Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

Old Man Jiang stood at the entrance of Wutong Alley, watching Li Changsheng personally hand over 10,000 spirit stones to Yun Jiuniang, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Li family in Qinglan County.

By a twist of fate, he did learn a little about it.

Over a year ago, Li Changsheng bought a young girl from a gambler in the market's market stalls. The girl was about to be sold to a brothel. Her name was Hu Xiaoyue, the daughter of the Hu family next door to the Jiang family. Xiaoyue and his granddaughter Xiaowan had grown up together and were very close, often corresponding. In her letters, Xiaoyue said that she was doing well in the Li family. The clan leader had allowed her to cultivate alongside her younger sister, Li Changle, and had her focus on talisman making. She was now a mid-grade first-level talisman maker. The Li family didn't treat her like a servant; her food, clothing, and daily necessities were the same as those of the rest of the Li family.

Old Man Jiang gripped his cane tightly.

He had lived most of his life and seen too many powerful and wealthy families who, while outwardly benevolent and righteous, were secretly wicked and promiscuous. Families like the Li family, who treated a purchased maid as one of their own, were extremely rare.

Seeing that Li Changsheng was about to leave with Yun Jiuniang, Old Man Jiang, leaning on his cane, quickly stepped forward. Jiang Xiaowan was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed to support her grandfather.

"Clan Chief Li! Clan Chief Li, please wait!"

Li Changsheng turned around and saw Old Man Jiang panting as he caught up. He quickly went to greet him, saying, "Old Man Jiang, please slow down."

Old Man Jiang took a few breaths, raised his head, looked at Li Changsheng, and his cloudy old eyes were full of earnestness:

"Clan Chief Li, this old man has a request. I wish to bring my granddaughter to join the Li family. Although my cultivation is low, I know a little about farming, brewing wine, and tending to spiritual plants. My granddaughter, Xiaowan, can also brew wine. I beg Clan Chief Li to accept her."

Li Changsheng looked at Old Man Jiang, then at the pretty girl of about fourteen or fifteen beside him. Jiang Xiaowan felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, lowered her head, and blushed slightly.

"Elder Jiang, you flatter me." Li Changsheng supported Elder Jiang's arm. "The Li family is more than happy to welcome you; there's no question of taking you in. Elder Jiang, go back and pack your things. We'll meet at the city gate soon and return to Qinglan Mountain together."

Old Man Jiang waved his hand, took a storage bag from his waist, weighed it in his hand, and grinned: "All my belongings are on me, there's nothing to pack. I can leave anytime."

……

City gate.

A treasure ship hovered steadily in mid-air, its hull engraved with the Yun family's emblem. At the bow, Yu Feng stood with his hands behind his back, his beard and hair flowing, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance. After receiving Yun Jiu Niang's message, he had volunteered to personally help the Li family upgrade their spiritual veins.

Li Changsheng quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Uncle Yu, I am truly sorry to have troubled you to make this trip in person."

Yu Feng laughed and waved his hand, "Don't be so polite. Your Li family won first place in the aristocratic family competition, which makes me proud." He looked Li Changsheng up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Marrow cleansing? Not bad, not bad. After entering the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave, your foundation is even more solid."

Li Changsheng smiled and brushed it off with a laugh.

Li Changle peeked out from behind her father, saw her master, and her little face lit up with joy. She skipped and hopped forward, exclaiming, "Master! You've come!"

Yu Feng stroked his beard and looked at his apprentice with a smile: "Le'er, come here, let your master see if you've been slacking off these past few months."

Li Changle obediently stood in front of the cover, took out the Qingqiu Next Day Plate from her storage bag, and handed it over with both hands: "Master, look! This array plate has been partially repaired!"

Yu Feng took the array plate, examined it carefully, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Repaired? Who repaired it?"

"My brother gave me an ancient array plate, which has merged with the Qingqiu Yitian Plate." Li Changle blinked. "Master, please take a look. What new functions does it have? I've been trying to figure it out for a long time, but I still can't understand it."

Yu Feng held the array plate in his palm, channeling his spiritual energy into it, causing the runes on the plate to light up layer by layer. He closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, then opened them and looked at Li Chang Le:

"The basic function of the array plate hasn't changed; it's still primarily for trapping and killing. But it now has an additional function: 'Deducing the Gate of Life.'" He handed the array plate back to Li Changle. "Try it. When activating the array plate, concentrate your mental energy on the array's core and don't let it wander."

Li Changle took the array plate, closed his eyes, and following his master's instructions, concentrated his spiritual power into a single line and poured it into the array's core. The runes on the array plate suddenly accelerated their flow, surging with spiritual light, condensing into a luminous diagram above the plate. Within this diagram, every node of the array, every point of life and death, was clearly visible.

"This is..." Li Changle's eyes widened.

"Array plate deduction." Yu Feng stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction. "With this function, you can deduce the strengths and weaknesses of an array before setting it up and adjust it in advance. When breaking an array, you can also find the escape route faster. Study it well; once you break through to the second-tier array master, the function of this array plate will be even stronger."

Li Changle held the array plate, reluctant to put it down.

Yu Feng then had Li Changle demonstrate how to enhance the spiritual veins of Qinglan Mountain.

the end.

Yu Feng commented:

"The core of the formation lies in the placement of the 'spiritual pivot nodes.' If the nodes are chosen correctly, the formation is half successful. Your formation always places the nodes in the areas with the densest spiritual energy, which is not wrong, but you have ignored the direction of the earth's veins. In areas with dense spiritual energy, the earth's veins may not be stable. If the nodes are unstable, the formation is prone to collapse."

He pointed to several nodes in the light diagram and explained them one by one:

"Look here, the spiritual energy concentration is good, but the earth veins run eastward. If the node is set here, the array base will shift over time. If it is set three feet to the west, the spiritual energy will be weaker, but the earth veins will be more stable, and the lifespan of the array can be extended by at least twice."

Li Changle listened intently, nodding repeatedly and occasionally asking questions. The master and apprentice exchanged questions and answers, using the professional terminology of array masters—spiritual pivot, array eye, array base, spiritual vein flow, rune arrangement, the five elements' mutual generation and restraint…

Old Man Jiang stood aside, listening with a heavy heart, but he understood one thing—Yu Feng, a second-tier array master and Foundation Establishment cultivator, never took on disciples, yet he had taken Li Changle as his disciple.

My awe for the Li family deepened even further.

With a Foundation Establishment array master like Yu Feng as their backer, the Li family can now stand firm in Qinglan County. He was originally somewhat apprehensive about joining the Li family, but now he felt a sense of relief—he had chosen the right person to follow.

……

The cabin.

Li Changsheng and Yun Jiuniang sat facing each other, the aroma of tea wafting gently.

"Ninth Miss," Li Changsheng put down his teacup, "I have a question for you. Do you know any reliable second-tier weapon refiners? I have a magical artifact that needs repairing."

Yun Jiuniang, holding her teacup, glanced at him and asked, "What kind of magical artifact?"

"The Seven Treasures Glazed Umbrella." Li Changsheng did not hide anything. "The ribs have several cracks and need to be repaired with Azure Sand. I have Azure Sand, but I lack a weapon refiner."

Yun Jiuniang pondered for a moment and said, "Our Yun family does have second-tier weapon refiners, but they are all from the Second Elder's lineage. It's not very convenient for me to take them back to the clan for repair."

Li Changsheng felt somewhat regretful.

"However," Yun Jiuniang changed the subject, "my aunt is a second-tier weapon refiner. She married into the Zhuo family. If you don't mind the distance, you can take my token and make a trip to the Zhuo family."

"The Zhuo family?" Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. Ye Wushuang's wealth was hidden in the desolate mountains of the Zhuo family's fiefdom.

"My aunt didn't want to be forced into an arranged marriage by the family and insisted on marrying the man she loved." Yun Jiuniang's tone was tinged with regret. "Back then, she acted first and informed the family later, only returning to the Yun family with her child after giving birth. The Yun family was furious, considering her rebellious and disobedient, so they... well, you could say they exiled her. From then on, my aunt almost completely severed ties with her family."

She paused, then said:

"However, my aunt's marriage into the Zhuo family was a twist of fate, leading her to the path of weapon crafting. She unexpectedly discovered that her greatest talent was weapon crafting, and over the years she has advanced to become a second-tier weapon crafter. She and my uncle do not compete for power in the Zhuo family, but focus on weapon crafting, and are respected in the clan."

She took out a jade hairpin from her sleeve and handed it to Li Changsheng:

"This is my keepsake. Take this to your aunt; she'll probably help you out of respect for me."

Li Changsheng accepted the jade hairpin and solemnly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Ninth Miss."

……

The treasure ship slowly descended at Qinglan Mountain.

The mountain gate had been closed for three months, but it has finally been opened now.

Li Shouyi had already received the news and led his clansmen to line up outside the mountain gate to wait. Chen Wenyuan stood at the very front, his back ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on the treasure ship.

The hatch opened, and Li Changsheng stepped out first.

"The clan leader has returned in triumph! The Li family is mighty!"

Chen Wenyuan shouted at the top of his lungs, and the clansmen behind him shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

"The clan leader is mighty! The Li family is mighty!"

"Winning first place! Bringing glory to our ancestors!"

Li Chang'an shouted the loudest, his voice cracking, but he kept shouting. Hu Xiaoyue stood in the crowd, her face flushed, clapping frantically. The young clansmen looked at Li Changsheng with eyes full of admiration and respect. From being penniless to winning first place in the aristocratic family competition, the Li family had only taken less than three years. And all of this was brought about by the clan leader.

Li Changsheng raised his hand to quiet the crowd, and the cheers gradually subsided. His gaze swept over the crowd, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"It's lunchtime, everyone can go home now."

The clansmen laughed and dispersed.

Yun Jiuniang did not disembark. Standing on the ship's side, she said to Li Changsheng, "The person has been delivered. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Uncle Yu will arrange the upgrade of the spiritual vein."

Li Changsheng cupped his hands in greeting: "Ninth Miss, please take care."

The treasure ship soared into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

Yu Feng led the array masters off the ship and waved to Li Changsheng: "No need to greet me, go about your business. Le'er, come on, take your master to see the spiritual veins of your Qinglan Mountain."

Li Changle responded crisply and skipped along, leading Yu Feng and the array masters towards the back mountain.

……

The head of the house.

Li's mother and grandmother prepared a table full of dishes. Steamed silver-scaled fish, braised fire cloud chicken, stewed pork ribs with spirit mushrooms, red marrow rice, spirit fruit platter... Every dish was made with first-grade spirit ingredients, with perfect color, aroma, and taste, and a restrained spiritual light.

Wearing an apron, Li's mother brought out the last soup from the kitchen and greeted everyone with a smile: "Sit down, sit down, eat it while it's hot."

Li Changsheng helped his grandmother sit down, and then invited his grandfather, father, younger sister, and elder sister's husband to sit down as well. The family sat around the table, enjoying a harmonious and happy time together.

Li Changle picked up a piece of fish and stuffed it into her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents: "Mother, your cooking is getting better and better! This silver-scaled fish is steamed so tenderly, it melts in your mouth! With your skills, you could open a restaurant!"

Li's mother was beaming from her daughter's praise, but said, "You're so sweet-talking."

Li Changsheng put down his chopsticks and smiled, "Mother, Changle is right. Once we have enough money, we'll open a restaurant in Anyang County. You just need to focus on developing the dishes; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Li's mother glared at him, but couldn't help but smile: "You certainly know how to make empty promises."

The whole family burst into laughter.

After the meal, Li Changsheng's grandparents took him to a side hall to talk.

His grandmother held his hand and patted it: "Changsheng, you are now the clan leader, the backbone of our Li family. A person of your worth should not stand under a dangerous wall. You should avoid going to dangerous places like the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts in the future. If anything happens to you, the Li family will be in ruins."

Li Changsheng nodded: "Grandmother is right."

Grandfather stroked his beard and continued, "Changsheng, your grandmother is right. However, for our Li family to develop, we have to take some risks. We should avoid them if possible, and if we can't avoid them, we should make as many preparations as possible."

Li Changsheng nodded again.

Grandmother said again:

"The spirit mulberry trees in the underground river behind the mountain have grown to maturity, and we can officially start mass silkworm rearing. Our Jiufang family are professional silkworm farmers. Although we used to raise ordinary silkworms, we are experts in everything. It's time to bring over the elders of Jiufang from Lijiabao. They are the real masters of silkworm rearing."

Grandfather nodded in agreement:

"The Heavenly Dragon Temple needs more believers. It would be best to relocate most of the Li Family Village clan here. With more people, the incense will burn brighter, and the temple's protective power will be stronger."

The two elders exchanged a glance, and the grandmother said softly:

"Changsheng, when we left Lijiabao back then, your uncle's family, your eldest sister, and your second sister's family were away on business and couldn't make it back. Your second sister had a hard life, becoming a widow at a young age and struggling alone in the outside world. I've always been worried about her. Now that our Li family has established itself in Qinglan Mountain, it's time to bring your uncle, eldest sister, and second sister over so the family can be reunited."

His second sister was eight years older than him, and he was only five years old when she got married.

Later, her second sister's husband passed away, leaving her a widow. Her husband's family treated her poorly, so she took her children and returned to Lijiabao to do business with her younger brother-in-law.

"Grandmother, don't worry. I'll go pick up my eldest sister and the others once I've finished dealing with the spiritual vein upgrade."

The last time I traveled from Lijiabao to Donghuang, it took me more than half a year.

One round trip.

It will take at least a year.

Also.

Although the Li family had a flying boat that could carry dozens of people, it was still not enough to bring most of their clansmen from their ancestral home.

and so.

He also had to find a way to lease a treasure ship.

Large treasure ships and other magical artifacts are almost all controlled by aristocratic families and the imperial court. Even if an aristocratic family that does not meet the standards has enough spirit stones, it has no way or qualification to purchase them.

They lived in the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty.

No matter what, we must try to obtain a noble family title, even if it is the lowest-ranking ninth-grade family, otherwise it will be difficult to carry out many things.