Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 220 Old Friend
The number of monsters that the Li family was sending to Yuyuan far exceeded the usual amount.

Li Xiangming glanced at them briefly and saw no fewer than twenty, including five late-stage Spirit Summoning demon beasts.

Cao Fuyi and Li Qianxiong may have specified that they would transport the goods themselves, or there may have been other reasons.

But his cultivation level is definitely also a factor to consider.

Because the number of people qualified to transport this batch of demonic beasts can be counted on one hand.

This batch of monsters was not entirely the result of the beast-catching workshop; a considerable portion of them were sold by the Geng family of Meiling to the Li family.

The Geng family's art of beast taming is far behind that of the Li family, so they can only rely on selling demonic beasts.

Unlike the Li family, the Shen family, and Yuyuan, the Geng family has too few clients.

Even setting up a stall in the market wouldn't attract any customers—cultivators wouldn't buy a ferocious demon beast.

Therefore, the Geng family chose to sell the monster to the neighboring Li family at a low price.

I only earn a meager living through hard work.

Of course, the Geng family has its own way of making money. The Five Yin Pills they produce are treasures that ghost cultivators are eager to obtain.

The smelted purple cicada cloud sand is selling like hotcakes.

The income from monsters is only a small part of their finances.

The demonic beasts sold by the Geng family were all quite powerful. The Li family used special cages to put them in, and tied thick leg chains to their limbs, which were covered with dense demon-trapping talismans.

"Is the carriage ready?"

Li Xiangming asked Li Qianyuan, who was standing next to him.

Li Qianyuan nodded: "I'll be there soon. This time, the family will allow you to bring four blue-backed demon lizards."

The carriages prepared in the animal breeding room were also specially made, with large carriages. Li Xiangming even saw the Ksitigarbha stone artifacts that isolated divine consciousness inside.

Ordinary horses can't pull these carriages.

However, the Li family had a Blue-backed Demon Lizard, so the group connected the carriages together, and one Blue-backed Demon Lizard could drive three carriages.

Four heads make twelve carriages!
The monsters varied in size, and the twelve carriages were enough to hold all the monsters being transported.

Since the animal trapping station was far away in Puyin Mountain, Li Xiangming did not arrange for them to take action. Instead, he asked Li Qianfu and Li Qianbai from the Accounting Office, as well as Li Qianshi from the Logistics Department, for help.

Li Qianshi brought four cultivators with him, two of whom were from the Li family and belonged to the Xiang generation, both at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Of the other two, one was named Chang Zhi, a chubby middle-aged cultivator with the eighth level of Qi Refining. He was a guest elder recruited by the Li family three years ago.

The other person was named Ma He, who was also a guest of the Li family.

However, Ma He had only been with the Li family for a short time. He was one of the best recruits specially recruited by the Li family in the Changyang Valley martial arts competition more than three months ago.

Thinking of the martial arts competition in Changyang Valley, Li Xiangming couldn't help but think of Yu Chong.

Yu Chong's background is very similar to Ma He's. Both are independent cultivators, both achieved good results in the small-scale competition in Changyang Valley, and both serve as guest elders of the Li family.

The difference is that Yu Chong chose to betray the Li family and caused Li Xiangyan's death.

This was something Li Xiangming found hard to accept.

This also proves that the Li family's system of retainers was flawed.

Like most families, the Li family's system of retainers was based on relationships of mutual benefit.

When this relationship of interests is shaken, the loyalty of guest advisors becomes difficult to guarantee.

Because the world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain.

No matter how much benefit the Li family offers, it doesn't stop them from aspiring to even greater gains.

However, the Li family could not possibly be completely unconcerned about this matter.

Therefore, having a guest advisor is actually a double-edged sword.

The Li family relied on them, but at the same time, they couldn't give them important positions.

Otherwise, if these people were to betray us, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Yu Chong is a case in point!

The Li family still doesn't know why Yu Chong betrayed them.

In terms of profit, the pills brought back from Qingyang Temple were worth only two or three hundred spirit stones.

This amount of spirit stones was an unattainable fortune for Yu Chong when he was still a rogue cultivator.

However, Yu Chong had already joined the Li family, so he had no shortage of basic cultivation skills.

Why risk your life to steal this batch of pills?

The Li family didn't understand, and could only attribute it to their greed.

A rogue cultivator is still a rogue cultivator.

It's just a pity for Lee Sang-yeon.

After Yu Chong, the Li family became much more cautious in recruiting and using guest advisors.

The fact that Li Qianshi was able to keep Chang Zhi and Ma He by his side shows that they can withstand the test.

Li Xiangming would not act impulsively and implicate other retainers in Yu Chong's mistake.

The two sides exchanged a few words briefly, and the conversation was relatively harmonious.

Afterwards, Li Xiangming bid farewell to Li Qianyuan and led the convoy to set off.

The afterglow of the sun, like golden silk, draped over the back of the blue-backed demon lizard and over Li Xiangming, making it especially warm.
-
Pushui Market, East Street.

A cluster of low-rise buildings stood before Nangong Ya, who returned to her cave in a panic.

However, the cave was empty.

"Mumu?"

Nangong Ya called out several times, but received no response. Suddenly, her hands and feet turned ice cold.

Mumu is her younger brother, who is only ten years old.

To better care for her younger brother, Nangong Ya spared no expense in purchasing a pair of mother-and-child jade pendants, which they each wore.

If the two become too far apart, the mother and child jade pendants will emit a green light to remind each other.

Now, Nangong Ya's mother and child jade pendants are completely emerald green.

This indicates that her younger brother has already moved away from Pushuifang.

But where can a little kid like him go?

Nangong Ya was pale and completely lost.

"Oh right, find Sister Green Calyx!"

Nangong Ya seemed to have thought of something, her eyes flashed with hope, and her strength returned.

Soon, she left the market and arrived at Yuyuan Garden.

"Mumu is missing?"

Cao Yanjun was somewhat surprised; Nangong Mu was Nangong Ya's younger brother.

Their father, Nangong Peng, participated in the Battle of Nanbin and later joined the Bailu Sect as a guest advisor.

But soon after, Nangong Peng died while searching for treasure.

Only Nangong Ya and the monk Nangong Mu remained in swaddling clothes.

At that time, Nangong Ya was already 15 years old. For the sake of her future, she hugged her younger brother and asked to join the Bailu Sect.

However, Bailu Sect stated that Nangong Peng was merely a guest elder and did not die in battle for the sect, so they had no reason to take in Nangong Ya and her brother unless the two were exceptionally talented.

However, Nangong Ya only has five spiritual roots, so how could she be of any interest to the Bailu Sect?
Nangong Mu was too young to even be qualified to have his spiritual roots examined.

In the end, Nangong Ya brought her younger brother to Pushuifang Market to make a living.

At that time, Pu County had not yet been established. Nangong Ya arrived early and had a relatively clean background.

With her outstanding appearance, she was selected by the Tianji Pavilion just two years later and settled down in Pushui Market.

Although Nangong Ya's position in the Tianji Pavilion was not high.

His cultivation level was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

But she is, after all, a member of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, so why would anyone target her?

And who has the ability to kidnap her brother in Pushui Market, bypassing the watchful eyes of the guards?

Cao Yanjun was very puzzled. She held Nangong Ya's hand and gently comforted her, "Don't rush, tell me slowly. Have you offended any enemies recently?"

Nangong Ya shook her head: "I usually stay between Tianji Pavilion and my cave dwelling, and only occasionally come to Yuyuan to talk to you. I don't have the opportunity to make enemies."

"If it's not you, then it must be your younger brother."

Cao Yanjun sighed softly.

Nangong Ya's younger brother was very mischievous and often played pranks on people, taking advantage of the rule that fighting was not allowed in the market.

Most people don't care because he's young.

But there will always be some people who take things too seriously.

"What should I do?"

Nangong Ya's voice was filled with despair. She had been living alone in the chaotic market and worked for the Tianji Pavilion, so she had a good understanding of all kinds of cultivators.

When a cultivator makes a move, he doesn't care about the age of his opponent.

Rumors circulate that evil cultivators like to capture child cultivators around ten years old, rip out their hearts, and drink their blood.

Thinking of this, Nangong Ya was on the verge of tears.

"I'll ask Uncle Tong to help you look for it, don't worry."
-
"Uncle Jiang, I want to become your apprentice!"

In a desolate place, a boy with longing in his eyes tightly gripped the arm of a young man wearing a white headscarf.

The man in the white turban shook his head, his voice tinged with helplessness: "With my cultivation and experience, how could I possibly be your teacher? You should return to Pushui Market." "No!"

The boy clenched his fist. "I can't do anything if I stay in the market!"

"My sister only gives me two spirit stones a month. Although I know that's a lot, it's not enough for my sister herself."

"But I want more. I want to earn spirit stones myself!"

At this point, the boy's voice was low: "But everyone looks down on me, saying I'm just a child, and I don't want to stay in the market anymore."

Two spirit stones are still not enough?
The man in the white turban looked surprised; he hadn't received this treatment even in his sect.

In other words, the vast majority of cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining do not have the means to spend two spirit stones per month.

"Your name is Mu Mu, right? Would you mind telling me what your spiritual root is?"

The man in the white turban asked curiously.

“My sister said I have five spiritual roots and should follow the path of water cultivation.”

The boy said this with a slightly excited tone, clearly not yet aware of what the five spiritual roots meant to a cultivator.

The man in the white turban said, "So you want to join the Misty Rain Sect? You think that will give you a lot of spirit stones?"

“That’s right. I heard that the Misty Rain Sect is a major sect, and you can get hundreds or thousands of spirit stones for completing tasks.”

The boy looked on with admiration.

The man in the white turban chuckled, then flicked the other's head and said seriously, "Do you know what the Misty Rain Sect does? They are an assassin organization, and their targets are all terrifying masters."

"These hundreds and thousands of spirit stones were obtained at the cost of our lives."

"I'm not afraid!"

The boy shoved the man's hand away from the white-clothed man's hand and shouted, "I can do anything, I can learn anything, even kill people."

The man in the white turban paused for a moment upon hearing this, his expression complex.

This child was a complete surprise to him.

With such a mindset, once they go astray, they will surely become a scourge to the cultivation world.

Fortunately, Mu Mu's aptitude was poor, which relieved Jiang Liang a little.

He squatted down and pointed to the corpses around him: "Even if you want to join the Misty Rain Sect, they are not members of the Misty Rain Sect. What can you do about it?"

The boy looked at the corpses around him without the slightest fear and asked, "Then who are they?"

"They're just stray dogs wandering around Pushui Market."

The man in the white turban showed a hint of disgust. With the complete opening of Dahuang Town, all sorts of people flocked in.

Pushui Market underwent a round of expansion in just six months.

As the commercial center of the entire Puxian County, this place is teeming with monks.

Naturally, this also bred many scoundrels.

There are too many charlatans and swindlers to count.

But what angered the man in the white towel the most was the human traffickers.

These human traffickers are doing things that are far more hateful than those of the cult.

The Mang Cult abducts children with spiritual roots and sells them to various cultivation factions.

Regardless of the outcome, these children with spiritual roots will at least enter the path of cultivation, giving them a sliver of a chance to defy fate.

These people, regardless of gender or age, as long as they possess spiritual roots and cultivation, have all been lured into the black market.

Even worse, they turn their fellow human beings into slaves, trampling on their dignity at will and cutting off their path.

After hearing the man in the white cloth describe the situation, the boy felt a bit scared.

He looked around, then suddenly picked up a stone from the ground and started smashing it against the corpse, saying as he did so, "I'm not afraid of being kidnapped, but my sister is so good, she shouldn't be in danger."

The man in the white turban quickly stopped him, saying, "He's already dead. We gentlemen don't desecrate the corpses of villains."

"I'm not a gentleman."

The boy grinned, but still put down the stone in his hand.

Just then, a shout suddenly came from afar.

"it's here!"

"Du Laosan and his group stopped here."

The man in the white turban's expression changed, and he grabbed the boy beside him, transforming into a streak of light and flying away.

"Someone!"

"Old Du is dead!"

“Chase after them!!”

In an instant, seven or eight streaks of light streaked across the sky like rainbows.
-
"Kid, aren't you going to surrender?"

Under the vast sky, Jiang Liang was surrounded.

A burly man with a full beard burst into laughter.

His companions around him also joined in the jeering, their words full of mockery.

One of them boasted, "If you don't surrender, we'll sell you off. A Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator can fetch a good price."

"Pooh!"

Mumu, who was being held under the arm of the man in the white turban, spat and cursed, "Wild dog!"

"what?"

"What did you say, you little bastard?"

The people around immediately became angry and started shouting and cursing.

Mumu can take on many opponents single-handedly, but her verbal skills are just as impressive.

Seeing this chaotic scene, the man in the white towel felt a sharp pain in his head.

With his cultivation level, if it weren't for Mu Mu's hindrance, he wouldn't have been blocked by these people in front of him.

But now, he is in a dilemma.

Even if she abandons Mumu, who is not related to her, she can't escape it.

"Nangong Mu, be quiet for a moment, we're about to fight."

After running for so long, the man in the white towel finally learned Mu Mu's real name.

He gave a word of instruction, then summoned a three-foot-long magic sword and held it horizontally in front of everyone.

"Boss, he seems to be from a sect. Let's be careful."

Beside the burly man with stubble, a frail-looking cultivator with a mustache whispered something.

"They can't turn the tide!"

The burly man with stubble didn't take it seriously. His gaze swept over his group of eight cultivators, each a carefully selected elite, worlds apart from Du Laosan and his group.

He himself possessed the strength of the seventh level of Qi Refining, along with four capable assistants at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and cultivators at the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Refining. In his view, such a lineup was enough to crush the man in the white turban.

Moreover, the other party is also burdened by a child.

Just then, another cultivator approached and said, "Boss, a caravan is coming down below. They look like they have something good."

"A convoy?"

The burly man with stubble was overjoyed, as robbing people on the road was their main business.

"Take care of this man quickly, then follow me to catch up with the convoy!"

Having finished speaking, the burly man with stubble was about to lead the charge.

Suddenly he trembled and couldn't help but turn around, just in time to see a young man in a green robe appear behind him like a ghost, without making a sound.

"Who are you?"

The stubble-faced man only had time to ask one question before he felt a dark rope wrap around his neck like a venomous snake.

"You and I."

He struggled desperately, clutching at the ropes with his hands, trying to catch his breath.

But it was all in vain; the rope tightened more and more, making it difficult for him to breathe and causing his strength to drain away rapidly.

In just two breaths, the stubble-faced man went limp, his eyes glazed over, and he was clearly going to die.

Upon seeing this, the other accomplices immediately panicked.

However, before they could escape...

A slightly overweight middle-aged cultivator leaped into the sky, clasped his hands together, and chuckled, "Still trying to rob us? Go back to your hometown."

As he spoke, he opened his arms, and a huge fireball was born, smashing into one of the people.

The man hurriedly dodged, but the fireball seemed to have eyes and relentlessly pursued him.

In no time at all, the man had turned to ashes.

As soon as the middle-aged cultivator made his move, a younger cultivator suddenly appeared.

Six flying swords appeared before him, each radiating light and striking different people.

This person is actually a sword cultivator!
With the help of two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, all of the stubble-faced man's companions perished.

The young man in green robes then turned to the man in white turban and smiled, saying, "It's been several years. How have you been, Brother Jiang?"

Jiang Liang sighed softly, "It's alright, thank you for your help, Manager Li!"

(End of this chapter)