Vampire Cultivation Notes

Chapter 177 Western Expansion Order

Follow the pen of Xuan Zhi Mo Xuan and embark on an adventure in "Blood Clan Cultivation Notes".

Li Jieqing didn't care much about who the real culprit was who killed the original owner; he just kept a watchful eye on things.

However, given the current situation in the cultivation world of the Eastern Lands, various forces are venturing into the Gobi Desert in the west, and the reasons behind this cannot be ignored.

"You make it sound so pathetic..."

Bai Ningxue touched her braid and thought for a moment before saying, "It's alright to tell you. This is the Imperial Advisor's job. He issued the Western Expansion Order, which requires us to find something in the Western Demon Realm and to find out the route to the west."

"Since the Grand Preceptor of Daliang fell into the Demon Realm more than a hundred years ago, the imperial court has contracted its defenses and has been holding onto the eastern lands. It is extremely difficult to reopen the route to the west. Therefore, the new Grand Preceptor directly took out three Foundation Establishment Pills and distributed them to the three people who contributed the most detailed maps of the route to the west."

Go to the Western Lands to find something... and a Foundation Establishment Pill?

Li Jieqing seemed to be deep in thought.

"You must be shocked to hear about such a big event." Bai Ningxue raised her hand and patted Li Jieqing's shoulder with a big laugh, saying in an old-fashioned manner, "Foundation Building Pills are precious. It's rare to see even one in the entire Eastern Land for one or two decades. Now that the new National Preceptor has taken out three at once, it's bound to cause a great uproar in the Eastern Land."

"There are many demonic beasts in the Western Lands. What if they anger us and invade our land? The policies of the Grand Preceptor are truly worrying." Li Jieqing shook his head, subtly removing the casual hand from his shoulder, and took his leave.

It's just three Foundation Building Pills, yet it's worth making such a big fuss.

Li Jieqing thought of the Heavenly Star Grass scattered all over his Black Mountain Cave, wondering if he could exchange it for a throne.

After spending two months in the capital of the Eastern Lands, the situation has become clear.

The newly appointed Imperial Preceptor was Master Baowu, and he had a deputy, Master Baozhang, the Director of the Imperial Observatory.

These two were stingy on Xiaoxin Island and suppressed their disciples from breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. But when they came to Blood Heart Cave, they actually gave away three Foundation Establishment Pills at once.

What is it about the west that attracts them so much?

"If I were Qi Zhen, suddenly caught up in the Blood Heart Cave Heaven, and then tortured by She Cai and a great demon, what would I most want to do...?"

Li Jieqing walked in the capital, following the rules of the capital region, without revealing his magical powers.

Head down, long sleeves billowing in the wind, ignoring the bustling city, I simply continued onward to my lodgings.

Upon arriving at the west corridor of Ningrongfang, Li Jieqing pushed open the door and entered. A breeze blew through the courtyard, and he understood.

"If I were Qi Zhen, and I arrived at this Blood Heart Grotto, became the Grand Preceptor, and realized that this was the lost Blood Heart Grotto, what I would most want to do would naturally not be to risk danger to search for treasure."

"Instead, go outside!"

"As long as we can get out and report to the Ruyi Sect, once the Crimson Kun is captured, the Seven True Ones will naturally reap many benefits, which is far better than taking risks in the Blood Heart Cave Heaven where we are completely in the dark."

"Could the Western Lands be the exit from this Blood Heart Cave?"

Li Jieqing closed the doors and windows, sat in the courtyard, raised his hand and took out a forbidden book to read, so that no one would notice if someone passed by his head.

Blood Heart Cave has an entrance, and naturally it also has an exit, but it's impossible to find it in such a vast place.

With Bao Wu and Bao Zhang becoming national advisors, they gained access to higher-level secrets. Especially given the close connection between the founding emperor of the Eastern Land and the Blood Heart Sect, it's not impossible for them to know the location of the Blood Heart Cave's exit.

Li Jieqing understood that if it really concerned the exit of the Blood Heart Cave, he would definitely get involved, preferably ruining Qi Zhen's plans and taking control of the exit himself.

It's impossible for them to stay inside the Crimson Kun's belly forever; being able to leave at any time is a huge advantage.

"The actions of these two in the Eastern Lands indirectly caused the original owner's death in the waves. They are my sworn enemies, and they should be prevented from getting what they want."

Li Jieqing pondered. Did the cultivation world of the Eastern Lands even know that those two were outsiders?

Otherwise, wouldn't it be better to report it?

Just as he was thinking this, there was another knock on the door.

"Seventh Brother! You missed it when you went out earlier. The manor has announced that New Year's gifts are being distributed today. Just go to the ancestral hall to collect them; you don't need to bring any ritual implements!"

The loud-voiced man, named Yu Huanqi, came knocking on the door again today, calling out to his so-called seventh brother.

In the capital, the scions of prominent families always receive some resources as a reward from above at the end of each year, so that their fellow clansmen don't end up worse off than the lowly rogue cultivators and lose face.

Li Jieqing came over, opened a door, and said with a smile, "You go first, I've hired people to decorate the house, they'll be here a bit later."

"What are you doing, so mysteriously? You've even kept it from me?"

Yu Huanqi peeked through the open door a few more times, and said in a loud voice, "Then hurry up! If you're late, not only will you not get the things, but if the masters and the family ask, no one will be there to defend you."

After giving some instructions, Yu Huanqi turned around and went into the back gate of the Yu residence, mingling among the Yu family members.

The original owner of the jade pendant didn't know many people, and this person was one of them.

Moreover, everyone in the surrounding streets knew that Yu Huanqi and the original owner, Yu Huanxiu, were close in age and generation, and lived nearby. Therefore, they had always been close and harmonious friends.

Li Jieqing took over Yu Huanxiu's identity, so he naturally avoided Yu Huanqi's loud voice as much as possible and rarely spoke to him. The original owner was the same way, and for months, he did not reveal any flaws.

"It's so nice having a big family; they even give out gifts during holidays!"

"The Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yu family will probably also be coming out; it's worth a visit."

Li Jieqing stared in the direction of the Yu family's Duke's mansion. Seeing that Yu Huanqi had walked away, he used his divine sense to open both doors wide.

Not far away, people from the Bai Family Chamber of Commerce arrived at the door, preparing to set up a protective array for the house.

The cheap array costing 550 spirit stones was secondary; Li Jieqing mainly needed this legitimate cover-up to prevent the original owner's dilapidated courtyard from being constantly exposed, making it inconvenient to do anything.

"...There's even a pool of subterranean fire. No wonder he's a son of a duke's family."

The manager of the Bai family business association, who was invited in to set up the workshop, stared at the bluestone workshop with a somewhat sour tone.

"It's just a legacy from our ancestors."

Li Jieqing bowed and smiled, "With this pool of fire, I can forge excellent magical artifacts. Why don't you take a look and order some things from me?"

"No thanks, I'm not responsible for that."

The Bai family steward refused, but fearing it would ruin his impression, he casually said some nice things: "The young lady has accepted the goods, which shows that your crafting skills are quite good. With the help of this earth fire, you should be able to refine a high-grade magic weapon sooner or later. At that time, I won't need to get involved. I'm afraid there will be plenty of people in the capital who want to invite you."

"Difficult, difficult, difficult! Old steward, you have no idea how long it took me to forge a mid-grade magic weapon."

Li Jieqing expressed his deep feelings.

"That's true, you're still young..."

If he were truly a top-grade weapon refiner, even with Yu Huanxiu's somewhat awkward and complicated identity, the Bai family's merchant guild would still be begging him for help.

The old steward sighed inwardly, shook his head, and began directing his men to work and set up the formation.

……

The setting sun casts its last rays, leaving behind a bright moon and few stars.

However, the Jade Mansion was still brightly lit.

When Li Jieqing arrived at the back gate, he saw that it also bore the nameplate of the Ningrong Duke's Mansion. It was built to be even more magnificent than the main gate of the Bai Family Chamber of Commerce, and even the threshold was a magical artifact, radiating spiritual light.

In the eyes of cultivators, anything that emits a spiritual light is a good thing.

Li Jieqing dusted himself off, straightened his hat, and entered the Yu residence through the back door with his head held high and chest out.

After passing through the passageway, the hanging flower gate, and then a covered corridor, we headed towards the ancestral hall in the courtyard.

The ancestors of the Yu family followed the founding emperor in his campaigns, drove out the demons, and protected the eastern land for recuperation. They were then granted the title of Duke of Ningrong.

The family has been passed down for thirteen generations, with nine of the family heads being Foundation Establishment cultivators, including the current family head, Yu Qishan.

In Li Jieqing's opinion, the spiritual energy of the Ningrong Duke's Mansion was not particularly strong, far inferior to the mountains and forests inhabited by demonic beasts to the west, and only slightly better than that of his Black Mountain.

Family-based cultivation has its limitations, making it difficult to select only the talented. The Yu family, with its limited spiritual energy, has managed to produce Foundation Establishment cultivators almost generation after generation, and has maintained its imperial title for more than ten generations. It's hard to say whether this is a unique characteristic of the cultivation world in the Eastern Lands.

In front of the Yu Family Ancestral Hall.

On the open ground, several stewards from the outlying manors were leading a caravan in.

Yu Qishan, the head of the Yu family, was right there. In front of his clansmen, he meticulously tallied up the Yu family's resource expenditures and expenditures for the year. When he reached the end, he flew into a rage.

"I was certain you had at least ten thousand spirit stones, but now you only have six thousand left. What can you do with that? You're practically doomed!"

"Come on, drag all those who failed in their duties out and beat them!"

Yu Qishan leaped into the air with his hands behind his back, his divine sense sweeping over the vehicles that had arrived behind him. He cursed, "I haven't looked after you for years, and you all dare to be so negligent! I'll personally go to the estate outside at the start of the year. You managers are truly incompetent!"

When the Foundation Establishment cultivator unleashed his power, nearly a thousand people gathered in front of the ancestral hall fell silent, too terrified to utter a sound.

Li Jieqing asked several servants in the mansion to lead the way, and they happened to come over and saw this scene. He also felt Yu Qishan's divine sense sweep over him.

"He's even stronger than Master Baocheng; he's actually in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage?"

Li Jieqing hid in a corner, while Yu Guangzhong carefully observed the left and right sides of the Yu family ancestral hall.

The group was roughly divided into three groups: the legitimate members of the Yu family, the servants and slaves of the Yu household, and the general affairs personnel who came from the Yu family's properties outside the capital to make offerings.

Faced with the embezzlement of tribute resources, the Yu family and the servants of the Yu household outwardly supported the opposition to the newly appointed administrative staff. However, while the servants of the Yu household might be sent out to manage affairs, members of the Yu family's collateral branches, willing to spend money, could also take lucrative positions to abuse their power in the Yu family's millennia-old accumulated assets. The administrative staff were chosen from the former two groups. The main branch of the Yu family, compared to the collateral branches, had a closer relationship with the servants in the household, requiring a balance of power between those inside and outside the household. The relationship between these three parties was indeed complex.

However, this complex and intertwined family relationship vanished completely in the face of the Foundation Establishment cultivator's will.

The power of the upper cultivation is inherently like this.

"He's the only old patriarch who goes out to curse people, but no one comes out to fight. It seems that my perception is correct; he's the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the entire family."

Li Jieqing watched the lively scene at the Yu family's house and nodded slightly in his heart.

He's just a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator who's about to die of old age; he's nothing to fear. I doubt he'll see anything wrong with him.