In the game, this was Li Xiang's first time seeing someone intrude upon the Lineage.
"Looks like they couldn't just farm honestly forever. There was still bound to be some danger."
Li Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly and quietly watched how Li Dalong would handle everything before him in the game.
A line of text appeared above the bandits' heads.
"Hand over all your money and food, or we'll make you regret it!"
Because of their numbers, the bandits appeared rather arrogant.
But they soon could no longer remain arrogant.
After ten years of cultivation, Li Dalong had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. The Qi Refiner Cultivation Manual Li Xiang had given him also came with combat techniques and some simple spells and martial arts. Moreover, Li Dalong often fought in Wild Boar Forest and Silver Iron Forest, and his combat strength had long become astonishing.
How could this bandit gang formed by starving refugees possibly be Li Dalong's match?
Besides.
The Iron Forest Horse charged out of the stable!
Li Dalong's wife, Xu Cuihua, also revealed her fierce nature. She usually farmed and raised the children, but now she actually rushed out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife in hand. For her household, she had no choice but to reveal her ferocity.
Even the young Li Yaozu rushed from his room with a wooden sword, a small line of text appearing above his head. "You dare steal from our house? I'll beat you to death!"
"They have a cultivator! Stop fighting! Spare us, sir, we'll never dare again!"
As the whole family charged into battle, the horse also darted wildly through the bandits.
Very quickly, this group of bandits was defeated and knelt all over the ground before the Li Family's door.
"I'll spare your lives today. If you dare come again, I'll break your legs!"
Li Dalong glared and shouted.
"Thank you, sir! We'll never dare again!"
In an instant, the bandits were overwhelmed with gratitude and prepared to leave.
Watching Li Dalong's sudden burst of kindness, Li Xiang frowned deeply.
Clearly, before this, Li Dalong had always developed the Lineage honestly. Even when he fought and killed, it had been against wild animals and demonic beasts.
These bandits were humans after all, and Li Dalong showed ample mercy toward his own kind.
Yet Li Xiang felt that Li Dalong's decision to let the bandits go was completely wrong.
"No matter how these bandits found their way to the Li Family, this is a year of severe drought. They've discovered that the Li Family still has enough food. Even if they don't dare come back themselves, won't they spread the news to other bandits?"
Li Xiang drew a deep breath and murmured to himself, "Even if Li Dalong has enough strength to defeat ordinary people like these, he has to leave home to hunt eventually. The three children haven't grown up yet, and Xu Cuihua is only a somewhat stronger woman. What if they suffer disaster?"
The mouse slowly moved over [Ancestral Blessing].
Li Xiang found a skill—
[Ancestral Patriarch's Fury: Launches an attack from the Ancestral Tablet. The more Lineage members there are, the greater the skill's power, and the more Incense it consumes.] [Use 'Ancestral Patriarch's Fury', consuming 20 Incense!]
In an instant.
The Ancestral Tablet upon the altar blazed with light. It rose into the air, shot through the Li Family's gate, and traced a beautiful purple arc through the night on the game screen.
This time, Li Xiang discovered that he could control the tablet on the screen!
"The ancestral patriarch has manifested again!"
The Li Family immediately dropped to their knees. Even the Iron Forest Horse copied Li Dalong and knelt down.
"What is that thing?"
"It looks like a spirit tablet!"
The bandits also turned around and stared at the tablet in amazement.
Without a second thought, Li Xiang controlled the tablet and clicked on the bandit who had run the farthest.
Then.
The token pierced straight through the bandit's chest!
"Didn't you say you wouldn't kill us? Run!"
"Help! I don't want to die!"
"Please, spare me!"
Li Xiang frowned as he continued controlling the mouse, clicking on the bandits who dared flee.
Never mind that this was a game—even if Li Xiang had faced such a situation himself, he would have made the same choice!
Since these people had already harbored wicked thoughts toward him, he had to cut off all future trouble. If weeds were not pulled out by the roots, the spring wind would bring them back to life!
However, Li Xiang did not kill every bandit.
He only killed those who dared run.
Only five bandits remained on the screen, and Li Xiang shifted his gaze toward Li Dalong.
"The ancestral patriarch's tablet has stopped."
Li Dalong looked left and right, seeming to hesitate over something.
But before long, he finally rose to his feet, gripped the blade he had just put down, then raised it and charged toward the bandits.
"The ancestral patriarch is angry. Wife, I understand now."
"Only by killing them all can we protect this household!"
"Thank you, ancestral patriarch, for your guidance!"
He understood!
This was what Li Xiang appreciated most about Li Dalong. The man had excellent comprehension. These five bandits had been left for Li Dalong!
The Ancestral Token returned to its place.
Under Li Xiang's watchful gaze, Li Dalong killed every remaining bandit before his wife and children, then carried their bodies out of the yard and discarded them in the middle of the night.
Li Yaozu, the eldest son who had just run out holding a wooden sword, was still at an ignorant age. Yet he calmly watched his father carry away the corpses, and his tiny eyes held a trace of reverence.
[Your descendants resolved a Lineage crisis. Incense +12] [Obtained spoils: a small amount of silver, worn-out clothing, dung forks...] [Watching Li Dalong kill the Lineage's enemies, the immature child seemed to understand something. A strange notion was Sealed in the deepest part of his memories.] [Li Yaozu obtained trait: Killing Potential] [Killing Potential: Becomes more frenzied when fighting enemies. Strength increases by 20%, and comprehension of offensive spells and martial arts increases by 5%.]
"Ah?"
Li Xiang was stunned. He had not expected this slaughter to resolve more than just the enemies, nor bring the Li Family more than just spoils.
The greatest gain.
Was instead Li Yaozu, a child of merely four years old. Such potential was undoubtedly that of a born killer, a warrior!
After that night of slaughter.
The Li Family returned to its former peace. Of course, after killing their enemies, what had changed deep within the hearts of the Li Family's descendants was something Li Xiang could not see in full.
He increased the flow of time once more.
The Li Family continued to develop.
The Li Family's stone house grew more and more exquisite. The original wooden fence also began to be gradually replaced with piled stone after the earlier theft, becoming a sizable courtyard.
They even specifically built a training ground for practicing spells and martial arts.
What surprised Li Xiang most was.
During one hunting trip to Silver Iron Forest, Li Dalong brought back smooth stones and piled them one by one in the most conspicuous place in the courtyard, building a small temple specifically to house the Ancestral Tablet, its Incense burning eternally.
[Li Dalong led his descendants in building an Ancestral Temple specifically for you. Incense +20!]
"A filial child."
Li Xiang stroked his chin in satisfaction, then froze for a moment. He was still alive, yet his descendants had built a temple for him. It felt somewhat strange.
And as Li Xiang waited with eager anticipation.
At last, the interface welcomed the grand sacrifice held once every ten years!
Li Dalong brought his wife and their three children, while also leading the Iron Forest Horse, to the little temple built from stone. They lit Incense and began to worship!
"This unfilial descendant pays respects to the ancestral patriarch. Thanks to the ancestral patriarch's protection over these past ten years, the Lineage has flourished."
Li Dalong kowtowed repeatedly, then looked toward his eldest son, Li Yaozu. "Yaozu, quickly place the gold and silver Father prepared into the bronze furnace as an offering to the ancestral patriarch."
[You obtained Sacrificial Offering: ten jin of silver, one jin of gold] [Withdraw?]
Withdraw my ass!
Before his computer, Li Xiang rolled his eyes. In his era, gold and silver had long ceased to be rare. Even diamonds would be discarded by the roadside without anyone wanting them. The hood of Li Xiang's sports car was forged from pure gold, and decorative ornaments filled with diamonds sat in his villa's bathing pool.
He clicked no.
Li Dalong stared blankly at the Ancestral Tablet. "Hm? The ancestral patriarch did not bestow that warm Bestowal!"
"Could it be that the ancestral patriarch doesn't like gold and silver?"
Xu Cuihua asked.
"Yes, the ancestral patriarch definitely doesn't like them!" Li Dalong nodded repeatedly. "The ancestral patriarch is so powerful that such ordinary things simply cannot catch his honored eye. Yaozu, hurry to the storeroom and look for something valuable. We must satisfy the ancestral patriarch!"
"Ah?"
Watching his descendants bustle around on the game screen, Li Xiang shrugged.
In truth, he did not intend to grant anything for the moment.
After all, the Li Family had only just begun. What valuable things could they possibly have? On the contrary, he had already prepared this Bestowal as an investment in the Li Family's growth. Only if the Li Family grew stronger could they possibly obtain things worthy of catching his eye.
Very soon, Li Yaozu carried over a large pile of items and placed them before the temple.
[You obtained Sacrificial Offering: Wild Boar King sinew, two jin of Black Rock Ore...] [Withdraw?]
There was a large pile of strange and unusual items.
He had not wanted them, but this was the heartfelt intention of his descendants after all. Li Xiang rummaged through the items, and his brows rose slightly.
"Eh?"
One item caught his eye. It was a long spear covered in rust. He remembered seeing it when he had switched screens earlier—it was the spear Li Dalong used for training.
[Mysterious Iron Spear (Sealed)]
The game interface even recorded the story behind how the spear had been acquired. Li Dalong had found it while hunting in Wild Boar Forest, among a pile of human skeletons within the Wild Boar King's cave!
"A Sealed weapon?"
Li Xiang's expression gradually turned solemn. In the world of cultivation, anything worth Sealing possessed an extraordinary history without exception, but it might also be extremely dangerous. Clearly, with Li Dalong's shallow cultivation, he had failed to see the value of this iron spear.
"Withdraw the spear!"
Li Xiang took out the spear without hesitation. Even he was deeply interested in this item.
[You chose to withdraw the Sacrificial Offering presented by your descendants—Mysterious Iron Spear!]
In an instant, a long spear covered in rust appeared before the incense burner on his computer desk. Li Xiang could even smell the rust coming from it!
At the same time, however, Li Xiang was drawn to the faint patterns visible on the spear. They were patterns inscribed in strange writing. Li Xiang suddenly realized that with his limited knowledge, he could not make out anything from them.
For the moment, he ignored the spear.
Li Xiang held a brocade box in his hand and placed it before the bronze furnace.
[You bestowed upon your descendants—36 pills of various kinds.] [Deploy?]
Before you continue