Lijing Village was a blaze of light tonight, with every household filled with laughter and joy, and children running around the village akin to celebrating the New Year's Festival, playing and frolicking with glee.
Liu Linfeng, with his entourage, had kindled a roaring bonfire in an open space within the village. Everyone gathered around the fire, laughing and chatting, eagerly discussing the fierce long serpent, with the men boastfully showing off, their faces aglow in the firelight.
At dusk, Li Yesheng had enlisted the help of ten people to drag the long serpent down the mountain. They had laboriously scaled it, and the village women carefully sliced the snake meat, filling three large basins. They seasoned it with green onions, ginger, and cooking wine, leaving it beside the fire. Each household brought their own meat and vegetables, and they chatted beside the fire.
Li Mutian had never liked such bustling events and couldn't be bothered to step outside, so Li Xiangping and Li Tongya had someone watch the Spirit Root and went down the mountain first.
"We have limited knowledge and can't recognize this Spirit Root, not knowing its effects and taboos. It's better to leave it for now and find a market tomorrow to subtly inquire around,"
Li Xiangping sat in front of the fire and said to his brother, turning his head.
"Of course."
Li Tongya nodded and looked at the three wooden basins. He picked up a slice of snake meat and saw that it was cut as thin as a cicada's wing, seemingly radiating a white glow, and he suddenly laughed,
"The 'Lixia Secret Records' say: 'Scales beasts, birds, and insects that turn into demons, consume the essence of the sun and moon, their flesh and blood bred from spiritual energy, eating them strengthens the body and benefits the physique, replenishing Qi and blood.' We should let father consume more."
"It has already been sent to the courtyard."
Li Xiangping pierced a piece of snake meat with a skewer and roasted it over the fire. He continued,
"The snake gallbladder is also as large as two fists, and it's been taken to the courtyard to soak in wine."
As the two of them chatted, Li Yesheng, accompanied by Xu Wenshan, approached them. Li Tongya raised his head, raising his eyebrows in a gesture inviting them to speak.
"Do you want to open up commerce along this ancient Lidao, selling surplus goods from the various villages?"
After listening to Xu Wenshan's confident description, Li Xiangping and Li Tongya exchanged a glance, both deep in thought, finding Xu Wenshan's plan aligning unexpectedly with their own.
After contemplating for a few breaths, Li Tongya spoke,
"Indeed, this task will be your responsibility along with Liu Linfeng. Aside from your usual crew for this job, any additional manpower needed will be drawn first from the Liu Family."
Seeing Xu Wenshan overjoyed, Li Xiangping said in a grave tone,
"There are several Immortal Sects along the ancient Lidao. If you want to trade, you must ask for their permission. First, send someone to cautiously probe and make contact. Mark the populated places along the Lidao and create an initial map."
"I understand!"
Xu Wenshan listened carefully, then lifted his head, patting his chest as he promised,
"You can rest easy, master. I, Xu Wenshan, have traveled the Lixia roads for over a decade, and these techniques of the road are second nature to me. If I hadn't never been to this ancient Lidao, I could draw that map right away."
Xu Wenshan hurried off to find his crew, while Li Tongya, munching on snake meat, said in a low voice to Li Yesheng,
"Uncle is also quite idle at home; it wouldn't hurt to do some work. That Xu Wenshan is quite cunning. Although we've placed many of the Liu Family people in there, Yesheng, you still need to keep an eye on him, don't let Xu Wenshan get too powerful."
"I understand!"
Li Yesheng quickly answered, having followed the two brothers for so long, he was acquainted with the ins and outs of their affairs, and he silently started to watch out for Xu Wenshan.
"Tomorrow, we'll find some reliable people from our own ranks to surround that banyan tree with a small courtyard on the mountain, to prevent others from prying..."
Li Xiangping finished speaking and waved his hand, and Li Yesheng conscientiously excused himself while Li Tongya sighed softly, and said in a deep voice:
"If our Li Family didn't truly lack people to maintain order, we wouldn't have to be so utterly cautious and guarded."
Li Xiangping, engrossed in eating the snake meat, clenched the stick in his hand and replied:
"We should've made a trip to that market, getting a map there would've been easy, but with both of our cultivation levels being so modest, we're not familiar with the market's intricacies, and I fear it may be too risky."
"Don't worry about it!"
Seeing Li Xiangping's glum expression, Li Tongya laughed heartily and said:
"Now that Jing'er has entered the Immortal Sect, the spiritual seedlings at home are thriving, and a disciple with a Spirit Aperture has emerged from our clan, we have also discovered this Spirit Root. Our Li Family is indeed flourishing; should we be overly dissatisfied, it would only bring disaster upon us."
Li Xiangping was stunned by these words, he nodded thoughtfully and smiled, saying:
"I'll take to heart the teachings of my elder brother!"
————
Li Chengfu had now moved close to the main house, and his life had completely changed. Not to mention the return to his clan's surname, now whenever someone in Lijing Village spoke of Li Chengfu, they would say, "Such good fortune indeed!"
Walking through the village, not to say he was overbearing, but at least he looked decent enough — who wouldn't respectfully address him as Li Chengfu?
The Ye Family's clan elders were certainly green with envy, and even Liu Linfeng, who usually wouldn't spare him a glance, now had to smile and respectfully call him Chengfu.
But to be fair, although Li Chengfu was very pleased with himself, he still dared not show off in front of Liu Linfeng, who after all was a relative from the direct lineage, albeit now in dire straits. Who knew if he might have a day of resurgence?
And sure enough, after Liu Linfeng's few months of downfall, with one command from the main house, he was suddenly in charge of dozens of people, running around both in front and behind the village, what with drawing this laborious map, his face was almost dripping with smiles!
Sitting in a small shop in the village, Li Chengfu savored his wine, watching Liu Linfeng busily spin around like a gyroscope each day, and chuckled.
"I see your tasks are not so light, Liu Linfeng, not as comfortable as what I, Li Chengfu, am enjoying!"
"Brother Fu, tell me, what kind of magical methods do Immortals have? Why do you head up to the mountain every day?"
Looking at the idle men gathered around him, eagerly asking for gossip, Li Chengfu snorted disdainfully, flicked his sleeve, and said loudly:
"Shut up! Make way, all of you!"
He, Li Chengfu, was no fool. With the Li Family being thinly populated and he himself being a non-direct family member considered a trusted insider, he was in charge of the small courtyard being built on the mountain with the two children. Li Yesheng had instructed that it should not be disclosed. Would he, Li Chengfu, be foolish enough to betray his own family for some attention?
The middle-aged man calculated clearly in his heart that his child, who possessed a Spirit Aperture and was of Li Family blood, aside from the current stewards, Li Tongya, Li Xiangping, and Li Yesheng, that fourth seat was assuredly his! Liu Rouxuan, being of a different surname, had no place to interfere.
Now that he and the three children, including an Immortal and two mortals, had also changed their surname to Li, the interests of the Li Family were those of Li Qiuyang and of him, Li Chengfu. Would he sell out his own family?
"Off to work!"
Li Chengfu waved his hand, drained the clear wine from his bowl, and walked out with a swagger from among the crowd of loafers.
The construction of the courtyard on the mountain was grand, and with a tight deadline, Li Chengfu had little time to waste here.