Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 165 An unexpected encounter with a former boss, the cunning Xu family.

"Row."

Xu Mingwei responded, gathering his magical power in his eyes. Instantly, golden light seemed to burst forth from his eyes, and his pupils underwent a transformation, turning into golden eagle eyes.

While it was possible to see the general outline before, some minor details were not very detailed.

Under his golden eagle eyes, everything that happened on the battlefield came into view, including the faces of people lying on the ground.

A few moments.

He then noticed that the character "Ge" was engraved on the side of the weapons scattered on the ground.

"Is the Ge family the one being besieged?"

Everyone looked horrified. They had just been talking about the Ge family, and now they had encountered their men so quickly, and they were even in danger.

"Third brother, I must say your intuition is really useful." Xu Mingyuan smiled faintly.

"There are six cultivators attacking us, one for each of us." Xu Mingwei looked at Xu Dezhao and Xu Deling and said, "Zhao'er, Deling, remember not to hold back, you must be quick, accurate and ruthless."

Their highest level of strength should only be the seventh level of Qi Refining.

"Big brother, how did you know?" Xu Mingshu asked in surprise. "You shouldn't be able to sense it from this far away."

"Intuition," Xu Mingwei said casually.

"Big brother, is your intuition really that accurate?" Xu Mingshu asked again.

Xu Mingyuan shook his head and chuckled, "Fourth sister, your big brother is just seriously lying to you. You can roughly judge my cultivation level by watching their battle."

Xu Mingshu wanted to curse, but Xu Mingwei immediately shut her up, saying, "I'll go first."

Xu Mingwei immediately stopped, patted his storage bag, and the Ink Dragon Bow appeared in his hand, its shape seemingly different from before.

Both the bow and the arrow are dark gold in color, and the patterns on them are much more complex.

This is the new Ink Dragon Bow that Xu Chuan asked Wu Mingsheng to help upgrade first.

The bow is of superior quality, and there are still nine arrows, but they are all mid-grade magic weapons.

When the complete set of magical artifacts appeared, the pressure it emitted was already close to that of some exquisite magical artifacts.

In addition, the pure power of the treasure bow has been enhanced again. The new Ink Dragon Bow will probably require a mid-stage Grandmaster and the use of innate true energy to draw it to its full potential.

Even a Grandmaster at the peak of skill can only pull off a few such feats.

However, it was just right for Xu Mingwei.

His innate superhuman strength didn't stop increasing just because he chose the path of immortality; it's just that the increase wasn't as significant as when he pursued the path of martial arts.

Upon seeing this, the group immediately rushed forward with all their might.

It's not far, only a dozen miles or so; you can get there in no time.

Xu Mingwei smiled faintly upon seeing this and deliberately waited for them for a while.

"who!"

Xu Mingyuan and his group charged forward without any hesitation, their auras naturally not being concealed from the cultivators.

An elderly man in a black robe with gray hair and beard suddenly frowned. He had his hair styled in a Taoist bun and had a peach wood hairpin in it. He turned around and saw that five people had rushed to the vicinity.

"Who dares to stop the Zhu family from doing business?"

"We are the Ge family of Guangling County. Please help us."

The two spoke almost simultaneously, but before they could finish their sentences, a bolt of black lightning pierced through the clouds and passed by the five people, instantly piercing the old man in the black robe between the eyebrows.

Boom~
The ground rumbled, and the old man in the black robe was pinned to a huge crater in the ground.

The sudden change caught the Zhu and Ge families off guard, and the five of them rushed into the battlefield.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flew out from Xu Mingxuan's sleeve, piercing the heart of a Zhu family cultivator. Before anyone could see what the shadow was, it disappeared back into his sleeve.

Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingyuan were much more normal. They directly controlled their flying swords and used their Qi Refining Level 7 magic power to forcefully crush one of them, killing him in seven or eight moves.

However, after the two of them finished killing, Xu Dezhao also quickly killed one of them, without giving him a chance to shout.

Xu Deling, on the other hand, was even faster.

A gray rope silently bound a person, then with a flick of the sleeve, two scissor-shaped sword lights killed the person in one strike.

This ritual implement is indeed a pair of scissors, but it is a clever combination of two ritual implements.

With a single snip, its power is no less than that of a mid-grade magic weapon.

In just over ten breaths, all the Zhu family cultivators were dead.

The six remaining members of the Ge family stared blankly, their weapons raised in mid-air, not putting them down for a long time.

"Huh, you're Xu Mingxuan?!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingxuan turned around and saw a bearded man with multiple wounds on his chest, his clothes tattered and covered in blood, staring at him with wide eyes.

"It looks somewhat familiar."

"It's me, Ge Xuanhong, your former superior officer."

“Captain Ge.” Xu Mingxuan suddenly grinned and said, “With your full beard, I almost didn’t recognize you. What happened to you? I remember you were just as handsome as me.”

Ge Xuanhong's lips twitched slightly. "You haven't changed much, you've just become more mature."

"Of course, he's a father of two now."

Ge Xuanhong smiled slightly, then said to the others, "Gentlemen, put away your weapons. These are brothers I knew from my time in the army."

The others then relaxed the tension in their minds.

Xu Mingyuan glanced around and saw that among the surviving members of the Ge family, there were four Grandmasters, one at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and one at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

One of them let out a long sigh and said, "I thought we were doomed this time, but I didn't expect the Zhu family to send so many people. It's as if they already knew that the things we brought were very valuable."

"You mean there's a spy in the clan?"

"Enough with the talk. I dare not ask whether you are independent cultivators or scions of a noble family?"

Just now.

A black light flew over; it was Xu Mingwei.

With a wave of his hand, the arrows on the ground flew back to him and were put into his storage bag.

“We come from Yuehu County, the Xu family!” Xu Mingwei said calmly.

They had all restrained their cultivation levels.

Apart from Xu Dezhao, everyone else had mastered the "Concealing Breath Technique" to the highest level, enabling them to conceal three minor realms.

Xu Dezhao can then gather two layers.

Therefore, in the eyes of the cultivators of the Ge family, Xu Dezhao was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and Xu Deling was at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Xu Mingyuan and the others are elders, so they only concealed one level of their cultivation, which is the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Xu Mingwei, on the other hand, revealed himself to be at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining from the Ge family exclaimed in surprise, "The Xu family of Yuehu County is a newly emerging cultivation family in Yuehu County after the Su family's downfall."

"Oh, fellow Daoist, you've heard of my Xu family?"

"Have heard a little bit."

Yuehu County is right next to Guangling County. With the two Foundation Establishment families engaging in a full-scale battle, the cultivation families of Guangling County will surely pay attention to this matter.

He had heard about it beforehand from the clan elders.

The Xu family seems to have developed extremely rapidly. In less than a century, it has grown from an ordinary county-level family into a fifth-grade immortal cultivation family.

Rumor has it that the Xu family's rapid development is due to the birth of two geniuses.

The middle-aged cultivator surnamed Ge carefully examined them, but judging from their cultivation level and age, he felt that they were not the so-called prodigies of the Xu family.

“This is my third uncle, Ge Yanfeng. Everyone here is from the three branches of the Ge family.” Ge Xuanhong smiled at Xu Mingxuan, then asked, “Who are they?”

“They are all my people, and we have come out together to travel.”

Xu Mingyuan said, "We were on our way to Guangling County when we saw injustice and decided to help."

So you'd help everyone by drawing your sword and killing them, right?

Ge Xuanhong inwardly grumbled, but his gratitude for their help was genuine; without them, none of them would have survived.

A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist!
It's better for the Zhu family cultivators to die than for them to die.

"I heard from my third brother that your Ge family is a prominent clan in Guangling County. I wonder if we could entertain you?"

"That's only right. Even if strangers save our lives, we should repay them. Besides, we're much safer traveling with you all."

As he spoke, Ge Xuanhong looked at Ge Yanfeng, who nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

After the injured took the medicine, Ge Yanfeng sorted out the deceased's belongings and put their bodies into storage bags. Then, the group set off for the county town.

Most of the dead were guards, and Ge Yanfeng and his companions did not show much sadness.

This applies to almost all cases unless the deceased is a close relative.

It's like watching someone else get hit; it may look painful, but you can hardly understand how painful it is until you experience it yourself.

Ge Xuanhong was quite happy to see Xu Mingxuan again.

After all, Xu Mingxuan had saved his life on the battlefield, and the two had even become sworn brothers.

"Brother Xu, how come you suddenly became a cultivator? I remember you were clearly a martial artist," Ge Xuanhong asked curiously.

"This is a long story. Back then, my Xu family had never been in contact with cultivators, and we didn't even know that we had the talent to cultivate immortality."

"My third uncle just said that your Xu family only became a family of cultivators in the last two years?"

“That’s right. My Xu family can barely be listed as a fifth-grade immortal cultivation family. Brother Ge, your Ge family should be quite strong in Guangling County, right?”

"Haha, I won't lie to you, you can find out all this by asking around in the county town. My Ge family is second only to the two Foundation Establishment families in Guangling County."

Their strength may fluctuate, but they can generally be ranked in the top four.

As he spoke, Ge Xuanhong's eyes were filled with pride.

"That strong? Then how did you manage to be ambushed?"

"This matter is a long story, and it is related to the situation in Guangling County. The two Foundation Establishment families, Wei and Feng, are fighting each other, and our Qi Refining families have no choice but to take sides, otherwise we will suffer attacks from both sides."

My Ge family has allied with the Wei family, while the Zhu family, who have allied with the other side, are the ones who are besieging and killing us.

In terms of overall strength, the Zhu family is no match for the Ge family, but we are only one of the four branches of the Ge family.

With the Feng family around, no matter how angry my Ge family is, we cannot exterminate the Zhu family, and vice versa.

Therefore, friction and conflict frequently occur between the two major factions, and the strength of each Qi-cultivating family fluctuates approximately every twenty to thirty years.

Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, and the others all fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

Although the situation seems clear, it is more complicated than that of Moon Lake County.

Ge Yanfeng suddenly said, "How is Yuehu County now? I heard that the Su family was wiped out and the Zhou family is now in control. It must not be doing well either."

Xu Mingxuan smiled faintly and said, "Uncle Ge has misunderstood."

"Third uncle?"

Ge Xuanhong laughed heartily, “Third Uncle, Mingxuan saved my life, and we were sworn brothers.”

"I see."

Ge Yanfeng stopped worrying about the form of address. But to someone who didn't know better, they would probably think the two families were relatives.

"What misunderstanding is this?"

"Although the Zhou family is dominant, they are still fair in their actions. At least in the past two years, we have not heard of them bullying other Qi Refining families."

Each family in Yuehu County develops independently, but when they meet in the deep forests of the mountains, friction is inevitable, deepening their mutual hatred.

If the enmity is too deep to be resolved, it may escalate to a life-or-death situation.

"The Zhou family isn't going to interfere?" Ge Yanfeng asked in surprise.

"Why should we interfere?" Xu Mingxuan asked, equally puzzled.

Ge Yanfeng sighed and said, "It is common for cultivation families to fight over resources, but if it escalates to the point of annihilation, then one of the families will inevitably perish."

This is not a good thing for the overall strength of the county.

After all, the emergence and development of cultivation families takes hundreds of years.

No wonder your Yuehu County ranks last among the twenty-two counties of the Great Wei Dynasty. With such chaos, how can the number of cultivation families compare to that of the other counties?

Your Guangling County isn't much better, is it?

Xu Mingxuan thought to himself, "No wonder it's so hard for Qi Refining families to advance any further if they keep fighting like this."

If one day resources and the number of cultivators cannot keep up, the family will inevitably decline.

"Uncle Ge, have the Wei and Feng families always been the foundation-building families in your Guangling County?"

"It seems that this is indeed the case for the next three hundred years."

Xu Mingyuan frowned slightly. A Foundation Establishment family that has existed for three hundred years must have a foundation far deeper than the Su family of the past.

Half a day later.

The group arrived at the Ge family's ancestral land.

"Huh, isn't the Ge family in the county town?" Xu Mingxuan asked.

Ge Xuanhong smiled and said, "True Qi Refining clans naturally seek out spiritual energy nodes around the county city as their clan's territory. The concentration of spiritual energy in those areas is far superior to that in the county city."

Only those Qi-cultivating families with shallow foundations, whose spiritual energy nodes were occupied early on, could only occupy a piece of land in the county city.

However, it is said that spiritual energy nodes are not fixed. Every hundred or even several hundred years, if the earth's veins change, new spiritual energy nodes may appear, or the original spiritual energy nodes may change.

That was the fiercest fighting in my Guangling County.

To secure a prime location imbued with spiritual energy, each family pulled out all the stops.

Xu Mingxuan nodded slightly, "I can understand. Places with spiritual energy are indeed crucial for cultivators."

The Xu family also faces many challenges due to the concentration of spiritual energy.

"As a newly established Qi Refining family, I suppose the spiritual energy nodes of Moon Lake County have long been out of your reach?"

“Who says otherwise?” Xu Mingxuan said, going along with his point.

Actually, he wasn't very clear on this either.

The matter of spiritual energy was mainly handled by Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian.

Moreover, at least for now, the Xu family is doing quite well in Dongxi, but it's hard to say what the future holds.

Ge Xuanhong and Ge Yanfeng told them to wait in the main hall while they went to report to the head of the family what had happened.

Xu Mingyuan transmitted his voice and said, "Brother, it seems that the Ge family is divided into different branches that compete with each other and develop independently. I estimate that they will only come together to negotiate when facing external threats or major events."

“This can also be considered a direction for the family.” Xu Mingwei replied, “In fact, if my Xu family continues to exist for four or five hundred years, it may also evolve to this point.”

After all, we can't control what future generations think or do.

Unless we can live forever.

"Four or five hundred years? We would need to reach the Golden Core stage by then, which is too far off. It's hard to say whether we can even reach the Foundation Establishment stage now."

Xu Deling looked around the hall with curiosity.

This hall looks very old.

The bluestone steps at the entrance have been worn down by time, each wear and tear seemingly recording the comings and goings of the Ge family members.

A plaque inscribed with "Dunqiu Liufang" hangs on the wall directly opposite the door in the hall.

There is a lifelike Tai Chi Yin-Yang fish sculpture in the very center of the ground.

The gilded dragon patterns on the eight front dragon pillars have faded somewhat, and there are signs of repair.

The bronze bells hanging from the beams are engraved with a dust-repelling spell, but when they move without wind, they emit a hoarse sound, like an old man's sigh.

On the east side, there are antique porcelain, bronze three-legged tripods, coral and jade artifacts, etc.

Each of these items has a history of hundreds of years and would be worth at least hundreds or thousands of taels of silver in the secular world, but in the eyes of cultivation families, they are merely decorative playthings.

"Brother, the Ge family has quite a deep foundation," Xu Deling transmitted his voice.

Xu Dezhao replied with a smile, "The entire Guangling County is second only to the Foundation Establishment families. How shallow can its foundation be? I estimate it's not much worse than the Zhou family before they became Foundation Establishment families."

"Wouldn't that mean the Ge family only needs one Foundation Establishment expert to become a Foundation Establishment family?"

"Well, that's not quite right. Any family that produces a Foundation Establishment expert can become a Foundation Establishment family, and my Xu family is no exception."

If even one of my grandfather, father, or fifth uncle could advance, my Xu family would have far fewer worries, and we wouldn't need to be so cautious in our trade with other prefectures.

"That's true." Xu Deling nodded slightly.

A moment later, a maid came in to serve tea, along with a man dressed as a steward.

"Please wait in the lobby, distinguished guests. Lord Xuan Hong and Lord Yan Feng will be back shortly."

“That’s only right,” Xu Mingxuan said.

The Ge family's study.

"Father, that's roughly what happened this time," Ge Xuanhong said, bowing to the old man in black robes and gray hair.

This person was none other than Ge Yanhua, the head of the third branch of the Ge family.

He is also a cultivator at the late stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"Second brother, if the Zhu family only had a few martial artists or low-level cultivators guarding that road, that would be normal."

However, this time, six cultivators were dispatched, including an elder from the Zhu family who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

This was by no means a coincidence.

Even the Wei and Feng families wouldn't be so extravagant as to have late-stage Qi Refining cultivators do such things.

Ge Yanhua sighed slightly, "This matter is far-reaching and can only be investigated secretly. However, it is fortunate that you were able to return safely."

If you all die out there this time, the strength of my three lineages will likely decline.

Ge Yanfeng smiled faintly at Ge Xuanhong, "It's fortunate that Xuanhong has made a good brother. However, the Xu family is only a newly established family of cultivators, and their intentions in coming to my Guangling County are unclear."

Generally, apart from Foundation Establishment families, it's rare for Qi Refining families to extend their reach to other prefectures and cities.

"Third Uncle, it's still uncertain whether Mingxuan and his group are coming to Guangling County to compete for cultivation resources. Don't rush to conclusions."

Ge Yanhua said calmly, "This is the proper precaution. Even people of the same lineage will compete for resources, let alone a family of different surnames from another county."

"Your son understands," Ge Xuanhong said, bowing respectfully with his hands clasped.

"However, since you are our saviors, the Ge family cannot treat you unfairly. Let's go and meet you. We can give you some medicine or something as a token of our gratitude."

The three of them immediately went to the main hall.

Ge Xuanhong then introduced him, saying, "This is my father, the head of my three branches of the family."

Xu Mingxuan and the others all stood up, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Patriarch Ge."

"You are all my son and third brother's saviors, please don't stand on ceremony, please sit down." Ge Yanhua smiled and seemed very approachable, a stark contrast to his previous indifference in the study.

"Someone, bring it up here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the butler came in carrying a sandalwood tray and stood in front of Ge Yanhua.

Ge Yanhua picked up the porcelain bottle and said with a smile, "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. Since you are all cultivators, my Ge family will present this bottle of pills as a token of our gratitude."

Xu Mingyuan immediately stood up, reaching out to take it, and a slight smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Patriarch Ge is too kind. A bottle of top-grade Qi Gathering Pills is indeed quite valuable."

"It seems you truly value your family's younger generation. However, the resources Fellow Daoist Yan Feng and his companions brought must be considerable, otherwise they wouldn't have offered such a generous gift in return."

Upon hearing this, Ge Yanhua's hand immediately paused, stopping in mid-air.

The smile on his face suddenly froze.

Xu Mingyuan's smile remained unchanged.

The whole scene seemed to freeze.

Xu Mingxuan and the others all forced themselves not to laugh.

Even a Foundation Establishment family wouldn't be willing to part with a bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pill as payment.

After all, refining high-grade pills is not easy; it requires a sufficiently profound understanding of alchemy.

Aside from the Xu family, the number of clans in the entire Great Wei who could bestow whole bottles of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills upon their disciples for cultivation is estimated to be no more than two people.

"My second uncle is too ruthless!"

Xu Dezhao and Xu Deling looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.

Both Ge Xuanhong and Ge Yanfeng had twitching lips.

Who are these Xu family members? Have they come to my Ge family to beg for money?
I have never taken a Qi Gathering Pill in all my years of cultivation, let alone a high-grade one.

Qi Gathering Pills are suitable for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. Generally, only cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining in Qi Refining families are given them.

Most of the time, you still have to rely on your own self-cultivation.

Therefore, for them, clan territory with spiritual energy nodes is very important.

“Brother Xu, you must have misunderstood.” Ge Xuanhong immediately smoothed things over, saying, “It’s not easy for my Ge family to gather a bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills.”

"You may not know this, but top-grade Qi Gathering Pills are considered rare items in county towns, especially in those ranked lower."

“That’s right.” Ge Yanhua also said, “I’ve heard that the Zhou family of Yuehu County has a master alchemist who can refine high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, but they probably rarely circulate in the market.”

"I misunderstood," Xu Mingyuan said in surprise, but continued to cut to the heart, "A high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill is not bad either, and most of us can use it."

Ge Yanhua sighed softly and withdrew his hand from the porcelain bottle.

Since when has a bottle of low-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills become something unworthy of being presented?!
"What's wrong, Patriarch Ge?"

"After thinking it over, I realize that considering the life-saving grace and the help you all gave in protecting the Ge family's resources, a bottle of high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill is indeed a bit too cheap."

Let me think about the best way to repay everyone.

“Patriarch Ge, there’s no need to be so polite. Brother Xuan Hong and I are sworn brothers. How could I have helped you out of greed? A high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill is enough.”

Xu Mingxuan also emphasized the superior-grade Qi-nourishing pill, and then stabbed the Ge family head in the chest again.

Ge Xuanhong was naturally aware of his own situation.

Only the most core members of the clan can receive a high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill when they reach the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining; others are lucky to receive a low-grade one.

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(End of this chapter)