Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 578 Back to the Thatched Cottage! 8th Prince Qin Zhan!

Baicaotang Imperial City Branch.

Manager Qian was looking through the account books behind the counter when he looked up and saw the familiar figure in the gray robe. He quickly put down the account books and came over, smiling broadly as he led Chen Fan to a private room on the third floor.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, your arrival is just in time. The Eighteenth Elder sent a message a couple of days ago asking if the sacred beast's food was running out, and asked me to urge you to hurry it up," Manager Qian said with a smile as he brewed tea.

Chen Fan took out a storage bag from his sleeve and placed it on the table: "Two hundred thousand catties of spirit rice, one hundred and fifty thousand catties of radishes, and one hundred thousand catties of sweet potatoes, which is thirty percent more than last time. In addition, there are a few Nascent Soul level magic treasures that I don't need. I would appreciate it if Manager Qian could help me estimate their value and exchange them for spirit stones."

Shopkeeper Qian took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense. His smile widened: "No problem, no problem. Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I will take care of it right away."

Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and suddenly said, "Manager Qian, I have a question for you."

Shopkeeper Qian paused, then turned around: "Fellow Daoist, please speak."

"How much does Baicaotang know about Qin Taiyue?"

Shopkeeper Qian's eyes flickered slightly. He sat down opposite Chen Fan again and lowered his voice, saying, "Vice Minister Qin? This man is no simpleton. He is from a collateral branch of the Qin family of the Great Yu royal family. Although not a direct descendant, he is deeply trusted by the current emperor because of his profound cultivation and steady approach to affairs. The position of Vice Minister of War holds military power, and there are few officials in the entire court who dare to challenge him directly. More importantly, he is one of the leading figures in the royal family who advocate suppressing the Eight Great Families."

Chen Fan put down his teacup: "Suppressing the Eight Great Families?"

Shopkeeper Qian nodded, his voice lowering slightly: "Fellow Daoist Chen, you may not know this, but the Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom appears peaceful on the surface, yet undercurrents are turbulent. The Eight Great Families have expanded their power far too quickly in recent years, with Nascent Soul Ancestors emerging one after another, their influence spreading throughout the four major cultivation kingdoms. They are no longer the vassal families that relied on the royal family's whims. Take the Sealed Land, for example. According to the rules, that place originally belonged to the royal family, but the Eight Great Families, relying on their numbers and strength, gradually wrested control of the Sealed Land from the royal family's hands, leaving the royal family with not even a small share. Although the King doesn't say it aloud, he has long been harboring resentment."

The eight great families are closely allied, with over ten Nascent Soul stage cultivators combined—more than the royal family can mobilize. Although the royal family has a deep foundation, their chances of winning a direct confrontation are slim. Therefore, in recent years, the royal family has been secretly plotting, on the one hand, winning over powerful figures among the independent cultivators, and on the other hand, seeking to create rifts among the eight great families. Qin Taiyue's actions outside the Ten Thousand Demon Valley for you this time may not have been entirely out of public interest; he most likely values ​​your strength and wants to bring you to the royal family's side so he can use you against the eight great families in the future.

Chen Fan remained silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Has the conflict between the royal family and the eight great families reached this point?"

"It's just a matter of time before we break through the barrier." Manager Qian sighed. "In recent years, the Eight Great Families have increasingly disregarded the royal family. Imperial decrees cannot even leave the capital, and tax revenue from various prefectures is decreasing year by year. The prestige of the royal family has plummeted. If it weren't for the fact that the ruler's cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage could still intimidate the powerful, the Eight Great Families would probably have torn off that fig leaf long ago."

Chen Fan picked up the teacup and drank the slightly cool tea in one gulp.

The words Qin Taiyue spoke to him in the bamboo forest now corroborate what Manager Qian said, confirming that the conflict between the Dayu court and the Eight Great Families had indeed reached a point of extreme tension.

Qin Taiyue protected him not only for the purpose of selecting a candidate for the Zhao state, but also to win over a capable fighter for the royal family.

This may not be a bad thing for him; at least when the royal family still needs him, the royal family will not dare to act rashly.

"There's one more thing," Chen Fan put down his teacup, "Who led Da Yu's delegation to Zhao State for the selection of tribute officials?"

Shopkeeper Qian smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, if you don't ask, I was just about to bring it up. The leader of this expedition is the current king's younger brother, the Eighth Prince Qin Zhan. He is chivalrous and forthright, quite unlike those scheming officials in the capital. He has led troops in the field for many years and fought many tough battles against the demonic cultivators of the Boundless Sea. Although his cultivation is only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his combat power is extremely strong. He once fought against a late-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator with his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and was not defeated. More importantly, he never uses his power to oppress others and is quite respectful to cultivators from the rogue cultivators. He has an excellent reputation among rogue cultivators. Fellow Daoist, you don't need to worry about being made difficult by him when you go to Zhao Kingdom with him."

"Qin Zhan..." Chen Fan murmured the name to himself, then nodded. "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Manager Qian."

Shopkeeper Qian waved his hands repeatedly: "Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. You are a distinguished guest of the Eighteenth Elder, and therefore a distinguished guest of Hundred Herbs Hall. This little bit of news is nothing. By the way, I have already appraised the price of your batch of magic treasures. The seven Nascent Soul level magic treasures, plus the materials from before, are worth a total of 150,000 mid-grade spirit stones. Including the payment for the 1.2 million catties of spiritual plants, the total is 156,000 mid-grade spirit stones. I have already deposited them into this storage ring. Please take a look."

Chen Fan took the storage ring and scanned it with his divine sense. The number was exactly as described. He then put it into his sleeve, stood up and took his leave.

Manager Qian personally escorted the man to the door, watching him disappear around the street corner before stroking his beard and returning to the shop.

It was dusk when we returned to the inn.

Chen Fan had just sat down in the side room and hadn't even had a sip of tea when he heard light footsteps outside the courtyard.

A moment later, a knock sounded at the door, and a deep, steady voice came from outside: "Is Fellow Daoist Chen here? I have been ordered by Vice Minister Qin to invite you to my residence for a chat."

Chen Fan pushed open the door, and standing outside was a steward dressed in a black robe, the same one who had guided him through the bamboo forest that day.

The steward bowed and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, the Eighth Prince has graced Minister Qin's residence with his presence today. He heard of your deeds in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons and greatly admired them. He has specially ordered me to invite you to come and meet him."

Eighth Prince Qin Zhan?

Chen Fan's heart stirred slightly. Manager Qian had just mentioned this person, and this person had already sent someone to invite him; the news traveled far too fast.

However, he remained expressionless and simply nodded, saying, "Thank you for leading the way."

Qin Taiyue's mansion was located on the east side of the imperial city, covering a vast area. Two jade unicorns in front of the gate gleamed with a warm luster in the twilight.

The black-robed steward led Chen Fan through three courtyards, not heading towards the bamboo grove from last time, but directly to a brightly lit hall.

The palace doors were wide open, and a table of food and drink had already been set out inside.

Qin Taiyue, still dressed in a moon-white long robe, sat upright on the right side of the main seat.

In the main seat sat a burly middle-aged man.

This man looked to be in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, a wide mouth, and strikingly bright eyes.

He wasn't wearing an official robe, but a set of worn-out black iron armor. The armor plates were covered with sword and blade marks of varying depths, and some of the marks even faintly revealed traces of demonic energy.

He sat there without emitting any spiritual energy, yet he possessed an imposing aura, like a battle-hardened longsword whose sharpness, though unsheathed, was enough to make people dare not look directly at him.

Qin Zhan, the Eighth Prince, is in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.