The Formation and the Betrothal

"Senior, this is what I intend to do..." Still bearing traces of stiffness and excitement, Liu Changdie hurriedly recounted the explanation he had given Li Xuanfeng on Guanyun Peak. Knowing that Li Chijing was Li Tongya's younger brother of the same mother, he tempered his words somewhat, abandoning his earlier boastful air and merely mentioning that he had met Li Chijing in the Qingchi Sect. Li Xuanfeng chimed in as well, recounting what had taken place on Guanyun Peak. Li Tongya had not heard news of Li Chijing for many years; his heart surged with emotion, yet he maintained a steady expression as he listened. Only after the two finished speaking did he chuckle softly and say: "Good! Good! Good!" At his side, Li Xuanxuan was overwhelmed with excitement. Before his eyes, it was as if he could see Li Chijing standing atop a grand city wall, sword in hand, driving back enemies, and a thoroughly satisfied smile spread across his face. "Chijing is doing well in Nanjiang, so we can finally set our minds at ease!" Li Tongya listened as the two juniors finished their excited chatter, murmured a relieved remark, and then steered the conversation back to the mountain's formation. Having heard Liu Changdie's design, he nodded and said: "Please proceed as you see fit, sir. The Li family will cooperate fully. Xuanxuan, you and the master shall oversee this Sun Dial Profound Light Formation." "Yes!" Both hurriedly answered in agreement. Li Tongya chatted for a few more moments before waving his hand in farewell. With Li Tongya seen off, the atmosphere instantly relaxed, and the three began discussing the specific positions in detail. "Eight banners will be set upon Lijing Peak, aligned with the terrain at the Qian, Kan, Gen, and Zhen positions. Meichi Peak will hold four banners, taking the Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui positions. In total, eight elevated platforms must be erected and inscribed with numerous formation patterns to serve as formation cores. This will greatly lessen the burden and enhance the spiritual energy across the mountains." Liu Changdie and the others rose and left the courtyard, taking several strolls through the mountains to confirm each position. With Li Tongya's final word, the entire Li family sprang into motion, and craftsmen from the four towns were summoned to gather in Lijing Town. Over a thousand craftsmen climbed the mountain, and the villagers hauled timber and stone up alongside them. Spending several days under Liu Changdie's direction, they began casting elevated platforms at the formation cores. The dimensions and structure were strictly regulated; different formation cores even required different materials for casting, involving a great deal of intricate complexity. A mountain-guarding grand formation was unlike small formations meant to protect immortal caves, which often required only a formation disc. The construction of a mountain-guarding grand formation took considerable time, requiring five to six months from start to finish. Liu Changdie would have to stay with the Li family for more than half a year, as determining the formation positions and inscribing the formation patterns could not proceed without him. Li Xuanxuan thus arranged a small courtyard at the foot of the mountain for Liu Changdie, which made day-to-day coordination quite convenient. Liu Changdie lived up to expectations, pacing back and forth across the hills every day to supervise the work in person; it was clear he had taken the matter deeply to heart. Just as Li Xuanxuan finished organizing the craftsmen, a clan soldier came up to report that people from the Lu family had already arrived and wished to hold the wedding within the next few days. "So soon?" Li Xuanxuan frowned slightly, privately suspecting Lu Sisi's physical condition. Although Qi Refinement cultivators had a lifespan of two hundred years, throughout life they often suffered severe injuries that damaged their foundations; losing ten or so years off their lifespans was commonplace. Could it be that Lu Sisi's health was failing? "Have them come up to see me." Li Xuanxuan moved Li Xuanling's wedding onto the schedule and began issuing instructions for the wedding in the coming days. *** Mount Lijing was bustling with activity, but at the foot of the mountain, things were also humming with fiery fervor. Several thousand people belonging to the Li family's lesser branches and collaterals lived scattered around the foot of Mount Lijing. Every household hung lanterns and festoons, adorning the verdant mountain with a sea of red. The marriage alliance between the Li and Lu families was known to the Li family's upper echelons as an act of desperation on the Lu family's part, and Li Qiuyang, representative of the lesser branches, had also privately deduced the gist of it. The ordinary members of the lesser branches and collaterals, however, knew very little. They had only heard that the Lu family was a prominent clan in the east that had entrenched itself there for two to three centuries. They were all overjoyed at the union between two immortal clans and had spontaneously put up festive decorations, turning the hillsides into a brilliant blaze of red—a scene of splendid festivity! The Li family youths all gathered at the village entrance, peering curiously toward the distant carriages. Someone soon piped up: "I hear the bride is an immortal cultivator blessed with a spirit aperture!" "The Lu family is showing genuine sincerity... even marrying off a di daughter with a spirit aperture..." The Li family's lesser branches and collaterals now numbered four thousand. All regarded themselves as descendants of immortals, carrying an air of superiority wherever they went. The youths of the Ye branch were relatively modest, but the lesser-branch Li youths descended from Li Mutian's concubine-born brothers were courted and flattered everywhere across the four towns. Had Li Mutian not instituted clan rectors in his lifetime with a dedicated group of men constantly watching over these people, overbearing fops bullying the countryside and victimizing the common folk would have emerged long ago. Even so, taking petty everyday advantages was hard to avoid. The Lu family's carriages approached from afar along Guli Road. The streets had long been draped in red silk. At the corner of the street stood several clan soldiers in brocade robes, keeping their eyes on the youths so that, despite their curiosity, none dared cause a scene and could only watch with wide eyes. "I wonder what she looks like?" "Eldest Brother, the Clan Rectory people are watching! Mind yourself!" Lu Wanrong sat inside the swaying carriage. After bumping along the whole journey, an ordinary person would have long thrown up until senseless; with cultivation to rely on, she fared somewhat better. *I thought that having a spirit aperture would at least give me autonomy in this life. Who would have thought I would merely become a higher-grade bargaining chip for marriage...* The slight physical discomfort barely troubled Lu Wanrong; rather, it was the sorrow in her heart that caused her true pain. Listening in silence to the murmurs all around, she was filled with bewilderment. Arriving before the grand courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Lu Wanrong was manipulated like a marionette from dawn until nightfall. Hearing the steady, resonant voice of Li Xuanling across from her, her heart eased slightly. When they bowed, she seized a chance to steal a glance. The youth opposite her possessed resolute features and an impressive bearing. Though badgered back and forth by his relatives, his eyes held a helpless yet gentle expression, and the gold-and-red wedding robe made him look remarkably transcendental. The sorrow in her heart dissipated somewhat, and she thought to herself: *At least for the rest of my life, I'll be looking at a handsome face; that makes it much easier to bear. I heard from the servants that of the Li family's three di sons, Li Xuanxuan is solemn and fair, Li Xuanfeng is untamed and unrestrained, and Li Xuanling is steady and gentle. He should be easy to get along with.* Musing carefully, Lu Wanrong reconsidered: this Li Xuanling had reached the third layer of Embryonic Breathing before the age of twenty and was virtually guaranteed to become a seed for Qi Refinement. With his steady character and outstanding looks, among the neighboring families, what youth could compare to him other than An Jingming of the An family? Lu Sisi had staked the entire family to marry her off here; in truth, it felt almost as if she were marrying above her station. No matter how dignified a teenage girl tried to be, her thoughts were lively after all. She chuckled softly at her own notions. Moonlight outside the window fell upon her crimson sleeves. Lu Wanrong shook her sleeves, feeling a renewed ember of anticipation for her future life. As she bowed her head, she suddenly heard someone shout from the side: "Patriarch! Your child has been born!" "What?" A slightly mature, surprised voice rang out—surely that was Li Xuanxuan. Hurried footsteps followed in quick succession, immediately met with a chorus of congratulations: "A double blessing! A double blessing has arrived!" *** While this courtyard was bustling and bright with festive cheer, the other was deserted and cold. Mu Yalu's fine hair was completely soaked, strands sticking to her cheeks, and her normally shrewd eyes were filled with exhaustion. She cast a tender glance at the infant on the small bed, then turned her head and asked in a cold voice: "Has Li Xuanxuan still not arrived?" The servants below were thoroughly frightened. Kneeling, one stammered: "The Patriarch... the Patriarch went to attend Young Master Xuanling's wedding and hasn't returned yet! This lowly one has already dispatched someone to inform him!" "His own child has been born, yet he, the father, is still outside..." No sooner had the words left her mouth than hurried footsteps sounded. Li Xuanxuan pushed the door open and entered with two attendants, his voice tinged with guilt as he called out repeatedly: "Lu'er!" Mu Yalu rolled her eyes at him. Seeing him pick up the wrinkled baby, Li Xuanxuan chuckled and teased the child a couple of times, smiling as he asked: "What should we name this child?" Mu Yalu lifted her head, coiling up her damp hair, and said gently: "Patriarch, I have long thought of a name." "Tell me, then?" Li Xuanxuan lowered his head slightly, only to see a lovely smile blossom on Mu Yalu's face as she murmured softly: "Li Yuanjiao."