Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 218 - 164: Meteor Fall Abyss

The get-together by the lake was still underway.

Yu Qingyang got up, went to the lake for a moment, and returned with seven or eight large, red-whiskered, golden-scaled fish in hand. Meanwhile, Yu Yalan took out several Third Grade Spirit Beasts they had hunted on their journey.

Ling Changqing took a grill out of his Storage Pouch, cleaned and prepared the game, then skewered the pieces and began roasting them over the fire.

With the Divine Techniques available to Cultivators, handling such tedious tasks was far easier than it would be for ordinary people.

Before long, the chunks of meat on the grill began to slowly ooze a pale golden grease, and a tempting aroma filled the air.

The three of them ate and chatted, discussing the cooperative relationships between the Nine Great Families, some rather private anecdotes and amusing stories, and the major events that had occurred in the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm over the past few decades.

As prodigies specially groomed by the Yu Family, the Yu siblings were naturally well-versed in these matters, knowing them like the back of their hands and offering their own unique analyses.

Ling Changqing was somewhat lacking in this area, so he spent most of his time listening, which certainly broadened his horizons.

For instance, there was the story of the unlucky Patriarch of the Mu Family, who had recently been cuckolded. A dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch with over a hundred children, yet not a single one was his. It was... utterly outrageous!

Ling Changqing could only marvel inwardly at this. ’The waters of the Cultivation Realm truly run deep. All the deception and courtly intrigues of the Mortal Dynasties are just child’s play in comparison.’

"...There’s something I’ve never quite understood,"

Ling Changqing asked softly, "What is the true value of a Child of Destiny? Or rather, what kind of help can he really bring to your family?"

Yu Qingyang glanced at his cousin, then said after a moment of thought:

"To be honest, I wasn’t too clear on it before either. It was just all the old-timers in the family saying the same thing.

They said that as long as Ling Changqing could become an honored son-in-law of our Yu Family, the family would receive the aid of his supreme Luck and Fortune and would surely enter an era of great prosperity.

I imagine those old-timers are shrewd enough to squeeze oil from a stone; they wouldn’t make a losing bargain, would they?"

Ling Changqing shook his head and didn’t pursue the topic.

Seeing that the meat on the grill was just about ready, Yu Yalan got up, took the roasted beast meat off the fire, carved it with a small knife, and arranged it on a silver platter before bringing it to the table.

"...This is a special brew from our Yu Family. Fellow Daoist Wang, you must try some!"

Yu Qingyang then brought out two clay-gold wine jars, each half the height of a man, their seals shimmering with a faint Spiritual Light.

"That’s quite a bit! Looks like we can drink to our hearts’ content today!"

Ling Changqing laughed. This fellow’s tastes were quite similar to his own.

Yu Qingyang smiled earnestly. "I felt an instant kinship with you, Fellow Daoist Wang, so naturally I won’t be stingy with mere worldly possessions. Please, drink as much as you’d like. I have plenty of good wine to spare!"

"If you get drunk, you can crawl back by yourself. I certainly won’t be looking after you!"

Yu Yalan shot him an exasperated look and said irritably.

This Spirit Wine Nectar certainly tasted wonderful, but if one drank too much, even a Cultivator with limited Cultivation wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Ling Changqing smiled faintly. "Getting drunk won’t be an issue. I have sobering Elixirs, so please, drink your fill!"

"Is that so? Then I can have a few more cups myself!"

Yu Yalan’s smile was radiant, her snow-white Yu Yan faintly tinged with a blush.

Perhaps due to the subtle influence of Destiny, the Yu siblings’ impression of Ling Changqing at this moment was genuinely positive, though they themselves hadn’t consciously realized it.

Yu Qingyang broke the Seal on one of the jars. With a command of his Divine Thought, a stream of liquid, pure as amber, rose from the jar and landed steadily in the Bronze Wine Jar on the table, filling it perfectly—not a drop more, not a drop less.

Ling Changqing raised the Wine Jar, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, and drained it in one go.

Yu Yalan, however, sipped hers delicately. After all, the Spirit Wine was rather potent and quite strong, not entirely suitable for a Female Cultivator.

"By the way, when the Child of Destiny was in the Dragon Palace, did he really only have the Sixth Princess as his Dao Companion? No concubines or Maids or anything like that?"

Yu Qingyang asked, his expression grave.

Beside him, Yu Yalan’s delicate ears quietly perked up. This question was clearly very important to the Yu Family, and to her personally.

"That is indeed the case."

Ling Changqing nodded. There was no reason to hide something like this.

"Is that so? I find that hard to believe."

Yu Qingyang rubbed his chin, saying thoughtfully, "I heard that when he first entered Dragon Soul Valley, he had some contact with a group of Female Cultivators from the Liuying Family.

Somehow, that Flow Shadow Ice Cicada managed to get Ling Changqing to agree to take her as his Dao Companion, which suggests he... isn’t exactly resistant to feminine charms."

However, the Yu Family’s intelligence network had yet to clarify the details of the matter, so Yu Qingyang’s tone remained somewhat ambiguous.

But the Yu Family’s upper echelons believed they had found an opening, which was why they had dissolved Yu Yalan’s engagement, intending for her to win over Ling Changqing.

The other Eight Great Families, as well as certain major powers lurking in the shadows, had all formulated their own plans in response.

For these major powers who controlled vast resources, if they could win over a Child of Destiny, how hard could it be to arrange for a few outstanding, peerless beauties?

Ling Changqing chuckled. "It seems all the major powers have arrived at the same conclusion, then? That he must be particularly fond of beautiful women?"

Yu Qingyang said, "This is definitely good news for us. Our only fear would be if he had no weaknesses at all—the type who’s completely incorruptible. In that case, we’d be out of options!"

Wine, women, wealth, and status—these are desires that ordinary people cannot escape, and Cultivators are often even more prone to them, not less.