Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 173 Xu Chuan's Scheme, the Arrival of the Imperial Envoy

Upon seeing this, Xu Chuan was suddenly inspired.

The plan is to feed the female tiger some demon beast flesh and blood, spiritual herbs, and pills to see if it can help the white tiger's offspring improve their bloodline so that they are born as spirit beasts.

After venting its anger, the white tiger would flick its tail and leave, not taking it too seriously.

He's like a scumbag who just pulls up his pants and walks away.

However, after the tigress became pregnant, it seemed to change. Knowing that she was carrying its offspring, it would often bring her some good food.

"I never imagined the world of spirit beasts could be so realistic."

Xu Chuan shook his head and chuckled, testing his idea.

However, since the tigress is an ordinary wild animal, she may not be able to digest quickly, so Xu Chuan often personally helps her with his magic.

The pregnant beast was extremely irritable, but under Xu Chuan's imposing presence, it dared not move an inch.

"At this rate, its gestation period should exceed that of a typical female tiger. It seems that it will indeed produce excellent offspring, but it's hard to say whether it will be one or more."

"If the offspring are strong, but the mother is weak, it will usually lead to congenital malformation in the offspring."

It needs to be taken good care of; if it were to die accidentally, it would be a huge loss.

After careful consideration, Xu Chuan specially assigned guards to watch over the tigress and report any suspicious behavior immediately.

Time flies.

The grass and trees turn yellow and fall; autumn goes and winter comes.

November 8th.

Xu Mingwei and his group returned to Dongxi.

During this period, they also sent Qinghuoying back to report that they had reached a cooperation agreement with a prominent family in a prefecture city and sent back some collected spiritual herbs and seeds.

After that, there was no further news.

Until today, I returned.

"Xiaoyao, this is my Dongxi Xu Clan."

As they passed through the misty maze, the Azure Fire Eagles, A-Da and A-San, cried out excitedly. They had grown up here and considered this place their home.

The cries of eagles echoed continuously.

The people living in Dongxi all looked up and saw two blue fire eagles and a group of people flying by. Someone shouted, "It's the patriarch and the others!"

Dongxi suddenly became lively.

Looking down from Ah San's back, Ren Xiaoyao saw that it was the season for harvesting late rice, and the farmers were very busy.

It is a scene of "golden waves surging in the fields, sickles striking to awaken the insects."

Thousands of acres of rice paddies, clear lakes, rows of houses, wide streets, and smiling crowds.

Several palaces and buildings are located on the mountains not far away, surrounded by green steps.

There was a faint, indistinct light curtain.

Qinghuoying, Xu Mingwei, and the others passed through directly without being affected, and finally landed in front of a mansion.

heard movement.

All the direct descendants of the Xu family in each hall went to the Xu family's new residence.

Bai Jing, Yang Ronghua, Wu Rushan, and a group of younger members of the family all emerged from the new house.

The cultivators, including Xu Chuan, arrived first. Not long after, Xu Mingwei and his group also landed at the gate of the new residence. Finally, Xu Dewen and a few other martial arts juniors arrived.

“Father (Auntie)”.

Xu Mingwei and the others first bowed to Xu Chuan.

Ren Xiaoyao glanced at Xu Chuan and immediately did the same.

Next came greetings to Bai Jing.

Then Xu Mingwei and his children greeted their father.

After a while.

Xu Chuan said with a faint smile, "Let's all go inside and talk."

The new residence is more than twice the size of the old one, with five bays in width and three bays in depth.

The main beam of the nanmu wood spans 36 feet, taking the number of "Tian Gang" (Heavenly Gang), and the 900 square bricks paving the ground belong to the category of "Di Sha" (Earthly Fiend).

The east and west walls each have six carved lattice doors, representing the "six directions," while the north and south eaves corridors have twelve pillars, corresponding to the "twelve months."

A huge scroll of "Pine and Crane for Longevity" hangs on the wall of the central hall, flanked by a couplet made of nanmu wood: "An immortal strokes my head, granting me eternal life."

The beams and pillars are all painted with vermilion lacquer as the base, with gold powder outlining the lotus scroll pattern, and the pillar heads are decorated with gilded brackets.

A bronze vermilion bird lamp tree stands by the south window, its twelve branches capable of holding a hundred candles. A green jade coiled dragon lamp screen is set up on all four sides of the north window, its light and shadows creating a landscape.

Because there are not many seats in the hall, not counting the main seat, there are only twelve seats.

Therefore, the younger generation all stood.

"Zhao'er, tell us what you've gained from this trip."

"Yes, Grandpa."

"During this trip, Dezhao gained a lot. He met many powerful families outside of Yuehu County, some domineering and some cautious. Among the independent cultivators, there were also those who were low-key and those who were treacherous and sinister."

You must think twice before talking to him.

The distinct characteristics of each prefecture can influence the power dynamics of local aristocratic families.

Xu Dezhao spoke eloquently and with extraordinary poise.

Xu Deling also said that he had seen many novel magical artifacts and local customs, which broadened his horizons.

Finally, there's Ren Xiaoyao, whom everyone is most curious about.

He was standing behind Xu Mingyuan, with Xu Dejing and his wife, Xu Derui, and Xu Derong beside him. He looked a little uneasy.

Xu Chuan glanced at him and said to Xu Mingyuan, "Mingyuan, since Xiaoyao is your disciple, he is now one of our Xu family members. You should introduce him to everyone."

“That’s how it should be.” Xu Mingyuan smiled faintly, then said, “Xiaoyao, go to the middle.”

"Yes, master."

"At the head of the hall are my father and mother. My father is also the eldest elder of the Xu family. You can call him the eldest elder and the old lady."

"Xiaoyao greets the Grand Elder and the Old Madam."

Bai Jing smiled slightly and said, "He's a handsome child."

"You're already familiar with my eldest brother, third brother, and fourth sister. This is my fifth brother."

"I've met Fifth Uncle."

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly.

Next, they met Xu Mingwei's wife, who was also an elder, and they should pay their respects.

"I won't introduce the younger generation one by one. I'll have Dezhao and Deling introduce you to them later."

Xu Dezhao smiled and said, "Leave it to me, Second Uncle."

Then, Xu Mingyuan briefly explained Ren Xiaoyao's background, which made Bai Jing wipe away her tears, saying, "He's a child with a tragic fate."

She glanced at the group of younger members and said, "Xiaoyao has had a tough time. Now that he's joined the Xu family, he's part of our family. If any of you find out that you've bullied him, don't blame me for punishing you according to family rules."

Ren Xiaoyao clearly sensed his sincerity, which moved him deeply.

Xu Mingyuan did not discuss Ren Xiaoyao's qualifications.

It can be said that the Xu family almost never discusses the specific talents of each of the younger generation; only Xu Chuan and Xu Mingwei, among a few others, know about these things.

After a short while, everyone dispersed.

Ren Xiaoyao was pulled away by Xu Dezhao, and the peers exchanged ideas.

Yang Ronghua helped Bai Jing back to the inner courtyard, while the others went about their own business.

Xu Chuan went to the study with his five children.

The others only knew that they were traveling, and very few knew anything about the family's trade.

"It's not bad that we've been able to reach deals with two powerful families in the last six months. For now, let's leave it at that. As for expansion, we need to proceed slowly until someone in our Xu family has reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

Xu Mingwei nodded and said, "Father is right. In the next few years, we should focus on improving our cultivation and enhancing the family's foundation."

Our Xu family has no shortage of top-tier Qi Refining stage cultivators, but our middle and lower-level foundations are not as good as some sixth-grade Qi Refining families.

However, this matter should not be rushed, and the character of the descendants and the guards must also be taken seriously.

Character is the root of a person; if the root is rotten, even if one grows up, one will only be a cancer to the Xu family.

Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan, Xu Mingshu, and Xu Mingxian all bowed to Xu Mingwei and said, "Understood, elder brother."

After a short while, Xu Chuan said, "The Zhou family sent someone a few days ago to inform us that on November 21st, all the Qi Refining families in Yuehu County need to gather at the Zhou family, and an imperial envoy will be coming at that time."

"Our Xu family's spirit rice has already ripened and been harvested this year. Combined with the Su family's previous resources, the quantity is considerable, so there's absolutely no need to worry. However, the question remains: who will go to the Zhou family?"

Xu Mingyuan asked, "What are your concerns, Father?"

“Tax collection is no small matter. The Cao family should have one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators accompanying them.”

“Father was afraid that if we went there, our cultivation levels would be exposed, which would make the other families in Yuehu County wonder whether the rest of the Xu family had also concealed their cultivation levels, and thus they would be wary of us.”

“Indeed.” Xu Chuan said after thinking for a moment, “I should go for my father’s sake, and take Wu Tao with me.”

"Thank you for your hard work, Father," Xu Mingwei said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Xu Chuan waved his hand with a faint smile, "It's alright."

“Our Xu family now possesses spirit rice, spirit fish, and spirit medicine, and can also purchase the corpses of demon beasts. I think it might be worthwhile to open a cultivation restaurant in Moon Lake Market.”

At the same time, the Xu Family Trading Company was established to sell and purchase cultivation manuals, techniques, magical artifacts, spiritual herbs, pills, materials from demonic beasts, and other items.

Branch offices may also be established in the prefectural capital and various counties to trade with martial arts families.

"Previously, in Yuehu County, all the Qi cultivation families intentionally controlled resources so that they would not flow to the martial arts families, resulting in no immortal cultivation families being born for hundreds of years."

The same applies to county towns.

Our Xu family will stir up this water, make it lively.

"Of course, the merchants in the county town mainly deal in martial arts techniques and resources, and may have a small amount of cultivation resources, but they must be exchanged for cultivation resources."

While Xu Mingwei and the others were still pondering Xu Chuan's intentions, Xu Mingyuan's eyes lit up. "Father, are you trying to elevate the foundation of the entire Yuehu County by your own efforts?!"

This is a grand gesture!

It seems that Father's vision has already extended to the entire Moon Lake County.

Indeed, our Xu family will inevitably become like the Liu family of Qingbo Lake, dominating an entire prefecture.

Once the Xu Family Trading Company has thoroughly penetrated the hearts of the people of Yuehu County, their family will expand, and their primary task will be to trade with my Xu Family Trading Company.

Father reformed Yuehu County single-handedly, also aiming to leverage the county's resources to rapidly enhance the Xu family's foundation.

“Mingyuan understands me.” Xu Chuan smiled faintly. “We must take things one step at a time. To say that we can look at the whole of Wei right now is nothing but empty talk. However, we are not far from conquering Yuehu County.”

Within ten years, Ming Xian, Ming Wei, and I should be able to take turns attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Furthermore, Ren Xiaoyao, with his exceptional talent, will surely allow our Xu family to produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator within twenty years.

Xu Mingshu said with a grin, "It's all thanks to Second Brother for taking on such a good disciple."

"It's just a matter of fate." "No, this is the result of the combined efforts of heaven and earth, as well as the united efforts of the Xu family, leading to the rise of our fortune."

After saying that, he looked at Xu Mingyuan and asked, "When you took in Xiaoyao, you must have already thought about your plans for his future, right?"

Xu Mingyuan nodded. "It is said that cultivators with the aptitude of Earth Spirit Root or above all possess bloodlines of the eighth grade or above, or have special physiques. This can be seen from the fact that he was able to feed the spirit fish with his spiritual blood from a young age."

Therefore, I intend for him to marry into my Xu family.

Everyone else agreed that even the three great first-class families would be tempted to take in a cultivator with the aptitude of earth spirit roots.

"Therefore," Xu Mingyuan said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, "I would like to ask Father for a favor."

"You said."

"Let Rong'er cultivate the Xu family's inherited martial arts."

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, lightly tapping his knuckles on the rosewood table. After thinking for a while, he said, "Alright."

"Thank you father."

"It would be a waste if the talent of the Earth Spirit Root were only combined with ordinary talent. Since we are going to let Xiaoyao marry into the family, let Rong'er also walk the path of immortality."

After a pause, Xu Chuan said, "I have an idea. From now on, all male members of the clan with True Spiritual Root aptitude or below will cultivate the inherited techniques."

“Father, this…” Xu Mingwei was about to say something, but Xu Chuan raised his hand to stop him, saying, “Let me continue.”

Xu Mingwei remained silent.

"Whether they choose the path of immortality or the path of martial arts is up to you. Those who choose the path of immortality will pass down the secret technique of transforming magical power, while those who choose the path of martial arts will break through to the Grandmaster level after possessing a true spiritual root."

"Although the path of immortality is stronger than the path of martial arts, even with a true spiritual root, my Xu family cannot allow every cultivator with a true spiritual root aptitude to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"As for the women, once they enter the Innate Realm, they should be at least sixteen years old. You can ask them for their opinions. If they choose to have a son-in-law marry into their family in the future, you can let them cultivate the inherited techniques."

In the future, our clan's inherited cultivation methods will be separated from secret techniques, and the cultivation methods must not contain any words related to immortality cultivation.

Xu Mingwei and the others all understood, "Father wants to increase the number of descendants with the aptitude for cultivation, but wouldn't that raise suspicions?"

Xu Chuan smiled faintly: "In the past, my vision was too limited. For safety, I naturally tried every means to avoid attracting attention. Now, Mingxian's research on formations to isolate divine sense from spying has also made considerable progress. It may be successful within a few years."

At that time, all members of the Xu family will wear this array device, and even those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage will not be able to tell whether they are pursuing the path of martial arts or the path of immortality.

Furthermore, as I just mentioned, cultivating inherited techniques is one thing, but it's another thing, and the decision rests with you direct elders.

I believe you know in your hearts how to choose.

It should also be clear that a family cannot develop solely through the efforts of one person.

"Your decision to walk the path of immortality was made by your father, but I cannot decide the future of your children and grandchildren."

"Furthermore, I'd like to set another rule: women of the Xu family with true spiritual root aptitude or above shall not marry outside the family. However, exceptions shall be made in special circumstances, such as when they encounter oppression from forces that the Xu family cannot afford to offend."

"Everything is for the survival of the Xu family. We must endure it whether we want to or not, and we must give it up whether we are reluctant to do so!"

Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan, and Xu Mingxian all fell into silent contemplation.

Xu Mingshu initially felt relaxed, but later her expression became serious.

During their travels, they also witnessed how Qi Refining families were oppressed openly and covertly by Foundation Establishment families, to the point of near desperation.

This was because he had previously refused to give his legitimate daughter to a direct descendant of a Foundation Establishment family as a concubine.

"I will heed Father's teachings!"

After a short while, the group all solemnly clasped their hands in greeting.

The Xu family is developing very rapidly and is constantly changing, so one cannot stick to old ways in anything.

After a while.

Xu Chuan then asked, "Mingyuan, do you still have the energy to take charge of the Xu family business?"

Xu Mingyuan pondered for a moment before saying, "The affairs of the Discipline Hall are not too heavy, and with Dewen, Jing'er, Wu Tao and the others helping me, there shouldn't be any problems. It's just that I can't do everything myself."

"You don't need to do everything yourself. A qualified leader should be good at managing subordinates. I believe you can do this better than your older brother, younger brother, and younger sister."

"Second brother, who else but you can handle the business? However, this is a major matter for the Xu family. If you need anything, just let us know."

"For fighting and magical duels, contact Big Brother and Zhan Tang. If you're short-handed, I can issue a mission and mobilize the entire Xu family. If you need spirit beasts to send messages, contact Ming Shu. For array setup, contact Ming Xian."

At this point, Xu Mingxuan chuckled and said, "Each of us has our own area of ​​expertise, but if we combine our strengths, we are enough to rival most of the other Qi Refining families."

Oh, and there's also our Xu family's little genius, the future master of weapon crafting, Xiao Ling'er.

The Xu family is thriving and has unlimited potential; everyone's face is beaming with smiles.

"I will certainly live up to the hopes of my father and the entire clan, and make the Xu family business spread throughout the entire Yuehu County." Xu Mingyuan's eyes were full of confidence.

November 21st arrived in the blink of an eye.

Xu Chuan and Wu Tao headed to the Zhou family's residence.

Qingyue Terrace.

The Zhou family built a huge platform specifically for all the noble families to gather and welcome the imperial envoys.

This platform is three hundred steps in diameter, taking the form of the concept of "heaven is round and earth is square".

The platform is divided into nine levels, each with seven steps, corresponding to the number "nine-five supreme."

The entire piece is made of cold jade rock from the northern mountains. The stone is bluish-white and looks like frost and snow covering the ground from a distance, while ice crack patterns are visible when viewed up close.

Sixty-four dragon-carved pillars stand around the edge of the platform, each pillar being 54 feet tall, with a map of the territory engraved on its body.

The center of the Qingyue Terrace is inlaid with a yin-yang symbol, with the yang side made of Kunshan white jade and the yin side made of Yunshan black stone. Each eye of the fish is inlaid with a luminous pearl.

The outer edge is covered with a relief strip depicting "Mountains, Rivers, and the State," which is 36 feet wide and features the shapes of the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Great Rivers from east to west.

The edge is equipped with a bronze dragon-head drainage system, totaling 360 units, which spout water to form a curtain when it rains.

When Xu Chuan arrived, he was also somewhat shocked, which showed how much the Zhou family valued the imperial envoy.

At this time, many seats were set up on the stage, and most of them were already occupied.

Spiritual fruits, spiritual wine, and jade cups were placed on the table, and people from neighboring noble families were chatting with each other.

Xu Chuan landed with Wu Tao and walked along the center, clasping his hands in a fist and smiling, "Everyone, I'm late."

The main seat was empty; Zhou Shaoyuan, the head of the Zhou family, sat in the chief seat on the left, while the head of the Yuan family sat on the right.

The seat below the Zhou family's was vacant, clearly reserved for someone else.

Upon seeing Xu Chuan arrive, Zhou Shaoyuan smiled and waved, saying, "Brother Xu, it's not too late since the envoy arrived beforehand. Come and sit here; I specially reserved this seat for your Xu family."

"Thank you."

Xu Chuan and Wu Tao sat down, and Zhou Shaoyuan turned to him and said, "I didn't expect that it would be you, the eldest elder of the Xu family, who came in person today."

"It should be my responsibility to entertain the imperial envoy. If the younger generation were to neglect the envoy, wouldn't that bring an immense disaster upon my Xu family?"

Zhou Shaoyuan nodded slightly, then looked at Wu Tao and said, "This young friend seems somewhat familiar."

“Wu Tao, the husband of Dejing from Mingyuan’s lineage, quickly pay your respects to the Zhou family head.”

Wu Tao quickly stood up and bowed to him, showing great courtesy.

"No need for such formalities, please sit down."

Wu Tao then sat down.

"By the way, Brother Zhou, this is the first time my Xu family has paid taxes. Do you have any advice for us? For example, what kind of person is the imperial envoy? Should we prepare a gift for him?"

Zhou Shaoyuan shook his head and said, "I don't know much either. The imperial envoys who come to the city every year are not the same person, but they all stay for a while."

Some officials would exchange pleasantries with us, the prominent families of the prefecture, before collecting taxes; others would begin the tax count immediately. It varied from person to person.

"So that's how it is. Then, Your Excellency's cultivation level..."

Zhou Shaoyuan switched to telepathic communication, saying, "He has reached the Qi Refining stage, but he must have a Foundation Establishment cultivator by his side. I suppose that Foundation Establishment senior is a guest elder of the Cao family or something similar."

After saying that, he stopped talking, picked up the jade cup, and took a small sip.

soon.

The remaining members of the Qi Refining families also arrived.

The last to arrive was the head of a family at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Xu Chuan remembered him; it should be the Lu family.

He looked hurried and anxious.

Someone joked, "Patriarch Lu, you're the last one here. If you're any later, the envoy will arrive and you'll be punished."

"There is a major event in the clan that urgently needs to be dealt with."

"Nothing is more important than welcoming the envoy."

After the Lu family head took his seat, he sighed slightly, "I don't know if it's just bad luck for my Lu family, but the spirit fields have been infested with pests. The spirit rice that was planted just two or three months ago is about to be mostly gone."

"Insect infestation?" The Yuan family patriarch asked in surprise, "I remember this disaster hasn't been seen for decades. Could it be that your Lu family has offended someone and is deliberately retaliating?"

Among the myriad arts of cultivation, there are also methods for controlling insects and beasts.

"It shouldn't be that bad, but are all the spirit fields in your clans unharmed?" Patriarch Lu asked doubtfully.

"All is well." All the heads of the powerful families shook their heads.

"It seems that my Lu family may have really fallen victim to some villain. If I find out, I will skin him alive." The head of the Lu family said through gritted teeth.

Xu Chuan, perceptive in his observations, took this matter to heart.

If it's just a few pests or an accident, but most of a family's spiritual fields are infested with insects, then it could be a sign of a large-scale insect infestation coming.

Other Qi Refining families weren't so extravagant as to set up magic arrays on every piece of spirit field.

Although the spirit field is within the clan's protective array, it cannot be activated unless attacked by the enemy.

Of course, Xu Chuan didn't believe that the heads of those aristocratic families were really that ignorant; they just didn't show it on the surface.

I reckon that once they get back, they'll put on higher alert.

After all, if a pest infestation were to occur and there were insufficient spirit rice, then the only option would be to make up for it with spirit stones and other resources. If this continued for a long time, the family would surely decline.

About half an hour later.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared where the sky had split open, and a dark blue flying boat broke through the clouds and arrived.

At first glance, it was in the rosy clouds ten miles away, but in the blink of an eye, it was already approaching Qingyue Terrace. Its speed was so fast that it left nine lingering afterimages behind it, like feathers left behind by a blue phoenix flapping its wings.

A short while later, a flying boat, more than ten zhang long and three zhang wide, with a dragon head and cloud pattern carved on its bow, stopped above the Qingyue Terrace.

Xu Chuan looked up and saw a delicate pavilion on the flying boat, complete with flying eaves and brackets, which was very exquisite.

In addition, there were more than a dozen guards standing on the deck of the flying boat. Judging from their imposing presence, they were at least late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

A moment later, a young man emerged from the pavilion, dressed in a superior Moonlight Dharma Robe, wearing a glass crown, with a jade hairpin inserted horizontally, exuding a refined and approachable demeanor.

He gently waved a feather fan in his hand; this was no ordinary object.

Following behind was an old man with white hair and a red robe. Two men in black armor in front of the pavilion also descended from the flying boat along with the young man and the old man in the red robe.

On the Qingyue Terrace, everyone had already stood up.

Upon seeing them land, they all bowed in greeting.

The head of the Zhou family spoke first: "The Zhou family, along with all the Qi-cultivating families of Yuehu County, respectfully await the arrival of the envoy."

"We respectfully welcome the envoy," Xu Chuan and the other members of the aristocratic families said in unison.

　Waaah, it's so hard to even get a recommendation vote!
　　

(End of this chapter)