Three days later, Li Ergou got married.
There were no elaborate betrothal gifts or rituals; everything was kept simple.
At the wedding banquet, a small number of relatives came from the bride's side.
Even fewer people were on the groom's side.
Li Ergou only had Lu Chang'an as a friend, helping to welcome guests and see them off.
The other four Immortal Seedlings came to make up the numbers.
To show their goodwill, Lu Chang'an and the other Immortal Seedlings all gave gifts.
These Immortal Seedlings were dirt poor, so they could only give worldly gold and silver, or small personal items.
Lu Chang'an gave a handwritten notebook.
It was titled "Locking Dragon Secret Essentials."
It was not an Immortal Family Cultivation Technique, but a secret bedroom art.
Besides enhancing that aspect of one's ability, it could also lock in more of the Primal Yang Qi, preventing it from being depleted by beauty.
"In this life, I should not need 'Locking Dragon Secret Essentials,'" Lu Chang'an thought with certainty.
In his previous life, he came from an Immortal Cultivation Family, and was not his own master, having a large number of wives and concubines, leaving behind many descendants.
In the early stages, the help of an Immortal Cultivation Family was indeed great.
But once he reached a certain level, the Family and descendants became a burden.
For the sake of his Family and children, his energy was tied up, and at times he was involuntarily drawn into whirlpools, fighting for profit.
...
Li Ergou was very quick.
Two months after his marriage, his wife Mu Qing became pregnant.
Mu Family Head Mu Maode, upon learning this, immediately gave generous rewards.
The rewards included one Low Grade Magical Artifact, a set of magic robes, thirty Spirit Stones, two bottles of Qi Nourishing Medicinal Pills, and sixty catties of spiritual rice...
Such generous rewards made the other Immortal Seedlings envious.
Even Lu Chang'an was somewhat moved.
He currently only had three and a half Spirit Stones and one inferior Magical Artifact.
"Mu Family Head is setting an example, wanting us to follow suit."
Lu Chang'an's heart was as clear as a mirror.
Mu Family Head had announced that the first to have a child, and the first to have a Spiritual Root child, would receive extra rewards.
Immediately, the Immortal Seedlings who were still hesitating could not sit still and scrambled to marry and have children!
However, the rewards for those who followed were less than one-third of Li Ergou's.
After one of Li Ergou's visits.
Lu Chang'an learned that Ergou's wife was Mu Family Head Mu Maode's grandniece.
Therefore, the reward for his leading role in being the first to have a child was very generous.
"This kid, a simpleton has a simpleton's blessing."
Lu Chang'an sighed inwardly.
The Family Head certainly had many descendants, and a grandniece's status was not too significant.
Lu Chang'an speculated that precisely because Li Ergou had no background, no culture, and a pure heart, such a person was easy to win over.
The Mu Family considered truly incorporating this son-in-law into the Family.
In contrast, Lu Chang'an.
He had a firm mind, Jianghu experience, and was difficult to truly win over.
Even if he actively had children like Ergou, he would not receive true cultivation.
...
A year and a half later.
All the Immortal Seedlings who came to the Mu Family had married and had children, integrating into the Emerald Moon Lake Mu Family as external Family members.
Except for Lu Chang'an.
He remained unmoved and had been in seclusion, diligently Cultivating.
Although he rarely left his Immortal Cave, the young women of the Mu Family knew about his rumors.
Some said that Lu Chang'an possessed a Medium Grade Spiritual Root, had high self-esteem, refused to become a son-in-law, and looked down on the Mortal women of the Mu Family.
In the separate courtyard, within the Cultivation room.
Lu Chang'an, dressed in a white robe, sat cross-legged, Cultivating the Ancient Wood Evergreen Skill.
He was like a wooden sculpture, outwardly silent, but within him flowed continuous Magic Power full of vitality.
Through the Wood Spiritual Root, he circulated the Cultivation Technique, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his body, ultimately forming his own Evergreen Magic Power.
The difference between Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and Magic Power is:
Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is wild.
Chaotic and uncontrollable, low-level Cultivators cannot use it directly.
Magic Power, on the other hand, is a form that Cultivators, through Spiritual Root absorption and Cultivation Technique transformation, "tame" the external Spiritual Qi into a form they control.
"I never expected that the Cultivation speed of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Skill would be so 'gentle.'"
Lu Chang'an opened his eyes, his expression not good.
With a first-order Spiritual Vein, it took a year and a half.
He consumed his only three and a half Spirit Stones.
His Cultivation had barely reached the Peak of Qi Refining First Layer.
As early as a month ago, Li Ergou had already advanced to Qi Refining Second Layer.
One of the other four Immortal Seedlings had also broken through.
Instead, Lu Chang'an, with his Medium Grade Spiritual Root, became the laggard.
There were three reasons for this outcome:
Firstly, the Cultivation speed of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Skill was particularly gentle, and Lu Chang'an's Cultivation experience from his previous two lives did not provide much of a boost.
This effectively negated Lu Chang'an's re-Cultivation advantage.
Secondly, when Cultivating this skill, he used his Wood Spiritual Root, with a sensitivity of seventeen, which was equivalent to a Low Grade Spiritual Root.
Lu Chang'an's Medium Grade Spiritual Root was a Fire Spiritual Root, with a sensitivity of twenty, which he did not use.
Thirdly, because Lu Chang'an refused to marry and have children with a Mu Family woman, the Cultivation resources provided by the Mu Family were suppressed to a minimum standard.
"They only provide a Spiritual Vein Dao field, the most basic Cultivation Technique, and three catties of spiritual rice per month."
Lu Chang'an sighed.
This was clearly Mu Maode's tactic to force him to comply.
In contrast, Li Ergou received Medicinal Pills for improving Cultivation every month, and the spiritual rice distributed amounted to thirty catties.
Among "wealth, companions, methods, and land," wealth ranks first.
Without financial resources, even a High Grade Spiritual Root would never hope to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage in this lifetime.
Facing such "unfair" treatment, Lu Chang'an did not resent it.
There's an old saying: one meal nurtures a benefactor, a thousand meals nurture an enemy.
Lu Chang'an remained true to his original intention; he was here to freeload on the Mu Family's Spiritual Vein Dao field.
Whether actively or not, the Mu Family had at least shown kindness to him.
...
Another half a year passed.
Lu Chang'an had been at the Mu Family for two full years.
On this day, within the Cultivation room.
"Qi Refining Second Layer."
The Magic Power fluctuations around Lu Chang'an increased by one level.
A mysterious aura of time flowing by flashed and disappeared.
"This aura..."
On Lu Chang'an's face in this life, shock appeared for the first time!
A year ago, he had also experienced this peculiar feeling.
It was a profound meaning of ancient wood cycling through the four seasons, which he thought was a characteristic of the Cultivation Technique.
This time, after crossing the second year, at the moment of Breakthrough, this mysterious aura was captured again.
If his Soul perception hadn't been keen, he might have missed it.
"Could it be that the Ancient Wood Evergreen Skill absorbs the Qi of time during Cultivation?"
"If that's truly the case, then the gentle Cultivation can be completely understood..."
Lu Chang'an suppressed the shock and excitement in his heart.
The cycle of time, this is a rule of Heaven and Earth.
Certain ancient True Spirits and Divine Beasts in legends seemed to feed on time.
That level of power was beyond even the Nascent Soul Stage.
"No wonder the Ancient Wood Evergreen Skill can extend life..."
Lu Chang'an realized that this ancient life-nourishing Cultivation Technique was definitely not simple.
If he had the chance,
He must get his hands on the second volume of Changqing Gong!
In his previous life, in the Immortal Cave of the Nascent Soul Great Cultivator "Yan Donglai," he competed with others and obtained half a volume of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Skill in a chaotic battle.
The other half was obtained by a Golden Core Immortal Master from a major School.
Information about that person could be found deep in his memories.
But Lu Chang'an could not be sure if these two lives were in the same Immortal Cultivation World.
...
After advancing to Qi Refining Second Layer, Lu Chang'an came out to relax.
Anyway, Changqing Gong needed to absorb the Qi of time, so there was no rush.
No wonder this skill could Cultivate one's temperament.
He first went to the adjacent courtyard.
Li Ergou was playing with his child, and was very happy to see Lu Chang'an.
"Come, call him Uncle Lu."
Li Ergou held his eldest son, "Mu Yifan."
Unfortunately, the child was only one year old and not very intelligent, making babbling sounds.
The reason he was called the eldest son.
A month ago, Li Ergou's wife Mu Qing was pregnant again.
It is important to know that Cultivators do not easily have children; the higher their Cultivation, the more difficult it becomes.
Lu Chang'an suspected that the "Locking Dragon Secret Essentials" he gifted might have provided assistance.
Lu Chang'an gently stroked the child's forehead, and the latter was unusually quiet and well-behaved.
A child's Immortal Cultivation Aptitude would only become apparent after the age of six, so it couldn't be seen yet.
"Tsk, how strange, my Fan'er is usually very shy around strangers."
Li Ergou said in surprise.
Normally, his son was cared for by the Mu Family's wet nurse. As a father, he had to Cultivate and didn't see the child much, so sometimes the child didn't even recognize him.
"Oh! Brother Lu has advanced to Qi Refining Second Layer, congratulations!"
Li Ergou congratulated him.
"Not as fast as you."
Lu Chang'an's mood was slightly complicated.
The two had started on the same starting line.
He, Cultivating for the third time, was actually behind a peasant boy.
Li Ergou was two years younger than him.
"Brother Lu, I don't think marrying into the Mu Family is bad at all. Why don't you consider it too?"
Li Ergou's life now was incredibly comfortable.
He used the Mu Family's Spiritual Vein Dao field and enjoyed the spiritual rice, Medicinal Pills, and Cultivation Techniques provided by the Mu Family.
He didn't have to raise his children himself, and he even received rewards for having them.
"Everyone has their own aspirations; you don't need to persuade me."
Lu Chang'an shook his head, and also refused the Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones Li Ergou offered.
"Oh right! Brother Lu, I received a letter from Lin Yi two days ago."
Li Ergou's expression turned serious, and he handed the child to the wet nurse.
"Lin Yi?"
Lu Chang'an thought of the somewhat arrogant young marquis.
"Brother, do you still remember our agreement on the way to the Sect assessment back then?"
"The Immortal Seedlings who came from Hengshui Prefecture agreed that no matter whether we could enter an Immortal Sect in the future, we would reunite at the 'Juxian Tower' in Hengshui Prefecture three years later."
"That agreement from back then? Would Disciples who entered an Immortal Sect take it seriously!"
Lu Chang'an was not optimistic.
He couldn't help but recall Zhao Siyao, that graceful and beautiful young lady from a prominent Family.
Having entered a Sect, they were no longer on the same level.
"Haha! Brother, you've underestimated them. Lin Yi said in his letter that Zhao Siyao agreed to attend the gathering and did not break her promise."
Li Ergou grinned broadly, feeling very gratified.