Clan Cultivation: The Ye Clan

“Our family’s home, Mianzhu Mountain, belongs to the Zhuxi Mountain Range and is under the jurisdiction of the nearby Zhuxi County. This county has a population of about 10 and is mainly controlled by three Foundation Establishment forces: the Zheng family, the city lord, the Zhou family of Cuizhu Mountain, and the Qi family of Yuzhu Mountain. Our Ye family of Mianzhu Mountain and the He family of Qingzhu Mountain are affiliated families of the Zhou family of Cuizhu Mountain.”

"Speaking of this, we must mention the division of cultivation levels. As far as we know, it is mainly divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation..."

"There are still Refining Void, Body Integration, Mahayana, Tribulation Crossing, and Ascension ahead," Ye Zhenzhen thought to herself.

"Our Ye family is currently only a Qi Refining family. We hope everyone will cultivate diligently in the future, improve their cultivation level, and dedicate their strength to the family..."

Wait, the He family... Could it be the same He family that hunted me and my mother down? Why would the He family hunt us down? Was it an initiative by the He family, or was it instigated by the Zhou family? This is bad! Ye Zhenzhen thought to herself.

"Now let's talk about the history of the Ye family. Our Ye family was founded by our ancestor Ye Yuanqi, and it has been 60 years since then. Ye Yuanqi was originally a wandering immortal. By chance, he obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill and successfully established his foundation. After that, he wanted to establish a family. So he joined forces with the ancestors of the Zheng, Zhou, and Qi families to conquer the mountains near Zhuxi County, which were originally occupied by demonic beasts. Each family was given a second-grade low-level spiritual vein, and thus began to establish the family. And he established the following: Yuanshi Anzhen, Puxiao Wanling. Yuedu Zhenguan, Tudi Zhiling. The sixteenth generation, you are all of the Zhen generation."

"We were originally a Foundation Establishment family, but after the fall of our ancestor, the family lost all Foundation Establishment experts and could no longer protect the original second-tier low-grade spiritual vein. So the patriarch led everyone to move to the present Mianzhu Mountain. Mianzhu Mountain is a first-tier mid-grade spiritual vein, which can currently meet the cultivation needs of the family's cultivators."

"Heh, what needs to be taken back still needs to be taken back," Ye Zhenzhen secretly decided. "No, there's too much missing information. I need to find someone to get a detailed understanding of the family's specific situation."

Lost in thought, Ye Zhenzhen didn't notice that get out of class had ended. Taking advantage of her fourth uncle's inattention, she quietly moved her body and slowly moved outwards.

There's still a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) to the door. Keep going, Ye Zhenzhen!

Reaching the door, he darted across the threshold and ran swiftly towards the dining hall.

Upon entering the dining hall, I saw a variety of delicious spiritual foods, quickly ordered a portion, and sat down at the nearby table. As I ate, I wondered who I should ask.

"Have you heard? Fifth Aunt and her daughter were chased and attacked on their way back." A few people at the next table were chatting.

Ye Zhenzhen silently pricked up her ears, eavesdropping, thinking that she might hear something.

"No need to think, it must be the He family again."

"It's not the first time."

"Six months ago, someone went to train on the outskirts of the Zhuxi Mountains, but was beaten badly by the He family and barely managed to escape back."

“And our county’s Mianyu Pavilion is also often squeezed out by the He family’s shops.”

"And another time, we were robbed on our way to deliver supplies to the county town. We couldn't find out who did it, but I guess it was probably the He family who did it."

"And there's more..."

Just as she was intently eavesdropping, Ye Zhenzhen felt a tap on her shoulder, which startled her and made her quickly look at the person who had approached her.

The newcomer had a handsome face and a sly smile. He wasn't shy at all and sat down directly opposite her.

"What? Don't you recognize me?"

"Fifth brother?"

"Have I gotten even more handsome? Is that why you didn't remember me right away?" Ye Zhenrong said smugly, but his eyes were fixed intently on the other person's reaction.

Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, then looked at Ye Zhenrong, thinking to herself, "As the eldest son and grandson, my fifth brother must know a lot of things."

"Fifth Brother, I heard from them that the people chasing me and Mother are from the He family of Qingzhu Mountain. Are you sure?"

"Yes, what's wrong? You have some ideas?" Ye Zhenrong looked at the little potato opposite him, but in his heart he was thinking about why his grandfather and father wanted him to observe this little potato. Apart from being chubby, he didn't see anything unusual! He should observe it some more.

"Hmm, I have ideas, how to destroy the He family." Ye Zhenzhen's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

"You've got guts. Fifth Brother will help you. Tell me, what do you want to do?" Ye Zhenrong looked at the murderous aura emanating from Little Potato and thought to himself, "It seems I need to observe him more closely."

"Hehe, just kidding. I haven't even started to cultivate my inner energy yet, Fifth Brother, why are you taking it so seriously!" Ye Zhenzhen gave a fake laugh, secretly reminding herself that she shouldn't say things carelessly.

"Fifth Brother, with so many cultivators in the family, how about we just wipe out the He family?" Ye Zhenzhen probed.

Ye Zhenrong, seeing the little potato's probing, pretended not to know and told her directly, "I'm afraid we're about to be wiped out. You heard what was being said around us just now, right? It's all true. Because of the He family, at least 5 cultivators have fallen in the past few years. Currently, the family only has 28 cultivators. My grandfather, second grandfather, and father are the three with the highest cultivation, at the ninth level of Qi Refining. The others are generally at the middle stage of Qi Refining."

Hearing this result, Ye Zhenzhen felt a pang of melancholy. Alas, his cultivation was not up to par; he still needed to devise a plan.

"Fifth Brother, on the way to the school, I saw some spirit rice growing quite well by the roadside. It should be able to bring us a lot of spirit stones."

"Is she going to ask about the family income?" Ye Zhenrong thought to himself, and then told her the truth, "The family has 120 mu of spirit fields, all of which are first-grade low-level fields. They mainly grow white corn, with a yield of 300 jin per mu, which can bring in about 3600 spirit stones a year. There is also the Cotton Rain Pavilion in the county town, which mainly sells pills for the early and middle stages of Qi Refining, which can also bring in nearly 2000 spirit stones a year. The rest comes from the family members hunting monsters, which can bring in about 1000 spirit stones."

"There's plenty of bamboo outside, why isn't it being sold?"

"This is the Bamboo Creek Mountains. There are many bamboos in the mountains, but they are mostly first-grade low-level White Spirit Bamboo. Anyone who needs them can just go to the mountains and cut them down. Who would buy them?"

"Can we cut down the bamboo in the mountains whenever we want?" Ye Zhenzhen looked at Ye Zhenrong expectantly.

"Yes, you're useful?"

"Brilliant plan, but I mustn't tell you." Ye Zhenzhen's enigmatic expression successfully amused Ye Zhenrong.

Ye Zhenrong pinched Little Potato's chubby cheeks and asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"So the family's main income comes from selling spirit rice and pills, right?"

"Yes."

"What is the He family's main source of income? How many cultivators are there in the family? What are their cultivation levels? What is their relationship with the Zhou family of Green Bamboo Mountain?"

"The He family's main income comes from weapon crafting. They mainly sell first-tier mid-to-low-grade magic weapons. I'm not very clear about the others."

"Fifth Brother, can I trust you?"

"Uh, what do you mean by that?"

"I believe you'll tell me the answer tomorrow, right?"

Ye Zhenrong said with a helpless expression, "Yes."

Then he deliberately ruffled Ye Zhenzhen's hair.

"Hmph," Ye Zhenzhen said angrily as she walked out of the dining hall.