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

Chapter 109 Expelled from the Family Register, A Weapon-Refining Genius, A Shocking Secret

As the red feather flew over Yunshan County, Li Changsheng patted its neck, signaling it to land in a secluded grove near the Du family's mountain gate.

"Little sister, wait for me here." He jumped off the chicken's back and said to Li Chang Le, "If anything happens, take Chi Yu and leave immediately, don't worry about me."

Li Changle knew that his elder brother always acted with discretion, so he nodded, put the red feather into his spirit beast bag, and hid himself in the canopy of an ancient tree, holding the array plate in his hand, ready to provide support at any time.

Li Changsheng straightened his robes and walked alone toward the Zhuo family's mountain gate.

The Zhuojia Mountain Gate is built on a low peak, with bluestone steps leading from the foot of the mountain to the top, and stone lions standing on both sides, looking majestic.

At the mountain gate stood a tall archway, inscribed with the two characters "Zhuo Clan" in vigorous strokes, clearly the work of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. On either side of the archway stood a guard, both at the late Qi Refining stage, with magical artifacts hanging from their waists and eyes as sharp as eagles.

Li Changsheng looked up at the protective array that enveloped the entire mountain peak.

Amidst the flowing light and the flickering runes, an invisible pressure emanated from the formation, making it difficult for people to breathe.

He had read about this formation in the book "Records of Families in the Eastern Wilderness" that Yun Jiuniang had given him.

The Xuanjia Tianluo Formation is a mid-grade, second-tier offensive and defensive formation, created by Yun Canghai, a deceased second-tier formation master from the Yun family. Based on the "Xuanjia" armor, it can withstand the full force of an attack from a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator; the "Tianluo" net traps any enemy who enters, making escape impossible. When activated, the entire mountain peak is as if clad in an invisible armor, impregnable.

As expected of a long-established family of alchemists.

Li Changsheng sighed with emotion and strode towards the mountain gate.

"Halt!" The guard on the left reached out and stopped him, sizing him up. Seeing that Li Changsheng was dressed plainly and his cultivation was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes. "Who goes there? Do you have a visiting card?"

Li Changsheng took out a visiting card from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "Li Changsheng of the Li family of Qinglan County requests an audience with Madam Yun Ruolan."

The guard took the visiting card, glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.

The Li family—the Li family that came out on top in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave?

He looked up and glanced at Li Changsheng again. He had thought that the saying that "the Li family patriarch was at the fifth level of Qi Refining" was a rumor, but he didn't expect it to be true.

A young man at the fifth level of Qi Refining, accompanied by a young girl at the fifth level of Qi Refining and an old man at the fourth level of Qi Refining, not only managed to survive the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave but also won first place.

The guard felt a mix of emotions.

He had served as a guard in the Zhuo family for decades, and his cultivation had reached the late stage of Qi Refining, yet he had never been able to enter the Zhuo family's power center. This young man in front of him, who was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, was actually the head of a clan and was doing very well.

The imbalance in his heart turned into an unnamed fire, burning him and making his chest feel suffocated.

"The Zhuo family has no such person." He shoved the visiting card into Li Changsheng's arms and waved his hand impatiently. "Go away, go away, don't get in my way."

Li Changsheng frowned slightly, but did not react. He put away the visiting card and turned to leave.

After walking several miles, Li Changsheng stopped in a secluded mountain valley and entered the Heavenly Book space with his mind.

Inside the thatched hut, Ye Wushuang was squatting by the spirit field, loosening the soil for the Foundation Establishment master. When she saw Li Changsheng enter, she quickly stood up, bowing and scraping, "Master, you've arrived."

-

"I'm asking you, why isn't Yun Jiu Niang's aunt—Yun Ruo Lan—at the Zhuo family anymore?"

Ye Wushuang was taken aback, then sighed, put down his hoe, sat down on the edge of the field, patted the dirt beside him, and gestured for Li Changsheng to sit. Li Changsheng did not sit, but stood in front of him, waiting for him to speak.

"Yun Ruolan, that person—" Ye Wushuang shook his head, his tone filled with admiration, "is too upright. So upright that she doesn't seem like a cultivator, but more like a chivalrous woman from the martial arts world."

He paused for a moment, then began to speak.

After Yun Ruolan married into the Zhuo family, things were fine at first.

The Zhuo family had secured a connection with the Yun family, and although Yun Ruolan had almost completely severed ties with her maternal family, the Zhuo family treated her with considerable respect. She was straightforward and couldn't stand injustice. Some of the Zhuo family's clan rules were unreasonable, and she repeatedly spoke out against them at clan meetings, even contradicting the clan head. The clan head, mindful of her status, didn't retaliate, but he held a grudge.

later.

A member of a collateral branch of the Zhuo family was falsely accused of stealing spiritual materials from the clan and was to have his cultivation abolished and be expelled from the family.

Yun Ruolan felt there were many suspicious points in the case and insisted on investigating it.

She investigated for three months and actually uncovered the truth—the real thief was the clan chief's nephew.

To cover it up, the clan chief set a trap.

"What trap?" Li Changsheng asked.

Ye Wushuang sneered, "The clan leader had an anonymous letter placed in Yun Ruolan's weapon-refining room, accusing her of being an accomplice of her nephew. Yun Ruolan investigated according to the clues in the letter, but was discovered to have trespassed into forbidden territory and stolen clan secrets. The clan leader seized the opportunity to make a big fuss, accusing Yun Ruolan of colluding with outsiders and plotting something sinister."

Li Changsheng remained silent.

"According to clan rules, colluding with outsiders and plotting treason is punishable by the loss of cultivation and expulsion from the clan," Ye Wushuang said. "But the clan leader didn't dare to go too far, after all, her surname is Yun. In the end, they only expelled her family from the clan register and drove them out of the Zhuo family. The matter was handled discreetly, and the only public statement was that Yun Ruolan voluntarily left the clan." As for the Yun family, Yun Ruolan had already severed ties with her maternal family, and no one came to inquire about it.

"She actually did better after leaving the Zhuo family."

Ye Wushuang's tone became more relaxed: "Without those worries, and with her husband supporting her research in weapon crafting, her weapon crafting skills have improved by leaps and bounds. A few years ago, with her peak Qi Refining cultivation, she successfully advanced to a second-tier weapon crafter and even received a second-tier certificate issued by the imperial court."

"Certificate?" This was the first time Li Changsheng had heard this term.

Ye Wushuang explained, "The Hundred Arts of Cultivation include alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman making, formation making, spiritual plant cultivation, and spiritual cooking. Once you break through to the second tier, you can take an exam at a special department of the imperial court. If you pass, you will be awarded a second-tier certificate, proving that you have the level of the second tier. With this certificate, you can choose to join the Hundred Arts of Cultivation Guild established by the imperial court."

What are the benefits of joining a union?

"There are many benefits."

Ye Wushuang counted on her fingers: "We can access pill formulas, spiritual materials, and refining secrets that the imperial court does not allow to the public. The guild also organizes exchange activities regularly, and the channels for meeting like-minded people are a hundred times better than those for independent cultivators. However, we also have an obligation to complete a certain quota of tasks for the imperial court every three years. If the imperial court encounters an emergency and issues a conscription order, we must respond."

He paused, then added, "With a second-tier certificate, every powerful family in the Eastern Wilderness will be eager to recruit you and treat you as an honored guest. Even a rogue cultivator will be highly sought after."

Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat: "Can a second-tier certificate grant access to the Foundation Establishment Pill formula?"

Ye Wushuang scratched his head: "This—I don't know. But even if the court gives you the formula, they will definitely have ways to prevent you from spreading it. But in any case, having a certificate will certainly bring you a lot of convenience."

Li Changsheng nodded, secretly making plans in his mind.

His alchemy talent has now reached 80% of the ninth rank, not far from the eighth rank. Once he breaks through to the second-tier alchemist, he'll take the certification exam and join the Alchemist Guild. Perhaps then he'll have the opportunity to access the Foundation Establishment Pill formula. Even if not, the guild is a vast channel for building connections.

"Master, what do you want with Yun Ruolan?" Ye Wushuang asked, not wanting to be bothered.

"Repair a second-tier magical artifact."

Ye Wu's eyes darted around, and he suddenly lowered his voice: "Master, speaking of weapon crafting—I know a huge secret."

"explain."

"A father and son are being held captive in the Zhuo family's secret chamber." Ye Wushuang's voice was extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard. "The father and son are rogue cultivators surnamed Shen. The father is named Shen Tieshan, and the son is named Shen Qing. Shen Tieshan's talent for refining weapons is exceptional. The Zhuo family somehow found out about this and tricked him into coming to the Zhuo family."

"How did you lie?"

"The Zhuo family first spread the word that they were recruiting weapon refiners with generous benefits. Shen Tieshan was only a first-grade high-level weapon refiner at the time, and he was worried about not having a good weapon refining environment, so he came to apply. The Zhuo family treated him with great courtesy, providing him with good food and drink, and letting him concentrate on weapon refining. Shen Tieshan was extremely grateful and worked hard, refining many good things for the Zhuo family."

Ye Wushuang sneered: "Once he has forged a batch of good magical artifacts, the Zhuo family will reveal their true colors."

Using Shen Qing's life as leverage, they imprisoned Shen Tieshan, forcing him to forge weapons day and night. To maximize his potential, the Zhuo family even married their clan leader's daughter to Shen Qing, telling him that as long as his father forged weapons diligently, he and his son would have unlimited prospects in the future.

Shen Qing is still unaware that her father is under house arrest, believing he is simply in seclusion for cultivation.

"Shen Tieshan had no choice but to swallow his anger for the sake of his son."

His talent for weapon crafting was indeed remarkable; he had successfully broken through to the second-tier weapon crafter several years ago. However, the Zhuo family patriarch kept this news tightly under wraps, only saying to the outside world that Shen Tieshan had suffered a qi deviation during his cultivation and had died.

In reality, he was imprisoned in a secret underground chamber beneath the Zhuo clan chief's outer quarters, a fact known only to the clan chief.

After listening, Li Changsheng remained silent for a moment.

"Does Yun Ruolan know about this?"

Ye Wushuang shook her head: "I don't know. Shen Tieshan hadn't arrived when she left the Zhuo family. Even if she were still in the Zhuo family, given the Zhuo patriarch's caution, he wouldn't have let her know."

"Where exactly are the Tibetan areas located?"

Ye Wushuang took out a sketch from his bosom and handed it to Li Changsheng: "The Zhuo clan chief's mistress is in a secluded courtyard in the southeast corner of the Zhuo family's fiefdom. The entrance to the underground secret chamber is under the artificial hill in the back garden of the secluded courtyard. I discovered it by chance back then. The formation was set up in a hidden way, but it could not escape my eyes."

Li Changsheng took the sketch, glanced at it, and put it into his pocket.

He already had a plan in mind.

Shen Tieshan, a second-tier weapon refiner.

If they can rescue him, the Li family will gain another second-tier weapon refiner.

Advancing to the ninth rank of a noble family requires four second-level cultivators specializing in various arts and crafts, achieving two goals at once.

However, this matter requires careful consideration and should not be rushed.

"You continue to look after the spirit field."

Li Changsheng left with a single sentence before withdrawing his consciousness from the Heavenly Book Space.

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