Family Council

The next morning.

Green Maple Valley, the family Council Hall.

The six family elders had arrived early and were waiting in the Council Hall.

"Second Elder, I never would've guessed you'd quietly broken through to Body Cultivation Grand Perfection. Congratulations!"

The elders congratulated the Second Elder with beaming smiles.

The Second Elder laughed heartily, stroked his beard, and said modestly, "It was just luck. You lot need to work harder too. Time waits for no one, and there isn't much left for old codgers like us."

Third Elder Li Xuanyong sighed.

He shook his head. "My aptitude is too poor. This is probably as far as I'll get in this life. I'd better just keep a close eye on the family's purse strings for the family head."

Everyone smiled at his words.

They chatted idly among themselves.

Then a booming voice rang out from beyond the door...

"The family head has arrived!"

Li Xinge strode in with steady steps.

Once Li Xinge had taken his seat at the head of the table, the elders present, apart from the First Elder, rose together and clasped their fists. "We greet the family head."

"Please, elders, sit."

Li Xinge smiled.

Once everyone had taken their seats again, Li Xinge announced that the family council was officially underway.

"Family head, we've finished tallying the casualties from our battle with the Mangshan Su Clan."

The First Elder spoke first.

"In that battle, seventeen Li Family cultivators died, and nine were left disabled. All of them were Body Forging Realm cultivators."

After hearing the report, Li Xinge nodded, his expression heavy. "The families of those who died in battle will receive fifty taels in compensation, and those left disabled will receive twenty taels. We'll also arrange suitable work based on their circumstances. Every clan member who fought will receive a reward of five taels."

No one objected to Li Xinge's arrangements.

The First Elder spoke again. "Family head, the Hao Family fought for us in this battle and suffered significant casualties. Shouldn't we show them some appreciation? Otherwise, the people may lose heart and say the Li Family is cold and ungrateful."

Li Xinge considered it and agreed with the First Elder. The Hao Family had contributed greatly to the campaign against the Su Family.

The Hao Family head, whom he had bestowed the name Hao Zhongli, had even killed a Su Family Body Realm cultivator.

So he nodded. "The First Elder is right. Let's award them five hundred taels and give the Hao Family the small iron mine on Creekbrow Mountain as well. What does everyone think?"

A reward of five hundred taels was already extremely generous.

For a small family like the Hao Family, it was likely equal to an entire year's income.

As for the iron mine on Creekbrow Mountain, it had little ore, and mining it was complicated.

To the Li Family, it was like chicken ribs: tasteless to eat, but a shame to throw away.

They might as well give it to the Hao Family as a favor and win them over.

This time, even the stingy Third Elder had nothing to say.

Seeing that no one objected, Li Xinge asked, "First Elder, is there anything else you'd like to raise?"

The First Elder shook his head.

"No."

"Then, the next person."

Li Xinge spoke calmly.

"Second Elder, has the Hall of Law Enforcement run into any problems lately?"

"We don't have enough manpower."

Li Xinge chose to ignore that.

The Li Family's influence had expanded considerably, and they were short of people everywhere.

The Third Elder spoke up. "Family head, we've finished taking over the Su Family's businesses, and everything went smoothly. But I don't think we can take on the Su Family's largest mine."

Li Xinge furrowed his brow at that.

He knew of the Su Family's mine. It was their most valuable asset.

"Is someone interfering?"

Li Xinge asked coldly.

The Third Elder shook his head. "Not exactly. The Su Family's mine has already been mortgaged."

"Mortgaged?"

Li Xinge looked puzzled.

"Yes, to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

Li Xinge's mouth twitched.

Meanwhile, upon hearing this, Sixth Elder Li Yanzhao slapped his thigh.

"I knew it! How else could they have been so flush with cash that day? Those wastrels pawned off the family's lifeline!"

The room burst into laughter.

"If it's been mortgaged to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, then we'll let it go. The Li Family can't afford to offend the Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

Li Xinge shook his head.

He wasn't like the overconfident heroes in certain novels who went out of their way to offend people they couldn't afford to cross. Without a Protagonist Halo, he'd probably be dead within three minutes in this cultivation world.

A competent family head first needed a clear understanding of his own family's strength.

The Myriad Treasures Pavilion could casually hang a cultivator at the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm. The Li Family was nowhere near its match.

Though reluctant, everyone knew what kind of power the Myriad Treasures Pavilion wielded.

The Fourth Elder had nothing to say.

It was Fifth Elder Li Xuanqi's turn.

Fifth Elder Li Xuanqi also served as the chief administrator of the Li Family's lifeline, the Silver Ridge Mine. He held the power of life and death over thousands of mine slaves.

He stood and clasped his fists. "Family head, we've lost quite a few mine slaves at the Silver Ridge Mine lately. I'd like to request permission to purchase another two thousand, and for the family to send a squad of elite fighters to suppress the mine."

The Silver Ridge Mine was of great importance, and nothing could be allowed to happen to it.

So Li Xinge approved the Fifth Elder's request.

As the council continued,

one family matter after another was settled.

When no one else had anything to say,

Li Xinge cleared his throat and spoke slowly. "Elders, there are two matters I'd like to discuss with you."

The six elders straightened up, their expressions serious.

"First, I want to adjust the supply of resources for the family's cultivators. Starting today, they'll receive twice as much as before."

Everyone was taken aback.

"Family head, twice as much? Isn't that a bit too much?"

The First Elder asked uncertainly.

"It isn't. The family's influence has expanded by more than double, but our overall strength hasn't kept pace. We may not see the consequences in the short term, but if this goes on, the family will eventually run into trouble."

Li Xinge explained.

The First Elder turned to the Third Elder and asked, "Can the family finances keep up if we double the supplies?"

The Third Elder gritted his teeth. His heart felt as if it were bleeding.

But then he answered firmly, "We can."

Hearing the Third Elder's answer, the First Elder nodded. "In that case, this old man has no objections."

The family head and the First Elder had both agreed. The other elders certainly wouldn't object.

If they did, tomorrow the clan members' complaints would drown them.

The first matter passed unanimously.

"Since no one objects, I'll move on to the second matter."

"I want to introduce a policy to encourage childbearing within the family."

Li Xinge smiled.

"The family's population is simply too small, barely over a thousand. Now that our influence has grown, we're stretched thin. We're short of people everywhere. If our population can't keep up, how can we talk about strengthening the family? So I plan to have the family introduce a population growth incentive policy."

The elders nodded in agreement.

A family needed powerful cultivators, of course.

But without enough people to carry on its legacy, it would eventually decline.

Unless one could live forever.

"Besides, with more newborns, the odds of having children with cultivation talent will rise too. I don't think I need to explain what gifted children mean for the family."

Li Xinge said with a beaming smile.

The elders nodded vigorously. They agreed with that more than anything.

After all, a living example stood right before them.

"As for the specific rules, I'll leave those to you to work out. Any objections?"

"This will benefit the family for generations to come. The family head is wise. We have no objections."

The elders spoke in unison.

"Very well. Then, elders, each of you may return to your duties!"