txolops Chapter 24 Zhao Family Offerings
Chapter 24 Zhao Family Offerings
"I am willing to become a retainer of the Zhao family. As for marriage, I believe it depends on fate and I dare not be hasty. However, if there is a suitable candidate, I am willing to form a marriage alliance with the Zhao family."
Ji Yun bowed respectfully, speaking sincerely without being inappropriate.
"Very well! My Zhao family has many women of marriageable age. As long as you stay at our home and spend time with us, we will naturally have the opportunity to meet."
Zhao Zongli laughed loudly, his tone quite confident.
He had already investigated Ji Yun beforehand.
Since entering Zhao Family Market, Ji Yun has never been close to women. There are no maids on the island, and he has never even had any female friends.
At the last celebration banquet, Ji Yun was also straightforward and honest, quite clueless about romance.
These innocent young people, who are naive and inexperienced in matters of the heart, are actually the easiest to control.
Once he experiences the benefits, he will naturally become more dependent on and loyal to the Zhao family.
"I wonder if young friend Li has had his talent tested?" Zhao Zongli asked, changing the subject.
"I've never tested it," Ji Yun shook his head.
"Then why not give it a test? Young friend Li, you can rest assured that testing your talent is for your own good."
"If you are exceptionally talented, the Zhao family will do everything in its power to protect you; if your talent is ordinary, your position as a retainer will not be changed."
Zhao Zongli continued.
"Okay, I'm willing to take the test."
Ji Yun accepted it readily; even if the Zhao family hadn't brought it up, he would have taken the initiative to speak up.
He knew he was of average talent.
This test was actually a good thing for him, as it would reduce the Zhao family's attention to him and give him more opportunities to go out.
"Yes, someone come here."
Zhao Zongli immediately waved his hand, inviting an old man and a set of ritual implements.
Ji Yun cooperated with the test.
In a short while, the test results were presented and fell into Zhao Zongli's hands.
"Young friend Li's talent in spirit and soul is truly astonishing!"
"No wonder you are so good at drawing talismans, young friend."
Zhao Zongli's expression remained unchanged, but his tone softened slightly.
Ji Yun's aptitude for cultivation was quite ordinary, similar to that of most members of the Zhao family.
However, his soul was extremely powerful, even stronger than that of a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining.
This result is quite subtle.
If one wants to realize their innate talent in the divine soul, they can only cultivate the Soul Path Technique.
This kind of exercise is extremely rare.
The Zhao family does not possess this kind of martial art.
Moreover, as far as he knew, most of the Soul Path techniques were demonic arts.
There is another way to realize this, which is through cultivating immortality and practicing various arts, such as drawing talismans and refining pills, but ultimately it is not the path of cultivation.
"Young friend Li will stay at our family home for the time being, as we would have you treated as family members."
"Once the marriage is finalized, we will discuss the treatment of him as a son-in-law of the Zhao family."
Zhao Zongli quickly gathered his thoughts and decided to settle things first.
He had previously thought that if Ji Yun was exceptionally talented, he would let him marry several more girls from the Zhao family, so as to leave as many bloodlines as possible in the Zhao family.
Now that hope has been dashed.
Regardless, Ji Yun, at eighteen years old and at the second level of Qi Refining, has a bright future ahead of him.
Even if his natural talent is ordinary, his starting point is high enough that even if he grinds for decades, he will surely be able to reach the third level of Qi Refining.
Based on this potential alone, he is more than qualified to be a patriarchal retainer of the Zhao family.
After all, a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivation is enough to establish oneself in the Night Sea Level 3.
"Thank you, senior."
Having lived three lifetimes, Ji Yun could naturally discern Zhao Zongli's emotional fluctuations.
This suited him perfectly.
His target for marrying into the Zhao family was not the collateral branch of the Zhao family on the third floor of the Night Sea, but the main branch of the Zhao family on the fifth floor of the Night Sea.
The goal has now been achieved.
Simply stand on the third floor of the Night Sea.
When the opportunity arises in the future, he will naturally showcase his other talents and try to rise to the top in one step, directly marrying into the fifth level of the Night Sea.
……
Three days later.
Ji Yun officially became a member of the clan's ancestral temple.
The treatment he received from the main family was extremely generous; he was already the highest-ranking retainer in the Zhao family.
Its members are either cultivators of different surnames who are already at the third level of Qi Refining, or geniuses like Ji Yun who will inevitably reach the third level of Qi Refining in the future.
All the family's offerings are housed in a cave on the second largest sky island of the Zhao family.
The cave dwelling has an excellent environment.
It was meticulously crafted by the Zhao family.
Like a mansion from a previous life in the mortal world, it is vast in area, with gardens, pavilions, towers, and a sizable pond.
The Zhao family will distribute fish fry.
Let the family cultivate and offer sacrifices themselves.
After all, it's at the third level of Qi Refining. This cave is larger than Song Laomo's entire Sky Island, and the environment is more pleasant, elegant, comfortable, and exquisitely furnished.
It's a world of difference.
In addition, the cave dwelling is staffed with maids surnamed Zhao, all of whom are carefully selected from collateral relatives, virgins, and of clean origin.
They are considered to be from a collateral branch of a collateral family, and most of them lack the necessary qualifications.
Being a mortal, I cannot see into secrets, so I stay in the mansion and do some trivial things.
The family can freely pick them as offerings, and they can be taken into the house as concubines or used as maids to serve the family.
If you have children.
They were then raised by the Zhao family.
"The benefits are indeed quite good."
"Especially this cave dwelling, it truly deserves the name of a cave dwelling, its concentration of spiritual energy is far superior."
Ji Yun stood on the second floor of the cave dwelling, looking down at his own cave dwelling.
There is a large array on this floating island, which has the ability to gather spiritual energy.
This formation is incredibly valuable.
It makes the concentration of spiritual energy inside the cave more than twice as strong as that outside.
Even a rogue cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining could never afford such an array in their entire life.
It is estimated that many cultivators became Zhao family retainers because of this great formation.
"No wonder they all abandoned the Sky Island."
"They moved directly into the cave."
Ji Yun closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
This feeling of abundant spiritual energy was simply addictive for him, a cultivator who had just come up from the second level of the Night Sea!
Cultivate here.
Efficiency is increased several times over.
He did not abandon his floating island, but instead ascended to the third level of the Night Sea and stored it in the Zhao Family Islands.
But he no longer wanted to go back.
He deliberately chose the location of this cave dwelling, on the very edge of the sky island.
If I were to learn a new spell, I could avoid being seen and heard, and quietly enter and leave the Sky Island.
"Other benefits are also available."
"The resources are very abundant."
Ji Yun took out a jade slip issued by the Zhao family to examine it.
In addition to this cave dwelling, the Zhao family would also provide various kinds of food and supplies for cultivation as a form of stipend for the family's offerings.
The options are plentiful.
But the rules are the same as those for the talisman shop.
You need to contribute to the Zhao family. The more contribution points you earn, the more salary you will receive. If you never contribute, you will receive no salary at all.
In addition, this cave dwelling also requires contribution points.
If they weren't willing to put in any effort, the Zhao family wouldn't be keeping these idle people around.
Ultimately, the servants were just henchmen for the Zhao family, doing one job and getting paid one job.
There are many ways to earn contribution points.
This jade slip contains various tasks; completing the tasks will earn you contribution points.
There are also tasks involving drawing symbols.
However, a mid-grade first-tier talisman is no longer considered valuable in the third level of the Night Sea.
The Zhao family's talisman shop can provide an almost unlimited supply, so why bother asking the temple to sell it?
Therefore, Ji Yun was somewhat embarrassed.
He is only at the second level of Qi Refining, so there isn't much he can do.
"Procreation is actually considered a task, with one offspring costing 100 contribution points."
"But I can't choose this task."
"Even if it's a marriage into the family, the offspring must not be allowed to live."
"Given my style of doing things, if my enemies find out that I have a son, that child will inevitably be hunted down and tortured."
"It would be better not to keep it at all."
Ji Yun sighed softly; he had already learned this lesson deeply in his previous life.
He was an old demonic cultivator who had reached the Golden Core stage.
His enemies are all over the cultivation world.
Wives and concubines can be kept by one's side for life, but children will eventually have to go out and make their own way in the world.
While indulging in pleasures in brothels or other places, he would occasionally have children by accident.
These offspring were put in hell mode from the start, and some were even forced to recognize a thief as their father, forcing him to take action to eliminate them.
He had already decided in this life that he could have many wives and concubines, but he would not have any children.
Therefore, he cannot accept this task and can only choose from the jade slips again.