NOVEL NEXT Chapter 711: 711 preparation
Tan Shaoting felt that he wouldn't want to eat beast meat for a long time.
Having completed the task, he received a task completion plaque, which he could exchange for points and Spirit Stones once he returned to the Task Hall.
With two days left, he planned to take a good look around the workshop. After all, he still hadn't found that piece of purple stone.
He searched all the shops, even going into one with a white stone to ask around.
But still nothing. Tan Shaoting refused to give up, so he went to the stalls and asked many sellers, but they all didn't know about it.
Being a cultivator, Tan Shaoting knew that some things just couldn't be forced.
However, he bought plenty of Spirit Rice and Spirit Fruit and also went to the Magic Robe Pavilion to buy high-level vestment robes for the children.
He prepared two sets for himself and bought five sets for his wife, imagining she would look particularly beautiful in them.
He was well aware that several female cultivators were watching him but didn't take it to heart.
After buying the vestment robes and leaving, the female cultivators in the Magic Robe Pavilion were quite lively.
"Could these be for the senior sister?"
"How's that possible? Didn't you see how he treated the senior sister that day? Even his children don't like her.
It's hard to be a stepmother, especially when the man shows no interest at all."
"Then why did he buy women's robes?"
"Who knows? Isn't their mother dead?"
At this point, a female cultivator who had been silent suddenly spoke up, "He never mentioned whether his partner is alive or dead."
The gossiping ones fell silent, realizing there was some truth to that statement.
"It seems the senior sister has no hope. Tan Shaoting indeed looks fine, but given the appearance of his three children, his partner must be extremely beautiful too."
Tan Shaoting remained unaware of the discussions behind him and wouldn't care even if he did.
He knew many people liked such gossip, and the more one explained, the more material it gave others to talk about.
He also went to Duobao Pavilion to buy a Fifth Rank Concealing Array, unsure if he would need it.
Fearing a substantial commotion if he managed to meet his wife, which could cause trouble.
He also inquired about the purple stone at Duobao Pavilion, and they promised to help him look for it.
After that, he didn't linger in the workshop and returned to the Sect to recount the points and Spirit Stones before heading home.
This time, he didn't take any tasks, and with twenty days free, he planned to take the kids to the back mountain in five days.
The Shushan Sect back mountain consists of about twenty peaks, planning to go deeper, which would surely be dangerous. However, it was safe for him and his three sons.
He returned home and informed the children about leaving the Sect for the back mountain.
The three children quickly responded, saying they were all set and could leave right away.
This reassured Tan Shaoting. The children were very eager to see their mom.
Afterward, he calmed his mind for cultivation, and time flew by swiftly. On the morning of the fifth day, he first picked up Qi Yan.
The four of them went to the Task Hall to register since they were going out, even if just to the Sect's back mountain, it still required registration.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the cafeteria, we'll pack lots of food."
The three children had no objections; in fact, it seemed more reasonable this way.
It felt like going on a leisurely exploration, looking very relaxed.
"Dad, are there a lot of demon beasts in the mountains?"
Tan Shaoting nodded, "Yes. But the level won't be too high, after all, it's the Sect's back mountain."
The three children were excited; this was a chance for both fun and training.
In the back mountain, there were some young, very ordinary Spirit Plants. This was normal since early Qi Cultivation Stage disciples typically visited here. The Shushan Sect alone had tens of thousands of Qi Cultivation Stage disciples, all requiring cultivation resources. For early-stage cultivators, the back mountain was the safest.
Tan Shaoting also wanted to train the kids, so he followed them from behind.
In this environment, Qi Hong felt right at home, having a Single Wood Spirit Root was no joke. The affinity with plants was unmatched by other Spirit Roots.
With Tan Shaoting following them, they smoothly progressed. The children even used some low-level demon beasts for practice.
Qi Yan's swordsmanship made Qi Hong and Qi Wen very envious.
"You two can exchange for Swordsmanship from the Scripture Pavilion after completing this task. It makes sense to learn how to use swords later on."
Father and the three sons steadily advanced into the deep mountains.
Meanwhile, Su Yuanyuan rarely went out. They initially thought about exchanging antiques in the city but found it impractical upon arrival. They had to do it secretly, which was very troublesome. So they decided to collaborate with a city dweller.
He would collect more items, and Su Yuanyuan would come to retrieve them.
Though this method was risky. After two attempts, Su Yuanyuan stopped.
They then started resting in the village, with their daily activity being Zeng Hongling experimenting with cooking.
On this day, Su Yuanyuan was reading at home, all by herself. Zeng Hongling was at the beach with the children.
She heard a knock on the door and saw Zhou Yongheng outside, causing her to frown slightly.
Nonetheless, she went to open the door, unsurprised by his visit.
"Su Yuanyuan, I heard you were here, so I came by to see you."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for taking the trouble to bring this over personally," Su Yuanyuan replied calmly, standing at the door without any intention of inviting Zhou Yongheng in.
"Why so formal? Aren't you going to offer me a drink?"
"Of course, please come in, although I don't think it's much suitable for Mr. Zhou here."
Zhou Yongheng followed behind Su Yuanyuan, watching her back with a gloomy look in his eyes.
He couldn't believe Shao Hongming would do the same, insisting on coming in for a drink. Did this mean they looked down on him?
Actually, if it weren't for her abilities and the protection of a top leader, he wouldn't care so much for her.
Though she was quite beautiful, she was married and had children.
He felt wronged but decided to try again this year for his career because he usually had no idea where she was. There wasn't even a chance to get familiar.
As there was no living room, Su Yuanyuan had no choice but to invite Zhou Yongheng to sit in the central room. The two girls also dined here, with tables and benches placed in the central area.
"Please have a seat, Mr. Zhou, I'll start boiling water."
"No need to trouble yourself, Su Yuanyuan. I'm fine with any kind of water."
Su Yuanyuan indeed didn't move, but she found a new cup and poured water from a thermos to hand to him.