Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 1 Li Xiangming

The Pu River originates from the northeast and flows southwest, traversing tens of thousands of miles in a ceaseless flow.

Fifty years ago, the Wuliang Sword Sect rallied countless cultivators to head south, where they fought a fierce battle against the Nanbin demon race on this great river.

As time passed, the once blood-red river became clear, and seven or eight sailboats of various sizes moved slowly forward on the river. The incessant chatter that drifted into the air added to the river's liveliness.

Li Xiangming stood on the deck, looking at the shimmering water, lost in thought.

"Young Master Li?"

Just then, a tall Taoist priest approached from behind. Li Xiangming quickly turned around, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Taoist Master."

The Taoist priest was over nine feet tall, and his gray Taoist robe fit him perfectly. His white beard swayed in the wind, and his face was thin, but his eyes were piercing, giving people a sense of unfathomable depth.

"Why are you acting like a child? Are you eager to go home?" The gray-robed Taoist smiled slightly.

Li Xiangming was speechless and did not refute, only saying, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Daoist."

Li Xiangming was born into the Li family, a family of cultivators in Hao County, Zhangning Prefecture. At the age of seven, he was found to have three spiritual roots: water, wood, and fire. Among them, the water spiritual root was a high-grade spiritual root, which can be considered as remarkable talent.

However, Li Xiangming did not stay in the Li family to cultivate. Instead, he was sent by his clansmen to the Green Cloud Cave to become a disciple of the Green Cloud Fairy.

That departure lasted for ten years.

Ten years have passed, and the cultivation world has undergone tremendous changes, as has the Li family.

Under the leadership of Li Qianxiong, the head of the Li family, the entire family moved to Puxian County, Shun'an Prefecture, and established the Li family of Danggui Mountain.

Shun'an Prefecture was originally the habitat of the demon race in Nanbin. The Heng Kingdom's cultivation world, led by the Wuliang Sword Sect, first won a fierce battle at Qishan, and then defeated the demon race at Pushui, seizing this large area of ​​land.

Although the war went smoothly, the demon race was stubborn and continued to harass the area after their defeat. It took a long time for Shun'an Prefecture to establish its administrative center, demarcate its boundaries, and relocate its people.

Shun'an Prefecture has a vast territory, but its administrative power is weak, consisting of only four counties. Among them, Pu County, the southernmost county, was established only two years ago, and is mostly wilderness with a sparse population.

If this is the case in Puxian County, then the barren Danggui Mountain, located in the eastern corner of the county, is even more so.

The Li family was busy building their clan's land on the mountain, cultivating spiritual fields, sending people to eliminate the surrounding monsters, and establishing settlements for mortals in the vicinity.

In order to alleviate the pressure of manpower shortage, Li Qianxiong had no choice but to order all Li family cultivators over the age of fifteen to come out and work for the family.

Therefore, Li Xiangming, who was cultivating in the Green Cloud Cave, was also summoned home.

Li Xiangming entered Shun'an Prefecture, passed through Baliu County and Qingshui County, and finally boarded a cargo ship at Bailu Gate in Dahuang Town, northeast of Pu County, intending to travel south by waterway.

The old Taoist priest beside Li Xiangming had the same idea.

The two met by chance, and although they were of very different ages and did not know each other's names or backgrounds, they got along very well.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, come over here and have a couple of drinks with this old Taoist priest."

The gray-robed Taoist was very talkative. He took Li Xiangming's hand and led him into the cabin.

Li Xiangming naturally wouldn't refuse. The two sat on the futons, drinking fine wine and discussing interesting things about cultivation.

"Master, you enjoy fine wine. Why don't you try this?"

Li Xiangming spoke up, taking out a wine pot.

"Oh? What kind of wine is this?"

The gray-robed Taoist priest was very curious.

"I tinkered with this in my spare time, but unfortunately it is just a mundane thing and I'm afraid it won't meet the Daoist's standards."

"It's alright, all wines have flavor."

The gray-robed Taoist took the wine pot, smelled it, and a rich aroma of wine wafted over him.

The Taoist priest's eyes lit up, and he placed a porcelain bowl on the table, filling it to the brim.

"Master, please don't be impatient, take your time," Li Xiangming said hastily, startled.

"It's alright, the old Taoist is known as a drunkard, it's nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about!"

After saying this, the gray-robed Taoist drank it down in one gulp, and immediately felt his throat burning.

"Wow! This liquor is really strong!"

The gray-robed Taoist priest coughed repeatedly, his face flushed. Li Xiangming quickly offered him tea.

"Young Master Li is quite accomplished at such a young age; I never expected him to be such a skilled brewer as well."

It took the gray-robed Taoist priest a while to recover.

"Not at all, not at all. Such strong liquor! You, Daoist, drink it with such gusto, truly worthy of being called the Immortal of Wine!"

Li Xiangming offered a compliment.

This rice wine was originally ordinary; he had bought it from the ship. However, after several distillations, its concentration was extremely high. Although the gray-robed Taoist made a fool of himself, he drank a bowl and his tone remained composed, proving he was indeed a heavy drinker.

Speaking of distillation, we must mention Li Xiangming's special identity: he is a time traveler.

Unlike ordinary time travel, he transmigrated to the moment when this body was just born, and coexisted with its original soul, forming a state of one child with two souls.

Li Xiangming didn't know why this was happening. When he was a child, he could clearly sense the existence of another consciousness.

But as his body slowly grew, his soul began to take the lead, and the other consciousness disappeared, as if it had been merged with him.

As a transmigrator who came to the cultivation world, Li Xiangming was deeply obsessed with becoming an immortal. He diligently studied at the Green Cloud Cave for ten years.

However, limited by his status as a member of the Li family, no matter how hard he tried, he could not win the favor of Fairy Green Cloud. Only after returning to his family could he finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Young Master Li, your wine tastes a little off, but it's quite potent. I've never tasted such strong wine before. Surely this isn't your invention?"

The gray-robed Taoist shook his head and asked curiously.

"A family secret recipe."

Li Xiangming is always good at making excuses for things that are hard to explain.

"I see!"

"There aren't many cultivation families that moved from Pu County, but they are skilled at brewing wine."

The gray-robed Taoist priest fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming said speechlessly, "Compared to my background, Daoist Master, you are the one who arouses my curiosity."

"What is there for me, a poor, old Taoist priest and a traveler from all over the world, to be curious about?"

"You're too modest, Daoist. It's no small feat to be able to enter Pu County and board the boat of Bailu Gate."

Li Xiangming chuckled.

Pu County is forbidden by the Hengyue Sect; no cultivator or mortal may set foot there without permission.

The gray-robed Taoist priest arrived without warning, indicating he must have an extraordinary background, which is why Li Xiangming catered to his preferences.

When you're out and about, having more friends means having more options.

As for the Bailu Sect, it was originally a cultivation sect in Zhangning Prefecture. It was assigned by the Hengyue Sect to move to Pu County, and can be considered the Hengyue Sect's agent in Shun'an Prefecture.

Like the Li family, Bailumen had only been in Puxian for two years and was far from being established. Therefore, Bailumen's ships for transporting supplies were not open to outsiders. Li Xiangming was able to board the ship by using the Li family's name.

If the gray-robed Taoist was indeed a wandering cultivator as he claimed, he would be disliked by the White Dew Sect and would have no chance of boarding this ship.

After testing each other for a while, neither was willing to reveal their secrets to the other first, so they gave up.

At this moment, the ship began to rock slightly.

The gray-robed Taoist stood up and said in a low voice, "Something is coming."

Li Xiangming frowned. What dared to ram the ships of Bailu Gate?
Before he could spread his divine sense, a loud shout suddenly rang out: "Everyone be quiet and retreat to the cabin."

This was followed by a powerful shout accompanied by immense magical power: "What kind of monster are you? Show yourself!"

"He is a foundation-building cultivator."

Li Xiangming was shocked. His divine sense detected two powerful auras, and there were actually two Foundation Establishment cultivators on the ship!
But isn't this a cargo ship that transports ordinary goods?
In the cultivation world, Qi Refining is easy but Foundation Establishment is difficult. Cultivators who can establish Foundation Establishment can start their own sects. Why would the White Dew Sect arrange for two Foundation Establishment cultivators to be here?
"Oh no, let's go out and check."

Li Xiangming looked anxious. He didn't believe in coincidences. This ship must have something very important, and that something was being targeted.

The gray-robed Taoist thought the same thing. The two of them quickly walked out of the room, pushed through the chaotic crowd, and came to the deck. What they saw was a waterspout a hundred feet high.

(End of this chapter)