Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 181 - 168: External Surname Cultivator (2 in 1)_2

"My son understands."

Li Xuanling bowed, and Li Tongya nodded slightly. In a few steps, he left the courtyard and rode the wind toward Meichi Peak to the south.

Li Xuanling was quite worried as he watched Li Tongya's retreating figure, riding the wind away. In his heart, he still hoped the day when Li Tongya would enter seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment would come later rather than sooner.

————

Lijing Town.

The largest and most luxurious courtyard in Lijing Town wasn't that of Li Xuanxuan at the foot of the mountain. If ranked by size and opulence, Li Xuanxuan's residence would likely come last. The homes of clan uncles and elders were among the top, followed by those of the Chen, Liu, Ren, and Tian families, with Li Xuanxuan's coming last.

For the past few years, Chen Donghe had been stationed on Huaqian Mountain, cultivating with the aid of the Spiritual Spring. It had been years since he had returned to the Chen Family, and he had not expected their residence to have expanded to such an extent. The family now numbered over three hundred members, and without a map that listed names, one might not even be able to find where a particular person lived.

As he approached the courtyard, a series of firecrackers suddenly burst to life around him, and people stood on both sides. His only surviving brother, now over fifty years old and the eldest gentleman in the residence, was waiting for him at the entrance, respectfully.

And a boy clad in a jacket was gazing at him from the front gate. A sweep of Chen Donghe's Spiritual Sense told him that this was the Spiritual Aperture Seed that had compelled his family to call him back.

"How old is he now?" Chen Donghe asked.

"Eight years old."

Chen Donghe took a careful look. The child was biting his lip and staring straight at him. Chen Donghe asked again,

"What is his name?"

"Chen Mufeng."

Chen Donghe stood up and then saw his brother approaching, speaking in a tone that was respectful but strangely detached:

"We've asked the Immortal Master here in the hopes that he might take this child under his guidance... The Chen Family would be forever grateful."

With that, he knelt down with a thud, and the others followed suit, prostrating themselves and begging, their pleas sounding like a rising tide. Chen Donghe, focusing on the boy and ignoring the crowd, thought to himself:

"I cannot take this child on personally and leave myself open to criticism. Finding a suitable family for him would serve as an explanation to the Chen Family."

So, he helped his brother up and said in a deep voice:

"Although I can't personally guide the child, I can find him a good teacher..."

Old Master Chen was momentarily taken aback, his face going through a myriad of expressions before he hesitantly said: 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Does this good teacher have the surname Tian... or is it Liu?"

Chen Donghe, rarely dealing with cultivators from other surnames at the foot of the mountain, was momentarily startled by this question and then realized:

"There are now dozens of external cultivators affiliated with the Li Family, most of them at the first or second level of Fetal Breathing, but also a few at the fourth level... There must be factions involved, and this decision will also affect the Chen Family's stance..."

Seeing Chen Donghe's reaction, Old Master Chen became a bit flustered and quickly tried to explain with a smile full of wrinkles:

"We do not doubt the Immortal Master's decision or wish to be shamelessly choosy; we just need to know the name of this good teacher... so we can understand which doors we might be knocking on."

Chen Donghe waved his hand dismissively and replied with a smile:

"Brother, rest assured, his surname is Li."

"Surname Li?!" Old Master Chen was suddenly overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, revealing several rotten teeth, and exclaimed:

"Surname Li is good! Surname Li is very good!"

Chen Donghe laughed heartily, took Chen Mufeng by the hand, and ascended on the wind, leaving behind a crowd gazing enviously from the ground.

Chen Donghe flew over the town's skyline for a while, with the child shivering in his arms. They descended in an empty courtyard, and as Chen Mufeng staggered a few steps, Chen Donghe let go of his hand. Before a stone gate stood a man with folded arms, his hair grey and his back straight. Seeing Chen Donghe, he looked somewhat surprised and bowed:

"Greetings, Brother Donghe... It's rather unusual to find you here. Are you looking for Shamo Li?"

"Not at all."

Chen Donghe returned the bow with a smile, pulling the child to his side, and said softly:

"I am here to find Brother Qiuyang."

Li Qiuyang stepped forward, took a seat on a stone bench in the courtyard, and although his Spiritual Sense flowed outward, still keeping an eye on the closed stone door of Shamo Li's seclusion chamber, he smiled and said:

"Brother Donghe, just speak frankly!"

Chen Donghe nodded and stated formally:

"I made a trip back to the Chen Family, and we obtained a Spiritual Aperture Seed. They wanted to entrust me with guiding him down the path of cultivation, but I am not in a position to take him on. I'm afraid I must entrust this task to you, Brother," Chen Mufeng said.

"Oh?"

Li Qiuyang lowered his head, not immediately agreeing. He stared at Chen Mufeng's face for a while, noting that the boy seemed obedient. Chen Donghe then spoke again, transmitting his voice with mana:

"I've heard that all of Brother Qiuyang's sons lack a Spirit Aperture, which will prove troublesome in the future... Why not take this child in? Devote yourself to him with the bond of a master and disciple, and later marry one of your daughters to him. After you pass away in a hundred years, your descendants will have someone to protect them..."

These words struck right at Li Qiuyang's concerns. His face broke into a smile, and he nodded repeatedly, saying solemnly,

"Since Brother has put it that way, I'll take the child in."

Chen Donghe laughed heartily, patted the boy's back, and said with a smile:

"Call him Master."

"Master!"

The boy was indeed obedient, calling out crisply, causing Li Qiuyang to immediately take his hand affectionately, asking for his birthday and name. After Chen Donghe watched them finish this exchange with a content smile, he spoke softly:

"Donghe has a matter to discuss with Brother Qiuyang."

"Please speak."

Li Qiuyang looked up, just as Chen Donghe took out two small cups from his Storage Bag and then took a gourd, filling the cups with clear wine before speaking softly:

"Donghe has been cultivating in Huaqian Mountain for many years and is not well acquainted with the foreign-named cultivators of the family. I wonder... could Brother Qiuyang enlighten me?"

"So that's what it is!"

Li Qiuyang was about to take a sip from his cup, but after glancing at the tightly shut stone doors, he placed the Jade Cup back down with a smile and said:

"In our family, we now have twenty-eight Fetal Breathing Cultivators of foreign surnames, and there are six Fetal Breathing Cultivators with the surname Ye who have changed their surnames to Li. Most of them are merely at the first or second layer of Fetal Breathing, hardly worth mentioning. However, there are a few earlier cultivators with decent talent who are worth mentioning."

Li Qiuyang cast a glance at Chen Mufeng beside him, saw that the child was all ears, nodded slightly, and said gravely:

"The first one, at the fifth layer of Fetal Breathing, surnamed Tian, is... the Family Head... a relative from the maternal side of our great king's wife."

With just a mention of the great king, both men fell silent, as they both had fought and risked their lives together with Li Xiangping, calling him the great king when they were on Shanyue turf.

"The great king passed away in the Shanyue Region, and the main mother grew despondent and soon followed. The Tian Family's status has decreased significantly. Still, this person has good talent; he is now forty years old, the likelihood of breaking through Qi Cultivation isn't great, but there is still a chance."

"He is currently in charge of overseeing the cultivation of Spirit Rice in the town, with quite a few people secretly supporting him, which makes him quite a figurehead."

"Next are the Liu Family and the Ren Family, both at the fourth layer of Fetal Breathing but mostly without the opportunity to break through to Qi Cultivation, each considered a leader in their own right."

Chen Donghe sipped the clear wine and frowned slightly, asking in a low voice:

"Does the family know about this?"

"I wouldn't know."

Li Qiuyang shook his head, his Spiritual Sense swept inside and outside the courtyard as he spoke quietly:

"This should be under the jurisdiction of the Clan Head Courtyard. I always try to avoid these matters; how could I dare to get involved? Which of the Li Family disciples isn't afraid of the Clan Head Courtyard?"

Chen Donghe suddenly understood, apologized, and fell into thought for a moment before asking:

"Is the struggle among them still fierce?"

"Things were okay in the past."

Li Qiuyang's voice grew even lower, his eyes crinkling with shallow wrinkles that were slightly evident in the dim light as he said softly:

"After all, every family has its interests, and the output of each Spiritual Field varies, leading to different salaries. These people used to compete for the better fields, slacking off, while none would willingly work the barren ones."

"Ever since Young Master Xiu took over the household, the various factions have become increasingly contentious. Many people, due to their disputes, have been pushed into working the poor lands, forced to labor thanklessly..."

"I see."

Chen Donghe nodded slightly, pondering to himself:

"This matter might need to be reported to the family for Xuanling and the others to decide, so as to prevent it from leading to serious problems over time."

So he bid farewell to Li Qiuyang, rode the winds out of the courtyard, and headed towards the mountain, leaving Li Qiuyang in the courtyard looking in the direction he had gone, silently reflecting for a long time before smiling and saying:

"Donghe is still the same as ever!"