Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

Chapter 442 366: Marching to the East Bank

"On the evening of the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, a handwritten letter arrived through the snow over the lake, stating that one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones have been sent along with the letter; the family is well, only Great Maternal Uncle Tian from the Tian Clan was killed by Devil Cultivators and dismissed from clan affairs."

"You should observe mourning and abstain from alcohol for three months, strive hard in the sect, and advance in your studies of immortality techniques, Xuanxuan discussions, and cinnabar paths; provisions should be sought from the family."

"Written by Father Jiao."

Li Xizhi stared at the small pile of Spirit Stones stacked before him on the desk, speechless, and read the letter over and over again for more than ten times, holding it in a daze.

His father, Li Yuanjiao, was not one to speak lightly, even the words in the letter were blunt, concise, and clear, as if he was reluctant to say one more word to him. Li Xizhi pursed his lips as he read it over and over again, blinked away tears, and pushed them back in.

Counting the days, if the letter had not been delayed at the Yuan Family, it would mean these one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones were raised in less than a month. Li Xizhi dared not think further, carefully storing the letter close to his body, then stepped out of the courtyard to Yuan Tuan in the yard:

"Master, Xizhi can now exchange for the 'Morning Glow Qi'."

"How much is missing?"

Yuan Tuan stood calmly, cradling a green marten in his arms, and raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"One hundred and twenty Spirit Stones, I have collected them all."

Upon hearing this from Li Xizhi, Yuan Tuan lightly raised an eyebrow and replied:

"Li Yuanjiao... is quite capable of planning, actually able to gather one hundred and twenty; your family is only recently recognized among the Noble Families, it must not have been easy."

Her ordinarily calm demeanor took on a trace of sorrow as she said softly:

"If my family had been this united and harmonious more than sixty years ago, I wouldn't have had to go through such hardships..."

Accepting the Spirit Stones Li Xizhi passed to her, Yuan Tuan did not say more and took off with the wind. It took well over half an hour before the woman returned, her face frosty, clutching a small Jade Bottle in her hand.

"'Morning Glow Qi', I searched the storehouse of Qi Gathering Peak for half a day, and this batch is the purest, indeed it has been honestly gathered for eighteen years, showing gold and red hues."

Her aura fluctuated, and a faint green glow flowed around her body. Perhaps she had fought with the cultivators of Qi Gathering Peak, as her expression remained icy cold:

"These people from Qi Gathering Peak are becoming more and more presumptuous. One hundred and twenty Spirit Stones is one thing, but they even dare to play tricks on me with inferior goods... I am amicable with everyone in the sect, yet they think I am weak and easily bullied!"

Seeing her ice-cold expression, Li Xizhi bowed in thanks and replied:

"Qi Gathering Peak is one of the direct lineage peaks and naturally mistreats us; Master comes from the Mushroom Forest noble family and already holds a high status. If the disciple were to go by himself, he probably wouldn't have even been able to climb up to Qi Gathering Peak."

Yuan Tuan nodded, looked at him, and seemed to suddenly remember something. She smiled gently and asked:

"Xizhi, you're seventeen this year, right? Yet you have not taken a wife and had children, it's not good to delay, do you have your eye on any girl from the peaks? Your Master will help you propose."

The abrupt change of topic surprised Li Xizhi, and just as he was about to refuse, he thought to himself:

'My father only has me for a son. Green Pond is a den of wolves and tigers. If something happened, wouldn't that leave my father without a successor? That might not be proper...'

For now, he simply muttered:

"I defer to Master's decision!"

Yuan Tuan barely nodded, as if she already had plans in mind, and spoke warmly:

"It's difficult for Qi Cultivation families to make a fitting match; your elder family members have recently passed away, and marrying into an unknown Noble Family might lead to harboring ulterior motives. Instead, I'll go to Diyun Peak to ask for someone from the Yang Family for you..."

This unexpected suggestion did not imply that Yuan Tuan wanted a marital alliance between the Yuan and Li families. Li Xizhi just bowed his head in agreement, as Yuan Tuan continued:

"Back in the day, King Yue married into various Noble Families. Although the legal system has now been dissolved and turned into a single peak of Green Pond, there are still marital connections from time to time, based on old precedent."

"Thank you, Master," said Li Xizhi.

Yuan Tuan smiled and said:

"Back then, when Yang Tianya refined that Jade Seal and his troops crossed Lixia path, he wiped out several Shanyue families on my Mushroom Forest Plain. Thus, my Yuan Family has some ties with Yang Tianya. This matter couldn't be easier."

————

The families on the East Bank are quite unique, consisting of several dozen small clans, either connected by familial incense ties within the sect or through marital alliances with noble families, or simply vassals exploited for mining by the Xiao Family.

Each family pays tribute to the Noble Families nearby. With the collapse of the Xiao Family's Guanyun Peak market, the Xiao Family's influence in the west has shrunk, and with the decline of the Yu Family, those families had seen better days.

But as the demon disaster swept in, the comfortable days of the East Bank families were plunged into a raging inferno once again, with demon smoke billowing, bloodshed flowing, and cries everywhere.

The Rui Family.

Li Qinghong's Jade Armor glowed brightly and smoothly, her spear flashing as she struck down a second layer Fetal Breathing Devil Cultivator who was panicking in flight. Her spear moved like a dragon, piercing through him.

Purple Lightning burst forth, vaporizing the Devil Cultivator in an instant, and Li Qinghong skillfully flicked her spear, precisely picking a Storage Bag from amidst the gore.

With a flick of her long spear's tip, the Storage Bag gently fell into her dainty hand. Li Qinghong turned her head to see her brother, Li Yuanjiao, smiling warmly while Li Xuanxuan stared regretfully at the corpse, lamenting:

"The robe worn by that Devil Cultivator was mixed with 'Ziyun Brocade', by exploding it this way, it can no longer be used..."

Li Qinghong, bearing her spear, could only respond:

"My mistake, my mistake."

Li Yuanjiao waved his hand, cutting off the flow of grateful words from Rui Qiongcuo, Family Head of the Rui Family, and hurried with his troops to the next household.

As foreign cultivators are frail, they not only have to divide their wealth but also provide compensation for injuries, which is why Li Yuanxiu only brought along family cultivators: