From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 213 The Baili Family
Xu Xiaoniu had just finished reading the letter from his family in Baiheshan when someone called out to him outside his cave.

"Greetings, Lord Xu. I, Baili Feng, have come to deliver a message."

Xu Xiaoniu scanned the area with his divine sense and found that the cultivator was in the late stage of Qi Refining, someone he had seen before.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes and floated out of the cave.

Upon seeing him, Baili Feng immediately bowed respectfully: "This junior greets Lord Xu."

"No need for formalities, what is it?"

Xu Xiaoniu knew that he was a Qi Refining cultivator from the Baili family.

When he first arrived in Yuanli City, he visited his old friend Bailiwei. As former colleagues in the Immortal Official position in Tonggu County, he and Bailiwei had a fairly good relationship.

Bai Liwei was the head of the forestry bureau in Tonggu County at the time. When the Xu family occupied Baihe Mountain, Bai Liwei took special care of the Xu family and reduced the amount of mountain occupation tax.

To this day, Baihe Mountain is still recorded in the forestry bureau's records as a wild mountain devoid of any spiritual energy, and all that is required is to pay a mountain occupation tax of five spiritual stones every year.

"Lord Xu, a junior member of my clan recently tested positive for the aptitude of three true spiritual roots, and we held a banquet to celebrate. My Uncle Wei specially sent me to invite Lord Xu to the banquet at Moon Spring Mountain in our clan."

The "Uncle Wei" mentioned by Baili Feng is Baili Wei.

A celebratory banquet?
Upon learning their purpose, Xu Xiaoniu inwardly thought, "This is bad."

It wasn't that he had any issues with the Baili family; it was simply that he didn't want to participate in such occasions and was worried about running into Yan Yijin, the deputy general of the prefectural camp.

He usually kept to himself and rarely went out, and the daily affairs of the Demon Extermination Bureau had little to do with the county camp, so he rarely encountered Yan Yijin.

But when the Baili family held a banquet, everyone in the entire Yuanli County who could establish a connection with them would go to celebrate.

He remained outwardly calm, concealing his inner anxieties, and offered a congratulatory smile: "Your Baili family truly produces many talented individuals; congratulations! May I ask the scale of your family's banquet this time, and approximately how many distinguished guests have been invited?"

Baili Feng didn't know why Xu Xiaoniu was asking about this, so he replied, "The appearance of a member with a true spiritual root in the clan is a joyous occasion that will surely be celebrated in a grand manner. I am not in charge of organizing the banquet, so I do not know the specific scale."

In previous years, for similar joyous occasions in my family, we would invariably invite all the Foundation Establishment seniors of Yuanli County whose names we could recall.

At this point, Baili Feng paused, lowered his voice, and looked slightly unnatural: "To be honest, Lord Xu, only the Prefect never goes when he receives an invitation. All the other officials give our clan face, even if they just show up to offer their congratulations."

The Prefect wasn't targeting my family; I've heard he doesn't accept invitations from any family without exception.

Baili Feng was unaware of Xu Xiaoniu's intentions, so he revealed everything he knew.

"Ah."

Xu Xiaoniu nodded slightly. Judging from this, Yan Yijin would most likely go too.

Perhaps Yan Yijin's relationship with the Baili family is superficial, and he only went to offer gifts and congratulations before leaving. Or perhaps they have a close relationship, which would be more troublesome.

"I will be there on time whenever it is held."

No matter what, he was determined to go.

Given his relationship with Bailiwei, he couldn't afford to offend this connection. Besides, he still needed Bailiwei's help.

"Lord Xu, the banquet is in seven days. This is the invitation."

Baili Feng presented the invitation with both hands.

Xu Xiaoniu reached out and took the invitation. It was made of pure gold and had words engraved on it, clearly stating the time and place.

After delivering the invitations, Baili Feng took his leave, as he had another invitation to deliver.

Xu Xiaoniu examined the invitation in his hand, his mind filled with many thoughts.

What if you encounter Yan Yijin?
Pretend you don't know him?

How can I avoid seeing Yan Yijin?
Besides this concern, he had another matter to attend to: to go to Baili's house to buy Xu Xiaohou a magical flying sword.

With Xu Xiaohou's current cultivation level, the superior-grade magic weapon, the Feather Pattern Flying Sword, is far from sufficient to keep up with his strength. What he needs is a spiritual weapon for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

However, spiritual artifacts are precious, costing ten or even dozens of times more than magical artifacts.

The Baili family is a renowned family of weapon refiners. Given the relationship between Xu Xiaoniu and Baili Wei, it might be possible to purchase the spirit weapon flying sword at a lower price.

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.

Seven days flew by.

Xu Xiaoniu kept his appointment as scheduled.

He dressed up specially, wearing a jade silk brocade robe, with black hair and a clean face, his spirit shining brightly, showing the demeanor of a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator.

Three hundred miles away from Yuanli City, there is a second-tier sacred mountain called Moon Spring Mountain.

This mountain boasts stunning scenery, its spiritual aura shrouded in a thin white mist. On clear, sunny days, the mist dissipates under the sun, revealing the entire Moon Spring Mountain.

Among the several mountain peaks, the most beautiful scenery is a spring.

The mountain spring water is crystal clear, incredibly sweet to drink, and carries a subtle, refreshing quality. For ordinary people, drinking this spring water can nourish the body and cure common ailments.

At night, the spring reflects the moon's image in the sky, creating a dreamlike and beautiful scene.

Therefore, the spring was named Moon Spring, and this second-tier sacred mountain was named Moon Spring Mountain.

Moon Spring Mountain, a second-tier spiritual land, is the spiritual land of the Baili family, where hundreds of thousands of members of the Baili family live.

The vast majority of these people are ordinary people.

Like most cultivation families, the Baili family members also live in designated areas on Moon Spring Mountain.

Ordinary people have their own areas, Qi cultivators have their own territory, and Foundation Establishment people have their own exclusive forbidden areas.

Yuequan Mountain was exceptionally lively today.

A while ago, a seven-year-old member of the Baili family was found to have the aptitude for three types of true spiritual roots, so the whole family celebrated.

Even in ancient Foundation Establishment cultivation families, the three types of true spiritual roots are not commonplace.

A clan member with three elemental roots may not necessarily have children or grandchildren with three elemental roots; having a mixed four elemental roots would be considered quite good.

Especially when passed down from generation to generation, the bloodline becomes diluted. What may seem like a potential offspring with spiritual roots may actually be that this lineage has not produced a single offspring with spiritual roots for more than a dozen generations.

This situation is particularly common in long-standing families like the Baili family.

The Baili family has no shortage of food for ordinary people, so generation after generation, with a gap of twenty years between each generation, can produce a new batch of family members.

Although the clan can support so many people, Moon Spring Mountain is only so big and can't accommodate too many people.

The Baili family's method is that if a branch of the family does not produce a cultivator with spiritual roots for five consecutive generations, then the next generation must leave Moon Spring Mountain and live elsewhere to make a living.

Of course, this doesn't mean severing family ties; it simply means a slight reduction in status. Outside the family, they are still members of the Baili family. If another child with spiritual roots appears in the family, they can immediately move back to Yuequan Mountain and be recognized as ancestors.

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.

Xu Xiaoniu flew to Yuequan Mountain.

Seeing the beautiful Moon Spring Mountain shrouded in a thin mist, I felt a pang of envy.

If only the Xu family had such a second-tier spiritual land.

Compared to the Baili family, although the Xu family has three Foundation Establishment cultivators, they are only just starting out and their foundation is far inferior.

When Xu Xiaoniu flew to Yuequan Mountain, many other people flew in from all directions.

No one from the Baili family stopped them.

Normally, the Baili family would definitely have someone guarding the area and wouldn't allow strangers to approach Moon Spring Mountain.

Today is the Baili family's wedding banquet, and they welcome all guests.

The invitations are merely a formality; no one actually checks them. Even without an invitation from the Baili family, one can still come; the Baili family will not turn anyone away.

What if someone comes to cause trouble today?

That would be tantamount to declaring war on the Baili family, and no one would do that.

“There are so many people.”

Xu Xiaoniu looked around, not daring to release his divine sense.

He had only broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage a year ago, and was merely at the first level of Foundation Establishment. Among the many Foundation Establishment experts in Moon Spring Mountain, he was insignificant and unremarkable.

Besides those in the Foundation Establishment stage, there were also many in the late Qi Refining stage who came.

Many of the Qi Refining stage cultivators hadn't received an invitation from the Baili family; they had come to celebrate after hearing the news from outside. For example, many vendors selling magical artifacts in other markets sourced their goods from the Baili family.

Or perhaps they have other business dealings with the Baili family, such as supplying them with materials for refining weapons.

Qi Refining cultivators dared not fly recklessly around Moon Spring Mountain. They would fly to the edge of Moon Spring Mountain and then quickly land, using their Lightness Technique to approach Moon Spring Mountain from the ground.

On the outskirts of Moon Spring Mountain, there is a special place to welcome Qi Refining cultivators.

They offered gifts, noted down names, and offered congratulations, considering their mission complete; they did not expect a banquet at Moon Spring Mountain.

Xu Xiaoniu, being at the Foundation Establishment stage, naturally had no such worries and flew straight to the main peak of Moon Spring Mountain. There were also places to give gifts there.

Not knowing what precious gift to offer, he simply gave 100 spirit stones. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was neither too much nor too little.

Anyway, Bailiwei will have the opportunity to return the gift in the future, so as long as it doesn't seem particularly stingy, it doesn't matter whether it's a little more or a little less.

One by one, Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived.

Xu Xiaoniu didn't recognize most of those people. He had only been promoted for a short time, his realm was low, and his cultivation was weak, so he had little presence here.

Those people chatted spontaneously in twos and threes.

Those who have been in Yuanli County for a long time and have reached the Foundation Establishment stage generally know each other. Some are close, while others are distant or even have grudges against each other.

They wouldn't have any conflicts on Baili's territory; at most, they would just ignore each other.

Xu Xiaoniu noticed that these Foundation Establishment cultivators also had their own circles, including late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Some of them were clearly rogue cultivators, while others were powerful celestial officials.

The circles are clearly defined.

You associate with people who are like yourself.

Just then, Xu Xiaoniu ran into an acquaintance.

The man also saw him and flew down in front of him: "Lord Xu, it's been a long time. I've missed you dearly."

Xu Xiaoniu smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Lord Jiang."

Jiang Hao arrived in Yuanli City a year earlier than Xu Xiaoniu and moved the entire Jiang family to a first-tier spiritual land in Yuanli City for rent.

He currently holds a minor clerical position in the prefectural government, handling paperwork and other administrative tasks. His salary is even lower than Xu Xiaoniu's.

Xu Xiaoniu occasionally had the opportunity to perform tasks and earn some credit rewards, while Jiang Hao did not have this opportunity.

The two men both came from Tonggu County, had no family background, and were both at the first level of Foundation Establishment. As a result, their friendship in Yuanli City deepened considerably.

A few months ago, Xu Xiaoniu had just arrived in Yuanli City when Jiang Hao warmly invited him to drink.

Jiang Hao appeared very enthusiastic, drinking non-stop all night long. While drinking, he poured out his troubles to Xu Xiaoniu, and almost shed tears when he got to the point of tears.

Xu Xiaoniu served as a celestial official in Tonggu County for decades, yet he never developed such a relationship with Jiang Hao.

That's because Jiang Hao experienced what it meant to be "wronged" in Yuanli City, and meeting Xu Xiaoniu felt like meeting an old friend in a foreign land. Moreover, he felt that Xu Xiaoniu could empathize with him more.

In Tonggu County, Jiang Hao was a high-ranking celestial official. Even when he first arrived in Tonggu County to take office, he was one of the four celestial officials. Later, when he became the county magistrate, he was the ruler of the county.

In Yuanli City, Jiang Hao was only at the first level of Foundation Establishment, which was too inconspicuous and had no presence.

Here are Foundation Establishment Immortal Officials, as well as important figures like the Director of the Demon Subduing Division, not to mention the Prefect. Besides these Foundation Establishment cultivators, there are countless other Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators in various families.

Jiang Hao not only had a foundation level of cultivation, but also lacked a family background, which made him appear even more insignificant.

The contrast between before and after made him very uncomfortable.

"Lord Xu, how many months have you been in the county seat? How are you feeling? Is it as difficult as I told you before, that you can hardly move an inch?"

Jiang Hao said with a wry smile, thinking that Xu Xiaoniu would suffer the same pain as him.

Xu Xiaoniu shook his head: "I think it's great. I live in a cave on Fumo Mountain for free, and they don't charge me spirit stones. Occasionally, when there are any missions, they call me to do them because I live on Fumo Mountain and it's close by."

He lived on Mount Fumo because he had no family in Yuanli City.

Many members of the Demon Subduing Division live in their own sacred lands, hundreds of miles away from Yuanli City.

"Oh? You're quite optimistic."

Jiang Hao was slightly surprised, but then he thought of Xu Xiaoniu's low-key style in Tonggu County and realized it was normal.

Xu Xiaoniu was very low-key when he was in Tonggu County. Even though the Xu family had a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a backer, he never showed it off. He was too low-key.

"But there's no hope for a promotion."

Jiang Hao shook his head helplessly.

With his current treatment and position, he would probably live to old age and only just advance to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. He would be lucky if he could get a minor official position.

He didn't want it to be like this; he wanted to climb the ladder!

In Tonggu County, he did not hesitate to use others to kill and wipe out his father-in-law's family in order to gain power.

Xu Xiaoniu comforted him, saying, "Be content with what you have. Think about what happened before you advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and think about the other immortal officials in our Tonggu County."

“Uh~~”

Jiang Hao was speechless.

Indeed, before advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm, his dream was to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. In order to advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he even made a vow: as long as he could reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would be willing to suffer all kinds of hardships for the rest of his life.

That was his biggest dream at that time.

Today his dream came true, and he has new desires.

Then think about those celestial officials in Tonggu County. Apart from Jiang Hao and Xu Xiaoniu, who were lucky enough to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, the others, such as the two previous directors of the Demon Subduing Division before Xu Xiaoniu, and Pei Wanchang, all met tragic ends.

County Magistrate Lü Yisong died peacefully, but his entire family was wiped out shortly after his death.

Really everything is unpredictable.

Compared to those people, Jiang Hao is incredibly lucky.

"Alas, though I have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I still cannot escape the greedy nature of humankind..."

Jiang Hao made a self-deprecating remark.

While the two were talking, Bailiwei arrived.

"Xu Daniu, Jiang Hao!"

He didn't stand on ceremony and called Xu Xiaoniu by his nickname.

The name "Da Niu" is only used by people who are very close to Xu Xiaoniu.

(End of this chapter)