Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 432 A Letter from the Family
After the reconstruction of Puyin Mountain Guild Hall, it was moved to the east side of the entrance to Monkey Valley, facing the Demon Hunter Guild across the river.

There are clusters of buildings here, roughly divided into two parts. The former is the functional area of ​​the guild hall, while the latter has many courtyards for guild members to rest temporarily.

In a courtyard, Lei Meng reported softly, "Master, Zhao Jindou refused to attend the banquet. It is said that he left Monkey Valley overnight."

"Ran?"

Opposite him, Fairy Lingluo frowned: "What's the reason?"

Lei Meng lowered his head: "I don't know, but there are rumors that Hall Master Li met with Zhao Jindou."

"It's Master Li again."

The Fairy of Lingluo looked displeased but couldn't say anything, so she continued to ask, "Was the negotiation with Taibai Tavern going smoothly?"

"very smooth."

Lei Meng quickly replied, "The Li family really wants to sell the cave dwelling, and the price negotiation went smoothly, but there seems to be one problem. I dare not make a decision on my own, so I came back to report to my master."

"What's wrong?"

The Fairy of Silk Silk looked puzzled.

Lei Meng didn't explain, but took out a piece of Xuan paper covered with writing and presented it to Fairy Lingluo.

Fairy Lingluo glanced at it twice, and her face immediately turned ugly: "The Li family is going too far!"

"Yes."

Lei Meng chimed in, "In business, it's always been the case that once a deal is made, it's done. But the Li family divided the cave dwelling in two. According to them, what we paid for was only the right to use it, not ownership. No wonder their cave dwelling can't be sold."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Lingluo did not respond, but continued to look at the paper in her hand.

Lei Meng continued, "The cave dwellings in Monkey Valley aren't worth it. The Li family isn't sincere at all! Why don't we build our own cave dwellings outside Monkey Valley? Anyway, the cave dwellings are cheap to build; the only expense is the array formations."

The one-eyed old man beside him shook his head: "The Li family is selling their cave dwellings. We buy their cave dwellings, set up formations, and rent them out. It's a mutually beneficial business. If we leave them out and build our own cave dwellings to rent out, their cave dwellings won't be able to sell. This is tantamount to cutting off their source of income. It wouldn't matter in Pushui Market, but in Monkey Valley, it's a bit risky."

Fairy Lingluo nodded: "Uncle Fan is right. The Li family has a deep foundation in Puyin Mountain. We are newcomers after all, and we cannot compete with them directly. I just finished reading this agreement. 20 spirit stones to buy the right to use a cave for three Jiazi seems acceptable."

Lei Meng was surprised, not expecting his employer to change his mind so quickly. He hurriedly reminded him, "This is, after all, a right to use the land. We've spent a huge amount of money to set up the array for the cave dwelling. What if the Li family takes it back ahead of schedule?"

Fairy Lingluo disagreed: "If the Li family doesn't keep their word, what good is it if it's written as ownership on paper? If they do keep their word, three Jiazi is enough. Moreover, they have promised that the party who purchases the cave dwelling can renew the contract for another three Jiazi at one-tenth of the purchase price after the expiration of the right to use it."

"In other words, I can occupy the cave for 360 years with just 22 spirit stones. Who can predict what will happen 300 years from now? In essence, the Li family is still selling the cave, but for some reason, they've disguised it as a right to use it."

"What really worries me is that the Li family has restricted the use of these cave dwellings. For example, once we buy them, they can only be used as cave dwellings and cannot be converted into shops."

"This"

Lei Meng scratched his head: "What are the employer's thoughts?"

The Fairy Lingluo said slowly, "Help me arrange a meeting with the Li family. I need to see their Hall Master Li."

"Yes!"
-
Taibai Restaurant.

Wei Fei tightened his hood and entered through the back door. He easily found his way to the secret room marked "Class A1" and knocked on the heavy stone door.

Soon, the stone gate activated, and a thick cloud of water vapor rushed out.

"Could it be that he is cultivating?"

Wei Fei felt a chill run down his spine and dared not step inside rashly.

"come in."

At that moment, a gentle and steady voice came from the secret room.

Wei Fei patted his clothes as if to brush off all the dust, then bent down and stepped over the stone gate, respectfully bowing and saying, "This subordinate greets Hall Master Li!"

Li Xiangming sat upright on the futon, quietly looking at him: "Is there any difficulty in the work of the supervisory board?"

Wei Fei's expression became even more respectful: "Reporting to Hall Master Li, I am taking the work of the Supervisory Board seriously and am getting used to it so far, without any difficulties."

"It's fine if you don't."

Li Xiangming nodded and began to examine the jade slip that Wei Fei had handed him.

Not long ago, Wei Fei presented intelligence about the monster uprising in Puyin Mountain.

Although the monsters of Puyin Mountain did not attack Monkey Valley, the importance of this intelligence was beyond doubt. Li Xiangming rewarded Wei Fei with a sum of spirit stones afterward and arranged for him to join the board of supervisors.

With only three members on the supervisory board, it is naturally difficult to carry out its work properly.

In fact, the situation with the board of directors is roughly the same.

The directors each have their own businesses, and even though they are based in Monkey Valley, they always have to go out on business.

To ensure the smooth operation of the Puyinshan Association, each director would arrange for some trusted confidants to remain at the association to act as their representatives and assist in handling affairs.

Among these "representatives," a few were able to obtain formal positions within the guild, such as clerks or accountants. Although they could not enjoy the rights of the guild at this time, they were considered guild employees, and their salaries were paid from membership fees.

Wei Fei is one of them. He currently works as a junior recorder under Li Xiangming on the board of supervisors, responsible for recording the various affairs of the board of supervisors.

Of course, this is just a superficial effort.

Wei Fei's real responsibility was to use his intelligence network to monitor all the actions of the guild members in Puyin Mountain and report the situation to Li Xiangming in a timely manner.

Li Xiangming glanced at the jade slips briefly. Most of the contents recorded in the jade slips were hearsay and unverified information. The few that had solid evidence were not considered important.

It is no easy task to find out the background of those itinerant merchants or to find incriminating evidence against them in such a short period of time.

Therefore, Li Xiangming didn't say much, but simply instructed: "During this period, you should pay close attention to the Lingluo Merchant Guild. I need to know their every move in Monkey Valley."

"My subordinate understands."

Wei Fei bowed his head to accept the order, but quickly raised his head again and said cautiously, "There is one more thing that I did not write in the jade slip, but I feel that this matter is very important, so I would like to report it to you in person."

"what's up?"

Li Xiangming asked with some surprise.

"A vein of Earth-Gathering Stone!"

Wei Fei lowered his voice, "Back then, Ge Yi's cave was located on the Earthly Treasure Stone vein. Didn't you order it sealed off later? But recently, a demon-hunting group has been building a camp nearby, and it seems they are still digging for something."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming immediately stood up, his gaze turning stern and cold.

The Ksitigarbha stone vein is quite valuable, and he reported it to Li Qianxiong as soon as it was discovered.

However, most of the miners trained by the Li family were sent to Daishan to mine Maojing (a type of mineral), while a small number stayed in Xulong Township to mine some ordinary minerals for the development of the two townships.

The Dizang Stone mine, located far away in Puyin Mountain, was naturally left to languish.

To prevent outsiders from coveting the Earthly Treasure Stone vein, Li Qianxiong ordered the Beast Capture Bureau to build a fortress on the vein and station monks to guard it.

However, the location of the Earthly Treasure Stone Mine is not far from Monkey Valley. The surrounding mountains and forests are dense and the terrain is secluded, making it an excellent choice for a campsite. Over the years, many demon-hunting groups have wanted to settle in the vicinity.

The animal trapping house tried many methods to drive them away, but none of them brought peace.

Ultimately, Li Xiangfeng had no choice but to invoke the Li family's name and seal off the entire area.

Seeing that the Li family had personally intervened, the demon-hunting cultivators indeed stopped bothering them.

However, in the eyes of the demon-hunting cultivators, the Li family's actions were somewhat like "protesting too much."

Many people are curious about what the Li family is hiding.

Various bizarre rumors began to circulate, the most sensational of which was that the Li family had discovered the legacy left behind by a Golden Core cultivator who had unfortunately died in battle on the Nanbin battlefield in the Dizang Stone mine.

This was undoubtedly a rumor, yet it once spread like wildfire, making countless people eager to know more.

So much so that some demon-hunting cultivators actually planned to dig through the tunnel to explore the secrets of the Li family.

The outcome was predictable: the man was captured by Li Xiangfeng and tortured to death. Fearing the news would spread and others would follow suit, Li Xiangfeng opted for a low-key approach. However, this clearly did not extinguish the burning desire for opportunity among the many demon-hunting cultivators.

Now, another demon-hunting group is breaking ground near the Earthly Stone mine, undoubtedly misled by those unfounded rumors.

After his initial annoyance subsided, Li Xiangming quickly calmed down and asked carefully, "Do you have detailed information about them?"

Wei Fei replied in a low voice, "As far as I know, this demon-hunting group is called Flying Squirrel, and there are about five to seven people in it. The leader is called Bai Wuyou, and he is a tomb raider."

"Bai Wuyou..."

Li Xiangming muttered something, then realized he had no recollection of it, and immediately took out a communication talisman with a blank expression.

A short while later, Li Xiangguang walked in looking hurried.

Before Li Xiangming could give any instructions, Li Xiangguang pulled out a jade slip from his robes and said urgently, "A letter from the family!"

A letter from the family?

Li Xiangming quickly took it and placed it between his eyebrows.

After a long pause, his brows furrowed deeply.

Li Xiangguang was not qualified to examine the jade slip, nor did he dare to violate the rules, but he knew that this jade slip was of a very high level and must contain important information, so he asked, "What happened?"

Li Xiangming glanced at him, but then instructed Wei Fei, "Go and arrange for some people to alert the enemy, so that the Flying Squirrel Demon Hunting Team can't continue digging."

"Yes!"

Wei Fei slowly retreated, his heart filled with intense curiosity.

Just now, Hall Master Li clearly showed murderous intent, but now he has chosen to make the Flying Squirrel Demon Hunting Team back down. I wonder what news made Hall Master Li change his attitude so quickly.

After watching Wei Fei leave, Li Xiangming slowly said, "The family inquires about the details of the strange movements of the monsters in Puyin Mountain, and whether Monkey Valley has been affected. If things are beyond our control, we should retreat to Danggui Mountain."

"Only this?"

Li Xiangguang was very surprised.

Li Xiangming shook his head: "He also mentioned that Fourth Brother is already on his way to provide support, but none of that matters. What matters is that the Maojing mine in Daishan has lost contact!"

"Maojing Mine?"

Li Xiangguang was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "The monsters have reached the Maojing Mine?"

Li Xiangming remained silent.

Several days ago, the Fiery Sky Ape, still harboring a grudge, began to speculate about the true purpose of the monster uprising in Puyin Mountain.

Yesterday, when Jiang Liang reported to him that the Spirit Serpent Chamber of Commerce had been attacked by a large group of demonic beasts in Daishan, he realized that the Burning Sky Violent Ape did not not want revenge, but that the great demon behind it had already set its sights on Daishan.

Only a great demon at the Tribulation Core stage could command the Heaven-Burning Ape.

Li Xiangming felt both lingering fear and good fortune.

Fortunately, Dai Shan was there!

If this powerful demon at the Core Formation stage were to order an attack on Monkey Valley, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, speculation doesn't count for anything.

He was still unsure whether the monsters would attack Monkey Valley.

In order to learn more about the monsters, he sent Jiang Liang to Mount Dai to gather information.

Jiang Liang has not yet returned, so he dares not act rashly.

Unexpectedly, I received a letter from home first.

The Maojing mine is located in Dainan, within the control of the Shengyi Sect. The Li family has extensive business dealings with the Shengyi Sect involving Maojing, and Li Xiangming's own spirit herb business is also registered under the Li family's name.

There was no reason for Shengyi Sect to attack the Li family. The Maojing Mine was out of contact, and there was only one possibility: the surging Daishan monsters had blocked the Li family's route to the Maojing Mine, forcing the two sides to sever their communication.

"Master, should we go and support the Maojing Mine?"

Li Xiangguang calmed down and asked.

Li Xiangming paced back and forth a few steps; this was precisely what troubled him.

Unaware of Monkey Valley's predicament, his family assumed it was facing the same pressure as Maojing Mine. Not only did they not issue him any orders to support the mine, but they also arranged for Li Xiangru and others to come and meet him, and even permitted him to abandon Monkey Valley if necessary.

But actually, Monkey Valley doesn't need any support right now.

His demon-hunting team hadn't even seen a single demon outside of Puyin Mountain.

Other demon-hunting groups were also puzzled by the demon-hunting guild's order not to go into the mountains to hunt demons in the short term.

Even though Li Xiangming specially arranged for the Chunyi Pavilion to hold a parade of courtesans, it still couldn't stop some demon-hunting cultivators from going into the mountains to make money.

In short, in the eyes of the lower-level demon-hunting cultivators, the monkeys were dancing peacefully, and Puyin Mountain was still the same Puyin Mountain as before.

Some people may have noticed that the casualties and gains in the recent monster hunts have increased, but they still cannot see beyond their own perspective and discover the deeper reasons. They would never have imagined that the legendary beast tide may have already formed in the nearby Dai Mountain.

Just as Li Xiangming was pondering, Li Xiangguang took out his communication talisman from his storage bag, glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly: "Hall Master, Maojing Mine has sent people!"

"really?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Xiangming's eyes, and he quickly said, "Let him in quickly, I need to know the details of Dai Shan's situation."

"Yes!"

Li Xiangguang responded and left.
-
Yuquanling in Daishan is famous for its numerous springs.

The stream at the foot of the mountain, nourished by the spring water, has an exceptionally abundant flow. It meanders along the way, like a graceful jade ribbon, cleverly dividing the mountain ridge into two jagged halves.

Yuquanling is also divided into the south and north sides, which is quite similar to the layout of Daishan.

On the south side of the Lingnan area lies the camp of the Shengyi Sect cultivators.

At dawn, a thick white mist, like a veil, lingers between the two mountains, as if searching for old friends from the past.

Suddenly, a mournful melody rang out, its plaintive and desolate tune capable of breaking one's heart.

However, the music suddenly changed, becoming fierce and passionate, as if thousands of troops were galloping across the battlefield, with a magnificent momentum that shook the soul.

"It is said that Elder Wang Su of Shengyi Sect has extraordinary skills in playing the zither. Having witnessed it today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved!"

A burly, black-robed cultivator hovered above the camp and exclaimed in praise.

Wang Su sat cross-legged on the open ground of the camp. He raised his head slightly, and a sharp glint suddenly shot out from his cloudy eyes: "Liu Xiong Yu, you have broken into my Yuquanling camp all by yourself. Do you really want to surrender?"

"The word 'surrender' has never existed in Liu's dictionary."

Liu Xiong Yu smiled, and with a gentle clench of his fist, dense black energy instantly condensed into a sharp javelin, pointing directly at Wang Su: "I heard that Lingyue Peak is besieged by a beast tide. Surely the Foundation Establishment cultivators of your Yuquan Ridge camp can't just stand by and watch?"

"Let me guess, how many Foundation Establishment cultivators does Shengyi Sect have left in Yuquan Ridge?"

"Are there three?"

"two?"

"Or perhaps, you're the only one left?"

Wang Su suddenly stood up, staring intently at Liu Xiong Yu, his voice as cold as a knife: "I alone can ensure that you never return."

"is it?"

Liu Xiong Yu chuckled: "My little Huanyun Village naturally wouldn't dare to compete with your Shengyi Sect. I just wonder what the Zhenhun Sect on the other side will think when they find out your true strength?"

(End of this chapter)