Gu Changhuan’s face turned red.
Why did Grandpa always have to show him up like that?
After expressing their thanks, the three youths eagerly took a small sip.
After a sip of spirit wine, quite apart from its taste, Gu Changqing felt the spiritual qi in his dantian grow more abundant.
Just what one would expect of a Foundation Establishment expert’s spirit wine!
All three silently admired it.
The fine wine and delicious food made everyone’s appetites surge.
Naturally, Gu Wanhao only ate a few light bites.
Having already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, eating for him was merely to satisfy a mortal craving; the Spirit Meals prepared by the Gu Clan Dining Hall offered no tangible benefit to his cultivation.
It was a lively meal.
Though the youths’ families were fairly well off, they seldom ate such a feast, and all three ended up stuffed.
They went home holding their bellies, full of spiritual qi to aid their cultivation.
Gu Changhuan patted his own belly as well.
He was so full!
Yet a certain meat dish served during the meal had tasted simply too incredible!
Unfortunately, his capacity was small, and after only a few bites of meat, he could not force down another morsel.
“Grandpa, I feel like I won’t need to eat dinner tonight.” He was truly stuffed to the limit.
Gu Changhuan spoke with a trace of embarrassment on his face.
He had tried his absolute best to exercise restraint, but he had still overeaten.
He could clearly feel a vast amount of Spiritual Qi churning inside his body, waiting for him to refine it!
Gu Wanhao was unsurprised.
Spirit meals were often much tastier than ordinary food, and their spiritual qi meant that one generous meal could usually keep a cultivator full for two or three days.
“Spirit Meals are beneficial for cultivation, so eating more is fine, as long as you don’t overindulge to the point of discomfort,” Gu Wanhao said with a warm smile.
He transferred one thousand Contribution Points into Gu Changhuan’s Identity Jade Token.
As the clan’s resident alchemist, he actually spent most of his time not on Emerald Maple Mountain, but stationed away at Nine Perches Market.
“In a couple of days, I’ll be going to oversee our clan’s shop.
If you need anything, Changhuan, ask Great-grandfather or the patriarch.
I’ve given you a thousand contribution points, so you can buy whatever you like to eat.
“You may read any of the books in my study.
Remember to spend time with the other clan members, too.
I doubt anyone will be foolish enough to bully you.
I’ll leave you the courtyard formation’s control token; remember to check the formation whenever you go out, morning or evening.” Gu Wanhao instructed gently.
In truth, Emerald Maple Mountain was practically devoid of danger, but building such cautious habits early on was essential.
“How long will Grandpa be gone?” Gu Changhuan asked, a wave of reluctance washing over him.
He had just parted ways with his parents, and right now his grandfather was his only truly familiar relative here.
A cultivator’s life was full of partings, both temporary and final.
Gu Changhuan was simply too young and inexperienced to understand that yet.
“Not long,” Gu Wanhao said.
Unfortunately, he was too busy to teach the boy, so Emerald Maple Mountain was still the best place for him.
They walked back to the courtyard together.
Gu Changhuan went to his room, while Gu Wanhao received a Communication Talisman from Gu Wanchang.
His expression grew serious as he read it, and he left to see the patriarch.
Inside his room, Gu Changhuan sat cross-legged, gradually clearing his mind of all distracting thoughts.
He needed to refine the lingering Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Meal as quickly as possible.
As his internal Spiritual Power began to circulate, the pool of Qi within his body steadily grew stronger with every passing moment.
A little under an hour later, Gu Changhuan finished cultivating.
It was tedious work, but he liked being able to see a result for every bit of effort.
That gave him even more motivation to continue.
Meanwhile, inside the Gu Clan council hall, both Gu Wanhao and Gu Wanchang wore grave and troubled expressions.
After a long silence, Gu Wanhao finally spoke.
“Since this intelligence originated from the Fang Clan Ancestor, it is unlikely to be false.
It’s just that given the clan’s current standing, I’m afraid…” “I have thought it over carefully.
This is only a Minor Beast Tide caused by Purple Mansion demon beasts.
We still have time to prepare, so it should not cause losses the clan cannot recover from.” Gu Wanchang let out a heavy sigh.
The Fang Clan had just sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a message from their ancestor: a Minor Beast Tide would reach the Nine Perches Mountains within the next few years, and the Gu Clan should prepare.
In the neighboring Hidden Dragon Mountains, a Golden-Horned Rhinoceros had reached the third tier inside the Violet-Eyed Wolves’ territory.
These large, golden-horned beasts were mild-tempered and numbered among the wolves’ prey.
Normally they reached only the high grade of the second tier; this one might be a mutant.
Scarcely had it advanced when it began rallying its own kind to contest territory with the local wolf pack.
Yet, having just broken through, it was ultimately no match for the numerous wolves.
Before long, the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros was forced to flee in defeat.
A demon beast that reached the third tier needed a third-tier spirit vein to maintain its cultivation.
But all such veins in the Hidden Dragon Mountains were occupied.
Wherever the rhinoceros herd went, it would have to fight for a territory, leaving some third-tier beast without one in the end.
Beasts of that tier had begun to develop intelligence.
After repeated defeats and setbacks, they might well turn their attention to the Nine Perches Mountains.
Some lower-tier demon beasts would also be driven from their territories by the fighting.
Though their cultivation was low, they were still deadly to mortals.
The Gu Clan had just recovered from the last major Beast Tide.
With the discovery of Gu Changhuan’s spiritual body, they had been ready to push forward—only to face another Minor Beast Tide.
What miserable luck!
Over the coming months, perhaps even a year or two, the Gu Clan’s lands would likely suffer frequent demon beast attacks.
The Nine Perches Mountains bordered demon territory and effectively formed a buffer between the two races.
Qingzhou itself lay next to the demon lands.
To expand human territory, its largest sect, the Haoran Sect, strongly supported rogue cultivators who founded clans or sects in that buffer zone.
The Nine Perches Mountains were also a gateway to southeastern Qingzhou.
Without the repeated demon beast attacks over the years, the Gu Clan would long since have raised a Purple Mansion cultivator.
As things stood, the four clans—Gu, Fang, Yu, and Zhang—had only two between them.
The Fang Clan ancestor was an elder of the Haoran Sect; the Zhang Clan ancestor remained in the Nine Perches Mountains, deterring rogue cultivators and demons.
Together, their influence inside and outside the region had preserved nearly a century of peace.
Yet misfortune brought advantages too.
Despite the difficulty of raising Purple Mansion cultivators, the four clans’ special position gave them sole control of several spirit mountains, including Emerald Maple Mountain.
Their lands were several times larger than those of other Foundation Establishment clans in Qingzhou.
They earned far more in spiritual resources, but suffered staggering losses year after year—hardships outsiders could scarcely understand.
“To help us prepare, the Zhang Clan ancestor will hold an Exchange Meeting at Nine Perches Market so the four clans can trade what each needs.
He will offer some demon beast materials as well,” Gu Wanchang said reflectively.
The founding ancestor of the Zhang Clan had only reached the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm, making him the lowest in cultivation among the four patriarchs who originally established the region, possessing no particularly remarkable legacy or technique to pass down.
The Zhang Clan had been fortunate.
The founding ancestor’s direct descendant, their current ancestor Zhang Wendao, had a wind-attribute Variant Spirit Root.
With the clan’s full support, he had reached Purple Mansion.
Cultivators with variant roots were usually skilled fighters, so it was no surprise that he had high-tier demon beast materials.