Chapter 424: Liu Family

In Dongxuan City, the Liu family.

Liu Sandao looked at the familiar family gate before him, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.

The Liu family was a cultivation family that rose from the mortal residents of Dongxuan City.

Back then, Liu Sandao had detected his spiritual root at Dongxuan Academy.

Then, through the cultivation of Dongxuan Academy, he stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Later, he cultivated all the way and finally broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

During the reform of Dongxuan City.

Liu Sandao successfully made a Dao oath and became a core member of Dongxuan City.

And he was granted a permanent Second-Rate cave abode.

Later, Liu Sandao's cultivation path at the Foundation Establishment realm was not smooth.

Preparing to produce offspring.

Liu Sandao lingered at the gate for a moment.

In despair.

Liu Sandao formally established the cultivation family—the Liu family—in Dongxuan City.

Although the union between cultivators increases the difficulty of producing offspring.

To inherit the Second-Rate cave abode under his name and pass it down forever.

But the offspring born mostly possess spiritual roots.

Other female cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm simply did not look up to Liu Sandao.

This is why he left Dongxuan City and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Not far from him, a figure had already walked through the main hall gate.

Liu Yuan frowned and scolded in a low voice:

"Who are you? How exactly did you know the formation technique to enter our Liu family's array?"

Thus, relying on the Second-Rate cave abode under his name.

Upon sensing the disturbance in the array and perceiving someone entering.

Passing through a transparent barrier, he finally stepped across the main gate of the courtyard.

For low-level cultivators like those at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining realms, increasing the birth rate of offspring is not difficult.

After Liu Sandao married, he produced three offspring in total.

Liu Sandao lost all his morale, and his cultivation speed slowed even further.

But without exception, they all possessed spiritual roots.

Inside the main hall of the Liu family courtyard, a middle-aged man was deep in thought.

Looking at this suddenly appeared person, Liu Yuan's face became somewhat grave.

Looking at this unfamiliar figure.

After taking a deep breath.

Liu Sandao's appearance and talent could only be considered ordinary.

Although his offspring's talents were not very good.

Until a hundred years ago, when Liu Sandao's lifespan was nearly exhausted.

Although Liu Sandao was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Liu Sandao signed up accordingly and formally became a Fu Xiu cultivator under Ye Qingxuan.

"Other cultivators of my Liu family should all be in seclusion in their cave abodes at this time. Who exactly is it?"

The core members of Dongxuan City simultaneously learned of the existence of Fu Xiu cultivators.

Later, Liu Sandao's wife failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, exhausted her lifespan, and passed away.

Without the formation technique to control the array, others cannot enter.

And with the assistance of elixirs and secret techniques.

In the courtyards bought by cultivators within Dongxuan City, there are basically arrays controlling them.

Just married and had children within Dongxuan City.

But at that time, there were not many single female cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm in Dongxuan City.

During normal times, there is no need to close the main gate.

While pondering in his heart.

A trace of surprise flashed in Liu Yuan's eyes.

He is Liu Yuan, the current head of the Liu family.

It is impossible to enter the Liu family courtyard so silently.

So Liu Sandao could only settle for less in the end and married a Qi Refining female cultivator.

Without the formation technique.

He could not see through the cultivation of the person before him.

However, he did not feel too much worry in his heart.

Because this is Dongxuan City.

With Dongxuan City suppressing everything, no cultivator dares to act recklessly within Dongxuan City.

Moreover, his own cultivation is only at the late stage of the Qi Refining realm.

There are many cultivators in Dongxuan City whose cultivation he cannot fathom; the person before him is nothing.

Just get used to it.

At this moment, Liu Sandao, who had just entered, was also stunned.

For he did not know Liu Yuan either.

Hearing Liu Yuan's rebuke, Liu Sandao's face darkened, and he said displeasedly:

"Who am I? I am Liu Sandao. Boy, who are you? Why are you in the Liu family?"

"Why am I in the Liu family? I, Liu... Liu Sandao?"

Hearing Liu Sandao's question, Liu Yuan, who was about to answer, suddenly froze in the middle of speaking.

Staring blankly at Liu Sandao, he dared not speak rashly and said:

"You are Liu Sandao? Impossible. My grandfather Liu Sandao attained Nirvana long ago. How could you possibly be Liu Sandao?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sandao understood immediately, and his expression softened somewhat.

Looking at the Liu Yuan before him, he spoke in a slightly gentler tone:

"Are you the child of Long'er or Hu'er? Where is your father?"

Hearing Liu Sandao's words,

Liu Yuan dared not act rashly for the moment and could only respond obediently:

"My father is Liu Dalong. He is currently cultivating in the Liu family's cave dwelling."

Upon hearing this, Liu Sandao nodded and said:

"Call all the cultivators currently in the Liu family here! I do not have much time, so have them hurry."

The main reason for his return this time was to see his three children.

The eldest, Liu Dalong; the second, Liu Erhu; the third, Liu Sanfeng.

Liu Sandao had not expected this either.

After he left, his own children had also produced offspring.

Looking at Liu Yuan not far away, Liu Sandao could not help but sigh with emotion.

Liu Yuan sensed Liu Sandao's gaze.

By now, he believed more than half of what Liu Sandao had said.

Although he did not understand why the grandfather, whom his father had said had attained Nirvana, was now alive and well.

He still followed Liu Sandao's instructions.

He took out a message talisman and began contacting the cultivators currently in the Liu family, briefly describing the situation here.

Not long after,

Liu Yuan received several replies.

However, these replies were mostly cursing him, and the curses were quite harsh.

Looking at the returned messages, Liu Yuan had no way to explain clearly.

He could only awkwardly urge his father and elders to hurry to this courtyard.

Facing this situation, he truly did not know how to handle it.

After the message was sent,

Liu Yuan looked at Liu Sandao, and Liu Sandao also looked at Liu Yuan.

The two stared at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

Feeling uncomfortable under Liu Sandao's gaze, Liu Yuan finally found his eyes instinctively wandering around.

At this moment, Liu Yuan realized that within this courtyard where he often stayed,

there were many details he had never properly understood.

For instance, the direction of the architectural patterns on the roof beams.

Time slowly passed.

For the first time, Liu Yuan understood what it meant for days to feel like years.

Finally, unable to endure this atmosphere any longer, he took the initiative to speak:

"Um, would you like some tea?"

Since the other party's identity was not yet confirmed, he dared not casually call him grandfather.

For a moment, he did not know how to address him.

"Hmph!"

However, Liu Sandao merely snorted through his nose and did not reply.

Just as Liu Yuan was at a loss for what to do,

a cluster of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the inner hall, accompanied by an angry voice:

"You brat, you even dare to joke about your deceased grandfather? See how I teach you a lesson today."

The words had barely fallen,

when an elderly figure rushed in with several others.

Hearing these words, Liu Yuan felt no fear; instead, he sighed with relief and muttered to himself:

"Being scolded is fine; it's better than facing that awkward atmosphere alone."

Seeing his father arrive with his uncle and aunt,

Liu Yuan's lips twitched slightly, and he was about to speak.

Unexpectedly, after his father entered, he suddenly froze, then walked toward Liu Sandao with a trembling gait.

His eyes were misty, tears welling up, and he said excitedly:

"Father! Is it really you? Where have you been all these years? I thought, I thought... wuwuwu..."

Liu Erhu and Liu Sanfeng, standing nearby, were also so moved that tears filled their eyes as they said:

"Father, it's wonderful. You've finally returned. Why didn't you come back all these years?"

"Wuwuwu, Father, Sanfeng missed you. Why did it take you so long to return?"

The spouses of the group gathered around the three, silently shedding tears without disturbing the four.

Behind the elders, several middle-aged cultivators who had entered with them

were momentarily at a loss upon witnessing this scene.

Liu Yuan, the one furthest inside, finally believed at this moment that the old man before him was truly his grandfather.

Liu Sandao, seeing the three children throwing themselves onto him, was also overwhelmed with emotion.

After a long while, once their emotions had stabilized, he spoke with a hoarse voice:

"Enough. You are all over a hundred years old; stop acting like children."

At that moment, the three finally came to their senses.

Suppressing their excitement, they released Liu Sandao.

The group called their respective children over and said:

"Quick, this is your grandfather, Liu Sandao. Call him Grandfather."

The several middle-aged cultivators who had followed behind them exchanged a glance.

They bowed respectfully to Liu Sandao and said somewhat awkwardly:

"Greetings, Grandfather!"

After so many years, this was the first time they had called someone Grandfather.

Liu Yuan, furthest inside, also came to his senses at this moment and approached Liu Sandao.

Meeting Liu Sandao's profound gaze, he gave a sheepish smile and said:

"Grandfather!"

At the evening banquet.

By now, the Liu family had accepted Liu Sandao's return, and their emotions had stabilized considerably.

At this moment, looking at his father, Liu Dalong asked curiously:

"Father, what exactly happened a hundred years ago? I thought..."

"Yes, Father, you disappeared for a hundred years. We thought you..."

Hearing his two sons' words, Liu Sandao glanced at them and said impatiently:

"Thought I was dead?"

"Uh, no, no!"

Seeing their curious expressions, Liu Sandao took a sip of wine and smiled lightly:

"What? Curious in your hearts? Want to know?"

Upon hearing Liu Sandao's words, the group nodded eagerly.

Liu Yuan, who had been keeping his head down nearby, also instinctively perked up his ears.

Seeing this, Liu Sandao said no more, simply asking in return:

"Among you, who is currently a core member of Dongxuan City?"

Upon hearing this, the entire Liu family shook their heads in unison. Liu Dalong spoke up voluntarily:

"No, we are all currently peripheral members."

Seeing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Liu Sandao's eyes.

He shook his head slightly and said:

"If you want to know the reason, wait until the day you become core members of Dongxuan City."

Upon hearing Liu Sandao's words,

the Liu family looked utterly confused.

Only Liu Yuan raised his head.

Looking at his grandfather Liu Sandao, his eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

At this moment,

not only the Liu family,

but with the return of the three thousand fortunate cultivators,

a huge uproar had erupted within Dongxuan City.

Cultivator families like the Liu family were by no means few in number throughout Dongxuan City.

Among the children born with spiritual roots in Dongxuan City each year,

those from these small families accounted for a significant proportion.

For Ye Qingxuan,

Dongxuan City was divided into core members and peripheral members.

Both groups were subject to different levels of constraints.

As long as the cultivators under his command remained within his control, the existence of these small families was harmless.

The commercial power he would build in the future

would inevitably be a large entity composed of many small interest groups.

This was an unavoidable existence.

After all, he could not simply deprive his subordinates of the right to bear children.

Therefore,

within Xingluo Dongxuan City, which had developed over several centuries,

The small and large cultivation families that gradually took shape were countless.

Among the three thousand Fortune Cultivators who returned this time,

many were cultivators from these cultivation families.

With the sudden return of the three thousand Fortune Cultivators,

their relatives and friends were all dumbfounded upon seeing them.

In their understanding, these suddenly appearing people should have already exhausted their lifespans and passed away.

They never expected them to appear again.

The outer members of Dongxuan City knew nothing about the Fortune Cultivators.

So when the three thousand Fortune Cultivators left back then,

many of their relatives and friends did not know where they had gone.

A hundred years passed.

They originally thought those cultivators had long since passed away.

Who would have expected them to all return on the same day.

As for the core members of Dongxuan City,

although they knew about the Fortune Cultivators,

their understanding of the Fortune Cultivators still remained at the most basic level.

They believed the Fortune Cultivators would face many restrictions and be unable to leave the Blessed Land.

Therefore,

even the core members who had some understanding of the Fortune Cultivators,

upon suddenly seeing the three thousand Fortune Cultivators appear, could not help but feel at a loss.

Regarding the hidden secrets,

whether outer members or core members of Dongxuan City,

were all deeply curious in their hearts.

Driven by this curiosity,

these people began to involuntarily contact those among the three thousand Fortune Cultivators whom they knew.

For a time, messages within Dongxuan City flowed endlessly.

Those with close relationships even went directly to their doors.

Many relatives of the three thousand Fortune Cultivators had not yet recovered from the shock of the dead returning to the world of the living.

They were already visited by a large group of friends, leaving them at a loss.

All sorts of roundabout inquiries were made.

Everyone wanted to get the answers they sought from the mouths of the three thousand Fortune Cultivators.

Unfortunately, these people were destined to return empty-handed.

Only some core disciples of Dongxuan City had their own guesses, unable to be fully certain.

Outside a fourth-rank cave dwelling in Dongxuan City,

Zhang Ergou hesitated for a moment, suppressing the excitement within his heart.

After pacing back and forth a few steps, he finally made up his mind.

He took a message jade slip from his storage ring:

"Big Sister, I'm back. Are you in the cave dwelling?"

After the message was sent,

Zhang Ergou, with a nervous heart, tightly gripped the message jade slip in his hand.

As time passed,

no reply came from within the jade slip.

Just as Zhang Ergou was about to lose hope, the cave dwelling not far away suddenly opened.

A graceful figure flew out from within, arriving before Zhang Ergou, and exclaimed with joy:

"Ergou, is that you?"

"Didn't you choose to become a Fortune Cultivator a hundred years ago? Didn't you say Fortune Cultivators cannot leave the Blessed Land?"

"Why have you suddenly returned?"

The graceful figure emerging from the cave dwelling was none other than Jiang Yinyin.

Zhang Ergou was one of the childhood playmates who grew up with Jiang Yinyin in Qingguang City back then.

Back then, they had migrated together from Qingguang City to Dongxuan City.

Therefore, the group had been very close since childhood.

Unfortunately, nowadays, apart from Zhang Ergou and Jiang Yinyin,

the others lacked sufficient talent and failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm long ago.

They had passed away due to exhausted lifespans.

Looking at the suddenly returned Zhang Ergou, Jiang Yinyin felt both joy and confusion.

Zhang Ergou looked at Jiang Yinyin's figure, and a surge of excitement rose in his heart.

Hearing her question, he was about to open his mouth to speak,

but unexpectedly at this moment,

the Dongxuan Tokens hanging from their waists suddenly emitted seven-colored light and vibrated in unison.

Seeing this, Zhang Ergou and Jiang Yinyin exchanged a glance and said in one voice:

"Is this the announcement issued by the City Lord?"

(End of this chapter)