Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 415 Opening the Valley

Somewhere in Puyin Mountain.

Several demon-hunting cultivators, their upper bodies bare and their muscles clearly defined, were working together to lift a wild boar the size of a small mountain.

A young boy, pressed against the pig's rear end, struggled to turn his face to the side to avoid the pig's tail, looking somewhat troubled: "Uncle Zhang, this mountain-shaking boar is no joke!"

Uncle Zhang was right next to him, carrying a huge pig leg, and chuckled, "There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. This big guy is called 'Mountain Shaker,' how can it be compared to an ordinary pig demon? You better work harder, we're still far from the camp!"

Upon hearing this, the boy's face showed even greater frustration: "Uncle Zhang, although the Mountain-Shaking Boar is quite rare, we've already obtained all the necessary materials. Why do we still need to carry such a heavy corpse back?"

"You brat, you talk too much nonsense. Every part of a demon beast is a treasure, so don't you think tens of thousands of pounds of pig demon meat are worthless?"

Uncle Zhang muttered impatiently.

The boy immediately retorted, "What's the use of good demon meat? We're not master chefs; we can't make elaborate spiritual dishes."

Although the flesh of demonic beasts is edible, it must be processed by a spiritual chef.

The relationship between the two is similar to that between a elixir and a pill.

In order to grow successfully, most medicinal herbs will evolve a self-protection mechanism.

For example, some medicinal herbs emit a foul odor, some grow indigestible parts, or secrete harmful liquids when damaged. Even worse, some are born carrying potent toxins, which could be fatal even to cultivators.

Furthermore, the spiritual power contained in elixirs is unique and even more stubborn than the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Humans often need to spend a long time refining them.

However, over time, even if the spiritual energy is inside the stomach, it will gradually dissipate, eventually reducing the effectiveness of the elixir by half.

However, this is no challenge for humans!
Clever alchemists summarized the experience of their predecessors and created a series of unique elixir formulas.

They skillfully utilize the properties of various elixirs to neutralize or eliminate harmful substances in the main medicine, while enhancing its efficacy. Through high-temperature refining, they transform stubborn spiritual energy into gentle spiritual energy that is easily absorbed by cultivators.

This is the origin of alchemy.

The flesh and blood of demonic beasts are far more deplorable than spiritual medicine.

Even poisonous elixirs are still essentially spiritual energy.

However, as cultivators, demonic beasts know how to refine spiritual power into demonic power.

In other words, their flesh and blood are not filled with spiritual power, but with wisps of demonic power.

Demonic power and magical power share the same origin; directly consuming the flesh of a demon beast is like actively absorbing external magical power.

This behavior is extremely dangerous. A small amount of demonic power might be able to be refined, but if too much is ingested, one may suffer a backlash from the demonic power.

At that time, cultivators will have to use a lot of magic power to suppress these foreign demonic forces, which will affect their combat power for a long time.

Some people have also tried waiting for the demonic power to dissipate on its own before consuming the flesh and blood of the demonic beast.

However, the flesh and blood of demonic beasts that have lost their demonic power have little value other than satisfying one's appetite; on the contrary, they will defile the cultivator's spirit.

Therefore, ordinary cultivators, especially demon hunters, do not directly eat demonic beasts.

They must always ensure they can use their own magical power to fight the enemy.

The boy had participated in monster hunting activities several times before, and each time he would take the valuable parts of the monster and then abandon its body. He had never carried an entire corpse back to the camp like he did today.

"You boy!"

Uncle Zhang panted a few times and cursed, "We're not spiritual chefs, so why can't we sell to them? Taibai Restaurant has announced that it's buying up monster meat."

The boy was still puzzled: "I remember that Taibai Restaurant has been buying monster meat for several years now, right? But their buyers are only the Jin Guang and Shen Feng monster hunting teams. Even if outsiders want to sell, they can't."

The so-called spiritual cuisine is essentially the alchemist's way of processing spiritual herbs. However, spiritual cuisine masters are unique in that they infuse the spiritual power contained in the spiritual herbs into the flesh and blood of demonic beasts that have been stripped of their demonic power.

In this way, the flesh and blood of these demonic beasts not only maintain their taste but are also very beneficial to cultivation.

Both are for the purpose of filling one's stomach, but would you rather eat a dry, hard fasting pill, or would you rather eat a fragrant, delicious meal that has the same effect as a cultivation elixir?
The answer is self-evident.

Since its inception, the art of spiritual cuisine has shone brightly in the cultivation world.

Unfortunately, due to cost constraints, it has never become widespread in the lower levels of the cultivation world.

Most cultivators, in order to save spirit stones, are still willing to consume fasting pills.

Even though Taibai Wine House has a huge customer base, most of the consumption here is limited to spiritual wines and ordinary delicacies; very few people would order a full table of delicious spiritual dishes.

Therefore, Taibai Restaurant can only purchase a limited amount of monster meat each month, and most of it has to be transported to Pushui Market.

Only the two demon-hunting groups, Shenfeng and Jinguang, which are close to the Li family, have the privilege of selling demon meat.

Other demon-hunting groups could only watch helplessly.

"Today is different from the past!"

Uncle Zhang said calmly, "Our Evil Dog Demon Hunting Team has also obtained this privilege. Not only are we qualified to sell demon beast meat, but we can also have priority in purchasing important supplies such as Yellow Sprout Pills and Burning Fiend Pills."

The boy gasped and quickly asked, "What's going on?"

Uncle Zhang looked around, then leaned close to the boy's ear and whispered, "Our Commander Xu has joined forces with the Li family."

"The Li family?"

The boy paused for a moment, then asked, "Didn't the Li family withdraw from Puyin Mountain? I heard that the Li family used to have a beast-catching facility, but it has been disbanded."

"You don't know anything! That's called 'true masters living in seclusion amidst the city'!"

Uncle Zhang glanced at the boy, then pointed to the sky: "Now that important figure has arrived, Puyin Mountain is once again under the Li family's control!"

The boy nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

But soon, his face lit up with excitement, and he exclaimed, "So, does that mean we're also qualified to eat spiritual food?"
-
"Is Monkey Valley even open to people anymore?!"

"Yeah, how many days has the valley been closed?"

"It's been at least two months."

At the valley entrance, twenty or thirty idle cultivators were scattered around, chattering incessantly.

Especially the first few people, they all looked impatient.

"Damn it, it's so hard to get a drink. Aren't they saying that Puyin Mountain is full of itinerant merchants? Why isn't anyone selling a few jugs of spirit wine? If there's no spirit wine, ordinary wine will do."

A bald, burly man with a bronze complexion replied dejectedly, "You think they won't sell? Zhang Zhi'ang and Madam Feng made a fortune, but all that wine ended up in the hands of those large demon-hunting groups. How could it possibly be available to us 'lone wolves'?"

"Does not joining the demon-hunting group mean you're not entitled to drink?"

Someone responded unwillingly.

Just then, an elderly man swayed over and said, "No, as long as you can produce spirit stones, I will naturally offer you fine wine."

"Old Wu?"

A burst of surprise erupted from the crowd. This old man, Wu Tou, was also an extremely famous traveling merchant in Puyin Mountain, whose status was no less than that of Zhang Zhi'ang and Madam Feng. He was also a veteran of the Puyin Mountain Guild Hall.

Suddenly, everyone crowded around, chattering away.

Some asked for wine, some asked when the harvest would begin, and others inquired about information.

Old Wu waved his hands repeatedly: "I didn't bring any spirit wine, but if anyone wants to buy it, just name your price, and I'll go into the valley and get it."

"Enter the valley?"

Someone picked up on the implied meaning and quickly asked, "Is Monkey Valley reopening?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint light curtain suddenly lit up in the valley.

"Array?"

Everyone was shocked.

Soon, the light curtain dissipated, and the enormous Monkey Valley vanished right before people's eyes.

"It's an illusion array!"

Some revealed the truth, while others looked anxious: "What is the Li family's intention in setting up an array in Monkey Valley? Could it be that they don't want us demon-hunting cultivators to enter the valley?"

"what?"

"Is it really that bad?" A murmur rippled through the crowd.

The bald, burly man also looked solemn, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Old Wu: "Master Wu, do you know the details?"

Old Wu glanced at the other man, then changed the subject: "Hu Qidao, with your skills, you should be doing very well in the demon-hunting group, right? Why are you just wandering around aimlessly?"

Hu Qidao shook his head with a wry smile: "What skills could I possibly have?"

Seeing this, Old Wu stopped talking and replied, "I'm not very clear about the details either, but I've received news that the Li family will open Monkey Valley today."

Hu Qidao seemed to be deep in thought.

Old Wu is no longer the same as before. He has his own chamber of commerce and caravan, and can no longer be simply described as a traveling merchant. He used to be elusive, but his personal appearance in Monkey Valley today undoubtedly confirms the news of the valley's opening.

Thinking of this, Hu Qidao breathed a sigh of relief. He was actually quite lucky; he had wine to drink as soon as he arrived.

Suddenly, someone tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Brother Hu, did you see that? It's the Golden Light Demon Hunting Team!"

Hu Qidao was startled and quickly raised his hand to look around. Sure enough, he saw dozens of people walking towards him in a grand procession!
Others noticed this too, and the scene immediately became noisy.

"It's the Golden Light Demon Hunting Team!"

"That's ancient history. They're called the Golden-Eyed Demon-Hunting Team now."

"The merger of the two top demon-hunting teams in Puyin Mountain looks incredible!"

As Li Xiangting and the others arrived, the chatter at the valley entrance began to subside, but it did not stop.

Both the Golden Light Demon Hunting Team and the Spirit Eye Demon Hunting Team are veteran demon hunting teams with outstanding strength in Puyin Mountain.

Not long ago, the Spirit Eye Demon Hunting Team suddenly and without warning announced that it had joined the Golden Light Demon Hunting Team.

The news caused an immediate uproar.

Many people have guessed that the Golden Light Demon Hunting Group is backed by the Li family.

Even if the Spirit Eye Demon Hunting Team merges with them, it's impossible for them to gain a dominant position.

What benefits would this bring to the higher-ups of the Spirit Eye Demon Hunting Team?
But this is exactly what happened, and the merger of the two major demon-hunting groups went exceptionally smoothly, making the Golden Light, no, the current Golden Eye Demon-hunting Group, the most powerful demon-hunting group in Puyin Mountain, without exception.

Looking at Li Xiangting, who was the center of attention, the young man next to Hu Qidao stared blankly and muttered to himself, "A true man should be like this."

Hu Qidao was slightly taken aback, then fell silent.

Following the Golden Eyes Demon Hunting Team, several other well-known demon hunting teams arrived, among which the Vicious Dog Demon Hunting Team, carrying the corpse of a giant boar demon, once again caused a sensation.

"Hiss!? Wasn't it said that the Vicious Dog Demon Hunting Group suffered heavy losses in Dai Mountain? How come they're still so strong?"

"Our Puyin Mountain lacks many things, but it doesn't lack fearless demon-hunting cultivators!"

"That being said, where did they get the money to recruit so many people?"

"I do not know."

The vicious dog hunting team also noticed the group at the valley entrance. The men carrying the mountain-shaking boar simultaneously released their strength, and the tens of thousands of pounds of the monster's corpse made a loud noise.

The boy rubbed his sore arms and complained, "Why did we end up in Monkey Valley halfway through?"

Uncle Zhang scratched his head: "They said it's the harvest season today, the regimental commander ordered it."

"No wonder it's so lively!"

As time went by, more and more people gathered at the entrance of Monkey Valley, including demon-hunting cultivators and traveling merchants.

Everyone is waiting for the moment the valley opens.

After an unknown amount of time, a middle-aged man with a limp emerged from the valley.

"It's Lü Mao! The leader of the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Squad."

Some people have sharp eyes.

The person next to him immediately retorted, "That's ancient history. Lu Mao broke a leg and willingly stepped down to make way for a more capable person. Now, the leader of the Mad Lion Demon Hunting Team is a young man!"

"What's going on with Lü Mao?"

"I do not know!"

Lu Mao looked around at the crowd at the valley entrance, cleared his throat, and then said loudly, "I'm sure everyone is wondering why Monkey Valley would be sealed off for two or three months!"

"Yes, Commander Lü, what exactly happened?"

Many people asked this question out of curiosity.

Lu Mao's expression was solemn as he slowly replied, "Because Hall Master Li, the important figure who held the Foundation Establishment Ceremony in Changyang Valley some time ago, hopes that Monkey Valley can become more prosperous and provide better convenience for everyone, so he has expanded and adjusted the facilities in the valley!"

"I won't go into details, you'll experience it for yourselves later. But I have some good news to announce: all spiritual wines and dishes in the valley are half price today!"

Upon hearing this, Taniguchi remained silent for a moment before erupting in deafening cheers.

Why did everyone risk their lives to come to Puyin Mountain?
It's nothing more than earning spirit stones to buy pills and sustain one's cultivation path.

However, cultivation is a long journey, and countless people perish along the way, especially those demon hunters who risk their lives.

Each time they emerge from the mountains, everyone feels a great sense of relief, as if they've been given a second spring.

At this time, there must be something to release the pressure in everyone's hearts.

Women are the first to be affected!

However, there are no mortals in Puyin Mountain, and female demon-hunting cultivators are even rarer.

No one had a chance to vent their desires.

At this point, everyone had no choice but to find solace in wine and meat, which is the fundamental reason why Taibai Restaurant was so popular outside Puyin Mountain.

"Is what Commander Lü said true?"

However, some people have questioned Lü Mao's abilities.

After all, how could a former leader of a demon-hunting group dare to issue orders on behalf of Taibai Restaurant?

"Absolutely true!"

Lu Mao smiled slightly, but then became serious: "But before you enter the valley, I have one more rule to make clear to everyone: flying and fighting are strictly prohibited in Monkey Valley. Violators will be punished by the patrol team I lead. The punishment ranges from imprisonment to death. Please be aware of this and do not put yourselves in danger because of momentary personal grievances."

After saying that, Lü Mao waved his hand, and a dozen or so menacing cultivators emerged from the valley.

Although some individuals were missing limbs, it only highlighted the menacing aura on their faces. More importantly, the lowest level of these people's cultivation was at least the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Many people felt a chill run down their spines. With Lü Mao having lost his position as the leader, it was impossible for him to recruit so many skilled men. This was undoubtedly the work of the Li family.

"Welcome, everyone, into the valley."

Monkey Valley was not a new place, nor were the demon-hunting cultivators in front of him newcomers. Lü Mao briefly explained some precautions and then waved his hand dismissively.

Hu Qidao and his group, who were pushing their way to the front, showed no hesitation and took the lead.

Upon entering the valley, Hu Qidao felt a jolt throughout his body.

The once desolate valley entrance has been paved with a gravel road that four horses can ride side by side. Huge stone pillars, each so large that it takes two people to encircle them, stand around the road, and colorful flags flutter in the wind hang from the top of the pillars.

The first two sides are inscribed with "Danggui Mountain Plum" and "Monkey Valley" respectively, followed by familiar names such as "Puyin Mountain Guild Hall", "Demon Hunting Guild", and "Taibai Restaurant".

However, as you go further in the story, the colorful flags become just colors.

The scenery in the valley has also changed greatly. In the past, Monkey Valley only had one main road following the stream. When you reached Taibai Tavern, it was the end point for most demon-hunting cultivators.

But now, the valley is full of traces of human construction. The stream is protected by piled-up stone bricks, and there are rows of neat willows on both banks. Under the shade of the willows, the gravel path is clean and tidy.

What surprised Hu Qidao even more was that he had only walked about a hundred steps when he saw several road signs with the words "a certain district" and "a certain road" on them.

This indicates that most of the Monkey Valley area has already been developed.

"Monkey Valley is completely different from what it used to be!"

(End of this chapter)