Chapter 1 Aftermath

Ever since "Wind Swept the Jade River" that night, the Ye family had seen a constant stream of visitors, with countless people seeking an audience with True Man Yufeng.

Every day, Zhou Jing received figures from all walks of life, gaining a rough understanding of the upper echelons of Ning Tian Prefecture.

As the auxiliary capital of Great Xia, Ning Tian Prefecture had a long history and numerous influential clans, and the powerful figures residing here could be divided into several categories.

The first were the ancient aristocratic families that had lasted for hundreds of years. Their ancestors had held various high-ranking positions and wielded power in different dynasties, making them incredibly noble and prominent. During the Great Xia Founder's establishment of the nation, these aristocratic families had sent their elites to pledge allegiance, and the Great Xia Founder naturally accepted their support. As a result, the aristocratic families shared in the merit and continued to thrive after the dynastic change. Their descendants often entered government service, and some even became relatives of the imperial family, co-ruling the world.

The second category consisted of the descendants of the founding meritorious officials who had fought alongside the Great Xia Founder. They were titled as marquises or counts, enjoying the blessings of their ancestors. Their families also had members serving as officials, making them equally prominent.

The third category comprised the newly emerged families, mostly descendants of commoner officials who had risen to power in recent centuries. They also held some status, with the heads of these families often serving as officials in the current dynasty.

Zhao Xing'an, the Prefect of Ning Tian, was one of them. He did not come from an aristocratic family; his ancestors were commoners several generations ago. However, an ancestor had served as a vice minister, which allowed the family to rise in status, no longer being mere commoners. He himself had passed the imperial examinations and entered government service, gradually climbing to his current position as the Prefect of Ning Tian, which led to the Zhao family's resurgence.

However, the power of these newly emerged families was mostly concentrated in the hands of the family head. Their descendants had yet to prove themselves, and once the family head lost power, the family could quickly decline, making them significantly different from the stable aristocratic families or the descendants of the founding meritorious officials. Only after several generations of cultivation, with descendants continuously entering government service and accumulating family prestige, could they gradually transform into large, unshakeable aristocratic families.

These three categories of prominent families constituted the upper echelons of Ning Tian Prefecture. Although they resided there, their power extended beyond the local area. In addition to these families, Ning Tian Prefecture was also home to retired former court officials, renowned cultural figures, and so on, creating a complex and unpredictable situation, filled with hidden talents.

One particularly special type of powerful figure was the imperial family residing in Ning Tian Prefecture. Although they held the highest status, they were usually low-key and rarely provoked others. No one dared to provoke them either, and there were not many who tried to curry favor with them. However, once they appeared, no one dared to ignore them, giving them a sense of transcendence.

After experiencing all this, Zhou Jing increasingly realized that this was an intricate web of vested interests, seemingly invisible to ordinary people. Commoners could not come into contact with it, nor could they understand or predict it.

In comparison, wealthy merchants like the Ye family were truly insignificant in Ning Tian Prefecture.

The waters here ran deep.

Fortunately, these influential families regarded him as a contemporary master, awed by his miraculous abilities. With requests to make, their attitudes were all warm and polite, treating him as an honored guest.

In particular, the aristocratic families who had successfully obtained pills had experienced their miraculous effects and became even more convinced, offering even greater support.

Now, no one called him Ling Fengzi anymore, believing that directly addressing him by name was disrespectful. They now respectfully addressed him as True Man Yufeng.

To cater to the needs of these influential families, Zhou Jing had developed two new pill formulas.

One was the Qingliang Pill (Cooling Pill). When taken during hot and dry weather, it would provide a cooling and refreshing sensation from the inside out, making one feel light and ethereal. Although it was still spring, Ning Tian Prefecture was known for its hot summers, and the influential families were accustomed to preparing early, making this pill highly popular.

The other was the Changshou Pill (Longevity Pill), which could be taken to nourish the bodies of the elderly, making them healthier and achieving the effect of prolonging life. This pill was the focus of the influential families' purchases. However, Zhou Jing strictly controlled the production, claiming that this pill was extremely difficult to refine, making it rare and highly sought after, leaving the various influential families yearning for it.

Moreover, Zhou Jing deliberately claimed that this Longevity Pill was only an introduction. The pill that could truly extend lifespan significantly was called the "Zifu Changsheng Pill" (Purple Mansion Longevity Pill). One pill could extend a person's life by several decades, but it required rare and precious medicinal materials from all over the world and a great deal of effort and time to refine, making it impossible to produce for the time being.

He deeply understood the importance of expectations, so he used this pie in the sky to whet the appetites of these influential families.

As for whether the "Zifu Changsheng Pill" existed... it was not important whether he could refine it or not, as long as everyone was willing to believe it, then it was real.

It was a pity that he had to maintain the image of a master. Otherwise, Zhou Jing really wanted to pick up his old trade and create some "Golden Gun Undefeated Pills" and "Dragon-Tiger Harmony Pellets," which would surely become popular all over the world, making these influential families addicted and unable to live without them.

...

One day,

Inside the Ye family's reception hall, Zhou Jing was meeting with an elder from the Liu family, who was actually Liu Ping's father, who had specially brought his son to apologize.

In fact, the Liu family had submitted a request to meet for the third time, but Zhou Jing had refused to see them the first two times, keeping them in suspense. Only today did he agree to see them.

Servants carried several boxes of gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and calligraphy into the hall. Liu Ping's father led his son in behind them.

Liu Ping's father adopted a very humble attitude, not daring to sit down. He stood and bowed to Zhou Jing, who was seated in the main seat.

"A few days ago, Ping'er spoke rudely and offended True Man Yufeng. It was truly due to my poor upbringing. Today, I have brought my son to pay our respects to True Man and apologize for the events of that day. We have also prepared some humble gifts as compensation. I hope that the Daoist priest will not hold it against us. My Liu family has long admired True Man and only wishes to form a good relationship with you..."

He gave a long speech filled with flattery, then turned his head and shouted sternly at Liu Ping:

"Ping'er, quickly kneel down and apologize to the Daoist priest!"

With a thud, Liu Ping knelt down without hesitation, prostrating himself as if worshiping a god in a Daoist temple, and said in a terrified voice:

"I did not recognize an immortal in person and was blind and foolish. I truly know my mistake. I hope that True Man will forgive me this once. In the future, if True Man has any instructions, I will do anything, even if it means dying a thousand times!"

Zhou Jing sat in his seat, accepted the bow, then slightly raised his hand and said in a calm tone:

"A small matter, there is no need to mention it again. This poor Daoist has long ceased to care about it."

The two of them were on tenterhooks, their palms covered in sweat. Hearing these words, they finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they had passed this hurdle.

After being turned away the first two times, they had finally been granted a meeting today. The elders of the family had all spoken, saying that they had caused trouble and ruined the opportunity to befriend a master. If they could not obtain True Man Yufeng's forgiveness today, then they would be subjected to family law.

The Liu Ping father and son were excited and agitated. They showered Zhou Jing with more flattery. Seeing Zhou Jing lift his teacup and take a sip, they immediately took their leave, leaving behind several boxes of wealth.

The Ye family servants immediately entered, carried away the wealth, and sent it to Zhou Jing's courtyard. They were experienced at this, having done this kind of work countless times.

Zhou Jing picked up the gift list and glanced at it, curling his lip:

"The Liu family is truly generous. It seems they are sincere."

In fact, he had no particular opinion of Liu Ping, but he had used the situation to his advantage, slightly manipulating and disciplining him. Seeing the Liu family sincerely come to his door, he let them off. After all, it was just a verbal dispute, and he did not plan to be too ruthless.

Recently, there had been too many people giving gifts. None of the influential families in Ning Tian Prefecture came empty-handed. He had accumulated hundreds of dan (a unit of dry measure) of wealth, and the courtyard he lived in was about to run out of space. The Ye family quickly vacated a new courtyard specifically for Zhou Jing to use as a warehouse.

Among these gifts, the gold and silver alone were wealth that ordinary people could not earn in ten lifetimes, not to mention the jewelry, jade, antiques, and other luxury items.

There was currently no place to spend money here, but Zhou Jing did not refuse to accumulate wealth. He would save it first and then decide. Anyway, it was all money from the wealthy gentry. White silver was being sent to him in dan, and the speed of accumulating wealth was like flowing water.

It would be good for Chen Feng to start a rebellion in the future. When he had saved enough startup capital, he would create an opportunity for Chen Feng to "rob" him... consider it indirect funding from these aristocratic families for a "youth with ambition."

Zhou Jing put down the gift list and prepared to see if there were any other requests to meet that were worth considering.

At this moment, the Ye family's grand elder arrived, leaning on a cane and trembling, with a servant supporting him.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing put down the requests to meet, stood up, and said with a smile, "Old Master, has your health improved recently?"

"Thanks to True Man's blessing, this old man's life has been brought back from the brink."

Old Master Ye said with a cheerful laugh, slightly out of breath, but his complexion was slightly better than it had been a while ago.

After the evil spirit on his body was expelled, he took Jade Spring Pills every day to replenish his foundation, and Zhang Jinduan carefully took care of him, helping him to recuperate. Now he could walk on the ground.

After a brief exchange of greetings, the two of them sat down again.

Old Master Ye immediately opened his mouth and said gratefully, "True Man Yufeng saved this old man's life. This kindness, this old man will remember it in my heart. When my body gets better, I will hold a grand ceremony to thank you."

Zhou Jing nodded and smiled: "Old Master met me when you were critically ill. Your life was not meant to end, it was also a matter of fate, there is no need to care about formalities."

Old Master Ye shook his head: "True Man acts according to fate, this free and easy demeanor is admirable, but this old man can not feel that it should be so. I have already instructed that from now on, all members of the Ye family must treat True Man as an elder in the family, working hard for True Man, and there must be no complaints. Do not disturb him on weekdays... True Man can rest assured and live in my Ye family."

Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows, roughly understanding the other party's thoughts, so he opened his mouth to give him a reassurance, and said with a smile:

"The Ye family has handled many trivial matters for this poor Daoist. I live here quite comfortably. It is best to have one person to do all the work, if Old Master does not mind, this poor Daoist still needs to stay for some time."

"That's good, that's good..."

Old Master Ye smiled.

Recently, Zhou Jing's fame had spread throughout Ning Tian. Many influential families wanted to invite Zhou Jing to live in their homes, but the Ye family was the closest, so naturally they did not want Zhou Jing to leave, which is why they made this statement.

Zhou Jing himself did not plan to move out. The facilities here were complete, and the Ye family had also been trained into staunch supporters. He would have to set up everything again if he went out, there was no need for that, it was better to borrow an existing one.

The two of them exchanged a few more words, and Old Master Ye took his leave, returning to his room to continue recuperating, no longer disturbing Zhou Jing.

At this time, the steward, who had been waiting outside, came in and reported:

"True Man, there are two Daoist priests, one old and one young, outside seeking an audience, claiming to have important matters to discuss and want to meet with True Man."

Zhou Jing blinked his eyes and asked, "Have you verified their authenticity? Don't let them be idlers who have come to make up stories, such as someone's hen hatching three chicks from one egg, or someone's bird being able to speak human words..."

The steward shook his head and said, "These two Daoist priests have ordination certificates, they don't seem to be fake."

"Then let's see them."

Zhou Jing became curious.

Two proper Daoist priests had come to his door, he wondered what they wanted.

They wouldn't be here to investigate him for operating without a license, would they?

'It's good to see what characteristics the Daoist priests of this world have, so I can have a reference for pretending to be a ghost in the future. Moreover, there are evil spirits in this world, so there should also be some Daoist priests with real skills. I've made such a big commotion, I wonder if I can run into one...'

Zhou Jing thought to himself.

...

On the other side, the old Daoist and the young man were waiting outside the Ye family's mansion for the steward to return.

The young man glanced at the long line and whispered, "Master, this Ling Fengzi is so popular, so many people have come to see him, will he see us?"

The old Daoist glanced at him: "You ask me that way, it makes it sound like I know."

The young man choked, not giving up: "Master, I still think it's too risky to ask for a meeting rashly..."

The old Daoist turned a deaf ear, closed his eyes and rested, looking like "my ears don't work well."

The young man got bored and settled down.

But after a while, he couldn't hold back his mouth and said enviously:

"He's so popular, how much money can he earn every day? Master, why don't we go and befriend the rich and powerful?"

The old Daoist opened his eyes, thoughtfully: "Is there any possibility that I'm holding you back from getting rich?"

"There is this possi..."

"Hmm?"

"Master, I think I still like the feeling of being poor."

"Hmm."

The old Daoist closed his eyes again.

The young man closed his mouth again.

Before long, the steward finally returned and said, "True Man Yufeng has agreed, please come with me, two Daoist priests."

"Thank you."

The old Daoist bowed slightly, took his disciple, and followed the steward into the Ye family's mansion.

The group walked through the mansion, passing through corridors and courtyards.

The young man quietly approached the old Daoist and whispered, "Master, what should I do later?"

"You don't need to open your mouth, don't make trouble for me."

The old Daoist rolled his eyes.

The young man said "Oh" and obediently closed his mouth.

The old Daoist thought about it and lowered his voice:

"If this Ling Fengzi is willing to help, that would be the best, but if he has other ideas, that would be bad. Be smart later, improvise... I will use the Qi Observation Technique to explore him later, and I will know what his Dao practice is with just one glance. I don't know what school of magic this Ling Fengzi practices, what means he has, but unless he understands strange skills such as Qi Concealment Technique, his Dao practice can not be faked."

As he said this, the group finally arrived at the reception hall.

The steward who led the way asked the two to wait outside the door, went in to report, and then came out, gesturing with his hand and saying:

"True Man is waiting inside, please come in, two of you."

The old Daoist calmed down, secretly raised his guard, and walked in.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Zhou Jing sitting in the main seat, dressed in feather robes and a Daoist crown, his appearance and attire were much more exquisite than his shabby Daoist, and he was curiously looking at the two of them.

Obviously, this person was the main character, "True Man Yufeng" Ling Fengzi.

Seeing this, the old Daoist's eyes flashed, and he silently operated the Qi Observation Technique.

The Qi of the Five Elements, the Qi of Yin Evil, the Qi of Corpse Fiend... all kinds of auras that ordinary eyes could not see appeared in the old Daoist's eyes.

And at this moment, he saw the chilling cyan light blooming with Zhou Jing as the center, perfectly integrated, full and prosperous, occupying all of his vision.

The old Daoist was stunned, and then suddenly moved, subconsciously blurted out:

"The Dao follows the Natural Order?!"

Zhou Jing was taken aback.

What was this opening line, could it be that proper Daoist priests greeted their peers like this?

He blinked his eyes and tentatively returned the greeting: "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord?"

The old Daoist suddenly came back to his senses, looking at Zhou Jing with suspicion, a look of awe appeared on his face. Not daring to be presumptuous, he performed a respectful salute of a junior, and solemnly said:

"This poor Daoist is Wei Zifu from the Qingling Sect, this is my little disciple Li Qingyang, greetings to Daoist True Man."

He had been listening to the deeds of Ling Fengzi every day recently, and his ears had heard the story so much that it had formed a cocoon. He knew that this person should really have some skills, and he had guessed several possibilities on the way.

But Wei Zifu never thought that this Ling Fengzi's Dao practice was so high!

The Qi of the Xun Gua's (wind trigram) Wood Aspect was emitted from the inside out, the Qi and the body were indistinguishable from each other, and they were perfectly natural.

Only by practicing the Five Elements Wood Aspect to an unimaginable level could one possess such a Dao practice. This feature was clearly the profound realm guessed to exist in the secret biography of the Daoist sect - the Dao follows the Natural Order!

He had never seen anyone reach this level, but he never thought that one day he would be able to see with his own eyes the True Man of the present world who possessed this kind of Dao practice!

However, Wei Zifu did not know that this was a misunderstanding.

When Zhou Jing merged with the Spirit of Gale, he himself possessed some of the characteristics of the elemental body, which was equivalent to a walking human-shaped Spirit of Gale, which could be regarded as an aggregate of a large group of wind elements.

But in the field of vision of the Qi Observation Technique, he was mistakenly recognized as the characteristic of "the Dao follows the Natural Order" - not that he really reached this level, but that the expression characteristics of different transcendent systems were confused, and it was a lucky coincidence.

Zhou Jing did not know why Wei Zifu had such a shocked expression, and he was secretly puzzled.

For the sake of caution, he opened his elemental vision without showing any signs.

The next moment, his senses changed, and he was also surprised to find that Wei Zifu was surrounded by a faint white gas, which gave people a sense of etherealness.

And the young man named Li Qingyang next to him also had wisps of white gas on his body, but it was much thinner.

'Could it be that these two possess other transcendent systems in this world?'

Zhou Jing's eyes lit up, and he became very interested.

He quietly opened the panel and spent Star Realm Points to cast a detection.

Soon, the attributes of this old Daoist Wei Zifu appeared:

[Attributes: Physique 13, Resistance 11, Perception 18, Spirit 15, Energy 26]

Zhou Jing was overjoyed and blinked his eyes.

"It really is a different transcendent system! These attributes are really... uh, balanced?"