Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 19 The Patriarch's Summoning
Danggui Mountain Mao District.

Li Xiangming kept swaying, and beside him was a wild boar with brown hair and white skin, the same one that had guarded the ox knee flower before.

He was powerless against the pig demon, but its cheap offspring were tamed and became completely obedient.

Unfortunately, this guy didn't awaken any intelligence, so he wasn't of much use.

"This place is well-hidden; it's a good spot to set up a trap."

Li Xiangming stopped and made a note of the surrounding terrain for future reference.

Ever since his fight with the white-faced old man, he had become more cautious. Dangui Mountain was not entirely safe, and he was the first barrier to come into contact with outside cultivators, so it was wise to do more preparation.

Five days have passed since that day.

When Li Qianxiong learned that some heretical cultivators were using the Danggui Mountain as a passageway, he was furious and reportedly reprimanded Li Xiangren for two whole hours.

Afterwards, the police station underwent reforms, requiring everyone to thoroughly familiarize themselves with their jurisdiction within one month.

Furthermore, they must record what they do in their jurisdiction every day and submit a written report every ten days.

On the day of the report, the police station will even send someone to patrol the jurisdiction on behalf of the prosecutors to report on the results of their work.

After all this commotion, the patrol members basically all stayed in their assigned area, fearing that something else might happen there.

Li Xiangming did the same, directly opening up a cave dwelling in the Mao District.

Therefore, he handed the pig demon over to the fourth branch of the family for them to manage.

However, while things got busier, the rewards also increased. Li Xiangren secured 30 merit points per day for the police station's mountain patrol duties, which was some consolation for everyone.

In addition, Li Xiangming was awarded 3000 merit points for his meritorious service in intercepting the white-faced old man, and was also granted a bottle of Qi Condensation Pill and a low-grade magic weapon.

Qi Condensation Pill is a cultivation pill commonly used by cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.

The so-called cultivation pill does not directly increase cultivation level, but rather refers to the pill itself containing a large amount of easily absorbed spiritual energy.

When cultivators consume it, they can skip the breathing exercise; they only need to refine and guide the spiritual energy to repeatedly stimulate their spiritual apertures to generate magical power.

A bottle of Qi Condensation Pill costs around 9 or 10 spirit stones, which is significantly more expensive than Yellow Sprout Pill.

Although the effect is better when taken together, the Li family only adds Qi Condensation Pills to the monthly allowance for cultivators who have reached the late stage of Qi Refining, considering the cost.

The fact that Li Xiangming was able to obtain the Qi Condensation Pill means, to some extent, that his strength has been recognized by his family.

Otherwise, you should be given Huangyadan (a type of herbal medicine).

As for the ritual implement, there's not much to say; it's an heirloom of the white-faced old man, a small and exquisite sleeve arrow.

"I should have 5000 merit points by now. They're just sitting there anyway, so I might as well exchange them for something."

Li Xiangming muttered to himself.

Five thousand merits is not a huge number, but it's not insignificant either. After much thought, he decided to change his spell to enhance his combat power.

In truth, the Li family's achievements are only worthwhile when exchanged for cultivation techniques and classic texts; exchanging them for elixirs and spiritual materials would be a significant loss.

Taking Huangyadan as an example, one Huangyadan requires 50 merit points, and one bottle requires 600 merit points.

Although merit points cannot be exchanged for spirit stones, everyone will make a comparison in their minds. A bottle of Yellow Sprout Pill costs 6 spirit stones, so the ratio of spirit stones to merit points is 1 to 100.

In other words, the 5000 merits Li Xiangming possessed were only worth 50 spirit stones.

However, taking the Spirit Control Technique as an example, the number is far more than that.

Li Xiangming only spent 500 merit points to exchange for the Spirit Control Technique. If measured in spirit stones, the Spirit Control Technique is worth 5 spirit stones.

That's impossible! If anyone tried to ask Li Chengzhi for the Spirit Control Technique with 5 spirit stones, he would definitely slap them across the face.

In short, merits are not linked to spirit stones; the value of merits depends entirely on discussions among the family's higher-ups.

This thing can only be used as a supplementary means of obtaining cultivation resources.

Just as Li Xiangming was lost in thought, a whooshing sound came from behind him.

Li Xiangming looked up in surprise and saw several leaves flying towards his face.

The leaves contained magical power, so he dared not be careless. He lightly leaped aside, and then focused his gaze, seeing a pale-faced man in blue robes walking out of the shadows.

"Thirteenth Brother."

Upon seeing the person who arrived, Li Xiangming's anxious heart eased slightly.

"The response has been good."

Li Xianghua said it casually.

Li Xiangming didn't understand the compliment or the purpose of the visit, so he could only return the smile to cover his embarrassment.

"The patriarch asked me to tell you to go to Changlin House to find him."

"Homeowner?"

Li Xiangming was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "Thirteenth Brother, do you know that the Patriarch is looking for me?"

"I don't know." Li Xianghua interrupted Li Xiangming, said indifferently, and left.

It was as if they had never been here.

Watching Li Xianghua's retreating figure, Li Xiangming scratched his head. He had long heard that his thirteenth brother was arrogant and difficult to get along with, and today he had witnessed it firsthand.

I don't know how Xiangcheng became familiar with him.

However, as the only formation master of the Xiang generation, Li Xianghua did indeed have an arrogant ability.

Anyway, he didn't want to offend Li Xianghua, because he might need to ask for her help someday.

Turning his gaze away, Li Xiangming followed. Since the patriarch had summoned him, he couldn't be negligent.
-
This wasn't Li Xiangming's first time at Changlin House; he knew the way well and arrived at the entrance in no time.

There was also an acquaintance standing at the door, Li Xiangru.

"Fourth brother!"

"Xiangming? What are you doing here?"

"Thirteenth Brother said the patriarch is looking for me."

At this point, Li Xiangming felt embarrassed. Li Xianghua came over and called him, and he followed excitedly behind her. However, Li Xianghua had no intention of leading the way at all and went straight back to her own jurisdiction.

Unable to believe his own feelings, he had no choice but to come to Tailai Peak alone.

"Oh, I see. Looks like it's your turn."

My turn?
Li Xiangming was completely bewildered: "What does this mean?"

"Haha, you'll find out later."

Li Xiangru smiled mysteriously.

At this moment, the door opened and Li Xiangren came out. He was not surprised to see Li Xiangming.

"Go in, the patriarch is waiting for you."

After saying something gentle, Lee Sang-in quickly left.

Li Xiangru was clearly waiting for him, so he followed, leaving only a confused Li Xiangming behind.

"You're all riddle-solving freaks, aren't you?"

Li Xiangming cursed under his breath, while feeling uneasy.

It shouldn't be about the old man with the white face, right?

The questions were asked and the reward was given, so there shouldn't have been any further consequences.

But if not, what could it be?

With doubts in his mind, Li Xiangming met with Li Qianxiong.

"Xiangming, sit down!"

Li Qianxiong's attitude was quite friendly, showing no sign of the rage he had displayed a few days ago.

"The reason I'm here today is to talk to you about the children you and Xiangren brought back a few days ago. You guessed right, they are all children with spiritual roots."

Li Xiangming nodded, not surprised. He had also come into contact with some rogue cultivators when he was cultivating in the Green Cloud Cave.

Rogue cultivators are all people who won't do anything without profit. It would be strange if the child they brought with them didn't have spiritual roots, given the enormous risks they took to come to this desolate place, Pu County.

At the same time, doubts arose: although he had saved the person, why should he consult him on how to deal with him?
Keep in mind that he was just a junior member of the Xiang generation, and he wasn't even qualified to see the complete family genealogy.

"The clan has also reached a decision on whether these children should stay or leave."

Li Qianxiong spoke to himself.

Li Xiangming listened intently, and when he heard that the clan elders would not accept it, he thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

The Li family is a long-standing family of cultivators, and they have strict control over the bloodlines of their clansmen, making it almost impossible for them to adopt or raise children from outside the family.

However, at least these children were able to survive once they reached Dangui Mountain.

"Although we cannot accept them, our Li family will do our best to arrange a good place for them."

Good place?
Li Xiangming was surprised.

Since the Li family is unwilling to take in children of other surnames, why not just hand these children over to the Bailu Sect and urge them to crack down on evil cultivators who traffic children?

What other places should we consider?
and many more!

Suddenly remembering something, Li Xiangming couldn't help but ask, "How are the aptitudes of these children?"

Seeing that Li Xiangming had reacted, Li Qianxiong smiled and said, "Four children, one with five spiritual roots, one with four spiritual roots, one with three spiritual roots, and one with two spiritual roots."

After a pause, Li Qianxiong continued, "A top-grade fire-type dual-elemental seed."

(End of this chapter)