Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 166 Prejudice in People's Hearts
When the two arrived in Fengxian County, Li Heshan was discussing something with Liu Bufu, the head of the Liu family in Fengxian County.

Upon receiving the report, Li Heshan pondered for a moment, then told Liu Bufu to leave and had someone invite Shen Wenxing and Wei Qiuling in.

"Junior Sister Wei, Brother Shen."

The two entered the courtyard, and Li Heshan stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

After exchanging pleasantries and sitting down, Wei Qiuling spoke first: "Qiuling has heard that in recent years, the Western Wilderness Barbarians under the jurisdiction of Hundred Beast Mountain have frequently crossed the border to harass the spirit fields of Fengxian County, plundering spirit rice and people."

"Now they are even crossing Hidden Dragon Mountain repeatedly to attack the Shen family. Senior Brother Heshan, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Meeting her gaze, Li Heshan looked at Shen Wenxing opposite him and sighed helplessly, "To be honest, I am also very troubled by this matter."

“The barbarian tribes of the western wilderness have no fixed abode and mostly live by following the water and grass.”

"They know the spirit fields on the border of Fengxian County very well, and they will launch a large-scale invasion to plunder them whenever the spirit rice in the spirit fields ripens."

"Take what you can, and burn what you can't take."

"Our Qiyun Valley intends to take revenge, but we have been unable to find any trace of them."

"Now we can only guard against it with all our might. On the day of the spirit rice harvest, we send our disciples to guard the spirit fields in various places."

Wei Qiuling nodded and smiled, "Since Qiyun Valley intends to take action against the Western Wilderness, then Qiuling will not hold back any longer."

"After Junior Brother Wen'an stormed into the Western Wilderness, Hundred Beasts Mountain has come to regard the Shen family as a thorn in their side."

"All the forces under the jurisdiction of my Luoxia Mountain are now tied down by the Suihuo Sect. Only Qiyun Valley can save the Shen family from this crisis."

"Qiu Ling dislikes beating around the bush, and Senior Brother He Shan should be able to figure out the pros and cons involved."

Shen Wenxing hadn't expected Wei Qiuling to be so direct.

So much so that the prepared arguments were useless, and they proceeded directly to this step.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Heshan nodded: "Since Junior Sister Wei has already brought this up, I will also be frank with you two."

"As for myself, I naturally want to take this opportunity to attack the Western Wilderness Barbarians. After all, many cultivators from the Western Wilderness Barbarians have gathered at Hidden Dragon Mountain to deal with the Shen family, so this is a very rare opportunity."

"But what about the sect..."

He glanced at Shen Wenxing, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Shen Wenxing smiled slightly and said, "Immortal Master Li, are you implying that Qiyun Valley has a lot of grievances against my Shen family now?"

Li Heshan sighed heavily.

"To be honest, Brother Shen, Uncle Pei has resigned from his position as the head of Hidden Cloud Academy because of the incident where he forcibly broke into the mountain gate to rescue you. He is currently reflecting on his actions on the back cliff of the mountain."

"Now, among those in the sect, I'm afraid only Li and Elder Ji Yan can treat the Shen family with a normal attitude."

"However, Elder Ji is so engrossed in the art of formations that he hardly participates in sect affairs and has little to say."

Shen Wenxing nodded to indicate that he understood.

Prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain; once it's formed, it's not easy to move it.

"My Luoxia Mountain and the Shen family have discovered a Qingling Stone vein in Yinlong Mountain."

"I am willing to give up 30% of the profits, which is about 200 Qingling Stones per year."

"Besides that, Senior Brother Heshan should also know about the spirit crystal mine in Yangshan from Luoxia Mountain, right?"

"Qiu Ling can make the decision to donate 10% of the profits to Qiyun Valley every year."

"I only ask that Qiyun Valley can help the Shen family hold off the Western Wilderness Barbarians for the next five years."

Upon hearing this, Li Heshan looked surprised.

The mine in Yangshan, Danzhou, located in Luoxia Mountain, has only been mined for a few years, and now is the time when it produces the most spirit crystals.

If it's 10%, that's at least a hundred spirit crystals a year.

This is a complete spirit crystal, not a fragment.

As for Azure Spirit Stones, although their prices fluctuate, they are usually priced at three Spirit Crystals for one.

If purchased with spirit crystal fragments, at least forty to fifty spirit crystal fragments are required.

In total, Luoxia Mountain has been contributing 130 to 140 spirit crystals annually in exchange for Qiyun Valley's assistance to the Shen family.

Over the course of five years, the total amount of spirit crystals was just over seven hundred.

This is definitely a big deal.

For a low-grade immortal sect like theirs, a Nascent Soul Realm elder only needs two spirit crystals for a month's cultivation resources.

More than 700 coins are enough for a Nascent Soul Realm expert to cultivate for decades.

Thinking about this, Li Heshan felt very conflicted.

He was amazed by Luoxia Mountain's tireless assistance to the Shen family, and also envious of Wei Qiuling's growing influence in Luoxia Mountain.

As a sect leader and a candidate for sect master, Li Heshan's power in Qiyun Valley was severely hampered.

Otherwise, the embarrassing situation of expelling a sword genius with unparalleled talent from the sect would never have occurred.

Li Heshan is in a very awkward situation.

Agreeing to accept these gifts would undoubtedly make Qiyun Valley appear even more profit-driven and despicable.

However, if he refused, without these benefits, based on his understanding of the elders in the sect, they would definitely not agree to help.

"What, Senior Brother Heshan thinks it's not enough?"

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Wei Qiuling frowned and spoke.

For her, this was already a great gift, and given the existing grudges between Qiyun Valley and Hundred Beast Mountain, she should be able to persuade them to take action.

"Ugh!"

Li Heshan sighed and said, "I will shamelessly agree to this."

"Brother Shen, rest assured, I will consult with the sect shortly and have someone immediately take action to restrain the Western Wilderness Barbarians."

"Next, our two families should help each other and deal with Hundred Beast Mountain and those uncivilized barbarians."

Shen Wenxing repeatedly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you very much, Master Li."

Li Heshan waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I don't deserve your thanks, I don't deserve your thanks."

Qiyun Valley accepted the gifts, and it was really inappropriate to shamelessly accept their gratitude again.

“In that case, I will go back and make arrangements first. Once Fengxian County takes action and attracts some barbarian cultivators, my Shen family will give them a good beating.”

Shen Wenxing stood up and clasped his hands in greeting, and Wei Qiuling also stood up.

"Yunzhong cannot do without Qiuling's presence. Senior Brother Heshan, farewell."

Li Heshan bowed and escorted the two to the courtyard gate, watching them board the flying shuttle and depart. He shook his head helplessly. He knew very well that after this incident, the relationship between Qiyun Valley and the Shen family would become even more distant.

"I hope that the master-disciple relationship between Uncle Pei and the Shen family can be maintained..."

Li Heshan murmured as he spoke.

On the shuttle, Wei Qiuling looked at Shen Wenxing beside her and said with a faint smile, "Brother Shen, do you think Qiuling was too direct just now?"

Shen Wenxing shook his head with a wry smile: "I just never expected that Fairy Wei would have such a straightforward and forceful side."

Wei Qiuling covered her mouth and chuckled, then pursed her lips and said, "Qiuling understands Qiyun Valley and knows that all words are useless this time."

"If the elders of Qiyun Valley could listen to advice and have this awareness, the once renowned alchemy and formation sect in Danzhou would not have been reduced to hiding in that small place in Qishan."

"Academician Pei is determined to make changes, and Li Heshan also wants to turn the tide, but the deep-rooted problems are hard to cure. How can the two of them save Qiyun Valley?"

Shen Wenxing suddenly realized.

No wonder Wei Qiuling stated her conditions so directly from the start; she must understand that the higher-ups of Qiyun Valley are the type who won't act until they see a clear benefit.

Wei Qiuling used her flying shuttle to take him to Yunshui Town, and without stopping, she went straight back.

Yunzhong County is now indispensable to her presence.

Given the madness of those Fireball Cult members, they might just do something like storming straight to the heart of the enemy and killing their way to Yunzhong County City at any time.

Shen Wenxing arrived in Yunshui Town and inspected the newly built blacksmith shop. After ensuring that the weapons and arrows produced met the requirements, he went to the shop.

At this time, Shen Wenping was nine months pregnant and about to give birth, but she still stayed in the shop all day.

He Zishi had privately told Shen Wenxing several times to help persuade Shen Wenping to go home and recuperate.

The shop was already running smoothly, and with so many people around, there was no need for her to be there with her big belly.

When Shen Wenxing arrived at the shop, He Zishi was helping Shen Wenping to get some fresh air at the door.

Upon seeing his arrival, He Zishi hurriedly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother."

Shen Wenxing nodded and noticed that Shen Wenping's expression was a little off. He asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

He Zishi smiled wryly: "It's hot, and the baby is quite far along in his pregnancy. He says he feels stuffy and can't breathe."

"They wouldn't even let me go home to rest..."

He Zishi's face showed a hint of pleading.

"Is my husband talking badly about me again?"

Shen Wenping, supporting her aching back, slowly approached and said with a smile, "Brother, what brings you to town today?"

Shen Wenxing looked at her sternly and said, "Don't you know your own situation?"

"She's about to give birth, so don't make things difficult for Zishi and keep him on edge."

He Zishi, who was standing next to him, nodded repeatedly.

Shen Wenping rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're just being nosy!"

"Are you in such a hurry to send me home because you're planning to take a concubine?"

Upon hearing this, He Zishi repeatedly smiled and begged for forgiveness.

The couple has a very good relationship, and they've made similar jokes before.

"Alright." Shen Wenxing laughed in exasperation, then looked at He Zishi and said, "Have someone prepare a carriage. I'll take her home in a bit."

"Put aside what you're doing these days. Once my precious nephew is born, you should spend more time with him and his mother."

He Zishi nodded.

Shen Wenping looked at him with some lingering affection, then said to Shen Wenxing, "Big brother, I'm fine..."

Shen Wenxing ignored her coquettishness and, seeing the carriage slowly approaching, personally reached out and lifted the curtain.

He Zishi quickly helped her up and said, "Don't worry, my wife. I'll go back to be with you after I've settled things here."

Shen Wenping boarded the carriage somewhat unhappily. Shen Wenxing found a horse, mounted it, and said, "Let's go."

The carriage moved slowly along the stone-paved road. Shen Wenping lifted the curtain and looked at the road outside, asking, "Brother, how is the road being repaired?"

Shen Wenxing nodded in satisfaction and asked, "How much did it cost to build this road?"

Even before the construction of Jinghefang Market, he intended to renovate the roads of the entire Yunshui Town and pave them with stone slabs.

The houses and courtyards of the common people in each village also need to be rebuilt.

Yunshui Town is now wealthy, and every household is living a comfortable life, so naturally they want to improve their living conditions.

"It won't cost too much. If you're satisfied, brother, you can have someone start laying the road after I give birth. We'll start by laying a road from Yunshui Town to Blackwater Pool."

"So that I won't get dizzy every time I sit in a carriage."

Shen Wenxing nodded: "Then I'll leave this matter to you."

Upon returning home, Shen Wenxing immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the front lines at Yinlong Mountain.

He informed Huang Qi and Shen Chongming that Qiyun Valley was about to make a move.

Meanwhile, in Hidden Dragon Mountain, in a strange jungle.

Under the blazing sun, the ancient trees in this mountain forest blocked out all the sunlight with their canopies that blocked out the sky.

A thick layer of fallen leaves had accumulated on the forest floor, along with animal carcasses and excrement, which decayed and produced a large amount of miasma.

Two figures flashed past in the hazy miasma.

"You Ran, are you sure there's a group of demonic beasts here?"

Shen Chongming crouched down, cautiously observing his surroundings.

Behind him, Chen Youran, dressed in a brown outfit, nodded slightly: "I used the Withered Tree Rejuvenation Technique to investigate, and I can sense that a group of demonic beasts live here, and there are many of them."

Shen Chongming nodded.

Chen Youran is a cultivator with a wood spirit root. When he uses the "Rejuvenation of Dead Trees" technique, he can briefly control the plants within a radius of several kilometers and extend his senses.

“Let’s search further in. Tuan Ge and Shi Miao are currently leading more than ten barbarian cultivators in circles.”

"This place is filled with poisonous miasma, and it must be inhabited by some venomous monsters. If we can lure them there, those guys should have a hard time."

A wicked smile flashed across Shen Chongming's face.

During this period, they did quite a few similar things.

(End of this chapter)