Liu Changdie

"We respectfully see off the immortal master!" The Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel rose from Guanyun Peak, piercing through the clouds before vanishing beyond the horizon. Li Xuanfeng rose to his feet alongside the other cultivators. Xiao Chuting offered a few perfunctory courtesies as usual, waved his hand to dismiss the crowd, and disappeared from the peak. The surroundings erupted into lively clamor at once. A circle of people swarmed forward to surround Li Xuanfeng, jostling and vying to speak with him. "Fellow Daoist! I am from the Wu clan of Commandery South..." Before that man could finish, someone on the other side cupped his hands and cut in, "May I ask if you are betrothed, Fellow Daoist? I am from the Chang clan of Commandery East..." "You!" The two instantly ground their teeth and began glaring at each other. Li Xuanfeng listened with an aching head, but Xiao Yongling, standing nearby, stepped in to intervene. He barked, "Gentlemen! This is Guanyun Peak! Please cease this at once and settle your grievances at the foot of the mountain!" Cupping his hands toward the crowd, he said with utmost courtesy, "Everyone, Brother Li and our Xiao family have pressing matters to attend to and must depart Guanyun Peak together. I must apologize, but you will have to seek another opportunity to make his acquaintance." Without lingering to talk further, Xiao Yongling swept his sleeves and took to the wind alongside Li Xuanfeng, leaving the onlookers staring at one another in dismay. The two touched down among the hills. Li Xuanfeng smiled wryly, while Xiao Yongling shook his head with a chuckle and spoke in a low voice: "Men flock to wealth and power. From now on, the Li family will never lack such people. You must get used to it early... These people greet you with smiling faces, yet if you show a cold demeanor for no reason, they will harbor a grudge. If you attend to every single one of them, who knows how much time you will waste? It is best to extract yourself swiftly." Having said this, Xiao Yongling carefully watched Li Xuanfeng's expression, gauging whether the young man was disgruntled at having his moment of glory interrupted. Seeing Li Xuanfeng lost in thought, Xiao Yongling nodded with a smile and added, "Your esteemed clan's Sword Immortal Qingsui is now known throughout the entire sect! With such a figure watching over you, your clan's future path is smooth and unimpeded!" Li Xuanfeng laughed heartily, a trace of delight lighting up his brow and eyes. He cupped his hands modestly and replied, "You flatter us! He is still far from Senior Chuting's level!" Seeing his reaction, Xiao Yongling felt confident in his assessment. As he ushered Li Xuanfeng inside, he mused inwardly: *Li Xuanfeng is straightforward and forthright by nature, disdaining pretension, yet he is far from reckless and possesses genuine tactical depth. Compared to Li Tongya, who is as unfathomable as a deep pool and exceedingly cautious in speech and deed, he is far more comfortable to deal with. With such extraordinary talent, he will surely become the head of the Li family within a decade. I must curry favor with him properly.* The thought flashed across his mind, and Xiao Yongling's expression became noticeably more spirited. Knowing what men like Li Xuanfeng appreciated, he spoke with a touch of worldly flair: "I have someone to introduce to you! This master is young, yet he is already a renowned formation master in the commandery, famed far and wide. Across the entire Lixia Commandery over the past several centuries, perhaps only Wan Huaqian could have surpassed him!" "Oh?" Li Xuanfeng nodded and looked up with anticipation. He saw a young man draped in a fox-fur cloak seated upright in the courtyard, holding a cup in one hand while reading a book. He carried an extraordinary air. Seeing the two arrive, the young man promptly rose and cupped his hands. "I am Liu Changdie. Greetings to you both." Li Xuanfeng hurriedly returned the courtesy, and Xiao Yongling said with a beaming smile, "The moment this master heard the Lijing Li family was seeking someone, he followed me here without a second thought. It is clear your Li family's reputation already thunders far and wide!" Li Xuanfeng paused, feeling something amiss. Even the various clans had only just received the news from a flying artifact as swift as the Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel, and word had not yet spread through the commandery. How could this person have known so quickly? Liu Changdie hurriedly cupped his hands and explained, "I was once invited to the Qingchi Sect by an old friend and had the fortune to meet Sword Immortal Qingsui. We conversed with great delight, and I was profoundly shaken by his celestial bearing. I even saw that Green Ruler Sword of his—a singular harmony of azure and white, breathtakingly magnificent. To this day, I cannot forget it!" With that, he looked Li Xuanfeng up and down. Seeing the boy's lightning-sharp gaze and the bold, expansive spirit between his brows, Liu Changdie praised, "Though Old Master Li lived in seclusion in the mountains without great renown, his descendants each possess such remarkable demeanor! Truly a man of divine caliber!" Li Xuanfeng laughed heartily. Seeing that Liu Changdie was Li Chijing's good friend and spoke of him in such detail, his wariness dissipated by several degrees. Still, he smiled and said, "I did not expect you to understand my Li family so well, sir." Liu Changdie paused, then nodded with gentle refinement to let the topic drop. Inwardly, however, he was utterly startled and thought: *None of these figures who rose to fame in the future are simple to deal with. Leaving aside how mature and seasoned Old Man Yushan Xiao Yongling is, this 'Golden Geng Astral String' Li Xuanfeng is only fifteen, yet he is already so bold, keen, and extraordinary!* *In my past life, when I went to Eastern Shanyue to repair a formation for Yuanjiao, Li Yuanjiao drunkenly mentioned that the past two generations of the Li clan held deep love and longing for the Li family's progenitor. I thought I could use that to close the distance, but I almost let the cat out of the bag instead!* Thoughts raced through his mind like lightning, yet aloud he chatted warmly with both men. When Liu Changdie spoke of his experiences within the Qingchi Sect, his descriptions were captivating, and because they touched upon Li Chijing, both listeners were engrossed and paid no close attention to his expression. "Whenever Sword Immortal Qingsui met an enemy, he would invariably open with a sword-drawing stance. That move was like a crescent moon, vast as a white sail or drifting like a distant star, terrifying in power. Often, a single strike would leave the opponent grievously wounded..." Liu Changdie braced himself and carried on spinning the tale. Seeing the two nod slightly, he inwardly cried out in relief: *Fortunately, Sword Immortal Qingsui traveled far into the Southern Wilderness for seventy years and never returned. Yuanjiao also told me about the might of that swordsmanship, so no matter how I fabricate it, I never have to worry about how to patch up my story. Otherwise, I would truly be at a loss!* The three conversed for a while longer until Xiao Yongling checked the time. Realizing the hour, he chuckled and said, "Our conversation was so pleasant that I lost track of time. The sun is about to set! We must not delay young friend Xuanfeng's business!" Li Xuanfeng also came to his senses and slapped his thigh, saying, "Brother Changdie! How do you think this formation should be arranged?" With that, he laid out the terrain and orientations of Mount Lijing in detail, then explained his family's requirements. After describing everything thoroughly, he asked with some apprehension, "Our requirement is that it must at least withstand attacks from late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators. Can you set up such an array, Brother Changdie? And how many spirit stones would it cost to arrange it on Mount Lijing?" Liu Changdie nodded. Adding his past life to his present one, he had over a hundred years of experience in setting up formations. While this grand array was not something he could produce with a snap of his fingers, he was thoroughly versed in it. He immediately answered: "If arranged according to my design, we should employ twelve formation flags and incorporate neighboring Meichi Mountain into the layout, unifying them as one mountain with two peaks. By applying the Sun Dial Profound Light Formation to cover both, even a peak Qi Refinement cultivator could be fended off to some degree." Liu Changdie lifted his head proudly. In his past life, he had been obsessed with the path of formations and studied it relentlessly, even delaying his own cultivation. His current mastery of formations made him virtually unrivaled along the Guli Road; even the genius formation masters of the Three Sects and Seven Gates could scarcely compete with him. Liu Changdie felt that even if Wan Huaqian were to crawl out from beneath the dirt, she might not be his match. "Incorporate both mountains! If we can do that, it would truly be marvelous!" Li Xuanfeng was overjoyed. If Meichi Mountain could be encompassed as a single peak of Mount Lijing, the security of the Meichi Mountain cave dwelling would be guaranteed. They would no longer need to consider a separate formation for it—one array serving two purposes. "However, how many spirit stones would it require?" Li Xuanfeng did not agree hastily; he still sought to clarify the exact price with Liu Changdie first. "I am a friend of Sword Immortal Qingsui, and he provided me with immense help in my cultivation, for which I am deeply grateful," Liu Changdie said, nodding with a sincere expression. "Since Brother Xuanfeng and I hit it off like old friends, I will speak plainly." "I have deduced this Sun Dial Profound Light Formation many times. Placing it across those two peaks, the cost should be around eighty to ninety spirit stones. My usual price to set it up would be upward of one hundred and twenty spirit stones."