Chapter 106: Bad News from Home

Not many days after returning to Mount Funiu, another major event in Qinghe County reached the Song family mountain gate.

After the Qian family occupied Chifeng Ridge, in order to increase their strength to guard this second-level spiritual vein, Qian Guangyao issued a reward order in Qinghe County, inviting loose cultivators from all directions to go to Chifeng Ridge to assist them in guarding the spiritual mountain.

The reward order issued by the Qian family was different from the conscription order issued by the Huang family. The conscription order was a command issued by the main family to the vassal families under their door. This kind of command was mandatory. As a vassal Qi Refining family like the Song family, they could not refuse the main family's conscription, otherwise, what would greet them would be a disaster.

The reward order issued by the Qian family was the same as the task of inviting them to go to the Fuyun Mountain Range to hunt second-level demonic beasts when the Liu family first invited them. This time it was just an employment relationship. Whether to accept the task or not was entirely voluntary, and there were no too many mandatory requirements, and the rewards given would be higher.

Seeing that the price offered on the Qian family's reward order was very high, not only the loose cultivators mixed in Qinghe County, but even many cultivators from Qi Refining families like the Song family were moved by spirit stones and came here.

For a time, quite a few cultivators gathered on Chifeng Ridge. Although they encountered several attacks by second-level demonic beasts, they were all guarded by the Qian family without danger.

It was just that in order to be able to invite those powerful loose cultivators, the price given by the Qian family was also relatively high. Although the Qian family also had some foundation, it would be very difficult to persist for too long if this continued. At most, in half a year, the Qian family would face the crisis of bankruptcy.

For this reason, Qian Guangyao did not hesitate to mortgage several of the Qian family's mineral properties and shops in Qinghe Market to other families, and set up a second-level array on Chifeng Ridge three months later, which ended this reward order.

Thirteenth Uncle Song Changxiong, who broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining, was also a person who couldn't stay idle. Just after ending his seclusion, he went to Chifeng Ridge with several good friends to mix for two months and earned a lot of spirit stones. It was not until the Qian family had no more employment tasks that he reluctantly returned to Mount Funiu.

However, some people were not as leisurely as him. Song Qingming, who had just returned to Mount Funiu, had not yet rested, when he received the bad news that his father was seriously ill from home at the foot of the mountain, and he could only rush back to his home in Mujiao Town.

Song Dezhang was nearly sixty years old, which could be considered quite old among mortals. In the past few years, his body had also developed many problems. Half a month ago, due to the slippery road in the rain, he accidentally fell in his own courtyard and lay on the sickbed at once.

For half a month, Song Dezhang could not speak, and his condition worsened day by day. The Song family invited quite a few doctors to come and treat him, but none of them were effective. They could only inform the family's stationed cultivator in Mujiao Town, wanting to notify Song Qingming to go home and see if there were any other ways.

It was just that Song Qingming was still on the Huang family's Five Peaks Mountain at this time, and he only knew about this matter after he returned to Mount Funiu.

Song Qingming used his own spiritual power to check his father's body and found that several important internal organs in Song Dezhang's body had been seriously damaged, and he was already at the last moment of his life. It was not easy for him to hold on until he came back.

Facing the expectant look in his mother's eyes, Song Qingming could only shake his head helplessly. Although he was a cultivator, the spiritual objects in his hands could only cure diseases and disasters, and there were no high-grade spiritual medicines that could make mortals grow flesh on white bones and bring the dead back to life.

In Song Dezhang's current situation, rashly consuming spiritual medicine for treatment would not have much effect, and might even accelerate the pace of his death. Song Qingming could only exchange some medicine from the family for Song Dezhang to take, trying to reduce the pain on his body as much as possible.

Half a month later, the Song family began to hang white banners everywhere. Song Dezhang, who was reluctant to part with his relatives, finally left the world.

Over the years, the Song family had been considered a famous family in Mujiao Town, and Song Qingming also intended to let his father leave in a glorious way, so Song Dezhang's funeral was naturally very grand.

For several days, the people entering and leaving the Song family gate were all people from near Mujiao Town who came to pay their respects. The sound of suona and gongs and drums, which entrusted the grief of relatives, did not stop from morning to night. Song Qingming also went to the mountain to invite Fourth Elder Song Gucai, who was proficient in Feng Shui, to find a Feng Shui treasure land for Song Dezhang to be buried.

After being busy for four or five days, the Fourth Brother finally sent away all the guests who came to mourn. Song Qingming was not convenient to show up too much among mortals, and the Second Sister had to take care of the grief-stricken Song Mother, so the errands below were basically handled by him and his brother-in-law.

After handling his father's funeral, Song Qingming did not rush back to the mountain and stayed at home for another ten days. The spiritual energy in Mujiao Town was scarce, and he did not specifically consume spirit stones to cultivate. Contrary to his previous state of staying in his room every time he went home, he took the initiative to walk out of the room and familiarize himself with everyone in the family.

On this day, Song Qingming was playing with several young nephews in the backyard, but unexpectedly, the elderly Song Mother took the initiative to come to him.

"Third son, your father has been gone for so long, why are you still huddled at home? Before he was alive, he was most afraid that family affairs would delay your cultivation. You came back to work on this matter this time, which can be considered as fulfilling your filial piety. After eating dinner later, go back. Don't worry about me here, there is nothing wrong, I know my own body."

Song Mother was a reasonable person. Seeing that Song Qingming had not returned to the mountain for so long, she took the initiative to put down the grief in her heart and came to persuade Song Qingming to leave. Although she also wanted her son to accompany her more at home, Song Qingming's future was obviously more important than these things in her heart.

Song Qingming also knew his mother's intention in his heart, nodded and agreed, and helped his mother to sit down on the side.

Song Mother looked at Song Qingming beside her, and then looked at the grandchildren in the courtyard, and a smile that had not been seen for a long time gradually appeared on her face.

"It's just a pity that Yunshan didn't test out spiritual roots last time. I don't know if these children still have immortal fate, and can follow me up the mountain to cultivate in the future."

Over the years, the Fourth Brother had given birth to several more children. Song Yunshan, Song Qingming's eldest nephew, was already ten years old. Half a year ago, he went to the town to participate in the spiritual root test, but the result disappointed the child. He was just an ordinary mortal and did not test out spiritual roots. In this life, he could not cultivate immortal methods like his eldest uncle, Song Qingming. If there were no accidents, he could only be a rich man among mortals like his father.

Song Mother heard Song Qingming's words and said unhappily: "Why have you become as stubborn as your father? What's wrong with having no immortal fate? If you ask me, they can just live safely to old age in this life. If they all go to cultivate immortals, this family will be cold and clear even if it is big, what's the point."

"You, if you could get married earlier, it would be good. You are all alone on the mountain, how can you let me leave at ease."

As soon as the words were finished, the tears in Song Mother's eyes overflowed again.

Song Qingming had long known his mother's idea of wanting him to get married, but the family had a rule that cultivators could not get married before the age of forty. Even if he had this idea, his age was still a few years away, so he could only helplessly explain to his mother again.

However, his father's sudden illness and death this time still left a regret in his heart. Not being able to let his parents see him get married was indeed a great regret in life. Even if he was a cultivator, how could he completely cut off this secular relationship while his parents were still alive?