Banshee Family Training Record

Page 185

Weihe Longzi gave an awkward laugh and said, "Princess, you are joking. Regardless of whether we succeed to the throne in the future, we are all subjects of Jin. The royal family is our common leader."

The other young talents from various families nodded in agreement, displaying their obedience in front of her. Sheng Linglong chuckled and said, "Not at all, you're the star of the day. Congratulations on breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. I also have a gift for you."

As she spoke, she took out a gift box and handed it to the Dragon Prince of the Wei River. The latter's eyes lit up, and he accepted the gift with profuse thanks. The others also showered her with praise, commending the Jin princess for her excellent leadership.

Sheng Linglong was all smiles at first, but then suddenly changed the subject: "You're quite the talker, but do you think a python will refrain from swallowing you just because you're eloquent?"

Her gaze swept across the room, taking in the faces of all the young cultivators present: "Cowards and timid wimps who only know how to talk big will not gain my favor. Dragon Prince, I don't blame you for staying home to heal your injuries, but now that the great enemy has not yet been defeated, what is your attitude?"

The Dragon Prince of the Wei River was speechless. He had just been happy, but now he was being interrogated. He was momentarily at a loss for words: "This... naturally, the Dragon Clan will do its utmost to provide resources and solid support for the cause of defeating the Yellow Python..."

He hesitated and said this. Sheng Linglong nodded, understanding his meaning, and then immediately saw through him: "So, your plan is for you not to go to the front lines, but to coordinate and plan from behind, right?"

Before Weihe Longzi could argue further, Sheng Linglong said, "Very good, no need to say more. I agree. Everyone respects you. So, Longzi, tell me, in your plan, who should go to the front line to fight Huang Mang first?"

Sweat poured down the back of the Dragon Prince of the Wei River. If he dared to say this, wouldn't he offend everyone from the royal family to other clans?

He quickly lowered his head and begged for mercy, "Your Highness! How could I dare to say such nonsense..."

Sheng Linglong immediately laughed: "If you don't dare to plan, then why don't you take the lead and be the first to go? Oh, and you guys too, since the Dragon Prince has expressed his opinion, why don't you all express your opinions as well? You are all future leaders of your respective families, who is willing to follow behind the Dragon Prince and go first together?"

The young talents hesitated, fearing both the consequences and the consequences. They were afraid of acting too impulsively and ending up being the first to encounter the Yellow Python and suffer a heavy loss, or of backing down too much and offending both the Dragon Prince of the Wei River and the Princess of Jin with a single wrong statement.

They all exchanged bewildered glances, their minds racing as they tried to come up with a response. Unfortunately, Sheng Linglong didn't give them time to think and immediately began calling on them: "Then how about I ask you one by one? Wenren Zhao, you tell me, the Wenren family is involved in mining and weapon manufacturing, so what should you do in this situation?"

Wenren Zhao was speechless, having no time to think, and could only instinctively reply: "This... our family will certainly provide the allied forces with high-quality and inexpensive weapons to help the campaign achieve a resounding victory..."

Sheng Linglong nodded: "So you mean you won't go with Long Zi to fight Huang Mang, but the other families should go with him, and you'll provide them with solid support from the rear. You want to use your family's best methods to help them achieve victory, right?"

She had finished speaking, and Wenren Zhao was momentarily at a loss for words: "Yes, but Your Highness, I..."

"So who do you think should go first?" Sheng Linglong still didn't give him a chance to speak. "Oh, I remember Xiahou Zhengyuan is quite skilled with weapons. Wenren Zhao, you provide the weapons and let him go first. What do you think?"

Wenren Zhao's eyes lit up, revealing a hint of interest. There were some conflicts between his family and the Xiahou family, and he and the cultivator named Xiahou Zhengyuan had been enemies since childhood, disliking each other. At this moment, Sheng Linglong's suggestion seemed to be going to bring bad luck to the other party, so he naturally wanted to nod.

Before he could nod, Sheng Linglong finished speaking for him: "It seems you agree. Yes, it's a very valuable suggestion. Thank you, Wenren Zhao. I've noted your thoughts."

Wenren Zhao didn't even have a chance to deny it. He came to his senses in a daze and thought it was not bad. But after a little reflection, he realized that everyone else was using something strange, and Xiahou Zhengyuan was looking at him with hatred. He immediately felt a sense of unease.

Oh no, it seems we've been tricked.

Unfortunately, by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Without giving them a chance to react, Sheng Linglong immediately attacked the next person. These people, and their families, already had many conflicts. Before Sheng Linglong arrived, their conflicts were so great that they couldn't even join forces against Huang Mang. Therefore, now that the new generation had just begun to show signs of unity, Her Highness the Princess's subtle hints instantly awakened their long-dormant memories, and the previous harmonious atmosphere vanished without a trace.

"Okay, I have received all your suggestions."

Taking in everyone's gazes, Sheng Linglong said with satisfaction, "Finally, I'd like to congratulate Longzi. I have other things to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer. Thank you all for your suggestions; I will take them all into consideration. Please wait for my next announcement, and everyone should prepare accordingly."

Chapter 396 The Princess's Favoritism

After saying this, Sheng Linglong turned and drifted away without even drinking a sip of tea, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The remaining people sat in the Dragon Palace, disliking each other, and soon lost interest in staying. They all got up and took their leave.

Yun Chuan sat among them, perfectly concealing himself as the only one unaffected by the princess's wrath, playing the role of a nobody.

After everyone had left, he stood up, bid farewell to the frowning Wei River Dragon Prince, and left the Dragon Palace.

The Dragon Prince of the Wei River personally saw him off. Yun Chu'an exchanged pleasantries with him before getting up, crossing the water, and arriving above the lake.

He turned and headed towards Huai Mountain, but before he had taken more than a few steps, he heard a woman's voice calling from afar: "Yun Chu'an! Look this way!"

It was Sheng Linglong's call.

He turned his head and looked at her, and saw the princess standing under a willow tree, smiling and waiting for him.

Yun Chu'an stepped forward, bowed his head, and clasped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness."

Sheng Linglong immediately put on a stern face and pretended to be unhappy: "There are no outsiders here, why are you being so formal with me? I deliberately didn't talk to you in the Dragon Palace just now, because I was annoyed by your polite manner!"

Yun Chu'an straightened up, his throat moving: "Ah, Miss Linglong..."

Princess Jin's expression softened, but before she could say anything, the man suddenly said, "Your new dress today is very beautiful and charming."

Sheng Linglong's eyes lit up immediately: "Right? You think so too? Let me tell you, I've wanted to wear it out for a while now, but those people in the Dragon Palace just now acted like they didn't have eyes, and not a single one of them said anything to praise me..."

Upon hearing this, she seemed to have been struck by a nerve, and began chattering incessantly.

Yun Chu'an's lips curled into a gentle smile. She thought to herself, even if they could tell that this was a new dress and that it was very beautiful, they probably wouldn't dare to say so.

Only I dare to be so disrespectful to Your Highness.

As he thought this, Sheng Linglong walked alongside him into the mountains, chattering away about how she felt when she saw the dress, unable to stop.

Yun Chu'an agreed with her. After walking for a long time, the girl finally calmed down and talked about the real reason she came to see him: "You saw it when we were in the Dragon Palace. None of the younger generation of these families are useful. They don't dare to fight against external enemies. They only dare to do some insider trading and monopolize the profits of this place."

"This must be avoided. For the sake of our country, even if we have to use whips, we must force them to bleed and exert themselves, and we must create conflicts among them so that they cannot unite as one. Otherwise, all the local rogue cultivators will be oppressed and exploited by them, becoming their slaves. If this continues, the country will cease to exist."

She said this, and Yun Chu'an nodded gently in agreement: "Yes, I know."

Sheng Linglong suddenly turned around, reached out her hands, and gently straightened his collar: "Don't be fooled by their silence today. It's because I'm a princess, and they're afraid of me. I can't stay here forever. Once I'm gone, you'll face them alone. At that time, if they want to suppress you again, you'll have to deal with all sorts of despicable and shameless methods."

"Therefore, you need to grow up quickly and become so powerful that no one dares to mess with you."

Yun Chu'an nodded slightly, then suddenly asked, "Oh right, Linglong, do you have any news about the saffron gourd I mentioned last time?"

This time, he even omitted the word "Miss" and addressed her by her name, which only made Sheng Linglong happier. Unfortunately, the answer to this question could only disappoint him: "Well, I recently had Prime Minister Ge investigate, but unfortunately, due to the climate, there aren't many of these things in our Jin Kingdom."

"So, if you want to use it to make medicine, you're probably going to be disappointed."

She sounded a little embarrassed. Facing him, she didn't use any more persuasive words and sincerely expressed that she couldn't do it.

Yun Chu'an didn't intend to exchange too many pleasantries with her. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly said, "Linglong, I've actually been investigating as well. It seems that there are quite a few of these medicinal herbs in the Zhao Kingdom?"

Sheng Linglong nodded gently: "Yes, it's due to the climate. They have some medicinal gardens where these herbs are grown."

“But…” she said, frowning slightly, “the timing is not right. At present, our two countries are on the verge of war, and the Yellow Python family is blocking the way. If we were to purchase the saffron gourd from Zhao, the risk would be quite high.”

"Moreover, I've heard that the remnants of the Corpse-Driving Faction are causing trouble in the Zhao Kingdom. Chu'an, the profits from these talismans should be enough for you right now. The Jin Kingdom also needs time to digest these things first, so there's no need for you to rush into developing new products."

She said this because she really didn't want the young man she had her eye on to secretly risk going to the State of Zhao again.

In response, Yun Chuan said, "I understand, Your Highness. I do not intend to take too many risks before the situation stabilizes or becomes clear."

"I'm informing you to avoid any information gaps between us that could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings."

His words softened Sheng Linglong's expression. She looked at him and nodded with satisfaction: "You know everything and you don't hide anything from me. That's for the best."

Yun Chuan smiled gently and walked alongside her, moving forward together.

After chatting for a while, he handed her a stack of Vajra talismans, all of which he had personally made. Sheng Linglong gave him a sum of mid-grade spirit stones at market price. As soon as she received the spirit stones, the system notification sounded: [Ding, side quest 'A New Little Treasure Trove' triggered.]

Before Yun Chu'an could even summon the system and carefully review the task requirements, a notification sound rang out: [Ding, the task 'New Little Treasury' is complete, and the mid-grade spirit stone shop has been unlocked.]

After the system finished explaining everything, he finally had time to open the system's long-lost light blue panel and find the project he had just completed in the "Completed" section of the task interface.

The requirements weren't high; he simply needed to save up a thousand low-grade spirit stones. The bag Sheng Linglong had just given him already contained a full ten thousand, and he had long since far exceeded that number.

After saying goodbye to Sheng Linglong, he walked home alone, with the system running, intently looking at the contents of the store, carefully searching for what he needed.

The system store had a lot of good stuff, most of which he had never even heard of. Too lazy to look through them all, he used the store's search function to find what he urgently needed.

For example, the middle and lower parts of "The True Technique of Controlling Thunder from the Divine Firmament".

Unfortunately, the mid-grade spirit stone shop didn't have it. He would probably have to wait until his cultivation level was higher and he unlocked a more complex shop before he could get it, which made him quite disappointed.

Then, he searched for saffron gourds. The system also sold this medicinal herb, but the price was so high it was almost criminal. One gourd cost him ten mid-grade spirit stones. Damn it, in Zhao Kingdom, this thing could even be bought with low-grade spirit stones.

The system store is robbing people, and it's become so brazen that it's shameless.

He secretly cursed inwardly, abandoning the idea, and then continued to use the store's filtering function to search for cultivation techniques that could protect the soul and mind.

This search immediately brought up a dazzling array of options. Adhering to the system's principle that "bad things aren't necessarily cheap, but good things are always expensive," he directly sorted them by price from high to low. Instantly, the entire system screen, from top to bottom, was filled with techniques that were shockingly expensive and had effects that seemed like bragging.

Chapter 397 System Shop

The Bodhi Mirror Platform, priced at one million mid-grade spirit stones, is a Buddhist product. It can make one's mind as clear as a mirror. After mastering it, one will not suffer any mental harm, but will instead be able to reflect the mind back to its original owner.

The Nine Revolutions Soul Protection Spell is priced at 999,999 mid-grade spirit stones. When you silently recite its incantation, it can resist all spells that steal souls or possess bodies.

The "Tai Xu Ling Po Zhao" is priced at 900,000 mid-grade spirit stones. Its effect is to form an invisible spiritual energy shield around oneself, which can not only protect oneself from mental harm, but also protect others, allowing them to enjoy safety together.

……

One after another, the effects of these supernatural powers and methods looked so powerful and tempting that everyone who saw them wanted to learn them.

However, upon closer inspection of the prices listed above, Yun Chuan hesitated to buy them.

Are you kidding me? One million mid-grade spirit stones? I've been saving up Vajra Talismans since I talked to the princess last year, and they only sold for ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones!

At my current rate of earning money, it would take me a hundred years to save up to buy this thing.

The Gouba system is something you shouldn't have any hope for. It's just pure money-grabbing, a shameless money-grabbing scheme!

He cursed inwardly, but when he calmed down, he considered that this was a matter of life and death, and he couldn't help but hesitate.

Then, he thought of his batch of blood pool powder and became even more hesitant.

Why not sell some of it?

After all, it's really not easy to get a large number of mid-grade spirit stones in a short period of time right now.

or……

He pondered every possible solution, weighing the probability and success rate. During his Qi Refining stage, his wealth was almost unparalleled; however, upon reaching a new realm, all of that had become insignificant.

The sun in the distance gradually set in the west, and heavy shadows pressed down on the mountains, on his heart, and on his shoulders, making him feel so heavy that he could hardly breathe.

but……

He suddenly stopped and looked up at the distant mountain peaks. Unconsciously, he had already reached the foot of Huai Mountain, from where he could also see Ye Jinglan's mountain peak.

Thankfully, I still have my family.

……

Deep in the mountains.

The assassins, clad in black night clothes, moved slowly through the mountains, taking advantage of the shade of the trees. They stopped every three steps, and behind them, another man in black, holding a compass and chanting incantations, was also advancing.

The compass was marked with directions on all sides, and the pointer in the middle trembled, but it generally pointed in the same direction. However, as they moved forward, the pointer trembled more and more violently, but the many assassins in black did not feel nervous; on the contrary, they were increasingly delighted.

"Are we almost there?" one of the assassins in black asked. "The Qin people seemed to have said that if the pointer vibrates a lot, it means the distance is already very small."

The man in black carrying the tray nodded slightly: "Yes, after all, this thing is based on the bloodline factor of that 'Ghost Butterfly' family. If our target stays in one place for a long time, the place will probably be full of her aura factors."

"Therefore, the greater the deviation, the closer we are to her usual location."

The other man in black breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Heh, the Qin people are really generous. To kill a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they actually invited a Golden Core expert to personally take action. Although this ensures absolute success, isn't it a bit too wasteful?"

The man in black carrying the tray glanced at him sideways: "Since he's willing to pay, why should we worry about whether it's a waste or not? What, you're actually worried about the money in the pockets of these young masters from powerful families?"

The man in black chuckled, "Hehe, not at all. It's just that I'm used to being poor, and it makes me feel bad seeing them spend money so lavishly."

The others smiled, but didn't stop walking. They continued forward, passing through the woods, and ahead of them was another towering mountain.

The mountain is covered with dense, lush trees that block out the sunlight, and there are also some small spider webs scattered among the trees.

The group didn't take it seriously. They walked past the spiderwebs up the mountain, not caring even if they accidentally scratched or tore them.

Meanwhile, halfway up the mountain, several wolf-headed, human-bodied wolf demons, wielding knives and shields, were patrolling. They were only at the Qi Refining stage, but the men in black were not careless, nor did they casually eliminate them. They patiently waited for them to leave, and then carefully circled around them from the side.

They believed their plan was foolproof, but what they didn't realize was that a trap had already been laid in their blind spot...

Inside Zhu Yunqing's cave.

On the enormous spiderweb, a blue spider as big as an elephant lay on the web, carefully sensing the vibrations within it.

Since breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, her strength has undergone another qualitative change. To prevent the tragedy of the scorpion assassins coming up the mountain from happening again, she spent a considerable amount of time and effort laying countless hidden small spider webs around the main peaks, specifically to prevent uninvited guests from sneaking up the mountain.

Normally, the wolf demons and bear demons' regular patrols do not damage these things, but if strangers sneak in and do not take the proper path, it will definitely trigger her senses.

Now, she sensed that the spiderweb she had laid around the mountain was trembling, and that a group of strangers were deliberately taking the wrong path and speeding up the mountain.

And their goal seems to be...

The eldest sister's mountain?

Zhu Yunqing wasn't sure what had happened, but that didn't stop her from being on high alert. Right there on the spiderweb, she suddenly unleashed a burst of energy, her massive body transforming into a puff of green smoke in mid-air before flying straight towards a distant mountain peak—

Atop this hilltop grew a mesmerizing sea of ​​flowers. Zhu Yunqing landed amidst this floral paradise, transforming back into human form. With a frantic cry, she called out, "Big sister, it seems someone is sneaking up the mountain, and their target is you!"

Amidst the flowers, a black butterfly, no bigger than a palm but with skull patterns on its wings, fluttered in—it was Ye Jinglan herself.