Chapter 25: Bear a Child for Me

"It is fightable, but the losses might be heavy."

Before the screen, Li Xiang listened to the intelligence from the Chen family. Having been annihilated by those two clans, no one understood the strength of their enemies better than the Chen family.

He could also see the fighting spirit burning within the members of the Li family. If his descendants were not cowards, what reason did he, their ancestor, have to be afraid? If the chance of victory reached fifty percent, it was worth a shot.

Those two clans possessed ancestors at the False Core stage and a spiritual artifact. However, the Li family's combat strength was not trivial either; he had the temple-guarding divine beast, the Purple Thunder Sun Python. While he might not have fully grasped the beast's true power before, after operating the war puppet, Li Xiang had felt its might firsthand. It was undoubtedly among the best of spiritual beasts, with strength comparable to a False Core cultivator.

As for the Golden Core stage... perhaps one could barely survive under a Golden Core expert, but to engage in battle was impossible. The gap between each major realm was like heaven and earth.

Next was the war puppet. Its primary purpose was for large-scale interstellar warfare, but it possessed the power to contend with False Core cultivators. In particular, Li Xiang was confident that he could manipulate the war puppet to defeat a False Core opponent.

As for the Foundation Establishment level...

"What we truly lack right now is a confrontation between our Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators and those of the two great clans." Li Xiang frowned deeply.

In the Li family, only Li Dalong and his wife possessed Foundation Establishment strength. Over the years, the family still only had four spiritual beasts, and the Eight-Leaf Flower Demon among them was essentially useless in combat. As for the Qi Refining stage, they were far behind Tailin Town.

Li Yaozu was the strongest, having reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining through the cultivation of Beast Blood Fruit and various spiritual medicines. Li Yaoqing and Li Yaotie, the sister and brother, were at the seventh layer. As for Li Yaowen... she was negligible. Among the third generation, twelve-year-old Li Yunlin was gifted, but he was only at the peak of the third layer.

Their Spirit Beast Garden had 102 beasts capable of fighting at the Qi Refining level, which was decent. As for the 150-man guard squad trained by Li Yaozu, only a mere 12 had reached the Qi Refining stage—the strongest among them only at the second layer.

Li Xiang was confident in winning the top-tier combat, but the middle and lower tiers... even if the Chen family were willing to fight alongside the Li family, they would still be crushed.

"Is this the 'foundation' the Chen family ancestor spoke of?" Li Xiang felt the dilemma. This was merely the gap in the number of cultivators. The Hu and Wang families had developed for centuries; they possessed numerous magical artifacts, arrays within their clans, and all sorts of other methods.

As for using the Purple Thunder Sun Python and the war puppet to blockade Tailin Town, that was even more unrealistic. Their movements were not as flexible as human cultivators; if surrounded by Tailin Town, they would simply be throwing their lives away.

"I can only hope that my hands are fast enough to manipulate the war puppet while simultaneously unleashing 'The Ancestor's Wrath'." Li Xiang narrowed his eyes.

This battle was inevitable. With the limited resources the Li family currently had, their growth would be slow, eventually hitting a ceiling. Tailin Town, however, only grew stronger; the longer they dragged it out, the more passive their position would become.

"If only I could lure them all to Tailin Town, with the Ancestral Spirit Formation Map fully prepared, that would be ideal." Li Xiang pursed his lips.

***

While Li Xiang calculated the balance of power, the Li family did not charge toward Tailin Town immediately. They maintained their composure, clearly understanding the gap between themselves and the town. Yet, not a single one of them was a coward!

Once the spark of hope for revenge appeared, they could no longer suppress it. Perhaps this was the grit and willpower the Li family had gradually cultivated over these years of development.

On this day, the entire Li family went about their daily routines as if nothing were amiss. Li Yaowen sat under the peach tree in the courtyard, holding a book. She appeared unconcerned about the life-and-death battle the family was about to face, yet the hand gripping the book tightened imperceptibly.

"If I turn a blind eye, the Li family will slowly wither and eventually be liquidated by Tailin Town. If we fail, I will be the sinner of the Li family." No one knew the weight this seemingly calm woman carried in her heart when she proposed the battle in the ancestral hall.

Yet, she had to seize the best opportunity to make the best choice for her family. Just as the family and the ancestor had never looked down on her for her physical frailty and lack of strength, but supported her all the same!

While deep in thought, several maids loyal only to Li Yaowen arrived with a sullen-looking boy and a small child.

"Auntie." Li Yunlin bowed with his younger brother.

Li Yaowen nodded slightly. "Yunlin, the family is about to undertake a major task. If something goes wrong, take Yunbing and flee. They will look after you, but remember: you are always members of the Li family."

"Auntie... what happened?" Although young, Li Yunlin knew his aunt would never say such things unless the clan faced extinction.

"Nothing, just a big battle." Li Yaowen waved at the two brothers and patted their heads. "Children, go. The ancestor will always protect the children of the Li family. You don't need to worry."

Watching the maids lead the children away, Li Yaowen finally let out a long breath. Even with a formidable enemy at their doorstep, she had made arrangements for the worst-case scenario.

"I hope it won't come to that."

***

In the Spirit Beast Garden, Li Yaoqing was preparing her medicinal herbs as usual. She stroked the massive Beast Blood Fruit tree and looked at the herbs she had raised day by day.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Fifteen youths approached. "If I do not return, burn the Beast Blood Fruit tree and all the herbs in this garden, then change your names and hide. Remember, when the two young masters of the Li family grow up, they will be your masters."

"Yes, Master!" Seeing the children she had trained over the years nod, Li Yaoqing felt a bit more at ease. She looked at the herb garden with lingering affection. She had dedicated almost her entire life to these plants, but some things were more precious—her beloved family, her clan!

Recalling the years, Li Yaoqing couldn't help but smile faintly. Everyone in Zhien Village said she was aloof and only cared for her herbs. They didn't know that she took such an interest in seeds and plants because, after she was born, her father had lived through a year of severe drought. That year, she watched the vegetables her family had painstakingly grown wither day by day. Her parents said that without vegetables, her older brother wouldn't grow tall, and her younger brother would end up like a stunted winter melon.

She had cried in fear, unable to imagine her brothers turning into melons. As she grew up, she wanted to grow the most delicious vegetables so her family would never go hungry. Fortunately, her brother grew taller than her, and her younger brother became as strong as an ox. Only her younger sister... her sister had been sickly since childhood. So, she began growing spiritual herbs, wanting her sister to consume the best medicine and never be ill again.

"Yaowen still hasn't taken my medicine." Li Yaoqing shook her head. She looked at the herb garden one last time, her expression turning cold. "But if there is no home left, outsiders shall not taste these herbs!"

***

"Hey, Rou-rou, your husband is here to see you, open the door!"

As evening fell, Li Yaotie had been waiting in front of Bai Rou-rou's door for a long time. He could sense the beautiful, sturdy woman—as lithe as a panther—leaning against the door, seemingly afraid he would force his way in. He smiled. "Rou-rou, I might be dead before long."

The door shifted, but did not open. Li Yaotie’s eyes grew misty.

"The people of Tailin Town have been bullying our family. I’m definitely going to fight them. Fourth Sister is right; the Chen family was wiped out. If we don't fight them, our family will be next."

"I'll be honest with you, I really wanted to have a house full of children with you. They could grow up as strong as me and help me protect the family."

"Heh, I know you look down on me. I'm just a brute, shameless, doing nothing but blacksmithing day and night."

"But do you know? When I was little, I knew we needed weapons. My dad had to go into the dangerous forest to get us meat. He had a kitchen knife that was chipped from use in the forest, and he hadn't replaced it in two years. Do you know how my sister cut grass? With a tiny little knife."

"I grew this strong thanks to their meat and vegetables. Back then, I thought, when I grow up, I must make them sturdy iron tools."

"As I got older, I realized weapons weren't enough; we needed magical artifacts, powerful ones—the kind that fight like people, just like the ancestor. Otherwise, those bastard dogs outside would destroy our lives. I also practice my strength; otherwise, my sister, who doesn't know martial arts, would get bullied."

"Heh, see? I have a heart..."

As he was about to continue, the door creaked open. Li Yaotie turned and saw Bai Rou-rou's furrowed brow. She probably hadn't washed her hair or face; she didn't look as pretty as yesterday. But Li Yaotie was overjoyed. "Rou-rou, you... you didn't kick me this time!"

"Have you said enough?"

Bai Rou-rou seemed to be caught in a massive life decision. After a long moment, she kicked Li Yaotie. "Get inside."

"Huh?" Li Yaotie froze.

"Get inside and make babies!"

"Huh?"