Chapter 19: Xu Cuihua, The Fox Tamer!

"Doing business with Tailin Town?"

Li Xiang looked intrigued. He had been closely observing the development of the Li family. Li Yaowen had been fond of reading since childhood, and it seemed this young girl was truly extraordinary.

He immediately typed into the game, prompting Li Yaowen to continue.

Receiving approval, Li Yaowen ignored her startled brother and parted her thin lips.

"Ancestor, I know we have a blood feud with the Hu and Wang families of Tailin Town, but that doesn't mean we cannot trade with the other two."

"Human nature is selfish and greedy."

"It is said that the four great families of Tailin Town are united, but they are not one family after all. I have investigated: due to the prolonged drought, each of their families is facing trouble. Many of their industries are unsustainable, and because they fear our Li family’s ruthlessness, they don't even dare to hunt in the Silver Iron Forest."

"Furthermore, our feud with the Hu and Wang families has never involved them."

"Our conditions for trade are sound."

Listening to Li Yaowen’s words, Li Xiang took a deep gulp of his drink and sent another command to the Purple Thunder Sun Python, signaling Li Yaowen to elaborate.

Li Yaowen took a deep breath.

"Finding a way to trade with them and letting them see our sincerity is only the beginning."

"What will the Hu and Wang families think next?"

"Irreparable cracks will form in their relationships. The Su and Chen families will gradually realize that our Li family can actually replace the Hu and Wang families!"

"The alliance of Tailin Town will collapse from within, and we will be able to exact our revenge!"

*Slap!*

Li Xiang smacked his thigh. The books Li Yaowen had read over the years had not gone to waste. Although she possessed no combat power, her intelligence rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

However, Li Yaowen's next words made Li Xiang twitch.

"This is all a brilliant scheme. Once the conflict in Tailin Town erupts, we can retreat behind the scenes entirely!"

"It would be best if we secretly killed their heirs and framed the others."

"Without descendants, they will fall into total despair. They will fight to the death, and we shall dominate Tailin Town without losing a single soldier!"

"Once the cultivators are gone, chaos and death will descend upon Tailin Town. Forty thousand civilians will gradually perish during this year of drought, and vengeful spirits will occupy the entire city. We will then obtain a vast number of corpses to nourish the Beast Blood Fruit Trees!"

"???"

Li Xiang’s face turned dark. At times he felt he was a bit unscrupulous, but looking at the text above Li Yaowen’s head, he felt relieved.

It wasn't just Li Xiang.

Even Li Yaozu looked at his sister in disbelief, taking a step back and swallowing hard.

Afterward, Li Xiang spoke with Li Yaowen in detail for a while before returning to check on the family's development. Strategy was one thing, but everything depended on execution.

No matter how clever the plot, it had to be built on the foundation of formidable strength.

...

[29th Year of the Li Family.]

The family continued to develop. Although the Lis had established a village, they had formed the conditions for self-sufficiency.

At this time, Li Yaozu was still managing the family's operations.

The one hundred and fifty guards under his command had formed a structured unit. They wore heavy black iron chainmail, each equipped with fifteen iron arrows. It could be said that any one of them possessed the strength to contend with a first-level Qi Refining cultivator.

According to Li Xiang's estimation, if a hundred and fifty men fired in unison, even a newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivator without special defensive arts would be turned into a hedgehog—provided they couldn't dodge.

Although he was busy managing the family business, Li Yaozu had not neglected his cultivation.

[Li Yaozu (Second Generation)]
[Realm: 8th Level of Qi Refining]
[Arts and Martial Skills: Qi Absorption, Autumn Wind Steps, Basic Swordsmanship, Sword Ray]
[Trait: Killing Potential]
[Equipment: Spirit Breath Sword, Mind-Confusing Pendant, Black Iron Beast Blood Set]

The Autumn Wind Steps were a technique obtained during the battle with the Wang family elders. When used, one became as swift as a gale in autumn, yet every step was filled with murderous intent.

There were many similar techniques; the Li family now possessed six or seven manuals.

Most of the equipment used by the Li family members was obtained from the Hu and Wang families.

The Mind-Confusing Pendant possessed the ability to guard the mind and, when activated with spiritual energy, cause an opponent to fall into a brief state of confusion.

As for the Black Iron Beast Blood Set...

Ever since Li Yaotie became an artifact refiner, his method of crafting was crude and full of randomness.

The reason for this randomness was that the boy would simply mix the hearts' blood of various spirit beasts into a large cauldron and seal it with spiritual power.

He called the blood in that cauldron a "Blood Altar."

Whenever he needed to refine an artifact, he would soak the materials in the Blood Altar for forty-nine days, then begin forging with his hammer technique. Even Li Yaotie himself didn't know what abilities the resulting artifacts would have. Moreover, all of them were of the lowest grade. He called this the "Fate-Based Refining Method."

The Black Iron Beast Blood Set was Li Yaotie’s masterpiece, and every Li family member had a set!

On Li Yaozu, the set appeared dark red, combining a robe, inner armor, gloves, belt, trousers, and boots.

Its function was similar to a chameleon, allowing the wearer to blend into the environment, and when activated with spiritual power, it could summon two blood tigers to attack the enemy.

Next were Li Yaotie and Li Yaoqing. Both had reached the 6th Level of Qi Refining.

Li Yaotie had decent aptitude, but he was obsessed with blacksmithing.

However, one should not underestimate Li Yaotie’s strength.

If there was one person in the Li family with the strongest physique, it was undoubtedly Li Yaotie. By hammering iron all day, he was also tempering his body. He had two large hammers. The small hammer, used for daily forging, was made of pure black iron and weighed 50 pounds; he swung it with one hand as if it were an extension of his own arm.

The large hammer...

The handle was as tall as a man, and the head was thicker than Li Yaotie’s own burly frame. Li Xiang believed that if a Foundation Establishment cultivator dared to take a hit from Li Yaotie’s hammer, they would be driven into the ground like a nail.

Of course, using that thing in a real fight was impossible. Li Yaotie only built it for smithing, and he would be completely exhausted after swinging it three times—not to mention he would never hit anyone with it.

As for Li Yaoqing, the young girl, although she was a pharmacist, her skills were far from merely healing the sick.

The *Classic of a Thousand Herbs* recorded methods of alchemy, and poisoning was also a core essence of the text.

Once, when outsiders invaded, they entered the herb garden and saw Li Yaoqing, a weak girl, and attempted to ambush her.

Li Xiang had noticed at the time, but before he could use the "Ancestor’s Wrath" to intervene, the 8th Level Qi Refining assassin had already fallen into her trap. She raised a swarm of purple bees; one sting would cause the victim to gradually lose all their strength until their spiritual power was completely drained, leading to their demise.

As for Li Dalong, he was still in the Li family’s secret chamber, having not broken through for two years.

He was accumulating spiritual energy, striving to open all the acupuncture points in his body.

Of course, breaking through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment was not as simple as it sounded. Every major breakthrough was akin to unlocking the human genetic code, resulting in a complete transformation.

Before reaching Foundation Establishment, one’s lifespan was that of a mortal. Upon success, one could cleanse the marrow and transform the tendons, gaining over two hundred years of life, and one’s spiritual roots would be elevated to a certain degree.

A perfect Foundation Establishment was nothing short of defying the heavens and changing one's fate.

[Xu Cuihua has used the Beast Taming Technique to contract her natal spirit beast, the 'Heavenly Moon Fox'!]
[Obtained Occupation: Beast Tamer!]
[Obtained Trait: Fox Tamer!]
[Obtained Incense +100!]

Joyful news suddenly appeared on the game screen.

In the Spirit Beast Garden, Xu Cuihua was surrounded by spirit beasts. A white fox phantom emerged from the woman, who was sitting cross-legged!

"I didn't expect it! Xu Cuihua, you are a ruthless one, hiding your depths so well!"

Li Xiang’s eyes lit up. He had just thought that Li Dalong was the one defying fate. He hadn't expected that his wife, Xu Cuihua, had already completed that feat!

[Xu Cuihua (Wife of Li Dalong)]
[Occupation: Beast Tamer]
[Realm: 5th Level of Qi Refining]
[Techniques: Qi Absorption, Beast Taming Technique]
[Trait: Fox Tamer]
[Fox Tamer: Contracted the spirit-level beast 'Heavenly Moon Fox' as a natal spirit beast, using it to forge the dantian and sharing the fox's lifespan and spiritual power!]

Beast Taming was a very niche profession.

In Li Xiang’s memory, during the millennium of spiritual energy recovery in China, Beast Tamers were once very powerful. They could always derive various powers from their spirit beasts.

And now, by contracting a spirit-level beast, Xu Cuihua was equivalent to having Foundation Establishment strength. Judging by the combat power of a Heavenly Moon Fox, she had even reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, leaping to become the strongest member of the Li family!

Furthermore... she had surpassed the two-hundred-year lifespan limit. Spirit beasts had very long lives, and the Heavenly Moon Fox, favored by the bright moon, could live for a thousand years!

"Tsk tsk."

Li Xiang marveled, feeling happy for the growth of the Li family’s daughter-in-law.

In contrast to Xu Cuihua, Li Yaozu’s wife, Qu Xiaoxiao, was truly mediocre.

Qu Xiaoxiao’s father, Qu Changming, was a cultivator, but she was a mortal. Even with the Li family’s resources, she was only at the 1st Level of Qi Refining. Pampered and lazy, she had gained weight over the years since marrying Li Yaozu, though she was currently pregnant again.

However, the third-generation member she gave birth to, Li Yunlin, was quite good.

Eight-year-old Li Yunlin had already reached the 2nd Level of Qi Refining. His three-element spiritual root allowed for faster cultivation, and with the Li family no longer as destitute as before, he had plenty of resources and the experiences of his predecessors to guide him.

Fortunately, having been influenced by the Li family since childhood, the boy had not picked up his mother’s bad habits. Although he was not as hardworking as other Li family members, he was quite steady.

"The next Great Sacrifice is about to begin."

Li Xiang looked at the screen, feeling a multitude of emotions.

He had only been playing for a little over a day.

Yet, in the game world, nearly thirty years had passed for the family head. He had almost watched the Li children grow up.

Just as he was about to stretch and prepare for the upcoming blessing, Li Yaowen’s figure appeared in the ancestral hall on the screen.

"Ancestor, after a year of effort, Yaowen has finally gained the trust of the Su and Chen families!"