Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 184 Demon Hunting Team

"I certainly won't let you die."

Li Xiangming's expression remained unchanged. "Of course, there are definitely dangers, but there are also many opportunities in the mountains. It depends on how you consider them."

What opportunities are there in the mountains?
The younger members of the Chi family were somewhat agitated.

Chi Laiyong looked at them, his expression hesitant.

Li Xiangming didn't urge him, and just waited.

After a while, Chi Laiyong asked in a low voice, "I wonder what Steward Li wants us to do in the mountains?"

"To act as eyes and ears."

Li Xiangming was very straightforward. Unlike the Ji family, the fate of the Chi family was in his own hands, so he didn't need to hide anything.

"In that case, the Chi family is willing to send someone."

Chi Laiyong gritted his teeth and said, "I am willing to do everything I can for Manager Li."

"you?"

Li Xiangming's gaze sharpened, looking somewhat surprised.

"No!"

The Chi family members standing nearby immediately exclaimed in alarm and tried to dissuade him, "Brother, you are the head of the family, how can you take such a risk so easily?"

Others volunteered to replace Chi Laiyong, causing a brief period of chaos.

"shut up!"

Chi Laiyong frowned and scolded, "You don't need to say anything more, my mind is made up."

Over the past few years, Chi Laiyong had established a formidable reputation in Xiaolan Valley. Everyone looked around, but dared not speak.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiangming showed a look of surprise. He waved his hand, signaling the others to step back.

"Patriarch Chi, are you really going to take action in person?"

Upon hearing the term "Master Chi," Chi Laiyong's eyes flickered. Before this, Steward Li had always called him Laiyong, never addressing him as "Master Chi" as he would his grandfather.

He knew why; in Steward Li's eyes, the Chi family without his grandfather was not worth mentioning.

Therefore, even after he became the head of the family, he could not use the Chi family as leverage to win the respect of Manager Li.

But today, Manager Li has given his approval to him and the Chi family.

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Chi Laiyong lowered his head and respectfully replied, "The Chi family is small, and as the eldest brother, I am the oldest and have the highest cultivation level, so I should shoulder the great responsibility."

“You are the head of the family. If anything happens to you, the Chi family will never have peace.”

Li Xiangming shook his head.

"Steward Li is overthinking it. As I said before, the Chi family is a small family, and the position of family head is just a formality. Whether I am here or not will not have much impact."

After a pause, Chi Laiyong continued, "If I don't go, my cousins ​​are only at the third level of Qi Refining, and the risk of going into the mountains is too great. If something happens, the Chi family will still not have peace. If I go, at least the risk will be reduced a lot."

Li Xiangming narrowed his eyes. Chi Laiyong's words seemed sincere, but they were actually subtly pointing out that the Chi family was too weak and should not recruit Chi family cultivators. If they had to recruit, they should recruit the family head.

For the head of the family to personally take action is a breach of decorum, both for the Chi family and for Li Xiangming, the sect leader.

But so what?
Li Xiangming didn't care; he only wanted people. He didn't care how they came to be.

"Then you shall appoint a acting head of the Chi family, and he shall depart with me tomorrow."

"Yes!"

Latecomer Yong bent down and clenched his fist.
-
After leaving the hall, Li Xiangming found Tang Xueyan and Nie Rong and said bluntly, "One of you must come with me to Puyin Mountain."

"Puyin Mountain?"

Tang Xueyan immediately frowned. "We agreed that we would guard Xiaolan Valley for five years."

"That's right. The situation was special at the time, when it was the time when outside cultivators entered Pudong. These people burned, killed, looted and did not follow the rules, causing panic among the people. So I agreed to the Chi family's request to have the two of you guard Xiaolan Valley for five years."

"But things are very different now. Pudong has become accustomed to outside rogue cultivators. At the request of the Chen family of Baolong Valley and the Luo family of Shangqingyuan, we from Dangui Mountain joined forces to annihilate a group of rogue cultivators. The Geng family in the south also stopped fighting and spared their strength to kill many rogue cultivators who took advantage of the chaos."

“The Pudong area is relatively stable at the moment, and most of the outside cultivators are heading straight for Puyin Mountain. It is quite a waste for you two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to guard this place.”

The reason why the Li family went to great lengths to maintain order in the surrounding area was for the sake of the Changyang Valley market. The effect was very good. Many passing cultivators, having heard that Changyang Valley had a good reputation and was safe enough, wanted to join in the fun in Changyang Valley, regardless of whether they wanted to exchange goods or not. As a result, on the day Changyang Valley opened, it was brightly lit day and night, and had quite the beginnings of a market town.

As for Xiaolan Valley, it is indeed much safer; in the past few months, almost no outsiders have passed through.

Upon hearing Li Xiangming's explanation, Tang Xueyan sighed; she knew then that the spirit stones from the Li family would be difficult to obtain.

She didn't actually want to join any service institute, nor did she want to work for the Li family.

But her senior brother is in the Li family. If she doesn't stay in the Li family, where should she go?

After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xueyan couldn't help but look at Nie Rong, who remained silent as always.

For the past two years, Tang Xueyan has been helping Nie Rong make decisions.

But Tang Xueyan knew that Nie Rong listened to Li Xiangming's every word.

Even if she refused to go to Puyin Mountain, Nie Rong would still go.

Even so, she still asked, "Senior brother, would you like to go to Puyin Mountain?"

"go."

As expected, Nie Rong nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Upon receiving this answer, Tang Xueyan's face paled slightly, as it meant she would be separated from her senior brother for a long time.

"If you go to Puyin Mountain, you can come back to Xiaolangu at your own pace."

At this moment, Li Xiangming suddenly spoke.

"I'm going to Puyin Mountain?"

Tang Xueyan was surprised. She knew from Xiaolan Valley that the two biggest characteristics of Puyin Mountain were the monsters and the monster-hunting groups.

No matter which one she dealt with, she would have to resort to force. Nie Rong had the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, and she originally thought that Li Xiangming would choose Nie Rong.

“Nie Rong’s identity is sensitive. He was once deceived by the Mang Cult and may have aided and abetted evil. There are many rogue cultivators on Puyin Mountain, and there may be enemies of Nie Rong among them. I don’t want him to get into trouble because of this.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Xueyan nodded; she was the one who least wanted Nie Rong to get hurt.

"Then I'll go to Puyin Mountain."

"We're leaving tomorrow, so pack your things."

"it is good."

Tang Xueyan turned and left.

Li Xiangming breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to fool Tang Xueyan, who was his main purpose for this trip.

After Zhao Jindou mentioned the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group, Li Xiangming had a new perspective on the situation at Puyin Mountain.

The Li family has always regarded Puyin Mountain as a whole, at most separating the demon beasts from the rogue cultivators.

However, the independent cultivators were not unified. They joined different demon-hunting groups, and there was no coordination between them. They even fought against each other. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were a disorganized mess.

Even a traveling merchant like Zhao Jindou was able to bribe Lü Mao's Mad Lion Demon Hunting Team.

Why didn't the Li family do that?
Firstly, the origins of the demon-hunting group are unknown.

The demon-hunting groups outside Puyin Mountain are all composed of independent cultivators, most of whom are from outside the area. Their backgrounds are very diverse, including many who have committed crimes and fled to Pu County.

The Li family took them in, but found it difficult to control them.

If these people were to become cultivators of the Tribulation in the blink of an eye, it would be a heavy blow to the reputation of the Li family.

Secondly, the demon-hunting group is not close to the Li family.

In reality, the vast majority of independent cultivators dislike sects and aristocratic families.

Even though the Li family has a good reputation, they feel more awe than closeness towards them.

The difference in class created a chasm between the two sides.

Under these circumstances, the Li family could not guarantee the loyalty of these recruited demon-hunting groups.

Of course, the biggest reason is within the Li family, where the prevailing view is that the demon-hunting team is useless.

The main purpose of the demon-hunting group is to hunt demons, but the Li family already has a beast-catching facility, and both the number and efficiency of the demons they hunt far exceed those of the demon-hunting group in Puyin Mountain.

However, the animal breeding house inside the Li family's house could not handle the monsters captured by the animal trapping house.

Therefore, it makes no sense for the Li family to recruit a demon-hunting team.

However, there is no doubt that the future of Puyin Mountain belongs to the Demon Hunting Group.

Imagine two newcomers arriving at Puyin Mountain. One joins a demon-hunting group, leveraging their numbers to mitigate losses and precisely hunt the demon beast materials they desire.

Without the help of the demon-hunting team, the other person wandered into Puyin Mountain like a headless fly, and turned into a corpse three to five days later.

The difference between the two is like a chasm.

This is not a random comparison; every day, lone rangers lose their lives on Puyin Mountain.

That's why monster-hunting groups emerged, sticking together for mutual support. Otherwise, who would want to take orders from someone else?

Zhao Jindou proposed using the Demon Hunting Group to suppress the Demon Hunting Group in order to profit himself.

Li Xiangming thought further: instead of bribing unstable demon-hunting groups, he should form his own demon-hunting group.

Unless they are desperate, the demon-hunting group will not associate with powerful families like the Li family.

But that doesn't mean they won't get close to other monster-hunting groups.

If Li Xiangming had a powerful demon-hunting team that didn't operate under the Li family's name, could he command other demon-hunting teams?

With this in mind, Li Xiangming recruited one cultivator each from the Ji family and the Chi family, as well as Tang Xueyan.

Tang Xueyan is the most crucial among them, because she has the cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, and should be among the top group of cultivators in Puyin Mountain.

He would conceal the identities of these three people, throw them into the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group, help Lü Mao eliminate Ge Yi's Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group and drive away Zhang Mazi, and use this as a stepping stone to build up popularity.

When the time is right, Tang Xueyan and the others can leave the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group and form their own demon hunting group.

No one will discover that these people are related to Li Xiangming at that time.

Li Xiangming will also have more manpower available.

Actually, if you want to make a name for yourself, Nie Rong is the best choice.

However, Nie Rong was unable to organize such a complex activity as the demon-hunting team.

Just then, Tang Xueyan returned.

"what happened?"

Li Xiangming asked in confusion.

Tang Xueyan's gaze was complicated: "My senior brother's cultivation has been stagnant. Does he have some hidden ailment?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming remained silent.

Tang Xueyan was right next to Nie Rong; how could she not know if he had any hidden illnesses?

Although Nie Rong is very much like a living person, he can indeed eat, drink, and talk, and can meditate, breathe, and use magic on his own.

But Nie Rong had been refined by Madam Zhen, so he could no longer be considered a human being, or at least not a complete one.

Take amnesia as an example. Even if Nie Rong has amnesia and can't remember Tang Xueyan, his heart should have melted even if it were made of iron after these years of companionship. However, Nie Rong's attitude towards Tang Xueyan has never changed.

Tang Xueyan and Nie Rong spent every day together, how could she not have noticed something amiss?
Even so, Li Xiangming still did not reveal the fact that Nie Rong was a "human puppet".

For him, concealing this matter would only bring him benefits and no harm.

As long as Nie Rong is still human, Tang Xueyan will not leave him, thus gaining another late-stage Qi Refining laborer.

Therefore, Li Xiangming replied softly, "That should be so."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xueyan raised her head and said earnestly, "I will find a way to cure him."

After saying that, Tang Xueyan left again.

Li Xiangming stood still, knowing that Tang Xueyan had already become suspicious.

Tang Xueyan might not know the term "human puppet," but she certainly knew that Nie Rong was no longer the "senior brother" she knew.

But since Tang Xueyan did not suggest leaving, nor did she confront Li Xiangming further, it shows that she was still hesitant and even afraid that the truth would be revealed.

Li Xiangming could only let nature take its course.

If Tang Xueyan eventually comes to her senses and decides to leave, he will not stop her.
-
Daishan.

In a secluded valley, Gao Can lay on the ground with her large pregnant belly, burping contentedly.

"Get up, you fat pig, the chieftain wants you to take your medicine!"

"Taking medicine again?"

Gao Can shivered; his massive size shook the grassy slope.

Ma Wu, who was walking over, lost his balance and spilled half of the medicine in his hand.

Ma Wu's expression changed drastically. He quickly picked up the bowl with both hands and looked at a wooden house not far away with lingering fear.

"Damn it, Fatty Gao, are you doing this on purpose?"

Ma Wu kicked Gao Can in the face.

Gao Can wasn't angry. He rubbed his cheek and asked, "What kind of medicine is it this time?"

"The tall ones".

"That medicine is the most bitter."

"You have to endure the hardship, that's what the chieftain ordered."

Upon hearing the name of the cult leader, Gao Can struggled to his feet, took the rather small porcelain bowl, and drank it down in one gulp.

In a short while, Gao Can's neck and above turned completely red.

wisps of white vapor were released from his pores.

"Circulate your energy, hurry up, you idiot!"

"Ma Wu, I forgot the incantation."

"Damn it, this medicine is hard to come by, don't let me down at this crucial moment."

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

Inside the wooden house, Liu Xiong Yu frowned, with an open scroll laid out in front of him.

Suddenly, the veins on Liu Xiongyu's neck bulged, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"puff!"

Liu Xiong Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, opened his eyes, and his gaze was gloomy.

"Such a powerful restriction."

"Zhaizhu!"

The two people outside heard the noise and rushed over.

Ma Wu asked with concern, "Chief, are you alright?"

"It's alright, I expected it."

Liu Xiongyu shakily put away the scroll, not as relaxed as he had claimed.

"Chief, take the pill!"

Ma Wu presented the porcelain bottle as if it were a treasure, handing it over.

Liu Xiong Yu glanced at him and said, "I have my own healing pills."

After saying that, Liu Xiong Yu produced a yellow pill in his hand.

After a while, Liu Xiongyu's breathing returned to normal. He looked around and saw Ma Wu attentively serving by the bedside, while Gao Can sat at the door, too small to fit inside.

"Gao Can, how's your training going?"

"Chief, you always forget."

Gao Can scratched his head sheepishly.

"It's okay, take your time."

Liu Xiong Yu offered a word of comfort, then looked at Ma Wu: "Where is your magic?"

"good."

Ma Wu was a little guilty. The village chief taught him several powerful spells and made him practice them diligently every day, but he didn't like spells at all and mostly slacked off.

Liu Xiong Yu saw through Ma Wu's perfunctory attitude at a glance and snorted coldly: "I'm giving you a task, do you dare to go?"

"I'll go through fire and water for anything the chieftain orders me to do."

Ma Wu shouted loudly, showing no fear of death.

"Excellent! You truly are the elite of our village!"

Liu Xiong Yu praised him, and Ma Wu's face lit up with joy.

"In that case, go to Danggui Mountain."

"Angelica Mountain?"

Ma Wu was stunned, recalling the last conflict with the Li family at Puyin Mountain.

"No, Chieftain!"

"Aren't you sending me to my death?"

(End of this chapter)