Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 132 Hearing of Zhao Jindou Again

"Oh, you know about this?"

"I learned it from my thirteenth brother."

"I see," Li Xiangming nodded, acknowledging the situation.

Li Xiangcheng was overjoyed and quickly said, "Can you take me with you? I want to go to the animal trapping room too!"

"Nonsense, with your level of cultivation, what are you doing getting involved?"

Upon hearing Li Xiangcheng's words, Li Chenglu glared and his beard bristled.

"So what if I have this little bit of cultivation? I've already inquired, and the beast-catching shed also has people at the sixth level of Qi Refining."

"They have a wealth of experience; how can you, a mere kid, compare?"

"Back then, Brother Nineteen also returned to the family at the age of eighteen. He was also at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and he did a lot for the family, didn't he?"

Li Xiangcheng looked unconvinced.

"This"

Li Chenglu glanced at Li Xiangming. This child clearly regarded Li Xiangming as a role model. He didn't know what to say about it, so he simply said, "The animal trapping house requires entering and exiting Puyin Mountain. Puyin Mountain is too dangerous for you to set foot in."

"I am not afraid of danger."

Li Xiangcheng's attitude was very firm.

"It's a good thing to be determined to do things for your family."

Li Xiangming praised him, then shook his head: "However, whether or not he can enter the animal trapping room depends on the head of the family's decision."

The animal trapping facility inherited most of the police station's assets and was also the result of Li Qianxiong's hard work.

Therefore, even if Li Xiangming becomes the person in charge, he cannot just put people in there at will.

"The head of the family has already agreed and asked me to come and ask Sixth Uncle's opinion."

"agreed?"

The two exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised. Li Xiangcheng never lied, so there might be some discrepancies in his account, but the head of the family did not refute him on the spot. Instead, he told him to find the head of his own household.

This is enough to prove that the head of the family wanted Li Xiangcheng to go into the animal trapping room.

Li Xiangming couldn't help but look at Li Chenglu. He personally welcomed Li Xiangcheng to join, since more people meant more strength.

But Li Chenglu shook his head repeatedly. He had more to consider. Li Xiangting, Li Xiangfeng, Li Xiangming, and Li Xiangcheng were all elites of the fourth branch of the family, though they were several years apart.

This is a good thing, indicating that outstanding children from the fourth branch of the family are constantly emerging.

But now, three of these four people have entered the animal trapping area.

Since animal trapping facilities are violent institutions, injuries and fatalities are inevitable.

If the fourth branch of the family then agrees to let Li Xiangcheng in, it would be like putting all their eggs in one basket.

If an accident occurs, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Li Chenglu immediately rebuked Li Xiangcheng, telling him to draw talismans properly in the talisman array room.

Feeling wronged, Li Xiangcheng could only look longingly at Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming was powerless to help with this.

Who could blame him when Sixth Uncle was both the head of the branch and a clan elder, while he himself was merely a minor official with little influence?

However, Li Xiangcheng mentioned Li Xianghua.

I could go to Puyin Mountain with Li Xianghua.
-
Two days later, Li Xiangming arrived at Monkey Valley, and the animal trapping center welcomed a new manager.

"Third brother, thank you for your hard work."

As the deputy in charge, Li Xiangchuan went to great lengths to welcome Li Xiangming and host a welcome banquet, showing utmost sincerity and wisdom.

Li Xiangming finally saw the full picture of the beast-catching room. The beast-catching room had a total of twenty people, including himself: one Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator, seven Qi Refining Level 7 cultivators, and twelve Qi Refining Level 12 cultivators.

Among these people, a considerable number were familiar faces from the former police station.

Li Xiangming greeted them, trying his best to make strangers feel comfortable and at ease.

Li Xiangming was quickly accepted by everyone, at least during the banquet, no embarrassing scenes occurred.

After the welcome-home banquet ended, Li Xiangming kept Li Xiangting and Li Xiangfeng behind and exchanged communication talismans with them.

What is the current situation at Puyin Mountain?

Li Xiangming asked with concern.

"The chaos caused by the demon beasts has gradually subsided, and in the past few days, some rogue cultivators have started to enter the mountains to hunt them. However, Third Brother ordered us to wait for the new leader, so we did not go into the mountains."

Li Xiangming pondered for a moment.

After Master Xuanling killed the locust demon, he naturally wouldn't linger on Puyin Mountain. The people from Bailu Sect would also withdraw, and Puyin Mountain would soon return to normal.

"There's no rush."

Li Xiangming casually remarked, not denying Li Xiangchuan's decision, and then asked, "You said some independent cultivators have entered the mountains? Are they just a few individuals, or a group of independent cultivators?"

When Li Xiangming last visited Puyin Mountain, he discovered that a group of independent cultivators had spontaneously formed nearby. These people hunted monsters together and then divided the spoils among themselves.

"It's a group of independent cultivators, but a small one. The larger ones are very cautious, just like us, and haven't been into the mountains for several days."

Are there many such independent groups of cultivators?

"this."

Li Xiangting and Li Xiangfeng exchanged a glance, and Li Xiangfeng replied, "To be honest, we don't know either. There are so many people coming and going that it's hard to count. We only know that there are quite a few. There are three relatively large independent cultivator groups that are permanently stationed here, with about fifteen people each. Other groups have as few as two or three people and as many as seven or eight people, it varies."

"There are even more who don't stay long-term. Most people just temporarily recruit a few people to go in, and then they only come in once and go out to have fun."

Li Xiangming was speechless. "Drink today, for tomorrow we die" seemed like the style of a wandering cultivator.

Where do they sell their goods?

When independent cultivators hunt monsters, they naturally sell the monster materials they obtain. Most of these materials are used for refining weapons, and if one doesn't know how to refine weapons, keeping them is of no use.

"This is also complicated. Some bring them to Pushui Market on their own, some sell them to traveling merchants, and some get them to Changyang Valley. However, since their families don't get involved, Changyang Valley often can't handle all these monster materials."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming frowned. If Changyang Valley could not meet the needs of these independent cultivators in the long run, its reputation would inevitably suffer.

But the Li family can't possibly buy monster materials without limit, right?
After thinking for a moment, Li Xiangming realized, "Itinerant merchants? Are there many itinerant merchants around here?"

“There are quite a few, especially those from Daishan. They come every three to five days to buy monster materials. One of them, Zhao Jindou, buys the largest quantity.”

"Zhao Jindou?"

A middle-aged monk with a mustache and wearing a yellow robe flashed through Li Xiangming's mind.

This person had previously harassed Qingyang Daoist and had been warned by him.

Unexpectedly, he reappeared in Puyin Mountain and started a business selling monster materials.

It seems I need to meet this person.

This person can consume Qingyang Temple's pills and acquire large quantities of demon beast materials, so he must have many connections. It's just unknown who he works for.

It is said that Daishan is divided into two major camps: Daibei and Dainan.

Among them, the Zhenhun Sect is the leader of Daibei, the Shengyi Sect is the leader of Dainan, and the Feihu Cave is now affiliated with the Shengyi Sect and belongs to the Dainan lineage.

The Li family, through the Flying Fox Cave, intervened in the affairs of Daishan, and naturally supported the Dainan faction.

Thinking of this, Li Xiangming chuckled, hoping that Zhao Jindou would not get involved with Dai Bei, otherwise he could only blame his bad luck.

(End of this chapter)