Longevity Starts With Dual Cultivation - Chapter 16
Working underwater during the day, cultivating at night.
Ling Changqing’s life was monotonous and dull.
The spirit stones he earned each day were almost immediately exchanged for Elixir Pills and other cultivation resources, which he then consumed during his training.
Among the pearl divers, Ling Changqing’s income was the highest, yet after more than a month, he had hardly saved anything.
Even Steward Ling Zifeng admired his discipline, such a self-controlled cultivator would surely advance rapidly; it would be unnatural if he didn’t.
After dinner one evening, Tian Wenhu finally sent someone to inform Ling Changqing that he could move, as Ling Zifeng had promised him earlier.
Ling Changqing naturally had no objections. From that day on, his status would be equivalent to that of a formal disciple of the Ling family.
After packing lightly, Ling Changqing followed a white-robed maidservant who guided him out of his room and along a long corridor toward the upper deck cabins of the sea vessel.
Along the way, he inevitably drew the attention of the other pearl divers. Their gazes held undisguised envy, indifference, jealousy, disdain… and more.
Of course, if such an opportunity were offered to any of them, no sane cultivator would refuse.
After turning a few corners and passing through a doorway guarded by Dao Soldier Puppets, the view suddenly opened up.
“Young master, we’re almost there!” the white-robed maidservant reminded him softly.
Ling Changqing nodded. The corridor here was spacious and clean, with thick carpets on the floor and the air filled with the scent of premium incense, creating a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere.
On either side of the corridor were tightly closed doors made of golden-thread sandalwood, each leading to a suite.
The maidservant led him nearly a hundred steps further until they reached a door without a nameplate. Using a jade token in her hand, she activated the Array Formation Restriction, and the door silently swung open.
The room was spacious and bright, furnished with a snow-white carpet, antique tables and chairs, a golden toad swallowing the moon bronze incense burner, a hollowed-out pure gold crane-shaped lamp stand, a crystal screen… all manner of luxurious and exquisite furnishings were present.
Moreover, the suite was divided into a bedroom, study, cultivation room, reception room, and more. The reception room alone was several times larger than the cabin Ling Changqing had previously occupied.
The white-robed maidservant smiled and asked, “Young master, this will be your residence from now on. Does it meet your expectations?”
Ling Changqing smiled. “It’s excellent. Thank you for your trouble.”
He retrieved ten spirit sand grains from his storage bag and handed them to her as a tip.
The maidservant happily accepted them, offered a few more reminders, and then took her leave.
After Ling Changqing had explored the room and was about to resume his secluded cultivation, a familiar voice sounded from the transmission array at the door.
“Manager?”
Ling Changqing was somewhat surprised, wondering why this trusted subordinate of Ling Zifeng had come to visit so suddenly.
“Indeed. This old man has a matter to discuss with you, young sir,” Tian Wenhu’s voice was steady.
Ling Changqing naturally had no reason to refuse and promptly invited him into the reception room. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tian Wenhu got straight to the point without beating around the bush: “Young man, now that you’ve officially become a member of the Ling family, have you considered which branch you’d like to join in the future?”
“Which branch…”
Ling Changqing looked slightly taken aback, pondering without immediately responding.
As a cultivation family with centuries of heritage, the Ling family had grown into an enormous clan with numerous internal factions and branches. There were several main bloodlines alone, with thousands of young direct descendants.
As for the collateral branches, close branches, and distant branches, there were even more, with countless junior members that were difficult to tally.
This wasn’t an exaggeration. In mortal dynasties, it was commonplace for imperial clan members to number in the hundreds of thousands from the founding of a dynasty to its end three centuries later.
Cultivators had longer lifespans and stronger physical constitutions. Although their chances of bearing offspring were lower, after several centuries, the number of family members remained quite substantial.
Of course, among so many Ling family members, not everyone possessed a spiritual root, ordinary people still made up the majority. Even among direct descendants, only a small portion had cultivation potential.
Therefore, to ensure sufficient new blood and continuously strengthen the family’s power, the Ling family’s leadership had implemented a series of measures.
For example, outstanding members from distant branches might be noticed by elders from certain direct bloodlines and taken under their wing for training. Their names would then be recorded in that branch’s genealogy, bolstering the strength of that lineage.
This approach was undoubtedly a win-win situation: the individuals gained the status and privileges of direct descendants, along with more cultivation resources.
Given Ling Changqing’s outstanding performance, he naturally possessed the value to be recruited by elders from certain direct branches of the Ling family.
“In that case, may I ask which family elder you represent this time?”
Ling Changqing asked thoughtfully. Since the other party was Ling Zifeng’s subordinate, it seemed unlikely he would be speaking on behalf of another faction.
Tian Wenhu laughed: “This old man serves as an advisor to Steward Ling, so naturally I represent his branch. And Steward Ling’s grandfather is an elder from the family head’s bloodline…”
He clearly and concisely explained Ling Zifeng’s faction background to Ling Changqing. As a direct descendant of the family head, Ling Zifeng’s lineage was undoubtedly orthodox and held a higher status within the clan compared to other direct branches.
“If that’s the case, I have no objections,”
Ling Changqing said seriously: “Steward Ling has treated me well, and I couldn’t possibly choose to join another direct branch.”
Tian Wenhu nodded with satisfaction: “Excellent! This old man indeed didn’t misjudge you. Then it’s settled!”
“From now on, for all the harvest you bring back from the sea, Steward Ling can offer you fifty percent more than the standard price, this is the treatment direct descendants deserve!”
“Additionally, when Steward Tang Qiuyao arrives next month, this matter can be formally finalized.”
Membership as a direct descendant wasn’t easily obtained. Many collateral branch members struggled their entire lives without ever achieving this status.
Currently, Ling Changqing still fell somewhat short in terms of qualifications. But Ling Zifeng understood the principle that long nights bring many dreams, it was better to act early.
If Ling Changqing were to be noticed by elders from other factions in the future who might try to poach him, the situation would become much more complicated. Therefore, Ling Zifeng decided to settle this matter in advance, even if it was somewhat against the rules, there was no time to worry about that anymore.
After chatting for a while longer, Tian Wenhu finally took his leave, satisfied.
After seeing him out, Ling Changqing had barely any time to rest when another sound came from the door.
“???”
He was a bit puzzled but still went to open the door.
This time, standing at the door were three female cultivators with rosy lips, pearly teeth, and waist-length hair. All of them had fair skin and graceful figures, clearly having dressed up meticulously.
Their cultivation levels were all at the second layer of Qi refining, but their innate talents seemed rather mediocre.
“You are…?”
Ling Changqing asked in confusion. He vaguely remembered seeing them on the sea vessel, they were also part of the pearl-diving group, but they had no prior interactions.
“I am Su Yu, Fellow Daoist Ling. Won’t you invite us in?”
The woman at the forefront chuckled lightly, her fair cheeks slightly flushed.
Ling Changqing frowned slightly but still let them in: “I’m busy with cultivation and have no time for idle chatter. If you have something to say, please speak plainly.”
Su Yu and the other two women stepped inside. Upon seeing the luxurious furnishings in the room and especially sensing the abundant spiritual energy in the space, a hidden fervor flickered in their eyes.
As low-level rogue cultivators, the appeal of such an environment was self-evident.
“Fellow Daoist Ling, you don’t have a cultivation partner yet, do you?”
Su Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.
“Cultivation partner?”
Ling Changqing’s eyes narrowed slightly; he had already grasped the intentions of these three female cultivators.
Putting it nicely, they were seeking a cultivation partner. Put bluntly, they were just looking for a long-term meal ticket and hoping to leech off his cultivation resources.
Unless he had a hole in his head, Ling Changqing would never consider burdening himself with these three.
Although the female cultivators’ looks and figures weren’t bad, they were far from being peerless beauties, so they naturally didn’t pique Ling Changqing’s interest.
“I’m not interested. Please leave!”
Ling Changqing refused outright.
The three women’s expressions stiffened. Su Yu tried to persuade him further: “But Fellow Daoist Ling, we’re not bad-looking, are we? And we’re still pure. If you agree, all three of us can follow you from now on…”
“Hmph…”
Ling Changqing let out a cold laugh: “I can barely protect myself right now, let alone afford to support the three of you. You’d better find someone else!”