Chương 145: Harvest in the Shadows

Hearing Huaijin's words, Yunli's face lit up with undisguised joy. Purple Cloud Peak was Huaijin's personal domain, a place shrouded in mystery. Most Zhang family members didn't even have the right to set foot there. The signature spiritual dishes that had become the family's primary source of income? Their key ingredients all came from Huaijin's mountain. Everything, every succulent morsel, every rare delicacy, traced back to his efforts. The Blazing Sun Chickens could be raised elsewhere.

Green Bamboo Mountain was perfectly capable of handling them. But the Pine Fish were a different matter entirely. They could only survive in the lake atop Purple Cloud Peak. The reason was simple: Pine Fish simply weren't built for the harsh climate of the Eastern Region Great Wilderness. Their very existence in this land was a miracle, and that miracle had a name: the mysterious Pine Fish.

This extraordinary creature had guided its kin through generations, slowly but steadily reshaping the environment around them, bending the harsh wilderness to their needs. Now, the lake on Purple Cloud Peak teemed with life. Dozens of Qi Refining realm spirit beasts swam through its depths, each species reproducing at a staggering rate. Under the mysterious Pine Fish's silent direction, they existed in a delicate state of competition, a carefully maintained balance that kept the ecosystem healthy.

Their numbers grew day by day, and they served as a sustainable food source for the Pine Fish school. Even Haihu, the great tiger of Purple Cloud Peak, and the Blazing Sun Chicken King occasionally descended upon the lake, hunting down a Foundation Establishment spirit beast or two. A special treat for the mysterious Pine Fish, delivered by its most powerful servants. The mysterious Pine Fish itself, however, spent its days in lazy contentment.

It drew half of Purple Cloud Peak's spiritual energy into itself, absorbing the rich ambient energy at a rate that would make other cultivators weep with envy. Its cultivation base surged upward with each passing day, advancing with terrifying speed.

"Good," Zhang Lixian nodded, approval evident in his voice. Purple Cloud Peak was Huaijin's personal territory, he had every right to make such decisions. Wujian, seated in the main hall, smiled quietly at the exchange. The Zhang family's senior members continued their deliberations for another half hour, mapping out the clan's future development. When the meeting finally concluded, Zhang Lixian began allocating spirit stones from the treasury to upgrade the spirit vein beneath Green Bamboo Mountain.

Meanwhile, the newly promoted Tier 2 cultivators, Hunin and Haimo, were dispatched to take charge in Langya County Town. The county had become a magnet for Tier 2 powers in recent months. After much discussion, the major factions had agreed to pool their resources proportionally, upgrading the town's local spirit vein to Tier 2 mid grade. It was a necessary investment, though the Zhang family's contribution had left their treasury gasping for air.

They'd been forced to borrow spirit stones from the Miao and Yang families, close allies who had proven their friendship in times of need. Just enough to scrape together their share. The debt would be paid off within three years at most. A manageable burden, if everything went according to plan. After the meeting concluded, Huaijin lingered at Green Bamboo Mountain for three days. Three days to spend with his mother. Su Xiuqi was eighty-eight years old now.

She had reached the peak of Qi Refining realm, but her vitality was beginning to fade, her energy waning with each passing season. Though she had been a wandering cultivator in her youth, she had never experienced the brutal crucible of real combat. Her body remained relatively healthy, preserved by years of careful living. Combined with the Zhang family's abundant resources, she still had the rosy cheeks and bright eyes of a woman far younger than her years.

By all estimates, she could easily live past one hundred and ten. And the Zhang family now possessed longevity resources that could be taken up to three times. All told, Su Xiuqi likely had another forty or fifty good years ahead of her. Time enough to watch her grandchildren grow. Time enough to see the family she loved flourish. She looked at her son, pride shining in her eyes like a beacon in the night. Everything the Zhang family had achieved, every step forward, every hard-won victory, traced back to him.

To this boy she had raised, this young man who had become something far greater than anyone could have imagined.

"Mother, I'm leaving," Huaijin said, raising his hand in farewell. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Travel safely. Don't worry about me. Take good care of Yunli." Her voice was soft and gentle. The words of a mother who had learned to let go, who had accepted that her children belonged to a world far larger than her embrace. Yet somehow, Huaijin's heart tightened unexpectedly. A familiar ache settled deep in his chest. He thought back over the years. How much time had he truly spent with her? Most of his days had vanished into secluded cultivation, hours bleeding into months, months into years.

His eldest brother had failed his breakthrough and passed away in quiet despair, leaving behind nothing but memories and a mother's grief. Now Yunli was leaving with him, a new absence in the family home. His father was often in retreat, consumed by the demands of leadership. How lonely must his mother's days have been? How many meals had she eaten alone? How many nights had she lain awake, listening to the silence of a house slowly emptying? But Huaijin knew he had no choice.

On the path of cultivation, there was no standing still. If you weren't moving forward, you were falling behind. If you didn't seize every precious moment to push your cultivation higher, you would eventually hit a wall, a bottleneck so impenetrable that no amount of effort could break it. Your vitality would fail, your energy would wane, and breakthrough would become an impossible dream. By then, regret would be a hollow luxury.

"I understand. Please take care of yourself." Huaijin stepped out of the bamboo building and nearly collided with Zhang Lixian.

"Father…"

"Don't worry about your mother. I'll make time to be with her more often." Zhang Lixian's voice was firm, but his eyes held a warmth that softened the words.

"You can't afford to stop now. The family's influence is growing, and we need top-tier powerhouses to guard our position. That's your role now. That's what you're being shaped for… This is a cultivator's fate." The words landed like a stone dropped into still water, sending ripples through Huaijin's thoughts.

"I know." He sighed, the sound carrying more weight than a dozen words.

"It's just... sometimes I can't help but feel a pang."

"Go." Zhang Lixian clasped his son's shoulder, his grip steady and reassuring.

"I'll handle things here. Now that you've reached the seventh level, when are we going to expand our presence into Qingtai City?" Qingtai City sat atop a Tier 3 spirit vein, making it the undisputed hub of cultivation commerce in the region. Cultivators from all nine counties gathered there daily, their transactions generating a tide of spirit stones and rare materials. Zhang Lixian had great confidence in the family's products.

Their spiritual dishes, their talismans, their cultivated herbs, all of them could compete with the best the city had to offer. Expanding into Qingtai City would open doors. Access to higher grade resources, to information networks, to markets that could absorb their production at premium prices. Finding rare herbs would become exponentially easier. The family's growth would accelerate in ways Green Bamboo Mountain alone could never achieve.

"We'll wait until we have another mid stage Tier 2 cultivator," Huaijin replied.

"And right now, the clan treasury is running on fumes. We need time to rebuild our reserves." Qingtai City had its appeal, but Huaijin still preferred the quiet solitude of Purple Cloud Peak. The city was a place of ambition and scheming, of constant competition and hidden knives. He couldn't stay there permanently anyway, his cultivation demanded isolation, demanded focus.

But as long as his personal strength was overwhelming enough, other factions wouldn't dare move against the Zhangs, even if he was nowhere near the city walls.

"Alright. I'll keep pushing Liwei and Liliang." Zhang Lixian nodded, already making mental plans. Among the Zhang family's current Tier 2 cultivators, only those two showed serious promise for reaching the mid stages in the near future. With enough resources and guidance, they might make the breakthrough within the year.

"Then I'll be off." Huaijin paused, then added, "If anything comes up, just send a message." He deposited the talismans, spirit artifacts, and medicinal pills he'd crafted into the clan treasury, keeping only the finest pieces for himself. Every talisman was a masterpiece, every artifact honed to perfection, every pill refined to maximum potency. A parting gift to his family, a contribution to their collective strength. Zhang Lixian, meanwhile, was still striving to break through to Tier 2 mid grade artifact forge.

Each day, he labored in his workshop, pushing against the limits of his skill, seeking that elusive moment of insight. Watching his son walk away, Zhang Lixian sometimes felt a twinge of inadequacy. Having a son like that could be genuinely humbling. Every parent hopes their child will soar, but Huaijin had become a true dragon among clouds, a figure of such towering ability that even his own father couldn't help but feel small beside him.

It was a strange feeling, pride and uncertainty, joy and distance, all wrapped together. Huaijin led Yunli and Wujian back to Purple Cloud Peak, their figures cutting through the twilight mist like arrows from a bow. After leaving Zhang Rende to get everyone settled, he set off alone. He could feel it now, that threshold was close. The breakthrough he had been seeking, the next step on his path. He was ready.

Huaijin moved at incredible speed, his form blurring as he plunged deep into the inner reaches of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. Tier 2 spirit beasts were beginning to stir, their auras flickering in the darkness like candles in a storm. He showed no mercy. His Realm-Breaking Pearl hungered, and only the blood and flesh of powerful spirit beasts could satisfy it. As for spirit herbs, there wasn't a single one left in his storage pouch. He had exhausted his supply, used every precious plant in his pursuit of power.

And even if he had any left, he would have hesitated to use them. Every herb was a resource, a potential stepping stone to something greater. Wasting them would be sacrilege. Every Tier 2 spirit beast he encountered fell before him, struck down with cold efficiency. Beasts that had terrorized lesser cultivators for decades were reduced to raw materials in moments. The inner reaches of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range had become his hunting ground, and the beasts within had become his prey.

Before long, he retraced his steps to the old cave dwelling he'd discovered years ago. The entrance was hidden behind a curtain of hanging moss, so subtle that even a trained eye might miss it. He surveyed the area carefully, no signs of disturbance, no footprints, no lingering aura. The seals were intact. The place remained untouched. Satisfied, he opened the entrance and stepped inside. The cavern was silent, stripped of all its treasures.

The walls bore the marks of his previous raids, empty alcoves where valuable artifacts had once rested. Huaijin moved to the far wall, pressed his palm against a specific stone, and felt the familiar click of a hidden mechanism. The hidden compartment opened. He entered the stone chamber beyond. Three Golden Yang Flowers stood there, their petals a brilliant gold, each one a testament to years of careful growth.

Their potency was richer with each passing year, their medicinal power so concentrated that the very air in the chamber was thick with their fragrance. The scent wrapped around him like a warm embrace, soothing and invigorating all at once.