Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 181 - 179: 1 Encounter with Zhou Lang Ruins a Lifetime [Request Subscription]

Chapter 181: Chapter 179: 1 Encounter with Zhou Lang Ruins a Lifetime [Request Subscription]

"Brother Zhou, Ying’Er can accept your invitation, but Ying’Er also has a few small requests that I hope Brother Zhou can agree to!"

On Dan Yun Peak, Xiao Ying took the opportunity of delivering food to find Zhouyang and directly stated the answer she had been considering for a long time.

When Zhouyang heard she agreed to return with him to the Zhou Family, his face immediately showed a look of ecstasy, and he quickly said, "Miss Xiao, whatever conditions you have, feel free to say them. Zhou will do his utmost to fulfill anything I can for Miss Xiao."

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Ying felt a bit embarrassed instead. Her face blushed, and she gently shook her head, saying:

"Brother Zhou, you flattered me. Ying’Er’s conditions are simple. First, Ying’Er can be a guest elder of your family, but Ying’Er is only interested in alchemy and cultivating medicinal plants, not in those violent affairs, so please agree not to force Ying’Er into those matters."

"Ying’Er’s second condition is that I hope Brother Zhou can promise to accompany me in delivering my master’s ashes back to his hometown for burial. I know that my master always wished to return to his hometown to pass away, but he stayed on Dan Yun Peak for Ying’Er’s sake!"

"As for Ying’Er’s third condition, I wish Brother Zhou would stop calling me Miss Xiao, and instead call me Ying’Er or Little Ying."

Can these even be considered conditions?

Of course not!

Thus, after Zhouyang was momentarily stunned, he immediately laughed and said, "Hahaha, Miss Xiao, no, it’s Ying’Er, your conditions, all of them, Zhou agrees to them. Moreover, Zhou promises that as long as I am alive and the Zhou Family stands, anyone who wants to harm Ying’Er must get past me and the Zhou Family first!"

Zhouyang was truly happy.

With Xiao Ying joining the Zhou Family, the family’s shortcoming in alchemy was completely compensated for.

If in the future that boy Zhou Guangxiang could also advance to a Tier Three Array Master, combined with Zhou Yuanchen in the Yellow Sand Sect, the Zhou Family would have reached Tier Three proficiency in the four most crucial skills for cultivators: array, artifact refining, alchemy, and talisman making. This is a level only achieved by those powerful Purple Mansion Clans with hundreds or even thousands of years of heritage.

By then, if someone in the Zhou Family successfully opens a Purple Mansion, the family could immediately become a Purple Mansion Clan, a powerful one with no shortcoming.

To Zhouyang, the significance of Xiao Ying’s joining surpasses simply adding a Tier Three Alchemist to the family; what he valued more was Xiao Ying’s future potential.

With a Top-grade Spiritual Root, Xiao Ying has a great chance of breaking through to the Purple Mansion. If she successfully opens her Purple Mansion and advances to a Tier Four Alchemist and Spirit Plant Cultivator, then the "Yuan Condensing Fruit" tree he discovered in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range would truly come into play.

If the Zhou Family could secretly possess a "Yuan Condensing Fruit" tree and have a Tier Four Alchemist capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills, the family’s thousand-year foundation would be as steady as Mount Tai!

That’s why Zhouyang was willing to bear the moral guilt and the evil reputation of reciprocating kindness for personal gain to steal Xiao Ying away.

Now that Xiao Ying finally agreed to his invitation, how could this not make him ecstatically happy?

Upon hearing his heartfelt words, Xiao Ying also showed a joyful smile on her charming face.

She couldn’t deny that the fundamental reason she accepted Zhouyang’s invitation was to repay the favor.

Zhouyang had appeared when she was most desperate and helpless, slaying the three shameless scoundrels who intended to defile her, and was injured by a poison needle because of it. This touched and moved her deeply while also filling her with profound guilt, always wanting to make up to Zhouyang.

Therefore, when Zhouyang invited her to join the Zhou Family, even though she knew it involved elements of reciprocating kindness for personal gain, she did not feel any aversion. She even wanted to agree at that moment.

The contemplation over these days was part due to a young girl’s reserved nature and part due to her reluctance to part from Dan Yun Peak, where she had lived for decades, wishing to delay and cherish the land she grew up on a little longer.

Seeing Zhouyang’s genuine delight over her decision, she also felt relieved as if a great favor had been returned.

It is well known that debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay, not to mention a life-saving grace of such magnitude.

Though somewhat naïve, Xiao Ying was not foolish, understanding gratitude and reciprocation.

After sharing a smile with Zhouyang, she softly asked, "Brother Zhou, when shall we depart?"

Zhouyang, hearing this, immediately replied, "I can leave at any time, but when to depart, let that be your decision, Ying’Er."

He could tell that when Xiao Ying asked this question, she probably had some unfinished business, so she let the girl make her own decision.

Sure enough, after hearing his answer, Xiao Ying’s smile grew even brighter. She nodded slightly and said, "Then Brother Zhou, please wait one more day. Once I’ve harvested all the mature herbs from the medicinal garden and sealed the cave dwelling, we can depart together."

On Dan Yun Peak, there were a few acres of medicinal garden and twenty to thirty acres of spirit fields that Xiao Ying’s master had cultivated before he passed. The garden was planted with spirit elixirs, some grown from seeds sown by her master before his death, and others transplanted from outside, including quite a few Tier Three spirit elixirs.

Now that she was leaving Dan Yun Peak and wouldn’t return for a long time, Xiao Ying certainly needed to harvest those mature spirit elixirs to take with her.

Additionally, she needed to seal the cave dwelling on Dan Yun Peak to prevent other cultivators from breaking in and causing damage after her departure.

However, Zhouyang estimated that if someone discovered this spirit peak and claimed it, Xiao Ying’s sealing of the cave dwelling would still be futile, as others would eventually dig it open for reuse. It wasn’t really necessary to do this.

Of course, if Xiao Ying wanted to do it, he wouldn’t stop her.

After Xiao Ying harvested the mature spirit elixirs, sealed the cave dwelling, and activated the mountain protection array, enveloping a large part of Dan Yun Peak in a white mist, she finally left the place she had lived for two to three decades, reluctant to part, accompanied by Zhouyang as he carried her in sword flight away from there.

Yes, Xiao Ying still couldn’t perform sword flight.

She had succeeded in establishing her Foundation less than a year ago, and due to her master’s passing over the past half-year, she hadn’t dedicated herself to daily cultivation, let alone learning sword techniques.

If not for this, when Tian Feng and the others attacked the array, it wouldn’t have been so easy.

But as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, always being carried by someone else was obviously inappropriate, so while carrying Xiao Ying in sword flight, Zhouyang also pointed out to her the practice of sword techniques. Naturally, this could only be the sword technique her master cultivated during his lifetime, not the "Great Derivation Sword Technique."

Moreover, during their flight, Zhouyang learned from chatting with Xiao Ying that her Wood Attribute Spiritual Root was stronger than her Fire Attribute Spiritual Root. Therefore, after establishing her Foundation, she practiced a regular Wood Element Technique collected by her master, rather than the Fire-Wood Attribute Technique her master practiced.

This made him quite anxious and he quickly advised Xiao Ying to pause her cultivation for now. After returning to the Zhou family, they could seek a Wood Attribute Technique in the Zhou family’s Scripture Cave for her to cultivate instead.

After the Demon Chaos in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, the Zhou family had acquired over twenty mid-to-high-level techniques suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators, including two or three suitable for Wood Spirit Root cultivators. Although those techniques weren’t top-tier, they were far superior to the regular technique Xiao Ying was currently practicing.

Fortunately, Xiao Ying had just recently established her Foundation, so the new technique hadn’t left deep traces on her. Transitioning to other techniques would not require much effort.

Xiao Ying also knew that Zhouyang had her best interests in mind, and she readily agreed to his suggestion.

Moreover, what Zhouyang had not expected was that, upon finding out Zhouyang lacked a suitable defensive magical artifact, Xiao Ying handed him the artifact left by her master after he passed when they landed to rest.

"After all, I don’t like fighting or killing. Refining these artifacts doesn’t do me much good. It’s better for Brother Zhou to refine them for protection, so you can protect me better!"

Xiao Ying, with a faint blush, forcefully tucked the storage bag into Zhouyang’s hand and weakly stated her reasoning.

Zhouyang heard her words, and his eyes moved, but he said nothing. Silently, he opened the storage bag and examined the artifacts inside.

Xiao Ying’s master, in life, had been a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Tier Three Alchemist, so the quality of the artifacts they used naturally wasn’t poor.

In the storage bag, Zhouyang found six Tier Three artifacts, including a Tier Three High-grade Fire Attribute Flying Sword, a Tier Three High-grade Wood Attribute Defense Magic Shield, a Tier Three High-grade Wood Attribute Wooden Staff, a Tier Three Middle Grade Fire Attribute Spiritual Artifact Mirror, a Tier Three Medium-grade Fire Attribute Magical Artifact Treasure Pearl, and a Tier Three Middle Grade Alchemy Furnace.

"Other than the Alchemy Furnace I can’t use, I’ll just take the three Fire Attribute artifacts. The Wood Attribute artifacts don’t align with my spiritual root technique, and refining them wouldn’t wield much power. You should refine them yourself for protection. Even if you don’t want to hurt anyone, you should at least have an artifact to protect yourself against attacks!"

Zhouyang took out the Flying Sword, Mirror, and Treasure Pearl, returning the storage bag to Xiao Ying.

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he suddenly removed the Tier Three Lower Grade Artifact "Vermilion Bird Ring" he had been wearing on his wrist and handed it to Xiao Ying: "This artifact was one I refined after advancing to a Tier Three Refiner, but it doesn’t serve me anymore. Moreover, it seems more suited for a female cultivator, so I’ll give it to you for refining and protection!"

Hearing his words, Xiao Ying’s hands holding the storage bag trembled and nearly dropped it to the ground. Her face instantly flushed, turning red to the tips of her ears.

Then, she glanced stealthily at Zhouyang’s handsome face, softly replied "Mm," and extended her other jade-like hand to receive the bracelet still warm from Zhouyang’s touch, holding it tightly in her hand as if holding a priceless treasure, afraid to let it fall.

Zhouyang watched this scene, acting as if he hadn’t seen anything, lightly nodded, and said, "Alright, let’s both refine our artifacts first. Once they’ve been slightly refined, we can set off!"

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