Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 204 - 190 Clan Meeting

With Fei Luoya's recognition, the Eastern Shanyue territory was finally, completely, and undisputedly in the hands of the Li Family. After straightening out the six major clans and settling the locations and outputs of the various Spiritual Fields, the return to Lijing Mountain was finally put on the schedule.

Shanyue Royal Palace, the front hall.

Li Yuanxiu had been marking up the cloth with circles and dots for a while, drafting out what he wanted to say before finally setting down his writing brush, glancing at the hour and softly speaking,

"Pingyi, take the blueprints and come with me to meet the elders."

Upon hearing this, Li Pingyi was also quite tense. He tightened his sleeves and, holding a roll of maps in his hands, followed behind Li Yuanxiu. They passed through the long corridor where the clan soldiers stood with an unmoving gaze, silently holding their weapons.

After walking for a while, Li Yuanxiu and Li Pingyi entered the rear hall of the palace and saw Li Feiruo standing respectfully at the entrance. Li Pingyi looked up slightly and softly said,

"Aunt."

Li Feiruo was Li Pingyi's aunt, having left home to get married as far back as Li Pingyi could remember, returning only during festivals or ceremonies. Each time she would discuss matters of the Shanyue Region in detail with her elder brother, Li Xiewen, and by the following day, those details would be compiled into volumes appearing on Li Xuanxuan's desk. Although Li Pingyi was not very close to her, he still smiled and greeted her.

"Young Master, Pingyi."

Li Feiruo replied softly. They entered the hall together and Li Yuanxiu saw the highest seat was empty. On the left sat a middle-aged man with a Golden Bow on his back, his eyes sharp and alert, laughing and talking about something. It was Li Xuanfeng. On the right sat his father, Li Xuanxuan, listening intently and nodding in agreement now and then.

The next seat down was for the third uncle, Li Xuanling, who now had a cultivation level at the peak of Fetal Breathing, close to making a breakthrough within these few years. He held a Jade Slip and was reading; upon seeing Li Yuanxiu glance his way, he nodded slightly.

Chen Donghe and Li Qiuyang sat in succession, restrained and not speaking. Sitting further down were people like Li Xiewen who wielded real power among the clan uncles: the Clan Elders were older and did not accompany them, those who could sit in this courtyard were relatively young, holding one or two positions in the Family.

"Greetings to all the elders."

Li Yuanxiu and the others respectfully said their greetings, waiting at the foot of the steps for more than a dozen breaths, until they saw someone arrive on the wind in front of the hall. Everyone stood up together and respectfully said,

"Welcome, Uncle/Elder Ancestor/Second Uncle."

"I am late, thank you all for waiting."

Li Tongya took a seat at the head, gave a nod to Li Yuanxiu, who understood and stepped forward and said solemnly,

"Our Li Family now has full control over the Eastern Shanyue, having acquired fifty-four Spiritual Objects worth thirty-two Spirit Stones, and seven Fetal Breathing level Shamanic Instruments and Magic Artifacts worth more than forty Spirit Stones."

Li Yuanxiu paused for a moment. He had already reported the three Qi Cultivation Level Magic Artifacts separately to Li Tongya, so he did not mention them again to avoid idle gossip from the clan uncles, and turned the conversation directly,

"Now our Li Family needs to hand over one thousand catties of Spirit Rice, one hundred Bai Yuan fruits, one hundred catties of Yellow Jade Spirit Rice, and twenty-five Spirit Stones every five years, in addition to several other sorts of Spiritual Objects valued together at fifty Spirit Stones."

"The annual yield of Spirit Rice from the original lands of Huaqian Mountain is around 1,300 catties. Now that the Li Family has acquired the Eastern Shanyue lands, we are short-handed. The productive Spiritual Fields of the Eastern Shanyue currently yield about 1,000 catties. After allocating the due shares for our Qi Cultivators, we can reserve about 800 catties of Spirit Rice every five years. The bulk of the income still comes from the Green Crow vein, with an income of around thirty Spirit Stones every five years."

Li Yuanxiu gestured with his hand. Li Pingyi, who was beside him, unfolded the maps. Li Yuanxiu went through the distribution of the Spiritual Fields and their fertility, one by one, as those at the head of the table listened intently. Li Tongya thought to himself,

"That doesn't even include the revenue from making talismans and miscellaneous items like Wuzhe Silk. If those were taken into account, the income would reach forty Spirit Stones. With the additional thirty Spirit Stones remaining in the family, in a few years, we could hire someone to set up the Great Formation on Huaqian Mountain."

Looking at everyone seated at the lower end, Li Tongya nodded slightly and spoke warmly,

"This time, in the invasion of the Eastern Shanyue, everyone has contributed. The main family in the town will reward you according to your merits."

Everyone gave thanks, and the clan uncles down below hemmed and hawed, signaling to each other with their eyes. Finally, one person stood out, who was a minor branch cultivator with three levels of Fetal Breathing cultivation. He looked up and respectfully said,

"The acquisition of the Eastern Shanyue Region by our family is thanks to the efforts of the elder Qi Cultivators. We were merely waving the banners and cheering from the sidelines, and dare not take credit... However..."

No sooner had this man stepped forward than Li Qiuyang, the foremost among the junior Cultivators, showed a flash of surprise and slight anger on his face, clearly the situation had exceeded his expectations. Gritting his teeth, Chen Donghe beside him laid a hand on Qiuyang's and shook his head gently.

The junior Cultivator suddenly knelt down, and spoke respectfully:

"Now that the Eastern Shanyue Region has been fully incorporated into our family's domain, we implore the elder Cultivators to eradicate the Shanyue Royal lineage, abolish their national system, and put our Li Family in charge of setting up and managing the towns and villages... Only in this way can we eliminate potential trouble, educate the Shanyue, and prevent the risks of the Royal lineage's disloyalty..."

While the junior Cultivator was still speaking, Li Qiuyang already came to a sudden realization, sighed softly in his heart, and silently bowed his head, refraining from further talk.

"It ultimately comes down to a struggle for these benefits..."

Li Yuanxiu, standing at the front with his back to the man, had long been aware of these people's intentions. Currently, the assignments for village and town Managers still predominantly favored his own half-brothers, who were not only influential but also cunning, leaving these junior Cultivator clans powerless to compete. Naturally, they set their sights on the newly acquired Eastern Shanyue Region.

"I had already hinted at this several times before and gave them a good thrashing. But my clan brothers are stubborn and still wish to try their luck before our great-uncle..."

Li Yuanxiu narrowed his eyes. If the rulership of the Eastern Shanyue Region was removed from the Royal lineage and transitioned to direct governance under the Li Family, countless towns would likely emerge, naturally arousing the envy of these people, prompting them to push forward someone significant to try their hand.

"Moreover, this person is a junior. Even if something is said improperly, there's still plenty of room for mediation."

After the junior Cultivator finished reciting his prepared statement, Li Yuanxiu smiled lightly without turning around and said in a low voice:

"The Eastern Shanyue Region has undergone numerous wars, and the common people are currently in turmoil. Our Li Family taking over at this time would only inherit a mess that wastes manpower and resources, expends grain and artisan labor, and then, we must invest resources to support a group of officials who take advantage of the chaos for their gains..."

Li Yuanxiu took a step forward, and the hidden message in his words changed the expressions of the clan uncles. His gaze swept over the clan uncles below, forcing them to bow their heads. Li Yuanxiu continued with a smile:

"What our Li Family values in the Shanyue Region are the Spiritual Objects and the Spiritual Fields. Now that we have obtained these things, while the resentment among the common people is high, why not let Shamo Li rule? Let the grudges fall on the Shanyue Royal lineage, let the rebellion be directed at Shamo Li. When the Shanyue's culture has shifted and the populace has recovered, we can gradually take control. By then, the people's lives will have improved, and they will attribute their well-being to the merits of our Li Family."

Upon hearing this, Li Tongya at the highest seat gently curved the corners of his mouth, nodding in approval, and waved his hand lightly, saying in a deep voice:

"The Shanyue Royal Family is nominally a vassal but practically a puppet. The matter is settled, there is no need for further discussion."

"Yes."

Li Tongya, one of the highest-ranking and strongest in the family, known as the old ancestor of the Li Family, simply spoke a few light words, instantly prompting everyone to rise and agree, decisively finalizing the decision.

The embarrassed junior Cultivator retreated to his place, and the various junior clan branches exchanged glances, collectively sighing softly, realizing that this matter was now beyond hope.

With a flick of his sleeve, Li Yuanxiu moved on from this topic and further stated:

"Since February to this day, twenty-seven days spent garrisoning the Eastern Shanyue Region, thirteen clan members have let soldiers debauch, nine have abused their power for personal gain, and the remaining seven vary in their lesser crimes,"

"Those who let soldiers debauch are to be divested of their ranks and imprisoned, those under their command who failed to dissuade them shall be executed from the rank of sergeant upwards..."

Li Yuanxiu paused here, alluding to the brutal scene implied, frightening several of the attendees into recoiling. He continued:

"Those who took bribes are stripped of their positions, and those who offered bribes are sentenced according to imprisonment or execution... never to be employed again."

Li Yuanxiu listed the rest of the miscellaneous issues one by one, and only then did Li Tongya nod, selecting a few to stay behind in the Eastern Shanyue Region to manage the Cultivators planting the Spiritual Fields. He spoke in a low voice:

"The matters of the Eastern Shanyue Region are concluded. Withdraw the troops and return home."