Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 227 Heart knot
Li Qianxiong's eyes shone brightly. Before Li Xiangming could speak, he continued, "Of course, if you prefer Ruqing or Rubei, I can swallow my pride and reconcile with the Shen family, restoring your marriage agreement with them."

Li Xiangming smiled wryly. He had only met Shen Ruqing once and spent a few days with her. Although they had mutual feelings for each other, they were far from being lovers.

Needless to say, I had hardly any contact with Shen Rubei.

If he insists on the marriage alliance with the Shen family, the Li family will definitely have to bow down to the Shen family and pay a huge price.

Li Qianxiong may seem to respect his choice, but in reality, he had no choice at all.

However, this was expected.

If he were just an unknown person, his family wouldn't care about his marriage at all.

But now, his marriage is a valuable asset for his family, and they naturally hope to get a good price for it.

Whether it's the Shen family or the Cao family, the only difference is the marriage partners, and the benefits they bring are different.

Even if it's not these two families, there will be other forces such as the Zhao family and the Wang family; in short, he won't be in charge.

"I am willing to follow my family's arrangements."

Li Xiangming said in a deep voice that he had not met Cao Yanjun many times, so it was hard to say that they had a deep relationship.

However, from the perspective of family interests, the two becoming Daoist partners is undoubtedly what everyone wants.

From a personal emotional perspective, Cao Yanjun was also more attractive to him.

"Alright! Leave this to the family. Spend more time with Yanjun these next few days; relationships are built up over time."

Li Qianxiong stood up and laughed, then sat down and said slowly, "I have long been dissatisfied with the Shen family's way of doing things, but I have only tolerated it for the sake of your great-uncle. Even now that we have broken ties with them, the old folks in the clan still insist on communicating with the Shen family. We can't get through the main gate, so we have to go through the back gate. It's really embarrassing."

"But now they have no choice in what they want."

A fierce glint flashed in Li Qianxiong's eyes: "Your marriage alliance with the Cao family is not only for the cooperation with Yuyuan, but also to represent the complete separation of the family from Zhangning Prefecture, so that those old guys in the family will give up and stop thinking about returning to Hao County all the time."

Li Xiangming remained silent; his marriage was not merely a political tool for external affairs.

It also has an effect internally.

Li Qianxiong really went to great lengths.
-
The Li family was determined and kept finding excuses to keep Cao Yanjun.

He then dispatched Li Qianyou to personally lead the guest room staff to Yuyuan.

A few days later, Li Qianyou returned.

Immediately afterwards, Cao Fuyi visited the Li family.

After two months of back-and-forth negotiations, all the details were finally finalized.

Li Chengkang personally went to the foot of Qingliang Mountain to present betrothal gifts and arrange the engagement between the two.

As for the specific wedding date, that still needs to be discussed.

However, the Cao family originally intended to support Li Xiangming, or rather, Puyin Mountain.

Now that they have successfully become in-laws with the Li family, they naturally hope that the younger generation will get married as soon as possible.

The Li family had just fallen out with the Shen family, and they were afraid that things might get complicated if things dragged on.

Thus, the two families reached a preliminary agreement that Najib would get married in the following six months.

From discussing marriage to the wedding ceremony, it only took a little over six months.

The tight schedule made Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun feel awkward.

"Xiangming, why are you acting like a block of wood?"

Li Xiangren was extremely concerned about Li Xiangming's marriage.

They constantly offered advice and suggestions.

At Li Xiangren's urging, Li Xiangming began to send Cao Yanjun gifts in various ways.

Cao Yanjun accepted all the gifts without hesitation, and each time she received a gift, she would show a gentle smile and politely express her gratitude.

However, whenever Li Xiangming left, a barely perceptible trace of sorrow would flash in her eyes.

"Yanjun, don't you like these gifts?"

Ye Yun, who had been by Cao Yanjun's side the whole time, asked in a low voice.

"The gifts were all very thoughtful, and I really like them."

Cao Yanjun's voice was gentle, but it couldn't hide the complex emotions in his heart.

"So you don't like Aimei?"

Ye Yun said with some concern, because in her opinion, Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun were a match made in heaven, both in terms of their status and appearance.

However, matters of the heart are unpredictable. If Cao Yanjun does not like Li Xiangming, but becomes his Daoist partner because of family ties, it will undoubtedly be a torment.

Cao Yanjun remained silent for a while, then asked softly, "Sister Ye Yun, how did you and Brother Xiangren meet?"

Ye Yun paused for a moment, her face flushing slightly, as she recalled how she met Li Xiangren: "He saved me, and that's how I fell for him."

Upon hearing this, Cao Yanjun suddenly pictured Li Xiangming in his mind.

When the Mang Cult attacked, Li Xiangming had saved her.

However, Li Xiangming persuaded the evil people of the Mang Cult to retreat with just a few words, without showing off his skills.

Seeing that Cao Yanjun remained silent, Ye Yun continued, "You and Xiangming haven't spent much time together, so it's normal for there to be some distance between you. Although Xiangren saved me back then, he was indifferent to me. His fiancée is said to be the granddaughter of an elder of the Hengyue Sect, while my Ye family is just a small Qi Refining family. But now, isn't he still with me?"

"Does the Li family agree to your relationship with Brother Xiangren?"

Cao Yanjun asked curiously.

Ye Yun's face turned even redder: "When we got home, Jiye was already born. The Li family didn't say anything when they saw the child."

As originally planned, the Li family would never agree to let Ye Yun join their family.

Because the Li family had chosen a woman for Li Xiangren who was the granddaughter of Xuanli Zhenren.

If the Li family were to become in-laws with Xuanli Zhenren, it would be of great significance.

Unfortunately, Li Xiangren and Ye Yun had already slept together and the child was born.

How could a venerable Golden Elixir cultivator like Xuanli allow his granddaughter to become a stepmother?
The clan elders had no choice but to force Li Xiangren and Ye Yun to marry because she was pregnant.

However, to avoid upsetting Xuanli Zhenren, Li Xiangren's wedding was very low-key, and even the Foundation Establishment Ceremony was not held.

At present, Xuanli Zhenren may not know that Li Xiangren has already established his foundation.

"I see."

Cao Yanjun sighed, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes.

She envied Ye Yun for being able to be with the person she loved, even in the face of family pressure.

Ye Yun didn't notice any of this and said with a smile, "You are much better off now than I was back then. Your marriage to Xiangming is what both families want. Just look at the Li family's attitude towards you. You don't need to worry about your future cultivation and status."

Cao Yanjun gave a wry smile: "It's all about interests. If the relationship between the two families breaks down, how will I fare?"

Ye Yun quickly said, "Xiangming is a responsible person, you don't need to worry about that."

“He might protect me, but the Li family won’t.”

Cao Yanjun shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Ye Yun frowned, not understanding Cao Yanjun's thoughts.

Cao Yanjun explained, "My becoming Daoist partners with Young Master Li is not based on mutual affection, but on the cooperative relationship between our two families. The Cao family hopes to gain a voice in Puyin Mountain in order to find new sources of demonic beasts for our spirit pets."

"The Li family is also vigorously developing the Beast Taming lineage, and Puyin Mountain is an indispensable core interest for them."

"The more pleasant the cooperation between the two companies is now, the more ugly the falling out will be in the future."

Ye Yun was stunned, never expecting Cao Yanjun to think so far ahead, even predicting the future relationship between the two families.

"But that's a matter for the future. As long as your relationship is good enough, even if the relationship between the two families breaks down in the future, it won't affect you."

Ye Yun offered some words of advice.

"Who knows?"

Cao Yanjun said in a mournful voice, "My father toiled for the Cao family all his life. He even died tragically in Wumu Mountain in order to help the family capture the Four-Eyed Suanni. But in the end, I couldn't even protect the Four-Eyed Suanni cub that my father left behind."

"A four-eyed Suanni?"

Ye Yun was startled again and quickly asked, "Is it the four-eyed Suanni that was sent to the Suxin Sword Sect?"

Back then, Qingshui County presented the Suxin Sword Sect with a four-eyed Suanni, which caused a sensation.

Even though she was in Zhangning Prefecture, she had heard about it.

"Yes."

Cao Yanjun glanced at her and continued, "The Four-Eyed Suanni gave birth to four cubs in total. My brother and I each had one, and the remaining two were given to the family." "But the family was not satisfied. They took away the Four-Eyed Suanni from my brother, claiming that he was too old to take care of it. They also wanted to marry me off and leave my Four-Eyed Suanni behind."

“Of course I refused. I applied to come to Pu County and established Yuyuan with Uncle Tong. I thought that with this achievement, I could protect myself and the four-eyed lion, but in the end, my family still wanted to marry me off.”

A hint of resentment flashed in Cao Yanjun's eyes.

"The Cao family, for the sake of their so-called grand family plan, disregarded the promise my father made with his blood. The Li family is no different from the Cao family; both are aristocratic families who prioritize profit above all else. After breaking with the Cao family in the future, I will only become disliked, and Young Master Li will also be affected by me."

When the Cao family was mentioned, Cao Yanjun became somewhat agitated.

Ye Yun instantly understood that Cao Yanjun had always harbored deep resentment towards the Cao family.

She wasn't against Li Xiangming, but rather the marriage alliance between the two families.

Because she fundamentally doesn't believe that arranged marriages can bring happiness.

As a member of a family, she was all too aware of how an individual could be influenced by their family.

Furthermore, marrying Li Xiangming meant she would have to hand over the Four-Eyed Suanni—the Cao family would never allow such a strange beast to be taken away.

Due to distrust of his family and the heartache of feeling guilty towards his father for losing the Four-Eyed Lion, Cao Yanjun maintained a pessimistic attitude towards the marriage from beginning to end.

However, she was powerless to change anything, so she silently endured it.

Ye Yun looked at Cao Yanjun with pity, gently patted his back, and softly comforted him, "Yanjun, life is unpredictable. Who can say for sure what the future holds? Perhaps you and Xiangming can truly love each other and change all of this?"

"Sister Yun, thank you!"
-
Time flies like an arrow; three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Xiangming piloted the Green Cloud Flying Boat, carrying Cao Yanjun to visit Xiaolan Valley.

Ever since Ye Yun revealed that Cao Yanjun had a knot in his heart, he has often taken her out to see the scenery near Danggui Mountain.

However, this is my first time visiting Xiaolan Valley.

Li Xiangming came here because he received a letter from Jiang Liang.

The letter stated that a group of petty thieves had their eyes on Xiaolan Valley and wanted to take it for themselves.

Unexpectedly, Nie Rong was hiding in the valley, and the band of thieves suffered a crushing defeat.

However, they did not give up their evil intentions and saw that Nie Rong never left his house.

They then circled around the valley to retaliate against the ordinary people who had ventured out.

The area around Xiaolan Valley has almost turned into a ghost town.

Jiang Liang also took charge and led the Chi family cultivators to deal with these petty thieves.

But somehow they managed to seize a flying boat and moved about as fast as the wind, treating Jiang Liang, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, as nothing.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Liang and the Chi family could only send a message to Li Xiangming, requesting assistance.

As they approached Xiaolan Valley, Li Xiangming put away the flying boat and, along with Cao Yanjun, disguised themselves as ordinary people and walked to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

"Does Young Master Li still have a business here?"

Cao Yanjun asked curiously, having already learned that Xiaolan Valley was not directly under the jurisdiction of the Li family, but was cared for and protected by Li Xiangming alone.

This is quite rare in large families.

"It's just acting as a substitute administrator."

Li Xiangming shook his head. Although Xiaolan Valley had almost become his private territory, he had never had the idea of ​​seizing the Chi family's business.

Placing Jiang Liang here is merely a temporary measure.

"The scenery here is beautiful; it's a suitable place to live."

Cao Yanjun, however, was very interested in the area around Xiaolan Valley.

"If you like, we can build a cave here and stay for a while when you have free time."

"Cave?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Yanjun blushed slightly and did not respond immediately.

After three months of getting to know each other, both Li Xiangming and she herself have begun to embody the role of a Daoist couple.

Just then, a sharp shout rang out.

"stop!"

Two young men, walking unsteadily, approached.

One of them, a disheveled man with a round face, grinned and said, "Hehe, there's a woman too, this is going to be fun!"

"Brother Wolf, we..."

"I advise you to shut your dog mouth."

Li Xiangming interrupted coldly, his voice revealing an unquestionable authority.

The round-faced young man froze, and it took him a while to react before he angrily asked, "Do you know who we are?"

"We are immortal masters, the supreme immortal masters!"

"How dare you talk to me like that? Don't you value your life?"

"Why aren't you kneeling down and admitting your mistake?"

The round-faced youth kept shouting, but Li Xiangming didn't even glance at him. He just looked calmly into the distance and said, "I'll give you three breaths to show yourself, or you'll stay here."

"Hey, this kid looks down on people!"

The round-faced young man, enraged, was about to rush forward and teach Li Xiangming a lesson.

His companion stopped him, his face filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"one."

"two!"

"three!!"

Li Xiangming's voice echoed through the empty mountain path.

After three calls, an elderly woman with dark skin and age spots appeared, carrying a cane.

"Young man, you don't need to get so angry."

The old woman's voice was hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
"Grandma?"

The two young men rushed forward to greet the old woman.

The round-faced young man said obsequiously, "How could I trouble you, sir, to lend a hand?"

"If I don't come now, I'll only be able to collect your corpses later."

The old woman's words revealed a hint of impatience.

The two were stunned for a moment. The round-faced young man said, "Grandma, you flatter us. The other party has no cultivation and is just two mortals."

"hehe."

Grandma Lai scoffed, "How could you two novices possibly understand the methods of the cultivation world?"

She first sized up Cao Yanjun, then turned her gaze to Li Xiangming: "May I ask your honorable name?"

“Danggui Mountain, Li Xiangming”

Li Xiangming responded calmly, but a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

The old woman before him possessed profound magical powers, no less than his own.

If she were to enter Xiaolan Valley, she could raze it to the ground.

However, Jiang Liang's letter did not mention this person.
"The Li family of Danggui Mountain?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Lai was very surprised and asked, "This place is far from Danggui Mountain, why would the Li family come here?"

"Xiaolan Valley is a vassal of the Li family. Why can't the Li family come here?"

Li Xiangming snorted and then said, "You're the gang of petty thieves, aren't you?"

"He's not really a petty thief, just a homeless person looking for a place to stay."

Grandma Lai gave a sinister laugh.

"What a fine place to stay! But Little Lan Valley can't accommodate a big shot like you. Why don't you try Dangui Mountain instead?"

Li Xiangming's face darkened, and his tone became slightly threatening.

(End of this chapter)