Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 484 Recruitment
Does the lucky money work?

Li Xiangming silently recited it.

Wei Fei's plan differed somewhat from his own ideas, but in essence, they were the same: only through organization and large-scale operations could the advantages of intelligence gathering and transmission be fully utilized.

The Li family already has a well-organized secret service.

However, the scale of the Jinyifang (brocade clothing room) was insufficient.

The very structure of the "room" dictated that the Jinyi Room could only cater to the elite.

After all, training an excellent intelligence agent requires a lot of resources, and the Li family is transforming into a beast-taming family, so it is impossible for them to invest too much effort in this area.

The Lishi Tongze is the opposite. Its weak organizational structure leaves it with almost no resources to compete with formal intelligence agencies, but its scale gives it unique value.

Ask yourself, who doesn't want to find a good job and buy high-quality goods at reasonable prices?

The existence of brokers fulfills this most basic need.

They are scattered throughout the cultivation world, like an invisible net. Whether you are a newcomer or a seasoned veteran, you will inevitably have to deal with them.

However, once you come into contact with a broker, it becomes difficult to conceal your true situation.

Because human behavior is never meaningless.

If you move into a cave dwelling, it means your whereabouts will be fixed in a certain area for a short period of time; if you buy healing pills, it means you have a potential risk of injury; if you try to join a demon hunting group, it means you have a weak identity, either a rogue cultivator or a desperate fugitive.

Brokers can find out your background, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

When you need something from someone, you won't even realize that you're leaking information.

In short, brokers are the most inconspicuous intelligence hunters, who have access to the most authentic and original first-hand information.

Perhaps this information is fragmented, chaotic, and difficult to verify. It may only linger briefly in the mind of a broker before being forgotten and losing its value.

However, the establishment of Lishitong would undoubtedly allow these materials to be preserved through institutional and monetary incentives, and then compiled into seemingly legitimate intelligence reports to be delivered to Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming then handed over this intelligence to professional members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for verification and investigation. In this way, wouldn't the Li family's intelligence network be expanded tenfold or a hundredfold?
It has to be said that Wei Fei's idea immediately appealed to him.

Compared to the intelligence he obtained by chance, he did need more sophisticated methods to counter the Qin family's Night Owl Hall.

But shouldn't Wei Fei be in charge of this so-called "Lucky Charity"?

Li Xiangming scrutinized Wei Fei's slightly lewd face, his mind filled with hesitation.

Although this person claimed to be his subordinate, there was no real superior-subordinate relationship between them.
They were simply coveting the spirit stones in his possession and were only reluctantly doing things for him.

Even if Wei Fei suddenly betrayed him, Li Xiangming wouldn't be surprised at all. After all, the other party had a history of betraying his boss, so what was so strange about him betraying his new benefactor?
Li Xiangming didn't even feel angry.

Although he had successively donated some spirit stones to Wei Fei, he had donated to many other people, and Wei Fei's betrayal posed no threat to him, so he naturally didn't take it seriously.

However, supporting Wei Fei to establish Lishitong was a completely different story.

A guild cannot be run by spending a hundred or two spirit stones.

He had to continue investing in Wei Fei, eliminate dissidents for Wei Fei, and spend huge sums of spirit stones to win over those brokers to work for him before Lishitong became profitable.

If Wei Fei fails to realize the value of Lishitong after doing all this, or even leads Lishitong out of his control, then it will be a heartbreaking loss for Li Xiangming.

Is he going to take this huge risk?
Wei Fei seemed to know that Li Xiangming was weighing his options. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his cheeks, his lips were bitten until they turned white, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the teacup, making him look uneasy.

If this succeeds, he will have the opportunity to stand on the stage and become a prominent figure no less influential than Zhang Mazi or Zhao Jindou, and will also have the chance to accumulate wealth and achieve his own path.

If it doesn't work out, he'll probably have to continue living as an ordinary broker in the vicinity of Puyin Mountain for the rest of his life.

At such a pivotal moment in his life, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

After a long pause, Li Xiangming finally spoke, but it was neither an agreement nor a refusal; instead, it was a soft greeting: "Wei Fei, you're almost thirty, aren't you? I heard you're still unmarried?"

Wei Fei paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Not yet."

Li Xiangming continued, "What kind of woman do you like?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Fei finally realized what was happening, and his face lit up with excitement.

Master Li had already agreed to his request; inquiring about the marriage was merely a pretext to place people to monitor him.

Although this made him somewhat uncomfortable, what did a little freedom matter compared to his future and great achievements?
He immediately took two steps back, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "I will leave it entirely to Master Li's decision."
-
After Wei Fei left, the secret room immediately returned to silence.

Li Xiangming finished the last sip of tea, which was still warm, and got up to go to the northwest corner of the basement of Taibai Restaurant.

The place is very rudimentary, with protruding stones and gravel on the walls, giving it the feel of being unfinished.

This feeling is not wrong. At that time, Li Xiangming had a big plan for Taibai Restaurant, but the opening of Monkey Valley was rushed, and some loose ends were left behind.

This small area has now become a prison privately set up by the Li family in Monkey Valley.

He first glanced at Qin Zhengzhi, the ninth young master of the Qin family, who was in a very disheveled state at the moment. He had no clothes to cover his body, and his skin was covered with wounds, especially his hands and feet, which were charred black.

This shows how cruel the punishments at the Shugodo were.

Of course, after Qin Zhengzhi was sent back to the Li family, he would have to undergo a second, third, and even countless interrogations—even if the other party had already told him everything they could.

Shaking his head, Li Xiangming turned and went to another cell.

"Master, what brings you here?"

Li Xiangyang was quite surprised; he was arranging for Qin Zhengzhi's transfer. He hadn't expected Li Xiangming to come and check on things personally.

"You go about your business, I've come to see Qiao Shun."

Li Xiangming waved his hand.

Qin Zhengzhi revealed many secrets of the Qin family, but Li Xiangming was unsure about these matters, so he simply ignored them. Only the information from the Night Owl Hall matched Qiao Shun's confession by a large margin.

The so-called Night Owl Hall was an intelligence agency that the Qin family had had for a long time, similar to the Li family's Embroidered Uniform Guard.

For many years, the Qin family has faced the problem of resource allocation and has not invested much in Night Owl Hall.

After settling in Pu County, the Qin family's strategy changed. They began to purchase children with spiritual roots on a large scale and send them to the Night Owl Hall to be trained as assassins.

From then on, the Night Owl Hall split into two: the Night Hall was responsible for intelligence work, while the Owl Hall was dedicated to assassination.

In the war against the Geng family, the Night Owl Hall played an extremely important role. The numerous and fearless members of the Night Owl Hall dealt a heavy blow to the Geng family.

This gave the Qin family a taste of success—the assassins of the Owl Hall were purchased children from other families, and even if ten of them died, it was still more worthwhile than the death of one member of the Qin family's legitimate bloodline.

Whether it was to better strike at the Geng family or to reduce casualties among its own clansmen, the Night Owl Hall's development was unstoppable.

In just ten years, Night Owl Hall has become the largest department in the Qin family, without exception.

As the saying goes, "He who carries a sharp blade will naturally have the will to kill."

The rapid development of Night Owl Hall has also aroused the ambitions within the Qin family.

Although the Geng family is still putting up a stubborn resistance, they are no longer a threat.

The Liu family, on the other hand, are its allies.

Some of the Qin family's higher-ups then turned their attention to the Li family of Danggui Mountain in Pudong.

Of course, they haven't become so arrogant as to directly attack the Li family; instead, they've adopted a strategy of infiltration.

For example, they could lure Li's retainers into rebellion to find out the true strength of the Li family; or they could plant a "Tongbi Sect" near the Chen family in Baolong Valley, far from the core sphere of influence of the Li family.

However, the Qin family never expected that the Tongbi Church would be uprooted by the Li family so quickly.

Although the Tongbei Sect did not have any members from the Qin family, it still had nearly a hundred members from the Xiaotang Sect.

The Li family's actions undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the entire Night Owl Hall, and consequently weakened the Qin family's strength.

This immediately caused a huge uproar within the Qin family. Some strongly demanded revenge against the Li family, while others, prioritizing the greater good, opposed forcing the Li family to side with the Geng family. The two voices argued endlessly, but ultimately the latter prevailed.

However, a few people were still unwilling to accept this, especially Qin Zhengyi, the person in charge behind the Night Owl Hall, whose appearance at Li Xiangming's Foundation Building Ceremony was a product of this unwillingness.

After swallowing this insult, the Night Owl Gang became even more concerned about the Li family, sending a large number of its members to infiltrate Pudong and gather comprehensive intelligence on the Li family.

This investigation immediately revealed that the Li family was consolidating its power and shifting its defensive focus southward.

What's going on here? Isn't this just treating the Qin family as a hypothetical enemy?

The Qin family is once again embroiled in internal divisions.

Just then, a secret report came from the Night Hall, saying that the Li family was recruiting demon-hunting groups on a large scale in Puyin Mountain.

The Qin family thus saw the Li family's plans in Puyin Mountain and finally could not restrain themselves.

They spent over a decade cultivating hundreds of disciples for the Owl Hall, gaining a significant advantage. Yet, the Li family, with a mere wave of their sleeves, recruited hundreds of demon-hunting cultivators. This was unacceptable.
The Qin family immediately dispatched Qin Zhengzhi and Qin Kang to the central Puyin Mountain to take charge of the overall situation and do everything possible to curb the Li family's influence on demon-hunting cultivators.

Despite the failure of the move, Li Xiangming had to admit it.

Night Owl Hall is a sharp blade.

The newly established Jinyifang is not yet capable of competing with it.

Needless to say, Wei Fei, who was highly valued by him, was another example.

Even if the Lishitong network were deployed, it could only collect intelligence statically, and was completely incomparable to the Night Owl Hall, which could proactively plan events and spy on enemy positions.

In this situation, there is only one way for Li Xiangming to confront the Night Owl Hall.

That is to learn from the barbarians' superior techniques in order to subdue them!
"Master Li?"

Hearing the commotion, the figure in the cell rushed to the iron bars and shouted, "You've captured Young Master Jiu, when are you going to release me?"

Li Xiangming stopped and scanned the cell with his eyes.

Compared to Qin Zhengzhi, Qiao Shun's treatment was hundreds of times better. Not only was he not shackled, but he also had a soft bed and a private toilet.

Li Xiangyang even equipped the prison cell with a full set of cooking utensils. Whatever Qiao Shun wanted to eat, Taibai Restaurant would provide the ingredients, and he would cook it himself.

Perhaps due to consuming a large amount of spiritual food, Qiao Shun's injuries had basically healed in just a few days.

"Master Qiao's life is more comfortable than I imagined."

Li Xiangming smiled and asked casually, "How did you know that Ninth Young Master had been captured and brought back?"

Qiao Shun's face turned pale. This place is only so big. The Ninth Prince's cell is next door. He is tortured day and night, screaming incessantly. How could he not know?
These past two days, he's been so tormented that he hasn't been able to sleep at all.

Thinking of this, Qiao Shun gripped the iron bars tightly with both hands and couldn't help but plead, "Master Li, you are a big shot, you can't go back on your word. I've said everything I need to say, please have pity on me."

"I also want to let you out."

Li Xiangming sighed, "But I think you're more familiar with the situation at Night Owl Hall than I am. Although Young Master Qin Jiu has surrendered, the other Night Owl Hall disciples are still outside. Are you sure Master Qiao is willing to go out?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shun's face turned even paler.

At this moment, the Qin family must hate him to the core. According to regulations, the Xiaotang will punish him at all costs as a warning to others.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming immediately stepped forward and said slowly, "There is a place that is absolutely safe. I wonder if Master Qiao would be willing to take the place?"

"Is what Hall Master Li is referring to, Danggui Mountain?"

Although Qiao Shun was terrified, his mind was not yet in disarray. He immediately guessed Li Xiangming's purpose and clenched his fists.

Li Xiangming revealed an appreciative look, took out the key to the prison door from his waist, and waved it in front of Qiao Shun: "At present, only the Li family can protect Master Qiao. Will Master Qiao choose to become a prisoner and stay in Monkey Valley in fear, or will he join the Li family with a new identity and win wealth and honor?"

Qiao Shun's gaze moved with difficulty to the keys, his heart filled with bitterness.

He knew that once he opened his mouth, the consequences were already predetermined.

What would the Li family need a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like him for? They simply want him to act as the vanguard in dealing with the Night Owl Hall.

He didn't have much affection for the people in the Owl Hall, but he did have feelings for his old buddies in the Night Hall.
Oh well, what's done is done.

They can't even take care of their own families, how can they take care of others?
Qiao Shun grunted and said in a low voice, "I have one condition."

"Oh? Tell me?"

Li Xiangming raised an eyebrow.

As a veteran of the Night Hall, Qiao Shun was very familiar with the Qin family's procedures for using intelligence.

Recruiting them into the Embroidered Uniform Guard would, if not drastically change the Embroidered Uniform Guard's intelligence capabilities, at least greatly enhance the Embroidered Uniform Guard's destructive power against the Night Owl Hall.

In order to break down Qiao Shun's psychological defenses, he deliberately placed Qin Zhengzhi's cell next to Qiao Shun's.

Even so, he still didn't expect the process to go so smoothly.

Without even hesitating, Qiao Shun started to state his conditions.

"I want Xia Wan'er."

Qiao Shun took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

Li Xiangming was slightly taken aback. Was the honey trap really that effective?
Did Xia Wan'er win Qiao Shun's heart in just one night?
"Master Li is unwilling?"

Seeing that Li Xiangming did not answer for a long time, Qiao Shun became a little anxious and couldn't help but ask again.

Li Xiangming calmly put the key back into his sleeve.

It wasn't that he couldn't bear to part with Xia Wan'er; the key issue was that Xia Wan'er wasn't his person.

They're doing this for the spirit stones!
Moreover, Xia Wan'er is Chunyi Tower's cash cow, so it would be a bit unfair to marry her off to Qiao Shun so easily.

Of course, Qiao Shun's importance should not be overlooked.

Li Xiangming feigned hesitation, and after a long while sighed, "Master Qiao, I actually think highly of you and Miss Xia, but mutual affection is the only way to make it a good match. Although I have some influence, it is not enough to decide Miss Xia's life. You might as well ask her opinion yourself. If you get her permission, my Li family will certainly help you marry your beautiful wife."

Qiao Shun trembled, leaning weakly against the iron railing, looking dejected.

He had already asked Xia Wan'er about it.

However, although the other party was willing to have a night of pleasure with him, there was never any follow-up on the matter of her running away with him.

"I have a plan."

Li Xiangming coughed.

Qiao Shun quickly looked up and asked, "How will Hall Master Li teach me?"

"The reason Miss Xia has concerns is simply because she has a contract of indenture with Chunyi Tower. If you are willing to redeem her, you will be a great benefactor. In that case, what difficulty would there be in winning the heart of such a beauty?"

"Redeem yourself."

Qiao Shun gave a wry smile.

To become Xia Wan'er's patron, one must spend at least 20 spirit stones.

To redeem him, the price would be at least a hundred times higher.

Even if he returned to the Qin family and used all his savings, he still wouldn't be able to reach that amount, let alone be penniless now.

"If Master Qiao is willing, my Li family can sponsor you with some spirit stones, but for the rest, I'm afraid Master Qiao will have to perform well."

Li Xiangming unfolded the keys in his hand again, a faint smile appearing on his face.

(End of this chapter)