He had not seen his parents for three or four years. Once he left for Heng Prefecture, another year or two might pass before he returned. He should spend a few days with them while he could.

Compared to cultivators, mortal lifespans were truly too short.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Gu Changhuan could live for three hundred years. Even without illness or disaster, mortals lived no more than a hundred and ten or a hundred and twenty.

His parents were already over fifty years old.

Jade Clear Town was the mortal town closest to Emerald Maple Mountain. Gu Changhuan took just over a quarter of an hour to return to his home.

His Divine Sense swept over the entire Gu residence. Gu Shan and Fang Yurong were leisurely sitting in the garden.

Gu Changhuan suddenly appeared in the garden, standing right behind them.

"I'm back!"

"Changhuan!"

"Changhuan has returned!"

Gu Shan and Fang Yurong were both thrilled to see the child they had missed for so long.

Gu Shan's reaction remained somewhat reserved, while Fang Yurong immediately pulled Gu Changhuan close and asked about his well-being.

"Do you have anything to attend to, Changhuan? Your birthday is nearly here. If you can stay a few more days, we could celebrate together."

Fang Yurong looked at him with eyes full of expectation. He was born on June fifteenth, and today was already June ninth.

Hearing her words, Gu Changhuan realized his birthday was approaching. Seeing her expression, he felt a pang in his heart and quickly answered,

"Nothing urgent, Mother. I'll leave it to you."

Fang Yurong smiled happily upon hearing this, and even Gu Shan nodded repeatedly.

The Gu residence grew lively once more.

At night, Gu Changhuan entered Xuantian Tower, intending to gather some honey to leave for his parents.

Spirit Bee Honey possessed gentle Spiritual Qi. If consumed daily in small amounts mixed with water, it would undoubtedly benefit his parents' health.

He had no intention of facing the bees himself. That was what puppets were for.

The puppet carried neither Soul fluctuations nor life aura, allowing it to approach the beehive with ease.

After so much time inside the tower, the queen had fully recovered and the colony was thriving again. The hive was nearly a meter across, its weight bending the whole spirit tree.

Under the control of Gu Changhuan's Divine Sense, the puppet slowly parted the swarm and harvested a large chunk of Spirit Honey.

This act instantly provoked the Bee Queen, which ordered the entire colony to attack. After a frenzied assault, the puppet's surface was pitted with numerous deep gouges from bee stingers, rendering it nearly useless.

Her fury spent, the queen returned to her great undertaking: producing more bees.

The puppet slowly returned to Gu Changhuan and handed over the Spirit Honey.

He put away the honey, left the tower, and took out the Chaos Myriad Spirits Art to study.

His days passed with his parents; at night he studied his cultivation art or slept. Soon it was June fifteenth, his birthday.

On his birthday, his two older brothers, who had established separate households, brought their wives to join the grand reunion.

His eldest brother was Gu Feng, his second Gu Nian. They were his flesh and blood, and he was glad to see them. He gave each a jar of honey.

Several young nephews and nieces gathered around him, clamoring for gifts. Gu Changhuan withdrew several wooden carvings from his Storage Bag.

Tigers, dragons, apes, eagles—each looked lifelike. The wood was not true spirit wood, but held enough Spiritual Qi to spare the children at least a few illnesses if they carried the carvings with them.

Thrilled with their gifts, the children ran off to show their parents.

Seeing him interact so warmly with his grandchildren, Gu Shan felt immensely pleased.

They were family. If any of these children had Spirit Roots and became cultivators, Gu Changhuan could help them along. Gu Shan himself had never had that chance.

Still, he had lived in wealth and comfort. His wife and concubines got along, his household was full of descendants, and his sons had done well. What did he have to complain about?

Thinking this, Gu Shan reached beneath the table and clasped Fang Yurong's hand. The couple smiled at one another.

Gu Changhuan remained at the Gu residence until the end of June before setting off for Heng Prefecture.

Qingzhou was vast. He would have to cross several mountain ranges and pass through Haoran Sect territory to reach Heng Prefecture. At early Foundation Establishment, he would need more than a month for the journey.

To avoid misunderstandings with local families, he hugged the very edges of neighboring territories, taking an intentionally circuitous route.

At the very least, it spared him from negotiating with local Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He traveled by day and rested in meditation at night. An occasional Qi Condensation bandit provided a chance to add to his savings.

Along the way, he discovered two rare spirit herbs in remote corners and even located a mineral vein via the Tongxian Map, though it unfortunately fell within another clan's territory.

The journey proved far less monotonous than anticipated.

After more than forty days, Gu Changhuan finally crossed out of Qingzhou and entered Heng Prefecture.

The dominant power in Heng Prefecture was a sect known as the Shaoyang Sect.

The Shaoyang Sect was known to have two Nascent Soul cultivators, thirteen Golden Core cultivators, and nearly a hundred at Purple Mansion. Its strength in the middle ranks exceeded even the Haoran Sect's.

However, the local families and Rogue Cultivators in Heng Prefecture fared far worse than those in Qingzhou.

Ever since Qingzhou was established over three hundred years ago, Heng Prefecture's shared border with the demon tribes had shrunk significantly. Qingzhou absorbed the brunt of the pressure from the Demon Beasts, allowing the Shaoyang Sect to live in relative comfort.

As the Shaoyang Sect grew complacent, the plight of the surrounding Rogue Cultivators and minor clans worsened. Rogue Cultivators could easily pack up and leave for Qingzhou or Lanzhou, but family-based cultivators could not simply abandon their ancestral foundations. Trapped by high relocation costs, they had no choice but to endure the sect's heavy exploitation.

But the sect was not entirely foolish. A new leader had taken over more than a hundred years ago and abolished many unreasonable rules. Heng Prefecture had begun to recover, attracting rogue cultivators to replace many of those it had lost. Not everyone wanted to fight demon beasts to the death in Qingzhou.

Recent rumors regarding the Qingzhou Beast Tide, however, had caused prices across Heng Prefecture to climb.

Such changes had little impact on Gu Changhuan. He had not come to purchase spirit materials, and might even unload a surplus batch to turn a profit.

But Heng Prefecture was not Linyao Market. A Golden Core cultivator was said to oversee its largest market, Three-Sun Market. He would have to be careful.

Spirit Stones were valuable, but one only had a single life.