Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 122 - 113: Observations at the Mine

Not long after Lu Sisi had left, Li Xuanxuan came out of seclusion, having broken through to the Fifth Layer of the Fetal Breathing's Yujing Wheel, ranking him third in strength within the family. Below him were his two capable assistants, Li Qiuyang and Chen Donghe, both at the Fourth Layer of Fetal Breathing.

The hubbub at the Green Crow Mine grew livelier day by day. Li Xuanxuan had gathered a group of strong Shanyue men to work in the mine, and the wages in the Four Townships, which had dropped due to a surplus of labor, suddenly increased significantly. The negative impact of overpopulation on the residents of the Four Townships was greatly alleviated, and life became much more comfortable.

A large number of huts were built along the vein, and within a few months, the three families had together established a respectable small town. In its first year, the Li Family sent Qi Cultivators to guard the Green Crow Mine.

According to the agreement, each of the three families would send a Fetal Breathing Cultivator to the mine for mutual supervision. Li Xuanxuan had already sent Li Qiuyang there, and it had been several months since.

When Li Xuanfeng arrived at the mine, riding the wind, the three Fetal Breathing Cultivators were already waiting on the ground, surrounded by kneeling miners. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"We greet the elder!"

The three shouted in unison. Li Xuanfeng simply waved his hand and nodded towards Li Qiuyang, calling out,

"Clan uncle."

Only then did he turn to the Fetal Breathing Cultivators of the Lu and An Families and said with a nod,

"Please, rise."

With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, he noticed that these two were merely at the third and fourth layers of Fetal Breathing, and both were around fifty years of age. Dismissing these two with a wave of his hand, Li Xuanfeng asked in a low voice,

"Clan uncle, how has the vein been these past months, that you've urgently summoned me here?"

Li Qiuyang clasped his hands together in greeting. The boy who had once consumed the Serpent Jiao fruit in the mountains was now over thirty years old, having welcomed a grandson. Dignified in appearance and carrying a long saber, he had the demeanor of a senior clan member as he replied,

"We've just started excavating. Within three months, we unearthed seven pieces. The yield should gradually increase. However, since a few months ago, miners have often become mute. Last month, there were only one or two cases, but this month, the number has increased to several dozen. We had no choice but to send word to the family."

"Mute..."

Li Xuanfeng, with a long bow strapped to his back, furrowed his brows in confusion and said,

"Take me to see these people."

Li Qiuyang nodded repeatedly and, after a short walk through the encampment of various sizes, led Li Xuanfeng into a large courtyard.

There were many Shanyue miners atop the Green Crow Mine, and the architectural style largely reflected Shanyue characteristics. This large courtyard was mostly built by the Lu and An Families. Inside, about a dozen people were squatting against the wall, the majority being Shanyue miners who had moved from the Li Family, all looking uneasy.

Upon seeing Li Qiuyang and Li Xuanfeng arrive, the steward of the courtyard became extremely nervous. He called the squatting Shanyue miners to their feet, who knelt down tightly on the ground, anxiously staring at the dirt-laden floor.

Touching the shoulder of the Shanyue miner at the forefront, Li Xuanfeng circulated his True Yuan through the man a few times but found nothing unusual. However, with an odd expression on his face, he discovered a Spirit Aperture actively breathing Spiritual Energy within the man's Sea of Qi Acupoint.

"Blessed with a Spirit Aperture, what a pity."

This statement, like a thunderclap, caused the middle-aged man to utter distressed sounds, his expressions a mix of excitement and sorrow. Looking at the man's slightly gray temples and complex expression, Li Xuanfeng turned and ordered,

"Take this man back, find a suitable girl from the sect for him to marry."

Li Qiuyang nodded. Several clan soldiers immediately came forward to take the man, who was now both crying and laughing, and led him away. Li Xuanfeng then selected a few more people to check, but to no avail. He inquired,

"Was there anything unusual about these people before they became mute?"

"There wasn't..."

Li Qiuyang shook his head and said,

"Interestingly, four of these dozens had previously mined the Green Crow..."

Li Xuanfeng considered this thoughtfully and, after a moment's pause over several individuals, took a dark green black ore of the Green Crow Mine from Li Qiuyang. As True Yuan flowed through it, he felt a sharp essence of metal, leading him to say in a grave voice,

"It's likely because of this Green Crow Mine... Please summon those two over here."

Li Qiuyang nodded at the words and called over the cultivators from the Lu and An Families. The two of them stood before Li Qiuyang, disturbed, wondering if the Li Family Qi Cultivator would find fault with their families, feeling utterly frightened.

"There are often cases of muteness among the people here. Do you know of this?"

On hearing Li Xuanfeng's words, both were startled and answered tentatively, criticizing in their minds,

"Why would a Qi Cultivator care about the life and death of mere mortals suffering from illness? Being mute isn't a disability; as long as they can work, who cares if they live or die..."

Meanwhile, Li Xuanfeng had pondered for a few moments. Since the Green Crow Mine was indeed a Spiritual Mine and the metallic essence could harm ordinary humans, muteness might be the least of concerns. He feared that if thousands worked day and night in the mine, within a few months their vitality could be sapped, leading to the needless deaths of thousands.

"How are the shifts currently arranged at the mine?"

"There are over four thousand miners, and the mine generally accommodates more than a thousand at a time, using a two-shift system every three days to rotate the labor... responsible for mining and facility construction."

Li Xuanfeng waved his hand and said,

"Split them into four shifts for mining, don't let the miners stay in the mine too long. After I return to the clan, I will dispatch more people to rotate through the shifts."

Seeing the two men hastily agree, Li Xuanfeng shook his head, rode the wind back to report to Li Tongya, but Li Qiuyang watched the two men wait respectfully for Li Xuanfeng to leave and privately sneered in disdain, his eyebrows furrowed in thought:

"No wonder their populations are only twenty to thirty thousand. My Li Family has grown to over sixty thousand in just a few decades. These people clearly don't see others as human, probably not even enforcing farming, let alone maintaining livelihoods. Those twenty to thirty thousand are all just providing for their own clan..."

"Brother Qiuyang!"

The two men came up grinning, the Lu Family cultivator winking and teasing with a laugh,

"Your ancestor's matter might as well be left to you. We have urgent matters to attend to and will leave first."

Without waiting for Li Qiuyang to respond, they left arm in arm, laughing loudly. This made Li Qiuyang's eyelids twitch, feeling quite annoyed.

"These two, with their nightly revelries at the mine, having women sent into their rooms daily, do nothing but eat, drink, and be merry, truly wasting their cultivation levels! In my Li Family, even cultivators would be caught by the Clan Leader and held accountable. They're truly worthless!"

Turning to walk to his own courtyard, Li Qiuyang had a change of heart and sneered coldly to himself,

"Go and indulge yourselves. In a few more years, I want to see what these two families will use to stop my Li Family."

————

Li Qiuyang returned to his room to instruct on various matters and began meditating. On the other side, in another large courtyard, the sounds of feasting and music were lilting through the air, and the An and Lu cultivators were drinking and chatting.

"This mine is indeed a fine job! No need to look at the faces of the family back home, everything is handled by that Li Family's Li Qiuyang. It's so comfortable!"

"Exactly!"

The An Family cultivator laughed heartily, taking a small sip of the spiritual wine in his hand, smacking his lips with delight and responding,

"That Li Family is after all a nouveau riche, risen too quickly, and their Qi Cultivators are too young, they still have the common folk in their hearts. Who in the entire Lidao doesn't use commoners as objects? It's only the commoners who serve cultivators, not the other way around!"

The Lu Family cultivator nodded, looking relaxed and content, and laughed,

"Just look at this Li Family. Although powerful, they are bound by Shanyue in the west, acting as our buffer. It's said Shanyue has over a dozen Qi Cultivators, even including one at the Qi Cultivating Peak. They're tough to deal with!"

Showing off the news he got, the Lu Family cultivator slightly raised his head only to hear the An Family cultivator ask,

"I've heard that your Lu Family has a high cultivator practicing within the Green Pond Sect, quite a powerful backing."

The Lu Family cultivator shook his head, looking somewhat downcast, as he answered,

"Our families have been related through marriage for many years, and we know each other's backgrounds. That person practiced on Moon Lake Peak, and was already at the Qi Cultivating Peak in the past, but failed during Foundation Establishment and died. It's been more than eighty years now! Apart from the Moon Lake Peak Master from the sect, who still has some ties with my family, where else can we claim to have any support?"

After speaking, he lowered his head and said to the An Family cultivator,

"Nowhere near as good as your An Family's genius!"

The An Family cultivator sighed softly, indignantly saying,

"My family really spoils that An Jingming, allowing him unfettered access to all the cultivation provisions of the clan! They say he eats Spirit Rice every day, which makes us quite envious. If my family cared for me so, I might have had a chance to break through in Qi Cultivation."

"Alas."

The Lu Family cultivator sighed softly, his expression filling with disappointment amid the lively music, as he said with his head drooping,

"We are already over fifty years old, yet we haven't even achieved the Yujing Wheel. What hope do we have for Qi Cultivation in this lifetime! Better to enjoy the rest of our fifty years to the fullest, and not have lived for nothing!"

Upon hearing this, the An Family cultivator was greatly upset, finished his drink, and sobbed,

"Life is full of disappointments... I have already let go of my expectations."

And so, amid the plaintive melody, the two men lifted their cups, cried, and hugged each other in sorrow.