Returning to the Clan

"Good! There's actually another one—and one of our Li family's own bloodline!" Hearing Li Tongya's gentle voice from the stage, Ye Chengfu sprang up from the ground as if struck by lightning. He gazed ecstatically at Ye Qiuyang, who stood on the stage at a complete loss, and wished he could throw back his head and roar with laughter three times. "Since your surname is Ye, who is your father?" Li Tongya asked with a smile. "Ye... Ye Chengfu," Ye Qiuyang answered timidly, glancing toward his father dancing with joy beneath the stage. "Congratulations, Brother Chengfu," Li Tongya said, following the boy's gaze and greeting him with a warm smile. "Thank you, Immortal Master!" Ye Chengfu dared not put on airs and was exceedingly polite, yet the corners of his mouth arched uncontrollably. Flushed with excitement, he cupped his hands and bowed with utter reverence. Li Tongya chuckled and shook his head, then tested the remaining few children one by one before announcing in a clear voice: "The rest have no affinity with the immortal path. Stewards, please remain behind; everyone else may return to your villages." A stir swept through the crowd below, with sighs of regret rising and falling. After half an hour of commotion, the villagers departed in various directions. Beside Li Tongya, Li Yesheng stepped forward and spoke: "Stewards, please follow me to the Li family courtyard to cross-check the land deeds and accounts." Chen Erniu and the other two naturally voiced their assent together and followed Li Yesheng toward the Li family manor. Li Tongya walked down from the stage. Looking at the overjoyed Ye Chengfu and the elder of the Liu clan from Jingyang Village, he said softly, "Please, come with me." Ye Chengfu nodded repeatedly. As they walked, he pulled his child tightly into his embrace, tears streaming down his face as he murmured over and over, "Good... good!" * * * Ye Chengfu and Ye Qiuyang burned incense in the ancestral shrine and knelt to kowtow with great reverence. Before the eyes of all the Li family members, they formally returned to the clan's ancestral surname. "Clan Head!" As the eldest member of the direct Li lineage, Li Mutian naturally sat high in the seat of honor in the courtyard. Following custom, the father and son first presented tea to Li Mutian, then knelt before him to receive his instructions. "Qiuyang is also a child of our Li clan. Since he possesses a spirit aperture, it is only right that we pass down a cultivation method to him." Li Mutian took a wooden slip in his hand and said softly, "The clan confers upon you the *Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Method*. You must strive diligently in your cultivation, honor the clan and uphold the Dao, foster harmony among your kin, and under no circumstances reveal the secrets of the immortal arts to invite the covetous greed of others." The boy—now Li Qiuyang—bowed deeply, his gaze firm as he replied, "I will engrave the Clan Head's teachings upon my heart." "You will follow Xiangping to the spirit fields in Jingyang Village and cultivate under him daily. Until you form the Xuanjing Wheel, you are not permitted to leave." Li Mutian nodded, arranging his path. "Yes!" Li Qiuyang rose and took the wooden slip from his hands. After all, he was only an eight- or nine-year-old child; turning around, his voice broke into a sob as he choked out to his father, Li Chengfu, "Father, then your child will follow the master family to cultivate." "Good, good! Don't you worry about a thing at home! Tomorrow, your father will shoulder your clothes and supplies and take them to that courtyard in Jingyang. You just focus on your cultivation—focus on your cultivation..." Li Chengfu nodded repeatedly, his eyes rimmed with red as he gave his earnest reminders. "Come, Qiuyang." Li Xiangping smiled faintly, took Li Qiuyang's small hand, nodded toward his father Li Mutian, and walked out the door. "Chengfu, go pack up your belongings as well. In a few days, move your household to the back of the village," Li Mutian coughed, furrowing his brows as he spoke. Li Chengfu assented again and again, and reading the room, he hurriedly took his leave. Watching Li Chengfu's hurried departure into the distance, Li Mutian said in a deep voice, "Take that Liu clan girl under your wing for now and teach her in the Lijing courtyard. If the day comes when she achieves the Xuan Scenery, do not teach her spells just yet." "Father's arrangement is wise. By having our Li clan oversee the Liu clan's Jingyang Village while stationing their cultivator in Lijing under our watchful eye, we can prevent them from growing too strong," Li Tongya marveled with deep admiration. "It's still too early for that." Li Mutian narrowed his eyes, took a sip of tea, and continued, "These children have no mirror to aid them, nor do they have cultivation resources or spirit pills. Wouldn't it take at least a year to achieve the Xuan Scenery?" "Far longer than that!" Li Tongya shook his head and explained, "I have read through that Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Art. The magic power cultivated from it will likely be shallow and weak, and the circulation of qi carries many cumbersome hurdles. Refining it into the Xuan Scenery will take at least three years, if not more." "Then that settles it. Since the Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Art is inferior in both outcome and speed, there is no real need to be overly guarded. It is merely prudent to always keep a card up our sleeve." "Father speaks truly." Li Tongya nodded and gently set down his teacup. Seeing Li Mutian gazing lost in thought into the distance, he smiled wryly, cupped his hands, and took his leave. Li Mutian sat alone in the seat of honor in the courtyard for a long while before letting out a soft sigh. "Still not ruthless enough..." * * * Xu Wenshan had been managing Lidaokou for over four months. He had positioned several of his old hands, thoroughly subduing the village guards and laborers. He had originally managed trade caravans, so running a petty village was child's play for him. Lidaokou was a chaotic mix of surnames; while the situation was complicated, it also lacked the restrictive dominance of large, entrenched clans. Within a single month, Xu Wenshan had grasped control over the entire village from top to bottom. Yet, having settled into a routine, Xu Wenshan spent his idle moments pondering how to render meritorious service before the master family to outshine Chen Erniu. Merely sitting in this village collecting rent and checking ledgers was a waste of his talents. Flipping idly through the map in his hands, Xu Wenshan daydreamed. Speaking of Chen Erniu, the daily division of fields and water sources between their two villages constantly sparked friction, and Xu Wenshan was more than happy to feud with him. Now, whenever the villagers of Lidaokou mentioned Chen Erniu's Lichuankou, they ground their teeth, itching to throw punches. *Only with an enemy will they rally close to me, Xu Wenshan!* he thought smugly. Furthermore, when managing caravans in the past, he had never liked his subordinates getting too close to one another; he always stirred up minor rivalries among them. Xu Wenshan would never believe that the Li family had no informants planted in these villages. Judging others by his own standards, he naturally had to keep fighting with Chen Erniu so the masters could watch with peace of mind. "I've already outdone that Chen Erniu by far," he muttered to himself. His attention returned to the map spread before him, and as he looked at the winding Guli Road sketched across the parchment, inspiration struck like lightning. *Why don't I go back to my old trade?* He slapped his thigh, thrilled by the sudden revelation. *The villages are hemmed in along this Guli Road, with goods unable to circulate freely, every household farming and weaving just to get by. I spent over twenty years plying trade routes—why shouldn't I do it here?* *The masters walk the immortal path, so mundane goods mean little to them. If we clear through the mountain road and sell off all this surplus grain and silk, perhaps we can trade them for jade, spirit stones, or spirit materials. Only then will it be of real use to them!* At this thought, Xu Wenshan could no longer sit still. He summoned the hands who had fled the famine alongside him and shared the idea. The men immediately clapped their hands in unison, cheering in approval. "I'll go lay this out to the masters right away!" Xu Wenshan laughed heartily and headed out the door with his men.