Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 779-780

AST 779 – Wuma Aristocratic Clan, Friends.h.i.+p

The two of them walked onwards, not knowing what to say. When Qing Shui looked towards Ye Guyan, he found that she was also looking towards him. When his gaze met her bright and beautiful eyes, his heart skipped a beat. Qing Shui felt that beautiful eyes and teeth were must haves for beauties.

Qing Shui turned his head without saying a word. He had only known her for about four days, and although she was a great beauty, Qing Shui had already decided to leave. He didn’t want to get himself involved with every single charming women he met.

It was better to not get involved in too many things. Moreover, Qing Shui had no feelings for her and he didn’t know when he would return to this place again. Qing Shui laughed at himself. What was he worrying about? It wasn’t as if she actually liked him.

This was the most relaxed and laidback meal he'd been at in the past few days. Everyone was very happy and the food tasted better than usual. When one was feeling troubled, he would have no appet.i.te for food, no matter how good the food was. When one was in a good mood, even ordinary dishes would taste like delicacies.

Not long after they had their breakfast, someone came knocking on the door, saying that a member of the Wuma Aristocratic Clan was here to send something to Qing Shui. The group smiled and went out.

There were about a dozen people led by a middle-aged man. When he saw Qing Shui, he walked over, “Mister Qing, Old Master Ye, Miss Ye!”

“You are?” Qing Shui smiled and asked, nodding his head.

“We’re from the Wuma Aristocratic Clan. Our Old Master and Old Master Tantai told us to send this over to you.” The guy smiled and said politely. His att.i.tude was one of respect.

Qing Shui didn’t stand on ceremony and merely gave his thanks. These were the things he deserved. He looked at the few fully-filled beast carriages that had been sent to the Ye Clan, not knowing what they were or what they contained.

There were also over ten Interspatial Silk Sachets. Before he left, the man smiled and said, “Our Old Master and Old Master Tantai have both invited you over for a chat when you’re free.”

“You can go back and tell them that I’ll visit today.”

The man smiled and replied that he would pa.s.s the message. He then bade goodbye to Qing Shui and the people from Ye Clan before leaving with the people he had brought over.

“Miss Ye, you’ll need to get someone to check on the goods.” Qing Shui smiled and said to Ye Guyan.

“Qing Shui, these are all for you. Take a look and see what they are. You can take it all with you when you leave.” Ye Guyan smiled, shaking her head.

“You’re asking me to bring all these beast carriages back to the Greencloud Continent?” Qing Shui smiled and asked Ye Guyan.

Stunned, Ye Guyan smiled and replied, “You can take a look and see what they are, taking the things you can with you.”

“I’ve said that everything is for the Ye Clan.” Qing Shui smiled, unmoving.

“Take a look, there might be some medicinal herbs, medicinal pills or ores and those kinds of things. See if they’re of any use to you. I understand your kind intentions.” Ye Guyan smiled softly and said.

When Qing Shui heard that there might be medicinal herbs and pills, he longer rejected her offer and checked the contents of the carriages. He discovered that there were really a lot of things, but they were all things that he wouldn't need. How should he be saying it… These things were items that the Ye Clan needed but were useless to him.

The first carriage was filled with boxes of medicinal herbs, with the names, characteristics and age of the medicinal herbs and pills written on each box. The medicinal herbs were all at least 3,000 years or older.

As expected of an aristocratic clan, possessing such a great collection of items. The other few carts either contained jades, precious jewels, or money. These were all necessary for the Ye Clan’s development. Although Qing Shui now felt that money was very useful, it still didn’t hold much attraction for him.

There were also a lot of battle armors and armaments, but they were no longer as attractive to someone at Qing Shui’s level. However, to Peak Martial Kings, they were all very attractive items.

For a clan to develop, it didn't only need just high level support, but also a large a number of middle-level cultivators. It was impossible for everyone to be geniuses. The people in this world were still mostly ordinary people. Moreover, if an ordinary person were to have great determination, he would have a chance to compete against lazy geniuses.

There were quite a few medicinal pills as well, mostly Spirit Concentrating Pills that had effects ranging from two times to six times, although there were not many with a six times effect. Most of them were still at the level of three times effect. Qing Shui only took the two bottles which had six times effect. The Spirit Concentrating Pills he could refine himself had a three times effect and he had more than enough of them. Therefore, he left the rest to Ye Clan.

Ye Guyan insisted that Qing Shui should take the ten Interspatial Silk Sachets. Qing Shui didn’t have to guess to know that these had been dropped by the people from Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. After slightly hesitating, he took them all.

This action caused Ye Guyan and the others to be stunned. However, they had become used to Qing Shui's surprises. Interspatial Silk Sachets could not be kept in another Interspatial Silk Sachet, but what Qing Shui had done was to store over ten Interspatial Silk Sachets at once. It went to say that what he had was not an Interspatial Silk Sachet.

Qing Shui didn’t bother to ask if the Wuma Aristocratic Clan and the Tantai Aristocrat Clan had also gained any treasures from the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. From the start, Qing Shui had not planned to rummage through the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan's residence since he was not from this place. At most, he would leave the rights to the Ye Clan.

However, it seemed even better to let the Wuma Aristocrat Clan and Tantai Aristocrat Clan do the job. Seeing that it was already late in the morning, Qing Shui spoke to Ye Guyan and the others and then left for the Martial G.o.d Street. He had been invited twice, and if he didn’t go now, it wouldn’t be nice.

Coming to the Martial G.o.d Street once again, Qing Shui noticed that people looked at him no matter where he went. He had already become well-known in Southern Sea City and it could be said that anyone who practiced martial arts would know of his existence.

The Wuma Aristocratic Clan was a special existence in the Martial G.o.d Street. Their residence stood out from the rest with its color and style. Looking at the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan that was not far away, he saw that it was now in a state of ruins, with many workers cleaning up the place. It looked like it was in the process of being reconstructed.

“Please help to inform…”

“Mister Qing Shui, please come in. The Old Master had said that once Mister Qing Shui was here, he could just head into the backyard. Old Master is in the backyard.” Qing Shui had not finished his words before a guard smiled and said.

Qing Shui eventually just said, “Thank you!”

Walking in, Qing Shui felt that the atmosphere slightly pressured him. It could be because of the gray color of the walls or the graphite-colored tile floors. However, the colors of the pavilions, artificial mountains and trees were all very normal, which did increase the vitality to the place.

The manor was very big but it was easy to locate the backyard. He only needed to head all the way in. He didn’t come across many people, but there were still quite a number of people in a large aristocratic clan like this. When they saw Qing Shui, they would first be astonished and then greet him politely.

Qing Shui smiled and answered them. After yesterday, there were probably many people who knew of him.

The backyard was strangely quiet and there were not many structures and fittings around. There was only a pavilion and a pond. There was a bridge over the pond and Qing Shui saw that Old Man Wuma was standing on the bridge, looking at him.

“Qing Shui, you’re here.” Old man Wuma smiled warmly and said.

“Mmm. Good day to you, Old Master!” Qing Shui smiled and headed for the bridge.

Qing Shui stood next to Old Man Wuma and looked down into the pond. There were fish, turtles, shrimp and crabs swimming freely in the water. Qing Shui thought about the pond in the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. Their pond should also have been filled with fish and shrimp, but like the can itself, they were all dead.

This was just like the saying, ‘When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer’ [1]. Thinking about this, Qing Shui smiled.

“How long are you planning to stay in the Southern Sea City?” Old man Wuma smiled and signalled Qing Shui to walk with him to a pavilion not far away.

“It should only be for just a few more days. I might drop by the Southern Sea on my way back.”

“Mmm, it’s a pity to not visit the Southern Sea if you've come all this way to the Southern Sea Country.” Old Man Wuma smiled and said amiably.

Qing Shui didn’t dare to look down on this amiable-looking old man. He was one who could see through many things and would kill without a second thought. Moreover, Qing Shui had also sensed an unknown powerful and dangerous aura from him.

“How many years has it been since someone like you has emerged? You’re a young man with the greatest potential I’ve ever seen. I wonder what sort of relations.h.i.+p you have with the Ye Clan. That la.s.s from the Ye Clan is also one with a great future in front of her.” Old man Wuma smiled and said.

The old man’s words were powerful and unrestrained, but Qing Shui understood what he was implying. He smiled and said, “I’m considered quite good friends with the Ye Clan. It’s not easy for Miss Ye to support a clan all by herself. If it’s not inconvenient, I hope that the Old Master can also show them some care in the future.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely do so. I shan’t be hypocritical either. Our Wuma Clan will take you as our good friend as well. In the future, if you have any troubles, we’ll cross great distances to help you. I also hope that in the event that we need help, you can also lend a helping hand if it’s within your means.” Old man Wuma said seriously.

Qing Shui knew that this had been Old Man Wuma’s true intention for inviting him over. He would naturally not think that the old man was hypocritical. Putting aside the fact that he was no match for the entire Wuma Clan now, there were no eternal friends, but only eternal benefits. No one would want to make friends with a useless person since doing so would be meaningless and purely a waste of time.

This was reality. To put it nicely, friends helped each other, but really, they did so to stay connected. No matter how close friends were, the friends.h.i.+p would eventually be forgotten as time pa.s.sed if no connection was maintained. When trouble happened, everything would be vague like the mist. Therefore, only when people remained useful to each other would they continue to keep in contact grow their relations.h.i.+p to the point of becoming sworn family.

“Old Master is not hypocritical at all. I like such exchanges. I understand. If the Wuma Clan has any problems, I’ll definitely help out if I can.” Qing Shui smiled and said sincerely. Having one more friend opened one new path. He would naturally not reject the invitation of such a great aristocratic clan.

“Excellent, excellent!” Old man Wuma smiled happily and said.

In the pavilion, Qing Shui and Old Man Wuma chatted about strange happenings in the world. Most of the time, it was Qing Shui asking the questions and Old Man Wuma replying. Not long after, someone served tea to the two.

Drinking tea and chatting in such an environment was also a relaxing and enjoyable thing.

In the afternoon, Qing Shui had lunch at the Wuma Residence. He got to know many people, mostly the core members of the clan who were mainly direct descendents of Old Man Wuma. When they saw Qing Shui, they were also very happy to know someone of his stature. A lady even teased Qing Shui, saying that if she was not married, she’d definitely try and woo him.

Looking at her pair of puppy eyes, Qing Shui could only smile.

[1] Idiom with the meaning that in a disturbance, innocent bystanders get into trouble.

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AST 780 – Tantai Aristocrat Clan, Symbol of Peace

Qing Shui had originally thought that the people of the Wuma Clan were very wicked, since they were specialized in Gu. Then he found out that they weren't anything like what the rumors outside had portrayed. What you hear about may be false, but what you see is genuine. Qing Shui now believed that the people of Wuma Clan were quite decent.

They were just like individuals from his previous world who seemed unreasonable or especially hard to get along with. One would realize that they were no different than the others after spending some time with them. People actually longed for friends.h.i.+p. As long as one could put themselves in other’s shoes, most people would be able to get along with each other very well.

Qing Shui stood up to take his leave soon after they finished their meal. The people of the Wuma Clan knew that he had some other things to do, so they didn't ask him to stay longer after he excused himself. The few of them sent Qing Shui off at the entrance.

After waving at them, Qing Shui started walking south. He still needed to visit the Tantai Aristocrat Clan, he would be able to take a break from things after that. Perhaps he would visit the Southern Sea, or maybe even just return home.

Although he was still quite a distance away from Tantai Aristocrat Clan, Qing Shui didn't rent a beast carriage. He didn't sprint or ride on his flying mount either. He just walked with a speed that was considered neither fast or slow.

There was quite a number of people entering and exiting the Martial G.o.d Street even after noon had pa.s.sed. Qing Shui had always thought that the population in his previous world was high, but it hardly compared to the population of the boundless World of the Nine Continents. However, the population density was still quite similar, because the World of the Nine Continents' region was simply too vast.

Time flies when one was deep in thought. Before Qing Shui could realize it, the eye-catching manor of the Tantai Aristocrat Clan had appeared before him. Tantai Aoyun had already came out when he'd just arrived at the entrance.

"Brother Qing Shui, you have arrived." Tantai Aoyun came out and gave him a friendly smile.

"Brother Aoyun, you're about to go out?" Qing Shui smiled back at him.

"I was bored at home and was thinking of going out to get some fresh air before I b.u.mped into you. Let's go in together. Old Master has been harping at why hadn't you arrived yet." Tantai Aoyun laughed.

"How considerate of Old Master." Qing Shui said before they walked towards the Tantai Residence.

This was the most lavish manor Qing Shui had ever seen. In fact, the Tantai Aristocrat Clan was also the largest clan he had ever seen. No one among his acquaintances knew of Tantai Aristocrat Clan's true strength. The Tantai Aristocrat Clan was able to stand at an unreachable position solely because of Tantai Xuan.

That woman was what Qing Shui had heard about the most in the Southern Sea Country. She was a woman who was said to be akin to a fairy. Not only men, even women sang praises of her without any jealousy. Jealousy no longer existed when there was such a large disparity. That woman had already far exceeded the limits of an ordinary person in others' hearts.

The Tantai Clan was a supreme aristocratic clan. The population of their clan was a lot higher than the Wuma Clan. There was always a standard in the population of aristocratic clans. It was also one of the essential conditions.

There would only be more people of outstanding talents among a fixed population, and this could also ensure the future of the clan's bloodline. A clan with a small population could perish easily. After all, cultivators lived dangerous lives. Regardless of whether a clan was large, no cultivators could escape certain casualties. Therefore, population was a basic foundation.

There were many separate courtyards within the manor. People of different genders and varying age groups were seen walking around the manor. Each and everyone of them were lavishly dressed. Anyone could tell that they were part of a large clan from their n.o.ble temperament.

The aristocratic clans lived a luxurious life and this lifestyle was part of their ident.i.ty, it was quite a normal showing. It was something achieved through strength, and it didn't matter where they were. Although Qing Shui was born to a relatively poor family, he had never despised the rich or blamed G.o.d for being unfair. He knew that the world had never been fair. If life was fair, then no one would be destined to live a life of luxury and spend their life in glory and splendor. And some others were destined to be beggars from birth and spend their life as people of the lowest standing on the social ladder.

If a newly born baby was already a victim to such unfairness, what was there to be further discussed about fairness? There was no way things could ever be fair…

"Qing Shui, you really came at the right time." Tantai Aoyun laughed as they walked.

"Oh, why is that so?" Qing Shui gave Tantai Aoyun a puzzled look.

"Because my elder sister is coming back home today. She only returns once every three years. Don't you think it's a great coincidence?" Tantai Aoyun seemed a little excited when he explained, but he also seemed to be very proud of it mostly.

"Your elder sister?" Qing Shui asked curiously.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Her name is Tantai Xuan." Tantai Aoyun smiled.

Although Qing Shui could more or less guess it, he was still shocked. He had never expected to meet the lady who was rumored to be akin to a divine being. The most he had expected was to get some things done so he could return as soon as possible. He had been longing to spend a peaceful and quiet life for a period of time.

He had visited the Wuma Aristocrat Clan, and now the Tantai Aristocrat Clan, but he didn't expect to have such an opportunity. He wasn't certain if he was very lucky or if it was an unintentional positive outcome.

"Then I must be extremely fortunate." Qing Shui didn't mind having a look at just how strong this lady was, since he was already here. He had seen his fair share of remarkable women. Yiye Jiange, Di Chen, Di Qing, Canghai Mingyue, Wenren Wu-Shuang, Hai Dongqing. Then there were also Mingyue Gelou, Huoyun Liu-Li, s.h.i.+ Qingzhuang, Yu He, Qinghan Ye, Zhu Qing, Gongsun Jianwu and that woman from the Feng Clan. Although it was impossible that all of them were women from the Portraits of Beauty, they weren't in the least bit inferior. After all, it was impossible for the twelve Portraits of Beauty to include all the women. Perhaps the twelve portraits were only categories, and each beauty on the portrait was the finest from each category.

Qing Shui suddenly remembered about the lady resting inside the crystal coffin in the palace under the lake. Di Chen had an extraordinary grace while Yiye Jiange had an otherworldly aura. Although that lady in the crystal coffin had her eyes shut, the aura she exuded was very similar to Yiye Jiange. Qing Shui could feel a wave of oppressive aura on top of that. It was a very strange sensation, but he seemed to feel a great pressure when he was in front of her.

"I think she should be back soon. She had always been punctual, so she usually arrives by mid afternoon. I'm guessing she'll appear in another hour." Tantai Aoyun smiled as he looked towards the sky.

As they were chatting, they arrived at the big courtyard on the left wing. The old man from Tantai Clan was there and seemed extremely happy after seeing Qing Shui. Tantai Aoyun also smiled at the old man and greeted him as the Old Ancestor.

Qing Shui had already knew that the old man was neither the Tantai Aristocrat Clan's head nor the strongest cultivator among the clan. But Tantai Xuan's lineage was the branch with the most potential in the clan. It was only a matter of time before she became the pillar of the Tantai Aristocrat Clan because she was the direct descendant of the old man.

The few lineages of the Tantai Clan was branched out from the old man's generation. The old man had seven brothers and he was the third generation of the Tantai Aristocrat Clan. Tantai Xuan was the eighth generation. Qing Shui didn't feel anything particularly odd when he heard that, since people here had longer lifespans. There was nothing weird for eight different generations to live under the same roof. In his previous world, there were cases of five different generations living under the same roof. However, big clans usually had very strict requirements. The outstanding ones couldn't get married too early or too late. So having eight generations living under the same roof was considered a very normal scenario.

A few people came in succession after they became aware of Qing Shui's arrival. There were old people, middle-aged people and young people among them. There were also quite a decent number of them. However, Qing Shui knew that this was just a form of etiquette and also a form of respect towards him. At the same time, he was also aware that they had the same objective as the Wuma Clan.

To be able to form a good relation with the Tantai Aristocrat Clan was exactly what Qing Shui had wished for. He knew that the Tantai Clan and Wuma Clan were after his potential and this reason was extremely normal. Why would they invite him otherwise?

This kind of foresight was vital in large clans. It was also a technique. If they reached out to those with potential earlier on, the pay-off would be enormous in the future. It has been said that it was easy for humans to be ungrateful. In actuality, humans knew the most about being grateful and returning favors. After all, the ungrateful ones were of minority, or perhaps they had some reasons for doing so.

It was only shortly after noon. Everyone sat under the pavilion harmoniously and had small talks about their clans or some incidents in the Main Continent.

Qing Shui had gained a better understanding of the Tantai Aristocrat Clan after all the small talk. Although the Tantai Aristocrat Clan still had an Old Ancestor on top of them, he wasn't really involved in the matters of the clan. He wouldn't be unless the clan was facing a catastrophe or was breaking up.

The current clan head was the old man's third bother, but he was going to retire very soon as well. Qing Shui could tell from the conversation that the old man's lineage had already became the main branch of the clan. It would eventually be the main lineage while the other family members who were still the current key members would slowly become the auxiliary branch and end up as one of the external clans, just like the current external clans of the Tantai Aristocrat Clan

The external clans were all people of the Tantai Aristocrat Clan, pure Tantai Aristocrat Clan's blood coursed throughout their body. They had only been pushed aside gradually due to the survival of the fittest. This was a compet.i.tion, so elimination would always happen.

Other than that, as long as extremely outstanding disciples like Tantai Xuan emerged among any of these external clans, they'd be able to immediately return to the internal clan or even take over the clan. Power was regarded above all else. This system was an incentive to ensure that the clan would flourish for generations.

So many external clans were doing their best in hopes to return once again to the clan someday. The concept that had been pa.s.sed down throughout the generations was that the clan was of utmost importance, and returning to the clan was an honor. This ensured the prodigies of the clan would not be lost or stray away.

It was only now that Qing Shui realized there was indeed quite a number of rules in aristocratic clans. It couldn't be helped either, since the growth of a big clan was not simple and it seemed like they all had their own ways of doing things.

Compared to these clans, Qing Shui felt that his own clan had barely started. They still had a very long road ahead of them.

Time pa.s.sed little by little. Qing Shui and those of the Tantai clan had a great time talking to each other. He was enjoying this alot, because he was able to learn and understand a lot of things. It was very difficult for him to gain knowledge on these things since he hadn't reached that level yet.

Someone came over and bowed right at that moment, "Old Master, Young Miss has reached Jade Cloud Street. She'll reach home in about half an hour."

"Alright, you may go."

The person made a sound of acknowledgment before he retreated.

"Qing Shui, our Xuan'er is coming back. I will introduce you to her later." The old man chuckled lightly at him.

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