Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 36: Why Bother

Liu Miaotu had wandered in the mountain for a full day and night. Not to mention finding a treasure from the Immortal Sect, he hadn’t even seen a single hair, which infuriated him so much that he sat on a large bluestone boulder and cursed the idlers in the village:

"A bunch of plague-ridden idle dogs, saying there are treasures on the mountain, all just farting lies!"

As fog began to arise in the mountains, Liu Miaotu shivered and thought to himself:

"Although the jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards have been driven out of these mountains in the past few years, who knows if any have slipped through the nets! This fog is coming in an eerie way. It’s better to get off the mountain first..."

Liu Miaotu stood up and walked along the mountain road for nearly an hour, but it was all a hazy white mist, and there was no exit in sight.

"It’s truly bizarre! Why haven’t I reached the bottom yet!"

Looking again at the large bluestone in front of him, Liu Miaotu’s spine felt a chill, and he exclaimed in disbelief:

"Impossible!"

This was clearly the same large bluestone boulder he had been sitting on earlier. He had walked along the mountain road for an hour; how could he still be in the same place!

Scared out of his wits, Liu Miaotu turned and ran, yelling as he ran. Only after he ran a distance and stopped to catch his breath did he find that large bluestone boulder appear in front of him again.

"Damn it... I can’t get out."

Night had fallen; Liu Miaotu, dressed lightly, was overwhelmed by emotions and then caught by the cold wind, and thus, he passed out.

As the sky turned slightly bright, Liu Miaotu finally woke up, his body burning with fever, and faintly heard shouting. Looking up, he saw a vague figure sitting not far away. As he was about to get up, he heard a loud shout:

"Who is it!"

Liu Miaotu was already groggy, and instantly his knees softened, his feet slipped, and he rolled right in front of the person.

Liu Linfeng recognized the person’s face with one glance—it was his own Liu Family’s street wanderer. He understood everything in an instant. A surge of anger went straight to his Heavenly Spirit Cover from his heart and spleen. His face turned crimson as he shouted loudly:

"What the hell are you doing here!"

With that shout from Liu Miaotu, he was suddenly wide awake and timidly answered:

"I... I went to chop wood on the mountain."

"Your mother’s bullshit!"

Liu Linfeng cursed out loud, pointed at Liu Miaotu’s nose, and continued to berate him:

"How could you go up to the mountain without telling the head of the house, thinking you have the right to come here?"

After finishing these two sentences, Liu Linfeng woke up himself, feeling a chill creeping up his spine to the back of his head, and thought to himself:

"How did my Liu Family produce such a worthless person? Now we’ve truly encountered a disaster. My nephew is fierce and suspicious; he can’t let this man live. Just hope it doesn’t bring disaster upon the Liu Family!"

Seeing Liu Miaotu kneeling and bowing like pounding garlic in front of him, Liu Linfeng suddenly changed his expression and said coldly:

"Follow me, perhaps you can save your little life!"

Liu Miaotu hurriedly followed him into the courtyard, where he saw Liu Linfeng take out a thick hemp rope, bind Liu Miaotu’s hands behind his back, and began to secure them.

"Clan Leader, you... what is this..."

Liu Miaotu, feeling uncertain, asked timidly.

"Taking you to confess your crimes—to show sincerity."

Liu Linfeng waved his hand and discreetly hung a knife at his waist, as he said coldly:

"Let’s go!"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Clan Leader!"

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the front of the courtyard, where Liu Linfeng pointed to the muddy ground by the road and said:

"Kneel there."

Having said that, he went to call for Li Tongya and Li Xiangping. As he entered the courtyard and saw the two seated at the head, he knelt down and bitterly said:

"The Liu Clan has not been strict, please forgive us, head of the household!"

This kneeling shocked both men to their feet, who hurried to assist him, with Li Tongya saying in a deep voice:

"Absolutely not, how could it come to this!"

Liu Linfeng could only offer a bitter smile as he recounted the shameless deeds of Liu Miaotu. Li Xiangping responded with a soft voice,

"It’s best if you deal with it as you see fit; such formalities are unnecessary."

"Please come with me."

Shaking his head, Liu Linfeng led the two to the door, pointing to Liu Miaotu, who was kneeling before them.

Upon seeing the three, Liu Miaotu started to cry and lament. Unexpectedly, Liu Linfeng took a swift step forward, bent down, and with a single stroke to Liu Miaotu’s throat, Liu Miaotu could only let out two feeble squeals before blood started spurting from his neck like water. He coughed violently for a moment, spitting out more than a dozen gobs of blood before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

"Uncle is always meticulous."

Li Xiangping clapped his hands, watching Liu Miaotu fall, then turned to Li Tongya with a smile,

"He chose a patch of mud, so as not to dirty our stone steps."

Li Tongya sighed deeply and said to Liu Linfeng,

"I appreciate Uncle taking care of this."

"Of course."

Liu Linfeng hastily replied before dragging the corpse into the woods.

Only then did the two turn to enter the courtyard. Li Tongya was constantly frowning, but Li Xiangping patted his shoulder and spoke in a grave tone,

"He brought it upon himself."

With a bitter smile, Li Tongya looked into his brother’s eyes and explained,

"It’s not that I pity him; I’m merely reflecting. It’s because the Li Family has you to take charge that Father is willing to step back and let go. We are not ruthless enough after all."

Li Xiangping, however, shook his head with a smile and replied,

"You, Li Tongya, would also kill, but only after having the townsfolk witness it, listing his eight great sins, and then nobly beheading him, to make yourself feel better."

"Why make it so complicated when it’s simply killing a man!"

————

Standing in front of the small courtyard at the base of the mountain, Li Tongya was immersed in thoughts of Li Xiangping’s words, filled with deep emotion:

"If I don’t kill him, my Li Family will become the next Wan Family, riddled with leaks inside and out."

Shaking his head to dispel the minor episode from his mind, Li Tongya gently pushed open the courtyard gate and saw Liu Rouxuan sitting attentively in a meditative posture, inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy.

"This Qingyuan Cultivation Method solely relies on inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy to condense the Xuanjing Wheel, and its efficiency is remarkably low. No wonder Rouxuan has been cultivating for nearly two years and still remains a mortal, whereas that Li Qiuyang, benefiting from the power of the Serpent Jiao fruit, is progressing swiftly and is about to condense his Xuanjing Wheel."

Seeing Liu Rouxuan, who usually greeted him with a cheerful smile, so focused on her cultivation, Li Tongya couldn’t help but linger his gaze on her a little longer. Noticing her eyelashes quivering and her nostrils flaring as she seemed about to emerge from her meditative state, he quickly averted his eyes.

"Tongya brother!"

As soon as Liu Rouxuan opened her eyes and spotted Li Tongya, she called out to him with sheer delight.

"Mhm."

Li Tongya replied softly, keeping his gaze down, feeling a bit like a thief with a guilty conscience.

Liu Rouxuan quietly studied his profile, then spoke in a low voice, with a hint of dejection,

"I’m already seventeen years old. The others in the village are probably married with children by now, and yet I don’t have a partner."

Upon hearing this, Li Tongya shook his head and said softly,

"Now that you have entered the Immortal Path, there’s no need to dwell on such matters. You are different from them. Focus on your cultivation; attaining the Xuanjing Wheel is the priority."

"But I’ve been serious about it, cultivating for eight hours a day!"

Liu Rouxuan pouted and defended herself in a low voice before looking back up at Li Tongya,

"Are you single because of your cultivation too, Tongya brother?"

Seeing Li Tongya nod gently, Liu Rouxuan’s face turned slightly red, her breath a bit hurried, as she whispered,

"Tongya brother... do you... might you still... think highly of me?"