Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 4 Pushuifang City
Puxian County has two major rivers, the Pu River and the Dai River. The place where the two rivers meet is Pucheng, the seat of Puxian County.

Pucheng was originally a camp for human cultivators in Heng Kingdom who were confronting the demons of Nanbin on the Pu River.

After the victory in the war, the camp was abandoned, and Hengyue Sect built a town on the site to provide shelter for some cultivators who could not or did not want to leave immediately.

However, with the order from the Wuliang Sword Sect, all the major sects in Linan Road organized their mortals to move into the deserted Shunan Prefecture. Hengyue Sect was no exception, moving more than 100,000 people to Pucheng, and planned to move even more.

Upon seeing this, all the cultivators who had originally stayed in Pucheng chose to move away. Some of them settled on the banks of the Pu River, twenty miles away, and exchanged goods with each other.

And so, the first cultivation market in Puxian County—Pushui Market—was born.

Twenty years have passed, and Pushuifang Market has grown larger and larger, but it still hasn't achieved much.

It wasn't until two years ago, when Puxian was officially established as a county and Bailumen took over Pushui Market, that this originally scattered market began to transform into the veritable number one market in Puxian.

"Since you're already here, why don't you go inside and have a look around, Daoist Master?"

Li Xiangming asked with a smile.

The gray-robed Taoist shook his head. "I am penniless and have nothing I desire, so I will not waste my time."

"Thank you very much. If it weren't for your reminder, I might not have been able to handle things properly."

Recalling the scene of their escape, the gray-robed Taoist felt a chill run down his spine. At that time, Li Xiangming had told him to sneak into the Pu River, and he believed him and escaped safely. He just didn't know what had become of the others.

Thinking back now, given the black-robed man's methods, if he had really forced everyone to stay, Ma Houchen probably wouldn't have been able to stop him.

The feeling of having your life and death in the enemy's hands is truly unpleasant.

Li Xiangming sighed, lamenting that cultivation was already difficult enough, and now he had to suffer such an undeserved calamity.

Thankfully, I'm still alive!

Thinking of this, Li Xiangming calmed down; just being alive was enough.

"Master, I have other matters to attend to in the market, so I will not be able to accompany you. I hope you will take care after this parting."

Li Xiangming cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

The gray-robed Taoist returned the greeting, then patted his body and pulled out two small porcelain bottles.

"I have nothing of value to offer, so please consider these two bottles of Qingling Pills as a parting gift. Please do not find them offensive, Mr. Li."

"How dare you, how dare you!"

"only."

Li Xiangming hesitated. The gray-robed Taoist had given him the Qingling Pill, so he should reciprocate with something.

Unfortunately, the only decent thing he had was a flag; he couldn't very well give away his usual magical artifact, could he?

The gray-robed Taoist priest immediately noticed Li Xiangming's embarrassment and chuckled, "No need for that, just accept it. I'm much older than you, and although we're of the same generation, I consider you an elder brother. It's only right that I give you some pills."

"In addition, my secular surname is Sun, my name is Sun Yuliang, and my Taoist name is Qingyang."

"So it's Master Qingyang. I am Li Xiangming, Xiang as in longing, and Ming as in making a name for oneself."

Li Xiangming bowed again.

"If we have the chance to meet again in the future, we shall hold a candle and drink heartily."

"That is how it should be."

Watching Qingyang Daoist leave, Li Xiangming couldn't help but sigh. Meeting by chance was already a matter of fate; how many such destinies could there be in the world?
This parting may be the last.

Shaking his head, Li Xiangming turned and entered Pushui Market.

Half of the Pushui Market was built on the riverbank, with houses scattered all over the place, while the other half was built on huge boats linked by iron chains, which were brightly lit.

Li Xiangming first passed through a simple illusion array, and then saw two white jade pillars more than ten feet long, with a sign that read "Pushui Market" hanging between them.

"Who is here?"

Beneath the white jade pillar, two cultivators clad in golden armor stood with piercing eyes, one of them shouting. Li Xiangming took out a piece of paper and handed it over; it was a passage document issued by the Hengyue Sect, which also served as proof of identity.

As expected, upon seeing the seal of the Hengyue Sect, the golden-armored cultivator stopped questioning and signaled for passage.

This wasn't Li Xiangming's first time visiting Pushui Market, but previously, as a market for independent cultivators, Pushui Market was unregulated, with chaotic streets and inconsistent prices. Now, seeing it with wide avenues, neat stalls, old shops relocated, and new shops lining the streets, he was quite amazed.

The river is bustling with boats, as this is a commercial area where many good things are first introduced.

As Li Xiangming walked around, he gained a basic understanding of the newly transformed Pushui Market. He didn't rush to buy anything, since he couldn't afford it anyway. Instead, he found a shop with a sign that read "Dangguishan Groceries".

The shop was very small, only about seven or eight steps wide and long, with two large counters on the left and right, displaying medicinal herbs and monster materials respectively.

There was also a small counter directly in front, with a few pills, talismans, and some special minerals. There were also three or four magical artifacts hanging on the wall.

Behind the counter was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. When he saw Li Xiangming, he stood up abruptly.

"Sounding in unison?"

"Twelfth Brother, it's been a long time." Li Xiangming greeted him with a smile.

Li Xiangqing hurriedly stepped forward, looked him up and down, and said with some disbelief, "I didn't expect the patriarch to summon you back as well. Did you just arrive in Pu County?"

"I just arrived. Is my dad home?"

"He's out discussing business and should be back by evening. Please have a seat for a while."

Li Xiangqing pulled back the curtain behind the counter, revealing a tea room, which was also where Li Qianhe, the owner of this general store, entertained his guests.

Li Qianhe is Li Xiangming's father. He is of average talent and has only reached the sixth level of Qi Refining even at over fifty years old. However, he is smooth-talking and good at speaking. He was entrusted by the Li family to manage the shops in Pushui Market.

The Li family was one of the earliest families to follow the Wuliang Sword Sect in its southward conquests. Although they were a small family with a modest business, they guarded the camp on the north bank of the Pu River for more than 30 years.

The Li family also had a place in Pushui Market.

Unfortunately, due to the reorganization of Pushui Market by Bailu Gate, the Li family had to sell most of their real estate, leaving only six storefronts.

Of these six shops, only the rice shop on the east bank and this general store are operated by the Li family; the other four are rented out.

Why choose to rent a shop?

It was actually a last resort, because the Li family lacked manpower and supplies.

The Li family used to be an appendage of Hengyue Gate, and most of their businesses followed the Hengyue Gate's route. The only way they were able to establish themselves in Pushui Market was by selling goods from Zhangning Prefecture in Pu County.

But everything changed after the head of the family, Li Qianxiong, decided to move the whole family to Puxian County.

Before the Wuliang Sword Sect launched its southern expedition, it promised everyone that those who killed one demon would be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces, those who killed ten demons would be rewarded with a mid-grade magic weapon, those who killed a hundred demons would be given a Foundation Establishment Pill, and those who killed a thousand demons would be given a spiritual vein.

The Li family risked their lives in the Nanbin Demon Land precisely for the sake of the spiritual vein.

Despite the victory in the war, the Wuliang Sword Sect and other major sects blockaded Shun'an Prefecture and continued to plunder the resources of the Demon Land.

It wasn't until two years ago, when Pu County was established, that the Li family's spiritual lineage was finally realized.

Having finally acquired a spiritual vein, the Li family was naturally eager to move there, thus breaking away from the Hengyue Sect.

Logically speaking, even if the Li family went to Pu County, they would not be able to escape the control of Hengyue Sect, because Pu County was under the administration of Hengyue Sect.

However, the spiritual vein of the Li family was certified by the Wuliang Sword Sect. There is no reason why the spiritual vein bestowed by the Wuliang Sword Sect should belong to the Hengyue Sect.

Therefore, the two families parted amicably, and even the Xuanli Master of Hengyue Sect specially intervened to have Bailu Sect take care of the Li family.

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Although the Li family got rid of its vassal status, it also lost the powerful backer, Hengyue Sect.

Without access to the Hengyue Sect, the Li family had nothing to sell, and could only make a meager profit from their spirit rice shop and general store that mainly sold materials from demon beasts.

In the vast Pushuifang market, only two or three members of the Li family reside there permanently.

(End of this chapter)