Chapter 31: Departure and New Life

However, it was not just Li Yaoqing who brought Li Xiang pleasant surprises. Li Yaotie, the blacksmith, had not fallen behind either. Although he had lost an arm, for a cultivator, that was not an insurmountable problem.

On the day he married Bai Rourou, the grand gift presented by the Su family was a prosthetic limb—an arm designed to be attached to the shoulder that could perform simple movements powered by spiritual energy. Its only drawbacks were that the silver arm looked a bit unsightly, lacked dexterity, and consumed spiritual energy with every movement. Yet, it was more than enough for Li Yaotie to resume his craft.

[Your descendant, Li Yaotie, has forged the Black Iron Beast-Blood Armor set into a mid-grade magical artifact using 'Celestial Azure Stone,' 'Thousand-Jin Sand,' 'Fierce Wind Winged Tiger Bones,' and 'Fierce Wind Winged Tiger Core.']

"It’s finished! Hahaha!"

Having finished forging his first set of mid-grade magical artifacts, Li Yaotie rushed to the ancestral hall to share the good news. "Ancestor, although we only have one Fierce Wind Winged Tiger, as long as I work hard to find materials from other Foundation Establishment-stage spirit beasts, I can continue to forge mid-grade artifacts!"

Looking at the freshly crafted set of equipment, Li Xiang nodded slightly. It had to be said that if a person had some talent and pursued something out of genuine passion, success was easily within reach. Li Yaotie was just such a person. Look at how happy the boy was... he looked as if he were celebrating a second marriage.

"Yes, and there are the Sun-Chasing Beasts, the corpse of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Spider, and the corpses of those experts from Tailin Town buried under the Beast-Blood Fruit trees. Soon, they will be nothing but bones, and I can use them all for forging! Hahaha!"

Hearing this, Li Xiang did not find it strange; after all, using human remains for forging was quite standard in this world. Soon, Li Xiang’s attention shifted to the Artifact Pavilion in Zhien Village. As the Li family and Zhien Village acquired massive amounts of spoils, they were developing at a rapid pace every day. There were now over a dozen blacksmiths in Zhien Village, all of whom were Li Yaotie’s apprentices. He had gradually realized that one person’s energy was limited, and began cultivating a forging faction for the Li family.

...

"Eh? They’ve started reclaiming spirit fields?" Li Xiang watched the game screen with surprise.

Originally, Zhien Village was filled with farmland and livestock. After the battles, only a portion of the farmland remained—enough to sustain daily needs. The rest had been leveled, and Li Xiang saw the villagers burying spirit stones deep underground. Meanwhile, outsiders were busy carving arrays onto the fields! Looking at the event log, Li Xiang understood why.

[Following the great war, Zhien Village suffered a labor shortage. No longer worried about food, Li Dalong decided to stop traditional farming. He found the Wang family's method for cultivating spirit rice among the spoils and hired array masters from the county town to reclaim spirit fields.]

[One acre of spirit field consumes 10,000 spirit stones and can be maintained for ten years.]

[Your descendants have consumed 300,000 spirit stones to reclaim 30 acres of spirit fields.]

Li Dalong had consulted him about this. Spirit fields existed on Earth as well; they produced rice, corn, and other crops imbued with spiritual energy, which could strengthen the physique and prolong life when consumed. An ordinary person lived less than a century, but with a steady diet of spirit rice, they could live over 120 years. It also provided a minor boost to cultivation speed. These crops were usually reserved for the wealthy. With the vast amount of spirit stones seized from the Hu and Wang families, it was the perfect investment—whether for sale or personal use.

"Once the family earns more money, it would be ideal to turn all of Zhien Village into spirit fields." Clearly, thirty acres was not enough to satisfy Li Xiang’s appetite.

He continued to scan the event log.

[Villager Wang Ergou has broken through to the first level of Qi Refining!]
[Villager Cai Xukun has broken through to the first level of Qi Refining; your descendant Li Yaowen rewarded him with the cultivation technique "Wang Family Body Tempering Art."]

...

In the courtyard of Zhien Village, Li Yaowen sat beneath a peach tree as the villagers lined up before her.

"Fourth Miss, this is this year’s tax silver."

"Is this the Wang family? Since your Wang Ergou sacrificed his life in Tailin Town last year, you are exempt from taxes. Here, you have two children; go and collect a copy of the 'Wang Family Body Tempering Art'."

"Thank you, Fourth Miss."

"Next."

"Fourth Miss, I would like to apply for the Guard Team; I have reached the Qi Refining stage."

"Application rejected. Your Liu family has only you left as its sole successor. Instead, go serve as an instructor to teach the village children, and you will receive medicinal soups as a salary to accelerate your cultivation. Reapply once you have children."

"Thank you, Fourth Miss."

"Next..."

Having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Li Dalong had clearly become a strategic-level expert and rarely appeared, leaving most matters to Li Yaowen. This was standard for a family; experts always kept a low profile, focusing on cultivation while serving as the family's hidden trump card. Leaving the family affairs to Li Yaowen was clearly the right choice. Under her management, the Li family and Zhien Village were developing with such peace and stability, with every matter carefully planned.

...

[Li Family Year 35.]

[A Taoist from the Litian Sect in Taiqing City passed by Zhien Village. He happened to see Li Yunlin training against a spirit beast and, deeply impressed that a 14-year-old had already reached the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining with spear skills that had entered the professional realm, he wished to take him as a disciple.]

"The Litian Sect?" Li Xiang raised an eyebrow.

In the game world, Tailin Town was like a beginner village, while Taiqing City was the county seat, governing thirteen towns below it. This world was not just about families; there were also sects. Generally, sect forces were more powerful than family forces and occupied more resources. Li Xiang had heard that the mayor of Tailin Town, and even the lord of Taiqing City, followed the orders of major sects. These sects operated from behind the scenes, dominating the entire world, and even the imperial court.

"Ancestor, your unworthy descendant intends to join the Litian Sect. There, I will learn more formidable methods, and once I have achieved success, I will return to serve the family!"

Li Yunlin had come to the ancestral hall immediately, but no sooner had he stepped in than Li Yaoqing followed him inside. "Hmph! What is so good about joining a sect? Does our Li family lack resources or techniques? Have you even mastered all the spells and martial arts we obtained from the Wang and Hu families?"

"Second Aunt..." Li Yunlin bowed his head. In the family and the village, he always felt that people whispered about his mother’s betrayal of the family, and he was constantly reminded of the past.

Li Yaoqing continued, "You don’t know the ways of those sects. Once you join, they will tell you that to cultivate, you must first sever all worldly ties! They will use all sorts of methods to make you forget who you once were. You are young and might think you won't fall for their lies, but what happens when you are truly at the Litian Sect? Ten years? Twenty years? Will you even remember you are a Li?"

Seeing the stubbornness in Li Yunlin’s expression, Li Yaoqing narrowed her eyes. She knelt before the ancestral hall. "Ancestor, let me break this unfilial descendant’s legs. I’ll see how he makes it to the Litian Sect then!"

Watching the argument on the screen, Li Xiang fell into deep thought. What Li Yaoqing described was the reality of joining a sect. However, Li Xiang also understood Li Yunlin’s situation. This third-generation descendant had seen his mother cast out of the family with his own eyes; he likely harbored inner demons. Otherwise, given his talent and the resources provided by the Li family, he should have progressed beyond the peak of the fifth level long ago.

The boy was already fourteen; perhaps seeing the outside world would be for the best. Although the game map had not yet revealed the location of the Litian Sect, Li Xiang had heard that they had Nascent Soul ancestors sitting in command! If he went to the Litian Sect, Li Yunlin might eventually become stronger than anyone in the Li family. Besides, children and grandchildren have their own paths to pursue. As an ancestor, he had no reason to stop him.

"Go." Li Xiang clicked on the avatar of the Purple Thunder Sun Python and entered the command. Instantly, the python opened its eyes and let out a hiss.

With Li Xiang’s approval, Li Yaoqing did not stop him, only muttering a final, "You useless thing, you will regret this," before letting it go. Though she spoke harshly, the Li family still saw Li Yunlin off, and Li Yaoqing even gifted him a storage ring filled with medicine for protection. Soon, the Litian Sect Taoist took Li Yunlin onto his flying sword, waved his whisk, and vanished into the sky.

Not long after Li Yunlin left, "Ah!!!"

[Bai Rourou has given birth to a son after ten months of pregnancy; he is named Li Yundou!]
[Congratulations, you have gained +10 Incense!]

"Damn, that kid looks huge!"

The newborn let out a cry! The Li family gathered in the courtyard, with Li Yaotie spinning around holding the child. Li Xiang rubbed his hands together. After getting married, the boy had been quite diligent; his wife was pregnant within two months. As for Bai Rourou, this formidable woman was no simple character. After she officially joined the Li family, Li Xiang finally saw her personal profile: she was only 20 years old, yet had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and possessed dual spirit roots!

The child they produced, Li Yundou, also had good aptitude, comparable to Li Yunlin’s. Especially looking at his size at birth, he would definitely be a carbon copy of Li Yaotie in the future!

A banquet was soon set up. After the marriage, the people of Tailin Town once again came to the Li family to attend the feast. Su Yun, the head of the Su family, saw the astonishing changes in the Li family and became even more certain that his initial choice had been correct. This time, he presented a piece of jade.

"Nephew, this jade can nourish a child and ward off all illnesses if kept close. It is engraved with the history of our two families—from the moment we met, to fighting side by side, to today, where our families are as close as brothers!"

Nearby, the members of the Chen family turned dark-faced. Chen Chuang gritted his teeth, "So they’re sucking up to them already? Engraving the friendship of the two families on jade—they’re trying to cultivate the child's favor for the Su family from a young age. That old fox!"

...

In the real world, out on the sea, the excavation of the underwater ruins had been going on for two days. They had discovered that the vastness of the ruins below was staggering! At the same time, all sorts of artifacts from unknown eras were gradually being cleared by the staff.

In the history research lab, a woman wearing glasses and a white lab coat was staring at a piece of jade, her face filled with boundless joy.

"This jade was likely a special magical artifact once, though it lost its spiritual energy long ago due to the passage of time. However, the text engraved on it is perfectly preserved!"

"The Great Tailin War... the Su family poured the strength of their entire clan to help the Li family achieve a great victory... Grandson Yundou has the potential of a Great Emperor..."

Xiao Qingling laughed loudly. "Hahaha! As soon as I record everything about this family, my discovery will shock the world!"