Li Xiangping saw Si Yuanbai riding the Flying Shuttle as it disappeared into the sky, then he stood up and picked up the Wooden Slip from the table, untied the cloth strip, and spread it out to read.
"Qingyuan Cultivation Method, First Grade."
He skimmed through it briefly. This spell was a cultivation method of the Fetal Breathing Realm. Frowning as he read on, he then heard Li Tongya lightly exclaim,
"This Breathing Technique only requires daily breathing exercises, with no need to refine the moonlight?"
"Of course it can't compare to that 'Mirror'... Our family's cultivation technique."
Li Xiangping was just about to mention the Mirror but, fearing that Si Yuanbai might return, he had to stop himself.
"Is that Si Yuanbai really a Peak Master from the Green Pond Sect? It seems rather rash for Jing'er to leave with him just like that."
Li Tongya replied with a bitter smile,
"What can we do about it? If he were some evil cultivator, he could have simply taken the person by force, without all this unnecessary talk, and no need to leave behind any spell, proof."
Li Xiangping nodded, picked up the second Wooden Slip from the table, and spread it out to read:
"Tianyuan Qi Cultivation Technique, a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivation technique, Second Grade."
Li Tongya also picked up a slip and began reading to himself:
"Lixia Secret Notes."
As he read on, he couldn't help smiling and said to Li Xiangping:
"These notes record various common knowledge about cultivation, the power distribution of Li Xia County, and the marketplaces for Loose Cultivators. It's exactly what we need right now."
Li Xiangping took the Wooden Slip for a look and replied thoughtfully,
"Turns out cultivation techniques are classified into nine grades, with the First Grade being the lowest and Ninth Grade being the highest. Spells, elixirs, and magic artifacts are accordingly matched to realms, but I still don't know which grade our family's technique falls into."
As his brother concentrated on reading the secret notes, Li Tongya picked up the light cyan-colored Jade Seal left by Si Yuanbai and quietly started to exert his mana.
"Under Green Pond's jurisdiction."
Immediately, pale golden characters appeared on the Jade Seal, slowly fading away to be replaced by a bright white "Li" character and a small map.
"Lijing Village, Lichuan Entrance, Jingyang Village, Lidao Entrance."
Li Mutian squinted his eyes to discern them for a moment and one by one read out the names of these villages. These were precisely the villages belonging to the ancient Lidao, leading to the foot of Da Li Mountain as mentioned by Si Yuanbai.
"With the endorsement of Green Pond Immortal Sect, our Li Family now has sufficient strength. There's no need to hide anymore, we should cultivate our power openly and uprightly!"
"These villages now belong to our Li family."
Li Xiangping, who had been reading with his head down, suddenly looked up, his expression calm as he said,
"Starting from tomorrow night."
————
Chen Erniu got up early in the morning and saw the Li Family's tenants shuttling around the village like fish, going from house to house gathering people.
"Auntie Li! Tell your brother Li that after he's finished in the fields this evening to go to the back of the village, Uncle Tian has important business to discuss!"
"Ah! Alright..."
"Brother Liu! The Li Family requests your presence..."
For a moment, the village was in chaos, with everyone holding their curiosity. Barely waiting until dusk, Chen Erniu quickly finished his dinner and hurried to the back of the village.
As one of the biggest households in the village, the Li Family had strong influence. Chen Erniu looked up to see that all the prominent and minor families had gathered. Even Xu Wenshan, who was the leader of the refugees a few years ago, stood respectfully behind Li Xiangping.
"Damn, I'm late."
Chen Erniu cursed under his breath. Xu Wenshan had now become a tenant of the Li Family, always speaking courteously and behaving respectfully. With a group of more than a dozen refugee households clustering together, he had subtly replaced Chen Erniu as the head of the tenants, which made Chen grind his teeth in envy.
Looking around, Li Mutian was nowhere to be seen, but Li Xiangping stepped forward, a smile on his lips as he began to speak:
"Excuse the interruption, everyone, but there is good news to share with you all now."
Seeing that all ears were attentive, Li Xiangping continued:
"Last night, an Immortal from the Green Pond Immortal Sect passed through here and, seeing that my younger brother Li Chijin has extraordinary talents, took him away to the Immortal Mountain to study the Immortal Law."
As soon as these words were uttered, it was like a huge stone had been thrown into a calm lake, shocking everyone present. People exchanged glances, staring blankly at Li Xiangping as if listening to a fairy tale.
"Congratulations."
It was the teacher, Han Wenxu, who let out a long sigh and loudly offered his congratulations.
Han Wenxu, having come from the city and being well-informed, understood as soon as Li Xiangping mentioned the Green Pond Immortal Sect, that this matter was almost certainly true. Jing'er probably possessed a Spirit Aperture and had been taken by a cultivator from the Green Pond Sect.
"Everyone has their own predestined Karma Magic."
Han Wenxu murmured in a low voice, speaking on Li Xiangping's behalf:
"Having Chijin enter the Immortal Sect is indeed a blessing for the entire village."
Having lived in the village for over twenty years, treating the sick, teaching, and solving doubts, Han Wenxu had become an authority figure in the village. Once he spoke, Li Xiangping's words finally gained some credibility, although most villagers still couldn't help but whisper to each other.
Li Xiangping, with an indifferent expression, took out a jade seal and, channeling mana, made four golden characters emerge:
"Under Green Pond."
"Immortals, ah!"
Upon witnessing this magical display, the crowd erupted into a commotion, with many people bowing and kowtowing loudly. Chen Erniu was also startled, looking up in amazement.
Li Xiangping watched as the character "Li" fully emerged, then put away the jade seal and, looking down at the people below, announced in a clear voice:
"That Immortal also bestowed us Immortal Law, commanding our Li Family to guard Lijing Village, Lichuan Entrance, Jingyang Village, and Lidao Entrance."
After he finished speaking, he squeezed his palm gently, and a dazzling golden light emerged, flicking his wrist lightly, he sent the golden light whistling out, disappearing into the continuous forest, and with a thunderous noise, startled flocks of birds into flight.
With this show of the Golden Light Technique, people below instantly knelt down, even the Liu Family Head, Liu Linfeng, knelt tremblingly, staring at him in disbelief.
"There's no need for this, we are all relatives and neighbors here, I, Xiangping, cannot accept such a gesture," he said softly, looking down at the people who had knelt.
Chen Erniu, upon hearing Li Xiangping's voice, pressed his forehead tightly to the ground, his mind in turmoil with shock, only a few words resonating in his mind:
"Times are changing."
————
Li Tongya slowly emerged from the Lichuan Entrance, with Li Yesheng behind him, one hand holding a piece of cloth, the other a charcoal pencil, scribbling something clumsily.
"The Lichuan Entrance has not yet recovered from the drought that struck over a decade ago. There are barely more than a hundred households, truly pitiable," Li Tongya said while walking and glancing at Li Yesheng.
"Brother, we've cleared out the large households in the Lichuan Entrance and distributed the land evenly. The villagers have no more rent to pay, and this one-tenth tax on the fields is quite lenient!" Li Yesheng replied respectfully, putting away the charcoal pencil and handing it to a villager behind him, then bowing and speaking softly:
"Nevertheless, we will ultimately need someone to manage these affairs, but our direct and collateral family members really have no one well-educated and presentable enough for the task."
"Do not worry too much,"
Li Tongya waved his hand and, under the envious gaze of Li Yesheng, performed a Cleansing Technique, brushing the dust from his clothes, and answered leisurely:
"Father and Xiangping will make the arrangements."