Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 194 Reward
The walls of the room were made of rough stones, and the uneven surface revealed the traces of hasty construction.

The air was thick with dampness and a musty smell, as if time itself had frozen in this cold, gloomy space. Several iron chains, one end firmly fixed to the wall, the other end tied to iron rings, were chained to a thin, young monk.

"Ma Wu?"

Li Xiangming was surprised and took a few steps forward to look the other person over.

"why you?"

Ma Wu was utterly dejected, but he still managed to lift his head. When he saw Li Xiangming's face clearly, a hint of tension and panic flashed in his eyes.

"What about me?"

Li Xiangming chuckled, his gaze towards Ma Wu filled with amusement: "But you, where did your arrogance from a few days ago go?"

"Don't do anything reckless!"

Ma Wu's face turned pale. He still remembered how, back in Puyin Mountain, he had repeatedly disrespected Li Xiangming, relying on the power of the chieftain. He never expected to fall into Li Xiangming's hands today.

Li Xiangming didn't bring up the past; his voice lowered, "Tell me how you ended up here?"

Ma Wu was Liu Xiong Yu's trusted subordinate, and Liu Xiong Yu was connected to the evil Green Robe.

Therefore, Li Xiangming could not help but care about Ma Wu's movements and experiences.

"Reporting to Steward Li, I recognize this person."

Wei Fei quickly stepped forward and whispered, "This man trespassed into the territory of the Lion Demon Hunting Group a few days ago, claiming he was lost. Naturally, no one believed him, so they arrested him. Later, Ge Yi personally interrogated him, and we all thought Ge Yi had killed him, but we didn't expect him to be locked up here."

"get lost?"

Li Xiangming was taken aback. Puyin Mountain was vast and its forests were complex, so it wouldn't be surprising if people got lost. But Ma Wu was, after all, a cultivator.
Ma Wu raised his head and glanced at Wei Fei.

He was arrested because of Wei Fei, and he glared at Wei Fei resentfully.

However, he couldn't figure out the relationship between Wei Fei and Li Xiangming, so he didn't dare to curse them. He just weakly defended himself, saying, "I've only been to Puyin Mountain twice."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming found it amusing and pressed further, "What brings you to Puyin Mountain?"

Ma Wu hung his head and said sullenly, "I came to find you on the orders of the chieftain. The chieftain wants to see you."

After saying that, Ma Wu felt extremely remorseful.

What a terrible mission! To think that he, a dignified general of Huanyun Village, would suffer such a terrible fate just because he got lost, what an injustice!
Chieftain, you've really put me in a terrible situation.
"see me?"

Li Xiangming's eyes flickered. Since their last parting, he could clearly sense Liu Xiongyu's interest in him, or rather, his curiosity about the evil green robe he wore.

If it weren't for Qingyang Daoist, I don't know what situation I would be in now.

Unexpectedly, after returning home, Liu Xiong Yu even sent people to look for him.

Why did Liu Xiongyu contact me?

Li Xiangming continued to ask.

"How do I know?"

Ma Wu struggled for a moment, the chains rattling, and he said dejectedly, "Li Xiangming, I've ended up like this because I was looking for you. Please let me out."

"It's not impossible."

Li Xiangming smiled faintly: "First, explain the situation of Huanyun Village and Liu Xiong Yu."

Ma Wu is just a minor character; there's no point in taking revenge on him.

In contrast, Liu Xiongyu was Li Xiangming's biggest worry.

"The chieftain has been incredibly kind to me; how could I, Ma Wu, betray his trust?"

Ma Wu shook his head, his face showing determination.

"Sure?"

Li Xiangming's smile faded, and his tone turned cold: "Since you are so loyal, then stay here and behave yourself."

After saying that, Li Xiangming turned and left.

"Wait, I am acting on the orders of the chieftain."

Ma Wu called out urgently.

"I will find him myself without his invitation."

Li Xiangming stared at Ma Wu with a gloomy look in his eyes: "As for you, I've never seen you before."

Ma Wu was stunned. Li Xiangming said he had never seen him. Then had he been rotting in this dungeon for nothing?

"Wait. I, I have something to say."
-
Upon returning to Monkey Valley, Li Xiangming immediately arranged for Li Xiangguang to lead several members of the Heavenly Pillar Demon Hunting Team to transport the elm wood coffin and several treasure chests from Ge Yi Cave back to Monkey Valley.

He was reflecting on the information that Ma Wu had given him.

According to Ma Wu, Liu Xiongyu was a true member of the Mangjiao sect, and his teacher, Mu Yazi, was the leader of the Mangjiao sect in the previous generation.

After Mu Yazi's death, Liu Xiongyu shone brightly in the Mangjiao sect.

But for some unknown reason, he soon retired.

It was twenty years later when they returned to the Mang religion.

At that time, Hou Xianbo was in charge of the Mangjiao sect and promoted Liu Xiongyu to be a protector of the sect.

However, just as Li Xiangren was causing a ruckus at the Mangjiao sect in Puxian County, Liu Xiongyu once again chose to withdraw from the Mangjiao sect.

Ma Wu explained that Liu Xiong Yu did this so that he could focus on managing Huan Yun Village.

Huanyun Village was originally a small village in an unnamed mountain in Zhangning Prefecture, and its owner's surname was Su.

However, Huanyun Village was destroyed thirty years ago, and the descendants of the Su family were almost all killed or injured.

As the son-in-law of Huanyun Village, Liu Xiong Yu led the remaining forces of the village and, as the village chief from another family, continued the existence of Huanyun Village.

However, the remaining forces of Huanyun Village actually consisted of only Ma Wu.

At that time, Ma Wu was still very young and had not even joined the stronghold, so he escaped the destruction of the stronghold.

Ten years ago, Liu Xiongyu visited the ruins of Huanyun Village. Ma Wu recognized his son-in-law, introduced himself, and from then on followed Liu Xiongyu to wander the world.

Liu Xiong Yu previously claimed that Huan Yun Village existed wherever he was, and that Huan Yun Village would exist wherever he was, which was not unfounded.

Because Huanyun Village has not yet had a new mountain stronghold, the village still only has Liu Xiong Yu and Ma Wu.

No, now there's an extra one, Gao Can.

Gao Can is a descendant of the Spirit Clan that Liu Xiongyu found near Daishan. His bloodline is inherited from a powerful monster from ancient times, which is why his physique is extraordinary.

Although Gao Can is mentally challenged, his talent is impeccable.

Not only does it possess a unique bloodline, but it is also a seed with dual spiritual roots.

Liu Xiongyu had been staying near Daishan for Gao Can's sake. A few days ago, he entered Puyin Mountain to find medicinal herbs for Gao Can and help him strengthen his foundation.

"The Mang Cult, Huanyun Village, Liu Xiong Yu, and the Evil Green Robe."

Li Xiangming silently recited these keywords in his mind, like placing chess pieces on a chessboard, trying to figure out this complex situation.

If he is not mistaken, Liu Xiongyu must have learned the secret of the evil Green Robe from Mu Yazi.

This also explains why Madam Zhen, who was also a protector of the Mang Sect, knew nothing about it, while Liu Xiong Yu knew everything.

As the leader of the Mang Cult, Mu Ya Zi possessed secrets far beyond those of the Dharma Protectors.

As for why the current leader Hou Xianbo is unaware of the evil Green Robe, according to Ma Wu's confession, the previous two leaders of the Mang Cult both died in accidents, and Hou Xianbo was actually a newcomer who joined the Mang Cult ten years ago.

However, Hou Xianbo was special because he joined the Mangjiao sect as its leader, which caused a great uproar at the time.

Although Hou Xianbo was highly accomplished, he was still relatively inexperienced, even less so than Madam Zhen, let alone Liu Xiongyu.

The Mang Sect originated from the grassroots and was loosely organized, lacking even a proper religious altar. Furthermore, since the previous two leaders had not given verbal instructions, Hou Xianbo's understanding of the Mang Sect was naturally very limited.

However, Hou Xianbo had exceptional abilities. In just ten years, he transformed the scattered Mangjiao into a cohesive entity. He not only revised the rules and established a new headquarters, but also built a rigorous upper-level organizational structure.

He had a keen eye for talent and promoted a group of outstanding individuals, such as Madam Zhen, Blind Luo, and Ghost King Qi, making the Mang Sect ten times more active in the two prefectures than before.

Of course, the reputation of the Mang religion also became increasingly tarnished.

Liu Xiong Yu

Li Xiangming kept repeating this name.

Nowadays, very few people in the Mang Cult recognize the evil Green Robe. Liu Xiong Yu is the key among them. If one wants to uncover the secrets behind the evil Green Robe, it seems that the only way is to contact Liu Xiong Yu.

However, Liu Xiongyu is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while I am only in the late Qi Refining stage. The difference in our cultivation levels is vast. Once we meet, I will probably be like a persimmon, completely at his mercy.

"This matter still needs to be handled by the family." Taking a breath, Li Xiangming made up his mind.

Just then, Lü Mao, full of vigor and vitality, came to visit.

"Reporting to your Excellency, Ge Yi and his gang have been captured."

Lu Mao knelt down respectfully.

"Is Ge Yi dead?"

Li Xiangming stood up and asked.

"already dead."

A memory flashed through Lü Mao's mind: under the siege of the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group, Ge Yi was outnumbered and ultimately beheaded by Lü Mao with a single blow.

Having avenged his fourth brother, Lü Mao looked much more relaxed and recounted the details of the incident.

For a demon-hunting cultivator like him, who is always on his guard, killing and hunting demons is as natural as eating and drinking, and he doesn't feel uncomfortable talking about it.

"You did a great job. Is anyone injured?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Mao lowered his head and whispered, "Lai Yong suffered a minor injury."

"Latecomer Yong?"

Li Xiangming calmly gave an "oh," knowing that Chi Laiyong was working so hard to become his confidant and solidify his position.

He took out a bottle of herbal pills and said, "Give this pill to him so he can recover properly."

"Yes."

"In addition, these spirit stones will be awarded to those who participated in the battle; you may distribute them as appropriate."

"Thank you for your generous gift, sir."

Lu Mao quickly bowed and accepted the cloth bag handed to him by Li Xiangming with both hands. As soon as he touched it, he was secretly surprised to find that there were no less than 100 spirit stones inside.

It should be noted that before they made their move, everyone had already received a reward of pills worth no less than a hundred spirit stones from Li Xiangming.

Adding these two together, tonight's actions actually earned the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Team 200 spirit stones.

200 spirit stones is no small sum in the cultivation world.

After hesitating for a moment, Lü Mao said in a low voice, "After Ge Yi and the others died, they left behind several magical artifacts."

"Your spoils are yours to deal with as you see fit."

Li Xiangming looked at Lü Mao strangely: "If you can't sell them, you can ask Zhao Jindou."

"Yes Yes!"

Lu Mao scratched his head and asked again, "What should we do with that Lao Quan?"

Without Lao Quan, Lü Mao felt that tonight's operation might not have gone so smoothly, therefore Lao Quan deserved credit.

But Lao Quan just betrayed Ge Yi, so how could Lü Mao trust him?
At this moment, I'm struggling with what to do.

"You're the head of the regiment, you handle this."

Li Xiangming waved his hand, he didn't care about this. If Lü Mao couldn't even handle this, he might as well give up his position to Chi Laiyong.

After exchanging a few casual words, Li Xiangming dismissed Lü Mao.

But Lü Mao still didn't leave, his expression conflicted.

"Do you have anything else?"

"Reporting to your Excellency, Ge Yi has another trusted confidant whose whereabouts are unknown. This man is named Wei Fei, and he has a grudge against Lin Hao for losing an arm."

"What do you want to say?"

Li Xiangming interrupted, his expression indifferent.

"No, it's nothing."

Lü Mao bent down and slowly withdrew.

Watching Lü Mao's departing figure, Li Xiangming said calmly, "Come out."

"Manager Li, save me!"

Wei Fei, looking flustered, knelt down in front of Li Xiangming: "I sincerely pledge allegiance to the Li family, and I beg Steward Li to save my life."

Li Xiangming remained silent, but Lü Mao clearly intended to stand up for Lin Hao and eliminate Wei Fei, this lingering menace.

Even though Li Xiangming used his power to suppress Lü Mao, Lü Mao was still an unruly rogue cultivator. How could he give up just because of Li Xiangming's words?
Lu Mao will remain quiet for a while, then he will try to assassinate Wei Fei.

If Wei Fei dies by then, how can Li Xiangming still punish Lü Mao?
Wei Fei was fully aware of this as well, which is why he pleaded with Li Xiangming for protection.

How can I protect you?

Li Xiangming shook his head: "The Li family's power has always been used where it is useful."

"I will certainly become a useful person and satisfy Steward Li, no, I will satisfy you, sir."

Wei Fei lowered his head and said respectfully.

"So best."

After dismissing Wei Fei, Li Xiangming met with Li Xiangfeng and Li Xiangting.

These two were responsible for protecting Old Wu and Madam Feng, respectively.

"The attackers have all been killed. Old Wu expresses his gratitude to you, sir."

Li Xiangfeng said this, and at the same time presented a small cloth bag.

Li Xiangting, standing beside him, echoed, "Madam Feng also expressed her gratitude and said she would like to pay her a visit."

"Hehe, they're all sensible."

Li Xiangming took the cloth bag and smiled with satisfaction.

He had just given Lü Mao 100 spirit stones. Li Xiangfeng and Li Xiangting now had their own demon-hunting team and no longer received stipends from the family's beast-catching department. So, he naturally had to pay them to help.

Fortunately, Zhang Zhi'ang, Old Wu, and Madam Feng are all sensible people.

With several spirit stones flowing back and forth, Li Xiangming not only didn't lose out, but actually made a profit.

They even gained favors from three traveling merchants and expanded the influence of the Puyinshan Guild Hall.

"How's your demon-hunting team coming along?"

Li Xiangming asked the question.

His plan was to form four demon-hunting teams, disperse them, and then, when these four teams had gained considerable influence, establish a demon-hunting guild to encompass all the elite demon-hunting teams of Puyin Mountain.

However, the family disagreed, and the clan elders believed that the demon-hunting group was active in Puyin Mountain and could not take care of Monkey Valley in time.

The Li family also owns businesses in Monkey Valley.

The people of Shijinfang alone are simply not enough to protect these industries.

Therefore, the existence of animal traps remains necessary.

At the same time, the sudden closure of the animal trapping facility, as the official institution of the Li family, was a loss of the family's prestige and greatly reduced the Li family's influence in Puyin Mountain.

Unable to refute, Li Xiangming had no choice but to follow the elders' advice and divide the personnel of the animal trapping house into two halves. One half formed two groups, Shenfeng and Jinguang, and dispersed into Puyin Mountain to develop freely, while the other half stayed in the animal trapping house to continue guarding Monkey Valley.

However, Li Xiangming still reorganized the remaining members of the beast-catching house into the Heavenly Pillar Demon-Hunting Team, so that everyone, including Li Xiangming, would act as demon-hunting cultivators, and not let the Li family be isolated from "Puyin Mountain".

With a smug look on his face, Li Xiangting spoke first: "The Golden Light Demon Hunting Group has recruited five skilled individuals, including two at the third level of Qi Refining, two at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and one at the fifth level of Qi Refining. All of them come from respectable backgrounds and are suitable to serve the Li family."

Li Xiangming nodded, his eyes showing approval, but then his tone turned serious: "While a demon-hunting team certainly needs a large number of people, financial resources are also crucial. You must always keep an eye on the team's finances. You must know that once the spirit stones are gone, even the most loyal members will find it difficult to stay."

"Remember, if the finances are lost, all efforts will be in vain."

Li Xiangting's expression hardened, and he replied in a deep voice, "Understood, I will definitely take them into the mountains first, earn some spirit stones, and then recruit them."

Li Xiangming nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Li Xiangfeng.

Li Xiangfeng replied softly, "The Divine Wind Demon Hunting Group has only recruited two cultivators at the fifth level of Qi Refining so far. I intend to select good young men under the age of forty who are at the fifth level of Qi Refining."

Li Xiangming nodded in agreement. Although Li Xiangfeng had recruited fewer people, they were all elites, so the demon-hunting team's combat strength would not be affected, and they would actually be more financially secure.

Both demon-hunting team models have their own merits, and Li Xiangming does not intend to interfere too much.

As the person in charge, he only needs to grasp the overall situation.

(End of this chapter)