitted a bright glow, radiating golden rays, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.

After three instants, the light from the gold medal dissipated.

The female cultivator returned the gold medal, respectfully saying, “I see it is Young Master, please this way!”

“I dare not accept the title of Young Master!”

Lu Xuanji modestly replied.

In front of a female cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Foundation Establishment, he couldn’t claim such a title.

The female cultivators all smiled, their soft bodies gently swaying, speaking with a laugh, “Young Master seems to have underestimated the gold medal. The medal bestowed by the Ancestor was only issued five pieces, with Young Master possessing one. Holding this special gold medal from the Ancestor grants you several benefits.”

“First, in Ancestor’s subordinate shops, buying some elixirs, or spiritual artifacts, spiritual objects, and so on, you can enjoy a 30% discount. The prerequisite is that you come personally with the medal, no one else can use the medal in your stead.”

“Second, with the gold medal, you can receive the Ancestor’s protection. As long as you don’t cause colossal trouble, the Ancestor will protect you to some extent.”

“Third, with the gold medal, you can request one condition from the Ancestor. This condition cannot be too difficult or go against the Ancestor’s principles as a person. The price for this is that the Ancestor will take back the gold medal!”

The sound of surprise!

Many cultivators couldn’t help but take a deep breath, inadvertently contributing to global warming.

Some were envious, others were jealous.

Many cultivators wished they could just step forward and snatch the gold medal. But it was just a thought; none dared to act. The female cultivator mentioned three benefits, and there was a fourth unseen benefit: gaining the favor and connections of the Golden Core Ancestor.

The goodwill of a Golden Core Ancestor, as long as you don’t court death, can be as stable as Mount Tai.

“I see, I was unaware of this!” Lu Xuanji said.

“There are some things the Ancestor won’t say, which require us sword attendants to point out,” the female cultivator said, “My name is Liu Hongyi, one of the Ancestor’s sword attendants. It’s unfortunate the Ancestor wanted to take you as a disciple back then, but you refused. Otherwise, we would be like family.”

“This way, Young Master.”

With Liu Hongyi leading, Lu Xuanji entered an elegant private room.

The decor was refined, with a floor made of white jade, subtly veined with yellow patterns. The tables and chairs, crafted of red spirit wood, were grand and elegant, with spirit arrays etched into them, channeling the flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Sitting in the chair, Lu Xuanji felt his spirit calm, all irritations vanishing.

This was the VIP area, specifically for entertaining high-level personnel.

Here, there was spirit wine, exuding a delicate charm, with a rich and lingering aroma; spiritual fruits, thick with spiritual energy, releasing a subtle fragrance.

Surprisingly, he was the only one here.

Liu Hongyi personally poured spirit wine, offering a warm welcome.

This enthusiasm left Lu Xuanji somewhat astonished and bewildered.

Yet, inwardly, he gave a slight, bitter smile.

With Liu Hongyi’s enthusiasm, it was clear that the Lu Family was standing on the side of the Golden Core Ancestor.

…

Seeing Lu Xuanji being warmly received, the cultivators outside had varied thoughts. Some were envious and jealous, but others were boiling with murderous intent.

At a table, four cultivators were seated.

On the table were spiritual peaches, spirit wine, spirit tea, and so forth, but none had interest in tasting. Instead, they were curious about the scene.

“What do you make of Lu Xuanji?” A Wu Family cultivator asked.

“About seventeen years ago, the Lu Family had two cultivators enter the Foundation Establishment Stage and held a grand feast, which included Lu Xuanji. Since then, only thirteen years have passed, and he has reached the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment, quite a decent aptitude!” The cultivator next to him, named Ning Yuan, spoke of past events.

After Foundation Establishment, the speed of cultivation slows.

To advance a layer in thirteen years is considered fast.

In cases of poor aptitude, it could take twenty years to rise a layer, or even thirty.

If a bottleneck is encountered, one might not progress for a lifetime.

“””