Chapter 122

After eighty-eight days of secluded cultivation, Yang Lingrui successfully broke through to Gathering Qi at the seventh level, reaching the late stage.

He achieved the goal set by He Shenglai over six years ahead of schedule.

The stone door creaked open.

Outside the cave dwelling, Elder Yu and Yang Lingshu stood waiting.

“Yang Lingshu! Congratulations on Brother’s breakthrough!”

Yang Lingshu bowed deeply.

He’d been training with Chen Yang at the ancestral hall in the Forbidden Area of Song Mountain before coming to Sanglu Valley days earlier.

Boosted by the spirit pearl and Gathering Qi ability, he’d now reached the second level—only slightly slower than Yang Lingrui’s pace years ago.

Yang Lingrui studied his brother and nodded approvingly.

“Well done. Heavy duties await you—are you ready?”

“This Lingshu is prepared!”

“Good.”

Turning to Elder Yu, Yang Lingrui clasped his hands. “Elder Yu, these twenty years have burdened you and the Elders. Let me shoulder the Yang Family’s matters now.”

Elder Yu froze momentarily, his usually calm heart stirring with rare emotion.

Tears welled in his eyes as he brushed dust from Yang Lingrui’s hair. The boy he’d nurtured could now lead their clan alongside Yang Guanfeng!

“Splendid! Our Lingrui excels!”

The Elder’s tearful smile revealed lifted worries—the Yang lineage would endure.

“Lingshu, how fares Sister-in-law?”

“Her health strengthens, but…” Yang Lingshu lowered his voice, “She suspects. After long talks with the Master that day, he sent me here.”

“Ah… Brother Hu and his wife share everything. However flawless Sister Qing’s excuses, absence breeds doubt.”

Yang Lingrui guided Elder Yu forward. The trio descended to a serene valley clearing.

Lv Fangxuan knelt weeping before a grave. Having returned with Yang Lingshu, he’d just learned of his ancestor’s death.

Hearing footsteps, the boy hastily wiped his face and bowed.

“Fangxuan pays respects to Young Master Lingshu, Second Young Master, Elder Yu.”

Yang Lingrui placed a steadying hand on the trembling boy’s shoulder.

“Fangxuan,” he said gently, “know this—Elder Lv’s final thoughts were of the Lv Family…and you.”

Lv Fangxuan jerked upright, eyes locking with Yang Lingrui’s.

“Don’t be afraid or worried. The main family won’t abandon you, nor will we disband the Lv Family. I promise you.”

“Thank you, Second Young Master! Fangxuan will faithfully serve Young Master Lingshu without any second thoughts, even if it costs me my life!”

As the blood oath took effect, the master-servant bond between Yang Lingshu and Lv Fangxuan was officially formed.

The three then went to a secret chamber in the valley.

Yang Lingrui retrieved a magical artifact and secured it across his chest with snow-white silk.

“Lingshu, tell Zhao Qi and the others we’re returning to the mountain today.”

“Yes!”

……

Songshan Yang Family.

Autumn leaves swirled in the wind, painting the mountains in gold and crimson.

Wu Tong was practicing the Zhou Tian technique in the courtyard when she spotted a chubby toddler in a bellyband. Barefoot and clinging to the wall, he was inching toward the gate while blinking his large eyes at her.

The child’s eyes lit up as he neared the exit, his tiny teeth peeking through a joyful grin. Just as his chubby hands touched the door, a voice stopped him.

“Hong’er. Meditation time isn’t over.”

Yang Yuanhong flinched as Wu Tong scooped him up, foiling his eighth escape attempt.

“Ah… Waa… Waa…”

The speechless infant stretched his arms toward freedom.

“No. The Master will spank bottoms if we go out now.”

At “spank,” the boy stiffened into instant obedience.

“Good boy. Sit quietly one more hour, then Mama takes you downhill.”

Wu Tong nuzzled his forehead before carrying him inside. A miniature meditation cushion sat within waist-high earthen walls.

“Wah… Ah…”

“Yes yes, Mama won’t tell the Master.”

“Ya!”

Content, Yang Yuanhong assumed an adorably serious cross-legged pose. Within an incense stick’s burning time, his breathing steadied. Wu Tong quietly withdrew.

“Yuanhong escaped again?”

Yang Lingqing landed softly in the courtyard. Her enhanced divine awareness from refining the spirit pearl had detected the toddler’s wall-climbing the moment it happened.

"Greetings, Master."

Wu Tong bowed briefly: "He’s now meditating quietly. After being punished twice by you, he’s become too scared to make trouble anymore."

Yang Lingqing shook her head with mixed amusement and frustration.

Yang Yuanhong had been extraordinary since birth.

On his delivery day, despite three layers of protective formations, his newborn cries reached the foot of the mountain.

He could roll in bed after five days.

Within fifteen days, he crawled freely around the room.

By the twenty-fifth day, he wobbled to his feet unassisted.

On his thirtieth day of life, he walked while clutching walls.

Now even the magical barrier Yang Lingqing created couldn’t contain him.

Walking within a month was astonishing enough, but more incredible were his innate physical strength and surging vitality.

The child’s heart beat unusually slow.

Yang Lingqing had measured it – just one beat every fifteen minutes sustained his full vitality.

When he once climbed a window and fell two meters headfirst, he only got minor scrapes and a small bump that vanished overnight.

While delighted with Yang Yuanhong’s gifts, Yang Lingqing and Wu Tong worried about his restless nature. His body seemed to drag his mind along like a runaway horse.

Chen Yang identified the issue through examination – the boy’s explosive physical growth outpaced his mental development due to excessive vitality. Without intervention, the Yang Family might raise a ferocious beast in human skin.

After understanding the severity, Yang Lingqing acted decisively. She severely disciplined Yang Yuanhong during his next tantrums. The punishment worked – the boy remembered the lessons.

Combined with tranquility talismans and Chen Yang’s guidance, little Yuanhong achieved his first successful meditation. The practice calmed his raging vitality, allowing orderly nourishment to reach his developing mind.

In ten days, his comprehension leaped forward. Though still speechless, he now understood basic words and emotions.

"I struck him harshly those times – don’t resent me, sister-in-law."

"Nonsense. My soft heart needed your firm hand to keep him from ruin."

As they spoke, a fresh breeze entered the Yang Family’s Forbidden Area. Yang Lingqing tensed slightly and grasped Wu Tong’s arm.

"Sister-in-law. Brother Linghu… has returned to the mountain."