Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 236 Wedding
More than a month has passed since I returned from Qingliang Mountain.

However, the Li family's convoy returned fully loaded.

Although Cao Yanjun was only a disciple of a branch of the Cao family, the Cao family, as a powerful clan, would not easily lose face.

Therefore, even the return gift was more generous than what the Li family sent out.

With so much stuff on their hands, the Li family members were naturally extra careful.

Even so, they still encountered many problems.

Especially on the section of road leading from Puxian to Dahuang Town, robberies and thefts occur frequently, even more so than in Daishan.

Fortunately, the Li family cultivators were quite powerful, and these minor incidents didn't waste too much time.

Unlike when they left, when the Li family returned, they chose to rent a spacious boat in Dahuang Town and sail downstream to Pushui Market.

"Good, good, good, my son is finally getting married."

Li Qianhe was overjoyed to see his son return with his bride and handed over all the affairs of Pushui Market to Li Xiangqing.

He packed his things and followed the convoy back to Danggui Mountain.

Before leaving, Li Xiangming hesitated for a moment and asked, "Will my mother come back?"

Li Qianhe paused for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know."

Seeing his son remain silent, he explained, "Your mother and I have long lost contact. Even if I wanted to find her, there's nowhere to be found."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming nodded and said nothing more.

His memory of his mother, Meng Mengqing, is very vague.

Even face to face, they might not be able to recognize each other.
Therefore, there is naturally no room for any feelings involved.

Meng Mengqing's departure from the Li family was a sad event for Li Qianhe as well.

He was considerate of Li Qianhe's feelings and never mentioned it.

I only mentioned it briefly now that I'm getting married.

As soon as the Li family's caravan left Pushuifang Market, it was spotted by several petty thieves.

However, after a short while, these people left on their own.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are rare in Pu County. Among their group, the lowest cultivation level was at least the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Furthermore, there are two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Chenggeng and Li Xiangren, whose depths are unfathomable.

While the cultivators of the Tribulation Cultivator were indeed greedy, they were not without brains.

"Xiangming, let's go to Yuyuan and bring Uncle Tong with us."

Cao Yanjun's bridal sedan chair was pulled behind by the Green-backed Demon Lizard.

According to custom, she could not get out of the sedan chair or meet Li Xiangming before entering the family.

Li Xiangming had no choice but to stay by the bridal sedan chair and talk to it to relieve his boredom.

Upon hearing that Cao Yanjun was going to Yuyuan, Li Xiangming immediately replanned the route.

Tong Wunan and Cao Yanjun's father were close friends.

The reason I joined the Cao family as a guest advisor was also due to their influence.

It can be said that Cao Yanjun was raised under Tong Wunan's watchful eye since childhood.

Not to mention, in order to protect Cao Yanjun, Tong Wunan even gave up his status as a guest of the Cao family and followed her all the way to Yuyuan.

In Cao Yanjun's mind, Tong Wunan's position was irreplaceable, like a second father.

Li Xiangming naturally had to respect this as well.

Yuyuan was founded by Cao Yanjun, and some of the beast tamers there were personally recruited by Cao Yanjun.

Although the garden has now been taken over by the Cao family, Cao Yanjun is still nominally the owner.

With his status as a second-tier beast tamer, Cao Yanjun enjoys considerable prestige within Yuyuan.

When the owner of the garden gets married, Yuyuan Garden will naturally not turn a blind eye.

Led by Tong Wunan, the monks of Yuyuan had been eagerly anticipating the wedding.

Now, Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun have personally come to invite them to Danggui Mountain.

How could they possibly refuse?
For a time, almost all the monks in Yuyuan had to attend the wedding.

Cao Yanjun hurriedly tried to dissuade them, and after much persuasion, he managed to persuade a few people to stay and watch the house.

Nangong Ya was also in Yuyuan. After losing her job at Tianji Pavilion, she was arranged by Li Xiangming to work at Lingguang Pavilion.

However, Lingguang Pavilion has always been run by the Li family, and the Li family would never dismiss their own people for Nangong Ya's sake. Therefore, Nangong Ya could only take a sinecure and had nothing to do.

Later, he was assigned to Yuyuan to test the quality of spirit pets.

At Cao Yanjun's request, Li Xiangming also invited the Nangong siblings, and the group set off for Danggui Mountain in a grand procession.
-
On the tenth day of the tenth lunar month, a refreshing autumn breeze blew and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus filled the air. It was the day of great joy for Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun.

The entire Danggui Mountain was filled with a festive atmosphere and was bustling with activity.

Cultivators are different from ordinary people; even if they get married, it won't cause much of a stir.

Inviting three or five close friends is often enough.

Some people take it less seriously, only verbally agreeing to be partners, without even holding a wedding.

Cultivation families are different. Judging from the number of cultivators and mortal relatives in the family, their marriages are destined to be anything but quiet.

However, only a few families hold such a grand celebration as the Li family.

When Cao Yanjun married into the Cao family, the wedding was held only at Fuyun Residence.

A significant number of people on Cuiwei Peak are unaware of this matter.

The other four branches split up, needless to say.

The Li family has its own reasons for attaching such importance to this matter.

The Li family has been based in Pu County for twelve or thirteen years.

Just as Dahuang Town was opening, a large number of cultivators poured into Pudong.

The Li family intends to take this opportunity to enhance their influence and establish their leading position among the cultivation families in Pudong.

Therefore, Li Xiangming's wedding was exceptionally grand and unprecedented.

Because of the large number of outside cultivators, the Li family specially chose Changyang Valley as the venue for the wedding.

Changyang Valley has been open for many years and has a lot of experience in receiving guests. Li Xiangyu's guardhouse is responsible for maintaining order.

Of course, the security forces in Changyang Valley are far more than that.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Chengkang and Li Xiangren, personally oversaw the event, with Li Qianshi leading a group of cultivators from the Service Academy to provide assistance, ensuring the smooth running of the wedding.

Li Xiangming is currently also in charge of the animal trapping center, and the elites of the animal trapping center will naturally not be absent from this grand event.

Li Xiangfeng, Li Xiangting, and other key members of the Beast Capture Bureau rushed over from Puyin Mountain, bringing with them the Bureau's three major demon-hunting teams.

In addition, Lü Mao's Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group was also stationed in Changyang Valley.

"As expected of Steward Li, Changyang Valley is much more lively than usual."

Yang Yun stood at the entrance of the valley, looking around with excitement on his face.

Because the Li family was well-prepared, the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Team did not receive any specific tasks, but only vague instructions to monitor suspicious individuals at the valley entrance.

But with so many people coming and going, and the demon-hunting team consisting of rough, untrained men, how could they possibly tell who was suspicious?
Furthermore, who would dare to cause trouble in the heart of the Li family's territory?
Lu Mao and his group didn't take it seriously. They simply gathered together to chat, waiting to return to Puyin Mountain after they had eaten and drunk their fill at the wedding banquet.

"Now that you're Master Li, don't call me that in person."

Ji Shilun glanced at Yang Yun and lectured him.

"understood."

Yang Yun looked dejected. He didn't have a good impression of Ji Shilun, who often bullied him.

But he joined the group late and his cultivation level was low, so he didn't dare to refute it at all.

Why is Manager Li so amiable and approachable, even though they both come from prominent families?
Yang Yun couldn't help but recall the first time he met Manager Li, when he asked Manager Li to introduce him to a demon-hunting group.

Without hesitation, Manager Li agreed.

Sure enough, not long after, he joined the Mad Lion Demon Hunter Group.

After three years of hunting demons, his combat experience has greatly improved.

His cultivation level also smoothly reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, which can be described as a smooth journey.

And the root of all this is Manager Li.

Seeing Yang Yun's dejected expression, Lin Hao immediately snorted and sarcastically said to Ji Shilun, "Manager Li is getting promoted step by step, so why is Young Master Ji still staying outside?"

"you"

Ji Shilun blushed; joining the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group was not his wish.

Rather, it was the result of the Ji family compromising with the Li family.

At the time, Li Xiangming took him away on the grounds that the Logistics Department was short of personnel.

However, he was not actually employed by the General Staff Office, but was instead assigned to Puyin Mountain.

This action completely violated the agreement between Li Xiangming and the Ji family.

However, when he reported this to his family and applied for a transfer back, he was ignored by them.

The Ji family didn't care whether he was in the Qinwu Academy or Puyin Mountain. In other words, he was a discarded son of the family.

Ji Shilun naturally couldn't accept this, but he couldn't change anything, so he could only silently endure it all.

At this moment, Lin Hao hit a nerve, and he became furious and embarrassed.

Just as he was about to engage in a heated argument with Lin Hao, Chi Laiyong suddenly became serious and said in a low voice, "Quickly, look at the newcomer."

Ji Shilun and Lin Hao turned around and saw two young men dressed in black walking over.

"Judging from the patterns on the clothes, they seem to be ghost cultivators from the Geng family of Meiling."

Lu Mao also looked over, his eyes filled with apprehension.

For them, rogue cultivators, ghost cultivators are beings they absolutely cannot afford to offend.

Because no one knows how many ghosts are hidden under their summoning banners.

"Isn't the Geng family from Pudong? Why are they here too?"

Lin Hao asked, puzzled.

“The Li family is a Foundation Establishment family, so their neighbors are naturally not the Qi Refining families in the surrounding area. Although the Geng family is located in the southeast of Pu County, they can be considered a friendly neighbor of the Li family.”

Chi Laiyong explained, then added, "If the Geng family comes, the Liu family of Jimu Rock will probably attend the wedding as well. The Burning Evil Pill we bought came from the Liu family. I just don't know if the Qin family from Red Stone Valley in the far south will send anyone."

No sooner had Chi Laiyong finished speaking than two more people arrived at the valley entrance together.

One of them was a handsome young man, and the other was a woman with a frosty expression.

"People from the Liu and Qin families!"

Chi Laiyong gasped in shock; it had finally arrived.

He didn't recognize the cultivators from the two families, but the patterns on their clothes bore the unique marks of the Qin and Liu families.

"Have all the largest cultivation families from the eastern and southeastern corners of Puxian County arrived?"

Lu Mao sighed. Ever since the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group grew stronger, he had been trying to find a way to break free from the control of the Li family.

But now it seems that it is still too early.

The Li family is not just the Li family; he must also consider the Li family's influence and their allies.

The arrival of representatives from the three major families in Changyang Valley instantly sparked heated discussions, while visitors continued to flock to the valley.

"The Li family still has considerable power."

Grandma Lai sighed.

The round-faced young man beside her was extremely anxious: "Grandma, are we really going into the valley?"

"What? Are you scared?"

Grandma Lai turned to look at him, her expression one of disappointment: "It's one thing for you to bully ordinary people on ordinary days, but now you're even hesitant to attend a wedding. I really don't know how Zhang Can raised you."

The round-faced young man blushed and argued, "It's fine if it's someone else's wedding, but why do I have to attend Li Xiangming's wedding?"

The young man with the round face still felt lingering fear when Li Xiangming was mentioned.

Some time ago, he was bound by a rope by Li Xiangming and used as a weapon to be arbitrarily swung and beaten.

If it weren't for Grandma Lai deliberately holding back, and his thick skin, he would have been dead long ago.

Wang Wu is still lying in bed.

"Don't worry, the Li family isn't a bunch of wolves or tigers; they won't eat us up."

On the other side, Xie Daoren casually remarked that the Li family was not a heretical sect like the Beast Soul Sect.

On the contrary, the Li family has its own rules and tends to follow the right path.

They couldn't possibly unleash a massacre on the wedding day of one of their elite clansmen.

Therefore, it is almost certain that their trip is safe.

"But what is the meaning of our coming here?"

The round-faced young man continued to ask.

"Naturally, we want to see what the Li family is like."

Grandma Lai glanced at him and explained, "If you want to establish yourself in Pudong, you can't avoid the Li family. We know more about the Li family than we've met them. It's rare that they've fully opened up Changyang Valley, so we naturally had to come and take a look."

"Moreover, all those who come here are cultivators. Participating in such a grand event will broaden your horizons."

After Grandma Lai finished speaking, she walked towards the valley entrance without waiting for the round-faced young man's response.

Master Xie followed closely behind.

The round-faced young man had no choice but to follow.

Upon entering the valley, two rows of bright red lanterns hang high, swaying gently in the wind.

The roadside is lined with meticulously trimmed flowers, a riot of colors, each vying for attention.

Amidst the flowers, a few oddly shaped stones can be seen, adding to the exquisite atmosphere.

The stream in the valley is crystal clear, with a few petals floating on the surface, moving slowly with the current, adding a touch of liveliness to this festive day.

The buildings in the valley were also carefully arranged, with red silk hanging on every house and big red "囍" characters pasted on the doors and windows, exuding a strong festive atmosphere.

In front of Fengming Tower, a temporary platform stands tall, decorated with various festive ornaments, colorful ribbons fluttering, and flower balls adorning the platform.

Around the high platform were countless tables, on which various fruits, snacks and tea were laid out.

As time went on, more and more monks took their seats.

The scene became lively, with many people chatting with each other.

Seeing this, Liu Xianyi exclaimed, "I heard that the daughter of the Cao family in Qingliang Mountain is also a beast tamer. The Li family has really struck gold."

"In your eyes, a woman's marriage is just a means to exchange for benefits?" Qin Zhengru interjected coldly, her face full of sarcasm.

"Where there!"

Liu Xianyi broke out in a cold sweat and quickly denied it.

Qin Zhengru is like a ruthless bandit; she'll start a fight at the slightest provocation. He has absolutely no desire to be around her.

Unfortunately, he was engaged to her, and since he was ordered to attend Li Xiangming's wedding, he had no choice but to bring her along.

Difficult!

To make Qin Zhengru forget what she had just said, Liu Xianyi tried his best to change the subject.

Suddenly, he spotted a tall, old Taoist priest in the crowd and couldn't resist nudging Qin Zhengru.

"you wanna die?"

Qin Zhengru's magical power surged, and she appeared to be unleashing the Ganglong Spear.

Liu Xianyi was startled and quickly explained, "A Foundation Establishment cultivator! I saw a Foundation Establishment cultivator, aren't you curious?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhengru frowned and looked at the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest seemed to notice, turned his head and smiled slightly at them.

"He really is a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Qin Zhengru's expression was solemn. Why would a Foundation Establishment cultivator attend the wedding of a Qi Refining junior?

It's either a master or a relative.

Judging from his attire and the fact that he had no one serving him, he seemed to be a rogue cultivator—a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was particularly close to the Li family!
The Li family has more than one Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Similarly, there is more than one Liu family and one Qin family.

Having one more person is certainly good, but it cannot significantly enhance the family's strength.

However, the significance of Foundation Establishment cultivators is different.

If even those who have already established their foundation are throwing themselves at the Li family, what about those who are in the Qi Refining stage?

No matter how many cultivators a family has, it is still only the strength of one family, which cannot be compared with the vast group of independent cultivators.

If the Li family can control the surrounding area, especially the independent cultivators of Puyin Mountain, then how great is the Li family's potential?
"I'll go and inquire about this person."

Liu Xianyi spoke in a low voice, about to leave.

At that moment, the sounds of firecrackers and music filled the air.

Li Chengkang personally went up to the high platform to preside over the wedding.

After some opening remarks, Li Xiangming appeared on stage dressed in a bright red wedding robe.

He wore a golden crown, held a red silk ribbon, and rode a pure white steed, looking dashing and spirited.

Led by Li Xiangzhen, the white horse slowly walked towards Fengming Tower.

Another round of gongs and drums filled the air as a group of bridesmaids, dressed in their finest attire, carrying colorful ribbons and beaming with joy, escorted the bride out.

The bride, dressed in a magnificent wedding gown, wearing a phoenix crown and a red veil covering her face, looked like a celestial being descended to earth.

"Yanjun, get on the horse."

Li Xiangming smiled and extended his palm.

Surrounded by hundreds of cultivators, Cao Yanjun nodded shyly and extended her slender hand, which Li Xiangming then pulled her onto the horse.

The two rode white horses onto the high platform and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, began their traditional wedding ceremony.

(End of this chapter)