Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 242 Crisis
Daishan.

In the northwest corner of the Maojing Mine, hundreds of miners, carrying heavy packs and pickaxes, lined up, ready to step into the bottomless mine shaft.

They will have to spend at least five days inside.

The foreman called roll outside the line, his voice hoarse and stern, urging the miners to quicken their pace.

Suddenly, a thin young man, carrying a water gourd, respectfully approached one of the men and said, "Brother Xu, please have some water!"

Xu Jin took the water gourd, brought it close to his nose and smelled it, but he smelled a strong aroma of wine. He frowned and asked, "Lai Xiaojun, where did you get this wine?"

The miners at Maojing Mine have a very high workload and an extremely monotonous life, and their mood is often depressed.

If alcohol is involved, it can easily lead to fights and disrupt the operation of the mine.

Therefore, the Li family issued a strict ban on alcohol.

The alcohol ban stipulates that anyone who drinks alcohol without permission will have their workload doubled for the month, and if they cannot finish their work, it will be carried over to the next month and the month after that.

Those who sold alcohol would be expelled from the mine.

Don't think that you can go home peacefully after leaving the mine. Whether it's Changtai Township, Xulong Township, or Su'an Township, they are all under the jurisdiction of the Li family.

Once evicted, not only the miners themselves, but also their families will be affected, their houses and land will be confiscated, and they will become homeless vagrants.

Despite the strictness of the alcohol ban, it still couldn't stop some people from taking chances.

The emperor held the power of life and death, but the farmers in the fields were not afraid, because they would never see the emperor in their entire lives. Even if they were persecuted by the oppressive government, they would only resent the local officials they could see.

Similarly, although immortal masters are high above, there are only a few of them.

The number of miners, including support staff, at the Maojing Mine is over 20,000.

The immortal master can't control it, nor does he want to.

In reality, the operation of the mine is still handled by ordinary people who have been promoted.

These ordinary managers, although they don't have to work underground like miners, are still unable to go home, enjoy a life of luxury, and their lives are far worse than before.

Their need for alcohol, a prohibited substance, was even more urgent than that of the miners.

Therefore, the wine continued to circulate in a small circle within the Maojing mine.

"I bought it from Mao Zhong; it cost me half a month's wages."

Lai Xiaojun looked pained.

The Li family treated the miners very harshly, putting them under immense pressure to work every day, with working hours never falling below six hours.

However, the Li family was very generous with wages; an ordinary miner could earn five taels of silver a month.

It should be noted that, given the prices in Changtai Township, an adult would only spend about 4 taels of silver a year on food and drink.

If you can work in the mine for three or four years, you can easily buy a house, land, get married, and have children back home.

Lai Xiaojun's wages for half a month amounted to more than two liang (approximately 100 grams), enough to buy several jars of fine wine.

At the Maojing Mine, it could only be exchanged for half a gourd.

Xu Jin looked at Lai Xiaojun with complicated eyes: "Xiaojun, I know your feelings, but you don't have spiritual roots, so cultivating immortal techniques is like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water."

"How did Brother Xu know I didn't?"

Lai Xiaojun straightened his back, his eyes shining brightly.

Xu Jin was taken aback; he truly couldn't be sure.

Detecting spiritual roots requires the methods of immortals, which he naturally lacks.

But deep down, he didn't believe that Xiaojun possessed spiritual roots.

He had personally witnessed the immortal masters of Bailu Sect testing spiritual roots, and only one or two out of hundreds of children could be chosen.

If Lai Xiaojun truly possessed talent, he should have entered the immortal sect when he was young.

Of course, he couldn't say that to her face.

After a moment of silence, Xu Jin waved his hand and said, "Go down into the mine first, I'll think about it."

Upon hearing this, Lai Xiaojun felt somewhat unwilling.

A year ago, the Maojing Mine was attacked by an outsider immortal master.

Xu Jin was summoned by Master Li for his meritorious warning.

When the immortal master asked him what reward he wanted, Xu Jin revealed his true desire without hesitation: to attain immortality through the Dao.

Looking at Xu Jin, who was over forty years old, Master Li was both amused and exasperated. He then advised him to take some gold back to Xulong Township to enjoy wealth and luxury.

However, Xu Jin was eager to pursue the Dao and resolutely refused to accept gold and silver.

In the end, a master from the Li family was moved and bestowed upon Xu Jin a scroll of his own cultivation notes.

When Lai Xiaojun first heard this, he found it quite amusing.

Even though Xu Jin tried his best, he still couldn't get the martial arts technique he wanted.

But he was soon slapped in the face.

Although he had no cultivation techniques, Xu Jin managed to exhale a wisp of magical power using the breathing methods recorded in his cultivation notes, thus entering the Qi Refining stage.

Since then, Xu Jin's status has skyrocketed, and he was appointed as the head of the Northwest Mine, while Lai Xiaojun became his subordinate, still one of the lowest-ranking members.

This greatly worried Lai Xiaojun. He never expected that Xu Jin could actually become a legendary immortal master, let alone that Xu Jin would be valued so highly after becoming an immortal master.

He clearly discovered the invading cultivators himself, and although he didn't fire a signal flare, he cooperated with Xu Jin to warn them. Doesn't he deserve any credit for that?

In the end, he received no reward whatsoever, while Xu Jin, who had once pushed mine carts with him in the mud, became a celestial master.

Lai Xiaojun felt increasingly resentful. He also wanted to become a celestial master and be respected, instead of cursing at lifeless stones and mud every day.

So he painstakingly schemed and tried every means to get closer to Xu Jin, hoping to get a glimpse of the mysterious notebook that could make people become immortal masters.

But Xu Jin kept his mouth shut and refused to reveal anything.

Lai Xiaojun had lost count of how many times he had been rejected. He turned away, leaving his back to him, but a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes: "Why is it that only you can become a Celestial Master?"

Just as he was about to enter the mine, a Li family immortal master dressed in a gray robe flew over.

Lai Xiaojun immediately stopped and listened intently.

"Xu Jin, come with me, someone from your family has come."

The gray-robed immortal master called out from afar.

Xu Jin was startled and, ignoring the miners, hurriedly went to greet them.
-
Deep within the Maojing Mine lies a small palace constructed using building talismans.

This is the nerve center of the mine, where Li Qianxiao, the mine's highest-ranking official, is stationed.

However, at this moment, he did not sit in the main seat of the council hall, but stood at the head of the left side, cupping his hands to the family head and saying, "All the cultivators in the mine are here now."

Li Qianxiong nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the cultivators below the hall. Suddenly, he frowned: "Why are there still cultivators at the first level of Qi Refining?"

There were five people standing below the hall. Four of them had considerable cultivation, with the lowest being at the sixth level of Qi Refining. The only one was a middle-aged man who was not only unfamiliar but also had ridiculously low cultivation.

Li Qianxiao glanced at the man and said helplessly, "This man is named Xu Jin. He is from Xulong Township. He has spiritual roots but has not entered the Dao for a long time. When the mine was attacked by the Moving Mountain Sect, he gave a warning and was therefore given the method of entering the Dao by me. Now he is also a cultivator in the mine."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming couldn't help but look at Xu Jin with curiosity.

Generally speaking, the earlier one enters the path of cultivation, the better, since a cultivator's time is extremely precious.

Entering the Dao at over forty years old, and merely reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, already placed a significant amount of pressure on Xu Jin compared to other cultivators. It's worth noting that even someone with exceptional talent like Li Xiangren, a dual-spiritual-root seed, only reached the Foundation Establishment stage around the age of thirty.

If Xu Jin's aptitude were slightly inferior, he would likely only have a chance to reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and attempt Foundation Establishment when he is around eighty or ninety years old.

If he fails once and his cultivation level drops, it will take him several years to recover and return to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

In theory, a Qi Refining cultivator can have a lifespan of 120 years.

But very few people actually live to that age, unless you never fight or get hurt.

Moreover, even if you can live to this age, or even longer, because of your cultivation techniques or longevity pills,

However, after the age of 100, bodily functions decline rapidly, and the efficiency of breathing and transferring magical power will be greatly reduced.

In the later stages of life, even maintaining one's cultivation level becomes extremely difficult, and many people experience a decline in their cultivation.

Building a foundation under such circumstances is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Therefore, Xu Jin's path was destined to be tortuous.

Under the watchful eyes of two Foundation Establishment cultivators and several late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, Xu Jin appeared somewhat uneasy. He lowered his head, but still couldn't stop the fine beads of sweat from appearing on his forehead.

Seeing his predicament, the Li family cultivators all looked away.

Li Xiangming suggested, "Since it belongs to the mine, it should be registered with the Logistics Department."

Although he didn't understand why Li Qianxiao would take a liking to Xu Jin, an ordinary mortal, Li Qianxiao gave him his own cultivation notes and did not reveal his family's cultivation techniques.

No one else could say anything.

Now that Xu Jin has entered the Daoist path, Li Qianxiao seems to want to keep him at the mine.

The best solution would be to place Xu Jin into the Logistics Department.

Li Qianxiao realized this as well, so he asked on the spot, "Xu Jin, would you be willing to join my Li family's service institute?"

Logistics Department?
Xu Jin was stunned; he had no idea what it was.

Li Xiangming explained from the side, "The Service Institute is a dedicated organization of my Li family that employs cultivators from other clans. Once you join it, you will no longer participate in the miscellaneous tasks of the mine, but will cooperate with my Li family as an equal as a cultivator."

Equal cooperation?

Xu Jin was stunned again. When he came to his senses, he hurriedly knelt down and said, "I was able to enter the Dao entirely thanks to the appreciation of the Grand Steward. If the immortals give any orders, I am willing to give my life without hesitation. However, I dare not sit on equal footing with you immortal masters."

Li Xiangming chuckled. Xu Jin's understanding of the cultivation world was too limited; he had clearly misunderstood the significance of the Logistics Institute's existence.

In the cultivation world, so-called equal cooperation is often just empty rhetoric.

Take the Li family and Xu Jin as an example: Xu Jin generated revenue for the Li family, and the Li family paid him a reward.

It sounds fair, but the Li family can easily transfer this profit to generate a second or third source of income through other means.

In the long run, Xu Jin's wealth and power grew as he received compensation, while the Li family only grew even faster.

How can there be equality when the two sides are of different sizes?
Of course, for Xu Jin, having the opportunity to cooperate was already extremely rare.

Li Xiangming continued, "The Li family doesn't need you to sacrifice yourself. It's truly your good fortune that you've entered the Dao. If you're grateful, it's for the Grand Steward personally, not for the entire Li family. As for letting you join the Service Institute, that's a collaboration between the Li family and you personally."

Xu Jin cautiously raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Although he was a newcomer to the world of cultivation, he was not stupid and quickly understood what was said.

The Li family didn't bring him into the Service Department to use him; he himself had no value that could be exploited.

It's just to comply with the rules.

After all, strictly speaking, he was a "three-no cultivator"—no background, no resources, and no cultivation techniques—making him even worse off than those rogue cultivators.

Other independent cultivators at least possess a cultivation technique before entering the world of cultivation, while all I have is a cultivation notebook.

To the Li family, he was just a strange cultivator who had inexplicably appeared, and in principle, he shouldn't be allowed to stay at the Maojing Mine.

Although he and the Grand Steward have a master-disciple relationship, they are not officially recognized as such.

Master Li made it very clear that being able to enter the Dao was his own good fortune, and whether or not he thanked the Grand Steward was his own business; the Li family didn't care.

In other words, in the eyes of the Li family, he was still a complete outsider, not even qualified to repay their kindness.

The Grand Deacon used to turn a blind eye to him, but other immortal masters might not continue to tolerate his existence.

You can either join the Military Service Department or leave the Maojing Mine.

As his thoughts raced, Xu Jin made his decision. He respectfully kowtowed and said, "I am willing to join the Service Institute and serve the Li family with utmost loyalty."

Becoming a celestial master has fulfilled his long-cherished wish.

But he was not satisfied; the benefits that the identity of the immortal master brought him made him infatuated.

He wanted to climb even higher.

However, Xu Jin had to admit that his entry into the Dao was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision by the Grand Steward.

In fact, since he obtained the cultivation notes, he has never seen the chief deacon again, let alone received any guidance.

So how far can he go on his journey?
Joining the Service Institute not only allows one to maintain contact with the Grand Deacon, but also provides a way to secure cultivation resources.

Xu Jin had no reason to refuse.

"Okay, you can go down first. Someone will take you to Changyang Valley later."

Li Xiangming waved his hand, signaling Xu Jin to step back.

He and the family head rushed to the Maojing Mine, not to win over a minor figure at the first level of Qi Refining.

Just yesterday, Li Xiangming was still busy with cooperation matters with the Geng family of Meiling.

Although this is not the first time the two companies have collaborated, they still need to be extremely cautious since it involves Puyin Mountain and monsters.

After all, this is something that could genuinely result in injuries or fatalities.

In the past, whether in the accounting office or the animal trapping office, Li Xiangming only needed to manage his own small area.

Now that he has become the deputy head of the hall, he is fully responsible for cooperating with the Geng family, and his perspective is different.

He not only had to ensure the successful completion of the animal trapping operation, but also had to oversee the overall situation and coordinate various functional departments.

If the demon beasts are brought back, they cannot be dumped all at once on Danggui Mountain. Instead, he must communicate with the Beast Breeding House to examine the origins, cultivation levels, and health of all the demon beasts, register them, and then submit them to the clan elders' council to discuss which ones can be sold and which ones should be kept.

Needless to say, if we keep them, should we sell them to Yuyuan or Pushuifang Market?
How much and at what price would be in the best interest of the Li family?
These are things that Li Xiangming would never have paid attention to before.

But now, he has to think more deeply and comprehensively.

Fortunately, thanks to his tireless efforts, everything went relatively smoothly.

As the Geng family gradually became familiar with the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Group, they began to entrust the Purple Cicada Spirit Sand and the Five Yin Pills to Lü Mao with peace of mind.

Lu Mao then handed the goods over to the Tianzhu Demon Hunting Team, which was then escorted back to Danggui Mountain by Li Xiangguang and others.

It is worth mentioning that Li Jihu has also joined the Tianzhu Demon Hunting Team.

In short, after three months of adjustment, the cooperation between the two companies is now on track.

Li Xiangming no longer needs to be as attentive as before.

But just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Dai Shan sent back a shocking message.

(End of this chapter)