Qingyun

"Junior brother, do you want a cultivation partner?"

Tang Yuan's smile was mysterious, his voice was deep, and his round face and small eyes gave him a somewhat greasy appearance.

Gu Fan almost thought Tang Yuan was selling something indescribable.

"Senior brother, are you... trying to introduce me to a cultivation partner?" Gu Fan hadn't expected Tang Yuan to have a matchmaking service.

"Indeed." Tang Yuan nodded upon hearing this. "Junior Brother, aren't you envious of the disciples of Qingyun Peak? They have their families providing them with spirit stones and pills, so why do they need to work so hard!"

Gu Fan shook his head and chuckled, "So what if I'm envious? Everyone has their own destiny."

"But right now there is an opportunity for my junior brother to enter Qingyun Peak."

Tang Yuan smiled and said, before Gu Fan could ask further, "If you are interested, Junior Brother, I can arrange for the Bai family to give you a beautiful woman as your wife. Although she is a mortal without spiritual roots, she is still a direct descendant of a Foundation Establishment family."

"In this way, Junior Brother can receive support from the Bai family. Not to mention, if he gives birth to a child with spiritual roots and is willing to change his surname to Bai, he will also receive a reward."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan's expression grew increasingly grim, and he sneered, "Senior brother, do you want me to become a live-in son-in-law?"

Once he becomes a live-in son-in-law, his life and death will be in the hands of others. Gu Fan would never agree to this!

"No, Junior Brother, you've misunderstood!" Tang Yuan waved his hand and said, "This is the Bai family marrying off their daughter, establishing a marriage alliance with you, Junior Brother. It's not about you marrying into the Bai family. Of course I know that with your talent, Junior Brother would never willingly marry into the Bai family."

Gu Fan's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, but he frowned again and asked, "Senior brother seems to have a high opinion of my talent?"

"Of course!" Tang Yuan revealed a smug look and laughed, "Although I don't have my junior brother's talent, I have quite a knack for judging people."

"My junior brother has been doing odd jobs for over a month and has already forged seven hundred pieces of black iron ore, which is much more than the newly entered disciples. This shows his talent and comprehension in controlling fire. This is what is meant by 'the awl is put into the bag and its tip is immediately visible.'"

Gu Fan nodded slightly, understanding.

In order to collect enough merit points as soon as possible, he did not deliberately slow down the speed at which he hammered the black iron ore.

Tang Yuan was indeed shrewd; he deduced Gu Fan's talent for fire control from the amount of black iron Gu Fan submitted.

Even though it wasn't a marriage alliance, Gu Fan was unwilling to accept Tang Yuan's suggestion.

Not to mention being bound to a powerful family from now on, he would not want to have another complete stranger as a bedmate. He could not possibly expose the secret of the Myriad Manifestations Eye to anyone.

"I appreciate your kindness, senior brother, but I have no intention of starting a family," Gu Fan said solemnly.

Tang Yuan sighed softly and nodded, saying, "Alright, I understand what you mean, Junior Brother. If you change your mind in the future, you can come to me anytime."

"Junior brother, you come from Lingxi Peak, so it's inevitable that you have some prejudice against aristocratic families. In reality, aristocratic families are quite kind to their own people. Not to mention in-laws, even sons-in-law are treated very well."

At this point, Tang Yuan turned his head toward a corner of the Tiangong Pavilion: "Look, isn't that a son-in-law?"

Gu Fan followed Tang Yuan's gaze and was immediately stunned.

In that corner was a figure Gu Fan never expected.

"Senior Brother Qi?"

......

Qingyun Peak.

In a cave at the foot of the mountain, Gu Fan and Qi Yan sat facing each other.

The cave dwelling was luxuriously furnished and had a unique landscape, making it even more magnificent than Gu Fan's residence. It even had two maids serving him.

After the maidservant served fragrant tea, Qi Yan casually waved his hand and said, "You may leave."

After the maidservant curtsied, she retreated with small, quick steps and her head bowed.

"Senior Brother Qi..." Gu Fan hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

After recognizing each other at the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, the two remained silent for a long time until Qi Yan invited them to his cave for a chat, which Gu Fan then followed.

"Senior brother, are you curious as to why I became a live-in son-in-law?" Qi Yan's tone remained gentle.

Gu Fan nodded silently.

Qi Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "After my senior brother taught me the secret to guiding Qi that day, I studied it diligently for two months, but I was always one step short. The morning purple Qi dissipated before it reached my dantian."

"If I had enough time, I could study it slowly, but... I don't have enough time."

"Just when they were about to be driven down the mountain, the Bai family was recruiting sons-in-law at the Zixia Temple. Anyone willing to marry into the family would receive a Meridian Opening Pill and thus join the Bai family and embark on the path of cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan couldn't help but sigh.

Although he did not mention the Qi Circulation Diagram that day, he did not hold back the key to Qi Induction. If Qi Yan had been more talented or had more time, it would not have been difficult for him to induct Qi into his body.

Unfortunately, there are too many regrets in this world that cannot be remedied by "what ifs".

"Then why did Senior Brother appear at the Heavenly Craft Pavilion?" Gu Fan asked curiously.

Logically speaking, after marrying into the Bai family, one becomes a member of the Bai family. Cultivation families all have their own spiritual veins for their members to cultivate, and only those with better talent will enter the sect.

Because the sects also have a limited number of disciple slots allocated to each aristocratic family, they will not allow aristocratic families to fill slots arbitrarily.

Qi Yan chuckled twice and sighed, "Perhaps my luck has improved. There aren't many people in the Bai family with spiritual roots in this generation. A while ago, some of the younger members went out to hunt demons and unfortunately lost their lives, which is why there are so many vacancies."

"Only three people, including myself, agreed to marry into the family this time. I am the only one with a mid-grade spiritual root, and I was lucky enough to get a spot."

At this point, Qi Yan asked, "Is someone going to introduce a Daoist partner to you, Senior Brother?"

Gu Fan nodded and said, "That's right, but I declined."

"This is the way aristocratic families operate." Qi Yan nodded in understanding and explained, "They not only cultivate their own children, but also recruit those with outstanding talent to strengthen the family's foundation."

"The top priority for marriage alliances is usually the disciples of Shenxiu Peak, followed by outstanding disciples of Lingxi Peak. I suppose that's why you've caught my eye, Junior Brother."

Gu Fan nodded slightly, his impression of aristocratic families becoming clearer.

"In any case, we should celebrate that Senior Brother Qi has been admitted to the sect."

After speaking, Gu Fan offered a toast from afar, using tea instead of wine.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yan finally smiled and picked up his teacup in response.

"I currently work as a clerk in the Heavenly Crafts Pavilion, which is a rather sinecure. If you ever need my help, please feel free to ask," Qi Yan said sincerely to Gu Fan after setting down his teacup.

Gu Fan smiled and said, "I certainly won't stand on ceremony with my senior brother."

The two chatted and laughed for a few more minutes when suddenly they heard a woman's sharp voice shouting from outside the door: "Qi Yan, Qi Yan! Why didn't you come to see me when you got back?"

Gu Fan looked up at the sound and saw the door to the quiet room suddenly pushed open, and a young woman with exquisite makeup and wearing a pink palace dress rushed in.

The woman had delicate features and a graceful figure, and could be considered a beauty, but her phoenix eyes held a murderous aura.

The maid who had served tea earlier followed behind her, and a faint handprint could be seen on her face.

The woman rushed through the doorway, and upon seeing Gu Fan's handsome appearance, a glint of light flashed in her eyes, her murderous aura vanished, and her tone softened: "Oh, so you have a guest visiting. This humble woman, Bai Qiaoyun, greets you."

After speaking, Bai Qiaoyun curtsied.

Gu Fan's divine sense stirred slightly, and he realized that Bai Qiaoyun had no spiritual root.

Qi Yan stepped forward and made an introduction. Just as Gu Fan had expected, Bai Qiaoyun was indeed the wife that the Bai family had promised him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gu Fan turned to Qi Yan and said, "Since Senior Brother has other matters to attend to, I shall take my leave."

"Why are you leaving so soon, young master? Why don't you stay and have a few cups of tea?" Bai Qiaoyun said first.

"I am still busy with my cultivation, and I will come to bother you two again another day." Gu Fan cupped his hands and walked out of the cave. Qi Yan quickly followed and escorted Gu Fan to the outside of the cave.

"Although Qiaoyun has no spiritual root, she is quite pampered at home and has a somewhat spoiled nature. Please don't take offense, Senior Brother," Qi Yan said apologetically with a bitter expression.

"Senior brother, you're overthinking it," Gu Fan said, shaking his head to comfort him.

After saying this, Gu Fan piloted the white jade boat and flew towards Lingxi Peak.

Looking back at Qingyun Peak, one can see a layer of spiritual mist surrounding the mountainside, completely obscuring the summit.