Or maybe that master was just passing by and possibly not someone from the Qi Mansion, otherwise why would they stop?
Zhan Li also slowly put away another golden paperweight in his hand, which was his trump card. If he had no choice, summoning ghostly divine power into his body might give him a chance to fight the opponent.
His eyes darkened, and he glanced in the direction of the Qi Family.
Now his mission had failed, and he could only return to report and await the next step.
His eyes were somewhat gloomy!
...
Inside the main chamber of the Qi Mansion, when Qi Yuxian brought the found iron canister to Qi Yi and Daoist Tianxu, they quickly broke the Nightmare Suppression Technique that Madam Zhou had fallen under.
Although the Nightmare Suppression Technique was strange and sinister, as long as the Nightmare Suppression Object was found, breaking the spell was not difficult.
Granny Zhang, on the other hand, was taken down by Qi Yi and locked up, ready for thorough questioning.
Qi Yuxian did not hide many of the origins within and informed Qi Yi one by one!
At the door of the main chamber, Qi Yi and Daoist Tianxu walked shoulder to shoulder out of the rear courtyard.
"Old friend, in your opinion, who helped my Qi Family repel those enemies this time?"
Qi Yi’s eyes turned to Daoist Tianxu.
After Qi Yuxian expressed his suspicions, Qi Yi also agreed that discovering Granny Zhang’s buried Nightmare Suppression Object at such a critical moment was highly unlikely.
How could it be such a coincidence to discover the key at this point?
And those crossbow arrows!
He pondered to himself that if it weren’t for the help of a master, the Qi Family might not have so easily rescued Madam Qi Zhou this time.
Daoist Tianxu shook his head.
"Fengyang County has always been home to outstanding talents and might have had a passing master who couldn’t stand the actions of those in the dark and lent Qi Family a hand!"
Daoist Tianxu was also amazed, wondering when another master came to the Qi Family, yet even he could not detect it with his spiritual sense.
This indicated that the person in the dark might have Dao practice not inferior to his own!
Qi Yi sighed secretly, "It is indeed true that good people are blessed. Fortunately, we passed this hurdle. It’s a pity we can’t meet this master and form a good relationship!"
Amid Fengyang County’s turbulent weather, the Qi Family was teetering. Having another strong protector would undoubtedly grant more autonomy.
Luckily, nothing happened to Madam Zhou this time; otherwise, not only would the Qi Family face pressure from several forces in Fengyang County, but they would also have to confront the judgment of Marquis Dingyuan’s Mansion.
The two of them counted some of the masters in the county but ended up with nothing.
...
After delivering goodwill cards, Zhang Jian stayed in his lodging, quietly accumulating spiritual power within himself.
The cultivation training at the Nourishing Spirit Stage required him to continuously convert spiritual power to nurture his essence, energy, and spirit, integrating his own spiritual power. After reaching a certain stage, he would map out his Life Palace, completing the Foundation Establishment process.
This step was crucial.
The accumulation of spiritual power and the nurturing of the soul might be faster for him than for ordinary cultivators.
Because he was born with an immense soul.
Zhang Jian was certain of this.
His divine thought was highly sensitive, and after breaking through the Nourishing Spirit Stage, the coverage area of his divine thought was greater than the ten-zhang limit recorded in the "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan."
It might be as large as several dozen zhang.
Without a powerful innate soul, Zhang Jian could not explain this.
And the speed of spiritual power accumulation depended on his Innate Purity Body and the purity of his spirit root. Although he had never actively tested his physique, Zhang Jian was certain he had some talent in this regard.
These talents could reduce some of the grinding efforts.
Not to be worn down for tens or hundreds of years at this stage.
Cultivators reaching the Nourishing Spirit Stage indeed could gradually reach their life span limit, nearly two hundred years.
But having the ability to endure is one thing; reducing the grinding process naturally is better.
...
In his leisure time, Zhang Jian thought of something else and had a few of his old soldiers buy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
But gazing at the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone Xiaoxie bought, Zhang Jian shook his head. This Xiaoxie had clearly been deceived by the county’s unscrupulous merchants, accepting inferior goods. Lacking the seasoned craftiness forged by his personal servant, he did not blame him, though, and began to depict with the brush.
Soon a graceful figure leapt onto the paper, holding a stone mirror in its hand.
This was the image of the "Ancestor" in the ancestral hall.
Having been away for a while, Zhang Jian missed that ’female ancestor’ in the ancestral hall.
Since traveling afar might lead to the regret of not being able to worship ancestors, Zhang Jian thought of possibly altering the method. For instance, could he sketch a portrait of that ancestor and conduct ’remote ancestor worship’?
He wasn’t sure if it would work but decided to try.
Once the entire portrait was completed, Zhang Jian had Xiaoxie hang it in the room to dry and planned to try offering gold yuanbao for worship.
Then Zhang Jian walked out of his residence in the dim morning light.
At that time, the Qi Family grew increasingly bustling as his grandfather’s sixtieth birthday approached, with guests arriving from out of town, and Zhang Yi and Madam Zhang Qi were already on their way.
Additionally, there was a pair of twin younger siblings.
He looked up, though it was early morning, the intense sunlight showed signs.
The drought in Fengyang County and surrounding counties continued.
Only around Fengyang Commandery City did the presence of the Dragon-locking Dam storing water make it more prosperous and thriving.
Zhang Jian did not venture out; as more and more refugees crowded outside, even with the Governor’s extra patrols, outside was increasingly chaotic.
Unknowingly, Zhang Jian found himself again in the flower garden.
The two water hibiscus plants greedily absorbed the pure morning spiritual mechanism under the sunlight, nurturing themselves.
Zhang Jian’s gaze, however, turned to a nearby well, and the Ten Thousand Realms Spiritual Consciousness Ball in his mind jumped, allowing him to overhear two voices in heated discussion once more.
A smile surfaced in his eyes as he openly ’listened in’ from the pavilion next to the well!
Initially, these two exchanged some complaints or discussed gossip from various mansions in the city, but one segment of their conversation gradually drew Zhang Jian’s attention.
"Big brother, when do you think we can leave here? The bottom of this well is too dark and damp!"
"What nonsense, we are Well Dragon Kings. Where would we go upon leaving the well, to the Bai Shui River?!"
The last voice sounded slightly annoyed.
"Actually, it’s not hopeless. The Dragon Monarch of Bai Shui River has long been trapped by someone, stuck in shallow water, so why should we fear him?"
The other voice seemed a bit restless with discontent.
"Right now, there’s also an opportunity. If we could bring rain to relieve the drought plaguing Fengyang County and surrounding regions, we would surely be worshipped by the people from several counties, perhaps shedding our title of Well Dragon King to occupy this vast Bai Shui River. The Divine Office of Bai Shui River is surely better than the cramped position of Well Dragon King!"
Listening to their debate, Zhang Jian’s eyes sparked with interest.
He did not know if the foundation establishment methods of other Great Dao Techniques required destiny, but "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan" explicitly stated that a supreme Dao foundation formed with great destiny is closer to the Path of Heaven and Earth, making it suitable for cultivation.
If he could solve the drought plaguing Fengyang County and several nearby counties, it would certainly bring an immense destiny, aiding not only his Life Palace manifestation and Divination Foundation Establishment but also facilitating further benefits from the ancestral hall!