Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 448 Tactics
After seeing Long Yang off, Li Xiangming rushed to Qingyun Residence to meet with the disciples of Green Cloud Cave.

In fact, he didn't put much effort into Green Cloud Cave.

At most, they were given a place to stay in Xiaolan Valley.

However, the disciples of Green Cloud Cave surprisingly trusted him as their nominal leader. Even Fang Renkui, who had opposed him back in Treasure Dragon Valley, did not deliberately hold them back.

Now, after receiving his summons, they arrived at Monkey Valley in just a few days, even faster than the Li family's reinforcements, which truly surprised him.

It seems that promoting Zhang Min to the position of deputy sect leader was the right thing to do.

Zhang Min has helped Fairy Green Cloud manage the sect for many years. While her methods may not be considered sophisticated, she has a certain understanding of the system and has managed to keep the declining Green Cloud Cave in good order.

Moreover, Zhang Min's prestige is high enough to suppress troublemakers like Fang Renkui.

What's even more remarkable is that his senior sister has no ambition.

Perhaps in Zhang Min's eyes, she has always been the savior of Green Cloud Cave.

Whether it's avenging their master or reclaiming the former spiritual vein, Green Cloud Cave depends on him, the new sect leader!
This special relationship allowed him to retain considerable prestige even after abandoning Green Cloud Cave.

However, if the leader of Green Cloud Cave were not Zhang Min, but Mao Jingze or Fang Renkui, the disciples of Green Cloud Cave would definitely not have taken his orders so seriously.

Thinking about all this, Li Xiangming felt a wake-up call.

People's hearts are fickle. Some are indeed willing to dedicate their lives to their sect, but most care about their own interests. Even if I bring the disciples of Green Cloud Cave to Pu County, it doesn't mean I've completely subdued them.

The title of sect leader is useful to Zhang Min, but it may not be effective against Fang Renkui or even Yin Feng.

He needs to forge a more solid relationship of mutual benefit with Green Cloud Cave.

While pondering, Li Xiangming quickened his pace.

He would have come long ago if he hadn't been busy seeing off Li Xiangren.
-
As the main entrance of Taibai Restaurant, Qingyunju is naturally more impressive than Yueyingxuan and Yugouge.

Here, a five-story pavilion rises from the ground, with three layers of flying eaves like a giant roc spreading its wings. The vermilion pillars require three people to encircle them, and there are twenty-seven blue stone steps, each one half a palm higher than the steps of the Jade Hook Pavilion.

However, Li Xiangming did not enter through the main entrance, but went straight to the third floor through the back entrance.

According to his plan, Taibai Restaurant's current business is divided into two segments. The primary segment is the meat and wine business, which mainly operates three storefronts. However, behind Taibai Restaurant, hundreds of cave dwellings have also been set up.

Renting out or selling the cave dwellings is also an important source of revenue for Taibai Restaurant.

Li Xiangming and his fellow Li family members usually lived in the secluded Dongfu District.

A few special cave dwellings lead directly to Qingyun Residence.

"Master?"

The disciples of Green Cloud Cave had been waiting for a long time.

As soon as Xu Qingchi saw Li Xiangming, he shouted excitedly and rushed over.

"Qingchi?"

Li Xiangming was stunned, never expecting to see Xu Qingchi here.

Xu Qingchi's cultivation level is only at the first level of Qi Refining, huh?
You've already reached the second level of Qi Refining?
Even at the second level of Qi Refining, it's impossible to do anything against the beast tide.

On the contrary, he, who was short of manpower, still had to send people to protect Xu Qingchi.

In an instant, Li Xiangming's face darkened.

Xu Qingchi quickly noticed the change in atmosphere and couldn't help but steal a glance at the vice sect leader and the others, only to find that they didn't dare to breathe loudly, clearly somewhat frightened.

broken!

A bad feeling flashed through Xu Qingchi's mind, and he hurriedly grabbed Li Xiangming's sleeve: "Master, I asked to come. The Vice Sect Leader originally didn't want me to come."

"original?"

Li Xiangming's brows furrowed even deeper.

At this moment, Mao Jing cautiously said, "Junior Sister Zhang has indeed repeatedly refused Qingchi, but Sect Leader, your summons mentioned that all Green Cloud Cave disciples must go to Monkey Valley."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming's expression froze.

His problem was still his feelings; in his busyness, he had completely forgotten about Green Cloud Cave and that kid Xu Qingchi.

Li Xiangming rubbed his temples and waved for Xu Qingchi to go and rest.

He then took out a stack of topographical maps of Monkey Valley, spread them on the table, and said in a deep voice, "Come and take a look. The demon-hunting cultivators of Puyin Mountain are generally not very powerful. As the backbone of the valley's defense, you not only need to fight demons, but also need to understand strategy and tactics."

Upon hearing this, the disciples of Green Cloud Cave gathered around, their eyes focused on the map.

"Two stockades and two fortresses?"

"Bowl-bottom tactic?"

"Actively lure the enemy?"

Looking at the strongholds, routes, and detailed explanations marked on the map, the disciples whispered among themselves, their expressions serious.

After all, they didn't come to Monkey Valley for a vacation.

Faced with the surging tide of beasts, a moment's carelessness could mean certain death.

After a moment, Mao Jingze was the first to raise a question: "Sect Leader, the beast tide is huge, with hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts charging around. We don't have many cultivators guarding the valley to begin with, so why do we need to divide our forces?"

Li Xiangming prepared more than ten blueprints, each detailing different tactics.

However, regardless of the tactic, all of them involve a plan to divide the forces.

Of course, the troops in the picture were not randomly divided, but rather the forces were distributed in two fortified villages and two strongholds, forming a crescent shape to resist the beast tide.

Li Xiangming explained, "Monkey Valley's terrain is not precipitous enough, and there are no protective formations. If we were to fight the monsters head-on here, the casualties would be too great."

At this point, he pointed to a spot on the map and continued, "This place is called Golden Scale Slope. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it's not far from Monkey Valley. I plan to build a strong fortress here. If monsters attack, we'll lure them here and try to avoid fighting in Monkey Valley."

Upon hearing this, Mao Jingze remained silent in thought.

Yin Feng, who was standing nearby, quickly followed up by asking, "What is the purpose of those two fortresses?"

"Act as a sentry tower."

Li Xiangming's voice was slightly low: "This time, defending the valley is not about paying any price. If the beast tide is truly unstoppable, the watchtower will send back intelligence, and we can temporarily avoid a direct confrontation. But if the size of the beast tide is within our acceptable range, then we must implement the 'bowl-bottom tactic' to lure the enemy deep into our territory."

"Once the monsters reach the two key locations of Monkey Valley and Golden Scale Slope, the two fortresses standing outside must close their gates to ensure that the monsters never return."

Yin Feng gasped, never expecting the sect leader to be so bloodthirsty, actually wanting to annihilate the entire beast tide.
Li Xiangming glanced at Yin Feng and roughly knew what the kid was thinking.

He wasn't really after a lot of monsters.

How can the lives of demons compare to those of humans?
Given the sheer number of monsters in Puyin Mountain, it's possible that by the time you wake up, thousands of monsters will have already bred there.

Of course, the human race also has a good reproductive capacity.

In terms of the number of people in Heng Kingdom, it is no less than that of the demon race in Nanbin.

However, no matter how many mortals there are, or how well they are trained, they cannot possibly roam freely in the miasma-filled Nanbin Demon Land.

The monsters, however, did not have this concern.

Since they can inhabit the Demon Land, they can naturally recuperate and thrive in the territory of the human race.

Therefore, as long as they are summoned, even wild beasts that haven't grown their fur yet will be eager to join the beast tide.

Don't underestimate the beasts just because they are weak. A Qi Refining cultivator can easily wipe them out with a single move.

But in each wave of beasts, it is precisely these wild animals that cause significant damage to human territory.

There is no other reason than that quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

During the Battle of Pu River, the Heng Kingdom cultivators were the ones who took the initiative to attack. Without the protection of any formations, countless cultivators died from exhaustion in the face of wild beasts.

In short, these beasts have died one after another, so comparing battle losses with them is meaningless.

Even demon cultivators of the same level are no match for a single hair of their own cultivators.

If he could, Li Xiangming would only want to protect Monkey Valley.

He had no desire to participate in the extermination of the beast tide.

But the situation forced him to do it.

Because the Li family's cultivators are precious, guarding the valley requires the assistance of a massive number of demon-hunting cultivators. These demon-hunting cultivators won't work for him for nothing; he must offer them sufficient incentives. Where will these incentives come from?

Li Xiangming pondered deeply.

He was unwilling to give his savings to the demon hunter.

The Li family was unwilling to pay tens of thousands of spirit stones for a mere Monkey Valley.

In the end, it was Master Liaoshen who gave Li Xiangming an idea.

That is to sustain war through war!
The corpses of monsters are not worthless.

By having demon hunters guard the valley and kill demons, and then rewarding the demon hunters with the materials from the demon beasts, a closed loop can be formed.

Therefore, he not only had to defend Monkey Valley, but also had to fight a brilliant annihilation battle in order to stabilize the people's hearts and preserve his prestige.

Li Xiangming did not intend to reveal these deeper considerations to the disciples of Green Cloud Cave. He simply said, "The demon beasts are stupid, but they are not without wisdom. As long as we win a few battles at Golden Scale Slope, they will know the pain, and Monkey Valley will be safer."

Yin Feng nodded, but quickly frowned and said, "The two strongholds are the main force, each with a number of cultivators. Whether they can hold their ground is another matter. The two fortresses are isolated and the number of cultivators stationed there is also limited. Will they be targeted by a concentrated attack from demonic beasts?"

The so-called "bowl-bottom tactic" is actually a pocket formation.

Luring the monster in and then trapping it is the best course of action.

However, the monsters did not act according to plan and launched a frenzied attack on the two fortresses at the entrance of the bag. What should be done?

Your concerns are not unfounded.

Li Xiangming's gaze fell on the location of the two fortresses, his expression solemn: "But there's nothing we can do about it. We can't predict the actions of the monsters. For the safety of the cultivators in the two fortresses, I will build a network of tunnels under the fortresses to provide them with an opportunity to escape. I will also connect the tunnels of the two villages and the two fortresses together so that we can provide rapid support."

"typical?"

Yin Feng was taken aback, and the other disciples of Green Cloud Cave cheered.

Tunnels might not be very effective against the human faction, because this thing has been proven too many times in the history of warfare, so many times that anyone could think of this method.

However, the monsters have limited intelligence. When they attack the Maojing Mine, they stubbornly stick to the formation and don't try any other strategies.

Similarly, if they were to invade Monkey Valley, they would most likely swarm over in a massive attack.

Constructing tunnels in Monkey Valley and other strongholds not only allowed for timely adjustments to troop strength based on the battle situation, but also provided leeway in case of an unavoidable retreat.

Seeing that Li Xiangming answered fluently, it was clear that he had made ample preparations for guarding the valley.

The disciples of Green Cloud Cave gained confidence and continued to offer suggestions and strategies.

Even the usually taciturn Luo Changqing spoke up: "Scouts are especially important. It would be best to send some people who know enough about demonic beasts to investigate their whereabouts in advance. I've heard that many earth demons can burrow underground."

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Renkui, who was at odds with him, immediately snorted and said, "If that's really the case, we should eliminate him with swift and decisive measures."

"That's natural, but prevention is more important."

Luo Changqing frowned: "In my opinion, we still need to arrange a few cultivators to guard the tunnel in case of unforeseen circumstances."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming nodded approvingly.

Seeing this, Fang Renkui immediately became anxious. His mind raced, and he blurted out, "Could we purchase some bows and crossbows to deal with the flying beasts in the sky?"

"Makes sense."

In just a short while, the room was bustling with activity.

Li Xiangming gleaned some useful advice from it, and a smile gradually appeared on his lips.

The morale of Green Cloud Cave is high, and the Li family cultivators who have not yet arrived will not disappoint him.

With the addition of the six demon-hunting groups, including Golden Eyes and Divine Wind, who had already fought alongside him, he had nearly five hundred people at his disposal.

It should be noted that these are five hundred cultivators, not ordinary soldiers.

Even without relying on other demon-hunting cultivators, he would still be able to fight against a beast tide of the scale of Maojing Mine.

Of course, the more chips you have, the better.

He also needs to put in the effort to recruit more demon-hunting cultivators.

After all, digging tunnels requires enough manpower, doesn't it?
Xu Qingchi, on the other side, was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks when he realized he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Once the noise subsided a bit, he immediately moved closer to Li Xiangming, his face beaming, and asked, "Master, is there anything I can do to help?"

Li Xiangming was furious and slapped him on the head: "What can you do, kid? After I'm done with my work, I'll send you to Qingyang Temple. You better stay put."

"what?"

Xu Qingchi was greatly disappointed, but dared not refute Li Xiangming.

He could only nod timidly, which made everyone burst into laughter.

"You all get some rest!"

After chatting for a while, Li Xiangming had completely boosted the morale of Green Cloud Cave, so he stood up and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he took out a heavy cloth bag and placed it on the table: "The spiritual energy in Monkey Valley is not as rich as that in Little Mist Valley. You can divide these spirit stones among yourselves and don't let them interfere with your cultivation."

"this."

None of the disciples moved.

Zhang Min hesitated for a moment, looked at Li Xiangming, and after receiving a look of approval, she opened the cloth bag. Inside, the spirit stones were crystal clear and emitted a soft white light.

"So many spirit stones!"

Xu Qingchi quickly covered his mouth.

The eyes of the others also burned with desire.

Money and silk move people's hearts!
Li Xiangming was not surprised by their reaction.

There are a full five hundred spirit stones here, and Green Cloud Cave disciples, including Xu Qingchi, number only eleven.

Even if Zhang Min splits it equally, each person will still receive at least forty or fifty spirit stones.

It should be noted that the disciples of Green Cloud Cave were all extremely poor before.

Many people haven't used spirit stones for cultivation in a long time.

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhang Min took a deep breath.

Li Xiangming had already given her a thousand spirit stones.

But these spirit stones are reserved for the sect's development.

A portion should also be reserved to be converted into pills to maintain the basic cultivation of all disciples.

To save expenses, for the past six months, none of the disciples of Green Cloud Cave have received a salary, and they have had to complete various tasks without pay.

Although no one expressed their dissatisfaction to her directly, the pressure she felt was beyond what outsiders could comprehend.

She would even count the number of Green Cloud Cave disciples every day after she woke up, fearing that someone might not be able to stand it and run away, thus making her feel guilty for betraying the sect leader's trust.

The five hundred spirit stones now given by the sect leader will undoubtedly greatly alleviate the "oppressive" atmosphere in Green Cloud Cave.

At least Fang Renkui shouldn't use cattle and horses as metaphors for himself anymore.

Even she, as the deputy sect leader, can be more confident in her role.

That's right. The sect leader has power, cultivation, and money. Isn't that the foundation of the sect's strength?
Li Xiangming was unaware of Zhang Min's thoughts. He would never have agreed to use five hundred spirit stones to bribe ten demon-hunting cultivators, but he would not hesitate to use them to win over the Green Cloud Cave disciples he knew well.

Although the Green Cloud Cave has few disciples, apart from Xu Qingchi, every one of them is a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Furthermore, there are outstanding ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators such as Zhang Min, Mao Jingze, Fang Renkui, and Luo Changqing.

They were the main force in resisting the beast tide.

"Senior Sister Zhang, thank you for your hard work."

Li Xiangming patted Zhang Min's delicate shoulder, then turned and walked out of the room.

After walking a few steps, a woman with a cool and aloof look suddenly appeared from around the corner.

(End of this chapter)