Chapter 146 : Visit from the Zhou Family

Chapter 146: Visit from the Zhou Family

Erniu’s home.

“Greetings, Uncle Lin.”

At this moment, Lin Changan’s expression looked rather strange, while Li Erniu appeared both angry and relieved—his expression quite complicated.

Inside the room, Zhou Yifan’s face was pale, and a faint trace of blood fiend energy still lingered around him.

“So, you’re saying you seized the opportunity during the chaos and acquired a demon core?”

Having previously listened to the excuse offered by Li Erniu’s wife, Lin Changan now sat upright on a chair, playing with the demon core in his hand, his face revealing a look of doubt.

“You rascal, already forty-one, and still so reckless.”

Li Erniu rebuked him, eyes red with emotion. It sounded simple enough, but countless cultivators had fallen on the path to Foundation Establishment.

Faced with Lin Changan’s inquiry and his father’s scolding—

Zhou Yifan, now forty-one years old, lowered his head without saying a word, causing Lin Changan to shake his head again.

This boy had always been stubborn since childhood, bottling everything up inside. But this persistence and steadfastness were stronger than Erniu’s.

“Uncle Lin, if someone else asked me, I’d stick to that story. But since you and Father are asking, I’ll tell the truth.”

Zhou Yifan’s expression turned solemn as he slowly recounted how he had acquired the demon core.

It turned out that a heavily injured second-rank demon beast had been discovered, and two groups of cultivators had clashed over it.

Unable to resist the temptation, Zhou Yifan had joined in, attempting to snatch the prize amidst the chaos.

Though he didn’t say it outright, only he knew how perilous it had been.

After listening to Zhou Yifan’s calm narration, Li Erniu’s eyes turned red as he glared and said:

“You little bastard, are you insane? Don’t you know even a tiny mistake could mean your old man’s collecting your corpse? You might not even leave one behind!”

Zhou Yifan remained silent, seemingly used to such scoldings.

Lin Changan, however, nodded to himself in secret. He understood Zhou Yifan’s strength well.

At the ninth level of Qi Refinement, honed over several years, Zhou Yifan had long been preparing resources for Foundation Establishment. He hadn’t expected this boy to be so daring.

Yet for ordinary cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage—if they didn’t even dare to fight—how could they ever talk about Foundation Establishment?

“It’s not just your father—these years you’ve served in the Demon-Hunting Squad. You should know that often walks along the river come with wet shoes.”

“I do know. But I know even more that without Foundation Establishment, I’ll forever be at the mercy of others.”

Zhou Yifan looked up. Though much steadier now, the stubborn look in his eyes made Li Erniu sigh beside him.

Lin Changan only shook his head. Though he was an elder, this was clearly Erniu’s family matter.

“Your father just came to us to help gather resources for your Foundation Establishment. Seems that’s no longer necessary now.”

Every household has its own troubles.

Li Erniu had married into the Zhou Family, and Zhou Yifan had been ostracized since childhood. Back then, Lin Changan had already seen the stubbornness in the child’s eyes.

Later, though Li Erniu had more children, his rising cultivation and changing status altered things.

Thus, the later children had not suffered the same treatment.

But Lin Changan was still an outsider to all this.

“To safeguard this demon core, the only person I can trust is you, Uncle Lin.”

Although Zhou Yifan was taciturn, he clearly knew how to flatter when necessary.

“Alright, take care and recover. I’ll go pay a visit to that alchemist. Once the pills are complete, the Foundation Establishment Pills will stay with me. Come to me when you’re ready.”

Lin Changan stood up. This was a family matter between Erniu and the Zhou Family—he didn’t wish to get involved.

“Thank you, Uncle Lin.”

Erniu gratefully walked him out.

Hearing Erniu’s cautious and awkward words, Lin Changan nodded with a smile. He understood.

Who didn’t have a bit of selfishness?

Erniu had claimed to outsiders that he was seeking help from a few friends and had borrowed some resources to secure a Foundation Establishment Pill for his eldest son.

This wasn’t much of a secret in the Zhou Family, especially since Zhou Yifan had been striving for it for years.

…

Back in his cave abode—

Staring at the crystalline core in his hand, Lin Changan couldn’t help but shake his head.

“This Yifan boy really has guts… and luck. Grabbing fire from the flames usually ends in ashes.”

Lifting his hand, he tossed the second-rank demon core into the alchemy furnace.

Though the pill refinement was under the guise of his identity as an alchemist, Zhou Yifan was practically family—he wouldn’t embezzle this bit of resource.

“With my current strength and wealth, even giving out three Foundation Establishment Pills is no big deal.”

At that thought, Lin Changan smiled faintly.

Currently, he was a publicly known mid-grade second-rank Talisman Master, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, one of the six Foundation Establishment cultivators of the black market, and had past connections with Master Lu of Tianxuan City.

Any one of these statuses was enough.

“Cause sown yesterday, fruit borne today. Back then, Erniu married in, his strength meager. Zhou Yifan endured countless slights since childhood, always bottling up that resentment.”

Whether Zhou Yifan could reach Foundation Establishment—his mid-grade spirit root, steadfast mind, and these three Foundation Establishment Pills—if he still failed, then he might as well settle down and start a family.

“But this matter between that kid and the Zhou Family is bound to be tricky.”

That suppressed resentment, now empowered, would most likely drive him to seek independence.

Lin Changan shook his head. There was no right or wrong here—just different stances.

“Word of Yifan getting a demon core may not have spread, but the news that Erniu gathered resources for his son surely has. I suspect the Zhou Family will send someone soon.”

The cultivation world wasn’t just about fighting and killing—but also about relationships and etiquette.

Especially a clan like the Zhou Family that had long developed quietly and in a low profile.

“But all that… is their family matter.”

Lin Changan shook his head again and began tossing spirit herbs and fruits into the alchemy furnace based on experience.

As the true fire of a Foundation Establishment cultivator ignited the materials, droplets of spirit liquid began to form.

Pill refinement required precise control of the true fire.

Different herbs and fruits demanded varying levels of heat, and the order and timing of combining the liquids could not be wrong.

As the demon core inside the furnace slowly melted into liquid, the blood fiend energy was gradually refined out—this directly affected the quality of the pills.

Next, various spirit liquids began to fuse, eventually forming three pill pellets, continuously purging impurities under the true flame.

Two days later—

“The pills are done.”

As the furnace opened and the flames extinguished, three Foundation Establishment Pills shimmering with violet spiritual light slowly floated up.

“Three premium-grade Foundation Establishment Pills… If word got out, someone might deduce this alchemist is a mid-grade second-rank Alchemist. But with Zhou Yifan’s cautious nature, he won’t be that foolish.”

If the news got out, he’d offend more than just a second-rank Alchemist—it’d involve his Uncle Lin too.

Not just Zhou Yifan—even other cultivators would know better. Quietly amassing wealth was always the better path.

The three scorching Foundation Establishment Pills were placed into a jade bottle.

Lin Changan nodded in satisfaction. Even if he couldn’t stay in Tianxuan City, he could always start anew elsewhere.

He’d just assume the alchemist identity again. With his skills, he could still live comfortably.

With the pills complete, Lin Changan cleared his aura. Outside the cave abode, someone had waited long enough—it was time to meet them.

…

“Miss Zhou, thank you for waiting.”

As the formation opened, Lin Changan greeted Zhou Bingyun with a smile.

She had waited outside for a whole day—not a long time for a cultivator.

“Brother Lin, this time I’ve come in the name of the Zhou Family. I hope you won’t mind.”

When Zhou Bingyun was led to the pavilion, she first offered a respectful bow and apologized for any rudeness this visit might bring.

Lin Changan smiled and poured spiritual tea into her cup.

“So, this is for Yifan, right? I expected as much when Erniu was preparing resources for him.”

Zhou Bingyun nodded slightly, showing a trace of guilt. But Lin Changan simply smiled and shook his head, indicating this was their family matter—he would not interfere.

Still, Lin Changan was curious about how the Zhou Family planned to handle this.

“Regardless of whether Zhou Yifan succeeds in Foundation Establishment, the clan has offered him two choices. One, marry my younger cousin, and we’ll all work together for the family.”

As Zhou Bingyun explained, her younger cousin was twenty years old, beautiful in appearance, and possessed a mid-grade spiritual root.

Regardless of status or spirit root aptitude, she would not disgrace Zhou Yifan.

“The second option: the Zhou Family allows Zhou Yifan to leave the clan. However, whether or not he succeeds in Foundation Establishment, all the resources he has enjoyed from the family over the years must be repaid double!”

At this point, Zhou Bingyun revealed a rare trace of resolute expression.

There was no room for negotiation. Their Zhou Family didn’t seek trouble, but neither did they fear it.

Let alone a potential Qi Refining cultivator—even if Zhou Yifan truly succeeded in Foundation Establishment, eliminating him would not be difficult for the Zhou Family.

Upon hearing this, Lin Changan couldn’t help but secretly sigh. Though the Zhou Family Patriarch didn’t have a strong expansionist drive, his skill in steadily developing the clan was undeniably high-level.

Double repayment of resources—this was already quite generous.

“This is an internal matter of the Zhou Family. I don’t intend to interfere. But back when I reached Foundation Establishment, I was only able to do so thanks to the support of several friends.”

Lin Changan also made his stance clear. Back then, several friends had pooled spirit stones to support his breakthrough. It wasn’t a secret.

Helping the son of an old friend prepare Foundation Establishment Pills was perfectly reasonable. Likewise, the Zhou Family’s treatment of Zhou Yifan was already more than fair.

“I thought you would be angry, Brother Lin.”

Suddenly, Zhou Bingyun chuckled softly and covered her mouth, brushing the matter aside.

This too was done out of consideration for Lin Changan.

A second-rank Talisman Master, friendly with two of Master Lu’s disciples, and one of the six Foundation Establishment cultivators who had jointly opened a black market—

In recent years, the Zhou Family had reaped much profit from the black market.

For someone like Zhou Yifan? Not worth it.

Better to use this chance to deepen relations instead.

Besides, the Zhou Family’s methods were not nearly as simple as they appeared.

“Miss Zhou, your father’s strategy is quite brilliant.”

Lin Changan said with a meaningful smile, while Zhou Bingyun casually shrugged, not bothering to conceal her family’s plans.

“Of course. The Zhou Family isn’t a charity. Even if Zhou Yifan succeeds in Foundation Establishment, so what? With no foundation and starting from zero, it will be extraordinarily difficult. Our family ancestors have records detailing this hardship.

If Zhou Yifan thinks my younger cousin isn’t good enough for him, then he must be blind. Even if he establishes his own household, he’ll still need to lease our Zhou Family’s Spirit Fields to grow…”

Zhou Bingyun’s expression remained calm, and Lin Changan silently nodded.

Once Zhou Yifan reached Foundation Establishment, the Zhou Family would surely face internal friction.

An extra Foundation Establishment cultivator—would they allocate resources to him?

Should they share the Beast-taming inheritance within the Zhou Family? If they withheld it, it would only breed deeper mistrust. Yet giving away this core inheritance so easily was something the Zhou Family clearly wasn’t willing to do.

Better to appear magnanimous and let Zhou Yifan establish his own household.

Whether he later flourished or not, the Zhou Family would still hold the key leverage.

Should the Zhou Family encounter difficulties or need assistance, Zhou Yifan would still be obliged to support them.

One had to admit, Zhou Renmao was a wily old fox—he didn’t suffer a single loss.

If Zhou Yifan failed to establish his foundation, the offer to let him separate still painted the family as generous. And Zhou Yifan would no longer be of any interest to him.

…

Half a month later.

Lin Changan heard that Zhou Yifan had rejected the Zhou Family’s daughter, which caused Li Erniu to erupt in rare fury, even hurling curses at Zhou Yifan for being ungrateful.

But later, Shen Lie said that Erniu had gotten dead drunk at Juxian Tower, crying his heart out—a man nearing eighty, wailing that he had let his son suffer.

He had been too young back then, only knowing how to scold instead of comfort, which led to today’s outcome.

Yet the Zhou Family expressed no opinion, treating it as a common occurrence.

Zhou Yifan even changed his surname back to Li, which left Li Erniu silent for a long time.

Three months later.

Li Yifan’s injuries were fully healed. His energy, spirit, and vitality had reached peak condition. He came to visit Lin Changan.

“Li Yifan greets Uncle Lin.”

Inside the cave abode, looking at Li Yifan—who had now reverted to the Li surname—Lin Changan nodded silently.

He made no moral judgment about this matter.

But for someone about to attempt Foundation Establishment, Li Yifan’s obsession and the breath of resentment he carried—

At such a crucial juncture, if he chose to bow his head, that flame might either flare stronger or extinguish completely.

As of now, everything was heading in a positive direction.

Although he had gone independent and reclaimed the Li surname, the pressure on him was now even greater.

“Mm, it seems you've reached your optimal state.”

Lin Changan gave a slight nod, then put away the Green-Horned Ox into the Spirit Beast Pouch and led Zhou Yifan toward a secluded cave abode at the foot of Tianxuan City.

Throughout the journey, Zhou Yifan remained silent, his thoughts unknown.

Upon reaching the cave abode, Li Erniu—despite still wearing a scowl—had come. From a distance, he stood grim-faced and silent.

Meanwhile, Shen Lie, Wei Buyi, Shen Fan, and others were watching from across the street at a tavern.

“These are the Foundation Establishment insights. Once inside, don’t rush. First, adjust your state to the best condition. And this is the Foundation Establishment Pill.”

As Lin Changan handed over the jade slip with insights and a jade bottle to Zhou Yifan—

Li Yifan solemnly nodded and said, “Thank you, Uncle Lin. This great kindness, I will never forget! I will certainly repay you for the cost of alchemy in the future.”

Lin Changan smiled and shook his head. On one hand, it was for his old friendship with Erniu. On the other, most of the necessary resources had been acquired by the other party.

He hadn’t done that much.

He could only escort him this far.

Whether he could establish his foundation now depended entirely on Li Yifan himself.

From start to finish, Li Yifan never checked how many Foundation Establishment Pills were in the bottle. He just obediently followed Lin Changan.

“Senior Lin, is this junior here to attempt Foundation Establishment?”

At the cave entrance, the steward in charge greeted Lin Changan with utmost respect.

This man was known to be close with both their young lady and Senior Song.

“Mm.”

“Senior Lin, rest assured—our best few cave abodes are still reserved…”

Hearing this, Lin Changan sighed inwardly. The last time he’d come here was over twenty years ago, and the result had been completely different.

The cave abodes that signified auspicious fortune and prosperity were all still available.

“Let’s go with the Lu-designated cave abode. ‘Full moon brings waning’—back then, Huang Shaohai relied on his Blazing Fire Palace status to arrogantly seize four cave abodes, and what happened? He still failed.”

As cultivators, even superstition had its place.

Besides, with his current status, he had the right to choose—why not?

With Lin Changan’s nod, the steward respectfully handed the jade token to Li Yifan.

Lin Changan then watched him go inside—his escort duty now complete.

After all, with the world in such chaos, who knew what could happen?

Once inside the secluded cave abode, Li Yifan—who had been tense the whole way—finally let out a quiet sigh.

“Father, this time… I won’t let you down. I’ll reclaim myself.”

With resolute eyes, when he opened the jade bottle and saw three Foundation Establishment Pills radiating purple light, his expression suddenly changed.

“Three premium-grade Foundation Establishment Pills!”

At that moment, Li Yifan fell silent. He had hoped—dreamed even—that three pills might be refined.

But he had never dared expect that all three would be premium-grade Foundation Establishment Pills.

At that instant, a suspicion formed in his heart. This must have been Uncle Lin’s doing.

“Foundation Establishment… I will succeed!”