Cultivation: Being Immortal Chapter 2

The residence of Lin Jiang went by the name Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. Spanning roughly thirty miles in total area, everything fell under the villa's ownership. Yet, the villa itself wasn't expansive, housing merely about a hundred families. It boasted not just walls but also a Formation Array for defense.

Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa featured one hundred and twenty acres of peach groves. These weren't your average peach trees; they were spirit plants of a magical nature. The fruits they bore weren't simply deliciously sweet—they contained spiritual essence, earning them the title of spiritual peaches.

Every year, the spiritual peaches in the villa ripened once. Half the yield went toward the family's personal use, with the remaining portion sold off. They fetched around seventy to eighty magic stones. Moreover, the villa included two hundred acres of spiritual fields, yielding spiritual rice that the family also marketed. Priced a tad below market rates, it brought in about a hundred magic stones annually. That summed up the villa's entire revenue.

Lin Jiang retained roughly half of those two hundred magic stones, since, to be precise, the villa wasn't his—it belonged to Lin Jiang's mother as her dowry.

Lin Jiang's cherished mother hailed from a lineage of rogue cultivators. His grandfather had been a Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator. Impressed by Lin Batian's formidable strength and promising future, he wed his daughter to Lin Batian as a concubine, complete with a lavish dowry.

Following that, Lin Batian grew ever stronger, steadily claiming nearby lands. Lin Jiang's mother invested her dowry in acquiring the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa, seeking a reliable source of steady income.

Three years prior, the former Lin Jiang had irked Lin Batian with his stagnant cultivation progress, earning severe punishment. Unable to watch her son suffer, Lin Jiang's mother transferred the villa's oversight to him, offering covert financial aid. She wished for him to prove his mettle, earn respect, and bring her honor. Ultimately, a son's achievements would bolster her standing amid Lin Batian's inner circle.

"Master Lin."

"Master Lin."

"Master Lin."

Upon reaching the spiritual fields, the tenant farmers working the plots kept calling out greetings and expressing heartfelt gratitude to Lin Jiang and the Lin clan.

In this realm, governments were absent, yet landlords, tyrants, bandits, savage beasts, and demons roamed freely. It wasn't hyperbole to claim that common folk beyond the walls faced perpetual peril.

However, within Peach Garden Manor, sturdy walls and protective formations shielded them. Bandits, beasts, and demons alike found entry impossible. The Lin family demanded modest rents: just one hundred and twenty mu of peach woods and the full yield from two hundred mu of spiritual soil. The rest they could farm freely, pocketing all proceeds. Life there meant no worries over sustenance or shelter.

Lin Jiang scanned the spiritual fields left and right, noting the thriving spiritual rice crops. This season promised better results than the last, potentially yielding extra spiritual rice and boosting their spirit stone earnings.

During his routine inspection path, he crossed paths with a few guards. These weren't cultivators but everyday folks versed in basic martial skills. They roamed the grounds to ward off animals and common thieves. Should demons or hostile cultivators appear, they'd raise the alert, prompting Lin Jiang to dispatch a voice transmission talisman to the clan for aid. Stronger experts would then handle the threat.

With the inspection complete, Lin Jiang headed back to his dwelling and settled into meditation for cultivation practice. He'd committed to two hours daily. After all, lifespan wasn't an issue for him; if pushed, he could dedicate centuries to attaining the Qi Refining realm.

Once his session ended, the housekeeper had the meal ready. Though the cook's expertise fell short of the old servant's, Lin Jiang shrugged it off. Years of surviving on instant meals had toughened his palate.

······

System Name: Lifespan Check-in System

Host: Lin Jiang

Lifespan: 17/180

Time flew by, and three months elapsed in a flash. That day, right after Lin Jiang performed his system check-in, a guard burst into the chamber in haste.

"Young Master, the clan's steward has come."

"Got it, escort him to the storage. I'll join soon."

Lin Jiang acknowledged with a nod. The year's spiritual paddy harvest was in, and the Lin family had dispatched a steward to acquire it. This marked a major occasion for the villa.

By the time Lin Jiang got to the warehouse, a middle-aged fellow awaited him. Spotting Lin Jiang, he offered a warm greeting. Hired by Lin Batian, he served as a stand-in for the Lin household. Despite his modest position, he showed due deference to the Lin family's young master.

"Ah, Steward Wu. You must be weary from the journey, sir."

"Sixth Young Master, no need for such courtesy. Ready to proceed?"

"Yes, let's commence."

Lin Jiang agreed and issued orders. Servants hauled sacks of spiritual paddy from the stores and measured their weight.

"Sixth Young Master, the climate's been unfavorable this year. Yun State's spiritual paddy prices have ticked up. A single spirit stone buys just five hundred kilograms now. Per custom, how about six hundred kilograms per stone for ours?"

Steward Wu proposed to Lin Jiang. Clan members selling goods internally received rates a smidge below external ones. The perk? They offloaded everything hassle-free.

"Fine by me."

Lin Jiang dismissed concerns with a wave. Sure, the price dipped slightly, but it spared immense effort. He saw it as standard practice.

Spiritual paddy outweighed mundane rice. Prime spiritual soil produced about 600 kilograms per mu. Lin Jiang's 200 mu of middling fields netted over 80,000 kilograms. He reserved 20,000 for personal use and offered the balance to the family.

"Sixth Young Master, here's the voucher. Head to the clan's treasury in a few days to claim your payment."

Steward Wu filled multiple storage pouches in portions and handed Lin Jiang the receipt for collecting funds at the accounting hall.

Lin Jiang nodded farewell to Steward Wu. He directed servants to process the rice. While immortals shunned mortal grains for spirit fare that aided cultivation, Lin Jiang intended to share some leftover spirit rice with his dear mother and sister, Lin Ying. The clan's provisions fell short of a full year's supply, necessitating purchases.

Another two months vanished swiftly, bringing the year's close. Lin Jiang commanded guards to load two hefty wagons with 10,000 kilograms of processed spirit rice. Lacking funds for a spacious storage pouch, he opted to transport it directly to the Lin family.

The Lin estate lay some 800 miles from the villa. Yet, the cart-pulling steeds bore mythical beast lineage, boasting immense vigor. Covering 500 miles daily proved effortless, landing them at the gates in merely two days.

"Well, if it isn't my Sixth Uncle?"

As Lin Jiang neared the portal, a nonchalant voice rang out. He turned to find his nephew Lin Ke Wen, firstborn of his elder brother Lin Shan, who outaged him by several years.

"Ke Wen, skipping respects to your Sixth Uncle? Think I won't tattle?"

"You, you…"

"Me? Has the clan lost all decorum?"

"Fine, you're bold—nephew greets Sixth Uncle."

Ultimately, Lin Ke Wen yielded to fear. As a rising powerhouse, the Lin family enforced rigid protocols. Lin Batian prized filial duty. Though Lin Jiang shamed the second generation, he remained Lin Ke Wen's elder.

"Nephew, for your insolence, no New Year's gift for you this time."

Lin Jiang chuckled heartily before striding through the Lin family's grand entrance.

By Lin Batian's decree, barring vital retreats like closed-door cultivation, the entire household convened at year's end. Thus, Lin kin dotted the grounds inside the main gate.

"Greetings, Big Brother."

"Hello, Second Elder Brother."

"Hello, Third Sister."

Lin Jiang offered bows throughout. As the sixth son of the second generation in the Lin family, he deferred to the five seniors ahead, while juniors trailed him in courtesy.

Next, he paid respects to his father Lin Batian and principal wife Mrs. Zheng, presenting each two thousand kilograms of spirit rice. This gift wouldn't go unpaid; come the New Year, richer returns awaited.

Post-fatherly homage, he visited his mother Zhuang Rong. Naturally stunning, Zhuang Rong held prominence among Lin Batian's consorts. Lin Jiang and Lin Ying both drew her fine features, rendering them handsome too.

Zhuang Rong had attained the seventh layer of Qi Refining, blessed with solid Spiritual Root aptitude. Sadly, her infatuation clouded judgment; post-marriage to Lin Batian, she'd neglected practice, fixated on vying for affection. Over a decade later, her progress stalled completely.

"My child, you've endured so much…"

Catching sight of Lin Jiang, Zhuang Rong enveloped him in an embrace, tears flowing freely. Though not the sharpest, she doted deeply on her offspring.

Lin Jiang squirmed against the embrace, but his inferior cultivation barred escape. He glanced pleadingly at Lin Ying, who approached grinning and gently intervened.

Zhuang Rong released Lin Jiang and poured out woes through sobs. She detailed sect abuses and torments from a particular auntie. Then, shifting gears, she stressed a mother's glory stemmed from her child's triumphs. Urging swift cultivation gains for Lin Jiang, she sought to flaunt superiority. Such pleas echoed in every encounter.

Lin Jiang inwardly rolled his eyes. The prior Lin Jiang might buy it, but from inherited recollections, he knew their mother was no pushover. She showered kindness only absent her own dominance; bullying her was impossible.

"Son, why silent? Speak up."

"Mother, don't rage at my words."

"Out with it—why would I anger at you?"

"Mother, here's my view: self-reliance trumps dependence. Father's Golden Core Stage grants five centuries of life. Stepmothers linger at Qi Refining, barely a century. By seventies or eighties, no technique halts decay. If I were you, I'd push cultivation to Foundation Establishment, outlasting them. Golden Core? Even the main wife's Foundation Establishment dims. We'd share five hundred years, mirroring Father.

"Should both you and Father ascend to Nascent Soul or Soul Formation, or even immortality together, eternal bliss as immortal dao companions awaits, no?"

Lin Jiang offered the suggestion impulsively. Foolish mother—in cultivation realms, harem battles hinged on strength. Beauty faded beyond eternal youth, but fresh eighteen-year-olds emerged yearly. Victory over current rivals? Father might add more.

Thus, cultivation defined all. High realms held true power. Golden Core let one revel at Mrs. Zheng's grave in a century's span.

Zhuang Rong's gaze sparkled at the notion. It rang profoundly true. Golden Core? She'd endure beyond all rivals.