Chapter 30: Explosive Growth

"The Su family! The Su family reinforcements have arrived!"

"We actually have allies?"

"Charge! Kill all these bastards!"

With the entry of the Su family's experts, the tide of battle shifted instantly. The head of the Su family, a refined, middle-aged man dressed in cloud-patterned robes, appeared beside Li Dalong. Seeing an ancestral tablet explode before an opponent, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he did not hesitate to join Li Dalong in fighting the mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert.

Under their combined efforts, the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, already lightly wounded by the explosion of the ancestral tablet, was quickly slain.

"You must be Brother Li Dalong, correct?" Su Yun asked with a strained smile.

"That is indeed me."

Li Dalong breathed a sigh of relief, though it seemed he had anticipated the Su family's intervention. He cupped his hands naturally toward Su Yun. "Thank you, Brother Su, for your immense help today."

"You are too kind."

Su Yun’s mouth twitched. Helping them today was a matter of sheer necessity!

In truth, before the Li family arrived, he had received invitations from the other two families to join forces against the outsiders. However, the Su family had never intended to get involved, much less risk suffering any losses.

Yet, he never expected that just as the battle in Tailin Town began, Li Yaowen, the fourth daughter of the Li family, would appear at his doorstep.

Li Yaowen had given him three choices:

First, side with the Hu and Wang families to besiege the Li family, in which case the Li family would abandon their stronghold and the three thousand villagers of Zhien Village without hesitation, leaving behind all their resources.

Second, side with the Li family, ensuring the Su family would become the sole power in Tailin Town, backed by the Li family as an ally.

As for the third, they could remain bystanders—but they would be branded as fence-sitters and would be purged by the victors once the battle ended.

"Brother Li, we must not let a single person from the Hu or Wang families escape, lest it lead to future trouble," Su Yun said to the battle-scarred Li Dalong before turning to provide support elsewhere.

As he moved, he looked at the war puppets flying toward the outskirts of Tailin Town and the Purple Thunder Heaven Sun Python rampaging through the streets. His expression remained one of shock.

"The Li family... they are terrifying."

He was afraid.

In the beginning, although the Li family had tried to trade with them over the years, Su Yun had never taken them seriously. But today, seeing the siege, he finally realized the horror of the Li family. They had risen to prominence in only twenty or thirty years, yet they possessed a foundation comparable to families that had existed for centuries, even single-handedly fighting two others.

This was the reason he had chosen the Li family after Li Yaowen presented the three options. Even if the Li family had lost today, they could have escaped, and no one would have been able to stop them. What would happen in another twenty, thirty, or a hundred years?

"Family Head, if we help the Li family, will they annex us later?" a clan elder beside him asked with a grave expression.

Su Yun shook his head. "In such a short time, the Li family has already become so powerful. Previously, the Hu and Wang families’ blockade had suppressed their development. Now that they have access to resources, they will reach another level. As long as we keep to ourselves and remain obedient, we will be well-protected under their shadow."

...

[Congratulations: By leading your family and its forces to break the economic blockade of Tailin Town and defeating two major families, your clansmen are cheering for you!]

[Obtained 5,000 Incense Points!]

"We won!"

Li Xiang finally deactivated the war puppets, clenching his fists in delight. In truth, he had prepared for the worst and the best outcomes for this battle.

If they had lost, he would never have sat idly by waiting for death. He would have evacuated all members of the Li family, choosing to abandon the years of accumulation in Zhien Village to rebuild elsewhere. Once the members had developed successfully in a new location, they would have returned for revenge.

The best-case scenario, however, was the Su family. That had been the key to this battle.

He still remembered the conversation he had with Li Yaowen in the ancestral hall; the Su family had always been the most critical link. It was he who had sent Li Yaowen to them, offering them three choices—and simultaneously giving them a way to survive.

"This is a massive haul!"

Li Xiang could not hide his joy. As the battle ended, the cleanup began. A pleasing list appeared in the event log.

[You have obtained the loot: Low-grade artifact, Rapid-Fire Gun.]

[You have obtained one copy of "Alchemical Classics."]

[You have obtained one copy of "Spear Forest Formation Diagram."]

[......]

It is no wonder that war is the simplest way to accumulate wealth. Following the Li family's search, all the cultivation techniques and manuals of the Hu and Wang families were seized.

Not only that:

[Your family has occupied two gold mines.]

[Your family has occupied one 'Celestial Blue Stone Mine.']

[Obtained 'Spirit Fish Lake,' discovered ingredients capable of enhancing human Qi...]

The variety of resources dazzled Li Xiang.

[Your Family Head has obtained a low-grade spirit artifact—the Tianjun Seal!]

This low-grade spirit artifact, which had caused Li Xiang so much trouble during the battle with the war puppets, was now in Li Dalong's hands. This artifact could grow in size to crush enemies with immense weight and even form formation seals. Li Xiang knew exactly how powerful it was. A Foundation Establishment cultivator using a spirit artifact could fight those a level above them.

However, while the harvest was plentiful, the Li family’s heavy casualties were a reality they had to face.

Of the thousand civilians from Zhien Village who made the trip, more than half were killed or wounded. Over half of the Li family’s hundred spirit beasts were lost in the first wave of the Hu family's Spear Forest formation, leaving only twenty-something behind. Of the four spirit beasts, only the weakest, the Eight-Leaf Flower Demon, survived.

Even the Li family members themselves were not unscathed. Although Li Xiang had tried his best to help them avoid danger, Li Yaotie had narrowly escaped death in the heat of battle, losing his left arm. The "Ancestor's Embrace" could heal wounds, but it could not regrow severed limbs.

"When the family develops further, I will find a way for him."

...

Soon, the game screen shifted.

Everyone had returned to the Li family stronghold with their spoils. Li Dalong was comforting the villagers of Zhien Village, promising them that as long as the Li family stood, they would protect the entire village. From this moment on, every child born in Zhien Village would receive guidance from cultivators, gain access to more farmland and resources, and even receive seeds for medicinal herbs.

"Now, it is time for the Li family's rapid development!" Li Xiang grinned.

This war had not left him untouched. He felt more and more that the descendants in this game were truly real people; they possessed emotions and qualities he couldn't help but admire. Often, Li Xiang thought that if the Li family in reality were like the one in the game, he might also sacrifice everything for them.

As he pondered this:

[Your descendant Li Yaotie has returned with a missing arm. Seeing this, Bai Rourou is heartbroken and has taken the initiative to propose to Li Yaotie!]

The game screen was soon decorated with lanterns and festoons, and all the villagers of Zhien Village came to the Li family to attend the wedding. Not only them, but the Chen family, who had returned to Tailin Town, and the Su family head, Su Yun, also came to celebrate.

The one-armed Li Yaotie and Bai Rourou, dressed in wedding attire, entered the hall of marriage. Afterward, they went to the ancestral hall.

"Waaaah, Ancestor! Yaotie has finally gotten married. If I had known that losing an arm would make Rourou marry me, I would have chopped it off myself long ago!" Li Yaotie cried like a two-hundred-pound child.

"......"

Li Xiang had been worried that losing an arm would affect Li Yaotie's state of mind, but it seemed...

[Your descendant has married. Congratulations, you have gained +50 Incense Points!]

This joyous occasion dispelled the sorrow of the heavy casualties in Zhien Village. The entire Li family and Zhien Village began a new round of development.

[Year 34 of the Li Family]

At the beginning of this year, the results of the Li family digesting the gains from Tailin Town began to show!

[Li Yaozu has killed his enemy Hu Wei. His state of mind is suddenly enlightened, and he has gained insight into the path of Foundation Establishment, beginning his seclusion!]

"The Li family's third Foundation Establishment cultivator." Li Xiang smiled.

The only downside was that since his separation from Qu Xiaoxiao, Li Yaozu was heartbroken and had no intention of marrying.

"Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes," Li Xiang thought, deciding not to force him.

Just as he was thinking about this:

"Ancestor, I succeeded! I succeeded!"

The game screen suddenly switched to the spirit herb garden. Li Yaoqing was holding an ancestral tablet, spinning around in joy. The same Li Yaoqing who had coldly shot enemies with poison arrows in Tailin Town was now acting like an innocent child back in the herb garden.

[Your descendant Li Yaoqing, after years of research, has finally developed a new medicine: Gold Spirit Powder!]

[Gold Spirit Powder (9th-grade potion): Increases Gold Spirit Root by 1-8 points.]

"She finally developed it!"

Seeing this message, Li Xiang nearly jumped up. This 9th-grade potion was a divine medicine for the early stages—it was something that could change a person's aptitude. Even in the real world, it could fetch a sky-high price!

It also meant that the aptitude of the Li family members would be further improved. The greatest beneficiary was Li Dalong; his Gold Spirit Root had reached 68 points after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and as long as his luck wasn't too bad, he would break through to 70!

"Ancestor, we can now get many resources from Tailin Town, and I am already prepared to develop two new medicines!"

After kowtowing to the tablet, Li Yaoqing began tinkering with her new drugs. Li Xiang took a quick look.

Clear Wind Powder: A potion that allows one to maintain a clear mind while practicing, effectively increasing one's comprehension!

Black Jade Interrupted Paste: A potent healing medicine that treats both internal and external injuries; it can even reattach severed limbs if applied within 30 seconds.

"Yaoqing, you are my greatest treasure!"

Li Xiang's mouth stretched into a wide grin. As long as Li Yaoqing increased production, and once the Li family grew and she trained more apprentices, Li Xiang could even start a pharmaceutical company in the real world.

To riches and prosperity!