Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 122: The Water Dragon Sect and Joyous Palace Join Forces

Due to having been away for an extended period, Ji Yuan decided to return to Hatchling Dragon Island first.

He was concerned that his prolonged absence might lead the sect to believe he had perished, resulting in his cave dwelling being reassigned to another senior or junior sister. That would be quite the predicament—just kidding.

Official disciples had their life lamps lit in the Ancestral Hall.

As long as the life lamp remained unextinguished, the person was still alive.

By the time Ji Yuan returned from Misty Island to Hatchling Dragon Island, it was already evening. Just as he was about to enter his residence, he heard the sound of doors opening from the neighboring houses.

Simultaneously, people emerged from both the left and right houses.

It was the starkly contrasting pair: the childlike Tang Ran and the old man Pi Fangzhi.

Upon seeing Ji Yuan about to enter his house, both appeared visibly surprised.

“Brother Ji, you're actually still alive—cough, I mean, you've finally returned.”

The child nearly blurted out his true thoughts in his astonishment.

Pi Fangzhi let out a cold laugh upon hearing this. “Heh, nothing good ever comes from that mouth of yours. With Brother Ji's talent, being away for so long, he must be preparing to establish his foundation.”

“Brother Ji, if you attain wealth and honor, don't forget us!”

Pi Fangzhi gave a slight bow and spoke in a deep voice.

Ji Yuan responded with a forced smile, “I sustained some injuries while away and barely managed to escape back. Surviving was already a stroke of luck; I wouldn't dare think about establishing a foundation.”

“Injured?! Who dares to bully a disciple of our Water Dragon Sect! Brother Ji, tell us quickly, and the two of us will go and slay the scoundrel right now!”

Tang Ran immediately jumped up and shouted.

“Thank you for your concern, fellow Daoist. That scoundrel has already been slain by me.”

His response was watertight.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to enter his house, he was called back by the old weapon refiner Pi Fangzhi.

“By the way, Brother Ji, over the past few months, a woman has been coming by frequently to look for you. She seems to have some urgent matter.”

“She also instructed me that if I saw you, to tell you to seek her out. She said she's your second sister.”

“Thank you, Brother Pi.”

Ji Yuan had anticipated that Du Wanyi would come looking for him regularly.

It had been a while since they last met; he could take this opportunity to catch up and gather some information.

After checking his own place and finding it unchanged from when he left, Ji Yuan took advantage of the night to visit Du Wanyi's home.

Du Wanyi was naturally delighted by Ji Yuan's arrival.

“Just got back. Sorry to have worried you, Second Sister,” Ji Yuan said with a smile.

“Where have you been? No news for over half a year—I was worried sick!”

Du Wanyi patted her ample chest.

“I took on a mission and made a trip up north.”

“You know my nature, Second Sister. As long as I don't seek death myself, there shouldn't be any major issues. No need to worry too much.”

“That's easy for you to say. But next time you go far, at least let me know so I can be at ease.”

As she spoke, Du Wanyi brought Ji Yuan a cup of spiritual tea.

Ji Yuan took this time to observe Du Wanyi's home. When he first arrived, her courtyard wasn't much different from his own, both having a sort of austere charm.

But now, it was different. Du Wanyi had redecorated the interior.

She had even laid a soft, creamy-white carpet on the floor.

The tea table and other furniture had been replaced with delicate, small round tables. Beside them was a transparent fish tank filled with colorful swimming fish, which was quite a sight.

Moreover, she had somehow managed to infuse the entire house with a faint floral fragrance.

Indeed, a female cultivator's home was truly different—

“Yao Jingfeng has returned.”

After sitting down, Du Wanyi suddenly said.

“Big Brother is back?” Ji Yuan was surprised. “Where is he staying? I'll go see him later.”

“Mm, he's staying in Area A, not far from us. If you want to go, we can go now; otherwise, it might be too late and disturb him.”

Du Wanyi's tone was noticeably off when she said this.

Moreover, Ji Yuan noticed something else. Since that battle with the demonic cultivator, after Yao Jingfeng was injured, Du Wanyi hadn't referred to him as 'Big Brother' anymore; she always called him by his full name.

Although she had occasionally done so before, one could still occasionally hear the term 'Big Brother' from her.

But now, it was completely absent.

“Second Sister, do you know something about Big Brother?”

Ji Yuan asked softly.

“Ah?”

Du Wanyi was clearly taken aback by Ji Yuan's question, but the panic in her eyes was unmistakable.

Ji Yuan didn't avert his gaze, making his intentions clear.

If Yao Jingfeng truly had some issue, Ji Yuan needed to know. He couldn't risk being stabbed in the back.

Seeing Ji Yuan's persistence, Du Wanyi gently nodded.

“I do know a bit, from back when we were in the Yunyu Marshlands.”

“Mm, please tell me, Second Sister.”

“Do you remember when the three of us were escaping back, and on the way, Big Brother said he would deliver Luo Tian's share of spirit stones? Do you recall that?”

“I remember.”

Ji Yuan nodded. “I was the one who gave him those spirit stones.”

“Later, I thought, since he was so badly injured, I might as well do it for him. But when I went to his place to ask, he said he had already delivered them—”

“But he hadn't, right?”

As Ji Yuan spoke, he stood up.

Stepping on the soft carpet, his face was expressionless, but he couldn't help pacing back and forth.

Du Wanyi first responded with an 'mm' and then forced a smile.

Ji Yuan paused for a moment before he finally said:

“I will.”

After speaking, he released his flying boat and left.

When he returned once again to Du Wanyi’s courtyard, the two of them tacitly avoided bringing up the matter of Yao Jingfeng.

“Second Sister, how are things going over at Liancheng Mountain now?”

Ji Yuan had just overheard Yao Jingfeng mention that fighting had broken out again at the front lines.

But when he first joined the Water Dragon Sect, that Foundation Establishment cultivator Yun Shangping had said that the front lines were at a three-way stalemate and that fighting was no longer possible.

Du Wanyi didn’t question why Ji Yuan, clearly having been away as well, hadn’t heard of the news.

Since Ji Yuan asked, she answered.

“Our sect is now working together with Joyous Palace, fighting against the people of Medicine King Valley.”

“Hm?”

Ji Yuan, who had just sat down, immediately looked at her in surprise.

For a moment, he even wondered if he had misheard.

“You didn’t mishear. Our Water Dragon Sect is now allied with Joyous Palace.”

Du Wanyi repeated.

Only then did Ji Yuan believe his ears. Since he hadn’t misheard, it was worth pondering.

But on second thought, there was actually not much to ponder.

There were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

The enemy of your enemy is your friend.

“Medicine King Valley, relying on not having suffered any early losses, wanted to swoop in like a yellow sparrow and forcibly take forty percent of the spiritual vein. To do that, they approached Joyous Palace and promised to split an extra ten percent with them. That meant the two sects would each get thirty-five percent, leaving our Water Dragon Sect with thirty percent.”

Du Wanyi explained.

“Why didn’t Joyous Palace agree to that?”

Ji Yuan asked in confusion.

To Joyous Palace, this sounded like a great deal. Medicine King Valley would absorb all the resentment, and they’d gain extra profit.

And when it came to a spiritual vein, even five percent wasn’t to be underestimated.

“The Grand Elder of Joyous Palace is a straightforward person,” Du Wanyi said with a barely suppressed smile. “After hearing Medicine King Valley’s offer, he got furious on the spot and said, ‘Who do you Medicine King Valley people think you are, daring to play the yellow sparrow before me, the True Immortal Shenxu?!’ And then they started fighting.”

“Now it seems, with our two sects working together and almost beating Medicine King Valley into submission, the three sects should soon be able to sit down and properly discuss the distribution of the spiritual vein.”

“Indeed.”

Even if negotiations took place, the likely outcome would be a three-way split.

After all, the strength of the three sects was more or less equal, with no clear superior.

Originally, Joyous Palace and Water Dragon Sect could split it evenly, each taking half. Now, with Medicine King Valley jumping in, both Water Dragon Sect and Joyous Palace were definitely dissatisfied.

So the fight was rather justified.

“What about the three Foundation Establishment Pills? Have they been claimed?”

Ji Yuan was curious about this.

“One of them has. Feng Yichen emptied all his accumulated military merits to exchange for one. The other two are still unclaimed.”

That person again—Ji Yuan was increasingly curious about this rising star.

“Anything else?”

Du Wanyi thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped her forehead.

“There are two more things. One is about the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven. The rumors about it are spreading more and more, so it’s probably really going to open soon.”

“The other is about Liu Cangke, the president of our Water Dragon Sect’s Mutual Aid Society.”

“Him?”

Ji Yuan still remembered the old man quite well.

The man had left a strong impression on him, seeming quite powerful. And rightly so—if he weren’t strong, he wouldn’t have become the head of that society.

“He’s dead. Died at Liancheng Mountain.”