Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 177 The Spirit Control Scripture, Azure Scale Mother-Child Flying Knife
Two or three days later.

Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingxian followed the released red-spotted insects to the place where the insect queen was.

There seems to be a special connection between the red spot worm and the queen, allowing the insect to locate the queen even from a distance.

However, red spot worms that are subject to restrictions and controls will lose this connection.

This is more like a special mechanism of the spirit insect.

Therefore, Xu Mingshu kept a few and released them back into the wild.

Of course, if it were other cultivators, it would be almost impossible for them to keep up closely. Spirit insects are quite sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual energy and magic power; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to find various families' spirit rice from a great distance.

Being too close will inevitably lead to an attack.

From a distance, the spirit insect had long since disappeared.

Perhaps the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator could be used to track it down.

However, Xu Mingshu possesses the innate talent of "Whispers of All Spirits," which allows her to communicate with all spirits and gives her a natural affinity for them.

Red spot worms are extremely unintelligent, making it difficult to discern their harmful effects.

He led her back to their lair and attacked the queen insect from behind.

As for Xu Mingxian, he followed far behind, relying on the bloodline attraction technique to avoid losing his way.

"Hmm, it's stopped moving. It seems that Fourth Sister has already reached the location of the Queen Insect."

Xu Mingxian immediately increased his flying speed. After arriving nearby, he waved his sleeve, and array flags flew out and landed around him. He then formed hand seals and poured his magic power into the array flags.

A moment later, a pale blue, semi-transparent light curtain rose up, completely sealing off the area.

Xu Mingxian looked around and murmured, "This should be a secluded valley near Nagano Prefecture, located between the county seat and Qingjiang. No wonder it flew to my Dongxi."

Xu Mingxian transmitted her thoughts to Xu Mingshu, "Fourth Sister, the entire valley is now shrouded in an array, and they can't get out."

"Mingxian, I can't enter this place." Xu Mingshu's voice echoed in the secluded valley.

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingxian immediately flew towards her location.

Upon arrival, Xu Mingshu pointed to a cliff face and said, "There are gaps in the cliff face that allow red-spotted insects to fly in, but we can't get in."

Xu Mingxian scanned the surroundings with his divine sense and said calmly, "There are no traces of formations around us."

"Strange, such spirit insects as the Red Spotted Insect Queen should, in theory, be wild and would not be in this area. At the very least, they would seek out places with abundant spiritual energy. This is the instinct of spirit insects and demon beasts."

Fourth Sister, this place might contain the cave dwelling of a cultivator. The Red-Spotted Queen was something he possessed, and it hatched hundreds of years or even longer after his death.

"Then why has this spirit insect never appeared in Moon Lake County before?"

"It's probably only been incubated in the last few years. Don't ask for now, just try to get in and take a look, and you'll know everything."

The two began to explore carefully, examining the mountain walls and the mountain itself.

Finally, a waterway was discovered in the pool several meters away, which seemed to lead to the interior of the mountain.

Xu Mingshu sent the Iron-Eating Flying Ants to scout ahead, and sure enough, there was a hidden world inside the mountain, a huge cave.

The passageway was just big enough for one person to pass through.

Once inside the cave, Xu Mingshu looked around and murmured, "I never expected to find such a hidden paradise. The people who discovered this place must have had an element of coincidence."

Ordinary cultivators, unless they are certain that there is another hidden paradise in the mountains, would certainly not explore it in detail. They would probably just scan it with their divine sense and then leave.

"That's why this place hasn't been discovered by cultivators from Yuehu County for so many years. If it were covered by an array, it would definitely have been completely destroyed."

After saying that, he scanned the area with his divine sense, and with a slight smile, he said, "Found it. There is indeed a large swarm of insects, numbering in the thousands, and also the remains of cultivators."

Xu Mingxian immediately took Xu Mingshu there.

This is a stone chamber carved out by human hands. The natural rock walls are twisted and undulating like the entrails of a giant beast. The stalactites hanging from the dome have a chalcedony-like luster, and every ten breaths or so, water droplets fall into a puddle on the ground.

The walls are inlaid with luminous stones, radiating soft light so that the stone chamber is not too dark.

In the southeast corner stands a naturally formed stone couch, its surface covered with a futon woven from silk, upon which sits the skeleton of a gray-robed cultivator.

As for the northwest corner, it was planted with many spiritual herbs that had been mostly eaten.

"Queen of the red spot worm".

Xu Mingshu immediately noticed the tiny red spirit insect perched atop the cultivator's corpse.

They were also discovered after the red spot worm.

Suddenly, a large number of red-spotted insects on the surrounding walls of the stone wall spread their wings and attacked the two of them at the same time.

Xu Mingxian immediately leaped backward, making hand seals as she retreated, and together with Xu Mingshu, they exited the stone chamber.

buzz~
Red spot worms followed closely behind.

However, at this moment, Xu Mingxian's magic was completed, and a cold wave surged through, instantly freezing hundreds of red-spotted insects in mid-air.

Xu Mingshu seemed to understand something upon seeing this, and immediately said, "Don't hold back. These red-spotted worms are controlled by the queen and will fight to the death."

If they don't die, we can't get close to the queen.

With the queen insect in hand and the necessary resources, it is possible to rebuild the red spot insect colony.

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly and immediately began to use the fire-based spells that he was more familiar with. They were both mid-grade spells, but he was much faster at casting them.

Although the red-spotted worms are resistant to fire, most of the swarm consists of larvae, and this is compounded by the power of mid-grade magic.

In the blink of an eye, dozens more charred spirit insects fell to the ground.

Xu Mingshu also showed no mercy, using her magical artifacts to defend while simultaneously launching an attack.

The figure moved swiftly, and in just a moment, almost all the red-spotted worms perished.

"The art of controlling insects is indeed unique. Even low-level spirit insects, or larvae, can pose such a threat."

"If your Iron-Eating Flying Ants increase in number, even just a few hundred adult ants, even someone like me at the peak of Qi Refining would have to give way."

"That's for sure. The Iron-Eating Flying Ant is an ancient and wondrous insect, far superior to the Red-Spotted Insect. Of course, its cultivation difficulty is also incomparable."

The two entered the stone chamber and encountered a red-spotted worm trying to escape by crawling into the cracks in the walls. Xu Mingxian immediately sent a burst of divine sense to strike it.

It made him dizzy.

During the fall, it was captured in Xu Mingshu's palm.

Xu Mingxian examined it and said calmly, "This is quite different from the red-spotted worm. It is much thinner and longer, with a soft abdomen, and its whole body is crimson."

"Fortunately, this queen insect is not yet an adult. Otherwise, it would be difficult for someone with the strength of a Qi Refining stage to forcibly set up a restriction. She would resist or even self-destruct."

"Hurry up while it's still a little dizzy."

Xu Mingshu nodded slightly, then forced a wisp of blood from her fingertip and dripped it onto the red-spotted worm. She then made a hand seal to cast a restriction spell.

Xu Mingxian then approached the remains and, with a wave of her hand, took the storage bag from them.

"A low-level storage bag; it seems this person was most likely in the late Qi Refining stage before death. And there's also a spirit beast bag."

Xu Mingxian first glanced at the spirit beast pouch, which was empty, before checking the storage pouch.

A set of cyan mother-and-child throwing knives, one large and eight small, exuded an aura similar to the Xuanwu Seal in his hand, which made his eyes light up.

"This person has quite a background."

Then came a high-grade black-scaled flying sword, a mid-grade defensive magic weapon, two tokens engraved with the words "Spirit Control", a dozen spirit stones, and three books.

Aside from the cyan mother-and-child throwing knives that surprised Xu Mingxian, what he valued most were the ancient books. If there were any related to beast taming, then the Xu family would have made a profit.

"The True Scripture of Spirit Control, the Qi Refining Chapter of the Azure Spirit Art of Yi Wood, the Foundation Building Chapter of the Azure Spirit Art of Yi Wood, the Foundation Building Techniques?"

The techniques that the Xu family had previously collected had only been cultivated to the point of Qi Refining Perfection.

Fortunately, three foundation-building techniques were later discovered in the Su family's Taoist canon: the "Mysterious Spirit True Water Technique," the "Azure Gang Sword Technique," and the "Taiyin Moon Essence Technique."

These three methods all include cultivation content for both the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.

Without the Foundation Establishment Technique, even if someone in the Xu family were to enter the Foundation Establishment stage, they would remain at the early stage of Foundation Establishment for their entire life.

He flipped it open and looked at it; it was a wood-type item. He then grinned and said, "Suitable for my father."

Then there is the "True Scripture of Spirit Control".

After a while.

"As expected, it's related to beast taming, and it's quite complete. Fourth Sister is in luck now." Xu Mingxian glanced at Xu Mingshu, then her gaze fell on the two tokens.

"Spirit Control, what does that represent? Does it represent a certain faction?"

"Then this person cannot be a rogue cultivator. But how could he appear in this remote place? There should be no families or sects related to 'Spirit Control' within the Great Wei territory."

"It seems there's a beast-taming tradition in Daliang. Could it originate from Daliang?"

"Forget it, the Great Liang is too far away from my Xu family. As long as my Xu family doesn't expose our 'Spirit Control' inheritance, they shouldn't come knocking on our door."

Just then, Xu Mingshu opened her eyes and, after some effort, finally tamed the red spot worm queen.

"Mingxian, I succeeded."

She smiled radiantly, turned her head to look at him, and then laughed, "Oh, so you're secretly looting the corpse behind my back, are you trying to hide some good stuff in advance?"

“There are good things.” Xu Mingxian rolled his eyes at her, put all the items into his storage bag, and then burned the two tokens, the storage bag, the spirit beast bag, and the corpse together.

"Uh, he's been dead for at least a hundred years, how could there be a problem with this storage bag?"

"Better safe than sorry," my father said. "Besides, this person has a complicated background, so it's best to get rid of him once and for all."

"Let's go back to find Father."

"Wait a minute." Xu Mingshu walked to the northwest corner and collected the spirit herb, along with its roots, which had been mostly eaten and whose species she could no longer identify.

“These should be the elixirs that the Queen Insect loves to eat. I’ll take them back and show them to my father.”

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly.

The two then returned by waterway.

Upon arriving above the secluded valley, Xu Mingxian made a hand seal, and moments later, several streaks of light flew over and disappeared into Xu Mingxian's storage bag.

After exchanging glances, the two of them flew towards Dongxi.

Xianyi Hall.

Xu Chuan's Quiet Room.

Looking at the items floating in mid-air, Xu Chuan said calmly, "Not bad, this trip has been quite fruitful."

"This set of mother-and-child throwing knives"

Xu Mingshu's eyes lit up as she looked at Xu Chuan, but Xu Chuan ignored her and looked at Xu Mingxian, saying, "Mingxian, who do you think is more suitable? You can take it yourself if you want."

Xu Mingxian ignored Xu Mingshu, and after thinking for a moment, looked at Xu Chuan and said, "Father, I think this set of throwing knives should be given to Second Brother."

My elder brother is strong. Although his bow and arrow set is not as powerful as this set of magical artifacts, it is still more effective when combined with his strength.

Third Brother has the Shadow Cone, I have the Black Tortoise Seal, Fourth Sister has the Iron-Eating Flying Ant Swarm, and we also have the Red Spotted Insect Queen, which can cultivate a large number of Red Spotted Insect swarms.

Only the second brother, whose importance in the family is no less than that of the eldest brother, has no hidden treasures.

Xu Mingshu agreed, saying, "Father, I also think it should be given to Second Brother."

"Then who were you trying to impress by acting like you were about to give it to me?" Xu Chuan glanced at her with a smile.

Xu Mingshu awkwardly pouted and said, "I just didn't expect it."

"Then you two will go over there later and give this magic artifact to your second brother."

"Yes, Father," the two replied simultaneously, clasping their hands in greeting.

"Also, give him the mid-grade and high-grade magic artifacts and let him put them into the Xu family business to sell when he has time. That cultivator has quite a background, so it's best to sell the magic artifacts as soon as possible."

After changing hands several times, it will likely be difficult for them to find our Xu family again. As for the incantations, copies of both the *Yu Ling Zhen Jing* and the *Yi Mu Qing Ling Jue* were made and sent to the Daoist Archives. The originals were subsequently burned.

“Then I’ll make two copies, and I’ll send one of them to Father,” Xu Mingshu said.

Xu Chuan nodded.

A short while later, Xu Mingshu left the incomplete elixir behind, and the two of them left for the Discipline Hall.

"Ming Shu, Ming Xian, what brings you here?" Xu Mingyuan said with a smile. "Sit down and let's chat."

The two sat down in response.

Xu Mingshu grinned and said, "Second brother, we've brought you a treasure."

"What treasure?"

Xu Mingxian patted the storage bag, and a series of clanging sounds rang out. Nine beams of azure light shot out from the storage bag and hovered in the room.

The large one is like a long blade, three feet and three inches long, and the eight throwing knives are seven inches and three inches long. The blue scale patterns on each blade rise and fall with the movement, as if a living creature is breathing, and each pattern is located in a different position on the blade.

At first glance, it seems nothing special, but if the long blade is in the center and the eight throwing knives are arranged in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) positions, you can see that the blue patterns form the shape of a certain monster.

"This is a set of exquisite magical artifacts?!" Xu Mingyuan exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s right, it’s for you, Second Brother.” Xu Mingshu said with a smile, “This is what we got from this trip. Father gave it to us, so please accept it.”

Xu Mingxian offered the same advice.

Xu Mingyuan no longer declined.

"And then there's more," Xu Mingxian explained Xu Chuan's instructions to him.

Xu Mingyuan nodded slightly. "I will handle this matter as soon as possible."

"Second brother, refine it as soon as you have time. We're leaving now."

Xu Mingxian and Xu Mingshu did not linger.

Two days later.

These magical artifacts appeared on the shelves of Xu's Trading Company in Yuehu Market. Before long, both the high-grade flying swords and the mid-grade defensive magical artifacts were traded away by independent cultivators.

Not long after, Xu Chuan went to the Zhou family.

With the queen insect subdued, if the noble families of Yuehu County do not see the spirit insect for a long time, they will surely think that the insect pest has disappeared. Then Xu Chuan can sell the medicinal liquid he has researched and make a fortune.

The Zhou family's land.

"Brother Xu, you've come to see me, could it be that you've discovered a way to get rid of the red spot worms?" Zhou Sen asked.

Xu Chuan smiled slightly, "Exactly."

After saying that, he took out a bottle of medicine. "Brother Zhou, please feel free to try it. If you think it's good, we can talk about the price."

“Alright,” Zhou Sen said. “Then Brother Xu, please wait here for a moment.”

Zhou Sen left the room and went to find Zhou Shaoyuan to try out the effects of the medicine together.

really.

Red spot worms do not approach the rice that has been sprayed with a little medicine. If the medicine is dripped on them, they will immediately fall to the ground and be unable to move for a quarter of an hour.

The two men's eyes lit up, and they immediately went to find Xu Chuan.

"Brother Xu is truly talented. I am deeply impressed that you were able to develop this medicinal liquid so quickly."

"Brother Zhou, you flatter me."

Zhou Shaoyuan asked, "Brother Xu, how many spirit stones are you planning to sell?"

"One spirit stone for ten bottles, when combined with spells like the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique, can ensure the safety of ten acres of spirit fields for three days."

"Is this a bit too expensive?"

"Unique configuration, exclusive ownership, naturally more expensive. Of course, the Zhou family is an ally of my Xu family, so there's no need for that. Thirty days, a fixed price of five hundred spirit stones, or an equivalent amount of spirit herbs and materials."

In about thirty days, those spirit insects must no longer be in my Moon Lake County.

What are your thoughts on this transaction, Brother Shaoyuan?

Zhou Shaoyuan's eyes darted around, calculating the gains and losses.

The Zhou family possessed vast spiritual fields. After annexing the Su family, their spiritual fields approached ten thousand acres. Other aristocratic families had at least a hundred acres, and some had four or five hundred acres.

If they buy at Xu Chuan's price, it won't be much cheaper than their own.

Seems like a good deal?
Zhou Shaoyuan exchanged another telepathic message with Zhou Sen, then nodded and said, "In that case, when can the medicine be delivered?"

"It's available right now."

Without further ado, the Zhou family immediately ordered the preparation of nearly five hundred spirit stones' worth of resources, including some aged rice.

Xu Chuan didn't say much, and accepted it with a smile.

After visiting the Zhou family, Xu Chuan went to the market and put the medicine on the shelves of the shops, and promoted it extensively in the market.

Within half an hour, all the Qi Refining families in the county knew that the Xu family business had a method to drive away spirit insects, and many families immediately sent people to inquire.

The product is excellent; someone from the business personally demonstrated its effectiveness against red spot worms.

However, this price deterred many established families.

But in the end, some powerful families gritted their teeth and made a deal with the Xu family. If there was no harvest this year, the spirit rice would inevitably be ripped off.

In addition, I have recently heard that the Xu family business is fair in its transactions and treats everyone fairly, young and old.

This also put their minds at ease.

Several stubborn families felt that since they hadn't seen any red spot worms for several days, they could get through this period.

Xu Chuan would never let them be so smug.

They secretly dealt with the pest infestation, so they should at least collect some interest.

After all, if the queen insect were allowed to reproduce a large number of red spot worms, reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands, the entire Moon Lake County would truly face a catastrophic disaster.

At night, Xu Mingshu sent the red-spotted insects she had initially collected to circle around those family spirit fields.

They were so frightened that they bought a month's supply overnight.

The Xu family didn't go too far; having made this profit, they had no intention of making any further moves.

After all, all I wanted was to make a quick buck.

A month passed.

When everyone saw that there were no more red spot insects, they all breathed a sigh of relief, pulled out the dead rice seedlings, and replanted them.

With the help of their own family members to cultivate it diligently, they can barely catch up in the remaining seven months.

If there is still not enough grain, one can only accept one's bad luck and buy grain from landlords who have surplus grain.

The Xu family acquired a considerable amount of old grain from various households. They believed they were discarding some useless items, but the Xu family then used this spirit rice to brew wine with some spirit herbs and sold it in the county town and markets.

The "Blood Jade" spirit wine, made primarily from blood rice, is suitable for innate martial artists and also has some effect on grandmasters.

The "Floating Life" spirit wine, made primarily from millet, has a slight psychedelic effect and can enhance cultivation, making it quite popular among early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

With the recent recruitment of a spiritual chef, Xu Family Restaurant's "Jade Terrace" has officially opened to the public.

There are all-spirit banquets made with demonic beasts, spirit rice, and spirit herbs, as well as delicacies with a touch of spiritual energy.

The former is expensive, costing at least five or six spirit stones per meal, with a daily limit of three tables, and requires advance reservations.

The latter is much cheaper and can also be traded for in gold and silver.

The Xu family's foundation has been rapidly enhanced at a pace unimaginable for ordinary aristocratic families.

Half a month later.

A visitor has arrived at Qingjiang Cave Creek.

"Qingjiang County, it seems this is the place." An old man with gray hair dressed in a black robe murmured, "The spiritual energy is indeed thin. It is truly a miracle that the Xu family was able to rise and establish itself here."

The gray-haired old man entered the county town and, after making a few inquiries, learned where the Xu family of Dongxi was located.

They immediately went to Dongxi.

"A formation? A fog formation?"

A slight smile appeared on the lips of the gray-haired old man as he continued to ride his sword and plunge into the mist.

A moment later, he raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "Something's not right."

After his divine sense dispersed, he revealed a look of surprise: "Divine sense interference?!"

"The Xu family actually possesses such a profound array?"

The gray-haired old man wandered around in the misty formation for more than half an hour. Although he circled around to the outside of the formation several times, he eventually broke in.

"who!"

The gray-haired old man was spotted by patrolling guards as soon as he entered, who reprimanded him.

They all drew their long swords and weapons, ready for battle.

The gray-haired old man naturally didn't take them seriously, but since he had come to Dongxi to pay a visit, he couldn't just make a move against the Xu family.

"I come from Guangling County and have come to visit the Xu family."

"From other prefectures?" The patrolling guards looked at each other in confusion. The captain of the guards clasped his hands and said, "Please wait a moment, Immortal Master. Do not wander around. We will go and report right away."

The old man nodded slightly.

Half an hour later.

Xu Mingyuan arrived on his sword. "Fellow Daoist, are you from the Ge family of Guangling County?"

"Indeed, I am the eldest elder of the third branch of the Ge family, and I have come here on the orders of the family head."

Xu Mingyuan immediately smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, come with me. Let's find a place to discuss this in detail."

The eldest elder of the Ge family followed Xu Mingyuan to a quiet room in the Discipline Hall.

He brewed a pot of spiritual tea, the very same tea that Xu Chuan had served to Zhou Sen, named "Snow-capped Cold Green".

"Good tea." The eldest elder of the Ge family took a sip and his eyes lit up. He then nodded slightly.

"Did Fellow Daoist Ge directly break through the mist formation to enter?"

"Could there be another entrance?"

“There is a visitor bell on the bluestone official road. If someone rings it, someone will come out to greet you. Fellow Daoist, you should not rush in directly in the future. Not only is it time-consuming, but if it causes a misunderstanding, it will invite an attack from my Xu family.”

"So that's how it is." The eldest elder of the Ge family said, "I understand now. However, your Xu family's fog array is truly remarkable. It seems ordinary, yet it has the effect of interfering with divine senses."

"The fog array was set up by my Xu family at a great cost."

After a brief silence, Xu Mingyuan asked, "Is Guangling County now at peace? I heard last time that the Wei family seemed to be looking for someone. Have they found them?"

The eldest elder of the Ge family shook his head and said, "No, he was a rogue cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining. He must have left long ago."

"The Wei family even suspected that it was one of our Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivators, and they even held a special gathering. If it weren't for the Wei family's Foundation Establishment cultivator personally speaking up..."

"Fortunately, it was a false alarm."

The eldest elder of the Ge family did not want to discuss this topic further, and then said, "The purpose of this visit is to trade some mid-to-high-grade pills with the Xu family."

"Let's see what your Ge family's requirements are. Some of them may be available in the clan. If not, we'll have to ask the clan's alchemy masters to make them."

The eldest elder of the Ge family nodded and then took out a transaction list, which not only listed the types and quantities of pills the Ge family needed, but also the cultivation resources the Ge family was trading.

(End of this chapter)