Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 156 - 147 The Elder of the Chen Family

Having acquired the disorderly Huaqian Mountain, the Li Family’s craftsmen, idle for several years, finally had an outlet for their energy. The surplus population from various towns also found a direction to flow towards, and life instantly brimmed with vitality. A large number of craftsmen poured into the foothills of the devastated Huaqian Mountain and began to build ard construct anew.

The entire Green Crow vein had fallen into the Li Family’s territory, and they continued to use the Array Plates left by the Lu Family. Only now, without the random meddling of the Lu Family’s cultivators, there was no longer a need to support a group of idle people who did nothing but eat, drink, and have fun. Thus, efficiency had improved considerably.

The Lu Family had neglected the people’s livelihood, which resulted in numerous tragic scenes in the villages below Huaqian Mountain. When news of this reached the residents of the towns, they were greatly moved. Troupes in the town took a few examples and turned them into songs and performances. The Pear Garden was crowded, and not a single seat was empty—even Li Xuanxuan secretly attended half a show, leaving with a smile and a shake of her head.

With this comparison, the previously mundane affluent life of the residents in the four towns suddenly regained its flavor. With silver jingling in their pockets, the men spoke with newfound confidence, and all industries flourished. Everything was developing in a favorable direction.

The region between the two mountains now boasted over a hundred thousand residents, and every year saw the birth of over a thousand infants. Among them, one or two with a Spirit Aperture could be identified, but these individuals mostly had modest talents, unable to compare with the Li Family, which had absorbed Spirit Aperture bearers over several decades. Most had integrated into the Li Family and were dispatched to various towns to watch over the Spiritual Fields.

Newly fallen snow covered the entire mountain. Li Xuanxuan approached the house with a bag of Spirit Rice, a cheerful gait in her step. She waited until Li Tongya finished drawing his Talisman, then greeted him with a radiant smile, politely saying,

"Uncle, this is the first batch of Yellow Jade Spirit Rice from this year, totaling seventy pounds."

Yellow Jade Spirit Rice was a Tribute recently added by the Li Family since they became a Qi Cultivation Family. It was priced four to five times higher than ordinary Spirit Rice and was more troublesome to cultivate. Not only did it require frequent Spiritual Rain, but the Earth Veins also needed regular grooming. Fetal Breathing Cultivators on the level of the Xuanjing Wheel would probably need five or six of them to manage a single Spiritual Field together, while one on the Fifth Layer of the Yujing Wheel could cultivate it alone.

"Not bad,"

Li Tongya nodded, examined the bag, and saw that the Spirit Rice glowed yellow like jade, brimming with Spiritual Energy, which made him smile and say,

"Worthy of being the cultivation provisions for Qi Cultivators, this Spiritual Energy is truly abundant."

"Our Li Family is now required to contribute three hundred pounds of Yellow Jade Spirit Rice and two thousand pounds of ordinary Spirit Rice every five years. Other miscellaneous medicinal materials are easy to come by, as we can simply have some lesser Fetal Breathing Cultivators handle the cultivation. You must manage these two kinds of Spirit Rice well!"

"Rest assured, Uncle,"

Li Xuanxuan bowed slightly, and said with a serious tone,

"Having acquired Huaqian Mountain, I have already dispatched people to start the cultivation. Our Li Family can now produce four hundred and fifty pounds of Yellow Jade Spirit Rice and over three thousand pounds of ordinary Spirit Rice every five years, which is more than adequate."

Li Tongya started to shape another piece of Talisman Paper and after pondering for a few moments, responded,

"Just remember, have those Cultivators with lesser talents and lower Cultivation Levels work together on these Spiritual Fields as much as possible. Do not let those of the Yujing Wheel level waste their time on farming anymore. Let them learn the Talisman Technique... or strive to break through Qi Cultivation. You must strike the right balance so that people do not feel it is too unfair, nor too fair."

"My child understands,"

Li Xuanxuan nodded, then angled his body to speak softly,

"As your nephew, I’ve also been managing the family for many years. For ordinary talent cultivators using common Fetal Breathing Techniques, it is impossible to break through to the Yujing level in a lifetime. How to arrange these matters, I am well aware."

"Hmm,"

Li Tongya put away the drawn Talisman, then inquired,

"How about Feng’er?"

"He has gone to the county with his savings to forge a Magic Artifact. It has been three days, and he has not yet returned,"

Li Xuanxuan answered, only to see Li Tongya smile softly and say,

"Being secluded for so long must have bored him; let him have some fun."

Li Xuanxuan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly remembered something and spoke in a low voice,

"Uncle, news has come from the Chen Clan, old man Chen Erniu of the Chen Family passed away last night!"

Li Tongya’s movements stalled slightly, and the teacup he had just picked up didn’t reach his lips before being placed back on the table. With a heavy sigh, he answered,

"It was inevitable... The elder was indeed a backbone of our society decades ago; his affairs were handled cleanly, and his household was pure. Truly rare. Our families are also related by marriage. You should come with me to pay our respects."

Seeing Li Xuanxuan nod, Li Tongya’s expression became complex. With a low sigh, he realized that before he knew it, the older generation had declined. Li Mutian, Liu Linfeng, Li Chengfu, Chen Erniu... he was almost becoming the eldest among them.

————

The cold wind rushed through Lijing Town, following the remnants of the towering mountains. The snowflakes fluttered directly onto people’s faces, turning the cheeks of the children playing in the streets as red as cherries, yet they still chattered excitedly.

"Brother Pingyi, Uncle Xiewen is the head of the town. Last month, most of the town’s cultivators went to Huaqian Mountain. Did your father tell you what that was all about?"

The group of children, either surnamed Li or Ye or from related families, huddled around the boy in the middle, all craning their necks to look at him. The central figure, Li Pingyi, glanced at the crowd and shouted,

"My father said! There are three villages beneath Huaqian Mountain with just over five thousand people. They have received orders from the mountain to establish their own towns. The visit was to survey and gather the spiritual fields."

Li Pingyi was the legitimate eldest son of Li Xiewen and the legitimate grandson of Li Yesheng. He appeared quite smart. With the Yuan generation not yet mature, and Li Yuanxiu being a quiet, content individual, it had been easy for him to claim the title of king among the children, and he was very proud of it.

"But this... Ah! It’s people from the clan’s main house!"

The children wanted to ask more, but squadrons of clan soldiers suddenly dashed out from both sides, crushing the snow mounds on the streets. Seeing the group of children, someone turned their head to report back.

Instantly, the children scattered in a panic, shouting loudly. Caught in the rush, Li Pingyi was pushed and fell to the ground with a thud, seeing stars and muttering,

"Don’t run! Don’t run! You’ve all been lead astray by your fathers and uncles... Ouch, don’t push! They’re only going after the lazy and domineering... We’re just children, what is there to run from!"

Before Li Pingyi could finish speaking, the children in the streets had dispersed. When Li Pingyi got up, the streets were empty, and seeing an additional pair of brown animal skin boots before him, he didn’t even think before giving a respectful bow and saying,

"My father, Li Xiewen! I am not sure who you are..."

To his surprise, the surroundings were deadly silent, and the clan soldiers could hardly contain their laughter. As Li Pingyi slowly looked up, he crashed into the astounded and furious gaze of Li Xiewen, and panicked inside, he cried out,

"Father! How did you find me here!"

Li Xiewen stared at him fiercely but inwardly found the situation quite amusing. Still, he kept a stern facade and scolded,

"Damn it! Waving your old man’s name around outside while getting into this mischief, I will settle the score with you when we get back! Now, come with me at once."

Although Li Xiewen was severe on the surface, he was actually very pleased with his son deep down. After all, at that age he was much duller, always angering Li Yesheng to the point of cursing. If it hadn’t been for his brothers being even duller, it might not have been himself following Li Xuanxuan today.

Li Yesheng and Li Xiangping had fought side by side in the Shanyue Territory, sharing life and death. Li Xiewen, on the other hand, had been assisting Li Xuanxuan in managing the affairs of the four towns and two mountains. Even though he had married a woman with a Spirit Aperture, when his son was found to lack a Spirit Aperture earlier this year, Li Xiewen had already mapped out the path for Li Pingyi’s future, naturally following Li Yuanxiu and carrying on the ancestral trade...

However, Li Pingyi followed behind, anxiously glancing at the white robes on his body, then whispered with a quick turn of his eyes,

"Who died, what a grand procession."

Li Xiewen nodded approvingly, very satisfied with his son’s sharpness, and said solemnly,

"One of the Chen Family’s elders, the very first head of the town, was related to several people from the mountain. Keep a serious demeanor, the funeral is a grand affair, and don’t embarrass me."