Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 174 Special Kitchen
In a corner, a man wearing a straw hat listened silently to the crowd's discussion.

The young man beside him asked unwillingly, "Boss, are we really going to side with Zhao Jindou?"

“I know you have opinions about itinerant merchants, but Zhao Jindou is a puppet put forward by the Li family.”

Recalling the scene of merchants flocking to Taibai Restaurant under the matchmaking of that young manager, Lü Mao's expression turned solemn: "The Li family is the real power in Puyin Mountain. If we can get in touch with the Li family, Ge Yi will not dare to force us anymore."

"However, it's too difficult. We have no use to the Li family."

A burly middle-aged man shook his head.

"So we had no choice but to settle for second best, find Zhao Jindou, and then try to get on the Li family's side through him."

Lü Mao explained.

"Hmph, I'm afraid Zhao Jindou is all talk and no action and won't actually help us make connections."

The young man shook his head, not believing that Zhao Jindou would help them.

“Zhao Jindou is far more well-informed than we are. Cooperating with him will at least allow us to find a safe place, so that your second arm won’t be crippled as well.”

Upon hearing this, the young man gripped his left arm, which was now only missing a sleeve, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "Boss, I will never share the same sky with Wei Fei."

Lu Mao sighed, "I've let my brothers down. If any of you want to leave the Demon Hunting Group, I have nothing to say."

"What are you saying, boss? I won't leave until I cut off Ge Yi's head and kick it like a ball."

Lin Hao stood up angrily, attracting the attention of several people.

But because they were wearing makeup, no one recognized Lü Mao and his gang.

Uncle Shan frowned, his voice stern: "Xiao Hao, how did you break your arm?"

"Do you understand how much risk we took to get here?"

"If you don't change your impatient nature, sooner or later your recklessness will kill us all."

"I"

Lin Hao was speechless and lowered his head in silence.
-
"How is Third Brother now?"

After the incident involving the Rainbow Butterfly, Li Xiangming was sent back to Tailai Peak.

Li Xiangchuan and others returned with him.

Li Xiangming visited each of his wounded subordinates in person.

Thanks to Li Chengpei's meticulous treatment, most of the injured beast-catching monks have gradually recovered.

Only Li Xiangchuan's spirit was not among them.

"His physical health is fine now, but the psychological trauma is something that cannot be cured by medicine."

Li Chengpei sighed: "I just hope he doesn't develop inner demons because of this."

Li Chengpei packed up his medical equipment and left with faltering steps.

Li Xiangming hesitated outside the room for a moment before going in. He saw that Li Xiangchuan's eyes were vacant and he seemed completely dazed.

Ever since learning that Li Qianzhong had died at his hands, this former deputy head of the animal trapping center has been immersed in deep self-blame and pain.

Li Xiangming quietly left the room without disturbing Li Xiangchuan.

He knew that at this moment, any words would seem pale and powerless.

Whether Li Xiangchuan can overcome this difficulty depends solely on his own inner strength.

If Li Xiangchuan can let go of this past, his state of mind will be stabilized, and his future path of cultivation will be smoother.

Conversely, if he cannot let go of his inner demons, they will become a lifelong nightmare, and his foundation-building stage will be a distant dream.

After leaving Li Xiangchuan's room, Li Xiangming went to visit Li Xiangxin.

Li Xiangxin was still studying at the Qingmiao Academy when he learned of his father's tragic death and was plunged into deep grief.

However, due to his young age and the careful persuasion from his family and Li Jihu and others, he seemed to have overcome his psychological trauma earlier than Li Xiangchuan.

Whether they have truly emerged from the shadows remains to be seen.

"Instructor, could you stay and teach us magic?"

Li Jihu stared longingly at Li Xiangming. Li Xiangming patted his head. This little guy had already reached the third level of Qi Refining. With the status and resources of a branch lineage cultivator, his cultivation level was higher than that of Li Xiangxin, a direct lineage cultivator, which was enough to prove his talent.

“I am no longer an instructor at the Qingmiao Academy, and it is not comfortable for me to stay here. If you want to learn from me, you can come to my house. Remember to call Xiangxin.”

"Really?"

"Ok!"

Because of his suspension, Li Xiangming can only remain at Tailai Peak.

When Li Xiangzhen saw him return, she clamored to learn magic.

To be honest, Li Xiangming had made a promise to his half-brother a long time ago.

Now that I have the time, it would be impolite to break my promise.

Whether you teach one person or two, it's all the same.

Moreover, it wasn't entirely his teaching; Li Xiangming planned to involve Li Xiangcheng, using the pretext of discussing "Phantom Waves" to ask for his help.

Li Xiangcheng loved magic, so he probably wouldn't refuse.
-
In the training ground in the courtyard behind the mountain, Li Xiangzhen's childish voice broke the silence.

With a wave of his small hand, a fireball condensed in his palm, growing larger until it was the size of a human head.

With a loud shout, the fireball wobbled and flew toward Li Xiangming. Although its trajectory was not very stable, it was still a complete spell.

"good."

Li Xiangming nodded approvingly. He did not extinguish the fireball, but easily dodged it.

The fireball landed on the ground and exploded with a loud bang.

Bathed in the firelight, Li Xiangzhen's small face glowed with excitement.

"Although the Fireball spell is fundamental to fire cultivation, it can still be quite powerful if used well."

Li Xiangming encouraged him, "You have already reached the second level of Qi Refining. Continue to hone your magic power. There is still room for improvement in your Fireball Technique."

"Once you reach the third level of Qi Refining, I will teach you more."

Li Xiangzhen nodded seriously and immediately began to meditate to restore her magical power.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming turned to the side and observed the cultivation of the others.

Besides him and Li Xiangzhen, there were also Li Xiangcheng, Li Xiangxin, and Li Jihu.

It is worth mentioning that, apart from Li Xiangming and Li Xiangcheng, who mainly cultivate water spiritual roots, the other three of them mainly cultivate fire spiritual roots.

Water and fire are incompatible, so Li Xiangming is not actually suitable to guide them. However, he himself possesses a fire spirit root, and given the children's still shallow cultivation, his guidance is more than sufficient for the time being.

Compared to Li Xiangzhen, the spells taught by Li Xiangming to Li Xiangxin and Li Jihu were more profound. Since the two already had a foundation in Qingmiao Academy, they understood them more quickly and could even apply them to actual combat.

Li Xiangcheng stood aside, observing silently, acting as the referee.

After a brief but intense contest, Li Jihu emerged victorious.

"Ji Hu has a unique understanding of magic; he may have been somewhat delayed by his time at the Green Seedling Academy."

Li Xiangcheng gave his evaluation in a low voice.

As the name suggests, the Qingmiao Academy is a place for nurturing young talents, with a greater emphasis on teaching theoretical knowledge.

Even when they teach magic, it's mostly basic.

The family encourages its members to learn from their elders, and therefore gives the children a five-year gap, from graduation at age fifteen to starting work at age twenty.

However, as the conflict between the direct lineage and the branch lineages of the family intensified, the cultivators of the direct lineage became increasingly unwilling to guide the children of the branch lineages.

The cultivation levels of the branch line cultivators are generally not high, and they are busy with various affairs, which forces the Qingmiao Academy to take on all the cultivation guidance for the children of the branch line. As a result, the cultivation levels of the branch line cultivators are increasingly lagging behind those of the direct line cultivators.

This phenomenon became even more pronounced after the family moved to Dangui Mountain, because Li Qianxiong required cultivators over the age of fifteen to take up official positions, further shortening the cultivation time for the children.

Li Xiangming remained silent in response.

At least Li Jihu is still in Qingmiao Academy. If the conflict between the two factions continues to deepen, even Qingmiao Academy may not be spared.

All he could do was to give these promising children some extra help in the courtyard behind the mountain.

(End of this chapter)