Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 162: The Si Family’s Wind Dew Valley

“They must have known and sent us against Black Wind Mountain and Clear Dew Peak on purpose,” Wang Yanzhi said bitterly. He was still troubled by the deaths of his clansmen.

Wang Longyou shook his head. “Who could have predicted what happened? Even if they had known something, they had no obligation to tell us. We all operate around Green Bull Market and compete with one another.”

“True,” Li Yaozu said. “The other three families are closer to one another than to us. Fortunately, we have more Foundation Establishment cultivators now, and we aren’t weaker than they are. Young Friend Wang, did Lei Liheng say anything else? Surely he didn’t just write to boast.”

“Fellow Daoist Lei wants us to go straight to the Si family and destroy it before the other Maple Leaf Market families can respond.” Wang Hao handed Li Yaozu a voice-transmission talisman.

After reading it, Li Yaozu’s face darkened. “Lei Liheng has gone too far. He wants us to attack one of the Si family’s minor spirit mountains while his side attacks their home. He clearly means to keep the family inheritance for himself.”

Clear Dew Peak and Black Wind Mountain had held plenty of resources, but neither had a scripture pavilion. The Wangs and Lis had obtained only fragments of the Gu family’s inheritance from dead Gu cultivators.

“Does Lei Liheng think he’s our alliance leader now?” Wang Yanzhi said angrily.

Wang Longyou looked concerned. “We suffered heavy losses last time. If we meet another tough opponent, we may not be able to handle it.”

Lei Liheng appeared to want both the Gu and Si family inheritances for himself. He might also intend to weaken the Wangs and Lis. His side had six Foundation Establishment cultivators, including Lei Liheng at the late stage, and was somewhat stronger.

Wang Hao smiled calmly. “Granduncle, haven’t you heard that a general in the field need not obey every order? Lei Liheng may want to lead us, but he isn’t truly our leader. We can decide for ourselves what to do.”

Wang Longyou nodded approvingly. Whatever Lei Liheng ordered, the Wangs could agree for now and adjust their actions later.

Wang Yanzhi understood. “So we put on a show and barely fight?”

“There’s no need to go that far,” Li Yaozu said quietly. “The resources are real. We simply can’t risk another hard fight like the last one.”

Having settled that, they headed for Si family territory.

The Si family had two spiritual mountains, one middle-tier second-grade and one lower-tier second-grade. It had no upper-tier second-grade mountain like the stronger Gu family.

Wang Hao’s group was to attack the lower-tier one, Wind Dew Valley.

“Don’t get drawn into a long fight,” Wang Hao told them when they arrived. “If we can break the formation easily, we take what we can and leave. If they resist fiercely, we retreat at once.”

Li Derong and Li Yaozu agreed and went to attack from the other side.

Facing the white mist over Wind Dew Valley, Wang Hao said, “Attack!”

He had not fully recovered, but he could circulate his spiritual power again.

He formed fire lotuses in his hands and hurled them at the valley. The other Wang cultivators attacked with spells as well.

Boom!

A loud blast scattered much of the mist. Firelight revealed an orange barrier behind it.

“The formation seems weaker than expected,” Wang Longyou said. “Could the Si family have sent its people to the front?”

Wang Hao paused, slightly taken aback, before shrugging. “All the better. It saves us the effort.”

Wang Longyou nodded and resumed his bombardment of the barrier.

Within a few minutes, the white mist dispersed, revealing a green valley.

Wang Hao swept the valley carefully with his divine sense and found nothing unusual, nor any trace of cultivators.

“They must have heard the news and withdrawn early. Even if they had sent people to the front, they wouldn’t have left no one here otherwise.”

The Li Family cultivators flew over to rejoin them. “What is our move now?”

“We arrived quickly,” Wang Longyou said. “Even if they evacuated, they couldn’t have carried everything away. Let’s search, then leave. The other Maple Leaf Market families may have heard by now, so we should rejoin Lei Liheng soon.”

“Search separately, but stay alert for an ambush,” Wang Hao said.

They divided up, each taking two or three Qi Refining clansmen toward a different area.

The Sis could carry away Spirit Stones and the contents of their storehouses, but not spirit plants or ore. Wang Hao flew over a grove of Yin Purple Pines. The trees could be used to make artifacts and puppets, but those here were under a hundred years old and had not reached second grade.

Wang Hao drew his Child-Mother Green Light Sword and struck at the base of a pine.

Crack!

The sturdy trunk snapped, and the tree crashed to the ground.

“Cut it up quickly,” Wang Hao told two Qi Refining clansmen before turning to another tree.

They used their artifacts to cut the felled pines into sections and placed the wood in storage bags.

Half an hour later, Wang Hao had felled over thirty Yin Purple Pines. The haul was only worth three or four thousand Spirit Stones, but it ensured the trip wasn’t a total loss.

“Elder, we found a medicinal garden!” a clansman reported.

“Did you go in?” Wang Hao asked.

“No. We followed your instructions and came to tell you as soon as we found it.”

Wang Hao nodded. The last battle had made them more cautious. From above, he could see no traps in the garden, but the Sis were unlikely to leave such an important place for the taking. There might be a surprise waiting.

He released several ape puppets and sent them in from different directions.

He guided four puppets along the garden paths without finding anything unusual.

Still cautious, he made one reach for a spirit plant.

As soon as it touched a fifty-year-old Spirit Accumulation Grass, a loud blast sounded.

Red flames erupted from the ground around the puppet.

They burned it to ash. These first-grade puppet beasts were made of wood and could not withstand the fire.

The clansmen broke into a cold sweat. If they had entered carelessly, they might have died.

Wang Hao ordered the other puppets to touch spirit plants as well.

They triggered four more traps. After that, nothing happened.

Wang Hao handed the clansmen six more puppet beasts.

“Use them to check the path carefully before you start picking herbs. Understood?”

“Understood, Elder!”

Three clansmen learned the controls, entered the garden with the puppets, and gathered the herbs with care. The puppets could not do such delicate work without risking damage to the plants.

When they had cleared the garden, Li Derong, Wang Longyou, and the others had finished searching elsewhere.

Li Derong’s group had found valuables too. They met up, exchanged nods, and flew away.