The ancestral land of the Helan Family, the gardenia blossom field.

It is the prime blooming season for gardenias, known for their overwhelmingly pleasant fragrance. Even sitting in the carriage, Helan Shang Le could smell this intense, somewhat vulgar scent. He pulled aside the curtain, watching the gardenias sway in the wind across the hills, suppressing the urge to sneeze.

The flower farmers, seeing the Helan flag on the carriage from afar, knelt on both sides of the road. There were nearly a thousand flower farmers tending to this field, including more than a dozen Third-Turn Messengers equipped with planting tokens as farm supervisors. Thanks to their meticulous care, this flower field remains vibrant throughout the year, regardless of the seasonal changes.

As the carriage approached the fortress entrance, the mechanism inside the gate instantly clattered, rising up. The housekeeper, who had been waiting for some time, stepped forward to assist Helan Shang Le off the carriage.

"How has the old ancestor been feeling lately?"

"As usual, although he’s been eating less at lunch."

"Not appealing to his taste?" Helan Shang Le felt a pang in his heart.

"The kitchen maid has already made various changes, preparing meals the old ancestor used to enjoy," the housekeeper said in a lowered voice. "It happens sometimes. Sometimes it lasts a month, sometimes a season. It might just be a temporary change."

Helan Shang Le pondered for a moment, "Let’s halt the Spiritual Jade mining in the morning and evening and see if it improves. If there’s still no improvement, we’ll stop it altogether. The old ancestor’s health is most important; everything else can wait."

"Understood, I’ll have someone call for a stop immediately," the housekeeper replied, "Shall we follow the usual routine for bathing and changing clothes?"

"No need, this time there’s an urgent matter," Helan Shang Le took a few steps before stopping again, "Forget the bath, just change clothes."

The housekeeper was well prepared; the clothes for Helan Shang Le had been kept in the flower cabinet for a long time, infused with fragrance. Once he put them on, the scent rushed into his nose, but he managed to suppress the discomfort by slightly circulating his Qi Blood, being a Third-Turn Messenger.

Outside, four sturdy servants were already waiting. Helan Shang Le settled into the sedan chair, and the servants lifted it, carrying him through the fortress.

It wasn’t that Helan Shang Le was too lazy to walk, but because the fortress was built against the mountain, the route to the Secret Realm Gate required quite an uphill journey. Though it was still relatively cool, walking it himself would inevitably cause some sweating. The mix of sweat and floral fragrance would be especially noticeable, best avoided if possible.

Passing through three gates, Helan Shang Le arrived at the military town constantly guarded by dozens of crossbow-bearing households. At the center, a temple stands, with a faint green swirl at its entrance.

Here lays the Fourth-Turn Secret Realm, temple-on-the-mountain, governed by the Helan Family.

Helan Shang Le took a deep breath and stepped through the Secret Realm Gate on his own.

After entering the Secret Realm, the scenery changed drastically. The heavily guarded fortress disappears, leaving only dense forests blocking the sky. It’s said this was the original appearance of the gardenia field outside a hundred years ago. This place was naturally unsuitable for habitation, being too far from water sources, with complex mountain roads and rugged terrain. The Helan Family spent nearly a century turning it into a secluded paradise.

Though from the outside the Secret Realm still appeared as a temple, it has transformed inside into a vast, exquisite village. Yes, exquisite—even though most of the structures were made from locally sourced wood, each one was meticulously crafted, simple yet elegant. The furniture was both practical and beautiful, without rough edges.

To achieve this effect, about eight hundred carpenters remained on standby in the fortress. Every time the Secret Realm reset, they could rebuild the temple into its current form within five days, and these craftsmen have been supported by the Helan Family for decades.

"Uncle!"

"Uncle!"

"Uncle!"

As someone entered, children from the village immediately ran over, chattering excitedly. Helan Shang Le was prepared, and the snacks in his pocket were soon divided among them. Watching them noisily chase each other, the frustration he felt due to recent political changes dissipated considerably, making him feel rejuvenated by a few years.

The Helan family’s descendants, between the ages of five and twelve, were mandatory residents of the temple-on-the-mountain, where mentors taught knowledge, guided in martial arts, and cultivated habits. They could only return home for one month a year, and it couldn’t be during reunions like Mid-Autumn or New Year’s, avoiding the place being half-empty. Servants were forbidden from accompanying, and even clothes had to be washed by themselves...

Although the rules might seem excessively strict for these children, hardly anyone refused to send their children here. Even relatives of the Helan Family would voluntarily send their children. Everyone sensed the environment’s benefits: Growing up together for seven years, the children would likely forge strong friendships that would be invaluable connections.

Moreover, the Helan Family’s teaching philosophy proved effective. Compared to other Six Pillars of the Nation, the Helan Family’s scoundrels were among the lower-middle level. Even if the aristocrats weren’t fearful of their offspring’s misdeeds, who wouldn’t prefer well-behaved, upright descendants over those running amok?

Despite these reasons, letting their children go for seven years was something most parents found hard to accept. They did so willingly, bearing a greater hope—that their children might earn the favor of the old ancestor.

Helan Shang Le walked through the village, each breath felt like drawing Spiritual Qi deep into his body. This wasn’t an illusion—it was a characteristic shared by Fourth-Turn Secret Realms: spiritual energy was so abundant it could be directly absorbed. About an hour of meditation here would completely replenish his Spiritual Power.

But do children benefit from an environment rich with Spiritual Qi? Hard to say, but there seems to be no downside.

The village has two paths: one leading deeper to the temple, and the other to the Spiritual Spring.

The water from the Spiritual Spring is sweet and refreshing, but more important is the Spirit Jade Mine beneath it. Each month, the Helan Family earns nearly three hundred thousand Spirit Jade in profits after sharing dividends with other families.

During the initial conquest of the Secret Realm, Foundation Establishment·Treasure Bottle True Man of the Helan Family invited Foundation Establishment Zhenren from other families to assist, and casually allocated shares of the Spirit Jade Mine to them. Even afterward, when the Helan Family conquered the Secret Realm independently, Spirit Jade continued to be distributed to other families.

Ultimately, the Foundation Establishments don’t regard the Spirit Jade Mine as significant; merely as a token gift.

Who would take back a gift?

However, going forward, the Helan Family can gain several thousand more Spirit Jade, especially now that the Ba River Pharmacist Family is gone, reducing one of the dividend-sharing families.

The steward’s notification had arrived, and the miners returned home early. From afar, upon seeing Helan Shang Le, they instinctively wanted to kneel. But the mine supervisor quickly kicked them, awakening them to merely join hands and nod respectfully.

Their gratitude was sincere. Working here as a miner was a coveted job for all mortals nearby. The Helan Family provided ample food and shelter, and many believed that staying in the Secret Realm made it easier to transition to a messenger.

Helan Shang Le sighed in relief, recognizing that outside might be different, but in this place, visible to the ancestors, only they were worthy of kneeling to. Even as the Helan Family Patriarch, he couldn’t overstep.

He arrived at the temple entrance, where a handsome and valiant servant opened the grand door for him. Inside, though still reflecting temple architecture, expanded and remodeled extensively by Helan Family craftsmen, to resemble a palace. Inside, there were no male servants; even the kitchen maid was replaced with girls of sixteen to twenty-eight, the oldest not over twenty-six; those with less-than-perfect skin lost the right to serve here.

Seeing Helan Shang Le arrive, they hid behind the doors whispering to each other, lively as orioles and parrots, but Helan Shang Le glanced straight ahead and respectfully presented the visiting card: "Unworthy descendant Helan Shang Le seeks audience with the ancestor."

The abundance of beautiful girls wasn’t because the ancestor was lustful; rather, everyone in the Helan Family hoped he was.

Though the descendants of Foundation Establishment Messengers might not have extraordinary talents, the Helan Family’s aim was someone to communicate with the ancestor. The children outside and the girls here had this purpose in mind: if anyone became his disciple or concubine, the Helan Family’s connection with the ancestor would strengthen, and they could ask him to intervene.

The glance of a Foundation Establishment Messenger could let a mortal leap through the dragon gate. Even though mostly futile, the Helan Family would exert all effort for even a fraction of a chance.

Unfortunately, it may be the nature of Foundation Establishment Messengers; most have no descendants after achieving Foundation Establishment, rarely having partners. Apart from Qi Shenwu and Empress Lou, who birthed six daughters after both establishing Foundation, Helan Shang Le hadn’t seen another case.

At this moment, the doors opened, and a maid said, "Winter Hunting Zhenren will meet you in the Buddha hall."

Helan Shang Le removed his straw sandals and walked slowly on the wooden floor. Before entering the Buddha hall’s main entrance, the maids presented a copper basin filled with water, even though Helan Shang Le had washed beforehand, he still cleaned hands and rinsed mouth here.

Meeting a True Man requires performing the hand-washing ritual first.

The maids parted the doors from both sides; Helan Shang Le lowered his head, gazing at the ground, his heart pounding. Though he was a sixty-year-old Patriarch of the Helan Family, and one of the Six Pillars of the Nation Duke Wu, every time he came to this place, he was still overcome with nervousness.

He took a deep breath: "Unworthy descendant Helan Shang Le pays respect to Winter Hunting Zhenren!"

"Enter."

A gentle voice resonated in the Buddha hall, neither young nor old, reminiscent of a hunter in his prime. Helan Shang Le stepped carefully into the Buddha hall, kneeling before an empty meditation mat, "Grandfather, how have you been lately?"

"Same as ever, neither good nor bad, it’s just another year of flowers blooming and wilting. Raise your head."

One addressed as grandfather by the aged Patriarch Helan Shang Le, respected with such reverence, might be imagined as an emaciated old man, exuding dark aura from nostrils. But upon Helan Shang Le lifting his head, what appeared was a youthful man with flowing white hair.

He wasn’t especially handsome, wearing a deep black robe, with hair casually tied with a wooden pin, sitting cross-legged on the meditation mat, fingers interlocked in a gesture of meditation. Beside him was a white porcelain vase, with a gardenia within.

He seemed an ordinary Taoist, yet his tranquil eyes held thunder and wind, making Helan Shang Le’s eyes sting upon meeting his gaze, instinctively looking down.

The figure before him was the sole Foundation Establishment of the Helan Family, Winter Hunting Zhenren Helan Shou.

As a youth, he witnessed Zhou Taizu’s grandeur and successfully established Foundation soon before the passing of the previous Foundation Establishment·Treasure Vase True Man Helan Bottle, perfectly inheriting the Helan Family’s Foundation legacy, sustaining their authority to this day.