Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 231 Gift
Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun stayed at the Chi family's house for a total of six days.

During this time, Li Qianshi also came over to take a look.

The Li family was very interested in the newly appeared Granny Lai and others from Pudong.

In the past two years, a large number of cultivators have flocked to Pudong, but most of them are ordinary cultivators at the early or middle stage of Qi Refining, and those at the ninth level of Qi Refining are extremely rare.

Five people arrived at once, and none of them were from Heng Kingdom. How could this not attract attention?

In particular, the Chen family of Baolong Valley, seeing the great commotion the Li family was making, kept inquiring about it.

Upon hearing that there were five people at the ninth level of Qi Refining, he was terrified.

The Chen family has a protective mountain formation, and there are also experts at the ninth level of Qi Refining in the clan. They should not be afraid of external enemies at the Qi Refining level.

But this is the ideal situation.

Regardless of the circumstances, given the cultivation levels of Granny Lai and the others, if they were to target Baolong Valley, the Chen family would inevitably suffer significant losses.

Therefore, Chen Zhonghe sent three secret letters, inviting Li Xiangming, who was still in Xiaolangu, to visit the Chen family.

However, Li Xiangming did not agree.

He originally thought he came to Xiaolan Valley to deal with some petty thieves, and treated it as a spring outing with Cao Yanjun.

I didn't expect it to cause such a big fuss.

With the wedding imminent, he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

So he relayed the Chen family's request to Li Qianshi.

Let Li Qianshi go there in his place.

In any case, the Chen family invited him because they wanted to use the Li family's influence to make outside cultivators hesitant to act against the Chen family.

Li Qianshi can also represent the Li family.

Upon returning to Tailai Peak, Li Xiangming immediately reported his interactions with Granny Lai and the others to Li Qianxiong in detail.

Li Qianxiong's expression turned serious after hearing this.

"This Beast Soul Sect is also a beast-taming sect, and it sounds very powerful. Will they try to take advantage of us in the future?"

Li Xiangming replied, "The Beast Soul Sect feeds beasts with humans, making them a clearly evil sect. If they appear in Pu County, we can choose to seek help from the White Dew Sect."

Given the strength of the Beast Soul Sect, the Li family should be able to stop them.

However, the cultivation system in Pu County is no simpler than that in Liusha County.

Which of those major sects doesn't have a powerful backer?

Although Li Xiangming mentioned Bailu Sect, Li Qianxiong's first thought was Hengyue Sect.

The Hengyue people would never allow a Beast Soul Sect to emerge in Puxian, threatening or even replacing the position of the Bailu Sect.

Thinking of this, Li Qianxiong felt relieved and looked at Li Xiangming with a slightly dark expression: "Don't run around these days. Taking on five opponents by yourself is too risky. What if something unexpected happens?"

"It was my oversight that I failed to consider the number of people and their cultivation levels."

Li Xiangming offered a quiet defense.

"No matter what, you shouldn't have done it."

Li Qianxiong shook his head and said earnestly, "You are the future of our Li family. Why risk your life for a small family like the Chi family?"

“I made a vow of faith with the Chi family.”

Li Xiangming explained.

"Then there's no need to risk your life."

Li Qianxiong's voice was slightly stern.
Li Xiangming quickly lowered his head: "Xiangming knows he was wrong."

Seeing that Li Xiangming was remorseful, Li Qianxiong softened his tone: "You are so young, yet you are already the deputy hall master. You will definitely be in charge of a hall in the future."

"If something happens to you, the entire operation of the church will be affected. Those in positions of authority must know how to make choices. You should know by heart what interests must be fought for, what interests can be fought for appropriately, and what interests must be given up."

"Xiangming understands."

Li Xiangming respectfully accepted the teachings.

In Li Qianxiong's eyes, Xiaolan Valley was a dispensable existence.

Even if you don't want it, it's hard to say what impact it will have.

But for Li Xiangming personally, Xiaolangu is an important part of his cooperation with Qingyang Temple.

As for why we chose to cooperate with Qingyang Temple separately?

Of course, it's for the sake of the journey.

The Green Sheep Daoist has already established his foundation, and he has plenty of time ahead of him. Who knows, he might be able to refine even more and more precious second-tier pills.

If the Li family and Qingyang Temple were cooperating, then these pills would be distributed layer by layer after they were purchased.

In the end, very few of them ended up in Li Xiangming's hands.

It just so happens that Li Xiangming and Fellow Daoist Qingyang are close friends.

Given this relationship, wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of it?
However, blindly pursuing elixirs will only become tiresome.

Li Xiangming hoped to establish a stable cooperative relationship with Qingyang Temple in addition to their personal friendship.

What Qingyang Temple needs are nothing more than various spiritual herbs and medicines.

And that is precisely what Xiaolan Valley excels at.

In addition, the medicinal fields in Xiaolan Valley are irrigated by spiritual springs, allowing the cultivation of some high-level spiritual plants. This not only supplies Qingyang Temple but also alleviates the financial burden on the Li family in purchasing precious spiritual herbs.

That's why he values ​​Xiaolangu and the Chi family so much.

But these words are not to be spoken to outsiders.

After leaving Changlin House, Li Xiangming returned to the central courtyard to rest.

His courtyard has already been given to Li Xiangzhen and her son.

However, after he took on the roles of head of the accounting office and the animal trapping office, his family arranged a new residence for him.

However, Li Xiangming himself refused.

Because whether he was in the accounting office or the animal trapping room, he was always on the go and rarely returned to Tailai Peak.

There's absolutely no use for it in the new house.

But things are different now. Since becoming the deputy head of the Foreign Affairs Hall, Li Xiangming has shifted his focus to Tailai Peak.

Naturally, a new place to live is needed.

The courtyard his family arranged for him was also quite nice.

The area it occupies is six or seven times larger than the previous courtyard. Wind chimes hang from the lintel, swaying in the wind and making a clear, pleasant sound. But this is actually a formation.

If an ordinary person or a low-level cultivator comes here, they will be disturbed by the illusion array triggered by the wind chimes and will not be able to enter.

Besides Li Xiangming, Cao Yanjun is also temporarily staying in the courtyard.

According to Li Chenglu, this is their wedding room.

"Yanjun, the head of the family has told us not to go out these days."

Li Xiangming first confided in Cao Yanjun.

Li Qianxiong's concerns were not unfounded; in fact, he was somewhat apprehensive.

Although he had the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, Cao Yanjun was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

If Granny Lai and the others disregard everything and stop her, and then send people to deal with Cao Yanjun, she will be in a very passive position.

Cao Yanjun's aptitude was decent; like him, he was a person with three spiritual roots.

However, Cao Yanjun's main wood spiritual root is a mid-grade spiritual root, far inferior to Li Xiangming's high-grade water spiritual root.

In addition, the troubles at Yuyuan distracted Cao Yanjun from his cultivation.

His cultivation level is now far behind Li Xiangming's.

"It's okay, I've been very happy these past few days."

Cao Yanjun smiled gently and said, "I made braised beef, would you like to try it?"

"Braised beef?"

Li Xiangming was stunned for a moment. Since he began cultivating, he had rarely eaten mortal food.

Taking one fasting pill every three days has become a habit.

The taste of fasting pills is naturally very poor, far less palatable than regular food.

But most cultivators do this in order to save a little time.

Li Xiangming vaguely remembered that the last time he ate ordinary food was when he met Qingyang Daoist again and had some wine with him.

Of course, the spiritual food that comes with purple aura from the east is not included.

“My father often made this for me when I was a child.”

Cao Yanjun offered an explanation, then his gaze turned somewhat sorrowful.

After her father passed away, she could no longer taste that flavor.

Li Xiangming offered a few words of comfort, then picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and chewed on it.

But the beef melted in his mouth, and Li Xiangming realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "This is spiritual food?"

"Yes, I learned it from the spiritual chef in my family, but there is still a long way to go before I can learn it from them."

Cao Yanjun said apologetically.

"It's already very delicious."

Li Xiangming smiled. To manage the Purple Qi Eastward Restaurant, the Li family had specially hired two highly skilled spirit chefs, trained several other spirit chefs surnamed Li, and even established a dedicated spirit kitchen. Spirit cuisine, as the name suggests, is food made with the meat of demonic beasts or various spiritual herbs.

These foods, far superior to ordinary foods in terms of taste and nutrition, are also incredibly rich in spiritual energy.

And it has an advantage that no elixir can match – it is free from toxicity.

Even the mildest Huangyadan can only be taken one pill a day at most.

If you take too much, even a panacea can turn into poison.

Not only will the magic power be defiled, but the meridians and dantian will also be damaged.

Even worse, some may die from erysipelas bursting from their bodies.

Of course, as the cultivation world has developed to this point, the traditions of alchemists have been continuously improved and innovated, and the amount of toxicity contained in individual pills is now very small.

Those cultivators who died from poisoning by pills were all oddballs.

However, Ling Shan does not have these concerns and can be consumed at any of the three meals a day.

Although spiritual food is not as efficient as elixirs in converting spiritual energy.

As a result, most of the elixirs on the market still end up in the hands of alchemists.

This has hindered the development of spiritual cuisine.

But the selling points of Ling Shan are undeniable, as evidenced by the popularity of Zi Qi Dong Lai.

If the Li family's spiritual kitchen grows stronger, it will greatly benefit the cultivation of the Li family members.

However, the cost of spiritual food is correspondingly high.

From a cultivation perspective, the cost-effectiveness is far inferior to that of elixirs.

Therefore, so far, Li Qianxiong has only been training spiritual chefs on his own.

These people will focus on operating the "Purple Qi Comes from the East" business, rather than promoting spiritual food to their families.

Li Xiangming never expected that Cao Yanjun could also make spiritual food.

The braised beef in front of me may not taste very good, but for a cultivator, as long as it contains spiritual energy, that's enough.

Strictly speaking, Cao Yanjun can already be considered a spiritual chef.

Li Xiangming joked, "In two more years, you'll probably be able to become the head chef of 'Auspicious Purple Qi from the East'."

Cao Yanjun's eyes lit up: "It would be nice if we opened a teahouse in Pushui Market."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming dared not reply.

Because of her father's affair with the Four-Eyed Lion, Cao Yanjun harbors resentment towards certain high-ranking members of the Cao family, and she has always longed to get rid of the Cao family.

This can be seen from the fact that she came to Puxian alone to establish Yuyuan Garden.

Even after arriving at the Li family, she still harbored distrust towards the Li family, which was also a prominent family.

Li Xiangming noticed that Cao Yanjun had insisted on staying in Xiaolangu for several days.

She hopes to break free from the constraints of her family and live independently.

However, it must be said that Li Xiangming is now completely inseparable from the Li family.

He and the Li family share both prosperity and ruin.

Seeing that Li Xiangming remained silent, Cao Yanjun was somewhat disappointed, but she didn't say anything more.

The two ate in silence.
-
time flies.

On this day, Li Xiangming received Cao Fuyi in the courtyard.

Li Qianxiong was right; Cao Fuyi's gaze toward Li Xiangming was indeed very ardent.

In fact, he had always been very concerned about the marriage between the Cao and Li families.

In just six months, they visited each other no less than ten times.

This time was different, however; Cao Fuyi had come to take Cao Yanjun home.

According to the agreement between the two parties, after Cao Yanjun returns to Qingliang Mountain, the Li family can send someone to fetch her.

Several unfamiliar cultivators accompanied Cao Fuyi.

Li Xiangming had met one of them before; he was Cao Fusheng, the seventh member of the Cao family's "Fu" generation, with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

He was also a key member of the Cao family's guards at Yuyuan.

A dignified Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator was sent to the small Yuyuan Garden.

It is easy to imagine how much the Cao family valued Yuyuan and this marriage.

The Cao family's trip was to observe wedding etiquette, so the Li family could not possibly refuse to release them.

Li Xiangming held Cao Yanjun's hand, repeatedly reminding him of safety precautions and offering parting words.

In front of his elders, Cao Yanjun appeared somewhat shy, and he held Li Xiangming's hand even tighter.

The two poured out their hearts to each other.

After a long while, Li Xiangming watched Cao Yanjun leave, feeling somewhat melancholy.

He had grown accustomed to having Cao Yanjun around as they spent every day together.

Seeing that she was about to leave, I was reluctant to let her go.

Fortunately, I'll be able to bring her back in a few days.
-
Unlike Li Xiangren, the Li family publicized the marriage of Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun extensively, and the wedding invitations were even sent to Hengyue Gate.

In Pudong, almost everyone knows it.

"Lai Yong, it's a joyous occasion for Steward Li, what do you plan to give him?"

In the mountains of Puyin, Ji Shilun asked in a low voice.

At this moment, the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group is hunting a Long-lived Tiger.

This immortal tiger is quite powerful, possessing mid-stage Spirit Summoning cultivation.

However, they were no match for the demon-hunting team led by two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Lu Mao chose it for two reasons: firstly, to hunt for the immortal tiger bone, and secondly, to train newcomers like Yang Yun.

Therefore, Chi Laiyong and Ji Shilun simply watched from the sidelines.

When Li Xiangming left the animal trapping house, he recommended Li Xiangfeng to be the manager and Li Xiangting to be the deputy manager.

However, the family did not agree.

The elders unanimously agreed that Li Xiangfeng was too inexperienced to be in charge.

He then proposed that the Qian generation take charge of the animal trapping room.

However, this proposal was strongly opposed by Li Qianxiong.

Li Qianxiong went to great lengths to build the Guardian Hall and the Animal Capture Room, with the aim of supporting the Xiang generation to rise to power. The Qian generation could join in, but could not occupy a dominant position.

There are only so many people of the Xiang generation who can stand on their own: Li Xiangren, Li Xiangyu, Li Xiangming, and Li Xianghua have all held high positions.

Li Xiangru's injuries have not yet fully healed.

After repeated discussions, the family ultimately decided to let Li Xiangming concurrently serve as the head of the animal trapping station.

Li Xiangfeng and Li Xiangting were appointed as deputy managers, fully responsible for matters related to Puyin Mountain.

Following Li Xiangming's decision, the two vigorously developed the three demon-hunting groups: Tianzhu, Jinguang, and Shenfeng.

At the same time, through the Demon Hunter Guild, they recruited and supported a group of elite demon hunter teams.

As the hidden force of the beast-hunting camp, the Mad Lion Demon-Hunting Team naturally received more resources.

The Mad Lion Demon Hunting Team now has as many as twenty members.

Chi Laiyong and Ji Shilun have both become elites among them.

"I heard that Manager Li even made a special trip to Xiaolan Valley to deal with the petty thief for your family?"

Having spent a lot of time with the demon-hunting team, Ji Shilun is no longer as aloof as before, especially in front of his old acquaintance Chi Laiyong, where he keeps chattering away.

Chi Laiyong glanced back at him and said helplessly, "That's right. So what are you planning to give as a gift? If nothing unexpected happens, your Ji family will also be attending the wedding banquet, right?"

"What does the Ji family's business have to do with me?"

Ji Shilun retorted, "Does that mean they're taking me with them when they go to Dangui Mountain?"

"Besides, even if I were to give a gift, it would be from my family. I don't have anything nice to give to others."

Ji Shilun grinned. He was just a member of a branch of the Ji family. Even if he wanted to give a gift, he could only do so on his own behalf. His family wouldn't let him make the decision. What if the gift he chose tarnished the Ji family's reputation?
Anyway, he's free of any burdens, so no one will care whether he gives them a gift or not.

Latecomer Yong is different; Li Xiangming is the benefactor who protected Xiaolan Valley.

Normally, he would have to give a gift, not to mention that Li Xiangming had just solved a big problem for the Chi family not long ago.

It is said that the Chi family was besieged by five cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and the situation was once dangerous.

Chi Laiyi sent someone to find Chi Laiyong, but Chi Laiyong was still in Puyin Mountain at the time, and it was not until half a month later that he saw the letter that he should have received long ago.

At that moment, Chi Laiyong felt a chill in his heart, thinking that the Chi family was about to be destroyed. Then Chi Laiyi sent another letter, saying that Li Xiangming had personally gone south to Xiaolangu, resolved the trouble, and forced those who coveted the family to apologize to the Chi family.

Chi Laiyong breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both fortunate and shocked.

Those are five cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining!
Just how terrifying is Li Xiangming's strength that he can fight five people at once?

Regardless, as the head of the Chi family, he still had to make a statement at Li Xiangming's wedding.

However, if the gift is too insignificant, it will not show the Chi family's sincerity and may even leave a bad impression.

If they send something too expensive, the Chi family's financial resources are limited.

Thinking about this, Chi Laiyong felt a headache coming on.

(End of this chapter)