Chapter 30: Discussion

Li Xiangping dug out all the news that Wan Yuankai knew, sent away the disappointed Wan Yuankai, put away the sketch in his hand, and returned to Lijing Village with Li Yesheng.

Thanks to the continuous supply of land tax from the villages, the Li family was able to support more craftsmen. These people mainly built the small courtyard on the back mountain, and were also responsible for the repair of Lijing Village when the construction period was loose.

After more than half a year of repairs, Lijing Village had changed its appearance. Polished blue stone slabs were spliced together, spreading from in front of the Li family's door to the entrance of the village, as the main trunk of Lijing Village, spreading its influence to the villages.

The wealthy households in the village also imitated the Li family's blue brick houses and renovated their own adobe thatched houses. Although they were not as bright and beautiful as the blue bricks and white seams, they were considered imposing.

Looking far away at the building complexes behind the village, the small white-brick courtyards surrounded the main family's blue bricks and gray tiles, which had the flavor of a small town in the south of the Yangtze River in the misty rain.

Li Xiangping returned to the courtyard and saw Li Mutian sitting in the courtyard with Li Xuanxuan to rest. Li Mutian was in high spirits, acting neatly, holding a tea bowl in his hand, sitting at the table like an old god, as if he had walked out of the pain of losing his son a few years ago.

Now Li Mutian doesn't care much about things, but no one dares to underestimate this old man. Although Li Mutian is just a mortal, Li Yesheng and others fear him far more than Li Tongya and Li Xiangping.

"Xuan'er!"

Li Xiangping smiled and picked up Li Xuanxuan who was flying over. The child was at the age of reading, and the Li family still invited Han Wenxu to be a teacher. Li Xuanxuan was smart and clever, and it was not difficult to teach.

"Today I went to the reed marsh with Xie Wen, he said Uncle Yesheng was herding ducks there when he was a child!"

Li Xuanxuan smiled and hugged Li Xiangping, saying in a childish voice.

The Li family took the lead in marrying Li Yesheng, and Li Xiewen was Li Yesheng's child, who was more than two years old, running around behind Li Xuanxuan every day.

"Isn't it."

Li Yesheng behind him answered with a smile.

"Call Second Brother back."

Li Xiangping smiled and ordered, watching Li Yesheng respond and retreat, gradually moving away, and then looked at Li Xuanxuan.

"At that time, Third Uncle was catching fish on the side. That fish was so fat, with green scales all over, slippery."

Li Xiangping put him down, pinched Li Xuanxuan's little face, but his eyes were wandering, staring blankly into the distance, as if he had fallen into some kind of deep memory.

"That fish was the best fish Third Uncle ever ate, it was a fish from heaven, an immortal among fish..."

"How about the Wan family?"

Li Mutian looked down, put the clear tea in his hand on the table, and interrupted Li Xiangping.

"The strength is far better than my Li family, with a long history, a clan leader with Yujing Wheel cultivation, and that Wan Yuankai, who achieved Qingyuan at a young age."

Li Xiangping patted Li Xuanxuan, let the child go to play by himself, raised his head and replied.

Just after speaking, Li Tongya walked into the courtyard, his face solemn, found a seat and sat down, listening carefully to Li Xiangping's division.

Li Xiangping told all the things about Wan Yuankai in one breath, and then held the tea bowl, drinking it in large gulps while looking at the two.

"If this Wan family is really in trouble, we can help if we can. The Ji clan is close at hand. If this Wan family really falls, the lips will be cold and the teeth will be cold, and the next one will most likely be my Li family."

Li Tongya listened silently to Li Xiangping's words, holding the sketch and looking at it.

"The Wan family must be saved, but there must be a way to save them. It must be the most beneficial way for my Li family. Xiangping, listen."

Li Mutian narrowed his eyes, raised his eyebrows, looked at the tea in the cup quietly, and said again:

"The Wan family said that the Ji clan robbed their spirit rice, then reply like this—just say that my Li family still has spare spiritual fields, but no manpower, and ask them to send someone to my Li family to plant rice here. My Li family will take three percent of the harvest. If that Wan Yuankai really sends someone, then it is true that his Wan family is trapped by the Ji clan and is miserable."

"Exactly."

Li Xiangping nodded, obviously thinking the same as his father, and said seriously:

"It's just that the Ji clan knows the spirit fields of the Wan family like the back of their hand. I'm afraid the interior has become a sieve. This matter must be done secretly by that Wan Yuankai. At this moment, my Li family must not confront the Ji clan, just support it silently behind the Wan family."

"Not bad."

Li Mutian nodded approvingly, took a light sip of tea, and continued:

"Both families are far better than ours. At this moment, we must hide our strength and bide our time, accumulate strength. The Ji clan is aggressive, and their hearts are punishable, and that Wan family, although they are under the governance of Qingchi, must also be guarded against."

Li Tongya looked at the sketch for a long time, and suddenly said:

"This Ji clan in the picture, but has a border with my Li family?"

"Yes."

Li Xiangping nodded, pointed at Lidao Mouth, and said in a deep voice:

"Guli Road forks here, one way north, straight into the Ji clan territory, and one way east, leading to the Wan family territory."

Paused, looking at Li Tongya's thoughtful look, Li Xiangping continued:

"I asked that Wan Yuankai, more than a hundred years ago, a monster gathered several small monsters and built a monster cave on the road to the Ji clan, so that road was cut off from then on, and even the Ji clan abandoned that piece of land, just nominally under the Ji clan's management."

"So that's it," Li Tongya said suddenly: "In this way, there is no need to fear that the Ji clan will enter the country. As long as the Wan family does not fall, the Ji clan will never threaten this place."

"That monster is also smart, choosing the junction of the Qingchi Sect and the Tangjin Gate, and hiding in its monster cave to practice, without coming out to cause trouble."

Li Xiangping said lightly, turning his head to look at Li Mutian:

"I heard that there were Shanyue appearing west of my family, Father, you fought with that Shanyue back then, do you have any news?"

Li Mutian waved his hand and said:

"To talk about appearance, those Shanyue people are no different from us, just cutting hair and tattooing, language is not clear, and Shanyue is good at fighting, valuing strength, and there are those witch doctors in the clan, good at cursing and driving beasts, which is not easy to deal with."

"Your exorcism technique doesn't know how effective it is. As long as you can deal with that curse, the village Ding and the enemy are evenly matched, it's not impossible to deal with."

"It's not urgent."

Li Tongya said, his finger circled lightly on the Li family on the map, and said:

"The Wan family has suffered many squeezes and cuts from the Ji clan, and the area divided by Si Yuanbai for my Li family is large. Now my Li family's territory is even larger than the Wan family's territory."

"The land is wide and the people are sparse, and my Li family's strength is low, but it is just bloated. If the Shanyue doesn't come, we don't have to provoke them. Relying on the Wan family to resist in front, let my Li family develop for a few years, and then talk about other things after completely mastering these territories." ===== CHAPTER 31 =====