Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 483 Li Shitong

The gates of Monkey Valley were as hard as iron, gleaming with a cold light.

A patrolling monk clad in leather armor rested against a blood-stained brick railing, while a slightly younger man stood upright like a pine tree, holding a long spear.

Even with his eyes closed, the older cultivator could sense the tense atmosphere around him and couldn't help but reassure him, "Young Tu, don't panic, the demon beast hasn't appeared yet."

"Brother Fu, we're doomed once the monsters arrive."

The young cultivator gave a wry smile, looked up at the sky, where several eagles circled in the clouds, quite lively.

They say humans and transvestites are irreconcilable enemies!
However, unless there are special reasons, human cultivators rarely approach places where demonic beasts gather.

Similarly, demonic beasts almost never actively invade the cultivation world.

After all, both sides need to consider their own safety.

The beast tide is undoubtedly an exception.

For a great demon, mere Foundation Establishment sects and aristocratic families are nothing more than things that can be destroyed at will. What is there to worry about?

Given the right opportunity, they will not hesitate to unleash a beast tide and stir up a storm. Since they can remain hidden deep in the mountains, waiting for the situation to become clear before revealing themselves to reap the rewards, they are always in an invincible position.

As for why those ordinary demon beasts are at the mercy of the great demon?
The suppression in terms of cultivation level and bloodline is one aspect, but more importantly, it is a difference in understanding – many demon beasts have never set foot in the human world in their entire lives and have no idea how terrifying the cultivation world is.

However, the rumors that human cultivators were comparable to great medicines persisted for a long time.

Even for mortals, the deliciousness of it is ingrained in their very bones. So when a "leader" suddenly appears, very few demon beasts can resist the temptation.

In short, according to common sense, it is unlikely that monsters would approach the popular Monkey Valley.

The fact that these birds and beasts overhead refused to leave suggests only one possibility: they were driven by the beast tide to come and gather intelligence.

This corresponds to another possibility—the beast tide is coming!

Brother Fu opened his eyes and glanced at the young cultivator: "Who do you think you are? Even if the beast tide comes, Hall Master Li will be in charge of planning. What are you panicking about? A few days ago, those men in black came with great force, but they were still wiped out by Hall Master Li. Don't compare your life with Hall Master Li and Manager Li. They are not afraid. Just do your job well."

The young cultivator's face showed some fear when the bloody massacre of the past few days was mentioned.

He was originally serving under Deputy Captain Lin, but due to some trivial matters, he happened to be with Captain Lü that day, which saved his life.

If it weren't for a twist of fate, he would already be...
"Scared?"

Brother Fu's voice came again.

The young cultivator snapped out of his daze, glanced at Brother Fu, but didn't know how to respond.

Of course he was scared!
He came to Puyin Mountain to earn spirit stones and improve his cultivation, not to risk his life fighting the beast tide.

But who made him join the patrol team?
Patrol team members do not have to risk venturing deep into Puyin Mountain, yet they receive a generous salary comparable to that of elite cultivators in the Demon Hunting Squad. Their duty is to protect Monkey Valley at all costs.

Even when facing a terrifying horde of beasts!

Thinking of this, the young cultivator's knuckles gripping the spear turned slightly white, and a thought that had been lingering in his mind for a long time involuntarily flashed through his mind.

The Demon Suppression Battalion was dispatched, and the patrol team suffered heavy losses.

Monkey Valley is now weaker than ever before. Even when news of a possible beast tide has reached back into the valley, only the two of them are guarding the city gate.

Once night falls, he can easily sneak down the city gate and leave while Brother Fu isn't looking.
This thought is getting stronger and stronger!
So much so that beads of sweat appeared on the young cultivator's forehead, and his stiff posture shifted slightly.

However, the next moment, he touched the cloth bag at his waist and felt the rough texture of the stone key. The struggle on his face gradually faded and finally turned into a muttered sentence: "The valley is empty. I wonder what Hall Master Li is planning."
-
Taibai Restaurant.

At the end of the deep corridor, the hurried footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

"Come in."

The doorbell rang before anyone could knock.

A deep response came from inside the room.

Li Xiangyang straightened his collar, pushed open the stone door, and presented a jade slip: "Master, an invitation from the Lingluo Merchant Guild."

Li Xiangming, who was sitting cross-legged on the futon, regulating his breathing, opened his eyes and felt a headache.

Since his last visit to Luoyanzhai and his ambiguous relationship with Fairy Lingluo, he has received strong support from the Lingluo Chamber of Commerce.

The Lingluo Merchant Guild not only agreed to sponsor him with 10,000 spirit stones to resist the beast tide, but also sent the one-eyed old man, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was hidden in the valley and little known to the public, to assist him.

It was also because of the one-eyed old man's presence that Qin Kang was unable to send Qin Zhengzhi away even after taking the Heavenly Soldier Pill.

Instead, he exploited their weakness, wasting the powerful combat strength brought by the Heavenly Soldier Pill.

In the end, Qin Kang exploded and died, and Qin Zhengzhi was also successfully captured and brought back to the valley.

However, all of this came at a price.

The Fairy of Lingluo was not an innocent and carefree girl, and what she valued was not his appearance at all, but the potential of the Puyin Mountain Guild Hall.

At Luoyanzhai, Fairy Lingluo made no attempt to hide her desire for the position of head of the Puyinshan Guild Hall.

Compared to Zhang Zhi'ang, the Lingluo Chamber of Commerce is undoubtedly more difficult to control.

Moreover, Zhang Zhi'ang was doing a good job, and Li Xiangming replaced him for no reason, which not only caused him to lose an obedient subordinate, but also damaged his own prestige.

Why would he be willing to do something like that?
But he had no other choice!

If Monkey Valley is breached, not only will the Puyin Mountain Guild Hall become rootless, but the Demon Hunting Guild and the Li family's series of businesses will also suffer a heavy blow.

Therefore, resisting the beast tide and protecting Monkey Valley took far greater priority than the power struggles within the guild hall.

From this perspective, the 10,000 spirit stones donated by the Lingluo Chamber of Commerce were of paramount importance, and even Zhang Zhi'ang, a trusted confidant whom he had personally cultivated, could not compare to them.

After careful consideration, Li Xiangming finally decided to sell Zhang Zhiang.

However, he did not immediately give in, but instead used the excuse that the spirit stones from the Lingluo Merchant Guild had not yet arrived to temporarily postpone the matter.

Who would have thought that Qin Kang, disregarding his own life, would take the Heavenly Soldier Pill?

This forced Li Xiangming to use the one-eyed old man as his trump card.

The results can be imagined!

He had barely settled back into Monkey Valley when Fairy Lingluo came knocking on his door.

"Put it down."

Li Xiangming sighed helplessly.

He had something even more troubling than dealing with Fairy Lingluo.

That was the patrol team's report that there were flying monsters monitoring Monkey Valley.

Judging by the timing, the beast tide to the north should indeed be stirring.

Judging from their current stance, they have undoubtedly set their sights on Monkey Valley.

He only had a few disciples in the Guardian Hall at his disposal, and they couldn't even scout out enemy positions.

After clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts, Li Xiangming asked, "How is the interrogation of Qin Zhengzhi progressing?"

If the beast tide endangered Monkey Valley and seriously infringed upon his personal interests, then Qin Zhengzhi and the Qin family behind him were an undeniable threat to the entire Li family of Dangui Mountain.

From a broader perspective, Qin Zhengzhi is more important than the imminent beast tide.

"Qin Zhengzhi's Dao heart was unstable, but he confessed a lot of things after being tortured."

A hint of hesitation flashed across Li Xiangyang's face before he handed over a few sheets of paper: "But apart from the Night Owl Hall's intelligence, which can corroborate Qiao Shun's confession, it's difficult for us to verify other intelligence."

Li Xiangming took the draft paper, his brows immediately furrowing.

These scraps of paper are quite messy, clearly firsthand materials that have not yet been transcribed into the jade slips. The writing on them is dense and contains a huge amount of information, indirectly highlighting Qin Zhengzhi's importance.

However, it mentions that the Qin family has as many as twenty-six Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Isn't this a joke?
If the Qin family had that kind of power, they would have wiped out the Geng family long ago.

However, Qin Zhengzhi's half-truthful revelation of information put him in a difficult position.

Even if these twenty-six people are imposters, can the Li family ignore it?

Or to put it another way, can the Li family be 100% certain that the Qin family does not have 26 Foundation Establishment cultivators?

Does not!
Before verification, the Li family must take all the information Qin Zhengzhi tearfully revealed as true, otherwise they may suffer a great loss; but if they do so, they will be suspected of falling into Qin Zhengzhi's trap, which will disrupt the Li family's plans and give the Qin family an opportunity to take advantage of them.

For a moment, Li Xiangming gripped the draft paper tightly in his hand and remained silent.

"Master, I'm afraid we can only send Qin Zhengzhi home and have his father interrogate him."

Li Xiangyang reminded him in a low voice.

The disciples of the Guardian Hall were not skilled in interrogation and could only resort to torture against Qin Zhengzhi. Now that the torture was over and Qin Zhengzhi had confessed most of the facts, they were at a loss as to what to do next.

Verifying the authenticity of intelligence? With their limited manpower, that's clearly beyond their capabilities.

"That's all it can do."

Li Xiangming nodded slightly, his tone revealing a hint of weariness.

Li Xiangyang couldn't determine the authenticity of the information he had, and neither could he.

Since moving to Puxian County, the Li family has been rooted in Pudong, and their interactions with the Qin family have been very limited.

The Jinyifang, a temporary organization established by the Li family to deal with the threat from the Qin family, played a very limited role.

Perhaps only experienced clan elders, and seniors like Li Qianxiong who had some dealings with the Qin family during the Battle of Nanbin, could discern the clues on the draft paper.

Since Monkey Valley is not exactly a safe place, sending Qin Zhengyang back to Tailai Peak is now the top priority.

But who will escort Qin Zhengzhi?
Li Xiangming glanced at Li Xiangyang, feeling slightly conflicted.

The Qin family is separated from Pudong by the Geng family of Meiling, so it's unlikely they could send a large number of cultivators to infiltrate the area. The fact that Qin Zhengzhi was captured is enough to prove this point.

However, Qin Zhengzhi still had a few remaining Night Owl Hall disciples under his command.

These people, because they strictly abide by the rules, do not usually appear at the rendezvous point or Qin Zhengzhi's camp.

Even though Li Xiangming captured Qin Zhengzhi alive, he was unable to completely eliminate them.

Now that they must know that Qin Zhengzhi has been captured, they may well have the idea of ​​breaking him out of prison.

With the beast tide heading south, Li Xiangming himself could not leave Monkey Valley. Could the other Qi Refining stage disciples of the Guardian Hall escort Qin Zhengzhi home without any mishaps?

After thinking for a moment, Li Xiangming rubbed his temples and said, "Send someone back to the family ahead to inform the Foundation Establishment cultivators to come and meet us. I'll have Zhang Fan go personally, and you'll go with him. Be extra careful on the way."

Zhang Fan is a one-eyed old man.

With this action, the hall master undoubtedly owes the Lingluo Merchant Guild another favor.

Li Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and stepped back.

He knew Li Xiangming was in a dilemma, but the threat from the Qin family and the family's grand plan were undoubtedly more important.

After Li Xiangyang left, Li Xiangming lost his will to meditate and got up to pace around the room.

Suddenly, a sound transmission talisman on the table flashed with a faint light.

Li Xiangming's gaze sharpened, he picked up the communication talisman, and quickly walked out of the secret room.

Before long, a thin young man bowed at the corner of the passage, his voice respectful but tinged with nervousness: "Your subordinate, Wei Fei, greets Hall Master Li."

"come in."

Li Xiangming gave a greeting and returned to the room.

Upon seeing this, Wei Fei felt a chill run down his spine.

Master Li actually waited for him on purpose!
He did not feel joy because of this; instead, he felt a sense of crisis.

But now that we're here, there's no turning back.

Wei Fei took a deep breath, suppressing his racing heartbeat, and quickly followed.

Soon, the scene in the secret room came into view.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Wei Fei's eyes.

The secret room was not exactly simple; it had all the necessary furniture, and several exquisite paintings hung on the walls. However, it was quite different from the scene he had imagined.

How could such a humble place be worthy of Master Li's status?

The thought flashed through Wei Fei's mind.

Immediately afterwards, a strong desire surged into my heart.

One day, my camp will be a hundred times more luxurious than this place!
Looking at Wei Fei's slightly dazed face, Li Xiangming raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Instead, he leisurely brewed a pot of hot tea and casually said, "Come and sit down."

Wei Fei lowered his gaze to the steaming hot tea, and couldn't help but swallow.

Master Li summoned him to a secret room.

Master Li deliberately waited for him!
Master Li brewed tea for him!

He never dreamed he would be in this situation.

"Master Li, this is your subordinate."

Wei Fei was panting heavily. The sense of crisis he had felt earlier vanished in an instant. The belated joy made him feel like he was walking on clouds, so light that he lost his sense of direction and didn't even take the tea that Li Xiangming offered.

"Wei Fei?"

Li Xiangming spoke in a low voice, offering a reminder.

Wei Fei suddenly snapped out of his daze, quickly knelt on the prayer mat, offered the teacup with both hands, and downed it in one gulp. Unexpectedly, the tea was scalding hot, causing him to cough repeatedly, making him look extremely embarrassed.

Li Xiangming was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but take another look at Wei Fei.

In his mind, Wei Fei had always been quite quick-witted; if it weren't for this face, he would have thought he had the wrong person.

Wei Fei realized he had lost his composure, his face flushed red, and he hurriedly put down his teacup, stood up and apologized, saying, "This subordinate was rude, I hope Hall Master Li will punish me."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Xiangming didn't bother with such trivial matters and went straight to the point: "How many of those people around you are still around now?"

Wei Fei took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down: "Reporting to Hall Master Li, there are still fourteen people left."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming fell into deep thought, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table, producing a subtle rhythmic sound.

His reason for seeking out Wei Fei was simple: after leaving the Lion Demon Hunting Group, Wei Fei had spent many years in Puyin Mountain and had become very familiar with a group of brokers who made a living in Monkey Valley.

That's right, there is a profession called broker among cultivators, and it is quite popular.

How can those cultivators who have just arrived at Puyin Mountain find a way to become demon hunters and join the demon hunting team?

The ideal solution is through the Demon Hunter Guild.

However, the number of demon-hunting teams within the Demon-Hunting Guild is less than one percent of all demon-hunting teams.

Most low-level cultivators are simply not qualified to join the Demon Hunting Guild.

As a result, Monkey Valley gave rise to a group of professional brokers who introduced demon-hunting teams to newly arrived cultivators and sold widely circulated information.

Because of the vast number of people they come into contact with and the extremely complex amount of information they possess, these people, whether intentionally or unintentionally, gradually build an intricate "intelligence network."

It was by summarizing the information from this "intelligence network" that Wei Fei made the accurate judgment that the monsters of Puyin Mountain were about to make unusual moves.

Furthermore, when Qin Zhengzhi launched the Night Owl Hall attack on Monkey Valley, it was through these people that Wei Fei obtained the intelligence that a large number of cultivators were heading towards Monkey Valley, and promptly relayed it to Li Xiangguang.

Although the intelligence failed to play its due role and the patrol team ultimately suffered heavy losses, this was Li Xiangming's own mistake, and the value of the intelligence itself is beyond doubt.

Afterwards, Li Xiangming naturally developed a strong interest in the people around Wei Fei.

Or rather, the Qin family's powerful intelligence advantage made him feel a sense of crisis.

"Can you control all fourteen of these people?"

Li Xiangming asked softly.

"No."

Wei Fei shook his head: "Strictly speaking, I am just one of them. They only tell me things out of respect. If they don't, there's nothing I can do. Moreover, the information they give me is a mix of truth and falsehood, quite chaotic. Even if I always try to win them over, I can't guarantee that every piece of information I get will be useful."

This is a difficult problem.

Li Xiangming raised his teacup and took a sip.

Whether in terms of cultivation level or prestige, Wei Fei is unable to win over the masses.

They only became part of these brokers because they "shared the same bad habits".

To completely control this "intelligence network," unless...
"Unless Master Li sponsors me again!"

Before Li Xiangming could continue thinking, Wei Fei's voice suddenly rang out.

"Oh?"

Li Xiangming looked up at him, his gaze scrutinizing: "Tell me."

Wei Fei held the teacup in both hands, his hands trembling slightly, his face flushed with excitement, but he tried his best to keep his voice steady: "Reporting to Hall Master Li, I have a bold plan: to establish a job-seeking guild in Monkey Valley, tentatively called 'Profit Broker,' with myself as the leader, recruiting brokers to join. In this way, we can integrate resources, standardize intelligence, and provide Hall Master Li with more accurate and reliable information."

(End of this chapter)