Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 183 Conscription
"Steward Li, we've finally found you!"

The newcomer was Zhao Jindou, all smiles, who held onto Li Xiangming's hand tightly.

Li Xiangming had a headache. He hadn't expected that after being delayed at the tavern for a while, he would be blocked by Zhao Jindou.

"What brings you here, Mr. Zhao?"

"Ah, I've come here to ask Manager Li for help."

Zhao Jindou first cupped his hands in greeting before respectfully saying, "Last time at the tavern, we listed all of Zhang Mazi's misdeeds. His reputation is now so bad that no one dares to buy his stuff. But a few demon-hunting groups are ungrateful and still collude with Zhang Mazi."

"As you know, these demon-hunting groups always manage to hunt down many rare items every time they enter the mountains. Although Zhang Mazi's glory days are over, he has managed to maintain his foothold and make a little money by reselling these items. In addition, with the protection of these demon-hunting groups, in my opinion, Zhang Mazi seems to have no intention of leaving Puyin Mountain."

"Zhang Mazi is quite resilient."

Li Xiangming said it casually, while glancing at Zhao Jindou.

Despite being suppressed by the Li family and more than a dozen itinerant merchants for more than half a year, Zhang Mazi still refused to admit defeat and tried to make a comeback.

This kind of perseverance alone is something Zhao Jindou can't match.

If I had met Zhang Mazi first and joined him in suppressing Zhao Jindou, judging from Zhao Jindou's reaction when Huang Yadan was blocked, he would have slunk back to Daishan in less than two months.

But a twist of fate gave Zhao Jindou a slight advantage.

At that time, the Puyinshan Guild Hall had just been established, and Li Xiangming had also intended to recruit Zhang Mazi to join.

However, Zhang Mazi heard that Zhao Jindou had already joined the guild, and that if he joined, he would inevitably be ostracized and suppressed, making it difficult for him to gain a foothold. Therefore, he resolutely refused Li Xiangming's invitation.

As a result, they have been utterly defeated.

It can only be said that Zhang Mazi lacked a bit of luck and vision.

When Zhao Jindou heard Li Xiangming praising Zhang Mazi, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

If you don't kill the snake, you'll suffer the consequences. Zhao Jindou has now offended Zhang Mazi in every way, from the inside out, and even has to hire someone to protect him when he goes out, for fear of retaliation.

If Li Xiangming were to appreciate Zhang Mazi at this moment and bring him into the Puyinshan Guild Hall, giving him a chance to catch his breath, Zhao Jindou would be left speechless.

“Zhang Mazi may have some perseverance, but he is of bad character and has a notorious history of evil deeds. He is a great scourge to Puyin Mountain. For the long-term peace and tranquility of Puyin Mountain, he must not be allowed to live.”

Zhao Jindou said in a deep voice.

"how do you want to do it?"

"First, eliminate their foundation, namely Ge Yi and his gang!"

"Ge Yi?"

Li Xiangming frowned. If he remembered correctly, Ge Yi was the leader of a large demon-hunting group outside Puyin Mountain.

"Uncle Qian, how many men does Ge Yi have now?"

Li Xiangming tapped on the bar.

Li Qiansu squinted as he recalled, and after a long while said, "There should be fifteen or sixteen of them. Among them, there is one late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, about ten mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and the rest are early-stage Qi Refining cultivators who do odd jobs."

This force is far inferior to that of the beast-catching shed, but it is already considerable among the various demon-hunting groups.

They can be considered the main demon-hunting group outside of Puyin Mountain.

If Zhang Mazi hides in Ge Yi's demon-hunting group and doesn't leave, Zhao Jindou really doesn't have any good solutions.

Even if it costs a lot of money to hire people to deal with these demon-hunting groups, it depends on whether Zhao Jindou is willing to do so.

Zhao Jindou was naturally reluctant. The commercial war in Puyin Mountain was nearing its end. Zhang Mazi had suffered a major defeat and was hiding in a few demon-hunting groups to protect himself. If he were to spend a large sum of spirit stones now, even if he agreed, the other traveling merchants would not.

That's why Zhao Jindou found the Li family as a source of free labor.

"The Li family must not act rashly against the demon-hunting group."

Li Xiangming shook his head slightly, his tone firm, to state his position.

From the moment he decided to deal with Zhang Mazi, he drew a line: he would never resort to petty tricks like assassination.

Although Zhang Mazi is a headache, the profits he brings are just a drop in the ocean compared to the potential of the entire Puyinshan market.

What Li Xiangming truly values ​​is not the immediate small gains, but the future development of Puyin Mountain.

Puyin Mountain now has over a thousand cultivators, but this is just the beginning. The potential of Puxian County has not yet been fully explored. Once it is fully opened, it will attract countless cultivators and merchants to gather here, forming an unstoppable torrent. Its prosperity is expected to rival that of Pushui Market.

Faced with this overwhelming trend, how can the Li family maintain its independence and ensure the maximization of its interests?

Li Xiangming didn't know, but there was no doubt that the Li family needed a good reputation.

At the very least, we cannot allow the vast number of cultivators who will flock to Puyin Mountain in the future to harbor hostility towards the Li family.

Therefore, the Beast-Catching Bureau has always exercised great restraint in its actions in Monkey Valley, never directly interfering in the internal affairs of the various demon-hunting groups, and all its strategies and plans have been carried out in a gentle and reasonable manner.

Otherwise, the Li family would have made a fortune simply by exploiting these hundred or so demon-hunting groups.

It is said that Dai Shan showed no mercy, and the Zhenhun Sect and Shengyi Sect ordered that anyone entering the mountain to hunt demons from their territory must pay a "passage fee" of 1 spirit stone.

However, how many spirit stones does a demon-hunting team earn on a single trip into the mountains?
If you're lucky, you might get ten or so yuan; if you're unlucky, you might only get three or five yuan.

If we divide it among several people and replenish the supplies, how much will be left?
Hunting monsters is all about luck. You have to go into the mountains a lot. The more times you go, the more likely you are to catch something good.

That's why everyone chooses to band together, form a demon-hunting team, and stay in a certain place.

However, the demon-hunting team from Daishan didn't even see a trace of demon beast materials before they had to pay a "toll" of 1 spirit stone, and they had to pay the toll again every time they entered the mountain.

This was undoubtedly unacceptable to them, so these demon-hunting groups headed south and are now gathered in the middle section of Puyin Mountain.

Although Dai Shan seemed to have gained spirit stones, he actually lost his potential as a cultivator, which was a net loss.

However, Daishan was a special case. The two sects were locked in a fierce battle and urgently needed spirit stones to purchase military supplies. The practice of collecting "passage fees" under various pretexts was a last resort, and Li Xiangming did not think the other party was foolish.

However, the Li family obviously cannot do that.

"It is definitely not about having the Li family take direct action."

Zhao Jindou lowered his head and whispered, "I've recruited a demon-hunting group. Although they are small in number, they are all elites and have a blood feud with Ge Yi."

"Oh? Which demon-hunting group?"

"The Mad Lion Demon Hunter Squad!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming pictured an unkempt middle-aged cultivator.

This man and Ge Yi almost got into a fight at the tavern, but he had to step in and get them to shake hands and make peace.

But the two eventually parted ways and became enemies.

“I have won their trust, but as a traveling merchant, I do not have enough prestige, nor do I have the time to command them.”

Zhao Jindou continued, his tone earnest, "Looking across the entire Puyin Mountain, only Steward Li possesses such prestige and ability. Therefore, I hope to entrust them to you, and I believe that under your leadership, they will surely be able to eliminate these two pests, Ge Yi and Zhang Mazi."

Should we suppress the demon-hunting group in the form of a demon-hunting group?
Li Xiangming frowned, paced back and forth, and an immature plan flashed through his mind.

"Bring them to me."

"Yes!"
-
Outside Xiaolan Valley.

Two young women were talking in hushed tones.

"Sister Tang, thank you for bringing me here."

One of them spoke obediently.

"It's alright, I'm just going to Changyang Valley to exchange for pills anyway, it's on my way."

Tang Xueyan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, you've also broken through to the third level of Qi Refining."

Upon hearing this topic, Chi Youyan was immediately excited: "The spiritual energy in Changyang Valley is more abundant than at home."

"really."

Tang Xueyan nodded, but a trace of sorrow welled up in her heart.

Actually, there is also a spiritual spring in Xiaolan Valley, but the spiritual spring of the Chi family is naturally used by the Chi family.

As outsiders, Tang Xueyan and Nie Rong could only find a place in the valley with decent spiritual energy to cultivate.

That's alright. Although the spiritual energy in Xiaolan Valley is not as good as that in Changyang Valley, and even less so as that in Tailai Peak where the spiritual vein is located, it is still not a barren place.

She has made some progress during this period and is almost at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

However, his senior brother Nie Rong's cultivation level remained at the ninth level of Qi Refining without any progress.

Despite having diligently cultivated for several years, and even using the rewards issued by the Academic Affairs Office to exchange for a lot of precious "Cultivation Pills" for her senior brother, the effect was still mediocre.

Just as Tang Xueyan was feeling worried, a young man with a resolute face stepped forward.

The young man was taken aback when he saw Chi Youyan: "Youyan, why are you back again?"

Hearing the question, Chi Youyan pouted and said, "I miss home."

"Nonsense!"

A flash of anger crossed Chi Laiyong's face, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he glanced at Tang Xueyan. "I'm leaving now."

Tang Xueyan took her leave; her duty was to guard Xiaolan Valley, and she did not want to get involved in the conversation between the Chi siblings.

After Tang Xueyan had walked away, Chi Laiyong said in a low voice, "It will be several months before Miss Tang goes to Changyang Valley again. Who will take you back to Dangui Mountain during this time?"

"Then I'll stay at home."

His words were hesitant and tinged with a hint of grievance.

Seeing this, Chi Laiyong sighed, "It's not that I don't want you to go home, but you should have stayed at Dangui Mountain to take care of Manager Li. How am I supposed to explain this to Manager Li if you come back?"

"I can't even see him."

Chi Youyan said dejectedly, "Although Li Xiangming arranged for me to stay at Fengming Tower in Changyang Valley, where the food and lodging are very good."

But Li Xiangming was transferred. I heard he went to some animal trapping house and spent all his time on Puyin Mountain. He only came back five or six times a year, and each time he came back, he would discuss matters at Tailai Peak and rarely came to Changyang Valley.

Thus, Chi Youyan was unable to complete the task assigned by the Chi family.

"Then you shouldn't have come back directly."

Chi Laiyong gritted his teeth and said with a hint of cruelty, "You are the only connection our Chi family has with the Li family. The safety of the Chi family depends on you. Even if you don't see Steward Li for a year, two years, or even ten or twenty years, you must stay in Danggui Mountain."

"I"

Chi Youyan lowered her head and sobbed.

Seeing tears welling up in his eyes as his beloved younger sister, whom he had cherished since childhood, Dare-coming Courage felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

But now he was not the elder brother, but the head of the family, so he had no choice but to turn his back and say: "The Chi family has done right by you, Grandpa has done right by you, it is I who have wronged you, blame me if you want."

"I'll go back right now."

Chi Youyan wiped away her tears, turned around and left.

"Wait a minute, how are you going to get home alone?"

Chi Laiyong was startled and quickly shouted.

But at this moment, Chi Youyan could no longer listen to anything, and even forgot to control his magic power, flying up and down towards Danggui Mountain.

"Youyan!"

Chi Laiyong's face turned pale, and he hurriedly followed.
-
Inside the "Green Cloud" airship, Li Xiangming sat upright, a young man in his early twenties sweating profusely as he controlled the airship.

"Manager Li, this is my first time riding a flying boat."

"I know."

The young man glanced nervously at Li Xiangming, and seeing that he didn't react, he secretly groaned.

Who asks someone to control the flying boat on the very first try?
Keep in mind that he had never even touched a flying boat before.

Recalling how he had been conscripted by Li Xiangming, the young man couldn't help but sigh, feeling saddened by his unfortunate fate.

His name was Ji Shilun, and he was originally an illegitimate son of the Ji family of Qingfeng Ridge.

Although born out of wedlock, the Ji family is just a small clan with a large area of ​​mountains and lush forests, so they are not short of spirit stones.

Even his cultivation expenses were decent; at only twenty years old, he had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He may not be able to compare with the geniuses of the direct lineage like Ji Shiyu, but he does not underestimate himself and even believes that he will be able to establish his foundation one day.

However, within a single day, his fate underwent a dramatic change.

The person in charge of the Li family suddenly visited Qingfeng Ridge, requesting that the Ji family send one more cultivator to the Li family's service center.

This is not a difficult decision.

The Ji family did have concerns in the past, but in the past two years, the cultivators sent to the Li family's service institute have had no complaints and have even received a lot of rewards. The Ji family can also take this opportunity to send another young cultivator to Changyang Valley for cultivation.

It can be described as having the best of both worlds.

So the head of the family only hesitated slightly before agreeing to the request.

However, all the candidates he suggested were rejected by Li Xiangming because their cultivation levels were too low.

Li Xiangming boasted that he needed at least a cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Anyone with eyes can see that the higher the cultivation level required, the more dangerous the things one does.

But his family still agreed, and chose him, the unlucky one.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped out of the Ji family's gate, the head of the Li family frankly told him that he was to go to Puyin Mountain to hunt monsters.

Just one sentence made Ji Shilun feel dizzy.

Puyin Mountain is teeming with monsters. How could he, a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator who had never fought anyone, go into the mountain to hunt monsters?

But the head of the Li family didn't care about his attitude at all, and forcibly took him onto the flying boat, even forcing him to control it.

"A sin!"

Ji Shilun groaned inwardly, his attention diverted from controlling the airship, causing it to sway slightly.

Li Xiangming opened his eyes, about to reprimand someone, when suddenly he frowned and looked at a black dot in the distance.

"Catch up."

"what?"

Ji Shilun was still immersed in grief and somewhat dazed, but fortunately he snapped out of it under Li Xiangming's cold gaze and hurriedly turned the flying boat around, heading towards the black dot.

Soon, the airship approached the black dot, but the black dot seemed completely unaware and continued flying.

"Youyan?"

Li Xiangming called out.

Upon hearing her name called, Chi Youyan finally turned around. When she saw Li Xiangming, she froze in mid-air, momentarily speechless.

No matter how she thought about it, she never expected Li Xiangming to appear here.

"come over."

"Yes."

Chi Youyan's voice was barely audible, but she still obediently flew over. However, her heart was pounding. She hadn't come to the Chi family with Li Xiangming's permission, and now that she had been caught red-handed, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

At the same time, Chi Laiyong also caught up.

"Manager Li?"

Chi Laiyong was also taken aback, but he reacted quickly and hurriedly stepped forward to bow. He was completely different from the person Li Xiangming had seen last time.

What's going on between you two?

Li Xiangming frowned, unable to fathom the behavior of the two men.

"I"

Chi Laiyong opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Chi Youyan, standing to the side, lowered her head and remained silent.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming had no choice but to say, "Let's go to Xiaolan Valley first."

"Yes!"
-
As the protector of the Chi family in Xiaolan Valley, Li Xiangming's arrival was undoubtedly a top priority.

The Chi family busied themselves preparing to entertain Li Xiangming.

During this time, Li Xiangming also learned that Chi Youyan was homesick, so he asked Tang Xueyan to bring her to Xiaolan Valley, but Chi Laiyong chased her away.

This made Li Xiangming look at Chi Laiyong in a new light.

I never expected this young man to be able to take on the role of the family head so quickly.

“Youyan disobeyed orders and visited Xiaolan Valley without permission. Please punish him, Steward Li.”

After the banquet, Chi Laiyong knelt before Li Xiangming and said respectfully.

Li Xiangming remained silent. Chi Youyan was indeed a backup plan he had left behind to prevent the Dao Heart Oath from being shattered, but since the Chi family was still alive, he hadn't paid too much attention to Chi Youyan, nor had he strictly forbidden her from leaving Changyang Valley. So, there was no question of punishing her now.

However, she often left Changyang Valley and inevitably encountered danger, which served as a reminder to him.

"I won't punish her; I'll arrange some things for her to do in the future."

Li Xiangming glanced at the Chi siblings indifferently, "There is one more thing I would like to ask your Chi family: would you be willing to send someone to accompany me to Puyin Mountain?"

"Puyin Mountain?"

Chi Laiyong's expression changed. With the Chi family's strength, entering Puyin Mountain would be suicide.
"Don't worry, I will find a way to protect you."

(End of this chapter)