Chương 20: Compensation

"Just eat. Why are you picking fights?" Zhang Yunli rubbed the back of her head. One look at Su Xiuqi's expression, and whatever protest had been forming on her lips died instantly. She hugged her bowl and began shoveling rice into her mouth at an almost aggressive speed. Grief drowned in appetite. She ate like she was settling a grudge. Zhang Huaijin watched his sister and shook his head with a quiet laugh. He took his seat and started eating as well. Su Xiuqi and Zhang Lixian didn't say anything more.

When the family had finally eaten their fill, Zhang Yunli shot her brother a mocking face, then slipped away to who knew where before anyone could scold her again.

"Here's your Purple Sun Pill." After the meal, Zhang Lixian handed the pill to him. Then he brought out eight hundred spirit stones.

"This is compensation from the family. Your grandfather and I aren't about to let you take a loss." His tone was calm but firm. He then pulled out a small black pouch.

"You've already tamed the Purple Spirit Tiger, but carrying it around openly isn't convenient. The family bought you a spirit beast pouch." He handed it over. A spirit beast pouch was a type of spatial artifact. It could hold a living spirit beast, allowing it to move freely inside. The one Zhang Lixian offered was a Tier 1 Upper grade pouch, capable of holding up to three Tier 1 Upper grade beasts at once. It was far from cheap. On top of that came the Purple Sun Pill and eight hundred spirit stones.

The total value had already surpassed what Zhang Huaijin had contributed to the family.

"This is too much," Zhang Huaijin said. But his hands moved quickly to accept everything anyway. Zhang Lixian chuckled.

"Consider the extra your compensation."

"Your grandfather and I talked it over. Now that Uncle Hong has recovered, you don't need to go back to Heavenly Yang Mountain after the New Year."

"Stay at Green Bamboo Mountain and cultivate properly. Try to reach the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm by next year." Zhang Huaijin nodded.

"Alright." Su Xiuqi busied herself with cleaning the table, leaving the father and son some space to talk.

"Father, I have some spirit beast materials. Take a look." As he spoke, Zhang Huaijin poured all the materials out of his storage pouch.

"That's enough. No need to dump everything out."

"The family will take all of it, beast materials are always useful for forging artifacts."

"We'll exchange everything for spirit stones for you." Zhang Lixian's expression remained steady. Besides being a Tier 1, Upper grade spirit plant cultivator, he was also a Tier 1, Upper grade artifact forger. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Zhang Huaijin's second uncle, on the other hand, was a Tier 1, Mid grade talisman maker. That was why Zhang Chongwen had been able to produce two Tier 1, Mid grade spirit artifacts so easily back then.

Zhang Huaijin nodded and handed all the beast materials over to his father.

"Now that you've advanced to mid stage Qi Refining Realm, go to your grandfather after the New Year and start learning artifact forging and talisman making. Let's see if you have a talent for either." A glimmer of hope shone in Zhang Lixian's eyes. Zhang Huaijin's gaze carried quiet confidence.

"Father, don't worry. I'm going to become an even better artifact forger than you."

"Haha! I'll look forward to that." As a father, of course he wanted his son to surpass him. Even though Zhang Huaijin had five spiritual roots, his extraordinary comprehension gave him a real chance at becoming an artifact forger.

"Alright. You just got back. Get some rest."

"The family meeting is in three days." With that, Zhang Lixian stood up and left. Zhang Huaijin returned to his own cave dwelling. By now, the Purple Spirit Tiger had grown familiar with its surroundings. It lay quietly on the ground, eyes half closed in contentment. Zhang Huaijin had already refined the spirit beast pouch and marked it with his own spiritual seal. With a single thought, he drew the tiger into the pouch. Inside, the space and spiritual aura were no different from the outside world.

Maintaining it consumed almost none of his spiritual energy. He practiced a few more times, and the tiger quickly grew accustomed to the process. Green Bamboo Mountain sat atop a Tier 1, Upper grade spiritual vein. For a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, there was never a shortage of spiritual energy here. At Heavenly Yang Mountain, Zhang Huaijin had often found himself struggling to keep up with his own needs. Now, he sat cross legged and began to cultivate. In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The New Year was over. Zhang Huaijin was now sixteen. His cultivation had grown more stable. The spiritual energy in his meridians grew thicker and more vigorous by the day. The barrier to the next level had begun to stir. Dong! At the peak of Green Bamboo Mountain, an ancient bronze bell rang out, its resonant sound covering the entire mountain like ripples across still water. Inside the family's main hall, Zhang family cultivators gathered for the annual family meeting.

Zhang Chongwen sat at the head of the table, a smile on his weathered face. Zhang Hong had fully recovered from his injuries. Not only that, he had advanced to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm. And Zhang Huaijin had advanced to the fifth level. His rate of breakthrough was even faster than that of a genius with dual spiritual roots. Zhang Chongwen began to suspect that his grandson might possess some kind of special constitution.

In the world of cultivation, spiritual roots weren't the only factor when measuring talent. Some people were born with naturally powerful bodies. There were spiritual bodies, saint bodies, divine bodies and immortal bodies. Others carried rare gifts; a seven-aperture exquisite heart, or eye-based talents that saw through illusions and truth alike. These gifts granted cultivators combat power and terrifying cultivation speed. Such people were the true prodigies of the cultivation world.

Zhang Chongwen suspected that Zhang Huaijin might carry one of these hidden gifts. Otherwise, no matter how strong his soul was, he shouldn't be able to cultivate this fast. The problem was that the Zhang family was just a small Qi Refining Realm clan. They lacked the foundation, the resources, and the knowledge to investigate Zhang Huaijin's true talent. For now, his name remained unknown. No other family had taken notice of him yet. Zhang Chongwen felt a weight settle in his chest.

Going forward, it would be best for Zhang Huaijin to stay at Green Bamboo Mountain. Frequent travel could put him at risk, gold, after all, would eventually shine, and not everyone who saw its light would wish it well. Soon, all the Zhang family cultivators on Green Bamboo Mountain had gathered.

"Everyone," Zhang Chongwen began, "the family's harvest was good this year. We've gained one more late stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator."

"And one more mid stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator."

"I hope next year, our family will be even stronger." With that, he yielded the floor to Zhang Lixian. After all, he had already stepped down as family head. Zhang Lixian didn't waste words on ceremony. He took out a large pile of spirit stones and began distributing the annual stipends. · initial Qi Refining Realm: three low grade spirit stones (a month). · Middle stage Qi Refining Realm: six low grade spirit stones (a month). · Late stage Qi Refining Realm: nine low grade spirit stones (a month).

That was the Zhang family standard, more or less the same as most other Qi Refining Realm clans. In a single day, several hundred spirit stones vanished from the family coffers. On top of that, those who had rendered meritorious service to the family also received rewards. Another major expense. And this was still a small family. Take Foundation Establishment families, for example. Their annual stipends ranged from several thousand to tens of thousands of spirit stones.

Qi Refining Realm families also had to offer resources to Foundation Establishment families each year in exchange for protection. The Zhang family's main income came from spirit rice. Part of it was sold to give clan members their spirit stones. The rest was kept to brew spirit wine, and even then, they often had to buy more from other families to meet their needs.