Li Yuanping rode his horse, his spirits high, but when the excitement faded, he felt a cough coming on. The armor he wore was cold and icy, sticky with sweat on the inside, and Li Ximing, who embraced the horse’s neck in his arms, seemed to sense something. He asked:

"How has Father been feeling recently..."

"Hm."

Without answering, Li Yuanping, his face pale, let his horse approach the carriage with black flags fluttering and dismounted. Dou Yi, standing nearby, quickly took the reins. Li Yuanping then said:

"Take the horse for... let Xihong use it as his mount. From tomorrow on, there’s no need to prepare to travel by carriage."

He bent down to enter the carriage, began to unstrap his armor, and Li Ximing, understanding as always, lit the brazier inside the carriage. Coughing twice, Li Yuanping sat down beside the brazier and said gently:

"Sitting high in the hall, we always receive reports from various towns claiming peace across the four territories. These past few months, taking advantage of being on horseback, I’ve seen it for myself, and it’s quite reassuring indeed."

"And you’ve seen Li Jiman, too. Ming’er, what do you make of him?"

Bathed in the flickering glow of the flames, his cheeks tinged a golden red, Li Ximing stirred the charcoal with a stick and replied:

"I find him arrogant, stingy, and cruel."

"Yes."

Li Yuanping nodded in agreement, continuing warmly:

"In your opinion, would it be better for Yue Country to fall into the hands of the Tian Clan or Li Jiman?"

Li Ximing’s brow furrowed slightly as he spoke:

"I believe it doesn’t matter who takes control; it’s more about who can bring greater benefits to our family... The land of Shanyue is vast, and lately, the spiritual objects and Spirit Rice they’ve offered up are too few."

With a low sigh, Li Yuanping replied:

"Not only in Shanyue. As our clan grows, competition and scheming among the seven towns become rampant. Feuds between prestigious families and branches intensify. Without the Clan Head Courtyard and the Jade Courtyard Guards suppressing them, dirty affairs would surely increase."

"Our clan has thrived for five generations. If we start counting from the day our ancestor returned to set up his enterprise, it’s been nearly a century. It’s easy to build a fortune but hard to maintain a household—that’s the truth."

The father and son conversed in the carriage as the lead Spirit Horse snorted and stopped in its tracks. Dou Yi called out from outside:

"Family Head, we’ve arrived at the town."

Li Yuanping, leading his eldest son, stepped down from the carriage. Dou Yi sidled up, speaking in a low voice:

"Family Head, Chen Donghe and others have been waiting inside the hall." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Hmm."

Li Yuanping walked into the hall. Although he was just a Fetal Breathing Cultivator, several Qi Cultivators in the hall stood aside respectfully. Li Yuanping took a seat at the head of the hall and first glanced at Chen Donghe beside him, saying politely:

"Uncle, what brings you here?"

Now over fifty and at the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, Chen Donghe with his warm gaze slightly bowed and replied:

"I’ve packed my luggage to head westward with Jingtian."

Li Yuanping nodded in realization, picked up a Storage Bag from the case, and hurriedly walked a few steps to hand it over to Chen Donghe, saying with a grave voice:

"These are Talismans and Provisions prepared by the family. The town has arranged for two Shanyue Cultivators with mixed Qi to assist uncle with minor matters... Take care, uncle!"

Chen Donghe and his wife had originally planned to travel, ostensibly saying they sought adventure, but in fact, they intended to visit the grand desert of Jin Yu Sect in the west to gather "Golden Sun Radiant Origin."

As this was a secret matter, upon hearing that Li Yuanping wanted to include two mixed Qi Shanyue Cultivators, Chen Donghe abruptly looked up, only to see Li Yuanping assure him with a smile:

"Rest assured, uncle. These two carry multiple constraints and have taken the Xuanjing Spirit Oath. They can be trusted for use."

The Cultivation Techniques of Shanyue were crude and ancient, aligned with the bloodlines of their tribes, easy to learn but difficult to truly master; hence, although several mixed Qi Cultivators emerged over the years, they were only good for cultivating various Spirit Grass and not much else.

Gathering Golden Sun Radiant Origin solo would require twenty years; Chen Donghe very well understood Li Yuanping’s meaning. He nodded in agreement, thanked him, and since there were others present, he avoided saying more, accepting the sachet and taking his leave.

Only after Chen Donghe had left did Li Xihong step forward and report respectfully:

"Family Head, the tribute of Spirit Rice and Spiritual Objects from the Eastern Shanyue over the past five years has been delivered: 2,100 catties of Spirit Rice, 200 Bai Yuan fruits, 200 catties of Yellow Jade Spirit Rice, and eleven various Spiritual Objects."

He paused, then added:

"The total value is seventy Spirit Stones! They have been brought to the foot of the mountain."

"Good."

Li Yuanping nodded, knowing that Green Pond Sect treated Fetal Breathing and Qi Cultivators of minor clans almost like free-range livestock, accepting only a small tribute to signify vassalage—yet heavily taxing these Noble Families.

As a Noble Family, the Li Family’s tribute every five years was incredibly valuable:

"10,000 catties of Spirit Rice, equivalent to one hundred Spirit Stones, 500 Bai Yuan fruits, 500 catties of Yellow Jade Spirit Rice, equivalent to one hundred Spirit Stones, and various other Spiritual Objects amounting to another twenty or thirty..."

The Li Family’s current yield could barely cover half of the tribute, leaving over a hundred Spirit Stones as a persistent headache for Li Yuanping.

In previous years, he had supplemented from the market at Guanyun Peak, assigning tasks to outside Cultivators and Clan Cultivators to gather medicinal herbs and hunt demonic beasts in the mountains. With Li Xuanxuan and a few others creating Talismans, they could barely scrape together a profit of around forty to fifty Spirit Stones.

Another source was the Green Crow vein on their territory. With full mining efforts over five years, they could produce forty to fifty Spirit Stones, and Li Yuanping had to scrape and scrounge for the rest, barely filling the gap.

"We also need to provide Provisions for the Cultivators in our family..."

Hearing from Li Xihong that this year’s income from Shanyue was not bountiful, Li Yuanping felt a renewed surge of headache. He shifted the cup on the case, murmuring: