Chapter 2, Yuquan Peak Summit.
Then, following the narrow path all the way in, eventually arrived at the side of an old man with white hair sitting under a towering tree tens of meters high.
It is rare for the descendants of an ordinary family to be able to come to the mountaintop. The clan leader, who is even higher in seniority, often secludes himself for cultivation. The old man usually stays alone on the mountain without anyone to talk to, which makes him feel anxious.
On the cold jade bed, Zhou Minghan opened his eyes slightly and looked at Zhou Yang with an appreciative gaze, not hiding his admiration. He immediately praised him enthusiastically, overflowing with joy.
Only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage can reside in the peak cave mansion at the top of Yuquan Peak, and cultivate using the abundant spiritual energy there.
As the two of them chatted, after about fifteen minutes, the gate to the Elder Clan Chief's cultivation cave on the mountaintop suddenly opened automatically, and the old clan chief's aged and deep voice came from within: "Has Xiao Jiu arrived? Come in first."
Zhou Yang awkwardly lowered his head and decisively did not go to pick up the old man.
At this moment, when Zhou Yang walked over, the old man immediately waved his sleeves and a tea table, a set of tea utensils, and a cushion appeared out of thin air in front of him. Without saying a word, he pointed to the empty cushion and said, "The clan leader is finishing up his work. Little Nine, you can sit here and have a cup of tea with the old man and chat."
When the old patriarch was happy, he even shouted the three characters "Qilin'er", which shows his love and value for Zhou Yang, this younger generation.
Come, stand up straight, and let me have a good look at the Qilin of my Zhou family!
Indeed, it is good tea. Both in terms of taste and efficacy, Qiyeye's medicinal tea is no worse than the spiritual teas that my nephew used to drink. If it can be produced in large quantities, it will bring in additional income for my Zhou family!
It's not easy to have a cup of Grandpa Qi's homemade medicinal tea on a regular day, but today my grandson must drink his fill.
The "Guang" generation of the Zhou family, all of whom are over eighty years old, with the youngest being the fourth elder Zhou Yun, who is nearly a hundred years old, very close to the maximum lifespan of 120 years for a Qi refining stage cultivator.
Therefore, apart from the two second-tier spiritual plant husbands within the clan, even highly favored family genius disciples like Zhou Yang are strictly forbidden to set foot on the mountaintop without being summoned by the clan leader.
Although the cultivation abilities of cultivators do not decrease much with age, generally speaking, those senior cultivators in their nineties in major cultivation clans will retire to their ancestral lands to spend their remaining years peacefully. Unless their clan faces a major crisis, no one will disturb these contributors who have dedicated half of their lives to serving the clan.
The old man, upon hearing his praise, first showed a smile on his face, then shook his head with a look of frustration and helplessness, saying, "I also had this idea, but unfortunately, the main ingredient for refining the second-grade elixir 'Xianyun Pill' is the 'Xianyun Grass'. It would be a waste to use such a precious medicine just to make tea. If we only use naturally withered leaves, there won't be enough even for me to drink!"
Young people may not necessarily understand the psychology of the elderly, but Zhou Yang, who has lived two lives, understands quite well. He is also willing to chat with these elderly people, without hindering his work, and listen to their stories about the various wonders and interesting things in the world of cultivation.
Zhou Yang saw this and quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Nephew thanks Grandfather Seven."
He smiled and sat down on the cushion, then took the tea set and brewed some tea.
This is normal. The lifespan of a foundation building cultivator can reach more than two hundred years. Barring any accidents, Zhou Minghan has at least forty to fifty years of life left. Moreover, his cultivation level is high, so he naturally appears younger than Zhou Yun.
After brewing a pot of tea, Zhou Yang poured the tea for both of them. He couldn't wait and immediately picked up his own cup of fragrant and steaming hot tea, and drank it all in one gulp.
Farewell to Zhou Yun. Zhou Yang walked directly through the gate of the cave that was opened and soon met Zhou Minghan, the current patriarch of the Zhou family, a foundational cultivator, in the practice room deep inside the cave.
This ... ...
The Yinquan Peak, which is several hundred meters high, becomes more spiritually abundant as you go higher. It is sufficient for the Zhou clan members in the Qi cultivation stage to practice on the mountainside. There are also comfortable palaces and pavilions built there for people to live in. There are dedicated secular clan members to take care of clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
Xuanhe has already informed me of your performance in the "Yuyang Cave". Xiao Jiu, you have done a great job. Even when I was your age, my overall perspective was far inferior to yours!
In the family, there is only one second-level alchemist, and that is his father, Zhou Xuanhao. Once the "Fairy Cloud Grass" is mature, it must be used for his father's alchemy. If he dares to say that he will use the spiritual herb to make tea, his father will slap him to death.
It can be imagined that if one could practice here all year round, the speed of cultivation would definitely be much faster than at the foot of the mountain.
Ordinary people drinking tea like this would scald their throats with the hot temperature, but for cultivators whose bodies have been tempered by magical power, this temperature is like drinking warm water for ordinary people, and is nothing at all.
The mountain top of Yuquan Peak has been artificially flattened. It has an area of only a few dozen mu. Due to its rich spiritual energy, apart from three areas where three cultivator caves have been built, the rest of the area has been developed into a spiritual medicine field, where various grades of spiritual medicines are planted.
Younger generation Zhou Yang, has been ordered to come and pay respects to the elder patriarch. Please allow us to pass.
I am delighted to see Zhou Yang, the most outstanding young descendant of this family, coming here.
However, this is simply impossible.
Especially, Zhou Yun is a second-tier spiritual plant husband. He resides on this mountaintop to take care of the spiritual herbs in the dozens of acres of medicinal garden.
The entire Yuquan Peak is covered by a third-grade medium-level array called "Wanmu Qingtian Array". Due to the array's ability to absorb the spiritual energy of plants and trees within it to enhance its power, from the foot to the top of Yuquan Peak, except for the spiritual fields and medicinal gardens that have been developed, it is filled with various tall trees, including some thousand-year-old trees that are several hundred or even thousands of years old.
The old man sitting cross-legged under this tree is named Zhou Yun. He has reached the ninth level of Qi cultivation and is one of the four elders of the Zhou family. He ranks seventh among the "Guang" generation and is also one of the only two second-level spiritual planters in the Zhou family.
However, he was happy, but he did not become conceited because of it. He quickly and respectfully replied, "Great-grandfather, you are too kind. Your grandson has only done what he should do and cannot accept such praise from you."
As the only surviving "Ming" generation cultivator in the Zhou family and with a foundational cultivation level, Zhou Minghan naturally became the great-great-grandfather of all "Yuan" generation cultivators.
Upon hearing this sound, the two people who were in conversation immediately stopped talking. Then Zhou Yang immediately stood up and bowed to Zhou Yun, saying, "Grandfather Qi, your grandson will go and pay respects to the elder clan leader first."
A hoary voice emerged from the white mist, then the vast white mist in front of Zhou Yang surged and revealed a safe passage for one person to walk through.
Zhou Yang, dressed in a flowing white robe, used a light body spell to ascend from the mountainside. He swiftly climbed along the stone steps that had been carved out between the trees and soon arrived at the mountaintop.
Go ahead, don't keep the old patriarch waiting for too long.
After asking him without waiting for Zhou Yang's answer, he gently picked up the teacup and took a sip. Then, with a look of enjoyment, he closed his eyes and proudly said, "This is a new tea made from the dried leaves of the second-grade spiritual medicine 'Fairy Cloud Grass', the roots of the twenty-year-old 'White Jade Ginseng', and the first-grade spiritual medicine 'Fragrant Leaf Chrysanthemum', among other five kinds of spiritual medicines. Only three liang were used in total, even the water used to brew the tea was collected from the dew of those spiritual medicines in the medicine garden this morning."
These towering trees form a canopy that blocks out the sunlight, causing the temperature in the mountains to be several degrees cooler than outside. The cool mountain breeze passes through the forest, creating an indescribable sense of refreshment for those who walk among them.
The Lingyao Garden is a sacred place for the Zhou family. Many of the spiritual medicines cultivated there are cherished varieties that have been nurtured by the Zhou family for one or two hundred years. The loss of any one plant is enough to make the old patriarch Zhou Minghan heartbroken for decades.
Zhou Minghan couldn't help but show a joyful smile on his face, obviously in response to Zhou Yang's answer, extremely satisfied.
When the old man saw him devouring the tea like a wolf, he not only didn't show any dissatisfaction, but also looked at him happily and asked with a smile, "How is it? Are you satisfied with this new medicinal tea I made?"
What a task to be done! If every descendant of my Zhou family had someone as sensible as you, Xiao Jiu, how could the Zhou family not prosper?
As Zhou Yang arrived here, a mixture of various medicinal fragrances, which were emitted by different spiritual herbs, immediately filled the air. Taking a whiff of it instantly invigorated him, and his entire body's magical power circulation accelerated significantly.
Zhou Yang put down the teacup, silently feeling the changes in his internal power, and sniffed the lingering scent of medicine on his lips. His face was full of admiration.
The old man smiled knowingly, fully aware of what Zhou Yang was thinking. First, he comforted him with a few words, then he picked up some interesting stories from his youth and shared them with him, helping to dispel the awkwardness just now.
Zhou Yang heard this and thought to himself that he was not really unhappy. As a junior member of the "Yuan" generation who received such praise from the old patriarch Zhou Minghan, he was the first. If this were to spread, his status in the eyes of the elders in the Zhou family would surely rise to a higher level.
Moreover, the mountaintop is not a place where anyone can easily set foot. This is the core area of the "Ten Thousand Woods Supporting the Sky Formation," guarded by powerful formation forces. Without the consent of the guardians inside to control the formation and allow passage, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can only forcefully break through the formation to proceed.
Zhou Minghan is already over 150 years old this year, but his appearance looks much younger than Zhou Yun outside. His hair is not completely white, and his complexion is rosy like a baby.
He stood outside the formation on the mountaintop, with a respectful expression, and bowed towards the area covered by the white mist of the formation ahead, performing a gesture of courtesy.
Hey, you little slippery head, you are quite cunning. Don't worry, am I the kind of person who disregards the overall situation? I was just talking casually earlier!
It turns out to be Xiao Jiu. The clan leader has already given instructions. Please come in first.
With a smile, he reached out and lifted Zhou Yang's hunched body with an invisible force.
When Zhou Yang saw Zhou Minghan, the patriarch of the Zhou clan was sitting cross-legged on the cold jade bed, and he dared not look more. Upon entering, he bowed deeply and paid his respects, saying, "Grandson pays respects to great-grandfather."
Of course, the way cultivators brew tea is different from that of ordinary people. The flame used to boil the water is transformed from their own magical power, and it only takes a moment for the tea to boil without any smoke or fire smell.