Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 581 Cinnabar Peony
Xiaolan Valley.

Ten acres of flower fields spread out in the twilight, with all kinds of colorful flowers blooming in competition.

The crimson-purple crabapple blossoms exhaled a thin mist, the St. John's wort swayed in the wind, releasing its fragrance, and a few rare evening primroses still had dewdrops clinging to their petals.

Ding Xia, lifting the hem of her skirt, walked through the crowd, her embroidered shoes crunching over the soft soil, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, like a joyful butterfly.

Li Xiangming followed behind her and saw the radiant smile on her face, which stirred something within him.

He never actually thought that Ding Xia would have special feelings for him.

After all, the two of them hardly ever met in Puxian County.

Ding Xia never contacted him.

But he was indeed Ding Xia's only acquaintance in Pu County.

Previously in Changyang Valley, Ding Xia had expressed her dissatisfaction with his frequent disappearances.

He simply overlooked it.

In his view, Ding Xia was still young, and the slight signs of teenage infatuation could not be considered true love.

Just as he always regarded Chi Youyan as his younger sister.

However, he was not a saint.

Every smile and frown of the beautiful woman would affect his emotions.

Compared to Chi Youyan's straightforwardness, Ding Xia's restraint made him feel guilty and more likely to feel pity for her.

"Li Xiangming, come quick!"

Ding Xia suddenly stopped in front of a cluster of fiery red peonies and waved.

Li Xiangming immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "Just like you."

"Could you help me put it on my head?"

Ding Xia rubbed the corner of her clothes shyly, her voice barely audible.

Li Xiangming raised his hand to stroke her cheek and said softly, "Turn around."

Ding Xia obediently did as she was told.

Li Xiangming gathered her hair up from behind, then plucked a cinnabar peony and tucked it into her hair.

"Does it look good?"

"nice!"

Li Xiangming gently turned Ding Xia's shoulder, a smile playing on his lips: "Prettier than flowers."

Ding Xia blushed instantly and threw herself at Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming put his arm around her, then hesitated for a moment before gently pushing her away: "Ding Xia, if you want to go back to Hao County, I'll send someone to take you back right now."

Ding Xia paused for a moment, then did not answer.

Li Xiangming looked at her and sighed, "You weren't happy staying in Pu County, otherwise you wouldn't have said you wanted to go back. Now you've earned a considerable amount of spirit stones, enough for you to cultivate in seclusion in the Dendrobium Market for twenty or thirty years. Don't worry about the Li family; I'll handle it for you. If the Fa Rong Cave continues to bother you, just tell me, and I'll help you resolve it too."

Halfway through her sentence, Ding Xia suddenly gripped Li Xiangming's green robe tightly, her eyes welling up with tears: "You brought me here, so if I have to go back, you should be the one to take me back."

"It is precisely because I cannot see you off that I hope you can leave."

Li Xiangming closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again: "I was born a member of the Li family, and I will die a member of the Li family! You are not from a prominent family, so you will not like the Li family, nor will you find happiness in the Li family."

He knew he could keep Ding Xia with just a few words. He also knew how important Ding Xia was to the Li family.

But this is far too unfair to Ding Xia.

This genius array master, like the surrounding vermilion peonies, was destined for a brilliant life.

Instead of being easily bound to the Li family by him, she had to share even the most beautiful love with someone else.

"Why, why are you saying these things at this time?"

Ding Xia could no longer suppress her emotions, and tears welled up in her eyes. She said excitedly, "Why did you save me time and time again? Why did you take me away, and then bring me here?"

As she spoke, she slumped down in the flower field, covering her face and sobbing, "Li Xiangming, I didn't even want to talk to you anymore, but you insisted on coming after me. It's all your fault, all your fault!"

Seeing this, Li Xiangming also felt bad.

He bent down, half-kneeling in front of Ding Xia, and said earnestly, "I brought you here because you deserve it."

He paused, then added, "I'm saying all this now because you deserve it."

"You're a big liar!"

Ding Xia suddenly plucked the flowers and plants beside her and threw them at Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming let her vent.

After an unknown amount of time, Ding Xia finally stopped what she was doing.

"Miss Ding"

Li Xiangming spoke in a low voice, wanting to know her reply.

However, after Ding Xia broke down in tears, she seemed exhausted and lay face down on his knees, not saying a word. Time flowed slowly by.

Li Xiangming couldn't help but gently stroke Ding Xia's hair, only to find that she had already fallen asleep.

"Ugh!"

Li Xiangming suddenly remembered Li Xiangren.

The eldest brother is also wavering in his feelings, and he is now experiencing the difficulties firsthand.

To say that he had absolutely no feelings for Ding Xia would be a lie.

But Ding Xia is not Chi Youyan.

He could take Chi Youyan as a concubine, and even if Cao Yanjun was unhappy, he wouldn't say anything. Chi Youyan wouldn't feel any pain either, because they came from families where they were instilled with the concept of male superiority and female inferiority from a young age.

Ding Xia didn't have these concepts.

Even though she was passionate, she never took the initiative to contact him.

This shows that she has a very strong sense of self-respect.

He didn't want Ding Xia to feel uncomfortable seeing Cao Yanjun, just like Ye Yun felt when she saw Min Ning, ultimately repeating the mistakes of his elder brother and sister-in-law. Cutting ties with Ding Xia now was for the best for her, for Cao Yanjun, and for himself.

However.
Looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, Li Xiangming was conflicted once again.

Ding Xia is not a good girl.

He won't change his mind because of what he said.

Her current deep sleep seems more like an expression of her dissatisfaction.

He has already hurt the other person once, so why should he hurt them a second time?
After hesitating for a long time, Li Xiangming did not wake Ding Xia, but instead carried her back to the Green Cloud Cave camp in the northwest of Xiaolan Valley.

"Master!"

Xu Qingchi had been waiting in front of the camp for a long time. When he saw the two, he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "The deputy sect leader and the Chi family head are waiting for you."

"Make them wait."

Li Xiangming remained expressionless and turned to arrange a room for Ding Xia.

Xu Qingchi followed cautiously behind.

The sudden appearance of their master in Xiaolan Valley did not frighten the people in the valley, especially the cultivators of the Chi family, who were almost ready to apologize.

But the master wouldn't see anyone else, only allowing himself to serve by his side.

Even now, the mention of the deputy sect leader still elicits a cold response.

This is going to be difficult.

Master is probably still angry about Green Cloud Cave's unauthorized return to Little Orchid Valley. Especially since the Vice Sect Leader and Brother Lai Yong brought back a group of Demon Suppression Camp cultivators.

But no matter what, Master is back!
Xu Qingchi felt both apprehensive and excited.

After a while, Li Xiangming finally came out of the room and looked Xu Qingchi up and down: "How is your cultivation progressing now?"

Xu Qingchi was startled and quickly sat cross-legged, circulating his internal energy to force out his magical power.

"Still at the second level of Qi Refining?"

Li Xiangming was slightly disappointed, but he didn't show it on his face.

After all, he had indeed neglected his eldest disciple.

After a moment's thought, he took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it over: "This is the cultivation method I have chosen for you. Practice it diligently. If you have any questions, come and ask me for clarification anytime."

Xu Qingchi respectfully accepted the jade slip, and was immediately stunned when his divine sense seeped into it.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses and stammered, "Master, the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique! Is this something a younger brother like me can practice?"

Having been a disciple of Green Cloud Cave for so long, he has gained a certain understanding of the sect's history.

The Lesser Xiaoxiang Manual is the supreme scripture of the Green Cloud Cave! Only the successive sect leaders are qualified to cultivate it. Although he is the sect leader's eldest disciple, he is also the only disciple.

But he's not the sect leader, is he?

Moreover, he has extremely poor aptitude, and even if he grows up, he will find it difficult to shoulder the heavy responsibility of becoming the sect leader.

Why did his master pass on the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique to him?

Li Xiangming did not answer, but took out four bottles each of Huangya Dan and Ningqi Dan and stuffed them into his hand.

These pills are enough for him to win over several cultivators from the Demon Suppression Camp. However, he doesn't need to feel bad about giving them to his disciples.

"Qingchi, don't underestimate yourself."

Li Xiangming looked at him and said seriously, "I hope you can make a plan for your life. Whether you want to be the top disciple of Green Cloud Cave or the sect leader of Green Cloud Cave, your master will support you. It's up to you to decide what to do."

Xu Qingchi listened to these words in a daze, his hand trembling slightly as he took the pill.

Li Xiangming, however, had already lost interest in talking. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go ahead and have Zhang Min come to see me."

He added as soon as he finished speaking, "We can bring Luo Changqing along."

(End of this chapter)