From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 134 Seven Years
The Pei family was at a significant disadvantage in the previous conflict between the two families, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe them as "barely surviving".

However, the sudden appearance of a celestial official named Pei Wanchang made the situation between the two families delicate.

The Lü family still holds an absolute advantage at present, but the situation will change after Lü Yisong passes away.

As a son-in-law of the Lü family, Jiang Hao had many thoughts on his mind at this moment.

Logically speaking, he should have stood on the side of the Lü family without hesitation and dealt with Pei Wanchang.

But, is this really the case?
He was able to rapidly improve his cultivation and reach the late stage of Qi Refining thanks to the "spiritual vein land" he received from the Lü family.

The corresponding terms are "groveling" and "bearing humiliation".

This description might be an exaggeration, but that's how he felt:
A dignified celestial official with three true spiritual roots was unjustly accused and even verbally abused by his mortal wife, and suffered long-term cold words and suppression. He even had to ask for permission to spend his own salary...

He always had to be mindful of Lü Yisong's feelings when he was out in the field. He was also a celestial official, not a subordinate whom Lü Yisong could command at will.

And then there's Jiang Chen and Lü Xuanting, who are clearly both your children but are treated differently...

Everywhere the details remind Jiang Hao: his surname is Jiang, and he will never be a member of the Lü family.

Having lived in such an environment for decades, one can imagine the dissatisfaction in Jiang Hao's heart.

His willingness to marry Lü Jinlan for the sake of his future shows that he would do his best to climb the social ladder in order to improve his strength, status, and position.

This time, a different thought came to Jiang Hao's mind.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Deep in the Baihe Mountains.

The inner core area is a place that ordinary members of the Xu family cannot set foot in. Only those above the Innate Realm or those who know the core secrets of the family can come here.

Because of the need for secrecy, there were no craftsmen to do the work; the Xu family had to do the digging of underground chambers and excavation of caves themselves.

It was night time.

Xu Fugui is tidying up his "private cave dwelling".

He discovered a hidden cave on the rock wall at the bottom of a ravine. The entrance was about the height of a person, and the inside was a completely different world, several meters in size.

So he chose this cave as his private retreat for daily practice, cleaned it thoroughly, and placed tables, chairs, cushions, and straw mats inside. A screen stood at the entrance to block the view, and several lanterns were hung on the cave walls.

In fact, this place is just a cover; he spends most of his time cultivating his skills in his inner space.

After tidying up the cave, he walked to the entrance and scanned the surroundings.

"It's still not discreet enough."

On one side of the cave entrance was a small willow tree about the thickness of a wrist, and on the other side were several clumps of low, withered, and dying purple-leaved barberry trees.

Xu Fugui first walked to the side of the willow tree, activated his magic, and pointed his fingers like a sword, then touched the trunk of the willow tree with the tip of his right middle finger.

The spiritual energy within his body transformed into wood-type spiritual power that nourished the willow tree and was slowly injected into it.

The willow tree grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing to the thickness of a bowl and more than ten feet tall in a short time, with strands of emerald green branches hanging down.

He then walked to the other side of the purple barberry and once again used the growth-enhancing spell from the Lingnong Technique, instantly turning the originally withered and half-dead bushes into lush and verdant shrubs.

"That should be about right."

The dense vegetation on both sides completely obscured the entrance to the cave, making it impossible to see with the naked eye unless one approached and examined it closely.

He then used his lightness technique to drift away, leaving no footprints behind. This way, even if someone happened to pass by, they wouldn't notice anything amiss.

"Next is that underground chamber."

His private cave is a natural cave, so it doesn't require much construction. However, the underground chamber they plan to build, which can accommodate dozens of Xu family members to gather and discuss important matters in the future, will require a lot of effort to complete.

The location for the underground chamber has been chosen: the highest hill inside Baihe Mountain, where the rock and soil layers are solid and can be extensively excavated.

Xu Fugui, carrying a pickaxe, arrived at the entrance to the underground chamber, where they had already dug several meters deep. However, this was only the beginning; the work to come would be enormous. Fortunately, they were all innate martial artists and cultivators, so they worked very efficiently.

"We agreed to work together, where are you?"

Xu Fugui was the only one present.

He thought the children were all busy, so he rolled up his sleeves to get to work, just then a strange sound came from afar.

"what?"

He followed the sound and saw a large, black-haired wild boar weighing at least four or five hundred pounds.

With its robust physique and sharp tusks, it was the strongest wild boar Xu Fugui had ever seen in Baihe Mountain, truly deserving the title of Wild Boar King.

Before Xu Fugui could deal with it, a cloud of blood mist suddenly appeared above its head, and it collapsed to the ground, convulsing, and died.

Xu Xiaohou drifted over from afar, first picking up the feather-patterned flying sword stuck in the ground, and carefully wiping away the dust that had settled on it.

"Refined?"

"Ah."

Xu Xiaohou nodded. In the past few days, he used spirit stones to raise his cultivation to the third level of Qi Refining, and spent several more days refining the feather-patterned flying sword.

His current "Flying Sword Technique" is at the first level.

Only after taking control of the feather-patterned flying sword did he realize how powerful a top-grade magic weapon could be.

"Dad, I'll take this guy out to give everyone a treat first, then I'll come back later."

As he spoke, he dragged the fat wild boar, which weighed several hundred kilograms, toward the outer edge of Baihe Mountain.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Since it was late at night, the workers who had been busy all day had already gone to rest.

Some of the laborers came from Baihe Village, which is close to their homes, so they could go home to rest at night.

Some laborers lived far away, and it was a waste of time to travel back and forth, so they rested in the makeshift thatched huts built on Baihe Mountain.

On a hilltop, several furtive figures were busy carrying a tree as thick as a millstone.

"Quick, keep your voice down..."

They worked together, putting their hands together, to move the tree onto a four-wheeled cart.

Two people pulled the cart in front, and three people pushed it from behind, transporting the timber to the outside of Baihe Mountain.

They came to steal timber—the timber that the laborers had cut down during the day but hadn't had time to transport.

In the vast Baihe Mountain, a few missing timbers would go unnoticed.

Such a fine piece of timber could sell for at least ten taels of silver.

This was their third time stealing from them, earning over ten taels of silver each time. Each person got two or three taels of silver, making a killing.

"stop!"

A thunderous shout startled the group, leaving them frozen in place.

"escape!"

After realizing what had happened, the group abandoned the cart and timber and fled in different directions.

However, people emerged from all directions and quickly captured the group.

Xu Xiaoan stepped forward: "We've finally caught you. Tell me, how many times have you come here?"

Since the Xu family occupied Baihe Mountain and began to cultivate the land, honest and law-abiding villagers from the surrounding area have come to earn wages, while there are also unscrupulous people like the few people in front of us who take advantage of the chaos to steal various things.

From small items like tools for working and meals prepared for laborers, to large items like decades-old timber, people steal everything.

Xu Xiaoan knew that if such behavior was not strictly stopped, those petty thieves would only become more brazen, or even bolder, and steal more and more property.

He organized an anti-theft team, lay in ambush for several days, and finally managed to catch the group.

"Master Xu, this is our first time here, please spare us."

"You think you know this place so well on your first visit? Who are you kidding? Beat him up, break one of his legs first."

Xu Xiaoan waved his hand, and several high-level martial artists stepped forward from behind him. Before they could make a move, the men begged for mercy, "This is the third time, this is the third time we've come. We sold it to the Li family carpentry shop in the east of the county town, it's true, you can check."

"Uncle Xu, my family is from Baihe Village, we're even related. My uncle and your father-in-law are brothers-in-law..."

"A relative would still steal from you?"

Xu Xiaoan glared at him fiercely, unmoved.

Baihe Village is only so big; you can always find a relative by going around in circles.

Xu Xiaoan knew he had to make an example of someone to deter others, otherwise the thefts would never stop.

"Uncle Xu, my family originally came up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs. Your family occupied Baihe Mountain, leaving us with no way to make a living, so we had no choice..."

"Shut up! What excuse are you making? My family is paying such high wages to hire people to work, and you're too lazy to work, so you blame my family for occupying Baihe Mountain?"

"Come on, each of you, introduce yourselves, tell me which family you're from, your names, whose sons are whose husbands, and so on!"

Xu Xiaoan said sternly.

Those men all lowered their heads, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

They're all acquaintances from nearby villages; it would be too embarrassing if word got out.

"Speak up, or we'll beat you to death and bury you."

Xu Xiaoan was not joking when he said this. With the current power of the Xu family, they could take the law into their own hands and even kill a few petty thieves who came to steal things, and no one would hold them accountable.

Fearing the power of the Xu family, the group spoke up one after another.

"Tie them up and leave them out at the entrance to Baihe Mountain for three days so everyone can see which thieves stole the things! Spread the word that if anyone is caught stealing from Baihe Mountain again, break both their legs."

Anyone who reports or exposes this will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!

After Xu Xiaoan finished speaking loudly, he instructed the people around him to feed them water and food so that they wouldn't starve or die of thirst.

He ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it, after all, they were all villagers from nearby villages.

Punishing people in this way is enough to deter thieves.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

With the concerted efforts of the Xu family, everyone played their part in building Baihe Mountain.

In the same year, Xu Zhonghuai, Xu Zhongchao, Xu Zhongchuan, and Xu Zhongyi got married one after another.

The Xu family suddenly grew in size, transforming from a large family into a "clan".

Time flies, and year after year passes.

Zhong Er married two years later.

The wives of the "Zhong" generation have all become pregnant and given birth one after another.

One after another, the descendants of the Xu family, whose names begin with the character "Li", were born.

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Baihe Mountain.

The once somewhat desolate wild mountain has now undergone a great transformation.

Looking out, the terraced fields on the hillside are planted with all kinds of medicinal herbs: lush green seedlings, large patches of withered yellow leaves, blue vines bearing blue flowers, and clusters of golden wolfberries...

In the flat mountain valley, grain crops such as wheat and sorghum are grown.

Pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks are kept in the enclosures in the mountain valley.

The clear stream flows along the rocky cliff and flows into the fishpond at the bottom of the hillside.

One after another, plump carp swung their tails, vying for the food.

Scattered figures were working in the fields; they were long-term laborers hired by the Xu family.

Further away, oxen with reins and sleds were clearing and cultivating new fields.

In seven years, more than 3,000 mu of farmland have been reclaimed in the outer area of ​​Baihe Mountain, and it is about to reach 4,000 mu, employing more than 300 long-term workers.

The central area of ​​Baihe Mountain was the living area of ​​the Xu family.

On the low hills, all kinds of buildings, pavilions and terraces have been built.

The construction of these buildings is quite sophisticated, with careful consideration given to their location and orientation. They are situated facing south, receiving ample sunlight, sheltered from wind and water, and offering unobstructed views.

The vegetation on the mountain has been planted and pruned, making it neat and beautiful.

The extensive road network connects the various hilltops and buildings.

At this moment, at the entrance of a house on a certain hill.

A woman in her twenties is chasing after a teenager.

"Li Jia, stop right there! Your Aunt Shu Jie said you didn't pay attention in class last time!"

That six-year-old child was Xu Lijia, the oldest member of the Xu family's "Li" generation.

His father was Xu Zhongyi. His mother became pregnant the year they got married and gave birth to him the following year.

Xu Lijia was only six years old. He hadn't run far before his mother caught him and dragged him toward the school.

Not far along, they encountered Xu Zhonghuai's wife with her five-year-old son, Xu Liyuan, who was also taking the child to school.

In the distance stands an octagonal, five-story pavilion, which is the Xu family's school.

The person in charge of educating the younger generation of the Xu family in reading, writing, painting, and playing musical instruments was Xu Zhongchao's wife, Ma Shujie.

After Ma Shujie married Xu Zhongchao, Xu Xiaoyun kept his promise and let her manage the family finances and find a job in Baihe Mountain.

She designed and was responsible for the landscaping of the living area in the middle of Baihe Mountain.

Ma Shujie stood at the school gate and saw Xu Lijia and Xu Liyuan being brought in.

The three Xu family wives exchanged pleasantries for a while. They were sisters-in-law, and also sisters-in-law of cousins, so their relationship wasn't actually that close.

However, the Xu family does not separate into separate households and exists as a clan, so they are very familiar with each other.

"Shujie, my son Liyi is turning three today. If you have time, come over and join the fun."

"it is good."

Ma Shujie nodded in agreement.

After saying goodbye, she took her two children into the school.

A short while later, Zhong Si, a member of the "Zhong" generation, arrived. He was only thirteen years old this year and was the only one in the "Zhong" generation who still needed to come to school.

These three are the Xu family members whom Ma Shujie will temporarily need to teach.

There may not seem to be many people, but when the "Li" generation grows up in a few years, she will need to teach many more people.

She enjoys a busy life where she can demonstrate her value.

However, the thought of not being pregnant made her feel sad.

She's been in the Xu family for seven years, watching one Xu family daughter-in-law after another get pregnant and give birth. Xu Zhongyi's wife has already given birth to her second child, but she hasn't even shown any signs of getting pregnant.

Wait until the school session ends.

Ma Shujie went home and prepared a gift to visit Xu Zhong's family and congratulate them on the third birthday of their second son, Xu Liyi.

As the Xu family grew, the third-year celebration for Xu family members was no longer a family affair, but a small family gathering.

If you are familiar with the family, you can invite other members of the Xu family to participate.

Because Ma Shujie's husband, Xu Zhongchao, had been busy with his tavern business in Tonggu County recently, she went alone.

Xu Fugui, Xu Liyi's great-grandfather, missed Xu Liyi's third birthday celebration.

(End of this chapter)