Chapter 24: Returning to the Sect

"Excellent! Another one, and from my Li family lineage at that!"

Hearing Li Tongya's gentle voice from the stage, Ye Chengfu leaped to his feet as if struck by lightning. He gazed excitedly at Ye Qiuyang on stage, who stood awkwardly, wishing he could let out three loud laughs to the sky.

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

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

"Congratulations, Brother Chengfu," Li Tongya said with a smile, following the child's gaze.

"Thank you, Immortal Master!" Ye Chengfu replied respectfully, bowing excitedly. He couldn't suppress the rising corners of his mouth, his politeness evident despite his joy.

Li Tongya smiled and shook his head, then tested the remaining individuals one by one before announcing loudly: "The rest of you have no affinity. All managers, please stay; the others may return to your villages."

The crowd below stirred, a wave of regret rippling through them. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the commotion subsided, and people departed in various directions. Li Yesheng, standing beside Li Tongya, stepped forward and said, "Three managers, please follow me to the Li family courtyard to cross-reference the land deeds and accounts."

Chen Erniu and the other two naturally assented in unison, following Li Yesheng toward the Li family estate.

Li Tongya stepped down from the stage and, seeing the ecstatic Ye Chengfu and the elder of the Liu clan from Jingyang Village, said softly, "Please come with me."

Ye Chengfu nodded repeatedly, tightly hugging his child as they walked, tears streaming down his face as he whispered, "Good, good."

***

Ye Chengfu and Ye Qiuyang lit incense in the ancestral hall and respectfully kowtowed. Witnessed by many members of the Li family, they were officially reinstated into the clan.

"Patriarch!"

As the most senior direct descendant of the Li clan, Li Mutian naturally sat in the principal seat in the courtyard. Following custom, the two first offered tea to Li Mutian, then knelt before him, listening attentively.

"Qiuyang is also a child of our Li clan," Li Mutian said softly, taking a bamboo slip into his hand. "Since he possesses a spiritual aperture, it is natural for us to pass down the cultivation method. The clan bestows upon you the 'Azure Yuan Spirit-Wheel Cultivation Method.' You must diligently cultivate, honor the ancestors, adhere to the Dao, and foster harmony within the clan. Under no circumstances are you to reveal the secrets of this immortal method, lest it attract unwanted covetousness."

The boy, Li Qiuyang, bowed deeply, his gaze resolute as he replied, "I will remember the Patriarch's teachings."

"You will go with Xiangping to the spiritual fields in Jingyang Village," Li Mutian nodded, instructing him. "You will practice with him daily. You are not to leave until you have mastered the Profound View Wheel."

"Yes!" Li Qiuyang stood up and took the bamboo slip from Li Mutian's hand. Still only an eight or nine-year-old child, he turned to his father, Li Chengfu, with a slight whimper in his voice, choking back tears. "Father, your child will now go with the main family to cultivate."

"Good, good!" Li Chengfu nodded repeatedly, his eyes red. "You absolutely mustn't worry about matters at home. Tomorrow, your father will carry your clothes and belongings to that small courtyard in Jingyang for you. Just cultivate well, just cultivate well..."

"Come, Qiuyang," Li Xiangping smiled gently, took Li Qiuyang's small hand, nodded to his father Li Mutian, and then they left.

"Chengfu," Li Mutian coughed, his brows furrowed. "You should also pack up. In a few days, move your family to the back of the village."

Ye Chengfu assented repeatedly, then, noting the expressions on their faces, quickly excused himself.

Watching Ye Chengfu hurry out and walk away, Li Mutian said in a deep voice, "You should take that Liu family girl with you first and instruct her at the Lijing small courtyard. If she cultivates the Profound View one day, there's no need to teach her spells yet."

"Father's arrangement is excellent!" Li Tongya exclaimed with admiration. "Arranging for our Li family members to oversee the Liu family's Jingyang Village, and transferring the Liu family cultivators to Lijing, will prevent them from growing too powerful."

"It's still too early for that," Li Mutian said, narrowing his eyes and taking a sip of his tea. He continued, "These children lack the aid of a 'Jianzi' and have no cultivation resources or elixirs. Will it take them a year to achieve Profound View?"

"Much more than that!" Li Tongya shook his head, explaining, "I've read the 'Azure Yuan Spirit-Wheel Art.' The spiritual power cultivated through it is likely superficial and weak, and its circulation is burdened by many hindrances. It will take at least three years to cultivate the Profound View with it."

"Then that's that," Li Mutian concluded. "Since the 'Azure Yuan Spirit-Wheel Art' is inferior in achievement and speed, there's no real need for precautions. Still, it's always wise to keep a contingency."

"Father is right," Li Tongya nodded, gently setting down his tea. Seeing Li Mutian gazing absentmindedly into the distance, he gave a wry smile, bowed, and excused himself.

Li Mutian sat alone quietly in the principal seat in the courtyard. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh. "Not ruthless enough..."

***

Xu Wenshan had been managing Li Dao Kou for over four months. He had arranged his subordinates, and the village guards were all obedient. Having previously managed a convoy, overseeing a small village was naturally no challenge for Xu Wenshan. Li Dao Kou, with its mix of surnames, presented a complex situation but also lacked the constraints of powerful major clans. Within a month, Xu Wenshan had established complete control over the village.

When he had free time, Xu Wenshan pondered how to gain merit in the eyes of the main family and outshine Chen Erniu. Simply collecting rent and managing accounts in the village was, in his opinion, an underestimation of his capabilities.

Bored, Xu Wenshan idly flipped through the map in his hand, lost in thought. Speaking of Chen Erniu, the two villages had constant friction over the allocation of farmland and water sources. Xu Wenshan was naturally happy to contend with him. Indeed, the people of Li Dao Kou now gnashed their teeth when speaking of Chen Erniu's Li Chuan Kou, wishing they could punch him.

"Only with an enemy can people truly rally around me, Xu Wenshan!" he thought triumphantly.

Furthermore, when Xu Wenshan managed merchant caravans, he never liked his subordinates to be too friendly with each other; he always stirred up some conflict. Xu Wenshan absolutely did not believe that the Li family had no informants in these villages. Judging others by himself, he naturally sought to contend with Chen Erniu to keep the main family entertained.

"I've already won against Chen Erniu by too much," he muttered to himself. His thoughts returned to the map laid out before him. As he looked at the winding ancient Li Dao on the map, an idea suddenly struck him.

"Why don't I return to my old trade?" he thought with a slap of his thigh, delighted. "All these villages are confined by this ancient Li Dao. Goods cannot circulate; every household farms and weaves clothes, self-sufficient. I, Xu Wenshan, worked on that road for over twenty years, so why can't I do it here?"

"Now that the main family has embarked on the path of immortality, these mundane goods are dispensable. It would be better to open up the mountain pass and sell all this grain and silk, perhaps exchanging them for jade and spiritual objects. That would be truly useful."

At this thought, Xu Wenshan could no longer sit still. He called over a few of his associates who had fled with him and explained the matter. The others immediately clapped their hands and cheered.

"I'll go to the main family right away and explain everything in detail!" Xu Wenshan laughed heartily, then left with his associates.