Chapter 24: Returning to the Ancestral Sect

"Wonderful! Another one, and of my Li family bloodline at that!"

Hearing Li Tongya's gentle voice from the stage, Ye Chengfu leaped from the ground as if struck by electricity. He gazed at the flustered Ye Qiuyang on the stage with intense excitement, wishing he could laugh loudly toward the heavens.

"Since you bear the surname Ye, who is your father?" Li Tongya asked with a smile.

"Ye... Ye Chengfu," Ye Qiuyang replied timidly, glancing at the dancing, jubilant Ye Chengfu below the stage.

"Congratulations, Brother Chengfu." Following the child's gaze, Li Tongya looked down and offered a smiling greeting.

"Many thanks, Immortal Master!" Ye Chengfu did not dare to act overly familiar and remained extremely polite. However, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably. He cupped his hands in an excited, respectful salute.

Li Tongya shook his head with a smile and proceeded to test the remaining individuals one by one. He then announced loudly, "The rest of you are not destined for this. Managers, please stay; the others may return to the village."

A commotion broke out among the crowd below, with sighs of regret rising one after another. After a period of noise lasting about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, everyone departed the village in different directions. Li Yesheng, standing beside Li Tongya, stepped forward and said, "The three managers, please follow me to the Li family courtyard to reconcile the land deeds and accounts."

Chen Erniu and the other two naturally responded in unison and followed Li Yesheng toward the Li residence.

Li Tongya stepped down from the stage. Looking at the overjoyed Ye Chengfu and the elder of the Liu clan from Jingyang Village, he said softly, "Please, follow me."

Ye Chengfu nodded hurriedly. As he walked, he pulled his child tightly into his arms, tears streaming down his face as he whispered, "Good, good."

————

Ye Chengfu and Ye Qiuyang offered incense at the ancestral hall and knelt to kowtow respectfully. Under the witness of the Li family members, they reclaimed their clan surname.

"Clan Leader!"

As the eldest direct descendant of the Li clan, Li Mutian naturally sat in the high seat in the courtyard. Following protocol, the two first served tea to Li Mutian before kneeling before him to listen.

"Qiuyang is also a member of our Li clan. Since he possesses spiritual apertures, he must naturally be passed down our methods." Li Mutian took a wooden slip from his hand and continued softly, "The clan bestows upon you the *Green Essence Wheel-Nurturing Method*. You must strive in your cultivation, honor the sect and the Dao, maintain harmony within the clan, and never leak the secrets of the immortal arts, lest you invite the greed of others."

Now a youth, Li Qiuyang bowed deeply and replied with a determined gaze, "I shall keep the Clan Leader's teachings firmly in mind."

"You shall follow Xiang Ping to the spiritual fields in Jingyang Village. Cultivate with him daily, and do not leave until you have achieved the Profound Realm," Li Mutian instructed with a nod.

"Yes!"

Li Qiuyang rose and took the wooden slip from his hands. Being only an eight or nine-year-old child, his voice cracked with a hint of a sob as he turned to his father, Ye Chengfu, and said through choked breaths, "Father, then I shall go to cultivate with the master's house."

"Good, good! Do not worry about anything at home. Tomorrow, I will pack your clothes and supplies and bring them to that small courtyard in Jingyang. Just focus on your cultivation... just focus on your cultivation..." Ye Chengfu nodded repeatedly, his eyes red as he gave his instructions.

"Come, Qiuyang." Li Xiangping smiled gently, took Li Qiuyang's small hand, nodded to his father Li Mutian, and led him out the door.

"Chengfu, you should also go pack. In a few days, move your home to the back of the village," Li Mutian said with a cough and a frown.

Ye Chengfu complied repeatedly. Seeing the expressions on their faces, he quickly took his leave.

Seeing Ye Chengfu hurry out and walk into the distance, Li Mutian said in a heavy voice, "Take that Liu family girl for now. Teach her in the Lijing courtyard. If she reaches the Profound Realm one day, do not teach her any spells yet."

"Father's arrangements are wise. We shall have the Li family watch over the Liu family's Jingyang Village, and move the Liu family's cultivators to Lijing to watch over them. This way, we can prevent them from growing too powerful," Li Tongya remarked in awe, filled with admiration.

"It is still too early." Li Mutian narrowed his eyes, took a light sip of tea, and continued, "These children have no Jianzi to assist them, nor do they have any cultivation resources or pills. Do you think it will take them a year to reach the Profound Realm?"

"Far more than that!" Li Tongya shook his head in explanation. "I have read the *Green Essence Wheel-Nurturing Method*. The mana cultivated through it will likely be superficial and weak, and its circulation will be burdened by many impurities. It will take more than three years to refine the Profound Realm."

"Exactly. Since the *Green Essence Wheel-Nurturing Method* yields inferior results and slower progress, there is no need to be overly defensive. However, one must always keep a card up one's sleeve."

"Father is right." Li Tongya nodded and gently set down his tea. Seeing Li Mutian staring blankly into the distance, he offered a bitter smile, cupped his hands, and took his leave.

Li Mutian sat alone in the high seat of the courtyard. After a long silence, he let out a soft sigh.

"Not ruthless enough..."

————

Xu Wenshan had managed Lidokou for over four months. He had assigned the workers and brought the villagers to heel.

Having originally come from a background of managing caravan teams, managing a small village was naturally no trouble for him. Lidokou was a mix of various surnames; although the situation was complex, it lacked the constraints of large, powerful clans. Within a month, Xu Wenshan had gained control over every level of the village.

However, now that he had free time, Xu Wenshan was pondering how to earn merit in front of the master's house to overshadow Chen Erniu. Simply sitting in this village collecting rent and balancing accounts was an underestimate of his capabilities.

Bored, Xu Wenshan stared blankly while flipping through the map in his hands.

Speaking of Chen Erniu, the division of fields and water sources between the two villages was a constant source of friction. Xu Wenshan was naturally happy to contend with him; it wasn't surprising that the people of Lidokou spoke of Chen Erniu's Lichuankou with gritted teeth, wishing they could land a punch on him.

"Having an enemy makes it easier to draw people closer to me!" he thought triumphantly.

Furthermore, when managing merchant caravans, Xu Wenshan had never liked his subordinates getting too close to one another; he always preferred to stir up some conflict.

He didn't believe for a second that the Li family didn't have eyes in these villages. Judging by his own nature, Xu Wenshan knew he had to fight Chen Erniu to keep the masters pleased.

"I have already won too much against Chen Erniu," he muttered to himself. His focus returned to the map before him. Looking at the crooked lines of the Ancient Li Road, a sudden thought struck him.

"Why don't I return to my old profession?"

He slapped his thigh, thinking with excitement, "The various villages are trapped within this Ancient Li Road. Goods cannot circulate; every household farms and weaves for their own self-sufficiency. I, Xu Wenshan, worked on this road for over twenty years—why can't I work on it here?"

"The masters have cultivated the immortal path, so these mortal goods are secondary to them. It would be better to open up the mountain paths and sell all this grain and silk. Perhaps we can exchange them for jade or spiritual items. That would actually be useful."

At this thought, Xu Wenshan could no longer sit still. He called over several workers who had fled the disaster with him and explained the idea. The men immediately clapped their hands in agreement.

"I'll go find the masters and explain this in detail right now!"

Xu Wenshan laughed loudly and led his workers out the door.