Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 60 Return from the Secret Realm
Meng Xihong took out the palm-sized, cold-to-the-touch black iron token. The ancient-style character "库" on the token was powerful and vigorous, faintly revealing a trace of restrictive energy.

“Senior, look at this.” Meng Xihong handed the token to Yun Songzi. “Could this be…”

Yun Songzi took the token, and with a light touch of his fingertips, he understood immediately: "That's right, this is the key to unlocking the Yin Sha Sect's secret treasure vault. The restrictions on it are of the same origin as the seal on that vault. With this in hand, all the treasures that the Yin Sha Sect has accumulated over the years will belong to your Meng family."

Meng Xihong was overjoyed and was about to put away the token when his attention was drawn to another item in the storage bag.

It was a token of peculiar texture, neither gold nor wood, but a dark gold color, warm to the touch. Engraved on it was a cauldron surrounded by countless fine threads, which seemed to connect the vast heaven and earth. Below the emblem were two ancient seal characters: "Hundred Alliances".

“This is…” Meng Xihong felt that the pattern looked familiar.

Upon seeing this item, Yun Songzi's eyes lit up with surprise and delight. He took the token and examined it closely.

"A Hundred Alliance Merchant Order, and it's a 'Copper Marrow' Order!"

"I never expected the Yin Sha Sect to have such connections, to be able to obtain the guest elder token of the Hundred Alliances Chamber of Commerce. It seems that they are mostly thanks to the good fortune of this secret realm."

Seeing the puzzled expressions on Meng Xihong and his son's faces, Yun Songzi stroked his beard and explained in a deep voice, "The Hundred Alliance Chamber of Commerce has influence across several regions, and the business decrees it issues are strictly hierarchical."

"The lowest level of their merchant tokens is the Black Iron Token, which is held by ordinary merchants and only enjoys minor benefits; above that is the Copper Marrow Token, which cannot be obtained without special contributions or background. Only those who hold this token are regarded as guests by the merchant guild and enjoy the right to discounts and internal transactions."

He paused, then continued, "Above that are the Silver Radiance Token and the Golden Palace Token, which are the truly high-level tokens that can mobilize the resources of the Chamber of Commerce and participate in higher-level transactions. However, even this Bronze Marrow Token is a rare treasure for your Meng family."

Yun Songzi handed the token back, speaking solemnly: "With this token, you can enjoy preferential treatment at any Hundred Alliance Chamber of Commerce stronghold, and you can also participate in internal trading fairs, where many rare treasures, techniques and secret manuals that are hard to find outside may appear."

"Establishing a sect requires a vast amount of resources. With this channel, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort. This Yin Sha Sect has indeed given your Meng family a generous gift."

Meng Xihong accepted the heavy, dark bronze token, and his mind suddenly cleared.

Just moments ago, they were pondering how to transform the resources of the secret realm into practical assistance for the family's development, and this business decree immediately pointed them to a promising path.

With sects outside to keep them in the dark, secret realms providing resources inside, Yun Songzi overseeing and guiding them, and now top-tier commercial channels connecting them to the outside world... the puzzle pieces of the Meng family's rise are being pieced together one by one.

He put away the token, looked in the direction leading to the depths of the secret realm, then looked at the warehouse key and merchant token in his hand, and finally his gaze fell on Yun Songzi and his son Meng Yanwei.

“Senior, Yan Wei, our gains on this trip have far exceeded our expectations. The most urgent task is to digest what we have gained as soon as possible, first take out the Yin Sha Sect’s treasury, and then, relying on this place, steadily advance the sect’s development.”

As the three stepped out of the distorted space within the secret realm's light curtain, a biting, dry wind immediately swept over them, carrying the chilling atmosphere unique to northern winters.

Looking around, the autumn mountains and fields that were once ablaze with color when I arrived are now desolate, with scattered icicles hanging from the branches and a thin, frozen layer of snow covering the ground, gleaming coldly in the dim winter light.

Time has already moved from late autumn into the depths of winter, and nearly three months have passed.

When the familiar, slightly dilapidated Meng family courtyard in Yunni Township finally came into view, the wisps of smoke rising from the chimney seemed especially warm.

The old poplar trees in the courtyard had long since lost all their leaves, their withered branches stubbornly pointing towards the gray-white sky.

Even more noticeable was the presence of trained local militia patrolling the courtyard in the cold wind, their breath clearly visible in the white mist, their orderly movements demonstrating that Ji Beichuan and Zhang Xianghua had not been negligent.

As soon as they reached the gate, they heard a series of slightly hurried footsteps inside the courtyard.

The first to run out were seven-year-old Meng Yanqing and six-year-old Meng Yanning. Both children were wearing thick cotton-padded coats, their little faces red from the cold. "Daddy! Second Brother!"

"Grandpa Yun Songzi!"

Meng Yanning ran fast and grabbed Meng Yanwei's arm, her voice trembling with tears yet full of joy: "Second brother! You're finally back! Mother has been waiting for you to come back every day."

Meng Yanqing appeared more composed and bowed first: "Father, Grandpa Yun Songzi." But his tightly pursed lips and slightly red eyes betrayed his worries during this time: "Mother is very worried about you."

Before the words were even finished, Ji Beichuan and Zhang Xianghua rushed out of the side room upon hearing the noise, followed by the He brothers, He Wen and He Wu. Upon seeing the three of them, their faces instantly lit up with immense joy and relief.

"Patriarch! Senior Yun Songzi! You've finally returned." Ji Beichuan's voice trembled slightly.

Zhang Xianghua shouted directly into the house, "Quick! Tell Madam that the Master and Young Master Yan Wei have returned safely!"

The curtain of the main room was suddenly lifted, and Zhang Xianghua's wife, Li, helped Bai Muyun out hurriedly.

Bai Muyun's belly was already very large, and the inconveniences of late pregnancy were obvious.

Her face was pale due to pregnancy and worry, but the moment she saw Meng Xihong and Meng Yanwei unharmed, her pale face suddenly lit up, her eyes immediately reddened, and tears silently streamed down her face.

“Xihong… Yanwei…” Her voice choked with emotion, filled with lingering fear and immense relief.

"You...you're finally back...I..." She stroked her protruding belly, her emotions running high, and for a moment she was unsteady on her feet.

Madam Li quickly helped her up, her eyes also red-rimmed, and said to Meng Xihong, "Master, you're finally back. My sister Mu Yun has been worried sick these past few months, unable to eat or sleep."

You said you'd be back in a few days to a month, but it's almost deep winter and we still haven't heard from you. We...we're all worried sick!

Upon seeing this, Meng Xihong felt a sudden pang of guilt and heartache.

He quickly stepped forward, gently embraced his wife, felt her body trembling slightly, and spoke with a tone full of apology and comfort.

"Mu Yun, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't expect this exploration to be so fraught with difficulties and take so long, causing you so much worry... Look, Yan Wei and I are both fine, everything is alright, and we even obtained a great opportunity..."

Yun Songzi, standing to the side, also looked apologetic and gently comforted her, "Mu Yun, this time I did misjudge. The secret realm is mysterious and extraordinary. But fortunately, Xi Hong and Yan Wei are both safe and sound, and they are very fortunate to have gained a lot. You are currently in poor health, so please do not get too excited. You need to rest and recuperate, and take good care of yourself."

Meng Yanwei also walked to his mother's side, looked up at her with his small face, and gently took her cold hand. His tone was unusually calm and reliable for his age, as he tried to comfort his mother.

"Mother, I am alright. Although there were dangers in the secret realm, Father and Grandpa Yun Songzi protected us all the way, and everything turned out fine."

We learned a great deal. Once you have rested and are feeling better, I will slowly tell you about our experiences.

Feeling the real warmth in her arms, listening to her husband and son's words, and receiving the gentle assurances from Senior Yun Songzi, Bai Muyun's turbulent emotions finally calmed down.

However, the hand that was tightly gripping Meng Xihong's clothes still refused to loosen its grip even slightly.

(End of this chapter)