Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 557 Meeting
Tailai Peak, outer courtyard.

Inside Hechenxuan, a delicate fragrance of tea wafted through the air, mingled with the sounds of light, cheerful conversation.

Li Xiangming stepped over the screen in the central courtyard and saw that the two seats at the head of the hall were empty. The first seat on the left was occupied by a thin young man with an ordinary appearance; the first seat on the right was occupied by a burly man with tiger-like eyes and a bushy beard, and below him was a young man in gray clothes with a smile in his eyes.

The three were engrossed in their conversation and didn't notice anyone approaching.

Only when Li Xiangming's footsteps grew heavier did the gray-clad youth suddenly turn around, hurriedly rising to his feet and bowing deeply: "Junior Xie Jun greets Hall Master Li!"

"Hey, we should start calling him Deputy Chief Steward Li now!"

The burly man laughed loudly and clasped his hands in greeting: "I, Luo, congratulate Master Li on his promotion."

Li Xiangming raised an eyebrow. The Imperial Household Department sounded huge, with numerous halls and offices, but in reality, most departments only had a few people. For example, the Beast Hunting Office, after several reforms, now only had two people left. Their job was simply to accompany the Purchasing Office to communicate with the demon-hunting teams and purchase demon beasts.

These things can be done by one person.

Of course, there are also larger institutions, such as animal breeding houses and farmland reclamation houses.

Regardless of the circumstances, Li Qianxiong, as the head of the family, was absolutely capable of controlling the five halls of the Imperial Household Department, and even managing each branch of the household vertically.

The so-called chief steward and deputy chief steward of the Imperial Household Department are superfluous. Once Li Qianxiong returns to the Li family, his current position will be revoked. So what kind of promotion is that?
However, these things are naturally not something that can be told to outsiders.

Li Xiangming nodded slightly in return, then sat at the head of the table and gestured for the two to sit down: "Fellow Daoists, you have come at the invitation of my Li family, and I am deeply grateful."

Luo Wanlin quickly waved his hand: "Vice Steward Li, you flatter me. Even if we hadn't received your letter, my Luo family should have paid a visit long ago."

"Oh?"

Li Xiangming feigned doubt and asked, "Has the Luo family run into some trouble?"

"Isn't this just the calamity of Pudong?"

Luo Wanlin sighed softly: "My Shangqingyuan borders Daijiang and is far from Puyin Mountain, yet there are still wandering demonic beasts. Although they are just some insignificant little demons, it is enough to show that the situation in Pudong is in a terrible state."

"Shangqingyuan is still considered a peaceful place!"

Hearing this, Xie Jun shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Our Lingwu Sect is located on Weiyang Mountain, which is the northern gateway to Danggui Mountain and directly faces the invasion of the Dainan monsters. Spring plowing is imminent, and the villages at the foot of the mountain are already almost empty. If we cannot eliminate these wicked beasts, we may face disaster next year."

"Disaster is secondary!"

Luo Wanlin continued, "What I fear most is a massive beast tide. I've heard that in some places..."

Luo Wanlin stopped mid-sentence.

But Xie Jun understood what he meant.

Although both families are currently facing some troubles, they are still far better off than the sects and aristocratic families closer to Puyin Mountain. The reason for this is not that the two families are stronger, but that the beast tide has dispersed their forces—in the vast Pudong region, although the beast tide numbers in the millions, it is impossible to cover every aspect.

However, time is poison.

Monsters have no end to their quests. Once they have nowhere left to gnaw on, they will continue their advance. Whether it is the Lingwu Sect hiding deep in the mountains or the Luo family on the plains, they will ultimately not escape their fate.

Will the monsters in the vicinity still be considered minor ailments by then?

"I see."

Li Xiangming sighed softly: "To be honest, my family is also deeply troubled by the monster calamity in Pudong. I was determined to sacrifice myself for righteousness, so I led my troops north to intercept the beast tide."

"However, the beast tide is overwhelming. News of the defeat at the Demon-Suppressing Camp must have already spread throughout Pudong. Now, the beast tide is advancing victoriously, and my family is truly powerless to stop it! Fortunately, our clan has some resources and had long ago set up a protective array on Dangui Mountain, which should be able to withstand the beast tide for a year or two!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanlin and Xie Jun immediately became anxious. Your Li family claims to be a descendant of the Golden Core cultivators and has many Foundation Establishment cultivators. With the mountain-protecting formation set up, of course you are safe!
What about Qingyuan and Weiyang Mountain? In a year or two, they'll probably be completely destroyed.

Luo Wanlin immediately stood up and said in a deep voice, "Deputy Steward Li, the power of this beast tide is unprecedented in a hundred years. Even a thousand-year-old sect like Shengyi Sect has been wiped out!"
Every family and sect in Pudong is invincible! They all yearn for the Li family to raise their voices, gather hundreds of cultivators, and unite to drive away the demonic beasts and restore peace and prosperity to Pudong. Why is the Li family so hesitant and timid?

"That's right!"

Xie Jun also stood up, his face filled with sorrow: "The demonic beasts are cruel and terrifying, and we cultivators can still avoid their sharp edge! Those weak mortals can only travel a hundred miles a day, and when they encounter demonic beasts, they are almost all killed without a complete corpse. How innocent they are! I beg Senior Li to consider the millions of lives in Pudong and not to lightly stand by and watch!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming's gaze shifted slightly as he carefully examined the gray-clad youth before him.

This young man speaks and acts with great discretion, but his words are full of hidden meanings. First, he points out that Weiyang Mountain is the northern gateway to Danggui Mountain, implying that Lingwu Gate is actually protecting the Li family from disaster. Now, he uses the pretext of the devastation in Pudong to put the Li family in a difficult position, which can be described as pressing them step by step.

Unfortunately, the Li family couldn't refute it.

He's quite the smooth talker; no wonder Lingwu Sect trusted him enough to send him as an envoy to the Li family.

Li Xiangming unconsciously stroked the edge of the teacup with his fingertips: "Fellow Daoist Xie cares for the common people, which I admire. However, those who wish to save the world must first secure their foundation. Now the beast tide is coming fiercely, and my Li family is weak and alone. If we rashly send out all our forces, I am afraid that not only will we fail to save Pudong, but we will also lose our thousand-year-old foundation."

As he spoke, he gently pushed open the tea lid, which fell onto the table and spun around a few times, making a soft sound: "At that time, who will protect the millions of people living at the foot of Dangui Mountain? Fellow Daoist Xie is young and promising, surely you understand the principle of 'If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach?'"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanlin's bronze-colored face twitched slightly.

Xie Jun, however, still straightened his back and said loudly, "Senior Li, you are mistaken! Although Danggui Mountain is as solid as a fortress, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If Pudong falls into the mouths of demons, when ten thousand demons surround it, even with the Tongtian Formation, how long can it hold out?"

Li Xiangming looked up again, and this time Xie Jun had spoken to his heart.

In fact, all forces in Pudong face this risk.

However, each family had different expectations. For example, the Li family initially held the idea of ​​waiting for the Bailu Sect or Hengyue Sect to send troops to quell the demon calamity. Especially after the defeat of the Demon Suppression Camp, the family became very pessimistic and resistant to resisting the beast tide.

If Li Qianxiong hadn't been leading his troops to attack the Qin family, and if the Li family hadn't urgently needed to open up the long logistical line from Danggui Mountain to Meiling, he might not have been able to persuade the elders to rebuild the Demon Suppression Camp.

Other factions and groups also had this idea to some extent—didn't you see that the allied forces supporting Dai consisted of only a handful of forces such as Bailumen, Fuhuguan, and Daodezong?

Everyone wants to protect themselves!
However, things took an unexpected turn.

The Mang Sect and the Bailu Sect suddenly started fighting.

Given the current situation, there's definitely no hope for Bailu Gate!

Will Hengyuemen intervene in Puxian County?

possible!
But there is another possibility: that Hengyue Sect will first help Bailu Sect quell the rebellion of the Mang Sect, and then come to wipe out the beast tide.

The evil will eventually disappear.

Everyone shares this consensus.

But for the local forces in Pudong, ending the demonic calamity a month earlier or a month later makes a world of difference!
Seeing that the two were getting anxious, Li Xiangming finally relented and slowly said, "The Li family can raise a big banner, but we are afraid that there are no people under its banner! Lingwu Sect and Luo Family are both exemplary figures of the righteous path in Pudong. Just as Fellow Daoist Xie said, the people of the world are suffering in dire straits. I wonder how much help Lingwu Sect and Luo Family can provide?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanlin and Xie Jun exchanged a glance.

Luo Wanlin spoke first, saying, "The Luo family has been raising horses for generations and is not good at fighting. In addition, the family is small, and even the patriarch only has Si Lin as his only son. I'm afraid he is not capable of shouldering great responsibilities! But for the sake of the overall situation in Pudong, my Luo family is willing to contribute five cultivators and fifty fine horses to help the Li family fight the demon beasts."

Xie Jun followed closely behind, but his face was somewhat melancholy: "The Luo family is small, and our Lingwu Sect is even more out of line. We can't even defend Weiyang Mountain properly, so we probably don't have any spare manpower to help. However, our sect leader has said that if the Li family is willing to send troops to exterminate the demon, the Lingwu Sect will immediately offer ten excellent magic weapons."

(End of this chapter)