The spirit deer was not willing to comply, darting to the left and right, seeking shelter behind Li Ximing. Li Xijun chuckled, playing with the deer by grasping its antlers, while Li Ximing held the beads, his lips curving up into a smile.

"Fetal Breathing first layer."

Dressed in black, Li Yuanjiao’s Spiritual Sense swept over the spirit deer and he muttered to himself. Li Yuanping nodded in acknowledgement, replying,

"It seems to be related to the Cultivation Level of the one holding the beads."

"Ming’er!"

Li Yuanping called out, and Li Ximing quickly handed over the Dharma Bead with reluctance, passing it into the hands of Li Yuanjiao. Li Yuanjiao took the magical treasure [Qingxuan] and, channeling mana, said after a few breaths,

"It has some spiritual nature and has recognized its master."

Then he returned the Jade Beads back to Li Ximing, whose gaze had been glued to the Treasure Bead. Seeing this, his face lit up with joy, and he tied it back on his wrist.

After sending the children of the Ximing generation away, several clan soldiers entered the hall below to stand guard overnight. The two men sat down around a small table, and Li Yuanping spoke in a low voice,

"The devil catastrophe is drawing near. I have already reviewed the situation within the clan these past few days and would like to discuss it with elder brother."

"Good."

Li Yuanjiao responded, and watched as Li Yuanping began,

"Currently in the clan, there are six Qi Cultivators: elder brother at Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation, elder sister at Fifth Layer of Qi Training, with uncle Li absent. Father is at Third Layer of Qi Cultivation, Aunt Guiluan and mother from the Dou Clan are at the First Layer,"

"Apart from the direct lineage, there’s another Qi Cultivator among the collateral branches. Replacing Li Wen, who has just broken through, he was originally from the Jade Courtyard Guards, specialized in protection."

He paused, turning toward the clan soldiers below,

"Summon the Thousand Household."

The person below complied and retreated, while Li Yuanping continued,

"The surnamed outsiders, Tian Youdao, Tian Zhongqing, and Xu Gongming, are on the First Layer of Qi Cultivating. The Guest Elder An Zhiyan is on the Seventh Layer. Additionally, there are seven or eight more miscellaneous Qi Cultivators, mostly from the Shanyue, mere fodder against any Qi Cultivation Demon Cultivator..."

After listening, Li Yuanjiao said gravely,

"Excluding uncle and father, who are not at home, there are six in the early stages of Qi Cultivation, two in the middle stages, and one in the late stage."

"Correct."

Li Yuanping affirmed, then a man from below approached, a muscular figure with a rough appearance, kneeling as if he were toppling mountains and overturning seas, he gruffly said, 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Jade Courtyard Guard Li Wen, at your service, Family Head and clan uncle!"

Li Wen, who held the same ranking as a Thousand Household, thus had ample provisions for cultivation, practicing the expedited "Jade Court Guard Vigilance Art" and was just past thirty years old.

Li Yuanping quickly motioned him to stand, explaining to his elder brother,

"He has been in closed-door cultivation striving for a breakthrough these recent years, which is why elder brother may find his face unfamiliar."

Li Yuanjiao nodded and asked,

"Which vein are you from?"

Li Wen replied in a muffled voice,

"My great-grandfather was the Shu brother of Elder Mutian and the youngest son of Rootwater Ancestor, the collateral uncle of the four veins..."

Watching the proud, simple man recite his lineage with familiarity, his voice muffled, Li Yuanjiao was both amused and troubled. He interrupted quickly,

"I understand now, you come from the Rootwater Ancestor’s youngest son’s lineage."

Li Wen nodded with pride, his fluency in reciting his background obviously a practice often repeated on his lips. Li Yuanjiao took out a bottle of elixirs from his Storage Bag and tossed it into Li Wen’s hand, saying softly,

"Consider this a welcome gift from your clan uncle."

"Thank you, clan uncle!"

Li Wen bowed in gratitude, his voice full of rough emotion as he muttered words of thanks before retreating.

"He seems honest enough."

Li Yuanjiao looked at his retreating figure and commented dryly, while Li Yuanping nodded with a pale face, hinting at more with his words,

"Although there are many in the collateral branches, the talent is hardly satisfactory. Amongst so many, he is the only one who stood out. There is even only one miscellaneous Qi Cultivator, Uncle Qiuyang."

"Hmm."

Li Yuanjiao nodded, placing a Jade Cup on the table, and said,

"It is indeed somewhat scant; we might expose our vulnerabilities."

After all, the Li Family’s Main Vein produced Spiritual Aperture Seeds generation after generation, each with better talent than the last. Although the two collateral veins had many descendants, the sheer number of ordinary people diluted this terrifying ratio. However, the side branches were too feeble, not having produced any remarkable talents for many years, which could lead to suspicions from the observant.

"What do you suggest, younger brother?"

Li Yuanping already had a plan in mind but still looked toward his elder brother Li Yuanjiao. Upon his inquiry, Li Yuanping slowly nodded, saying,

"We start from both ends, cutting down the number of households in the collateral branches under the pretext of punishment, encouraging Cultivators to marry in and change their surnames. As for the Main Vein, we spread the seed far and wide, bolstering our numbers... These past few years, I’ve been managing these matters."

Li Yuanping paused, his expression turning somewhat somber as he explained,

"After all, expunging the ancestral halls is a serious matter, hitting the collateral branches where it hurts. Aside from turning Li into another surname and excising from the side branches, nothing hurts them more than death; we must proceed slowly."

Li Yuanjiao nodded, staring into Li Yuanping’s eyes before speaking in a low voice,

"I have a better idea."

"Please share the details."

Li Yuanping looked up, eager to hear as Li Yuanjiao began,

"Nowadays, among the side branches, there are increasingly more reprobates and good-for-nothings. Although the Clan Head Courtyard has many Cultivators, it’s impractical to expect them to spend all their cultivation time supervising clan members, and it’s becoming somewhat overwhelming, with a few fools being completely manipulated by those with the surname Wang."

His voice was deep, echoing in the air,

"If there could be a great war, customary practice would be to allocate disciples from the clan as soldiers and commanders, to weed out the chaff from the grain, this would surely cleanse our family from top to bottom and drastically reduce the burden."

In his youth, Li Yuanjiao was a warrior on the battlefield, his exploits in Shanyue were marked by a trail of bodies. At that time Li Yuanping hadn’t even been born yet. By the time he took charge, Li Yuanjiao had already reined in his temperament, spending nights deep in conversation with him without showing any ferocity.