Chapter 26, Gains and Martial Arts Competition

Translator: Raznick

 

Red Peach Ridge.

 

When Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong met again, it was already after Zhou Jiapeng had come over, bringing Zhou Clan’s Third Elder Zhou Daoquan.

 

Upon arriving, Zhou Jiapeng found Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong nowhere to be seen. However, the Redtail Monkey troupe had returned once more. This unexpected turn of events left him utterly astonished.

 

It was fortunate that this time, Third Elder Zhou Daoquan came along. He quickly tracked down Zhou Chun and the other based on the aura they had deliberately left behind, locating them hiding within the mountain range.

 

Compared to Zhou Chun, whose spiritual power had been overexerted, Zhou Zhengyong’s situation was significantly more dire.

 

He was struck directly by the intense flames spat out by that Redtail Monkey King. His entire body was covered in blisters from the burns, not even his face escaped unharmed.

 

He managed to escape alive, thanks to a river he encountered, as he held his breath and dove underwater, finally shaking off the pursuing Redtail Monkeys.

 

At this moment, seeing Zhou Zhengyong, who was badly injured and brought back by Zhou Daoquan, Zhou Jiapeng expressed his regret and self-blame: “It was my oversight. I should have stayed behind so you two could go back to find Elder.”

 

When he said this, Zhou Zhengyong, lying on the ground, immediately soothingly consoled him: “Uncle Peng, don’t blame yourself. Originally, it the best choice to have you return to the clan to seek Elder. No one can be blamed for this; we are just unfortunate. Who could have foreseen that those Redtail Monkeys would have a Diamong Ape as their protector!”

 

When he mentioned the Diamond ape, Zhou Chun, who was standing beside him, naturally shifted his gaze to the vacant patch of ground nearby.

 

On that open space alone lay several demon monkeys, including the Redtail Monkey King and Diamond Ape, all unconscious and snoring loudly on the ground.

 

After dispatching Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong, the Redtail Monkeys apparently held a banquet within the Monkey Valley to express their gratitude towards the Diamond Ape. A variety of wild fruits and herbs, including Solomon’s seal were specially sourced and presented for its consumption. Even two female monkeys were summoned to accompany it during the feast.

 

Once Zhou Daoquan arrived with Zhou Jiapeng, Zhou Daoquan immediately deployed his skill to capture them in one sweep, rendering them unconscious with secret medicine.

 

“These monkeys! Lucky for the clan, we planning to rebuild the animal enclosures. They’ll all be thrown into the monkey pen and their savagery will be ground out of them over time!”

 

Zhou Jiapeng scanned the demon monkeys on the ground with a hateful glare and unleashed a stream of curses.

 

“Alright, I’ve examined his injuries, and while they may look severe at first glance, they’re not life-threatening. With proper rest and recuperation, he should be back on his feet in just a couple of months. As for your efforts, you’ve certainly earned some merit for the clan. Clan Leader won’t let you down.”

 

Zhou Daoquan waved his hand, indicating that he should stop worrying about these things.

 

He then brought out a spirit beast pouch, inside of which he placed all the unconscious demon monkeys. He then began carefully transplanting the Scarlet Sun Fruit.

 

It’s worth noting that the spirit beast pouch, although capable of holding demon beast pets as living creatures, worked only if the demon beasts did not resist.

 

A cultivator like Zhou Daoquan had to ensure that the demon beast didn’t awaken midway if he took in a demon beast that hadn’t been subdued through a contract.

 

Otherwise, when the demon beast awakened, all it needs to do was struggle fiercely and attack, and it would easily break free from within the spirit beast pouch and escape.

 

At this moment, Zhou Chun was also watching Elder Zhou Daoquan taking Scarlet Sun Fruit tree.

 

He first took out an artifact shaped like a flowerpot from his storage bag and placed it on the ground. Then, with his fingers forming handseals, he used a special method to gather the surrounding Wood Qi, transforming it into green Spiritual Water that fell onto the Scarlet Sun Fruit tree above.

 

They waited like this for about half an hour, until the Scarlet Sun Fruit tree absorbed a large amount of Spiritual Water imbued with Wood Qi and its vitality became unusually vigorous.

 

Zhou Daoquan had just managed to break through the cliff wall using the artefacts under his precise Divine Sense control. He carefully extracted the Scarlet Sun Fruit tree without harming its roots and placed it entirely into the flower pot artefact.

 

At this moment, Zhou Daoquan swiftly retrieved a jade vial of Spiritual Water from his storage bag and poured the abundant liquid into the flower pot.

 

The Spiritual Water in this jade vial was somewhat akin to the hydroponic nutrient solution Zhou Chun was familiar with from her previous life. It served to provide growth nutrients for spirit plants during transplantation, enhancing their survival rate. Its formula was also a clan secret.

 

After completing the transplantation process, Zhou Daoquan raised his hand with a gesture, and instantly, the flower pot containing the Scarlet Sun Fruit tree was moved to the back of his Fire Crane spirit pet.

 

Then, he waved his hand to the three of them and said, “I must protect this Scarlet Sun Fruit tree. I will not bring you back; return to your clan on your own.”

 

At this, the three respectfully replied: “Farewell, Elder.”

 

After watching Zhou Daoquan depart, Zhou Chun expected that Zhou Jiapeng would suggest searching for the Diamong Ape’s lair to see if there were any other gains to be made.

 

But he did not seem to have thought about it at all, and simply nodded towards Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong, saying, “Let’s go back to the clan.”

 

At this time, Zhou Zhengyong, who was always carefree, actually thought the same as Zhou Chun, and looked at Zhou Jiapeng and said: “Uncle Peng, aren’t you going to look for the nest of the Diamond Ape? Maybe there will be other gains!”

 

When he heard this, Zhou Jiapeng’s face darkened immediately. With an exasperated expression, he berated him, “You insolent brat! You almost died and you’re still thinking about such trifles? Have you already forgotten the pain?

 

“Don’t think too much of it.” He shook his head and said, “The Diamond Ape is a variant species among the monkeys. It likes to wander around and regards the world as its home. It is simply a fantasy to find something rare in its temporary nest.”

 

As he said this, he looked at Zhou Zhengyong with a mix of frustration and disappointment, emphasizing the urgency: “What’s more pressing is having you sent back to the clan for proper care. As for everything else—no matter how good those things are, could they possibly outweigh your life?”

 

Having been scolded repeatedly like that, Zhou Zhengyong, intimidated by this, dared not speak another word. And Zhou Chun, seeing how Zhou Jiapeng was reacting, hesitated to push his luck any further and dared not bring it up again.

 

He then suggested making a stretcher and, along with Zhou Jiapeng, carried the injured Zhou Zhengyong onward.

 

By the time the trio arrived back at Nine Peaks, three days had already passed.

 

Upon returning to the clan, since Third Elder Zhou Daoquan had already informed the clan about the situation beforehand, Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi quickly presented rewards after meeting with the three individuals.

 

For Zhou Zhengyong, who had made the greatest contribution and was the most meritorious, he was rewarded with a vial of Blood Pills effective in purifying the demon’s bloodline for breakthroughs, as well as one hundred clan merits.

 

As for Zhou Jiapeng and Zhou Chun, they were each awarded eighty merits and fifty merits respectively.

Compared to Zhou Chun’s previous rewards, this one could only be described as ordinary.

 

But it was perfectly reasonable—after all, he had gone there out of personal friendship to offer help and by all rights, he shouldn’t have even received a reward from the clan.

 

Now, he was being rewarded merits for his actions—it’s also because he indirectly assisted the clan in capturing a rare Diamond Ape and a group of Redtail Monkeys.

 

The biggest gain from Zhou Chun’s trip should be the favor owed by Zhou Zhengyong and the acquaintance with Senior Peng.

 

This was how the sects and clans operated. Sometimes it was easier to ask for help when needed, and it was also easier to make trusted friends.

 

This time, Zhou Chun had helped Zhou Zhengyong. Next time, should Zhou Chun ask for help, he would undoubtedly lend a hand. Otherwise, Zhou Zhengyong would find it difficult to continue in the clan, as all clan members would distance themselves from someone who only took benefits without giving something back.

 

By aiding Zhou Zhengyong and demonstrating his own exceptional family background, strength, and wisdom, he had also gained the admiration of Senior Peng.

 

The relationship between the two also transitioned from that formal title-based clan uncle and cousin dynamic to close acquaintances.

 

In this case, if he ever needed help from Zhou Jiapeng in the future, the likelihood of him agreeing to help would be extremely high.

 

Furthermore, in the future, if he required assistance with anything, Zhou Jiapeng would readily come to mind.

 

In summary, the cultivation world was not merely about fighting and killing, nor was it solely about secluding oneself for cultivation. Human relationships and social affairs were also crucial aspects for cultivators.

 

Returning to the clan, Zhou Chun’s life reverted to its previous routine, with two notable additions: he began visiting his recuperating brother, Zou Zhengyong, and sought out Peng under the pretext of seeking advice on raising spirit beasts.

 

Another three and a half months had gone by. With the Spring Sun Pill aiding his cultivation, Zhou Chun was making steady progress.

 

One day, when Zhou Chun paid a visit to the 27th Uncle Zhou Jiapeng, he suddenly learned of a piece of news from him.

 

“Clan Leader came to me a few days ago and told me that in half a year, the Zhou Clan and several local cultivating clans in Mist Province will jointly hold a competition between Qi Refining cultivators. At that time, it will be divided into two groups: the youth group and the elite group.

 

“Zhengchun, should you manage to reach the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining before the competition, with your artifacts in hand and that Rock Turtle at your side, might stand a chance at striving for one of the top ten spots in the youth group.”

 

In the residence of Zhou Jiapeng, when Zhou Chun was about to take his leave, it was then that he suddenly heard Zhou Jiapeng mention this piece of news.

 

This caused Zhou Chun to also be slightly surprised.

 

He stood there in silence for a moment, then looked at Zhou Jiapeng with eyes brimming with curiosity and said, “Uncle Peng, could you elaborate on this matter?”

 

When Zhou Jiapeng heard what he said, he shook his head and said: “Clan Leader hasn’t told me any specifics, but I know that there have been inter-clan activities: the Red Herb Valley’s Wang Clan, the Green Cloud Mountain’s Mu Clan, the Gold Maple Peak’s Sun Clan, and the Bamboo Grove’s He Clan. These events take place every decade or so. However, this time, our Zhou Clan was able to join as well.

 

“As for further details, we may have to wait until the Clan Leader announces the news.”

 

[Green Cloud Mountain? Are the people from the Mu Clan going as well?]

 

After half a year, hearing the name of this clan again stirred some complex emotions in Zhou Chun.

 

In the past half year, he had also inquired multiple times about the situation of the Mu Clan from those who came to Zhou Clan, both the rogue cultivators and members of the Zhou Clan.

 

However, information from Wolf Ridge seemed to be strictly controlled. The news Zhou Chun had gathered was not reliable. The only certain fact was that the Mu Clan had clashed fiercely with a rogue cultivator organization known as the United Cloud Alliance, resulting in casualties among low cultivators on both sides.

 

Nowadays, it seemed that Wolf Ridge had also been taken over by the alliance.

 

Zhou Chun had no idea what they were thinking. This matter clearly wasn’t something he can get involved with right now. He hadn’t been paying attention to the Mu Clan’s situation for some time.

 

After a momentary distraction, Zhou Chun quickly regained his composure and addressed Zhou Jiapeng with a respect: “I understand. Thank you for informing me, Uncle Peng.”

 

Zhou Jiapeng, seeing this, also spoke earnestly as he patted his shoulder: “Prepare yourself well. If you really can achieve a good ranking at the competition, becoming an elite clan member will definitely not be a problem. Clan Leader and the Elders will certainly have additional rewards in store for you.”

 

“Yes, I will certainly make every effort to seize this opportunity.”

 

Zhou Chun nodded hard, indeed placing great emphasis on this matter.