Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 340 Extending a Helping Hand Again
However, elixirs and spiritual medicines are things that can be easily converted into cultivation.

The more talismans, the better.

Don't underestimate them just because they are low-level; their sheer number is enough.

Li Xiangming was reluctant to sell.

In any case, the amount of spirit stones he possessed had reached an unimaginable level.

Back in Hengyue Sect, Li Xiangming secretly traded the spiritual vein of Green Cloud Cave to True Person Xuanli, or more accurately, to the Min family behind him, in exchange for 15,000 spirit stones.

He sold Green Cloud Cave at a low price in order to gain the favor of True Person Xuanli. Although spiritual veins cannot be measured by spirit stones, if 15,000 spirit stones could buy a spiritual vein, Hengyue Sect would have devoured all the spiritual veins in Hao County long ago.

Therefore, even if Li Xiangming only completes this current transaction, he will have accumulated nearly 20,000 spirit stones.

What does 20,000 spirit stones mean?
Don't be fooled by the large amount of spirit stones Li Xiangming plundered from the Star Absorbing Village.

However, items like personal magical artifacts are not for sale, and commonly used elixirs and talismans are not exchanged for money.

Putting all that aside, many cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining are penniless.

Even cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining don't have many spirit stones on them.

When Green Cloud Cave wanted to purchase healing pills for Green Cloud Fairy, even with hundreds of disciples and the use of the storeroom, they still couldn't raise a thousand spirit stones.

The fact that someone like Li Xiangming carries 20,000 gleaming spirit stones would shock anyone who heard that.

Li Xiangming himself was also wondering about it.
-
Li Xiangming entrusted Li Qianchang with all matters related to the transaction with Tingquan Pavilion.

This transaction, involving hundreds of magical artifacts, is undoubtedly the largest business deal that Tingquan Pavilion has undertaken in the past decade.

Even though Xiong Chengzhou had made a promise, Tingquan Pavilion was caught off guard and found it difficult to raise more than four thousand spirit stones in a short time, so it had to borrow from all over the place.

However, Xiong Chengzhou was very sincere and paid a considerable deposit in advance to reassure the Li family.

Li Xiangming had no objection to this.

Even if we sell it to the Luoyan Chamber of Commerce, we still need some preparation time.

Fortunately, just two days later, the impatient Xiong Chengzhou appeared at Muxiangzhai with enough spirit stones and successfully completed the transaction.

After the transaction was completed, Li Xiangming finally appeared and had a pleasant conversation with Xiong Chengzhou: "Manager Xiong is so generous, he will surely have a prosperous future."

Xiong Chengzhou responded with a smile, but a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.

He had already privately inquired with other colleagues and found that he had offered the highest price for this deal.

As a seasoned businessman, he was certainly not the kind of sucker who would be easily taken advantage of.

But the young man in front of him seemed to have calculated that he would not give up these magical artifacts.

All the strategies were aimed at Tingquan Pavilion.

Sure enough, people cannot be judged by their appearance.

This young man is no ordinary person; he is highly valued by the Li family at such a young age.

Xiong Chengzhou sighed inwardly and stopped thinking about it.

Li Xiangming watched Xiong Chengzhou's retreating figure, then turned to Li Qianchang beside him and asked, "Do you think Tingquan Pavilion has a place in Pushui Market?"

Li Qianchang was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

Tingquan Pavilion would naturally not travel all the way to Puxian to open a store.

The deputy head of the hall was asking whether the general store had any potential in Pu Shui Fang City.

He shook his head and replied, "I haven't set foot in Pushui Market for many years. I heard that Bailu Sect has made some changes to it, so I dare not make any conclusions."

Li Xiangming responded softly and fell into deep thought.

Many years ago, the Li family opened a "grocery store" in Pushuifang Market, which was run by his father, Li Qianhe.

However, because the Li family did not invest any additional resources in Pushui Market, the general store remained small in scale and had a very limited variety of goods, at best only slightly more attractive than those independent cultivators who set up street stalls.

Such a shop naturally cannot attract many customers, and making a profit is out of the question.

If it weren't for political factors, it should have closed down long ago.

As the cultivation center of Puxian County, Pushuifang City holds an extremely important position.

The Li family must maintain a foothold there.

Just then, a familiar face suddenly burst into Muxiangzhai; it was the young cultivator who had appeared before Xiong Chengzhou earlier.
This person's name is Li Shun, but he is not a cultivator from the Li family.

Li Qian had frequented the Dendrobium Market for many years and had long accumulated a deep network of connections, and had also deliberately won over many down-on-their-luck cultivators.

It's just that they lack money and can't afford to have them work for the Li family.

However, half a year ago, Li Xiangming went missing. Li Qianxiong was extremely anxious and urgently allocated a large sum of spirit stones to Dendrobium Market.

Li Qian often received this sum of spirit stones and immediately expanded his recruitment, with Li Shun being one of the recruits.

However, with Li Xiangming's return, in order to save expenses, Li Qianchang cut most of his informants, leaving only a few, such as Li Shun, behind.

According to Li Qianchang, the intention was to recruit them as an unofficial force within the Jinjiang Housing Authority.

Li Xiangming had no objection to this.

Three to five minor cultivators in the early stages of Qi cultivation can be supported by the Shijin House without family funding.

Seeing Li Shun's anxious expression, Li Qian immediately scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful? Can't you see that Hall Master Li is here too?"

Li Shun hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble one was unaware that Hall Master Li was here, I am truly sorry..."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Xiangming interrupted him and asked directly, "What happened?"

Li Shun raised his head slightly and said urgently, "As instructed by the steward, I have been keeping an eye on a female array mage named Ding Xia recently. She has encountered a big problem, and I am worried that things will get out of control, so I have come to report this."

"Ding Xia?"

Li Xiangming immediately stood up, looking anxious. "What trouble has she run into?"

Li Shun quickly replied, "A group of menacing cultivators are harassing her. I inquired and they said they are disciples of the Fa Rong Cave."

"The French Cave?"

Li Xiangming calmed down immediately.

Duan Heng was chasing Ding Xia when he was killed by him.

The French cave must be extremely angry.

However, Ding Xia had already destroyed the body and disposed of the evidence, so without special means, the Fa Rong Cave would have no way of tracing their whereabouts.

Even if the investigation were completed, Li Xiangming would have already packed up and returned to Puxian County.

The Fa Rong Cave only has one Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose strength is at most comparable to that of the former Green Cloud Cave.

Do you really think you can go to Pu County to cause him trouble?
Therefore, Li Xiangming didn't take Duan Heng's death to heart at all.

However, he overlooked one point: Duan Heng might not be alone; there were other disciples from the Fa Rong Cave with him, though they were temporarily separated.

These people couldn't find Duan Heng, nor did they know that Duan Heng had been killed by Li Xiangming, but they knew that Duan Heng had gone ahead to find Ding Xia.

Now Duan Heng's soul lamp has been extinguished, and news of his death has spread throughout the Fa Rong Cave.

As the only clue, Ding Xia naturally became the target of everyone's attention in the Fa Rong Cave.

"Go and have a look."

Li Xiangming gave a brief instruction and went straight out the door.

Not to mention the risk of exposing themselves if Ding Xia were allowed to fall into the hands of the Fa Rong Cave.

Just the fact that Ding Xia is a formation master is enough to make him lend a helping hand time and time again.

"Yes!"

Li Shun responded and hurriedly led the way.
-
A small hotel, neither too big nor too small, had its two doors tightly shut. After a short while, a round head peeked out from under one of the doors.

The owner of the head was young, about sixteen or seventeen years old, and had an endearing, simple appearance.

He was a bit timid, though. When the cultivators standing at the door shouted and cursed at him, he trembled as if he had been whipped. He quickly pulled his head back and shouted in shock, "They're still there! Shopkeeper, those plague gods are still outside!"

"Isn't that just stating the obvious?"

Manager He stood behind the counter, flipping through the ledgers, and said irritably.

Even without looking, he could sense the tense atmosphere outside the door.

Just then, a woman in a yellow shirt came out of the store.

Manager He immediately looked up: "Miss Ding is going out?"

Ding Xia hummed in agreement.

"Can it be returned?"

Ding Xia looked annoyed: "Where am I supposed to live if I don't come back?"

The round-headed cultivator muttered under his breath, "If you stay any longer, our shop might really have to close down."

"Pooh!"

Ding Xia, with her excellent hearing, immediately stepped forward, grabbed the other person's ear, and scolded, "He Xiaofeng, you've grown some guts, haven't you? How dare you talk to your grandma like that?"

"Grandma, spare my life!"

He Xiaofeng was in so much pain that he begged for mercy and kept apologizing.

Manager He watched the two bickering and shook his head helplessly: "At a time like this, you still have the mood to fight." Ding Xia then released He Xiaofeng and turned to Manager He: "Did those people break in?"

Shopkeeper He shook his head: "No, but it's not good for them to be standing outside. Why don't you ask the market guards?"

As the largest cultivation market in Hao County, Dendrobium Market naturally possesses its own independent armed forces.

The so-called guards are a group of cultivators who were jointly funded by several large merchant guilds and numerous shops. They are responsible for maintaining order and security in the market.

Logically speaking, the disciples of the Fa Rong Cave outside the gate have seriously affected the business of "Qingyun Residence", and the guards have a responsibility to drive them away.

However, the guards of today are no longer as brave as they once were, and are now corrupt and depraved.

To expect them to take action without paying some spirit stones is simply wishful thinking.

Ding Xia approached the guards more than once, but the guards complained that she gave too few spirit stones and only gave verbal warnings to the disciples of the Fa Rong Cave.

Every time the guards turned around, the disciples of the Dharma Cave would immediately swarm around them again.

The guards, who had not gone far, turned a blind eye.

Ding Xia was naturally furious, but she was powerless against the Fa Rong Cave and the guards, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger.

This undoubtedly emboldened the disciples of the Fa Rong Cave to become even more reckless.

They dared not make a move in the market, but they kept a close eye on Ding Xia's every move like glue. Even when she hid in the "Qingyunju" inn, they refused to leave and chose to wait outside for her to come to them.

This situation not only frustrated Ding Xia, but also severely impacted Manager He's hotel business.

Ding Xia understood that Manager He asked her to go see Su Wei again because he hoped she could solve the problem and avoid affecting the shop's business.

"As a formation master, Miss Ding must be quite wealthy. If you give her some spirit stones and say a few good words to the guards, they will be happy to help you. You can't let them keep bothering you, can you?"

Manager He continued to persuade him.

However, Ding Xia's mouth was full of bitterness.

She had accepted the Ouyang family's commission for the formation precisely because she was short of money.

She thought that a large family like the Ouyang family would keep their promise, so she even invested all the remaining spirit stones she had in purchasing array materials, hoping to succeed in one fell swoop and win the favor of the Ouyang family.

Unexpectedly, although she broke the formation, the reward was still nowhere to be found.

To make matters worse, Ouyang Zhen, her employer, was kidnapped by the Mang Cult, and she only had a verbal agreement with him.

Now that Ouyang Zhen has disappeared and there are no witnesses left, how could the Ouyang family possibly still be willing to pay her the exorbitant fee of over a thousand spirit stones for breaking the formation?

Moreover, the Ouyang family was furious about Ouyang Zhen's disappearance and vowed to be irreconcilable with the Mang Sect.

All cultivators who had contact with Ouyang Zhen were investigated by the Ouyang family, including those water cultivators who came for the Enlightenment Spring. Ding Xia was naturally not spared either.

This investigation isn't just about asking a few questions; it's about being taken to the Ouyang family's territory and left to their mercy.

Ding Xia was unwilling to go.

Moreover, she still doesn't know how Li Xiangming abducted her, so naturally she can't explain to the Ouyang family how she escaped.

Under these circumstances, Ding Xia didn't care about the reward at all and stayed away from the limelight for several months.

He only dared to show his face recently.

But unexpectedly, he encountered Duan Heng, who died young.

As a result, he provoked the Farong Cave again and was trapped in the Dendrobium Market, unable to move.

Recalling what had happened, Ding Xia became increasingly angry.

But she knew she couldn't take her emotions out on Manager He.

After all, Manager He is a man who opens his doors to customers, so business is naturally his top priority.

Because of his own troubles, Qingyunju has suffered considerable losses these days. Manager He has been able to hold back until now and speak up, which is already out of consideration for their past relationship.

After hesitating for a moment, Ding Xia asked in a low voice, "Manager He, could you lend me some spirit stones?"

Manager He looked at her with surprise, and only after confirming that she was not joking did he frown slightly.

After a moment's thought, he took out twenty spirit stones from his storage bag and neatly placed them on the table: "It is my duty, and the spirit stones in the shop cannot be used at will. These are some that I have lent to Miss Ding personally. I hope Miss Ding will not think it is too little."

He Xiaofeng, who was standing to the side, also came over, took out two spirit stones from his waist, and although he felt bad about it, he still put them on the table: "Grandma, these are all I have."

Ding Xia found it both amusing and touching, and patted his head: "What good are these two spirit stones?"

Even so, she accepted it without hesitation and solemnly said to Manager He, "Thank you very much, Manager He. I will definitely repay you double in the future."

Manager He nodded, but a hint of emotion appeared in his eyes.

He had known Ding Xia for over a year.

Initially, the spirit-gathering array in the underground cave area of ​​Qingyun Residence had a flaw, causing the spiritual energy circulation speed to slow down, which led to dissatisfaction among many customers.

Having no other option, he had to inquire about array masters everywhere.

It was at this time that Ding Xia volunteered and came to Qingyun Residence.

When Ding Xia first came to Dendrobium Market, he had no reputation and he didn't believe that this girl, who was too young, could be a formation master.

But Ding Xia said he could waive the spirit stones and only asked for a place to stay temporarily.

After much deliberation, considering the fact that the cave dwelling was usually empty, he agreed.

Unexpectedly, Ding Xia's array formation skills were outstanding. He not only repaired the spirit-gathering array of Qingyun Residence, but also reinforced several small Vajra arrays.

He was naturally overjoyed and immediately invited Ding Xia into Qingyun Residence, spreading the word about her abilities.

Since then, Ding Xia has frequently inspected and repaired formations for hotels and shops, and in less than half a year, he has accumulated a considerable reputation.

He remembered that Ding Xia was very generous at the time, and even the Huangyadan tea he gave to He Xiaofeng was of the highest quality.

Unexpectedly, after a trip, he ended up in such a predicament that he couldn't even afford to bribe the guards.

However, Manager He believed that as long as Ding Xia could overcome her current predicament, she would still be able to make a comeback in Dendrobium Market with her talent in array formations.

Therefore, he was willing to lend some spirit stones.

Of course, you can't lend too much.

After saying goodbye to Manager He and He Xiaofeng, Ding Xia pushed open the door of the inn.

Although she knew that the disciples of the Fa Rong Cave were outside, Ding Xia was not worried that they would harm her.

The guards might turn a blind eye to harassment, but once a fight or murder occurs, they have a keen sense of smell, because fighting in private is a serious crime in Dendrobium Market.

Solving such a case is a rare achievement for the Imperial Guard.

The disciples of Fa Rong Cave are not stupid. With witnesses everywhere and everyone watching, they would not risk being executed by the Dendrobium Market by openly committing a crime.

At most, they might just stand in front of her and annoy her, or suddenly start slandering and insulting her while she's doing business.

Ding Xia was already used to it.

However, when she stepped out of the hotel, the scene before her eyes took her by surprise.

Seven or eight disciples of the Dharma Cave were seen arguing fiercely with more than ten guards, while more than a hundred cultivators were watching from the surrounding area.

"Zhao Huang, are you being reasonable? You took my spirit stones!"

A short, stout disciple of the Dharma Cave argued heatedly, his face turning red.

"Fuck your motherfucker!"

Across from him, a guard in silver armor cursed, "I've lived an upright life and never taken bribes. If you dare to slander me again, I'll send you to the Immortal's Hall to face the wall for ten years."

Upon hearing the words "Immortal's Abode," the short, stout cultivator's expression changed drastically.

Despite its pleasant-sounding name, this place is a notorious prison in Dendrobium Market.

Ordinary people were taken away by the guards and weren't even allowed to enter this place.

Only those who commit serious crimes are sent to the "Immortal's Abode" for punishment.

"you"

"What do you mean, 'you'? Take them all away!"

Zhao Huang waved his arms forcefully and shouted angrily, "Anyone who dares to resist will be treated as an intruder in the market and shot dead on the spot."

Upon hearing this, the disciples of Fa Rong Cave were all agitated, but dared not make any further moves.

Before long, they were subdued by a group of fierce guards and taken away from Qingyun Residence.

Ding Xia stared blankly at the scene until a young cultivator in a green robe appeared in front of her, then she reacted: "It's you?"

Li Xiangming frowned, but his tone carried a hint of concern: "Quite a few people have come from the Fa Rong Cave. They have men all around the market. Does Miss Ding intend to stay in the Dendrobium Market for a long time?"

"I don't know."

A look of confusion flashed across Ding Xia's face.

If the people from the cave keep an eye on her, even if the guards are willing to take action, they will still stay around the market.

Does she really have to live in Dendrobium Market for the rest of her life?
"follow me."

Li Xiangming said something softly, then turned and left.

Ding Xia bit her lip, hesitant.

But when she saw Li Xiangming's broad back, she felt a sense of security inexplicably.

Perhaps it's because the other person always steps up for her in times of crisis?
Thinking of this, she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

(End of this chapter)