In the courtyard, there were a total of twenty-seven children.
The youngest among them were only seven or eight years old, and the oldest were no more than eleven or twelve.
Because most of them had been orphans, these children looked somewhat sallow and thin.
Even after months of care, their complexions remained unhealthy.
With a mere sweep of his spiritual sense, Ji Yuan discovered that most of the children's vitality had not yet fully recovered.
"I'll get some qi-nourishing and vitality-restoring elixirs for them later," he said to the shopkeeper beside him.
Before he could nod in agreement, although Mingxinxuan was not lacking in such elixirs, they would not be casually given to the children.
This was because even a low-grade elixir cost a considerable amount of silver.
If Ji Yuan was not satisfied with these children, spending so much would clearly be uneconomical.
The shopkeeper quickly nodded in agreement. In fact, the corresponding items were already prepared and could be arranged at any moment once he gave the word.
"We can have the alchemists teach them the basics," Ji Yuan said casually as he turned to leave the courtyard.
Although he intended to nurture them, he naturally would not spend his time teaching a group of young children the fundamentals of alchemy.
While alchemists were rare, with Mingxinxuan's influence, they had managed to recruit quite a number.
Among them were several alchemists who, while perhaps not possessing exceptional alchemy skills, were very good at teaching foundational knowledge.
These individuals had already been designated, and now that he had spoken, they could be summoned at any time.
"In another period of time, a group of people should arrive," Ji Yuan said to the shopkeeper beside him, after some thought. "They are my people, so I'll trouble you to make arrangements for them."
After coming out of seclusion, he had sent a message back to Feiyun County, asking Li Buwei to arrange for a group of people to come.
Since he had decided to establish his influence in Luoxia County, he could not be without his own people.
No matter how good his relationship with Qian Nishang was, he always used people from the Qian family or Mingxinxuan.
And by his side, apart from Xue Yang and a few others he considered his own, he had no one else to rely on.
Mo Yiyan was leading the people from the Water God Temple, busy expanding its incense and offerings elsewhere, to the point of being overwhelmed.
Considering the time, the people from Xuantian Guan should also be arriving soon.
The shopkeeper beside him responded. Qian Nishang had already given him instructions; he would be working closely with Ji Yuan for the foreseeable future.
After a tour of Chunfeng Yuan, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
He was naturally very satisfied with the mansion, but without suitable and powerful formations, it could not be used for now.
Upon returning to the top floor of the Mingxinxuan shop, he was invited into Qian Nishang's study.
"What is it?"
In the study at this moment, the shopkeepers and stewards belonging to Qian Nishang's faction were mostly present.
And every one of them had a worried expression on their faces, as if they had encountered some trouble.
"Someone couldn't hold back and made their move," Qian Nishang said gravely.
Ji Yuan was not surprised by this and had even been mentally prepared.
Given Mingxinxuan's current development momentum, it was normal for some people to become restless.
However, due to a fierce battle more than half a year ago, combined with the cooperation between the Shanhe Gang and the Mingjian Division, as well as the numerous inner disciples and third-realm elders of the Jiuxuan Sect,
This had allowed Mingxinxuan a period of about half a year of peace.
But that period was likely coming to an end.
"Who made the move?" he asked slowly as he took a seat.
In response, a middle-aged man spoke. He was the highest-ranking among the shopkeepers.
"Forces from outside the county town, mostly led by those in the second realm, with only one family having a presence in the third realm."
He pondered, "They are all pawns pushed out to test our reaction."
Although they were just pawns, their strength was not weak, and they were all local powers. Dealing with them would be troublesome.
Most importantly, these minor forces were definitely backed by powerful individuals in the shadows.
And how many such hidden powers existed was unknown.
Their intelligence could only determine a general scope.
"At least five third-realm cultivators!" a steward responsible for intelligence stated.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded slightly. It seemed at least three to five forces were unable to wait any longer.
Third-realm cultivators were considered rare, but only in comparison.
Ordinarily, only one out of hundreds or even thousands of second-realm cultivators would manage to break through by chance.
Only sects like Jiuxuan Sect, with disciples of exceptional talent, could possess a large number of third-realm cultivators.
As for ordinary forces, while they might not have twenty or thirty third-realm cultivators, they could produce three to five.
Of course, for small sects, having even one was considered lucky.
Furthermore, third-realm cultivators were divided into different tiers.
The strongest tier naturally belonged to those who had cultivated anomalous phenomena or condensed the Three Flowers on the Crown.
If they were under a hundred years old, they could be considered prodigies of their generation.
However, such individuals were exceedingly rare. Even in a sect like Shenxuan Sect, having four or five among the disciples of a generation was the limit.
Third-realm elders like the middle-aged man with white hair were accumulated over three hundred years of cultivation.
The next tier consisted of those with special spiritual bodies or exceptional talent.
These third-realm cultivators, in addition to practicing profound techniques and possessing high-grade spiritual artifacts, also had special attributes.
The third tier of third-realm cultivators represented the standard of ordinary sects and were the backbone of various forces.
They possessed complete inheritances and guidance from elder masters, making their combat power considerable.
The last tier comprised rogue cultivators from mountains and marshes or unaffiliated individuals.
Most of them had broken through bottlenecks through various coincidences or by consuming spiritual elixirs.
Even those who broke through on their own would have incomplete techniques or insufficient resources,
Leading to their significantly weaker strength.
Although the number of such third-realm cultivators was vast, they had never been taken seriously by anyone.
Except for the Supervisory Department of the imperial court, who favored recruiting such cannon fodder.
"We only have five third-realm cultivators in hand, and each of them is needed in their respective positions," Qian Nishang said.
As one of the proprietors of Mingxinxuan, the Qian family naturally had other third-realm cultivators.
However, each of them had their own duties and could not be easily moved.
Ji Yuan nodded and then looked towards Lin Yubai beside him.
Upon seeing this, Lin Yubai's eyes lit up.
However, Qian Nishang asked with some concern, "Won't this cause any trouble?"
Once Lin Yubai and the others made a move, it would be seen as representing the attitude of the Jiuxuan Sect.
And in the eyes of some ambitious individuals, it would mean that the Jiuxuan Sect was supporting Qian Nishang, or even trying to extend their influence into Luoxia County.
"If it were before, then indeed there would be cause for concern," Ji Yuan replied, shaking his head. "But since someone has already lost patience and made a move, then there is no problem."
What he had worried about previously was causing unnecessary trouble.
But now that someone had initiated action, the situation would naturally change.