Chapter 8: Song Qingyu

After Song Qingming waited for five days, his Ninth Uncle, Song Changxin, finally concluded his seclusion. Upon hearing that Song Qingming intended to return to the family, Song Changxin readily agreed and brought a young girl of about ten years old before him, asking him to take her back to Funiu Mountain along the way.

"Qingming, since you are heading back, you might as well take Xiao Yu back to Funiu Mountain with you," Song Changxin said, gesturing to the little girl standing before Song Qingming.

"Take her... back to the mountain?"

Song Qingming had been at Lingyuan Mountain for half a year. He often brought out pastries made from spirit rice to share with the children there and had seen this little girl often. He knew she was the daughter of a miner in the village. Why would his Sixth Uncle want him to take her to Funiu Mountain?

Song Qingming looked at the little girl with a puzzled expression, but a moment later, he suddenly realized.

"Sixth Uncle, could it be that she tested positive for spirit roots?"

Song Changxin nodded and said with a smile, "Yes. When I was testing the age-appropriate children here last month, I accidentally discovered that she possesses spirit roots. This is truly a joyous occasion for our Song family. I have been at Lingyuan Mountain for so many years, and this is the first time I have detected a child with spirit roots."

"It’s just that I don't have a spirit-testing disk here, so I cannot determine her specific spirit root attributes. I originally intended to wait until next month when the family sends someone to transport the black iron ore to take her back then, but since you are returning, you might as well take her with you. The sooner we determine her spirit root attributes, the sooner she can begin her cultivation."

Song Qingming nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, Ninth Uncle, I understand."

"Be careful on the road. You are both the future hope of the family. I have a mid-grade spirit talisman here; take it for self-defense. If you encounter any demonic beasts on the way, remember not to be stingy with these worldly possessions. Use them when you must. The safety of you two is the top priority." Song Changxin handed a golden spirit talisman to Song Qingming and cautioned him carefully.

Song Qingming took the talisman and glanced at it. It was a highly effective defensive talisman among mid-grade spirit talismans. He then carefully tucked it into his storage bag.

With Xiao Yu in tow, Song Qingming could not travel as quickly as he had on his way there. He found a large wicker basket in the village, put the little girl on his back, and bid farewell to her family. It took the two of them nearly two hours to slowly make their way back to Funiu Mountain.

The little girl had lived at Lingyuan Mountain her whole life and had never seen the outside world. The beautiful scenery along the way and the strangely shaped mountain peaks and boulders soon made her forget the sadness of leaving home.

Upon seeing the majestic Funiu Mountain, Xiao Yu’s clear, delicate eyes blinked incessantly. She couldn't help but ask, "Immortal Uncle, is the mountain where you immortals live?"

Song Qingming couldn't help but smile at Xiao Yu's words.

"Yes. Once you learn to cultivate, you will also become an immortal and can live here just like us."

Hearing that she could also become an immortal in the future, the little girl was as excited as the young, naive Song Qingming had been when he first arrived at Funiu Mountain. She began to boldly ask all sorts of questions about immortals.

"Uncle, once you become an immortal, can you turn into whatever you want?"

"That goes without saying."

"Can immortals eat meat whenever they want?"

"Every single meal."

While they were talking, Song Qingming and Xiao Yu arrived at the council hall on the mountain peak. The person on duty today happened to be the Second Elder, Song Changfeng, whom Song Qingming was most familiar with.

The Song family had four elders, who were the four most powerful people in the entire family besides the patriarch. The First Elder, Song Gubo, was in charge of guiding the family's cultivation. He had a fiery temper and was quite strict with children like Song Qingming; he was the person Song Qingming feared most in the entire family.

The Second Elder, Song Changfeng, was the only elder of the "Chang" generation. Although he was the youngest of the four elders, his cultivation was the highest after the patriarch. He was also a talented three-spirit-root cultivator with the cultivation of the eighth level of Qi Refining. He was very fair in his dealings within the clan and was deeply loved by the clansmen. Since becoming an elder, he had been in charge of family law enforcement and was the elder Song Qingming was most familiar with.

The Third Elder, Song Gulan, and the Fourth Elder, Song Gucai, were both nearly a hundred years old. Their personalities were relatively gentle. Although their cultivation was not high—only at the sixth level of Qi Refining—both had dedicated themselves to the family for decades.

According to family rules, one could not serve as an elder unless they reached the late stage of Qi Refining. However, because there were only three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators left in the clan besides the patriarch, and Ninth Uncle Song Changxin was solely focused on cultivation and did not want to serve as an elder, the family could not be managed by only two elders. Thus, an exception was made for these two elders, who had seniority and rich experience in managing family industries, to serve as elders.

The Third Elder was the family's only high-grade spirit planter and had always been responsible for the family's spirit fields, herb gardens, and other industries. The Fourth Elder was in charge of family affairs and was the chief steward of the family's finances.

"Reporting to the Elder..."

Song Qingming briefly explained Xiao Yu's situation to Song Changfeng.

After hearing this, Song Changfeng also appeared very happy; it was rare for the family to have fresh blood added.

"The spirit-testing disk is currently with the patriarch. You two wait a moment; I will invite him out to test her spirit roots."

As soon as Song Changfeng finished speaking, he sent a sound-transmission talisman to the patriarch. Before long, an old man with white hair and a beard, possessing the air of a transcendent being, arrived at the council hall. It was the Song family patriarch, Song Gushan.

After Song Gushan took a meaningful look at Xiao Yu, he slowly said, "This is the little girl Changxin mentioned, right?"

"Reporting to the Patriarch, it is her. Ninth Uncle said he wasn't sure about her specific spirit root attributes, so I ask the Patriarch to test her again."

Song Gushan took out a circular, array-like magic tool—the Song family's ancestral treasure, the "Spirit-Testing Disk." After slowly injecting a stream of spiritual energy into it, the circular disk emitted a dazzling purple light and slowly flew in front of Xiao Yu.

"Quickly place your left hand on the spirit-testing disk," the Second Elder, Song Changfeng, reminded the dazed Xiao Yu.

The little girl was slightly stunned when she heard this, but she nervously reached out her left hand toward the disk. Suddenly, three rays of light of different colors slowly emerged from the disk, intertwining and rotating in the air.

"This... it's actually three spirit roots! Heaven truly blesses my Song family; another good seedling with three spirit roots has appeared!" Song Changfeng shouted excitedly.

The patriarch, Song Gushan, also beamed with joy. "It is a gold, wood, and water three-spirit-root. It's a pity there is no fire spirit root, so it's not suitable for her to practice my 'Red Flame Art.' Water-attribute cultivation techniques are more suitable for female cultivators; let her start by practicing the family's 'Mysterious Water Technique'."

Song Qingming, who had been watching from the side, felt a bit awkward. How could it be that every person he brought back happened to have the good aptitude of three spirit roots, while he himself was only a pseudo-spirit-root?

He didn't know if he was lucky or unlucky.

"What is your name?" Song Changfeng asked the little girl, looking down.

"Song Yu."

The patriarch on the side made the final decision, "Then from now on, you shall be called Song Qingyu. Remember, from this day forward, you are the tenth cultivator of the Song family's 'Qing' generation."

The Song family currently had three generations: Gu, Chang, and Qing, with a new generation established roughly every thirty years.

The "Gu" generation currently had only four members left. The youngest, the Fourth Elder Song Gucai, was already over ninety years old this year, and in another twenty years, they would all likely have passed away.

The "Chang" generation was the backbone of the family, with ten members. One had joined the Xiaoyao Sect in his early years. The one with the highest cultivation was the Second Elder, Song Changfeng, who was also the default candidate for the next patriarch of the Song family.

The "Qing" generation, to which Song Qingming belonged, was the new generation of cultivators in the Song family. With the addition of Song Qingyu, there were exactly ten of them. Most of them were around twenty years old.

Perhaps because her new name sounded similar to her original one, the little girl just nodded gently and did not object.

Seeing this, the patriarch put away the spirit-testing disk and took out a deep red genealogy book. He wrote the three characters "Song Qingyu" on it and then had her leave a drop of her essence blood on her name.

This genealogy recorded the names of all cultivators of the Song family over the past two hundred years, arranged in detail by generation and age. The names glowing with a faint spiritual light represented the cultivators who were still alive, while those whose names were pitch black and devoid of light indicated that the cultivator had passed away or fallen.

After leaving the council hall, Song Qingming immediately went to the family's Treasure Pavilion. He took out the demonic beast materials he had obtained a few days ago, placed them in front of the Fourth Elder, Song Gucai, and explained his intention to exchange them for a mid-grade magic tool.

Song Gucai carefully examined the materials on the table and asked with some surprise, "Are these the tusks of a mid-grade Iron-Mouthed Boar?"

"A few days ago, I encountered this beast crashing into the formation. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was covered in wounds, looking as if it had fled to Lingyuan Mountain after failing a fight with other demonic beasts. That is how I was lucky enough to slay it."

"Qingming, you were quite lucky this time to be able to hunt a mid-grade demonic beast alone. For these materials, if you add five spirit stones, you can exchange them for a mid-grade magic tool. As for this boar hide, I will help you give it to the First Elder to refine into a magic robe. What kind of robe it turns out to be will depend on your luck."

Song Qingming knew that the Fourth Elder was always fair in his dealings, which was why the family trusted him to manage the Treasure Pavilion where clansmen exchanged their merits. Without saying much, he nodded in agreement and took out five spirit stones to hand to Song Gucai.

After Song Gucai put away the materials and spirit stones, he took Song Qingming to the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion and brought out the few mid-grade magic tools currently in the clan's possession.

After a brief introduction, Song Qingming pondered for a moment and chose a crimson flying sword.

"This flying sword is called the 'Blazing Sun Sword.' It can also release a burst of spirit fire to attack enemies. Its operation is relatively simple compared to other magic tools. Since you have only recently broken through to the middle stage of Qi Refining, this magic tool is quite suitable for you," Song Gucai added after seeing him choose this sword.

The reason he chose this sword was mainly because Song Qingming was better at using earth and fire attribute spiritual energy. There was only one earth-attribute defensive magic tool, which was not what he wanted at the moment, so this fire-attribute flying sword was the most suitable for him.

Returning to his long-vacant cave dwelling on Funiu Mountain, Song Qingming took out the newly acquired Blazing Sun Sword and began to refine it by injecting his own spiritual energy. It wasn't until the next morning that he stepped out of the cave, by which time he could control the flying sword completely at will.

Outside the cave, Song Qingming summoned the Blazing Sun Sword and used his spiritual energy to control it, slashing toward a large boulder not far away. After a loud bang, the table-sized rock was split in two. Satisfied with the result, Song Qingming recalled the flying sword. The glowing Blazing Sun Sword shrank to the size of an inch and disappeared into the storage bag at Song Qingming's waist.

"Now that I have a mid-grade magic tool, even without relying on the formation, I can put up a fight against that mid-grade demonic beast."

(End of chapter)