70: The winds of change rise again

Just after New Year's Eve, on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, while the sky was still barely lit, five young disciples came running to the Town Guardian Residence, playing and frolicking along the way.

Leading the group was Lin Luo, his face flushed red from the cold, carrying a small basket in his hand. Behind him followed Liu Yaowen, Pu Liangmu, He Baibai, and the youngest, Li Youfu, who nearly tripped over his own thick padded coat.

“Grandmaster, Grandma, Master, Junior Uncles! Happy New Year!”

As soon as the five little 'radish heads' rushed through the gates of the Town Guardian Residence, they shouted at the top of their lungs, their crisp, childish voices instantly dispelling the morning chill.

The main hall was warm and cozy. Li Dashan was smoking his pipe, while Madam Zhang and her two daughters-in-law were busy arranging offerings and snacks.

Li Qinghe was playing with his two nieces and nephews. Li Qingfeng, Li Qinglin, and Li Qinghe—the three of them each had an account book in hand, flipping through them. Hearing the noise, the whole family looked over with smiles.

“Oh my! My little ancestors are here! Come in quickly and warm up!”

Madam Zhang beamed from ear to ear and hurriedly beckoned them in.

Li Dashan also set down his tobacco pouch, watching them with a chuckle.

With Lin Luo leading, the five little ones lined up properly and knelt down together with a 'thud,' performing their kowtows in a proper manner:

“Disciples Lin Luo, Li Youfu, Pu Liangmu, He Baibai, and Liu Yaowen, wish Grandmaster, Grandma, Eldest Senior Uncle, Second Senior Uncle, Master, and Junior Uncle a Happy New Year! We wish our elders a lucky New Year, long life and health, and prosperity on the Immortal Path!”

Their heads hit the floor with audible thumps, showing full sincerity.

“Good, good, good! You are all good children! Get up, get up!”

Li Dashan said repeatedly, while Madam Zhang and the two sisters-in-law quickly pulled the children up one by one, patting the dust off their knees and handing them the red envelopes prepared long ago:

“Take these, take these to buy some candy. Stay safe and grow up quickly!”

Li Qingfeng set down his ledger and smilingly pulled several red cloth bundles from his robe that he had prepared earlier:

“Come, take these! This is New Year's money from your Master! Keep it safe, and don't spend it recklessly!”

The children took them, their little faces blooming with joy as they shouted in unison, “Thank you, Master!”

Li Qinglin and Li Qinghe also smiled and gave each of them some New Year's money.

Though Li Qinghe didn't say much, he silently handed over several small amulets woven from Spiritual Plants. They carried a faint, fresh fragrance and were meant for the children to wear close to their bodies to ward off the cold and evil spirits.

These five little fellows had first gone to Black Mountain Town to pay New Year's greetings to their Junior Uncle Zhang Shitou and received New Year's money before rushing non-stop to the New Town.

To them, the New Year meant wearing new clothes, kowtowing, getting money, and eating delicious food—nothing else mattered.

The bustling New Year passed by in a flash.

While the lanterns of the Lantern Festival were still flickering in people's hearts, in the blink of an eye, the ice shards by the river began to melt, and the frozen earth in the fields softened.

The long-awaited day to open the Ancestral Hall had arrived.

A large red notice was posted at the entrance of the Town Guardian Residence: Li Qingfeng's family was going to build a new Ancestral Hall and establish a new Family Genealogy!

This matter had been rumored wildly in private before, but now it was set in stone.

Li Qingfeng invited back those old carpenters and stonemasons with top-notch skills who had helped build the town last time. Upon receiving the news, those old Masters came immediately with their tools, their faces filled with pride—to build an ancestral hall for an Immortal Master's family, what an honor that was!

Besides the Master craftsmen, there were over a hundred able-bodied young men recruited from the town, all in high spirits, waiting for their assignments.

“Masters, fellow townsfolk!” Li Qingfeng stood on a slab of bluestone, his voice booming:

“Today is the day we break ground for our new Li Family Ancestral Hall! This hall is where our Li family will strike its roots in the New Town! It is a place to worship our ancestors and pass on our Bloodline! Work hard, and the Town Guardian Residence will never mistreat you in terms of wages and food! On the day the hall is completed, I, Li Qingfeng, will treat everyone to a grand feast!”

“Good!” “Don't worry, Lord Guardian!” “We'll definitely give it our all!” The crowd erupted in an enthusiastic response.

“Begin work!” Li Qingfeng commanded.

The stonemason who had been prepared long ago swung his heavy hammer, and with a 'clack,' a heavy bluestone slab was firmly struck into the excavated foundation pit.

This sound was like a bugle call. Lumber, stone, bricks, and tiles were systematically transported to the site. The sounds of sawing wood, chiseling stone, and work chants instantly filled the air in a scene of bustling activity.

While things were flourishing in the New Town, Li Family Village was in an uproar.

The news seemed to have grown legs, quickly flying back to the old village.

Every household, whether eating or working, was secretly whispering about this matter.

Those elders who used to have a say in the clan and considered themselves of the direct lineage maintained a dignified facade on the surface, but behind the scenes, they were pacing around in anxiety.

“Hmph! That kid Li Dashan really thinks he's something just because he's the father of an Immortal Master? Setting up a separate ancestral hall? Who does he think he is? His branch doesn't even have a decent place in the Family Genealogy!”

A clan elder tapped his pipe loudly against a stone, his face full of disdain:

“Exactly! Forgetting one's roots! Without Li Family Village, where would Li Dashan be? Now that he's successful, he wants to cast aside his ancestors? No way!”

Though his words were harsh, his heart was pounding as he thought of his own worthless grandsons, who didn't even show a hint of potential during the last Spiritual Root testing.

“That being said... they are powerful now. Qingfeng is an Immortal, Qinghe is an Immortal...”

Someone whispered, but they were glared into silence before they could finish.

“Sigh... the world today... how about... we send someone to have a word? After all, you can't write the name 'Li' twice with different strokes...”

“Right, right, we should try to associate with them. It's better than just watching!”

Meanwhile, in the nooks and crannies of the village, those collateral branches and small households who were usually suppressed by the 'direct lineage' had much more active thoughts behind closed doors.

“Did you hear? Over at the New Town, Qingfeng's family is really going to build a grand ancestral hall!”

A man lowered his voice, his eyes sparkling. “And they're going to rewrite the Family Genealogy!”

“That's a good thing! A wonderful thing!” His wife slapped her thigh:

“Our branch is only recorded as a name in that old genealogy, like a shadow! If we could latch onto the great tree that is Qingfeng's family...”

“Latch on? How? Would they even acknowledge us?” The man hesitated slightly.

“How will we know if we don't try? It's better than being bullied here!” The wife was firm:

“Look at the New Town—they distribute houses and land so generously! Not like here, where nothing good ever comes our way! When the ancestral hall is built, let's go... go pay our respects? Get our faces known?”

The couple looked at each other, their hearts racing with both nervousness and irrepressible hope.

Whether it was the resentment of the 'direct lineage' or the restless ambition of the 'collateral branches,' in the end, everyone wanted to forge some connection with the prestigious family of Li Qingfeng in the New Town.

Back in the New Town, Li Qinghe's life was like an old ox pulling a millstone—unchanging.

Since taking over the job of tending to those two acres of spiritual fields, he rarely ventured into the outskirts of the Black Mountains. Occasionally, he would go on the night of a full moon to absorb some lunar essence by the mountainside.

Along the way, he would gather the Spiritual Plants that the System notified him had newly grown. If any blind Yao Beasts jumped out near the edge of the forest, he would deal with them as a way to stretch his muscles.

Days passed like this, and in the blink of an eye, it was March.

On this morning, the sun was warm and pleasant.

As usual, Li Qinghe used his techniques to thoroughly water the spiritual fields.

After watering, he walked to the open space beside the fields. Lin Luo, Li Youfu, Pu Liangmu, He Baibai, and Liu Yaowen—the five little ones—were already standing in a row, waiting.

Each of their little faces was tense as they imitated him, feet apart, knees slightly bent, slowly raising their hands to begin that soft and slow 'Tai Chi.'

Li Qinghe stood at the very front, his movements as slow as flowing water. He cleared his mind, sensing the morning breeze and the scent of the earth. The five little ones followed him from behind, practicing the Tai Chi with great focus.

In this most ordinary and quiet moment, the System in Li Qinghe's mind, which had been silent for over half a year, popped up again!

【Ding!】

【daily intelligence System Refresh: (Event): Save Private Man En!】