19 The Arrival of the Parents

By the time Zhou Yang came out of Zhou Minghan's cave, he had already calmed down.

Going from Qi Refinement Level 7 to Qi Refinement Level 9 within a dozen years was almost impossible for ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators with intermediate spiritual roots.

Each breakthrough on the path of cultivation increased in difficulty as one progressed. Taking ten years to break through to the next level after reaching Qi Refinement Level 7 was already good enough for a cultivator with intermediate spiritual roots.

For example, Zhou Yang's father and Zhou Xuanyu both reached Qi Refinement Level 7 in their thirties. Zhou Xuanhao only reached Qi Refinement Level 9 at the age of sixty-three. Zhou Xuanyu reached it slightly earlier at the age of fifty-eight.

Since Zhou Yang reached Qi Refinement Level 7 at the age of twenty-two, he would most likely be able to raise his cultivation to Qi Refinement Level 9 before the age of fifty. By then, he would still have ten years to work towards the realm of Foundation Establishment.

However, since the clan leader, Zhou Minghan, had already offered to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, Zhou Yang had to give it his all. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to afford the spiritual stones needed to buy two Foundation Establishment Pills in a short period of time.

Zhou Yang didn't want what happened to Zhou Xuanyu to happen to him.

"I thought I could improve my Artifact Refinement Technique after breaking through to Qi Refinement Level 7. But now it seems that I have to switch priorities and work on reaching Qi Refinement Level 9 as soon as possible."

The most important thing for an immortal cultivator was to improve their cultivation level. Learning techniques such as artifact and pill refinement could also be beneficial but would not have much of an effect on Zhou Yang's intended cultivation rate. 

If Zhou Yang worked on his Artifact Refinement Technique and hoped that it would also improve his cultivation sufficiently in the meantime, he would simply be putting the cart before the horse.

Now that he had made up his mind, Zhou Yang returned to the Closed Door Cultivation room in the cave and focused on cultivating.

To achieve the goal, the clan leader had specially arranged for Zhou Yang to occupy the cave for the time being and exempt him from any clan missions other than to cultivate the best as he could to reach Qi Refinement Level 9 as soon as possible.

While Zhou Yang was in Closed Door Cultivation, Advanced-Stage Qi Refinement cultivators that had been sent away on clan missions or stationed elsewhere were still being summoned to return to the clan temporarily to pay their final respects to Zhou Qian.

Among the cultivators who returned were, Zhou Yang's father and mother - Zhou Xuanhao and Lin Yuting.

A few months later, Zhou Yang received a voice transmission from the clan leader, informing him to descend the mountain and head to the clan ancestral hall for a meeting. When he arrived, Zhou Yang immediately saw his parents standing among a group of elders. In an instant, his eyes turned red.

"Father, Mother, when did you return? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Do you know how much I have missed you?"

"Mother misses you too, Yang!"

Lin Yuting's eyes also turned red as she walked out from the crowd and hugged her son whom she had not seen for seven to eight years.

"Look how much taller you have grown, Yang. The last time we left, you were only up to my shoulders. Now, you're even taller than me. You've grown more handsome too!"

Lin Yuting looked at her son affectionately with one hand on his shoulder and the other caressing his face. She was happy to see her son again.

Zhou Xuanhao was quite a patient man. He was also touched when he saw his wife and son reunite. However, he was also aware that they were in the presence of other clansmen and did not want to disrupt the meeting and attract too much attention. He walked over and advice them with a lowered voice.

"Alright, alright. Don't forget, we're in the ancestral hall for a meeting. Once we're done, the two of you talk in private."

However, the moment he did that, Zhou Xuanyu unexpectedly walked over and said, "Yuting and Yang haven't seen each other for eight years. So what if they want to hug and say how much they've missed each other? Zhou Xuanhao, it's fine if you say these words when the juniors were present. But this hall is now filled with seventy- and eight-year-olds who have families of their own. Who wouldn't be understanding?

"Even if you didn't want to visit Yang in the cave at the top of Yuquan Peak, do you have to interfere with the reunion of a mother and her child?"

The older generation of the Zhou clan knew that Zhou Xuanhao and Zhou Xuanyu had not seen eye to eye since they were young.

Both of them had intermediate spiritual roots. Though one of them was a few years older and always considered himself the boss, the other was the biological granddaughter of the clan leader and had been doted on by the elders since she was young. Zhou Xuanyu had also always been one cultivation level higher than Zhou Xuanhao so she clearly did not see him as a senior at all.

They had fought openly and secretly in the clan, and it was only when they were older and separated from each other due to clan missions that their relationship improved slightly.

Still, as long as there was an opportunity, Zhou Xuanyu would seize the opportunity to mock Zhou Xuanhao.

She simply could not help it. Women had always been more vengeful than men!

When they heard Zhou Xuanyu and Zhou Xuanhao going at it again, the Xuan generation cultivators in the ancestral hall immediately looked at each other with strange expressions before deciding to turn a blind eye to the escalating situation. No one dared to help or say anything.

The Light generation cultivators like Zhou Quan and Zhou Yun, on the other hand, decided to just let things be. This wasn't a new situation after all. In fact, some winked at each other and chuckled lightly, secretly hoping for a proper fight to break out.

Only Zhou Yang was left in the dark.

He appreciated Zhou Xuanyu speaking up for him and his mother. But he also worried that the situation would go out of hand.

He knew that his father did not visit him because the latter cared about him too much that he did not want to disturb his son's cultivation and delay the latter's path. It was not because his father did not care about him.

Thus, he hurriedly broke free from his mother's embrace with a face full of anxiety and said to Zhou Xuanyu, "Third Aunt, you have misunderstood my father. My parents did not visit me because they did not want to disturb my cultivation. Moreover, I had been a little rude just now by selfishly interrupting the meeting like that. I hope that the elders can forgive me."

Those privy to the history of Zhou Xuanyu and Zhou Xuanhao had to hold back their laughter, including Lin Yuting, when they saw how seriously Zhou Yang was acting.

Zhou Xuanyu simply rolled her eyes and huffed dissatisfiedly. "Zhou Yang, you really are an ungrateful wretch. As soon as your father and mother came back, you immediately forgot how good I have been to you. As expected of what would happen when two people are only family in name and not by blood!"

Lin Yuting finally broke out in laughter when she heard Zhou Xuanyu's words.

Then, she lightly tapped on her son's nose with her jade-like finger as she smiled and said, "Yang, it seems that your third aunt is being jealous. I think that since all the elders in the clan are here today, why don't you just acknowledge your third aunt as your godmother? Otherwise, her pot of jealousy will always be on the verge of splashing your father's face with acid!"

"I don't think that's a bad idea either. Zhou Yang, what do you think?" Zhou Minghan had been observing everything silently from the beginning but couldn't help but agree with Lin Yuting when he heard her proposal.

Zhou Xuanyu had still been looking unhappy when she heard Lin Yuting call her jealous. But when the former heard the latter's intentions, Zhou Xuanyu allowed the joy in her heart to betray her through her beautiful eyes as she nervously looked at and awaited Zhou Yang's response.

"If you're willing, Zhou Yang, I won't object either," said Zhou Xuanhao.

Zhou Xuanyu had indeed doted on him since he was young. Since both his parents and the clan leader agreed, Zhou Yang merely spent a brief moment of thought before immediately kneeling and kowtowing three times respectfully to Zhou Xuanyu. "I, Zhou Yang, would like to greet Zhou Xuanyu, my godmother."

Zhou Yang should have also paid his respects to Zhou Xuanyu's husband, Wu Tao, as well. However, as the son-in-law of the Zhou clan, Wu Tao was secondary to the Zhou clan members in terms of trust. The red flame iron vein was classified information within the Zhou clan. Zhou Minghan had already given strict orders that unless Zhou Yang succeeded in reaching the realm of Foundation Establishment, no one could reveal the slightest bit of this information to anyone else.

Therefore, Wu Tao and a few other relatives who had married into or sworn allegiance to the Zhou clan were sent to stand in for the clan cultivators who had been summoned back temporarily.

"You're a good child, Zhou Yang. Quickly, get up!"

The nervousness on Zhou Xuanyu's face disappeared. With a flower-like smile, she quickly reached out to help Zhou Yang up with eyes filled with joy.

"Congratulations to our third sister for obtaining a new godson!" The Xuan generation cultivators of the Zhou clan who had been relatively uninvolved earlier finally laughed and congratulated her.

The Light generation elders, on the other hand, also laughed out loud and gave their blessings. "Zhou Xuanyu had always wanted a son. Today, she finally got what she wanted. It is indeed worth congratulating. Congratulations, Xuanyu!"

When she heard the congratulatory words of the elders and her peers, her smile only grew wider. Without hesitation, she grabbed Zhou Yang's arm and pulled him into her embrace, giving him a tight hug. "You can say whatever you want. I just really like Yang since he was just a child, especially his calmness and intelligence. This is what a good man in the Zhou clan should be like."

Zhou Yang was dumbstruck as he stayed still in Zhou Xuanyu's embrace. His wide eyes stared back at his mother, Lin Yuting, who was smiling. For some reason, he felt a little betrayed by her.

Sure enough, in the next second, he saw his mother's beautiful eyes narrow as she said, "When a master accepts a disciple, the latter will be bestowed some gifts from the former. Since Sister Xuanyu has accepted Yang as her godson, you should have a gift for him too, right? My son doesn't lack medicinal pills or spiritual stones. How about Sister Xuanyu just give me some spiritual talismans that she has refined herself?"

"I see, Lin Yuting. I was wondering why you were so kind all of a sudden to willingly allow me to be the godmother of your son. So it turns out that you have been eyeing the treasures I have!" Zhou Xuanyu glared at Lin Yuting with resentment. It wasn't a secret that the former was a little angry.

However, when she turned around to look at the embarrassed Zhou Yang in her arms, she couldn't help but start to giggle. "Yang, you still care for your godmother, unlike your heartless mother who schemed against her good sister for so many years just for a few spiritual talismans!"

Despite her words earlier, she did not hesitate to reach into her storage bag and took out a stack of shining spiritual talismans before stuffing them into Zhou Yang's hands.

"Alright, my good boy. These talismans you see here were all handmade by me. Feel free to use them. If you run out of them, you can just ask for more from me. I may not have many assets, but I don't lack these handmade talismans!"

Handmade?

These handmade talismans were all Advanced Grade 2 talismans?

Zhou Yang looked at the thick stack of talismans in his hands and he felt incredibly touched by his godmother's generosity.

He knew how much effort Zhou Xuanyu had put into making these talismans.

Even if Zhou Xuanyu was an Advanced Grade 2 talisman maker, she could not have made this many talismans so easily. Yet, she had given him a thick stack of them. If this gesture did not show how much she loved him, he did not know what would.