Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 378 Desire
Li Xiangcheng wept uncontrollably, choking back tears and unable to speak.

Li Xiangming asked several times before he learned that Baolong Valley had been breached and that Chen Ling'er had been killed by Tongbei Sect disciples in front of Li Xiangcheng.

"Nineteenth Brother, I...I'm so useless."

After crying for a while, Li Xiangcheng started slapping his own face repeatedly with his palms.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiangming quickly stopped him, but at the same time, he felt uneasy.

He had no recollection of Chen Ling'er's appearance, only remembering that she had appeared at the first Changyang Valley Dharma Assembly, where she seemed to have caused a ruckus with Nie Rong, who was a human puppet, alongside Tang Xueyan.

However, he knew that Li Xiangcheng and Chen Ling'er had become acquainted.

Because Li Xiangcheng had mentioned Chen Ling'er to him several times.

From the tone of his voice, he knew that Li Xiangcheng had feelings for Chen Ling'er.

Because he loved birds so much, he even had Li Xiangcheng give Chen Ling'er some elixirs while teasing Li Xiangcheng.

From the family's perspective, the Chen family has always had a pleasant working relationship with the Li family, and they have never had any major disagreements.

Therefore, his personal impression of the Chen family in Baolong Valley was actually quite good.

Upon first hearing about the conflict between the Chen and Huang families, as the head of the Foreign Affairs Hall, he chose to side with the Chen family, advising his family not to attack the Chen family simply because of the Huang family's reputation as a "vassal."

But no one expected things to turn out so quickly.

The Huang family, having won over the Tongbei Sect, had no need for the Li family as their "patriarch," and easily subdued the Chen family.

The Li family could only watch helplessly.

Because when the Huang family asked for help, Li Qianxiong had already said that he was too busy to help the Huang family. Now that he saw that the Huang family was powerful, he immediately sent people to help the Chen family. What kind of image would that have if word got out?

Li Qianxiong is a shrewd man; how could he possibly give someone leverage against him?

Perhaps in his view, the Chen family and the Huang family are both future subordinate forces of the Li family.

It would be best if the two sides could coexist peacefully. However, since the hatred between them is now irreconcilable, the only option is to support one side and suppress the other in order to maximize their interests.

This is the consistent practice of the "patriarch".

This applies to both families and sects.

The Chen family's attempt to use Li Xiangcheng's feelings for Chen Ling'er to influence Li Qianxiong's decisions is undoubtedly unrealistic.

Of course, the Chen family had a backup plan: to record information about the Tongbei Sect and pass it on to Li Xiangcheng, so that he would be "afraid" of the Tongbei Sect and thus break the alliance between the Huang family and the Tongbei Sect.

However, Li Xiangming was not at home at the time and missed the intelligence.

Even at home, he wouldn't side with the Chen family based on their one-sided statements, since the intelligence didn't mention anything about the Tongbei Sect disciples self-destructing or using blood escape techniques.

It can only be said that the Chen family did not offer enough incentives to entice the Li family.

However, Huang Jiahe and the Tongbei Sect acted too quickly and hastily.

Li Xiangming returned from the Five Scattered Sect and rushed over immediately, but he was still a step too late.

He patted Li Xiangcheng on the shoulder and comforted him, "No matter what, you have done a great job personally guarding Baolong Valley. Ling'er in heaven will not blame you."

Li Xiangcheng continued to weep uncontrollably, saying in broken sentences, "It's all my fault for not using Ling'er. Ling'er wanted to go home, but I ran away alone."

Li Xiangming rubbed his temples, wondering what to do.

Suddenly, there was a knocking sound outside the door.

"Come in."

Soon, a calm-looking young man walked in, carrying a faint smell of blood.

Yin Feng peeked out from outside the door and whispered, "Senior Brother Long is back."

Li Xiangming raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it now?"

Long Yang glanced at Li Xiangcheng but didn't say anything.

Li Xiangming could only pat Li Xiangcheng on the back and tell him to lie down on the bed before leaving the room.

After walking for quite a while, Long Yang transmitted his thoughts to the other side: "I just took a look. Baolong Valley is destroyed, but the Chen family is not completely wiped out. They seem to have set up an array under a certain building. The Huang family does not have an array master, so they have not been able to finish the job yet."

"Then how did they break through the inner and outer formations of Baolong Valley?"

Li Xiangming frowned.

"It must be the work of that so-called cult leader."

Long Yang shook his head and replied, "That kid is young but quite capable. If we hadn't surrounded him, I wouldn't have been able to take him down by myself." Hearing this, Li Xiangming paced back and forth.

Now that Li Xiangcheng has been rescued, he should no longer need to get involved in the affairs of Baolong Valley.

However, the Tongbei Sect's relentless pursuit of Li Xiangcheng left him deeply troubled.

After a while, he exhaled and ordered, "Take your men to Baolong Valley immediately. All Tongbei Sect disciples are your targets. Try to capture them alive. If it's difficult, don't let any of them go."

Long Yang did not move, but quietly looked at Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming naturally knew what he was waiting for. Now that the Tongbei Sect and the Huang family were working together, it would be impossible to take action against the Tongbei Sect disciples without going through the Huang family members.

However, taking action against the Huang family would violate the family's decisions.

Li Xiangming closed his eyes, then opened them again. He took out a stack of talismans and some pills from his storage bag. After thinking for a moment, he took out two array plates and said softly, "Distribute these. This trip may be dangerous. Make the most of it. If you do well, I will grant you a chance to establish your foundation."

Upon hearing the words "Foundation Building," Long Yang suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp yet revealing a hint of longing.

Li Xiangming stared at him: "You should know your status in Green Cloud Cave, right? Identity is easy to obtain, but people's hearts are hard to change. I know you don't feel a sense of belonging here, and the disciples of Green Cloud Cave don't truly accept you. No matter how hard you try, Green Cloud Cave will always be Green Cloud Cave, not Shan Yun Sect. But I am not only the head of Green Cloud Cave. I don't care about past grudges. As long as you are determined, your future can be bright."

After a pause, Li Xiangming continued, "As far as I know, Zhao Yue will soon be able to establish her foundation. You must really want to return to Hengyue Sect and Xinyuan Peak to see your senior sister and those arrogant disciples from big sects, right?"

Long Yang accepted the talisman, pills, and array plate, and left without saying anything more.

"Remember, bring Chen Ling'er's body back."

"understood."

Watching Long Yang's departing figure, Li Xiangming hesitated.

But in the end, he didn't call out to Long Yang. Instead, he returned to his room and glanced at Li Xiangcheng.

Overwhelmed with grief, Li Xiangcheng fell into a deep sleep once again.

He stood there for a moment, then moved to a rather luxurious private room and pushed open the door.

The person inside the room, shirtless, was intently examining his wounds when he suddenly saw a figure. Startled, he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "This... Sect Leader, yes! This humble one greets the Sect Leader!"

As he spoke, he knelt down.

"Your name is Huang Zhencan, right?"

"It is indeed a villain!"

Huang Zhencan spoke with extreme respect.

Li Xiangming squatted down and helped him up: "You saved Xiangcheng, you are his benefactor, there is no need for this."

Huang Zhencan smiled ingratiatingly: "Your disciple also saved my life, let's keep things separate."

"Okay, I like people who know how to behave appropriately."

Li Xiangming laughed, patted his undamaged left shoulder, and asked with a glint in his eyes, "You know me?"

"No, no, no, this is the first time I've met you, Sect Leader. How could we possibly know each other?"

Huang Zhencan shook his head repeatedly.

Li Xiangming narrowed his eyes, not dwelling on the topic, and instead asked, "What reward do you want?"

"All I want is to survive."

"Are you afraid of the Tongbei Sect?"

"Fear."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming chuckled and said, "The reason you're afraid is simply because you don't have enough chips in your hand."

Huang Zhencan was confused and didn't dare to reply.

Li Xiangming continued, "I remember the head of the Huang family was also from the Zhen generation, right?"

"Yes, the patriarch is of the same generation as me, but he is much older than me."

"Do you want to be the head of the family?"

"You want to?"

Huang Zhencan looked up, his face full of astonishment.

(End of this chapter)