Li Xuanfeng settled Jiang Yunu and spent a few peaceful, ordinary days with her in town, but the appointed day to pay tribute on Guanyun Peak soon arrived. He stroked her head, retrieved a brocade pouch, and instructed her:
"I'm leaving you these hundred taels of silver to spend. Go hire a couple of reliable servants and live comfortably. I have important matters to attend to, and I will come see you again in a month at the earliest, or three at most."
"Yes," Jiang Yunu answered obediently, not daring to say anything more. Li Xuanfeng tied the sash of her robe, looked closely at her, and said:
"Wait a moment."
With that, he lifted his bow, squinted into the sky for a moment, and drew the bowstring taut without nocking an arrow. Abruptly releasing his grip, a buzzing hum from the string instantly resonated through the courtyard.
Having dry-fired an arrow just like that, Li Xuanfeng waited a few breaths, caught the wild goose falling from the sky, and placed it in Jiang Yunu's hands. He smiled and said:
"Have a taste of this goose! We have no matchmaker's betrothal between us, so we'll make do with this wild goose for now. I'll make it up to you when the chance arises."
Having displayed this miraculous skill, Li Xuanfeng slung the longbow across his back and rode the wind into the sky, leaving Jiang Yunu standing dazed in the courtyard, still clutching the corner of her robe as if lost in a dream. She squeezed the unconscious wild goose and walked slowly into the house.
Li Xuanfeng flew on a cloud for a time and landed at the foot of Guanyun Peak. There he saw Xiao Ruyu, wearing a bamboo hat and holding a broom, sweeping the stone steps. The handsome seventeen-year-old youth managed to wear his ragged clothes with an air of aristocratic grace.
"Brother Ruyu!"
Li Xuanfeng cupped his hands in greeting. Somewhat surprised, he inquired, "What are you doing here?"
"Hah."
Xiao Ruyu shook his head, looking a little embarrassed, and stammered, "Brother Xuanfeng, you wouldn't know—my Xiao family has a rather peculiar rule. Whenever it is time to pay tribute, I, the young family head, am made to sweep here at the foot of Guanyun Peak. If I encounter talented disciples from the various families, I am to ask them for a round of pointers, and the other families are always willing to grant this face and engage in a spar."
A sudden realization dawned on Li Xuanfeng. Smiling, he thought to himself: *The Xiao family certainly has clever tricks up their sleeve. This way, they get to learn the strengths and weaknesses of every clan, and the others just have to pinch their noses and endure it. After all, could anyone dare skip paying tribute at Guanyun Peak? The Xiao family is dominant, so once they arrive, who could possibly refuse?*
Glancing at Xiao Ruyu, Li Xuanfeng smiled and asked, "Does Brother Ruyu wish to test my mettle as well?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare—merely a friendly spar," Xiao Ruyu quickly shook his head, then hesitated. "It's just... Brother Li uses archery. Engaging in close combat like this feels like taking unfair advantage of you. How about I retreat a li away before we cross moves?"
"No need!"
Li Xuanfeng laughed heartily. Since advancing to Qi Refinement, he had not yet fought with all his might, and his hands had been itching for action. Holding his man-tall longbow horizontally, he gripped the bow and drew the string. Without needing to nock an arrow, a sharp blast of golden astral qi erupted from the string, pointing straight at Xiao Ruyu.
Xiao Ruyu lifted the broom slightly, pale-white protective true essence swirling around him. Even so, his glabella throbbed with a dull ache, and a sense of peril hovered over his heart. Alarmed, he realized he had underestimated Li Xuanfeng, thinking: *Not good! His mastery of the bow is far beyond ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators! This path is known for staying silent until it strikes with a thunderous blow. I shouldn't have waited for him to draw his bow—I should have closed the distance immediately! I was too conceited!*
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he had already taken several strides forward. Li Xuanfeng released the bowstring, sending the golden astral qi surging forward, and stepped back two paces as another bolt of astral qi coalesced.
Xiao Ruyu wrapped true essence around the broom, not daring to let his attention slip for even a moment. Knowing that taking this astral qi on his body would leave a gaping hole, he shattered the incoming golden astral qi head-on, then spun and smashed the next few blasts of astral qi that arrived in rapid succession. Just as he was drawing closer to Li Xuanfeng, he felt as if a biting northern gale was blowing into his face, and his movements grew increasingly sluggish.
*What is going on?*
Xiao Ruyu was thoroughly shocked. Extending his spiritual sense around himself, he discovered that the shattered astral qi had transformed into several golden currents of air that clung like maggots on rotting bone, flowing over his protective true essence and constantly gnawing away at it.
Xiao Ruyu had cultivated his family's movement technique and was originally much faster than Li Xuanfeng, yet his pace slowed step by step. Seeing Li Xuanfeng use the bow's recoil to quickly widen the distance, Xiao Ruyu had no choice but to form hand seals and cast several spells to disrupt Li Xuanfeng.
To his surprise, Li Xuanfeng swept his pitch-black longbow, shattering the spells, and halted, waving his hand:
"Brother Xiao's cultivation is profound! No more fighting, no more fighting!"
Xiao Ruyu took a deep look at him, dispersed the true essence around his body, and cupped his hands with a smile:
"Brother Xuanfeng, please head on up."
Li Xuanfeng nodded in farewell, pondering inwardly: *If this were a fight to the death, if I were more than five li away, he would surely die. At a distance of one li, the outcome would be unpredictable. But if we met head-on at close quarters, I'm afraid I wouldn't be a match for him.*
Although Li Xuanfeng had held the upper hand just now, drawing the bow in rapid succession had already drained his qi and spirit. Continuing the fight would likely put him at a disadvantage, which was why he had quickly called it off.
Watching Li Xuanfeng ascend the mountain, Xiao Ruyu was secretly astonished, knowing that Li Xuanfeng was not someone to be trifled with. As he was still deducing the encounter in his mind, another young man walked up from below. Xiao Ruyu asked, "Who might you be?"
"Lu Yuanlu of the Lu family! What kind of thing are you, daring to block this young master's way?!"
Xiao Ruyu stared blankly at the arrogant man before him, his expression turning rather peculiar.
* * *
Reaching the mountain summit, Li Xuanfeng saw a small courtyard. Not recognizing a single person among the crowd, he could only sit in a corner and watch. When he saw a bruised and swollen man walk up, his curiosity was piqued, and he wondered: *What kind of grudge does this fellow have with Xiao Ruyu to get beaten into such a state?*
After waiting a while, the Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel crossed the sea of clouds and slowly descended onto the summit. A middle-aged man draped in a Daoist robe stepped down. His cultivation was also at the peak of Qi Refinement, and he wore a jade crown on his head, carrying himself with an impressive bearing.
The middle-aged man first bowed respectfully to Xiao Chuting, then closed his eyes to rest his spirit. Below him, the immortal sect's handymen began calling out names one by one. Li Xuanfeng waited for a while, and when the Lijing Li family was called, he stepped forward to hand over their tribute. Seeing this, the jade-crowned middle-aged man's ears twitched and he opened his eyes, politely nodding toward him as he spoke:
"I have long heard of the Lijing Li family's great reputation. Indeed, a lofty name does not belong to a hollow talent—a fifteen-year-old Qi Refinement cultivator is uncommon even within our sect!"
Li Xuanfeng paused slightly, unaware of when his clan's reputation had spread within the sect. He could only cup his hands and say, "Senior flatters me. Junior is merely fortunate. Yet how could a tiny family like ours in the borderlands manage to reach Senior's ears?"
The middle-aged man shook his head, bluntly interrupting the roll-calling process to chat with him. He smiled and said, "Senior Li Chijing, your noble clan's Qingsui Sword Immortal, recently broke through to Foundation Establishment atop Yishan City, defeating Fire Phoenix Sword Chi Jiuyun with a single blast of Moon Crescent sword intent! His sword Dao cultivation reigned supreme above all the peaks! Once the news reached back, who in the entire sect wouldn't know the great name of the Lijing Li family?!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the entire assembly was astonished. Li Xuanfeng's expression lit up with joy. He was young, and by the time he was born, Li Chijing had long since returned to the sect. Though he had no memory of what this youngest uncle looked like, he was still overjoyed and felt honored to share in the glory, thanking the man repeatedly.
Nearby, Xiao Chuting opened his eyes slightly. Better than anyone below, he understood the sheer weight of being a Sword Immortal. He thought inwardly: *Qingsui Sword Immortal... So Li Chijing truly comprehended sword intent. What a peerless prodigy. I had long heard from Yuansi that this man had exceptional talent, but to think it was so profound!*
A moment later, however, he sighed softly, musing: *Yet what a pity that he fell into the hands of the Qingchi Demonic Sect. Having cultivated such a wondrous Dao foundation, how could he possibly meet a good end? Sooner or later, he is merely destined to become nourishment for that old demon. What a pity...*
The middle-aged man grew more excited the more he spoke, saying repeatedly, "I am also a swordsman, and I hoped to travel to Nanjiang to behold his immortal countenance and seek some guidance, only to learn that Senior was dispatched deep into Nanjiang to gather medicine for the sect and would not return for several decades. I could only return in disappointment!"
Sighing with deep regret, the middle-aged man looked at Li Xuanfeng with great warmth and said eagerly, "Before leaving the sect, I specifically checked the register and found that the Li family was still listed as an Embryonic Breathing minor clan! It just shows how slipshod those people are with their duties! Since you also possess Qi Refinement cultivation, why don't I make the change right here?"
Li Xuanfeng assented repeatedly. The middle-aged man took out brush and ink, actually taking on the duties of a handyman, and crossed out the entry on the jade register, revising it to a major clan. Then he remarked regretfully:
"If not for the sect's rule that only a clan whose non-sect disciple reaches Foundation Establishment can be ranked as an aristocratic family, rectifying it all in one breath would have been the most convenient!"
Li Xuanfeng accepted the new spiritual seeds and the stipend requirements. After chatting a few more words with the middle-aged man, he promptly stepped back. Only then did the abruptly interrupted roll-calling ceremony resume. Standing proudly at the very front, he basked in the admiring and astonished gazes directed at him from all around. In his heart, the image of his youngest uncle rose to immeasurable heights, as if he could already see a dashing, elegant Sword Immortal.
*Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I will definitely have a proper duel with my fourth uncle—to see whether my bowstring is faster, or his sword!*
Chapter 123