Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

To gain a new foothold in Jiangnan, securing breathing room and resources for development, the Seven Kills Ancestor accepted a commission from the Su Family.

Annihilate the Kao Mountain Sect.

The Su Family had long coveted the land within the Kao Mountain Sect’s Little Grotto Heaven. However, they were wary of the Kao Mountain Ancestor’s strength and unwilling to start an open conflict that would invite public condemnation, so they approached the Seven Kills Ancestor.

The Seven Kills Ancestor needed a secure base of operations, and the two sides instantly came to an agreement.

He took action personally, and with the absolute power of a Grandmaster, easily annihilated the Kao Mountain Sect.

However, upon seeing that the dilapidated Little Grotto Heaven actually contained nearly 100,000 mu of plains and over 100,000 mu of usable mountain terrain, the Seven Kills Ancestor immediately betrayed them. Relying on his tyrannical martial might, he forcibly seized the Kao Mountain Wall Little Grotto Heaven, cutting the Su Family out of the deal.

Although the Su Family was powerful, they could only swallow their pride and endure the humiliation when faced with a Grandmaster, biding their time.

The Kao Mountain Wall thus became the Seven Kills Ancestor’s secret lair in Jiangnan and the foundation of the Seven Kills Association.

Eight years later, the Su Family’s revenge, though long in coming, finally arrived. It was ruthless, precise, and struck at his greatest vulnerability.

The Su Family had somehow learned the secret of the Seven Kills Ancestor’s cultivation.

They deployed their resources and found a Seven Kills Destiny Master whose Life Chart perfectly matched their requirements.

They then planted an incredibly bizarre Miaojiang Strange Gu in this person—one that could fuse with both Inner Qi and the very origin of the Divine Soul.

Then, they cleverly delivered this "gift" right to the Seven Kills Ancestor.

Faced with such a potent tonic delivered right to his doorstep, the Seven Kills Ancestor didn’t think twice. He devoured every last trace of the Evil Qi from the man’s Life Chart.

Soon, the Gu poison hidden deep within the Evil Qi invaded his body, clinging to him like a cancer to the bone.

The poison was incredibly bizarre. The moment it erupted, it latched on like a disease clinging to his very bones, taking deep root and entangling itself with his foundational power.

It was completely incurable!

The Seven Kills Ancestor had no choice but to expend his life-bound Primordial Qi to suppress the Gu poison, depleting nearly his entire supply.

What was even more terrifying was that any new Inner Qi he cultivated was also contaminated by the Gu poison.

He didn’t dare convert it into Primordial Qi, terrified that his Primordial Spirit would also become poisoned and even disintegrate.

Helpless, the Grandmaster had no choice but to abandon his Primordial Qi cultivation.

As a result, his Cultivation plummeted to the level of the Divine Intent Pass.

As for Feng Suiyun’s theory about possession, it was pure nonsense.

A Grandmaster Guiyuan can indeed allow their Primordial Spirit to leave their body and roam the world, but forcibly seizing another’s body is another matter entirely. Never mind that the Seven Kills Ancestor was already poisoned and weakened—even at the height of his power, success would have been impossible.

Without the nourishment of its physical body, a Primordial Spirit is like rootless duckweed. It can survive for a short while, but any longer and it will simply dissipate into the world.

The Seven Kills Ancestor had even researched the method of shedding one’s mortal coil to be reincarnated. But the cycle of rebirth was a vague and uncertain concept, with no known success rate.

In the end, he didn’t dare take the gamble. He could only live on borrowed time, clinging to a wretched existence until Chen Li cut him down at the foot of Kao Mountain.

As for the Seven Fiends God-Seizing Skill, this Technique was both a Secret Skill for tempering one’s Divine Sense and launching Spiritual Sense Attacks, and the core Technique for seizing another’s Seven Kills Evil Qi.

Closing the journal, Chen Li let out a long breath.

In terms of direct cultivation value, these three items were practically worthless to him.

The Seven Kills Heart Scripture required a specific Life Chart, and its cultivation method was cruel and violated the harmony of nature. He would never practice it.

The Sixteen-Character Plate Book was a divination tool. Since he wasn’t a Sorcerer, it had limited use for him.

The Seven Fiends God-Seizing Skill was a plundering technique—the most demonic of demonic arts.

However, the true gains from this period of seclusion could not be measured by the value of these manuals alone.

The concepts behind the Seven Kills Heart Scripture—the Ten Divine Rules and even the Destiny Law—opened a brand-new window in his mind, showing him the path forward on the Martial Dao.

The inspiration he’d gained was immeasurable.

’Law...’

Chen Li muttered to himself.

The Destiny Law represented by the Seven Killings Life Chart was profound and powerful; naturally, he was tempted by it.

But the path of the Seven Killings was steeped in overwhelming Evil Qi and required one to achieve enlightenment through slaughter. It went against his nature, so he ruled it out immediately.

’Then, what is my path?’

He pondered for a moment before picking up the Sixteen-Character Plate Book. Following its instructions, he began to divine his own Life Chart.

It took a considerable amount of mental effort, but as the result gradually became clear, a peculiar look appeared in Chen Li’s eyes.

’The result is... quite interesting.’

Within his Life Chart, the Seven Killings was not absent, but it was isolated, hanging alone in the Year Pillar.

The Year Pillar represents one’s ancestors and parents.

This sign indicates the early death of one’s parents or a relationship fraught with conflict and hardship.

Chen Li recalled the early death of this body’s father and understood.

In the more critical Month, Day, and Hour Pillars, the most prominent and powerful presence was not the Seven Killings, but the Wealth Star.

True Wealth, Side Fortune, and Looted Wealth all made an appearance, indicating his strong affinity for wealth.

’So... the Law my own Life Chart is aligned with, the one I can comprehend, isn’t the Seven Killings, but... Wealth?’

Chen Li was lost in thought.

He continued to flip through the Sixteen-Character Plate Book, his gaze finally stopping on a single verse.

That which I conquer is Wealth; that which conquers me is Authority.

Those twelve words struck his mind like a clap of thunder, leaving him momentarily stunned.

’That which I conquer is Wealth...’

Chen Li’s brow furrowed as he sank into deep thought.

The core of the Seven Killings path was its Evil Qi.

Evil Qi stemmed from slaughter, conflict, and disaster; it was a tangible form of energy that could be used directly for combat and Cultivation.

’But this Wealth... what is it?’

According to basic divination principles, "Wealth" could refer to gold and silver, assets, and resources. By extension, it meant anything one could dominate and control.

’If that’s the case, how does this "Wealth" manifest? How does one cultivate it?’

’Am I supposed to create some kind of unbelievable Cultivation Technique?’

’Pay to win?’

’Or what about the other line? "That which conquers me is Authority..."’

’Does that mean I get stronger by killing officials?’

A thousand thoughts flooded his mind, but not one of them formed a clear path, leaving Chen Li feeling lost.

He sat in meditation for several days but still couldn’t grasp the meaning.

He had a theoretical direction, but no clue how to put it into practice.

"Forget it. Haste makes waste."

Chen Li sighed softly and rose to his feet.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, just after the Lantern Festival, he ended his seclusion.

His lack of progress on the path of Law was one reason, but more importantly, a mountain of tangled family affairs awaited him.

The top priority was the vast, scattered tracts of farmland legally acquired before the new year through an auction at the Commandery Magistrate’s Office.

This land was the foundation of the Chen Family’s future, the key to their security and expansion. It had to be sorted and managed effectively as soon as possible.

The 4,800 mu of land in Lingxi and the four other villages had originally been acquired piecemeal by the Liu Family, who had used various schemes to take it from the villagers during the government-mandated shift from rice to mulberry cultivation.

Years ago, when the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office held a land auction, the Chen Family and the Liu Family competed fiercely. Ultimately, the Chen Family secured the large, contiguous plots of farmland.

The Liu Family, on the other hand, ended up with the scattered plots that the peasants had sold off piece by piece.

Because the plots were so scattered and inconvenient to manage, the Liu Family didn’t take direct control. Instead, they rented the land back to the original farmers and collected an annual rent.

After the Liu Family was annihilated, the Sun Family took over these lands. They held them for only a short time and hadn’t made any changes to the arrangement.

These 4,800 mu of land were now the Chen Family’s property in name, but in practice, they were still being cultivated by the people of the five villages.

Last year, the rent was set at the standard one tael and five maces of silver per mu. However, collection was far from ideal, with many families defaulting on their payments, citing bad harvests or other excuses.

Naturally, Chen Li wanted to bring this land under the direct management of his family.

For one, the land was right on their doorstep, which would make management convenient and allow them to maximize its productivity.

For another, the profits from direct management versus simply collecting rent were worlds apart.

If managed and cultivated with care, its value would far exceed what could be earned from rent alone.

However, taking the land back from the peasants was no easy task.

Even though he held the deeds and was legally in the right, forcibly seizing the land would be tantamount to destroying these people’s livelihoods. It would undoubtedly provoke resistance. If mishandled, it could lead to violent conflict, and even cost lives.

When facing his enemies, Chen Li could be ruthless and decisive, eradicating them down to the last root without a shred of mercy.

But when it came to these poor farmers who depended on the land for their survival, he couldn’t bring himself to be so cruel as to drive them to ruin.

’This must be handled slowly, not rushed.’

Chen Li set the tone for how he would handle the matter.

For the farmers who were willing and had previously worked as day laborers for the Chen Family, they could be hired as permanent hands. This would allow the family to reclaim the land while ensuring the farmers’ livelihoods.

As for the farmers who had never worked for the Chen Family, they could be hired as day laborers first, giving them a two-to-three-year grace period.

During this time, the family would gradually take over management of the land and encourage the farmers to become permanent employees, ensuring a smooth transition.

The process would be tedious, but fortunately, the five villages had close ties to the Chen Family. Many of their own stewards and servants came from these villages.

If they acted as intermediaries to communicate and coordinate, there would be much less resistance.

The local issues in Lingxi could be dealt with gradually, but the 9,200 mu of prime farmland in Qingshui County and the 17,000 mu of land in Ping County would be far more difficult to handle.

The Chen Family knew no one in either of those places. If they rashly sent people to forcibly seize the land, they would easily come into conflict with the local powers, government clerks, and the common folk. Such disputes could quickly end up in court, causing endless trouble.

The best solution was to use locals to manage locals.

Chen Li planned to recruit reliable locals from Qingshui and Ping Counties to serve as Guests of the Chen Family. He would send one or two of them, accompanied by a few loyal servants, to purchase a residence in each county, establish a foothold, and put down roots.

Then they would need to navigate the local network of officials and gentry, using a combination of rewards and pressure to gradually bring control of the land back to the Chen Family.

Of course, a gradual approach couldn’t become an excuse for indefinite delays.

Chen Li also set a clear goal for this endeavor.

Within the year, they had to reclaim at least ten percent of the total land from both counties—roughly 2,600 mu.

The goal was set, but finding the right people was a problem.

His eldest son, Chen Shouheng, stepped forward with a suggestion. "Father, for the matter in Ping County, we might be able to rely on my master, Zhou Zhen."

"Zhou Zhen?"

Chen Li considered it for a moment and thought it was an excellent idea.

Master Zhou was a Ping County native and a member of a branch family of the local Zhou Family. Many of his disciples held positions of influence in the county.

If Shouheng and his wife were to ask, Zhou Zhen would likely agree to help. With his assistance, their efforts would be twice as effective.

Chen Li agreed at once. "Take a gift and go pay Master Zhou Zhen a visit."

That left Qingshui County.

Chen Li then turned his gaze to his second son, telling him to travel to Qingshui with Liu Ruoyi.

"Have Liu Ruoyi put out the word and see who would be willing to join our Chen Family as a Guest. From those candidates, we will select someone to take charge of our affairs in Qingshui County."

His two sons agreed and departed.

Over the next few days, Chen Li worked with his wife, Song Ying, and his daughter, Chen Shouyue, to begin preparations for this year’s spring silkworm season.

The family’s silver reserves were tight this year, so purchasing cocoons on a large scale was no longer a wise strategy.

Chen Li immediately sent a servant to find Qian Laibao.

The servant acknowledged the order and left.

The next day, Qian Laibao arrived in Lingxi.

"Sit."

Chen Li gestured for him to sit down, about to ask about the market price of raw silk and the state of the silk trade.

Qian Laibao didn’t take a seat. Instead, he spoke first. "Patriarch, did you summon me because of the earth-shattering news?"

"News?"

Chen Li was taken aback, unsure what he meant.