The Undying Immortal System

Chapter 219: Life 73, Age 32, Martial Grandmaster Peak

With the three-month training period complete, my next task was traveling to the Su Clan’s main compound to pay for my recruits.

After dropping Liang, Mo, and the new Disciples off at my guest house, I went to the main gate and met up with Su Heng, YuanFei, and the Second Elder. Then, the four of us got into a fancy carriage and were swiftly carried down the mountain, into Dragon City, and to the front of the main compound’s gates.

There were three gates that led into the compound, so like before, I headed directly for the large one in the middle. Halfway there, Su Heng rushed up beside me and cleared his throat to get my attention.

“Prince… Prince Fang… we cannot enter through the central gate. Only the Patriarch may enter through there. Please, we must use the side gates.”

I stopped and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. I hadn’t known about this rule last time and entered through the central gate without much thought. This unintentional action may have added to the Patriarch's dislike for me, but considering that I had claimed his throne as my own, I doubted he cared overmuch which gate I had used to do so.

I was here for a negotiation this time, so using the proper gate might be a good way to show the man a little respect, but it would also be a sign of weakness. If I used a different gate now, it would mean that I had ‘learned my place.’

Without saying a word, I turned and headed straight for the central gate.

Su Heng’s eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t try to persuade me any further. He just silently headed for the gate on the left while YuanFei and the Second Elder took the gate on the right.

After passing through our gates, we entered an expansive courtyard and used our respective bridges to cross the small river that ran through it. On the other side, YuanFei and the Second Elder rejoined me, but Su Heng was nervous and maintained his distance.

Without breaking my stride, I walked straight up the marble steps and entered the compound’s main palace where the Patriarch and several Grandmasters were already waiting for us. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but smirk. The Patriarch had decided that he would rather wait here for my arrival than give me the chance to occupy his throne once more.

Upon entering, my three companions gave the man a deep bow, but I just stood straight and stared at him. I could tell that his hatred for me had only grown since our last meeting, but there were no signs that he was preparing to attack me. He must have not yet gotten what he would need from the Rising Sun Empire to feel confident in doing so.

The Grand Elder, who had been standing next to the Patriarch’s throne, stepped forward.

“Prince Fang, we have received word of the Disciples you have chosen for your retinue. We have no issue with the four commoners, but you must understand that recruiting the Patriarch’s granddaughter cannot be allowed.”

I stared at the Patriarch in silence for several moments. Then, I pulled a large wooden podium out of my storage bag and placed it on the floor in front of me. After that, I took out an ornate throne and placed it on top of the podium. Finally, I walked up and took my seat on the throne, placing me at eye level with the Patriarch.

“I do not believe that there is anything that ‘cannot be allowed.’ ShouLi has requested refuge with me, and I have decided to grant it. We are not here to discuss whether such refuge is ‘allowed.’ We are here to discuss its price.”

I reached into my storage bag and pulled out a large box containing several pill bottles.

“Su Heng!” I looked at the man and motioned for him to step forward.

He did so begrudgingly. Once he was at my side, I handed him the box and then turned back to the Patriarch.

“These are the pills that we have already agreed on for the normal Disciples. 40 Rank 1 Qi Gathering Pills and 4 Rank 2 Meridian Builder Pills. Now, we need only discuss the price of ShouLi and the land around the Rosehill Hot Springs.”

The mood in the room had gone from chilly to downright freezing. No one there liked me, not even the Grand Elder who seemed to be somewhat on my side. However, none of them were willing to start a fight with me.

After confirming the contents of the box of pills, the Grand Elder cleared his throat.

“Prince Fang, as I said, we have no issue with the four commoners, but we cannot—”

I held up a hand to cut him off. “Again, we are only here to discuss price.”

I looked the Patriarch squarely in the eye. “How much?”

The Grand Elder tried to continue. “Prince Fang, ShouLi has already been promised to Crown Prince Yangci of—”

I moved my hand in a slicing motion to cut him off once more.

“Since it seems like you are unwilling to negotiate with me, then I will tell you the price. ShouLi is a moderately talented Disciple. She has the potential to become a low-level Grandmaster in the future. She is your granddaughter. You plan to sell her to some prince to purchase whatever meager support he is willing to give you. Fine. How many Grandmasters is ShouLi worth to you?”

Finally, the Patriarch couldn’t hold in his anger anymore. He gritted his teeth and shouted at me. “Prince Fang!”

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I flared my qi to silence him. Then I took out a large jade box and threw it at the Patriarch’s feet.

“10 Perfect Rank 3 Qi Gathering Pills. 50 Perfect Rank 2 Meridian Builder Pills. 100 Perfect Rank 1 Qi Gathering Pills. That is the price I am willing to pay for both ShouLi and the land I am taking from you.”

The Grandmasters on the ground around us were enraged by my actions, but the energy rolling off of me, the Patriarch, and the Grand Elder kept them suppressed.

The Patriarch himself, however, was not so quiet.

“How dare you?! I will not—”

The Patriarch had made one stupid mistake during this meeting that far surpassed anything else. He had chosen to sit on his throne. While his throne looked like it was made of gold, that was only gilding. In reality, it was made from a high-quality Rank 3 wood.

Using several dozen strands of qi, I seized control of the Patriarch’s chair. Before he could react, I wrapped reinforced wooden shackles around his wrists and pressed a large wooden stake pulled from the chair’s backrest against his throat.

The moment I did this, the Patriarch’s anger fled and was replaced by shock and fear. The reactions of the others in the room were mixed, but I noticed hints of glee coming from four different directions: the Grand Elder and the Patriarch’s three sons.

“I consider my purchase of your Disciples to be paid in full. I will be back in nine months, and I hope everyone will have calmed down before then.”

Without waiting for a response, I stood, turned, and exited the throne room, leaving my fancy chair behind.

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After my meeting with the Su Clan, I walked to the Blue Wind Pavilion where a carriage I had previously booked was already waiting for me. Pulled by Rank 3 wind horses, it was able to make the trip back to the training compound in only a few minutes.

When I entered the guest house, all five of my recruits were standing around, wondering what they were supposed to be doing, but I didn’t pay them any heed. Instead, I moved through the house and quickly collected all my belongings, leaving the place barren and empty.

The last room I visited was the sitting room, and after gathering up the last bits of furniture, I waved to my five Disciples.

“Follow me.”

Fitting six people into a single carriage was a bit of a squeeze, and it made me wish I had booked a second one, but we were able to manage it.

With everyone on board, I signaled to the driver, and we took off for the Rosehill Hot Springs.

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Sitting in the coach, I looked around at my Disciples.

“I expect Liang and Mo have explained things to everyone? I am not your Teacher, and I am not your Master. Joining me means that you are severing your ties with your old clan and recognizing me as your new patriarch. Do not expect me to directly teach you anything. I may do so if I feel that it is necessary, but my role will be to provide you with the environment and resources necessary for you to learn on your own. Do you all accept these conditions?”

Without hesitation, the three new recruits, as well as Liang and Mo, all bowed their heads.

“Yes, Patriarch.”

I nodded. “Good. Know this. These are not empty words. My intention is to create a true clan. You all are free to walk any path you wish. You can travel the world, join a sect, or do anything else you desire, but no matter what, you will remain a part of my clan.”

I looked at ShouLi and the other girl whose name I didn’t even know yet. “I will not interfere with anyone’s relationships. You are both free to love and marry whomever you choose. However, I would like you to consider finding a partner who can be brought into our clan. I would prefer it if you didn’t leave and join someone else’s. This is entirely your choice to make, but it is something I want you to consider.”

The two looked at each other hesitantly before nodding in agreement. “Yes, Patriarch.”

“Next, blessings and affinities. The Su Clan placed you each into specific roles based on your lineage, blessings, and affinities.” I looked around at the group. “I do not care about such things. Your affinities can be raised, so you are free to practice techniques of any element you desire. You can choose to use your blessings to support you, or you can ignore them. And most importantly, none of you have a lineage anymore. You are all starting fresh as the founding members of my clan. Understood?”

Liang and Mo were both quick to agree, but the others, those who had yet to experience the Essence Gathering Formations for themselves, were a bit more unsure.

“This trip will take a few hours. Use this time to think about your future. What do you want to accomplish in life? What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of support do you need from me to make that happen? I won’t freely supply you with endless resources, but I can acquire nearly anything on this continent. If you support the clan, I will support you in return.”

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Four hours later, we arrived at Rosehill Village in the center of the area known as the Rosehill Hot Springs.

This was a small resort town where many noble clans from around the Wastes had built private residences. It was not considered an important area for cultivators, but it was considered a top tourist destination.

I led my group of Disciples to the miniature palace that was the Su Clan’s residence. While this area was under the direct authority of a different noble family, the Su Clan still maintained a large presence in the city.

Without so much as announcing myself, I crashed through the palace’s gates. Before anyone had time to react, I guided my group to the palace’s central courtyard where I threw down a formation plate that served as the main node for a Rank 4 defensive grand formation. The moment I injected this plate with my qi, the formation inscribed into it bloomed to life, and a powerful shield expanded outwards to cover the main palace structure.

After that, I swiftly dashed through the small palace complex and hunted down all members of the Su Clan who had taken up residence here. Any time I found someone, I grabbed them and threw them out onto the streets.

Once the place was entirely cleared out, I placed several formation nodes just inside the perimeter wall of the complex. When everything was in place and positioned correctly, I fully activated the grand formation. The primary shield around the palace’s main structure remained in place, but a secondary shield appeared and surrounded the complex as a whole.

I didn’t want Su Clan spies to know what we were doing inside, but without a strong background as an illusionist, it was hard to create a convincing deception. Therefore, instead of trying to do anything complicated, I had designed the formation to simply infuse the shield with dark qi. From the outside, the complex would now look like nothing more than a black void.

With the palace secured, I returned to my Disciples and handed them each a pill.

“Eat this.”

None of them understood what I had been doing, and they all looked a bit afraid, but they all followed my orders and ate the pills. Only a moment after they did so, they all dropped to the ground, unconscious.

This allowed me to scoop them up and shove them into my storage space without needing to worry about them learning about it too early. The space still wasn’t what I would consider ‘livable,’ but it was stocked with enough fresh air to keep the five of them alive for an extended period of time.

Finally, I consumed a Shadowed Soul Pill, slipped out of the complex, and departed Rosehill Village.