Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Zhang Ruochen’s mansion was very large, with pavilions, lakes, rockeries, martial arts fields, savage beast rings, spiritual dose gardens, and more.
In addition, the mansion had various arrays scattered about. Besides the Defensive Array, the mansion had a Spirit Gathering Array and an Attack Array. Even a Half-Saint would pay an enormous price to enter the mansion.
This mansion was as good as a Half-Saint family’s.
At the moment, Huang Yanchen and the Qianshui Commandery Prince were in the lobby of the inner court.
The Qianshui Commandery Prince looked like he was in his forties, full of energy. He had sharp eyes and a neat mustache on his lip. Even if he had deliberately suppressed it, he still had the aura of a powerful man.
Concubine Lin was sitting on the left side of the Qianshui Commandery Prince, looking quite calm, dignified, and unrestrained.
Zhang Ruochen came in, immediately bowed in salutation, and said, “Your Excellency Commandery Prince, I’m so honored to meet you here.”
With a half-smile, Qianshui Commandery Prince chuckled. “Your Excellency Commandery Prince… Zhang Ruochen, what should you call me now?”
Zhang Ruochen smiled and bowed again, saying, “It’s my honor to see you here, uncle.”
Qianshui Commandery Prince knew that it would be difficult for Zhang Ruochen to call him something else right away, so he did not push him. He came straight to the point. “Zhang Ruochen, do you still remember your engagement four years ago?”
Zhang Ruochen answered, “Engagement is an important event in life, and I definitely remember it.”
Qianshui Commandery Prince nodded and said, “That’s why I came to the East Region Saint City. Your engagement has been delayed for a year, you know. Your mother and I have discussed it. We agreed that you two should get married as soon as possible. What do you say?”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Huang Yanchen sitting beside the Qianshui Commandery Prince and said, “I agree with you, and I will act upon your wishes.”
Qianshui Commandery Prince nodded with satisfaction. Actually, he was quite satisfied with his future son-in-law. It would be best if their wedding could be settled fast.
Even though Zhang Ruochen had only been the prince of an inferior commandery, the Qianshui Commandery Prince was quite optimistic about him. He had believed that this boy would definitely be extraordinary in the future.
Now, only a few years later, Zhang Ruochen had become known all over the world.
He not only acknowledged Sword Saint Xuanji as his teacher, but he also became the first of the Six Great Kings of the new generation in the Eastern Region. Recently, he had become the first of the “Heaven Board” and reached the Ultimate Realm.
Numerous powerful factions intended to put him under their command. And numerous favored daughters of the gods regarded him as a dream lover.
Fortunately, his daughter and Zhang Ruochen had already been engaged. Otherwise, with only her ordinary natural talent and birth, how could his daughter compete with the other girls from the main clans and powerful Saint families?
After all, the Huangs from Qianshui Commandery were only an outside addition to the Chen family. Their status was rather low among the Chens.
The Chens were a large, wealthy, aristocratic family from the Middle Age. Their clansmen were all over the Eastern Region. It was a strict, hierarchical empire.
Among them, the main clan had the highest status in the whole family.
They had the purest blood of the Chens, and they were also the absolute rulers of the Chens. Their bloodline was the most noble, and they had the most say, of any of the Chens.
Under the main clan were the branch clans.
The branch clans had the same family name “Chen,” but their bloodline was more distant. Some of their ancestors were only descendants of the Chens. They had discovered their origin and become branch clans of the Chens.
Because of the large number of the branch clans, their leaders also had a certain say in the Chen family. Some powerful branch clansmen could even become top leaders in the family.
Under the branch clan were the outside clans.
The Huangs of Qianshui Commandery were one of the outside clans attached to the Chens.
The Chens, also known as the “East Region Saint Mansions,” were in charge of the whole Eastern imperial court system, including more than 12,000 commanderies and 36 mansions in the Eastern Holy Land. The Chens were so powerful that they could be called the uncrowned kings of the Eastern Region.
Due to the great influence of the Chens in the Eastern Region, a large number of clans, suzerains, and commanderies arranged marriages with the Chens, so as to become their outside clans.
The so-called outside clans were mainly attached to the external strength of the Chens.
The status of the outside clans was similar to that of the Chen servants and slaves, and sometimes even lower.
Fortunately, Huang Yanchen’s mother had reached the Half-Saint realm. Thus her status in the Chens had been greatly elevated, and she became a senior member. Therefore, Huang Yanchen was able to go back to the East Region Saint City to practice.
However, Huang Yanchen and the Qianshui Commandery were still just outsiders to the Chens. Their identity and status were rather embarrassing.
But now, it would be different. Their status was likely to change unprecedentedly.
Because, Huang Yanchen and Zhang Ruochen were going to get married.
Zhang Ruochen was a disciple of Sword Saint Xuanji, and also the No. 1 conqueror of the new generation in the Eastern Region. He was sure to have a bright future.
No matter how much the Chens looked down on the outside clans, they would try hard now to cozy up to the Qianshui Commandery Prince and Huang Yanchen in order to show their respect for the Huangs.
The reason was that they had such a talented son-in-law.
Therefore, the Chens’ attitude towards the Qianshui Commandery Prince had changed significantly when he came again to the East Region Saint City.
The Qianshui Commandery Prince knew clearly that the Chens’ change of attitude was not merely because of Huang Yanchen’s mother’s reaching the Half-Saint realm.
What mattered more was that Huang Yanchen’s fiance was Zhang Ruochen, the disciple of Sword Saint Xuanji.
Qianshui Commandery Prince stared at Zhang Ruochen and said, “The seventh day of the next lunar month is auspicious. I have discussed it with your mother, and your wedding will be on that day.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “It is fine with me.”
The Qianshui Commandery Prince laughed. He said, “In that case, don’t forget to choose a time to come over and bring your betrothal gifts. It is getting late. I must be going.”
Zhang Ruochen escorted the Qianshui Commandery Prince and Huang Yanchen all the way to the outside the mansion before returning to the inner yard.
He walked past the lobby and found the candles in the hall still lit. He went in the hall and saw Concubine Lin sitting alone.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Mother, what are you doing up this late?”
Concubine Lin sat there, looking at Zhang Ruochen carefully and asked, “Chen-er, are you dissatisfied with this marriage?”
Zhang Ruochen was a little puzzled, and then he smiled. He said, “Mother, it’s not what you think! Senior sister apprentice and I have got along well with each other for so long. Why would I be dissatisfied? ”
Concubine Lin shook her head and said, “Well then, why don’t you seem overjoyed?”
Zhang Ruochen seemed to say to himself, “Wasn’t I happy just now?”
Concubine Lin said, “Chen-er, I know that you are capable now, and that many women like you. So, you could expect a better choice. However, you must keep your words. If it weren’t for the help of Qianshui Commandery Prince and Commandery Princess Yanchen, Yunwu Commandery would have perished. And you and I wouldn’t have lived to this day, either. Do you understand?”
Zhang Ruochen came to Concubine Lin and said, “Mother, I am really happy to marry Senior sister apprentice. I will take the Betrothal Gifts to the Huangs in person in a few days. Are you relieved?”
A smile finally spread across Concubine Lin’s face.
She reached out her hands and held Zhang Ruochen’s hands tightly. A tear flowed out of her eye. For the first time, she felt that Zhang Ruochen had really grown up.
Zhang Ruochen chatted with Concubine Lin, and then took out a Spiritual Crane Pear. He watching her eat it.
Zhang Ruochen did not go back until midnight.
Back in his own room, Zhang Ruochen could not stop thinking about his marriage on the seventh of the next lunar month. He could not focus on perceiving ” Sword One ” at all.
So Zhang Ruochen took the Yin Yang Wooden Graph out, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the table.
Then, he opened a space portal and entered the Scroll World.
Although he was unable to meditate on ” Sword One “, he could do something else.
Zhang Ruochen first spent a whole day sitting cross-legged under the Yin Yang Wooden Graph to forge ten Auspicious Vases.
Then, he came to the lower part of the bodies of Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King and Cyan Fire Xuanwu, lined up the ten Auspicious Vases, and began to collect the flood dragon blood, Xuanwu Sacred Blood, and Xuanwu Qi.
The collection of flood dragon blood and Xuanwu Qi was very easy.
However, collecting Xuanwu Sacred Blood was a little troublesome.
The Spiritual Blood of a Cyan Fire Xuanwu was quite exuberant, and every drop of blood contained extremely powerful strength.
A drop of Holy Blood would cut through a rock weighing 5,000kg.
Moreover, Xuanwu Sacred Blood had been corroded by the evil spirit of the Pillar of the Vicious Sea. Thus, it needed to be purified drop by drop before being stored in the Auspicious Vase.
Zhang Ruochen spent three exhausting days refining only thirty drops of Xuanwu Sacred Blood.
“The Xuanwu Sacred Blood contains so much power. With my present cultivation, only ten drops can be purified in a day. It is just a waste of time.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped purifying Xuanwu Sacred Blood, and he decided to wait until his cultivation became higher in the future.
“A bottle of Half-Saint flood dragon blood, eight bottles of Xuanwu Qi, and thirty drops of Xuanwu Sacred Blood are enough for a long time.”
The body of the Cyan Fire Xuanwu was a giant treasure house.
Only one-tenth of the Xuanwu Qi would fill eight Auspicious Vases.
Each Auspicious Vase had plenty of room.
It took Huang Yanchen only a little refined Xuanwu Qi to go from the Medium State in the Heaven Realm all the way to the Second Change in the Fish Dragon Realm.
Now, each of the eight Auspicious Vases in Zhang Ruochen’s hands contained 3,000 times the amount of Xuanwu Qi she had refined.
Of course, the higher the realm, the more Xuanwu Qi one needed to break through to the next realm.
Even a whole bottle of Xuanwu Qi might not be enough to support a Monk at the First Change in the Fish Dragon Realm breaking through to the Ninth Change in the Fish Dragon Realm.
Furthermore, each of the Nine Changes in the Fish Dragon Realm was a bottleneck. Thus, not everyone could change a fish into a dragon.
“There are eight bottles of Xuanwu Qi here, one bottle for senior sister apprentice Yanchen, one for senior sister apprentice Duanmu, one for elder brother Chang, one for senior brother, one for Master, one for Han Xue, and one for Kong Xuan. The last bottle… could be saved for the time being.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled with satisfaction, holding eight bottles of Xuanwu Qi in his hands.
