Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 36: Planning a House

In the golden autumn of August, a cool breeze was blowing.

The spirit pool in the Tihu Cave is shrouded in mist, exuding an ethereal aura.

Li Xiangming sat to one side, playing with the magic power in his hand, a look of surprise on his face.

"You brat, aren't you coming out yet?"

A deep voice rang out, followed by the sound of Li Huinan's footsteps.

Upon seeing the visitor, Li Xiangming quickly bowed and greeted him: "Grand Uncle."

"Huh? You've broken through to a higher realm?"

"lucky."

Li Xiangming smiled shyly. He had been left in the Tihu Cave by Li Huinan with the intention of dealing with the evil Green Robe.

Before he knew it, half a year had passed in the blink of an eye, and he unexpectedly broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, thus joining the ranks of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

"What kind of luck is this? Why didn't you say so when you ate two bottles of my Qi-Nourishing Pills?"

Li Huinan laughed and scolded.

"It's all thanks to Grand Uncle."

Li Xiangming sincerely cupped his hands in thanks.

His greatest gain from Tihu Cave was not the spiritual energy of the place, but Li Huinan's guidance.

Li Huinan basically taught him how to solve any problems he encountered in his spiritual practice.

If the progress was even slightly slow, Li Huinan couldn't stand it and stuffed all sorts of Spirit Gathering Pills and Qi Cultivation Pills into his hands.

In just six months, Li Xiangming was so engrossed in his pleasure that he almost forgot the sense of crisis brought by the evil Green Robe.

"It's not entirely my doing."

Li Huinan stroked his beard. If he could break through to the next realm with just a little guidance and some pills, the Li family would have already soared to great heights.

His help may be important, but the effect of that help would be completely different for each person.

Ultimately, spiritual practice depends on the individual.

"Now that you have broken through to the next level, it is only natural for me to send you away."

As he spoke, Li Huinan tossed out a sound transmission talisman.

Li Xiangming took it and looked at it. Inside was a message from the family head instructing Li Huinan to urge him to leave seclusion.

There wasn't just one; there were four or five.

Li Xiangming blushed slightly. He wasn't actually qualified to cultivate in the Tihu Cave, but he managed to stay for half a year.

"I am extremely grateful for your continued concern, Grand Uncle. Please keep this a secret for me."

"If no one asks me, I won't tell you."

"Junior, take your leave."

"Let's go."

Li Huinan waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something and called out to Li Xiangming, "How's the 'foodie' thing in you doing lately?"

"It only stirs up once a month."

Li Xiangming replied that the evil green-robed man had absorbed a large amount of Li Huinan's magic power in the Tihu Cave, but after two months he seemed to have gotten tired of it and refused to pay any more attention to Li Huinan.

Li Xiangming was also completely baffled by this. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it didn't consume the magical power of Li Qianxiong and Li Chengkang, but only Li Huinan's. Now, it even looked down on Li Huinan's power and only consumed its own.

The problem is that his own magical power is far inferior to that of the three mentioned above.

Perhaps it's because they've come to believe in God?

Li Xiangming could only think this way; he still knew very little about the evil Green Robe.

In the past six months, Li Huinan tried every possible method, but he was still unable to thoroughly study it.

Fortunately, their initial guess was correct; magic power was the key.

Having been fed by a Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivator for days, the Evil Green Robe has become much more stable.

As long as Li Xiangming doesn't frequently use his magic power during the month, he will be safe.

"That's good. Remember to keep the Dust-Free Pearl with you at all times."

"I understand."

Li Xiangming subconsciously touched the thumb-sized dark red bead around his neck. This thing was quite valuable; it was borrowed from a Golden Core cultivator and had the function of cleansing the spiritual platform.

Wearing it, even the whispers that come with the evil green robe become much quieter.

After bidding farewell to Li Huinan, Li Xiangming headed to Changlin House.

Li Huinan wasn't the only one whose communication talisman contained information; his talisman was also filled with urging.

Upon seeing Li Xiangming, Li Qianxiong was furious. "What? You took off that damn thing you were wearing?"

"not yet."

Li Xiangming looked embarrassed; he had been using this as an excuse to stay in Daigo Cave. Li Huinan also covered for him.

But in reality, the evil green robe cannot be removed at all; it is said to be a magical artifact, but it is difficult to even control it slightly.

Li Xiangming had absolutely no way to deal with it.

I've been in Daigo Cave for so long purely for cultivation.

"Humph."

Li Qianxiong could easily see through Li Xiangming's ulterior motives, and he snorted to express his dissatisfaction.

He initially acquiesced to Li Xiangming entering the cave because Li Xiangming had been on a mission to Qingyang Temple and had narrowly escaped death.

Regardless of merits, hard work is always significant.

Even a dignified head of the family cannot be devoid of human feelings, so he privately asked Li Huinan to compensate this junior.

But he never expected that Li Xiangming's stay would last for half a year.

Leaving aside the fact that his work at the police station had been neglected, he racked his brains and exhausted all his efforts to keep the matter a secret for Li Xiangming.

"Now that you've come out of seclusion, you can go to Qingyang Temple."

Li Qianxiong thought for a moment and then said.

Originally, Li Xiangming had completed his mission at Qingyang Temple very well.

Not only did they win over an alchemist, they also secured a spot for the Li family as an alchemy apprentice.

However, Li Xiangming was attacked en route and unexpectedly disappeared, which caused the relationship between the Li family and Qingyang Temple to deteriorate, and the cooperation naturally fell through.

Although Li Xiangming later returned, the Li family realized they had misunderstood Qingyang Temple and sent envoys to negotiate with Qingyang Temple.

Qingyang Daoist was a man who could take things in stride. Without delving into the matter, he agreed to accept four children with spiritual roots from other families, as well as a child from the Li family.

But Li Qianxiong knew that once some things happened, the estrangement was hard to erase.

In order to further win over Qingyang Taoist, it is necessary to send Li Xiangming on a second mission to Qingyang Temple.

After all, Li Xiangming was the victim in the whole incident, and no matter how aggrieved Qingyang Daoren felt, he wouldn't hold a grudge against Li Xiangming.

"As ordered."

Li Xiangming was still uneasy about the matter of the Tihu Cave, but upon hearing the patriarch's order, he dared not disobey.

Speaking of which, I should also meet Master Qingyang.

"You can handle this matter. Qingyang Daoist is purchasing spiritual materials from us, and we are exchanging them for his pills. Currently, the cooperation between the two parties is quite harmonious. You only need to make a trip before the end of the year."

"There's another matter I wanted to discuss with you this time."

"Oh?"

Li Xiangming was puzzled.

"You gave me advice before to intervene in Changtai Township. Now, a Shangji Office has been officially established in the family, which is responsible for managing the household registration, cultivated land, taxes and security of the mortal lands under its jurisdiction. Qianji is in charge. Since you have special circumstances and are not suitable to work in the police station, I plan to appoint you as the deputy in charge."

Shangjifang?
Li Xiangming seemed to be deep in thought.

He was the one who came up with this idea, so he was naturally aware of the role of the accounting office.

Although mortals are insignificant to cultivators, they are an indispensable part of a cultivation force.

This is because cultivators come from those with spiritual roots, and those with spiritual roots come from mortals.

The Li family didn't have a similar dedicated agency before, not because they couldn't think of it, but because it wasn't necessary.

Because the Li family has a history of over a hundred years in Zhangning Prefecture, and the number of ordinary family members started from a few hundred, even the most meticulous management of such a small number of people would have a negligible effect.

It would be better to let them rest and recuperate, and follow the natural order.

But things are different now. There are now 30,000 Li families in Changtai Township, and with some other families, the total number is nearly 200,000.

The establishment of the Shangjifang was a timely response to the needs of the times.

Even if Li Xiangming didn't bring it up, the clan elders would raise the corresponding agenda.

"Thank you for your promotion, Patriarch."

Li Xiangming expressed his gratitude, but felt a little regretful inside.

Joining the shogukebang means leaving the police station.

The biggest highlight of the police station is not its generous awards for meritorious service, but the presence of people like Li Xiangren, Li Xiangru, and Li Xianghua.

These people will eventually become the power holders of the next generation of the Li family. Leaving them means that Li Xiangming has slightly deviated from the center of power in the family.

However, Li Xiangming could understand the family head's decision, since his body was special and he could no longer shoulder the important combat missions of the police station.

Rather than holding others back, it's better to retire in a housing development.

Thinking about this, Li Xiangming became calm.

The head of the family didn't treat him unfairly; he got him a position as deputy head of the household.

He did not fail to offer his advice, and he hardened his heart to join the Changlinfang.

(End of this chapter)