Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 57 To Acknowledge or Not to Acknowledge
Li Xiangming returned to Changyang Valley, where the small magical duel was nearing its end.

He didn't have time to look closely and found Li Chenglu to explain the situation.

Upon hearing this, Li Chenglu flew into a rage: "How dare two mere Qi Refining thieves offend my Li family? Watch me take them down!"

He was about to take action himself.

Li Xiangming had a headache and quickly dissuaded him: "Sixth Uncle, please don't be impulsive. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, and the patriarch is not here. If you leave, who will take charge of Changyang Valley?"

Li Chenglu then calmed down. "Have you reported it to your family?"

"We have already arranged for Xiang Hua to go back and seek help."

After much persuasion, Li Xiangming finally managed to calm Li Chenglu down.

To be honest, he didn't think that Li Chenglu, who was in poor health, could gain the upper hand against a blind man and a hunchbacked man.

If Li Chenglu perishes, Li Xiangming, as the person in charge of this gathering, will be held accountable even if he dies.

After bidding farewell to Li Chenglu, Li Xiangming immediately went to find Li Qianyuan and the other four uncles to rearrange the affairs of Changyang Valley.

Given the presence of outsiders spying, the security of Changyang Valley became a top priority. After discussion, the group decided to send most of the four families' best fighters to the surrounding area for defense.

However, this left the organizers of the power struggle meeting short-handed.

After much deliberation, Li Xiangming could only arrange for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining, such as Li Xiangshuo and Li Xiangqi, to come in and maintain order and act as informants.

Even a small gathering is struggling to maintain normal operations.

What about a family?

Li Xiangming shook his head, finally understanding the heartache of Li Qianxiong having no one to rely on.

By the time everything was finished, it was already dark.

The results of the small-scale martial arts competition have been announced, with a rogue cultivator ultimately emerging victorious.

Luo Silin was defeated by him and came in second place, standing there dejectedly.

However, apart from the Luo family, no one paid attention to who came in second. Everyone's eyes were on the rogue cultivator with a hood and bandages, wondering what kind of reward he would choose.

"Let's just distribute the rewards directly."

Li Xiangming instructed that the situation in Changyang Valley was currently unclear, and he had no intention of investing in this attention-grabbing little contest of magic.

Finishing sooner will save some manpower.

Li Chenglu thought the same way, and he, who was originally just going through the motions, went on stage himself.

"Today's gathering is a grand occasion, with guests filling the hall. The Li family's gratitude is beyond words, so I will not elaborate further. Now, I hereby declare that this year's Changyang Valley Tournament of Magic is now concluded, and the final victors are Nie Rong and Luo Silin."

Nie Rong was the top-ranked rogue cultivator, and upon hearing his name called, he couldn't help but tilt his head.

No one noticed that among the Chen family members, Tang Xueyan stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

"Young friend Nie, which reward do you intend to choose?"

Li Cheng asked, but a strange feeling arose in his heart.

"Flying sword!"

Nie Rong's voice was hoarse and mocking.

Upon hearing this, Li Chenglu stroked the sharp sword on the tray: "Young friend Nie has good taste."

"In that case, this 'Surprise Rain' is yours."

Nie Rong took Jingyu and was about to stop when he found that the magic weapon did not move at all.

"Young friend Nie has won first place with outstanding strength. I'm sure everyone would like to get to know him. Why don't you lift your hood and show your true face?"

Li Chenglu remembered what Li Xiangming had said about the foreign cultivator, and combined with the strange feeling he had just experienced, he finally decided to test the waters.

"That's right, those who hide their heads and tails are not heroes."

Luo Wantao, who had been closely watching the game, shouted loudly.

It's rare that the Li family didn't send many people to this small competition. The champion should have been Luo Silin, but this person took it out of nowhere.

Luo Wantao was so angry he gritted his teeth. If it weren't for the fact that everyone was watching, he would never have let it go.

Many people were curious about Nie Rong's background and appearance, and when they saw Luo Wantao making a fuss, they also chimed in.

Immediately, public sentiment was stirred.

Seeing this, Nie Rong looked around the terrace, seemingly deep in thought.

Soon, he released "Jingyu," lifted his hood, and revealed a young and dull face.

"So young." Everyone present had this thought in mind. This experienced rogue cultivator was actually about the same age as Luo Silin.

This was even more unacceptable to Luo Wantao, as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

"Young friend Nie, you are so young yet you have such skills. You are truly a hero among young people."

As Li Chenglu spoke, he looked at Li Xiangming.

Only when he saw Li Xiangming shake his head did he feel relieved and hand the flying sword to Nie Rong.

"In that case, this sword is hereby entrusted to you. I hope you will use it wisely and refrain from doing evil."

At this moment, something unexpected happened.

A pretty young woman in her early twenties flew onto the terrace.

"Good sister!"

Chen Ling'er, sitting in the audience, was horrified.

Tang Xueyan was dressed in a simple white dress, her face fair and delicate, like a cold fairy who did not eat the food of the mortal world.

However, at this moment, her lips trembled, her fists clenched, and her chest heaved. Every breath she took spoke of her inner excitement and unease, and every step she took seemed to reveal endless determination and strength.

Finally, Tang Xueyan stood in front of Nie Rong: "Senior brother, I...I found you!"

Nie Rong stood there, stunned, looking at the woman in front of him with a puzzled expression.

This doubt struck Tang Xueyan like a heavy hammer, causing her to panic.

"It's me, Xueyan. We grew up together in Beihanmen."

"Let's learn swordsmanship together, Master, yes, Master..."

Tang Xueyan suppressed her inner pain and kept speaking.

However, no matter how she pleaded, Nie Rong remained unmoved.

"Young lady, are you and young friend Nie an old friend?"

Seeing that Tang Xueyan was disrupting the award ceremony, Li Chenglu couldn't help but interrupt.

"We are fellow disciples from the same school."

Tang Xueyan answered without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Li Chenglu showed a look of pity. With his experience, how could he not see it?

Nie Rong didn't recognize this emotionally agitated woman at all.

He shook his head, determined to dispel the other party's wishful thinking, and slowly asked Nie Rong, "Young friend Nie, do you know this young lady?"

"Never."

Nie Rong's tone was calm, but to Tang Xueyan it was like a thunderclap.

In an instant, this stubborn woman was like a flower struck by a heavy hammer, drooping helplessly, her former radiance completely withered away.

"impossible!"

"They're exactly the same, both in name and appearance."

Tang Xueyan couldn't accept it. She staggered backward, her thoughts in disarray, as if entangled by countless threads. Her mind went blank, and only one sentence remained on her lips: "You're lying to me, you must be lying to me!"

"Good sister!"

Seeing this, Chen Ling'er, who was below the stage, could no longer hold back and flew up to hug Tang Xueyan tightly.

Chen Zhonghe, who was left behind, was worried that something might happen to his daughter, so he also rushed forward.

"Ling'er, help me."

Tang Xueyan held Chen Ling'er's hand, her lips trembling.

Seeing her once gentle and kind sister transformed into this state, Chen Ling'er panicked and couldn't help but shout at Nie Rong, "Who are you? Do you even know my sister?!"

Nie Rong looked over and replied coldly, "I don't know you."

At this moment, Tang Xueyan was completely desperate, muttering, "I've been looking for you for so long."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling'er felt extremely distressed. Her good sister had gone out alone to find someone, but now that she had found them, they didn't recognize her. What could be more painful than this?
In her anxiety and anger, Chen Ling'er rushed up to Nie Rong, pointed at his nose, and yelled, "Why do you say you don't know him?"

"My older sister says you look exactly like her senior. Unless you can prove you don't, you do!"

(End of this chapter)