Calling at the Door

"We should go," Li Zhi said. "No, let's stay a little longer." Li Zhi found it strange. Everything they had come to see had been seen; he had convinced Wei Yuan and set the keynote for their future cooperation. Everything that needed doing was finished, so what was the point of lingering here? "We should head back," Li Zhi repeated. "You seem rather eager to get back?" Wei Yuan asked in return. Li Zhi said, "You don't have much mortal luck on you right now, and you aren't within Qingming, leaving you without protection. When those Immortals who called at your door back then see you out of Qingming, do you think they'll just sit on their hands? Heading back early is good for both of us." "How is it good for you?" Li Zhi sighed. "I know a bit about how those two Immortal Masters from the Academy treated you in the past. If they make another move, it will put me in an awkward spot as well. Besides, without you watching over things, I might not even be able to take the State of Ji." Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "It's rare to see you being modest." "Only on occasion." Wei Yuan said, "Since we're already here, there's no need to rush off. Look over there." Li Zhi looked in the direction Wei Yuan pointed. A hundred li away in a county seat, several young cultivators were walking in a group toward a flying boat. They were in high spirits, their faces glowing with excitement. Although separated by a hundred li, Li Zhi's cultivation had already reached late-stage Dharma Idol, and possessing various little-known divine abilities, he naturally caught the conversation among the youths. "We definitely have to attend the Third Branch's Dharma Idol Grand Ceremony this time! My family pulled countless strings just to secure a few seats so we could show our faces before that person." "Exactly! Others might not know, but how could we be kept in the dark? Word has it that person is only in their early thirties this year, not fifty-seven like they claim publicly." An honest-looking youth asked in confusion, "Since they hid the age, why didn't they keep hiding it? Why go through the trouble of holding this Dharma Idol Grand Ceremony?" "That shows how little you know. Why did the Immortal Ancestor designate the First Branch to inherit before he fell? Wasn't it precisely because the First Branch had several Dharma Idols under fifty, one of whom was bound to be an Immortal seed? Now that the Third Branch has suddenly produced a prodigy like this, they naturally want to rival the First Branch." The youth leading them whispered conspiratorially, "There's another thing you don't know! A ceremony like this gathers karmic luck best. The Third Branch also needs this ritual to build up their foundation even further..." Another, more mature youth suddenly interjected, "Is that something you should be saying out loud?!" The first youth gasped in shock. "Damn it! How did that slip out!" A hundred li away, Li Zhi turned to look at Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan merely smiled faintly. "I always manage to find out things I ought to know. So, since we're already here, we can drop by the Xu family on our way." "Is that wise?" Li Zhi hesitated. Wei Yuan laughed heartily. "What's there to fear? I've already slain a living Immortal Ancestor; why should I fear a bunch of descendants who haven't even ascended to Immortality? If you don't want to go, you can leave first." Li Zhi gritted his teeth and followed Wei Yuan after all. "I'd better come with you. With me there, at least those two Immortal Masters from the Academy won't have the face to strike." Wei Yuan nodded, taking Li Zhi along as they departed. ... The ancestral lands of Northern Qi's Xu family were located in the southeast of Qi's territory, leaning against the mountains and facing the sea along a mountain range of breathtaking scenery. At the foot of the mountains, five cities had been built in succession, each housing a lineage left behind by the founding Immortal Ancestor of the Xu family. The city where the Third Branch resided was noticeably more prosperous than the others. Right now, lanterns and streamers decorated the streets, filling every corner with festive jubilation. The mountain-backed City Lord's Immortal Manor had its central gates thrown wide open. Carriages and flying boats packed the plazas in front and to either side of the manor. From time to time, immortal lights descended upon the city, after which the cultivators proceeded on foot to the front of the manor to present their visiting cards and gifts. The family head of the Third Branch had long put word out in advance that this grand ceremony was of utmost importance; congratulatory gifts had to be lavish, and there would be ample rewards afterward. Those in the know naturally exerted every effort, while those unaware saw what others had prepared and quietly raised their own stakes. Consequently, the gift registries were filled with natural treasures, precious magical artifacts, and even ten-thousand-year spirit herbs. The Third Branch's Dharma Idol Grand Ceremony was extraordinarily grand. Gifts were received for seven days before the main ceremony itself began. Today was already the seventh day, the final day of gift-taking. Around the Immortal Manor, as many as nine gift-receiving stations had been established. The one at the main gate was the largest; if a gift was not valuable enough, the Xu clansmen would not show any courtesy. At that moment, several handsome young Xu male and female disciples were receiving gifts and checking registries one by one when two young cultivators arrived together. One of them presented a gift box of aged wood. The box was plain and unadorned; its only commendable trait was the lingering, fresh fragrance of wood. Fortunately, the one attending to them happened to be a female disciple. Seeing that the two young men before her were quite fair and clear-featured, she accepted the wooden box and casually remarked, "The box is somewhat novel..." Opening the lid, she froze on the spot. Inside lay a handful of grass leaves, their snapped stems fresh, evidently just yanked straight from the ground. Recovering from her shock, the female disciple did not raise an alarm. Instead, she lowered her voice and said urgently, "What nerve you two have! If you want to freeload food and drink, look at where you are first! Hurry and leave. There's a continuous feast set up in the southern quarter. While the dishes aren't anything special, at least the rice is spirit rice." One of the young cultivators seemed amused, curiously sizing up the young female disciple. The other young cultivator smiled and said, "We truly came to deliver a gift. This is what we prepared." The Xu female disciple finally realized something was amiss. Her face darkened as she asked, "Looking to cause trouble? Were you sent by the First Branch?" The young cultivator with the handsome smile said, "We are who we are; we have nothing to do with the First Branch. Isn't the name written right on the gift box?" Only then did the female disciple notice the name engraved on the inside of the lid, and she read it aloud: "Wei Yuan of Qingming... Wei Yuan?!" She shrieked, flinging the box into the air, and collapsed backward onto the ground, scrambling away in terror as though she had seen a monstrous beast. A dignified Dao Foundation cultivator was actually unable to even keep her feet! The four words "Wei Yuan of Qingming" struck like a thunderclap, alarming the entire Immortal Manor in an instant. The two young cultivators strode toward the Immortal Manor's main gates, shedding their disguises as they walked. A crowd rushed out from the manor, headed by an elderly Dharma Idol cultivator who blocked their path and braced himself to say, "This is the domain of Northern Qi's Xu family! You two are not welcome here. Please leave of your own accord, lest things turn unpleasant and end badly!" Wei Yuan gave a half-smile. "You're refusing to let me in?" The Dharma Idol elder forced himself to say, "After all, this is the Xu family, not the Wei Manor..." Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang erupted. His entire body flew backward, smashing straight through the screen wall and crashing heavily before the main hall! Not a single person nearby saw how Wei Yuan had struck. Around Wei Yuan, the screen wall, main gates, courtyard walls, and gatehouse—all the structures, along with the foundation of the manor's defensive formation—began to disintegrate, crumbling into grains of sand. Yet the people standing within the area were completely unharmed, not even sensing any fluctuation of Dao power. Everyone was struck dumb, staring blankly as Wei Yuan dismantled the Immortal Manor's main gates just like that. Even a high cultivator of Scenery Command rushing out from the rear hall merely stood silently to the side without saying a word. Wei Yuan surveyed his surroundings and said with a smile, "Northern Qi's Xu family is now my Wei Manor's back garden. I can stroll through it however I please! By the way, I heard this branch of yours just produced a seed for immortality. Why haven't you obediently delivered such a fine thing to me? Were you thinking of hoarding it for yourselves?" With that, Wei Yuan walked toward the manor's main hall. Several young Xu clansmen, young and impetuous, charged toward Wei Yuan. But before their feet could even take a single step forward, they abruptly collapsed to the ground, disintegrating into piles of sand. Wei Yuan strolled leisurely past countless Xu clansmen, stepping unhurriedly into the main hall. Within the formation at the center of the main hall sat a young girl, already at a critical juncture in her cultivation technique. Her dharma idol was actually a tiny flood dragon, though the rear portion of its body was only an illusory projection. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, the little white dragon let out a mournful wail. Just as it tried to flee, a colossal hand descended, blotting out the sky, and snatched it firmly in its grasp.