Chapter 82: The Venom of the Green Serpent

Ten miles from the city of Qingyuan Commandery, nestled among the emerald peaks of Bamboo Mountain, the Gao family had established their roots.

The mountain rose several hundred fathoms high, its slopes gentle and unhurried. Deep within lay a spiritual node, nourishing it with spiritual energy throughout the year. Bamboo grew in abundance, rolling in waves as far as the eye could see—a sea of green undimmed even by days of relentless rain, its beauty ever unspoiled.

"Zixuan, do you feel these days the weather grows stranger and stranger?" The words came from Gao Siyuan, head of the Gao family, as he gazed out from the mountaintop over the endless, drizzling gloom. His figure was thin beneath his blue robes, his hair wholly white and gathered with a jade crown. His skin sagged, his eyes were sunken, and he looked like a man already half-decayed. Yet, few in the vast expanse of Qingyuan Commandery dared underestimate him. The Gao family owed its present stature to his labors.

Before Gao Siyuan’s rise, the Gao family had already been a cultivator’s household, yet its strongest member was merely at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement. Step by step, Gao Siyuan had raised them to rank among the top three families in Qingyuan, on equal footing with the venerable Lu and Wen clans. The Lu family were the true tigers of the land, having played a key role in the founding of the commandery, while the Wen family had migrated from the royal capital, their heritage equally profound. The Gao’s journey to stand alongside them had not been an easy one.

The young man beside him glanced at the sky, a trace of vexation crossing his pale, bloodless face—so white it seemed cut from paper. His features were long, his hair naturally wavy, and his narrow, greenish eyes shone with an unusual luster. This was Gao Zixuan, the family’s chosen scion, a peer of Lu Xuanping, yet already more advanced in cultivation. At twenty-four, he had nearly completed his Sense Awakening, a step away from Qi Refinement.

"Uncle, are we simply to let the matter of the River Pirates rest? No matter what, Iron Butcher was our family’s hound. For the Lu family to act as they did is a direct slap in our face! And that so-called Peaceful Sect—clearly they’re propping it up on purpose…" Gao Zixuan’s voice brimmed with suppressed anger, voicing his discontent.

Gao Siyuan turned to him slowly. "Then what do you think should be done?"

His gaze was calm and unreadable, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Meeting that tranquil stare, Zixuan felt that deep-seated dread rise in his bones, and the words he’d been about to utter caught in his throat. In the end, he could only lower his head in silence.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Gao Siyuan’s eyes. How he wished Zixuan would argue with him.

"In future, stay away from your third uncle. That hound Iron Butcher was never truly ours, and he deserved his fate. Our family’s rise has been too swift. Now is not the time to contest with the Lu family, but to strengthen ourselves. As for the Peaceful Sect, it’s nothing but a decrepit group formed by some early-stage cultivator under the Lu family’s patronage. They call it an immortal sect, but it can’t even muster five proper cultivators. What threat could it possibly pose?"

"You are the Gao family’s chosen scion. Your sole focus now should be cultivation. When you reach the peak of Qi Refinement, or even forge your Foundation, then you may act as you wish—none will dare gainsay you."

His tone was earnest and heavy with meaning, and Zixuan could only answer sullenly, "Yes, Uncle."

"I’ll return to my cultivation now," he muttered, fleeing as if from a cage.

Watching Zixuan’s retreating figure, Gao Siyuan let out a long sigh. "Is it that I have coddled him too much? If I were to fall, who would uphold the Gao family then?"

Through his nephew’s silhouette, he peered into the family’s uncertain future. Zixuan possessed talent, that much was true. If only he could devote himself wholeheartedly, he might well reach or even surpass Qi Refinement. Yet his temperament fell short.

"With his disposition, Zixuan is ill-suited to steer the family. Still, in the cultivation world, strength is paramount. So long as he’s powerful enough, all else is secondary. My task is to shield him for as long as I can, to keep the storms at bay."

A faint greenish hue crept across his face. Gao Siyuan grimaced, suppressing the pain. When calm finally returned, a bead of sweat slipped from his temple, and he seemed to stoop just a little more.

"This strange weather cannot last. If it continues, the Qingyuan River will surely flood. That, however, is not my worry—the commandery governor must deal with it. What concerns me more is Five Immortals Mountain. Perhaps a true spirit object fit for forging a Foundation has emerged there… but whose hands has it fallen into? Could it be hers?"

"If it really is her…"

Gazing toward Five Immortals Mountain, an intense turmoil surged within him—anger, hatred, and unresolved knots flickered across his weary face and would not fade for a long time.

"Others compare my family with the Lus and the Wens, even some fools within the family believe it. Yet how many truly know the essential difference that remains? The Gao family’s current position depends solely on the needs of the commandery governor—or rather, the court."

"The royal clan and the immortal families rule together, unified in name but divided at heart. The dynasty’s policy toward the regions has always been one of division and balance. The Wen family’s migration from the capital to Qingyuan was precisely for this reason. But as time passed, the Wens and Lus have grown ever more amicable, which is exactly what the court does not wish to see."

"It’s for this reason alone that the Gao family stands as it does. But our rise has been so swift, hidden dangers abound. One misstep and everything could come crashing down. The matter of the River Pirates is small, yet it hints that the Lus’ patience has reached its limit."

As these thoughts collided, Gao Siyuan’s sense of danger grew keener. Others only saw the Gao family’s glory, but he alone saw the peril beneath. Every step forward was like treading thin ice.

"We must make a gesture over the River Pirates, or the commandery governor will be dissatisfied. Yet the response must be measured, lest we provoke the Lus too much. The governor’s promises sound pleasant, but cannot be relied upon. Otherwise, the Gao family might vanish without ever knowing why."

"Even mastery in Qi Refinement is not enough…"

Suppressing his tangled thoughts, Gao Siyuan regained his composure. Casting one last glance at the leaden sky, he turned and entered his place of cultivation. Hidden deep within the mountain, the chamber was entwined with countless bamboo roots, from which a faint azure miasma emanated—the Azure Serpent Miasma.

The Gao family had claimed this spiritual node, and their signature spirit plant was the Azure Scale Bamboo, also called Serpent Bamboo. This bamboo was fine in quality, capable of spiritual resonance, and, with proper refinement, an excellent material for crafting magical implements. That was only its most obvious property.

The Azure Serpent Miasma was a spirit substance secreted by the bamboo forest, cultivated through hidden methods. It was itself a spiritual treasure.

Inside the secret chamber, Gao Siyuan seated himself on a meditation mat and began his cultivation. Gradually, threads of the miasma drifted toward him, and with each wisp absorbed, his face grew a shade paler. The Azure Serpent Miasma was both spirit and poison. Its entry into the body brought searing, heart-piercing pain; one misstep and the miasma would invade the heart, killing instantly. Every cultivation session was a gamble with death.

Even if he survived, over time it would still sap his lifespan. Yet in return, it weakened the barriers within the acupoints, making it easier to open them and improve one’s cultivation. Gao Siyuan’s meteoric rise owed much to this miasma—he had never been the natural genius others imagined him to be.