Family Management Game In Immortal Continent

Chapter 492: We will go back home

[Year 267]

Auraria City.

By now, because of the presence of Li Yaoqing, a Rank 6 Apothecary and Pill Master, this settlement had unexpectedly transformed from a simple marketplace into a bustling city perpetually filled with the rich fragrance of medicinal herbs.

This was also because numerous cultivators, bringing with them resources for pill refinement, had flocked to the city, which in turn attracted a great many other apothecaries and pill masters.

However, when cultivators returned to the city this year, they found that the spirit medicines and pills being sold no longer possessed their former, exquisite quality.

The reason was simple: on that day, a fleet of spirit arks had appeared from an unknown origin. The most renowned ”Auraria City Sacred Hand” in all of Auraria City, welcomed by an entourage of over a thousand geniuses, had departed from the city.

As for the Auric Empire, it was said that it had once shared a common origin with the Azure Dynasty. Unfortunately, the vast Endless Forest had long since divided the two lands...

The Auric Empire, for its part, was embroiled in constant conflicts, both large and small, with another nation: the ”Immortal Alliance Nation.”

Li Wei also possessed some understanding of these two nations.

They were geographically vaster than the Azure Dynasty, yet the Azure Dynasty itself seemed more prosperous, and its ambient Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi was also more abundant.

At the very least, only the Azure Emperor dared to call himself the ”Human Emperor.” The ruler of the Auric Empire styled himself the ”Great Emperor,” but he did not receive the favor of Heaven and Earth, while the ruler of the Immortal Alliance Nation was, quite frankly, little more than a puppet manipulated by the great sects.

When the officials in the imperial court of the Azure Dynasty deigned to discuss the ”imperial authority” of these other two nations, they were just one step short of raising their middle fingers in contempt.

And now, these ten spirit arks, having roamed freely across the Auric Empire, were descending upon a floating island situated at the very edge of one of the empireʼs great battlefields!

Upon it stood a great hall.

The geniuses who had followed them here were seated cross-legged in all directions, deep in cultivation, allowing any cultivators who boarded the floating island to walk right past them without hindrance.

When the magnificently dressed cultivators of the Auric Empire saw these geniuses, most of them would murmur, ”How very strange and peculiar.”

Just then, a man walked forward and addressed the somber-faced young man seated behind a long desk.

”Daoist friend,” he inquired, ”I have heard that one may hire capable individuals here to carry out missions on oneʼs behalf, or even to campaign for our Auric Empire. Is this so? At present, I am here on the orders of my General. We require ten Golden Core experts to assist us in a punitive expedition against a Nascent Soul sect of the Immortal Alliance Nation!”

Li Kuangren slowly raised his head to glance at the newcomer.

His voice was firm and low as he stated, ”We do not accept spirit stones. We accept only spirit medicines and spirit ores. Furthermore, any spoils gained during the mission belong entirely to us. If anyone dares to play petty tricks, do not blame us for being merciless. As for those who are injured, or who require spirit medicines and pills below the sixth rank, they are welcome to come here to purchase them, or to have them refined.”

With a slight wave from Li Kuangren, another prospective client soon came forward.

[Your descendant, Li Kuangren, originally came to assist Li Yaoqing.

Witnessing the unceasing conflict between the Auric Empire and the Immortal Alliance Nation, he perceived a great opportunity for profit.

By establishing themselves as hired cultivators, they can obtain a vast amount of resources to support the clan. Simultaneously, this allows the one thousand-plus cultivators they brought from Eternal Sun Prefecture to grow and mature through real combat missions. After one hundred years, they will have been forged into battle-hardened veterans.]

[New Identity Acquired: ”Monstrous Sovereign”]

”It seems Kuangren truly understands how to run an enterprise after all,” Li Wei remarked with approval.

Originally, Li Yaoqing alone had already been generating considerable profit in Auraria City.

Now, with Li Kuangren arriving with over a thousand cultivators, they had truly seized the opportunity to make a great fortune from the ongoing war.

This was especially true given that Li Kuangren had once been the secret ”Region Prince” of Azure Cloud.

Even after many years of imprisonment, he had clearly not lost his skill for negotiating with major powers and his methods for surviving while caught between a rock and a hard place.

Still, this was ultimately not a long-term solution. Fortunately, it was merely their temporary method for survival and development.

Li Wei also took a moment to observe them; these thousand-plus geniuses were indeed worthy of their reputation!

In truth, the cultivation levels of most of them were not particularly high.

It seemed that in one respect, Lin Wudao and the many avatars of Venerable Tian Xing were actually quite similar to his own ancestor, Li Changsheng: they would absolutely never allow a true genius to fully mature.

The only difference was in their methods: Li Changsheng would cut the grass and pull out the roots, while Tian Xing preferred to appreciate these ”fellows” as caged birds.

”No wonder there are so few geniuses in Eternal Sun Prefecture and Azure Cloud,” he mused. ”And why, in all these years, so few talents have emerged from the ordinary factions or the mortal realm of the Azure Dynasty.”

Li Wei let out a long breath. He did not pay these geniuses any undue attention, and he noted that his own family members were likewise not revealing too much information about the Li clan to them.

He knew full well that the only reason these geniuses were willing to obey the Li familyʼs commands at present was because they all shared a common enemy in Tian Xing.

But geniuses, by their very nature, possess their own pride. Regardless of how the war against Tian Xing turns out many years from now, he feared that the majority of these geniuses would ultimately choose to go their own separate ways.

”Let them be.”

Li Wei shrugged. In the past, he mused, the clan probably would have used certain... methods... on these geniuses. But after the experiences of these past few years, even Li Yaowen had come to understand that broadly forging good relationships might bring more benefits to the clan in the long run.

On this particular day, Li Yaoqing emerged from her pill refinement session, a frown creasing her brow.

She saw Li Kuangren standing at the very edge of the floating island. The bright light of spirit stones illuminated the area around him, yet despite this, Li Kuangren was still trembling uncontrollably. Several other cultivators stood near him.

Almost every night, Li Kuangren would fall into this state.

”Kuangren... youʼre in the Auric Empire now. You donʼt need to be afraid anymore.”

Li Yaoqing wanted to say more, but she hesitated. She had heard from the Old Ancestor that during his days of imprisonment, nighttime was the period when Li Kuangren felt the most terror.

”Second Great-Grandaunt.”

Seeing Li Yaoqing, Li Kuangrenʼs heart settled somewhat. His eyes were hazy with memory.

”I canʼt help it, Iʼm still afraid,” he murmured. ”The cage in that courtyard... it was so small. Every time I tried to move, I would brush up against those ice-cold bars... I...”

Li Kuangren gritted his teeth, falling silent.

Then, he and Li Yaoqing simply stood together, looking out into the night.

He wanted to say more. He wanted to explain that whenever he touched those ice-cold bars, he would remember that day, the day he was held dangling in Lin Wudaoʼs hand.

He remembered how Lin Wudao had used his sword, how that ice-cold blade had, right before his very eyes, pierced through the body of one of his kin, and how all he could do was squeeze his own eyes shut.

But even then, that Lin Wudao would still use that very same sword, now stained with his clansmanʼs blood, to slap against his face, as if he were showing off his handiwork.

And so now, every night, the darkness was just like that day when he had squeezed his eyes shut, unable to see anything. And the touch of the cold bars of his cage felt just like the flat of that blood-stained sword, still slapping against his skin.

It made him remember the bloody scenes of that year, one after another.

”Kuangren,” Li Yaoqing said softly.

Li Yaoqing placed a hand on Li Kuangrenʼs shoulder.

She could feel him startle for an instant at the touch. Her voice was firm and resolute as she said, ”We will go back home.”

”We will,” she promised, her voice unwavering. ”Definitely.”

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