Chapter 19: I Really Deserve to Die! |
"Among the many auxiliary arts, formation arrays are one of the best choices. Your clan uncle Rongyuan is proficient in them and can be considered the Wang Clan's next-generation formation array master.
Formation arrays for transporting spiritual energy are very simple. Even Qi Drawing realm cultivators can set them up; it is just a bit troublesome."
Bringing the two children along, Wang Xianmao arrived at the spirit well.
He placed a hand on the edge of the well and stimulated his only remaining nurtured spiritual seed, transforming it into a special type of white elm wood.
It was far superior to ordinary white elm and carried a hint of spiritual energy, though it was still far inferior to ninth-grade spiritual objects.
Under the control of his spiritual power, the white elm broke down into long, thin, tubular wooden strips, perfectly shaped for transporting spiritual energy later.
This exquisite display of wood manipulation left Yulou and Yu'an mesmerized.
"Haha, neither of you has a wood spirit root, so there is no need to stare.
Come, let's begin setting up the spiritual energy transport formation array. I have already prepared the installation spots in each room. We will start on the first floor."
"There isn't an absolute connection between spells and spirit roots, is there? Just a couple of days ago, I saw master Hongmei using a water spell."
Wang Xianmao explained.
"You can indeed practice different spells without the corresponding spirit root, but it comes down to a matter of cost and effect.
An ordinary cultivator with a water spirit root can unleash seventy to eighty percent of a Torrent Spell's power, while a cultivator without one can unleash forty to fifty percent at most.
The time it takes for a cultivator to learn enough to stand alone is generally fixed. Learning spells that are compatible with your spirit root yields much better results.
Yes, just place it right there. These spiritual seeds were personally nurtured by me; once inserted, they will naturally integrate with the wooden building and act as nodes for the formation array."
Wang Xianmao was highly satisfied with Yulou's efficiency.
The child was excellent in every way, save for being a bit too smart. Precociousness was not always a good thing.
"Uncle Rongyuan is highly proficient in wood spells, and so are you.
Among the few spiritual objects belonging to our Wang Clan, only the wood-attribute spiritual object at Dumb Donkey Plain is of the eighth grade.
But neither brother Yulou nor I have a wood spirit root. Does this mean we cannot learn many of the clan's secret teachings?"
Given the chance to converse with the Patriarch, Yu'an was naturally not foolish enough to pass it up. He continued to ask questions.
In reality, he did not know that this was an opportunity Yulou had deliberately left for him to shine.
Yulou knew very well that even between blood brothers, one could not steal all the limelight. Relationships needed to be managed and maintained.
They were both direct descendants of the Wang Clan. Giving Yu'an more opportunities cost him nothing—the competition for Foundation Establishment realm resources was at least decades away anyway.
In dark cultivation novels, the protagonist was always burdened with deep-seated grudges and bitter hatred. With Yulou's background as an orphan, even the clan servants should have been bullying him by now.
Yet, having been transmigrated to this world for a little over thirteen years, Yulou had neither experienced a broken engagement nor faced any face-slapping from villains. He hadn't even gone on an adventure.
Diving into the water to catch fish, going up the mountain to hunt, descending into mines to dig for ore, or painstakingly shuttling back and forth between two worlds—Yulou had done none of those things.
Did that stop him from reaping bountiful rewards?
Not at all!
When he acknowledged his master, his master had gifted him a highly suitable mid-grade magical artifact.
His clan uncle hadn't said much, merely silently arranging for him to receive half a catty of spirit rice every day—without even bringing it up.
Recently, he had met the Patriarch twice.
The first time, he received a pot of eighth-grade spirit wine and a low-grade magical artifact golden cup (Wang Rongwen had borrowed Lao Gui's gift to present to the Patriarch, and the Patriarch had rewarded it to Yulou).
The second time, simply for answering a question well, he obtained a Hundred-Li Wanderer Escape Talisman, an item that even Qi Refining cultivators found extremely difficult to acquire—this thing was highly valuable, something the Patriarch used to exchange for merit points!
Brotherly affection, clan protection, and a master on the verge of the Foundation Establishment realm. For Yulou, the most important thing right now was to cultivate diligently while maintaining his relationships with his clan and his master.
As long as he hugged these thick thighs tightly, the shelter provided by the Wang Clan and Hongmei could sustain him until he achieved success in Qi Refining!
"Whether you learn it or not, it isn't much of a pity. You are still young and do not understand the difficulty of wood spells.
They are lacking in magical combat and fall short in auxiliary arts. It seems like you can do anything, but you master nothing.
As for you two, you both have dual spirit roots. In the future, once Yulou achieves success in Qi Refining, he can join the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and directly enter the inner sect.
As for Yu'an... Hidden Dragon Abbey is too far. You can go to Wondrous Peak Mountain. I have a very close friend there."
Wang Xianmao had planned meticulously.
Yulou was exceptionally intelligent; he could go to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to seek Foundation Establishment realm resources, then later find an opportunity to study under the tutelage of a Purple Palace realm expert, smoothly becoming a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and acting as the Wang Clan's pillar within it.
Yu'an was slightly inferior to Yulou in all aspects, but he could go to Wondrous Peak Mountain to carve out a path. The waters in these small affiliated sects of major powers were slightly shallower, and the restrictions were fewer.
After Yu'an entered, if he could rely on Wondrous Peak Mountain's resources to reach the Foundation Establishment realm, he could return to the clan in the future. If not, the Wang Clan could also help him reach Foundation Establishment.
The position of the next Patriarch would highly likely be chosen between Wang Rongwen and Wang Rongyuan, and the generation after that would be Yuming and Yu'an.
Yulou was a Qilin child, and a Qilin child could not waste his life away in Wang Family Mountain.
To love a child is to plan far ahead for them.
Wang Xianmao's expectations were, in fact, quite similar to those of that mortal mother for her daughter.
"I want to go to Hidden Dragon Abbey..."
Yu'an was somewhat dissatisfied with the Patriarch's arrangements; or rather, the young Yu'an disliked the Patriarch looking down on him.
If Yulou could enter the Ten Sects, why couldn't he enter the Ten Sects?
"Patriarch, the clan raised me. I am more willing to stay at home and contribute to the clan!"
Yulou's response made Yu'an slap his thigh hard.
'No, big brother, my dear big brother!'
'Is this the legendary 'one sentence is worth ten'?'
'Sure enough, I still have a lot to learn from you!'
Looking at Yulou, Wang Xianmao's eyes were full of tenderness. What a good child.
"Hahaha, that's all far in the future. Wait until you reach Qi Refining first!
Let's go upstairs. We'll set up the second floor's formation array."
To Yulou's surprise, the Patriarch did not impart any further personal teachings by the end; he merely led them to finish setting up the formation arrays and then let them rest.
In truth, this was because he didn't understand Wang Xianmao.
The Patriarch simply liked the young people of the clan and wanted to get closer to the two brothers, that was all.
"Brother, do you think the Patriarch likes you a bit more?"
Lying in bed, Yu'an felt a sour taste in his mouth no matter how he thought about it.
They were both children of the Wang family, yet the Patriarch was clearly a bit biased.
Why couldn't he enter the Ten Sects?
Yulou sat cross-legged on his bed, reading the cultivator's travelogue given to them by the Patriarch by the light of the Ever-Bright Lamp.
Hearing Yu'an's question, he put down the travelogue.
"Do you really want to know?"
Yu'an pouted, turned his back to him, and said,
"Forget it. Who asked me not to be as smart as you."
Yulou sighed and said,
"I grew up without parents. Although I didn't suffer cold shoulders in the clan, I ultimately grew up alone, so I seem a bit more mature than you and our peers.
The Patriarch isn't biased. He is merely worried that I might develop issues because of my parents, so he shows me a little extra care, that is all."
Yu'an stopped squirming and fell silent.
'I really deserve to die!'
'I really deserve to die!'
'I really deserve to die!'
Seeing the remarkable effect, Yulou raised an eyebrow in satisfaction and continued to guide Yu'an.
His younger brother was actually a very good kid; it was just that he was genuinely only thirteen years old, so it was perfectly normal for him to be a bit flighty sometimes.
"If you want to join Hidden Dragon Abbey, it isn't actually that difficult. As long as you perform better, achieving a profound cultivation base and competent magical combat skills, the Patriarch will definitely give you a chance."
"There's no need, brother. I'll just follow you. If you want to stay in the Wang family, I'll stay in the Wang family too.
Us brothers won't rely on major sects; relying on ourselves, we can become immortals too!"
Listening to Yu'an's aggrieved voice, Yulou was somewhat at a loss for words.
The bond of brotherhood, where blood was thicker than water, was often more moving than so-called romantic love.
"Go to sleep. We'll talk about the future later."
Yu'an remained silent for a long time before speaking faintly.
"Brother, I'm hungry..."
Yulou almost lost his composure.
"Then go get something to eat."
"How?"
"Go check the kitchen in the front building. There should be something. Fortune Source Residence doesn't close its stoves at night."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
"Actually, I was hungry on my first night here."
"Alright, go on then. I'm going to sleep."
"I don't dare go alone. Let's go together."
"..."
"Brother?"
"Let's go!"
"As for the two of you, you both possess dual spirit roots. In the future, once Yulou achieves success in Qi Refining, he can join the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and enter the inner sect directly.
"As for Yu'an... Hidden Dragon Abbey is too far away. You can go to Wondrous Peak Mountain instead. I have a very close friend there."
Wang Xianmao had planned this out carefully.
Yulou was exceptionally intelligent. He could go to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to seek Foundation Establishment realm resources, wait for the right opportunity to become a disciple under the tutelage of a Purple Palace realm expert, naturally become a Core Disciple, and serve as the Wang Clan's pillar within the sect.
Yu'an was slightly inferior to Yulou in all aspects, so he could try his luck at Wondrous Peak Mountain. In smaller subsidiary sects of such major powers, the waters were shallower and there were fewer restrictions.
Once Yu'an joined them, if he could rely on Wondrous Peak Mountain's resources to reach the Foundation Establishment realm, he could return to the family in the future. If not, the Wang Clan could still help him achieve Foundation Establishment.
The position of the next Patriarch would most likely be chosen between Wang Rongwen and Wang Rongyuan. The generation after that would fall to Yuming and Yu'an.
Yulou was a Qilin child, and a Qilin child could not waste his life idling away at Wang Family Mountain.
To truly love a child is to plan far ahead for them.
In truth, Wang Xianmao's expectations were similar to a mortal mother's hopes for her daughter.
"I want to go to Hidden Dragon Abbey..."
Yu'an was somewhat dissatisfied with the Patriarch's arrangement. Or rather, the young boy disliked being underestimated.
If Yulou could join the Ten Sects, why couldn't he?
"Patriarch, the family raised me. I would rather stay at home and contribute to the family!"
Yu'an slapped his thigh hard at Yulou's answer.
'Wait, big brother, my dear big brother!'
'Is this the legendary single sentence that's worth ten?'
'Sure enough, I still have much to learn from you!'
Wang Xianmao's eyes were filled with tenderness as he looked at Yulou. What a good child.
"Hahaha, those are matters for the distant future. Both of you must reach Qi Refining first!
"Come, let's go upstairs. We need to lay down the formation array on the second floor."
——
To Yulou's surprise, the Patriarch didn't impart any profound teachings or lead by example. He merely guided them through setting up the formation arrays and then let them rest.
In truth, this was simply Yulou failing to understand Wang Xianmao.
The Patriarch just adored the younger generation and wanted to get closer to the two brothers, nothing more.
"Brother, do you think the Patriarch likes you a bit more?"
Lying in bed, Yu'an couldn't shake the bitter feeling in his heart.
They were both children of the Wang Clan, yet the Patriarch was clearly playing favorites.
'Why couldn't I join the Ten Sects?'
Yulou sat cross-legged on his bed, reading the cultivator's travelogue the Patriarch had given them by the light of the Ever-Bright Lamp.
Hearing Yu'an's question, he put the travelogue down.
"Do you really want to know?"
Yu'an pouted and turned his back to him. "Forget it. Who asked me not to be as smart as you?"
Yulou sighed. "I grew up without parents. Although I didn't suffer cold looks within the clan, I ultimately grew up alone. That makes me seem a bit more mature than you and the other siblings our age.
"The Patriarch isn't playing favorites. He is just worried that I might be negatively affected by what happened to my parents, so he shows a little more concern for me. That's all."
Yu'an stopped fidgeting and fell silent.
'I really deserve to die!'
'I really deserve to die!'
'I really deserve to die!'
Seeing that his words were highly effective, Yulou raised his eyebrows in satisfaction and continued to guide Yu'an.
His younger brother was actually a very good kid. He was just thirteen years old, so being a bit jumpy at times was perfectly normal.
"If you want to join Hidden Dragon Abbey, it actually isn't difficult. As long as you perform well, reach a profound cultivation base, and display adequate skills in magical combat, the Patriarch will definitely give you a chance."
"There is no need, Brother. I will just follow you. If you want to stay in the Wang Clan, I will stay in the Wang Clan too.
"We brothers won't rely on major sects; we can become immortals relying on ourselves!"
Listening to Yu'an's pitiful tone, Yulou was somewhat at a loss for words.
The bond of brotherhood, where blood is thicker than water, was often far more touching than any so-called romantic love.
"Go to sleep. We'll talk about the future when it comes."
Yu'an was silent for a long time before saying faintly, "Brother, I'm hungry..."
Yulou nearly lost his composure.
"Then go get something to eat."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Go check the kitchen in the front building. There should be something. Fortune Source Residence doesn't put out their stoves at night."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
"Actually, I was hungry on my first night here too."
"Alright, go on then. I'm going to sleep."
"I don't dare go alone. Let's go together."
"..."
"Brother?"
"Let's go!"
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