Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Less than a month after Li Zhirui assumed the position of Clan Leader, Li Shiqing completely let go and went into seclusion for cultivation.

Li Zhirui, after taking control, did not make any substantial moves, simply following the precedents set by Li Shiqing during his tenure.

At the same time, since Li Zhizhun was to be the true Clan Leader in the future, Li Zhirui handed over many affairs for him to handle, under the pretense of training Li Zhizhun's abilities in advance to prevent him from being overwhelmed when the time came to take over.@@novelbin@@

Furthermore, since Li Shiqing had delegated many affairs to the elders, Li Zhirui found his role as Acting Clan Leader quite relaxed, so much so that Li Shilian found it somewhat unbearable to watch.

"Zhirui, even though you're the Acting Clan Leader, that doesn't mean you should be hands-off on everything, does it?" Out of respect for Li Zhirui's current position, Li Shilian could not be too blunt.

Li Zhirui understood what Li Shilian meant and smiled, saying, "Elder Lian, just rest assured, I know what I am doing."

"Besides, isn't everything quite good as it is? The family is very stable, without a single hint of disorder."

Li Shilian looked thoughtfully at Li Zhirui, not believing that someone of Li Zhirui's intelligence and wisdom would fail to see the turbulent undercurrents beneath the calm surface of the family since he took over.

"When the time comes, I hope Elder Lian will stand with me," Li Zhirui said with a light smile.

Li Shilian was straightforward, saying directly, "As long as it benefits the development of the family, I will choose to support you."

"Then please wait patiently for a little while longer, Elder Lian."

After sending Li Shilian on his way, Li Zhirui sighed softly. He knew that if he had chosen to take on this responsibility, he could not adopt such a lackadaisical or indifferent attitude.

However, he had just taken the position, and even with the support of individuals like Li Shiqing and Li Shilian, he was hesitant to act due to insufficient understanding of the actual situation.

Moreover, if Li Zhirui, a junior, began to act against his elders immediately upon becoming Clan Leader, his image in the eyes of the clan members could plummet.

While Li Zhirui did not want to be hindered by his reputation, he also did not want to be seen in an overly negative light.

Now, after over a month of familiarization, Li Zhirui had a clear understanding of all family affairs, and the time had come for him to establish his authority as Acting Clan Leader.

Three days later, Li Zhirui convened the first family council meeting since his appointment.

Li Zhirui sat at the head and glanced at the elders before saying, "Sir Shile, please inform us about the family's financial situation."

Although the Li family had established quite a few elder positions, in reality, many were not essential, such as the elder in charge of the Spirit Wisdom Court, whose power was not significant.

The real power was held solely by a few: the Internal Affairs Elder in charge of the clan's finances, the External Affairs Elder who gathered intelligence from outside, the Law Enforcement Elder responsible for punishment and oversight, and the Great Elder who assisted the Clan Leader in managing the family.

Out of these four elders, three had a good relationship with Li Zhirui.

"The family has now opened one hundred and eighty mu of Spirit Fields, a hundred mu of which are planted with various first-grade Spirit Grains, and the remaining eighty mu are medicinal gardens."

Li Shile had these details at his fingertips and spoke without hesitation: "The produce from the Spirit Fields is not sold externally but is for family use."

"Additionally, the variety of first-order Spirit Beasts cultivated by the family currently includes one hundred and twenty-one Crimson Feather Chickens, one hundred and ten Green-headed Fish, three nests of Yellow Hornets, and fifty-three Tusked Swine... Once mature, they will all supply the Cloudtop Pavilion or be used by the family itself."

"The storeroom holds a total of forty-three thousand seven hundred and ninety-five Spirit Stones, as well as various Spiritual Objects and Spirit Materials, with a total value exceeding fifteen thousand Spirit Stones."

"The family's two major businesses in the Marketplace, the Cloudtop Pavilion's net income is approximately one thousand Spirit Stones per month, while the income from the general store, due to the variable factor of merchant caravans, is not stable, but there is a minimum of two thousand Spirit Stones each month."

"As for the family's expenditures, the biggest monthly expense is the purchase of Spiritual Medicines needed to concoct Jade Spirit Pills, followed by the monthly stipends distributed to family members."

Li Shile finally concluded, "All in all, the family has a considerable surplus in its monthly income and expenses."

Li Zhirui nodded, he had seen all these figures before, and only after the elders had collected their thoughts did he speak, "I believe that the powers of the Internal Affairs Elder are too extensive and the managed affairs too cumbersome. I plan to delegate some responsibilities to the newly established Miscellaneous Affairs Elder."

At this statement, the elders who were unaware of the inner workings were shocked, not expecting Li Zhirui's first action to impact Li Shile.

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Some glanced at Li Shile's expression, seeing that he was calm, apparently having been aware of this matter and having agreed to it.

Li Zhirui had visited Li Shile the day before yesterday to discuss this matter. At first, Li Shile was reluctant, but after Li Zhirui said something that made him reconsider, he agreed.

That statement was, "The family is now more prosperous than ever, Sir Shile. You can guarantee your own integrity and refrain from embezzling, not harming family interests, but what about future Internal Affairs Elders?"

Li Shile, having devoted his life to the family, naturally did not wish to see the emergence of pests that would harm the family's interests.

Moreover, he was aging and would retire to rest in a few years, so why not remove potential dangers for the family while he still held his position?

"Managing the family's external businesses and the distribution of monthly stipends will both be handled by the Miscellaneous Affairs Elder."

Li Zhirui continued without regard for the reactions of everyone, "The Internal Affairs Elder will continue to manage the family's storeroom and internal businesses."

"At the same time, whenever the Internal Affairs Elder transfers Spirit Beasts, Spirit Grain, Spirit Pills, etc., to the Miscellaneous Affairs Elder, it is necessary to record the quantities and seal them properly to facilitate future auditing." This was also to prevent any misappropriation.

Li Zhirui left the last sentence unspoken, since it would not benefit family unity.

"The Miscellaneous Affairs Elder, too, must do the same when handing over the income from the external businesses to the Internal Affairs Elder."

Without seeking the opinions of the elders, Li Zhirui went ahead and decided on the candidate, saying, "The newly established position of Miscellaneous Affairs Elder will be temporarily filled by Elder Li Shiqi. If there are no issues, the appointment will be made official."

"The second matter for discussion today is the family's guard team." Li Zhirui frowned slightly and said, "The family has not paid much attention to the guard team in the past, and indeed, the guard team has been somewhat redundant."

"However, as the family continues to develop and becomes more known to an increasing number of cultivators, especially in recent days, with more and more unfamiliar cultivators coming to the island, the guard team must play its rightful role!"

This was no exaggeration on Li Zhirui's part, but a fact. Since the family became famous for their Water Refining of the Jade Spirit Pill, there had been cultivators occasionally coming to the island to snoop around, and the number had increased even more once the news about the Li family being a Beast-Taming Family had spread.

After all, the Li family was only a Foundation Establishment level family, and the Clan Protection Array could not cover the entire Da Rong Island but barely protect the nearby areas around the clan grounds.

The other two Spirit Veins also required new Formation to be set up to prevent outsiders from seeing the inner workings.

The Elder in charge of the guard team was Li Shijing, who had always had little presence among the elders but never expected that Li Zhirui, after taking power, would place significance on the guard team!