Even a mundane object, if exposed to the aura of the Flame Emperor for a long time, would become remarkable, let alone a divine palace that was extraordinary in its own right.
This Flame Emperor Divine Palace, at the very least, was a top-tier post-natal treasure, serving as one of the Jiang Family's ancestral treasures.
Around this divine palace, there were mountainous terrains, long corridors, pavilions, towers, small bridges, and flowing water; a carefully planned and intricate layout. This delicate scenery stood in stark contrast to the surrounding desolate environment.
This, then, was where the members of the Jiang clan lived.
Times changed, and the individuals of that era had long since followed the Flame Emperor to the Fire Cloud Cave. The current clan members, naturally, could not fashion their dwellings after the style of the ancient times.
...
This desolate landscape was the real Jiang Family.
As for the village outside, it was a façade that the Jiang family presented to the world. The proverbial idea of a deep-rooted identity concealed in plain sight was precisely this.
Upon returning here, Jiang Zixuan turned to Jiang Chen and said, "You should go back, there's nothing for you here."
Without waiting for Jiang Chen to respond, he hurriedly left.
Given the significant events in Xianyang, the first thing Jiang Zixuan had to do was naturally discuss with the clan elders the impact of these events on the Human Race. As for Jiang Chen's matters, he had no time to attend to them at the moment.
After Jiang Zixuan left, Jiang Chen wandered around the desolate land for a while. Finding it uninteresting, he left directly.
Leaving the desolate land, he entered the ordinary Jiang Village that was now before his eyes.
Inside and outside the ancestral hall existed two starkly different worlds.
Jiang Chen, however, had long since become accustomed to this.
Leaving the ancestral hall, Jiang Chen walked along the path back to his home in the village.
He was an orphan, raised by the clan. His parents had died in the wars before he was old enough to remember, so Jiang Chen lived alone in his home.
Back home, Jiang Chen fell into a dose under the cover of his quilt, completely exhausted from the preceding events. Now with nothing left to worry about, he had a chance to catch up on some much-needed sleep and rest.
And sleep he did, from dusk to noon, resting to his heart's content.
Upon waking up, Jiang Chen felt rejuvenated, full of energy. He then left his home and headed for the neighboring county town.
...
...
The Yuelai Inn was his destination.
This was the largest chain inn in the Great Qin, with branches spread all over the country, offering the best services to travelers.
In Great Qin, you could find a Yuelai Inn in almost every town.
To open such a large-scale inn and spread it across the entirety of Great Qin was no small feat. The driving force behind it clearly needed a substantial background.
And that man was Jiang Chen.
Having traversed this world for over twenty years, the Yuelai Inn, which was spread across the whole of Great Qin, could be counted as one of Jiang Chen's few achievements.
He had initially established the Yuelai Inn with the primary intention of gathering information. Although he wasn't quite sure how useful such intelligence would be in this mythical world, he figured having some would be better than having none.
Instead of being idle, he might as well open an inn for fun. Who knows? Jiang Chen might end up ruling the world with the help of these Yuelai Inns later on.
Perhaps out of perverse amusement, he decided to name the inn Yuelai Inn.
Yuelai Inn was the largest chain inn in the jianghu world, his former life. Naming his inn after it spoke volumes about Jiang Chen's ambitions.
As the children of one of the most prominent forces of the Human Race, the Jiang Family, opening an inn seemed like a playful endeavor. Even the reluctant nearby forces had to provide some measure of respect.
Thus, Jiang Chen's Yuelai Inn started operating quite smoothly, and it expanded rapidly, spreading across the entirety of the Great Qin.
Such a success was not merely due to its superior service compared with its competitors. It was largely due to the Yuelai Inn operating under the banner of the Jiang Family.
With the deterrent of the Jiang Family's prestige, essentially nobody dared to cause trouble in the Yuelai Inn. Seeing the inn's reputation for security, people naturally considered it as their first option.
In these chaotic times, lives were as cheap as grass. Safety was the most crucial thing when traveling outside.
If the Yuelai Inn could provide a safe place, any rational guest would know how to make the best choice.
Having been in operation for more than a decade, while the Yuelai Inn hadn't gathered much useful intelligence for Jiang Chen, it had indisputably made him a lot of money.
While it was an exaggeration to say that he was wealthy enough to rival a nation, Jiang Chen was undeniably one of the wealthiest people in the Great Qin.
It's said that there are four essentials in the practice of Immortal Dao: Law, Wealth, Companionship, and Land. The fact that 'Wealth' ranks second demonstrates its importance. In this regard, Jiang Chen was not wanting.
Indeed, a large portion of the Jiang Family's expenses had been taken care of by Jiang Chen. Even the money for some clan members' travels had been provided by Jiang Chen.
Flying the flag of the Jiang Family hadn't come without cost to the Yuelai Inn.
...
Using his wealth to gain influence, Jiang Chen enjoyed high prestige within the Jiang family. Everyone who saw him would give him some face.
The same held true even for his elders.
They had no choice. Jiang Chen, who seemed to be a bit off in the head, might retaliate if they didn't give him face.
In the eyes of the Jiang family's higher-ups, Jiang Chen was probably considered a madman.
After all, what sane person would give up a long lifespan to choose the path of Ancient Martial Arts?
It was indeed his immersion in the Ancient Martial Arts that led to Jiang Chen only entering the post-natal state in his twenties.
In his youth, he had come across a book in the Jiang clan's library that recorded the Ancient Martial Arts. He was immediately captivated and wanted to practice this discipline.
But the elders of the Jiang Family disagreed.
They thought, why must a perfectly fine child be intent on practicing the Ancient Martial Arts? Was Martial Dao not good enough, or was Immortal Dao too weak?
The Jiang Family elders disagreed with his practicing Ancient Martial Arts, but young Jiang Chen insisted on it. Thus, a standoff ensued.
In the end, the elders thought that Jiang Chen was childishly pursuing power and unaware of the value of life. They believed he had been enticed by the descriptions of Ancient Martial Arts in the books.
For this reason, they decided to temporarily prevent Jiang Chen from practicing, advising him to study diligently instead. They believed that once he grew up and understood the logic, it wouldn't be too late to choose then.
And so, more than a decade passed.
By then, Jiang Chen was already a learned man well-versed in the classics of various schools of thought and was a renowned talent in Great Qin.
Yet, he still insisted on practicing Ancient Martial Arts.
Seeing this, the Jiang Family elders realized that his determination was unwavering, and convincing him was hopeless. Therefore, they didn't bother meddling in his affairs anymore. They opened up the texts related to Ancient Martial Arts for his perusal.
It was due to this decade-long delay that Jiang Chen only stepped into the post-natal stage in his twenties.
He had started late.
However, he hadn't been idle in those more than ten years, which allowed him to establish a solid foundation.