The whole family went on vacation.

Spring returned to the earth, banishing all traces of chill.

On a radiant spring day, Foundation Establishment cultivator Luo Yu finally succeeded in developing two sets of group arrays—the "Sky Net Defense System" Ling Realm Edition and the Nine Nether Edition. To accomplish this, Luo Yu spent countless hours online, immersing himself in research on various programs, expanding his thinking and approach to programming. Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, technically he no longer needed to eat or sleep; nevertheless, he retained these habits to satisfy his palate and to practice lucid dreaming. Currently, their limit was maintaining lucidity in dreams for over three hours, so sleep never exceeded four hours.

The May Day holiday was a golden time everyone looked forward to. Before the break, Qin Yue went alone to Nine Yin Mountain, first setting up the Nine Nether array there, then planned to use the holiday to carve out territory in the ancient array with Luo Yu, bringing the family along for a bit of sightseeing.

On the first day of the holiday, before dawn, the family set out. The wealthy second generation booked a first-class cabin, pampering his family all the way to their destination. Upon landing, they took a pre-arranged car to the foot of the mountain, then used an illusion array to conceal the vehicle, leaving it behind as the whole family ascended the mountain in lively spirits.

Among the crowd of tourists, this group stood out: among the six, four were strikingly handsome young men, one was a beautiful little girl, and the last was a distinguished-looking gentleman in his fifties. Aside from the blond foreigner holding an umbrella, the others were empty-handed—not even a bottle of water—radiating an air of carefree abandon.

The vampire, wearing sunglasses, swiveled his head around incessantly. “Oh, how long has it been since I’ve walked under the sun like this? Darlings, Mama is so grateful to you!” The umbrella was no ordinary one; it was a magical artifact specially crafted by Qin Yue for this family outing, engraved with Luo Yu’s sun-shielding array, its handle filled with spirit stones for easy replacement and repeated use. Its protective range spanned five square meters, layered with an illusion array so ordinary people would never notice anything amiss.

Father Chu walked beside the vampire with a smile, clearly enjoying himself as well. The old gentleman, dragged along by Luo Li, led the way at the front. Over the past year or two, he’d taken plenty of his grandson’s pills, now free of all ailments, headaches, or fevers, and had regained much of his youthful vigor. The family scaled the mountain with ease, taking numerous photos amid the “High Mountain Garden’s” sea of flowers, then left the scenic area, heading toward a more secluded spot.

Once alone, Luo Yu and Qin Yue summoned their flying swords—Luo Yu carrying his father, Qin Yue her grandfather, the vampire holding the little cat—and the whole family soared skyward. Each sword was shielded by a magical barrier, preventing falls and protecting against wind and cold. Father Chu and Grandpa were initially apprehensive, but gradually found it exhilarating—so much more convenient than flying in a plane!

Father Chu said to Luo Yu, “Tell Xiao Yue to forge a flying chair next time. Grandpa doesn’t like standing—make sure it has a footrest.”

Luo Yu replied, somewhat embarrassed, “Alright... I’ll see to it.”

The flight lasted only a few minutes before the family landed in Gong Jinqian’s valley.

Father Chu, upon touching down, praised, “This place is beautiful. I should have brought my sketchpad for some landscape painting.”

The vampire responded, “Next time, I’ll bring you.”

Qin Yue extended her spiritual sense and quickly located the old Earth God, summoning him with a “secret voice technique.”

Luo Yu led the family on a leisurely stroll toward the pool, and before they reached the edge, they saw an old man hurrying toward them—hair tied in a bun, white beard draped over his chest, clad in a tattered long robe.

Spotting Luo Yu and Qin Yue among the crowd, the old man exclaimed, “Student pays respects to Master and Benefactor!” He bowed deeply and was about to kneel.

Luo Yu quickly sent a stream of spiritual power to support him. “No need for such formality!” He then introduced Gong Jinqian to the family. The old gentleman, upon learning he was a “former Earth God,” found it most fascinating and eagerly engaged him in conversation, exchanging thoughts on ancient and modern times.

After some polite exchanges, Gong Jinqian led the family into his “humble abode.” When the small wooden hut emerged from the ground, the old gentleman was thoroughly amazed. Gong Jinqian brought out his collection of wild mountain delicacies and hosted the master’s family with great care.

Since Gong Jinqian began cultivating true arts, his spiritual power had recovered considerably, now at the second layer of Qi Refining, and he’d acquired more wooden stools, so no one had to stand.

Qin Yue found a seat and said to Gong Jinqian, “I promised to set up an array in the Ginseng Valley for you. That’s why I’m here, and there are matters I’d like to discuss.”

Gong Jinqian replied, clasping his hands, “Whatever you require, Benefactor, please command.”

Luo Yu said, “We told you about entering the ancient array last time. The spiritual energy inside is quite good. We plan to claim it, set up an array, and cultivate some spirit herbs. But we’re all busy, and no one can tend the herbs here. If you have time, could you look after them for us?”

Gong Jinqian replied quickly, “Your command, Master, I dare not refuse. But... my cultivation has advanced greatly; I can now leave this place and ought to follow Master and Benefactor, serving at your side.”

Luo Yu and Qin Yue exchanged a glance; they hadn’t expected he’d want to tag along with them, which could be troublesome.

Seeing their expressions, Gong Jinqian added, “I do have a solution that would benefit both parties. May I offer a suggestion, Master?”

Qin Yue said, “Go ahead.”

Gong Jinqian spoke carefully, “If Master and Benefactor don’t mind, would you consider accepting those ginseng dolls as disciples too, assigning them to care for the spirit flowers? What do you think?”

Both were instantly intrigued—an excellent idea! The ginseng dolls were themselves transformed from heavenly spirit herbs; surely they’d be adept at tending spirit flowers and herbs. Besides, bringing them directly into the “Sky Net” would be far safer than leaving them outside in a minor array.

Luo Yu asked excitedly, “Are they willing?”

Gong Jinqian, seeing hope, answered respectfully, “Master needn’t worry. Ever since Master taught me techniques and allowed them to cultivate, the ginseng dolls already consider themselves your disciples. They asked me to request formal status from you, which is why I dared be so forward. If I’ve been too presumptuous, please forgive me, Master.”

Luo Yu was overjoyed. “Wonderful! You are acquitted of all offenses! Let’s settle it then!”

Gong Jinqian was equally delighted, bowing deeply. “Thank you, Master!”

With this, Luo Yu unexpectedly found himself with seven or eight new disciples.

The whole family arrived at Ginseng Valley, the sight of century-old and millennia-old ginsengs dazzling the old gentleman. Then, seeing a group of plump ginseng dolls, he was even happier—these would all belong to the family from now on!

Luo Li was a bit jealous, but couldn’t bring herself to dislike the ginseng dolls: these little boys were adorable and even younger than herself... Oh well, she’d reluctantly accept a few little brothers. As long as they obeyed, she’d let them be; after all, the Goddess of Light must possess the virtue of tolerance!

The “Five Clans Alliance”—human, immortal, ghost, demon, and spirit—marched grandly toward the ancient array.

At the boundary, Qin Yue erected a magical barrier and opened a gate, allowing the motley crew to flood in. The ginseng dolls now had cultivation at the second or third layer of Qi Refining, more than capable of breaking through the barrier, but had feared the presence of cultivators inside and never dared enter. Now, resolved to settle within the array, the group lingered at its edge for a day, transplanting all the wild ginseng from Ginseng Valley into the red pine forest inside.

Once the transplanting was done, Luo Yu and Qin Yue brought the group to the central plaza to rest and began setting up the group arrays. The "Sky Net Defense System" was enormous, consuming vast amounts of spiritual power during operation, likely no less than the grand array at Maple Town.

While setting up the array, Luo Yu found it strange: why was this ancient array, though not much smaller than the one at Maple Town, so much richer in spiritual energy? Was it simply because no cultivators were consuming it?

The defense system, constructed by two Foundation Establishment cultivators with extraordinary spiritual senses, required only that they continually deploy array artifacts for activation, yet it took a full two days to complete. Once finished, the entire array closely enveloped the ancient array, completely isolating its magical fluctuations. For outsiders to discover and enter this place—if not “absolutely impossible”—was at least “extremely unlikely.”

Over these two days, the family enjoyed themselves immensely within the array. The three adults discussed building a holiday villa here; the vampire promised to provide labor, vowing to coerce Europe’s top designers into creating the perfect castle; the old gentleman insisted European homes were ugly and that the design must resemble the Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden, befitting such a place... The lake was so beautiful, even lovelier than West Lake, lacking only the “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.” Gong Jinqian wholeheartedly agreed, nodding and declaring he could help with garden construction; he’d been a scholar in his youth, toured many famous sites with classmates, and even snuck into the Daming Palace during the Tang dynasty to glimpse Empress Wu. The former Earth God still vividly remembered the royal gardens.

When the two finished setting up the grand array and returned to the plaza, the group was vigorously debating architectural styles. Father Chu and the vampire were united in support of a European castle; the old gentleman and Gong Jinqian argued passionately for traditional gardens. Luo Li, with a band of ginseng dolls and rare creatures, tumbled and played wildly on the lakeside grass.

Watching the others stuck in their arguments, Qin Yue said flatly, “The place is so vast. Build whatever you like.”

Luo Yu added, “Gardens on the east, castles on the west—how about that?”

Both camps instantly reconciled, shaking hands. Father Chu ordered the vampire to build two mansions, ensuring the appearance would satisfy the family, while all issues of safety, materials, and expense were solely the vampire’s responsibility; any problems would incur full criminal liability.

The vampire agreed readily, much to Luo Yu’s bemusement.

With the main tasks done and three days of holiday remaining, the aspiring builders roamed the mountains with DV cameras, scouting locations for pavilions and corridors, trailed by a string of odd wild animals drawn by the spectacle.

After a day’s exploration, as night fell, the group finally settled down, pitching a row of tents on the central plaza. Those below Foundation Establishment who needed sleep went to bed, while one sleepless fellow quietly snuck into another’s tent for some company.

Luo Yu and Qin Yue meditated on the plaza. A day of cultivation here yielded more than several days at home, so they resolved to make the most of it. Their stock of Foundation Establishment pills was long gone, and they hadn’t yet found new sources.

Calming their minds, Luo Yu and Qin Yue relaxed their bodies and began absorbing spiritual energy. Invisible to the naked eye, the energy gathered around them, forming a mist that enveloped them and slowly entered their dantian.

After a minute or two, both suddenly shuddered, abruptly ending their meditation with alarm.

Qin Yue sprang up, her tone cold. “Who’s attacking us? Show yourself!”

Luo Yu, wary, darted to the tents to protect his family.

They’d scanned the area while setting up the arrays and found nothing suspicious. Could it be... the attacker’s cultivation was far above theirs and merely meant to warn them that the territory was claimed?

They waited, but received no response. The situation was eerie enough to make them cautious, extending their spiritual senses to search meticulously. Their senses could now cover the entire ancient array, but aside from its magical fluctuations, found no trace of anything unusual.

Cultivation Chronicles of Soulmates 49—Family Vacation, update complete!