Chapter 1270
Yuan Li Returns Home, Family History
As footsteps approached, Song Qingming appeared in the pavilion.
Beside him was a figure in white, none other than Bai Yuxian, who had come with him.
Although they had recently become Daoist partners, Bai Yuxian, upon returning to Qingyun Mountain, acted as usual.
She wore simple, light makeup and an elegant white dress, smiling as she looked at Song Qingyu and the other two in front of her.
"Seventh Brother, Senior Sister Bai."
"Qingyu, Junior Sister Huang, Junior Sister Li."
"I'm so sorry, I should have let Junior Brother Song return sooner, but I kept him staying a few more days, and I've kept you all waiting."
"Who's been waiting long?!"
Faced with Bai Yuxian's slightly apologetic explanation, Li Xuanyi looked at her, feeling a little unwilling, but as if something had blocked her mouth.
The words that should have come out were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't spit them out for a moment.
He could only stand there, glancing away at the somewhat awkward gazes he was receiving.
Song Qingyu, who was standing to the side, was prepared and immediately stepped forward to take over the conversation.
"Senior Sister Bai, please don't say that. Seventh Brother and Senior Sister just held a celebration, and we shouldn't be disturbing you at this time."
"I just returned from the East China Sea and had some things to discuss with Seventh Brother, which is why I rushed off to Guyang Mountain to send this message."
"If you have something to ask your junior brother, then I won't bother you any longer."
Junior Sister Huang and Junior Sister Li, I smelled a fragrance when I came up. I suppose you must be brewing tea. I also brought some from Guyang Mountain.
Would you do me the honor of joining me today to sample this?
Having said that, Bai Yuxian took out a packet of top-grade spiritual tea from her hand and looked at Huang Siyuan in front of her with a hint of anticipation.
The latter nodded slightly and took the spiritual tea from the other person's hand.
"Senior Sister Bai, please!"
".
At Huang Siyuan's invitation, the three women quickly went to the side to brew tea.
Song Qingming then took Song Qingyu to the adjacent cubicle.
The two had just sat down when Song Qingyu, who seemed unable to contain herself any longer, quickly smiled and said to the other person:
"Seventh Brother, I was a little worried before, afraid that you wouldn't dare to bring Senior Sister Bai back so soon, but I didn't expect things to go so smoothly."
"This set of jade tablets has finally been collected today."
"What are you talking about? You are now a sixth-level Nascent Soul cultivator. Instead of focusing on your cultivation and advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage, you keep thinking about these pointless things."
"Hehe! It's just that I like to play a few rounds of jade tokens. How come it's considered a boring thing for Seventh Brother?"
"Are we cultivators, besides cultivating, doing anything else meaningless, and spending our entire lives sitting in our caves in ascetic practice?"
"Seventh Brother, you keep saying you're focused on cultivation, but I haven't seen you and Senior Sister Bai cultivate the Great Dao together yet."
"You two, aren't you in any hurry at all?"
".
Hearing the implication in Song Qingyu's words, Song Qingming looked at her with a hint of doubt, only to see her blink her large, bright eyes and say softly:
"Seventh Brother, please don't be offended. I can't tell your cultivation level, but do you think I can't sense whether Senior Sister Bai has changed?"
"Really, minding your own business."
".
Previously, during the celebration with Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming had already passed on the secret technique he possessed that allowed them to cultivate together.
However, neither of them rushed to break down the final layer of their relationship.
This secret technique does have the effect of helping cultivators break through bottlenecks. Bai Yuxian has only recently advanced to the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage, and it will take her quite some time to break through the bottleneck of the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
Cultivating at this point would be a waste for her, so there's no need to rush it.
Song Qingming, on the other hand, had already reached the half-step Nascent Soul realm in cultivation, so he no longer needed to rely on this secret technique to help him break through to the next realm.
There's no need to worry about this anymore.
Secondly, although neither Song Qingming nor Bai Yuxian had any objections to the celebration, it still seemed somewhat rushed.
More importantly, it was driven by the enthusiastic senior student, Li Mufeng.
He also wants to give each other more time to gradually adapt to their current relationship.
During their time at "Guyang Mountain," although Song Qingming was staying in Bai Yuxian's cave, the two of them were noticeably closer than before.
But they haven't taken the final step yet, mainly because they're trying to appease their senior brother, Li Mufeng.
As for Song Qingyu, she had already seen the secret technique on Song Qingming's body before, so it was not surprising that she knew some of its secrets.
However, the other party could tell at a glance that the two of them had not cultivated.
This was quite unexpected for Song Qingming.
Unexpectedly, this girl, who usually seems a bit carefree, is actually very meticulous about the things around her.
Seeing that Song Qingyu had seen through his deception, Song Qingming didn't dwell on the matter. After gently reprimanding her, he immediately changed the subject and asked:
"Qingyu, how's the situation on Black Cloud Island? Has Yuxin's Nascent Soul stage been completed without any unexpected problems?"
"Don't worry, Seventh Brother, Yuxin is fine."
".
"It's a pity that Jian Chen from the Sword Palace didn't dare to come out and fight me, which is why I came back early."
During this time, Song Qingming stayed at "Guyang Mountain" and was unaware of what was happening in the East China Sea.
Until this moment, I heard Song Qingyu tell the story in detail.
It has just been confirmed that Liu Yuxin, who previously announced her Nascent Soul stage, has stabilized her cultivation. "Black Cloud Island" has officially become good news for the Nascent Soul forces in the East China Sea.
"I met Nangong Jianchen back then."
I didn't realize this person had the audacity to go to Black Cloud Island and obstruct the way.
However, since the Hundred Flowers Palace has already intervened in this matter, we should still give them some face and let's not argue with them for now.
He then sent a message to Yuxin, instructing her to send someone to keep a close eye on the Iron Sword Sect's movements.
If they make any unusual moves in the future, immediately send a message to me at Qingyun Mountain.
Upon learning that Nangong Jianchen of the "Iron Sword Sect" had actually gone to Black Cloud Island to obstruct the way, Song Qingming also showed some displeasure.
However, the cultivation world in the East Sea is, after all, the territory of the "Hundred Flowers Palace".
Since Xia Mo has already sent someone to mediate this matter, we should at least give the other party some face. It's not worth letting the small Iron Sword Sect affect the relationship between the two sects.
Although Song Qingming was slightly displeased, he chose to let the matter drop for the time being.
After recounting this, Song Qingming asked, "Qingyu, didn't you say in your letter that Yuanli had returned? Why haven't we seen him?"
"I originally asked him to wait for you here, but Yuanli kept thinking about Funiu Mountain, so I told him to go back first."
Oh, and Yuan Hao and Chang Ze also came back together.
"I've already arranged for Yuxin to go to the East China Sea to help out for a while; everything will be fine."
"Yes! After all these years, it's rare that they still have the heart to do this!"
".
The cemetery on the back mountain of Funiu Mountain in Qinghe County.
"May it last forever, and may the new era prosper."
"Looking up at the lush scenery, I see the scholar continuing the bright path."
The Song family has spanned sixteen generations, and countless figures have been left in the family cemetery, all of whom are ancestors who have passed away here.
The inscriptions on the steles are like fish scales covering the valley.
It records the entire family's history, spanning nearly a thousand years.
Deep in the valley, in front of a rather conspicuous tombstone.
Song Yuanli, Song Yuanhao, and Song Changze stood in front, each taking out the sacrificial items they had prepared and placing them in front of Song Yuanfang's grave.
"Sixteenth Brother, I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to come back all these years, and I didn't even make it to your final journey."
In this lifetime, I have failed to stay in the family and share everyone's burdens. I feel ashamed before my ancestors, my seventh uncle, my great-aunt, and all of you.
. "
After leaving his family, Song Yuanli went to the Tianhai cultivation world and helped Feng He inherit the "Fallen Maple Valley" legacy.
Over the years, due to ties with the sect and to better conceal his identity, he has been able to achieve this.
Song Yuanli did not return to his family. He occasionally corresponded with "Funiu Mountain," which was relayed through the Song family on "Black Cloud Island," where Song Changze lived.
After successfully forming his Nascent Soul a few years ago, Song Yuanli originally wanted to return to see Song Yuanfang in advance when he learned that Song Yuanfang's lifespan was coming to an end.
Unfortunately, they encountered the "Demon Clan Turmoil" in the Tianhai cultivation world, and Song Yuanli was injured while helping human cultivators resist the demon clan's attack.
After he recovered from his injuries and emerged from seclusion, he learned that Song Yuanfang had already passed away, and he was even unable to attend his elder brother's funeral.
Standing before Song Yuanfang's grave, recalling his elder brother's figure from the past, Song Yuanli was filled with countless emotions.
"Nineteenth Brother, don't be sad. These years you've been away from the mountain, and Sixteenth Brother has often thought of you."
The three of us, plus Changze, all grew up under his watchful eye in the family.
Now that you have achieved the Nascent Soul stage, if Sixteenth Brother knew this in the afterlife, he would surely be pleased.
"Yes! The Grand Elder likes us the most. If he knew that Uncle Nineteen and Yu Xin had successfully formed their Nascent Souls, he would be even happier than us."
Song Yuanfang, Song Yuanli, Song Yuanhao, and Song Changze were among the most outstanding of the younger generation of the family who were the first to follow Song Qingming.
With the support of the two family patriarchs, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, all four of them successfully formed their cores.
However, after reaching the Core Formation stage, the four individuals' paths underwent different changes over time.
Among them, Song Yuanhao and Song Yuanli, who are the most talented, have promising futures and have both successfully embarked on the path of Nascent Soul.
Song Yuanfang was the least talented of the four. He only managed to form a false elixir and passed away prematurely at the mountain gate.
Although Song Changze was more talented than Song Yuanfang, he had already failed twice in his attempts to reach the Nascent Soul stage.
Although Song Changze still has several decades before his physical body and blood decline, he still has one more chance to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
However, having failed to form his nascent soul twice, he had lost much confidence in himself.
The words she spoke at that moment, though meant to comfort Song Yuanli, also inadvertently revealed a trace of her own heartache.
".
Just as the three of them were paying their respects to Song Yuanfang, a sudden gust of cold wind swept up from the depths of the valley, instantly darkening the surrounding sky.
Upon seeing this, Song Changze and the others' expressions changed immediately, and they looked ahead in surprise.
A gust of cold wind, carrying a cloud of black mist, flew rapidly towards them. "This is... a ghost cultivator!"
"Strange... How could such a sinister creature appear in the family's forbidden area!"
Just as Song Changze was casting a spell and about to step forward to stop the other party, Song Yuanhao reached out and pressed him down.
"Don't worry, it's Changyue who's here."
"what!"
Just as Song Changze and Song Yuanli were filled with doubt, a thick black mist descended in front of the three of them, revealing a pale-faced figure in black robes.
It was back then that Song Qingming brought back "Song Changyue" to the family from overseas.
Decades have passed, and "Song Changyue" has long since recovered most of her injuries.
Now, she can also temporarily condense a ghost body using the yin energy on her body, and leave the place where she hides from the spirits to move freely.
However, being a ghost cultivator, Song Changyue could not easily be seen by people, so he had been hiding in the Song family's ancestral land for many years.
Apart from a few family elders such as Song Yushan and Song Yuanhao, very few people in the clan knew of her existence.
This was the first time Song Changze and Song Yuanli had returned to their family, so they had never heard of this matter before.
Having already heard that "Song Changyue" had perished abroad, Song Changze only believed what he was seeing when he saw the other person appear before him.
"Ninth Brother!"
"Changyue, it really is you!"
I heard from the Grand Elder that you had already perished far away. What exactly happened?
"It's a long story. After I left home back then..."
".
"So that's how it is. You've really suffered these past years. Aunt Yuanxue asked us to take care of you, but I never expected it to turn out like this."
After hearing Song Changyue's explanation, Song Changze couldn't help but shed a tear.
When Song Changze had just established his foundation, he received care from Song Yuanxue, the mother of "Song Changyue," and the two had always had a good relationship in the clan.
Although Song Changyue and Song Changze are cultivators of the same generation, they are nearly a hundred years apart in age.
When Song Changze was in the family, he always treated "Song Changyue" as his junior.
When Song Changze heard the news that she had perished abroad and her remains were never found, he was deeply saddened and made a special trip back from the East China Sea to pay his respects to her.
Unexpectedly, "Song Changyue" was actually refined into a Yin Soul Magic Treasure and forced to switch to the Ghost Path.
Upon seeing the other person, Song Changze was also excited and quickly began to comfort him.
However, compared to the grief-stricken Song Changze, "Song Changyue," who was already used to her identity, was not too sad. Instead, she turned her gaze to Song Yuanli, whose face was somewhat unfamiliar.
"Changyue, this is the nineteenth brother. You probably haven't met him before!"
Before you were even born, your nineteenth brother had already left the family and gone elsewhere. He had an excellent relationship with your mother.
"You are Yuan Xue's daughter!"
"Changyue pays respects to the Nineteenth Uncle!"
When Song Yuanli left the family, "Song Changyue" had not yet been born; he had only seen a similar portrait in the family's Qilin Pavilion.
In order to conceal Song Yuanli's identity, the portrait did not reveal the other party's name or specific identity.
Upon hearing Song Yuanhao's introduction, "Song Changyue" remembered that there seemed to be such an elder in the clan, and hurriedly stepped forward to respectfully bow to Song Yuanli.
"The path of ghost cultivation is arduous!"
"Since you are Yuan Xue's daughter, then we are family. I happen to have something that might be useful to you, so I'll just give it to you as a reward."
After saying that, Song Yuanli took out a jade box from his body and handed it to "Song Changyue".
Upon opening the jade box and taking a look, "Song Changyue" immediately became excited.
"This is... the Ice Soul Pill!"
"Hmm! I found this item a hundred years ago in a dark and gloomy place in Tianhai. It is somewhat useful for ghost cultivators to condense their golden core."
Now that you've switched to the path of the ghosts, it should come in handy.
"Thank you, Uncle Nineteen!"
The "Ice Soul Pill" bestowed by Song Yuanli is a rare high-level spiritual object with Yin attributes in the cultivation world.
For ghost cultivators who are about to form their core, its effect is even better than that of high-level spiritual pills like the "Golden Core Formation Pill," making it an excellent spiritual item to assist in the formation of the core.
A single "Ice Soul Pill" might have limited effect in the hands of a Nascent Soul cultivator like Song Yuanli.
But for "Song Changyue," it was a treasure that was hard to find even if one risked one's life, so he was extremely grateful and repeatedly stepped forward to kowtow.
".
"Changyue, if you need anything else, just tell Ninth Brother."
I promised Aunt Yuanxue I would take care of you, but I never imagined you would suffer so much. As your older brother, I truly feel ashamed.
"Ninth Brother, please don't be so sad for me. Over the years, the First Elder and Yu Shan have taken good care of Chang Yue. I still have hope of regaining my cultivation in the future."
The path of ghost cultivation is not easy.
However, I now have time to do many things I want to do, and I can also contribute to my family, so my days are quite fulfilling.
Having said that, "Song Changyue" used magic to take out a book from her body and presented it to Song Changze.
"Look, this is the family history I've compiled over the years based on the family genealogy."
My seventh great-uncle said that once I finish writing it, I will enshrine it in the family's Qilin Pavilion so that future generations can remember the many deeds of our ancestors.
It's not that we'd be forgotten so soon just because we have one name.
"Oh! Let me see."
Upon seeing Song Changyue take out the family history she had compiled, Song Changze and the other two became interested and gathered around.
Turning to the first page, one is immediately greeted by lines of large text.
"The Song family ancestor, Qianshan Gong, along with 265 family members, migrated from outside Guyang Mountain to Funiu Mountain in the northeast of Qinghe County in the year 1326 of the county calendar."
In the first year of the Song dynasty, the Immortal Clan was established, with the lineage continuing through the generations of Wan, Gu, Chang, Qing, Xin, Yuan, Chang, and Xuan, sixteen generations of ancestors.
"The Song family has been in existence for thirty-six years. The second generation ancestor, Song Gushan, the third ancestor of the ancient family, is included in the genealogy."
He possessed the spiritual roots of the Five Elements and Three Systems. At the age of nine, he drew Qi into his body, broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining in sixteen years, and broke through to the late-stage of Qi Refining in fifty-one years, succeeding as the second-generation clan leader.
He died peacefully in his cave at the age of 115.
".
"The Song family has a history of 178 years. Four generations of ancestors, the seventh ancestor with the character 'Qing' in his name, Song Qingming, are included in the genealogy."
After forty-two years of successful Foundation Establishment, the Song family was promoted to the Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan. In seventy-eight years, the Song family succeeded as the fourth generation patriarch, and in one hundred and thirty-two years, the Song family advanced to the Golden Core stage.
The Song family ascended to the Golden Core Immortal Clan and took charge of the two counties of Qinghe and Pingyang.
. "
"The Song family has existed for 284 years, with six generations of ancestors. The sixteenth ancestor, Song Yuanfang, whose surname is Yuan, is included in the genealogy."
After fifty-three years, he successfully established his foundation and succeeded as the family elder.
.
In the 603rd year, he passed away peacefully in his cave at the end of his life.
".
"The Song family has a history of 288 years, with six generations of ancestors. The nineteenth ancestor, Song Yuanli, whose given name is Yuan, is included in the genealogy."
One hundred and forty-seven years later, our ancestor went on a journey and never returned; no trace of him has been found.
".
Looking at the family's hidden history recorded in detail in the classics, Song Yuanli and Song Changze were all quite shocked.
Since the Song family established their clan, their ancestral hall has always contained memorial tablets and portraits of important ancestors.
However, the personal information about these ancestors is recorded in a very vague manner.
Apart from a small number of high-ranking cultivators who influence the development of the clan, most of the clan members are mediocre and their birth and death dates are only recorded hastily, without any further detailed information.
The records that Song Changyue rewrote were very fair, providing detailed explanations for each member of the family.
In addition, there are many stories about the development of the family, the heroic clansmen who resisted the "monster turmoil" in various ways, and the many ancestors who sacrificed their lives.
There are also many meritorious people who have helped the family find mineral veins, guard the sacred mountain, manage the market shops, and so on.
These people, in the eyes of older generation cultivators such as Song Yuanhao and Song Changze, can still be clearly remembered for their deeds and the merits they made for their families back then.
But now, after more than a dozen generations, these descendants know very little about it.
The fact that "Song Changyue" was able to compile these things was definitely an important matter that could affect the development of the entire family's history, which greatly excited Song Yuanhao and the others when they saw it.
“Changyue, your idea is not bad. After we return to Black Cloud Island, I will also arrange for someone in the family to follow suit and record these histories about our ancestors.”
"Don't worry, Ninth Brother. Once I've finished this, I'll have Yu Shan send you a copy."
".
It was a rare opportunity to meet several familiar elders. Song Changyue chatted with them for a long time before parting ways.
Song Yuanli and his two companions paid their respects to their many friends before reluctantly departing.
After bidding farewell to "Funiu Mountain", Song Yuanli rushed to "Qingyun Mountain" and met Song Qingming, who had already returned.
Decades ago, Song Qingming had already received news that Song Yuanli had successfully achieved Nascent Soul formation.
However, he had been in seclusion for many years and had no time to go out and travel. Only now did he finally meet Song Yuanli, who had already achieved the Nascent Soul stage.
Hundreds of years have passed since they parted ways. Seeing that Song Yuanli has become a Nascent Soul cultivator, Song Qingming felt very gratified.
Unfortunately, Song Yuanli has now settled down in "Fallen Maple Valley" and taken over the family business.
Although Song Qingming liked this junior very much, he could not force him to stay in the family and could only watch him return to the "Tianhai Immortal Cultivation World".
Before leaving, Song Yuanli also paid his respects to Huang Siyuan, Li Xuanyi, Bai Yuxian and others.
Bai Yuxian and the others were quite surprised to learn that the Song family had a Nascent Soul cultivator who was cultivating elsewhere. They even privately wanted to ask Song Qingming if he could bring him back to the family.
However, Song Qingming directly rejected this suggestion, and everyone had no choice but to give up.
After seeing Song Yuanli off, Song Changze quickly returned to "Black Cloud Island" to search for spiritual objects and go into seclusion to try to form a Nascent Soul.
After Liu Yuxin successfully formed her nascent soul, she took his place and went to oversee the offshore mines.
Instead of returning to the outer sea, Song Yuanhao stayed at Qingyun Mountain to cultivate and brought his Daoist partner Zhang Yurong back from the outer sea.
After seeing off Song Yuanli, Song Changze, and the others.
The situation at Qingyun Mountain had barely calmed down when a major piece of news from Donghuang Kingdom quickly reached Song Qingming's ears.
The "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament," held once every two hundred years, is about to be held again. (End of Chapter)