The construction of the formation on Mount Lijing stretched on for more than half a year. Pushed forward in haste, the work was finally completed by the end of the year. Eight high platforms rose aloft, standing out conspicuously across the two peaks. Liu Changdie exhaled a long breath and went in search of Li Xuanxuan to collect the formation flags.
The formation flags for the mountain-protecting grand array were naturally prepared by the Li family themselves, and their quality would determine the formation's ultimate strength. Liu Changdie had mentioned this to Li Xuanxuan earlier, yet the man had kept them tucked away, reluctant to produce them until now.
As he neared the courtyard, Liu Changdie saw Li Xuanxuan dressed in plain leather clothing, drawing talismans on a large pearwood table in the yard. Instead of paper, he was using cloth as a backing, and he had thinned his talisman ink with water, leaving the color looking exceptionally pale. Liu Changdie felt a surge of curiosity, yet suspecting it might be another cultivator’s secret technique, he did not dare pry.
Beside the table stood a four- or five-year-old child, silently observing Li Xuanxuan’s every move with keen attention, appearing remarkably well-behaved.
"Brother Xuanxuan!"
At Liu Changdie's call, Li Xuanxuan gave a slight nod, set down his brush, and offered a warm smile. Liu Changdie could not help feeling a strange sensation in his chest.
In his previous life, Liu Changdie had never met Li Xuanxuan when visiting the Li family—in fact, he had not encountered a single person of the Xuan generation. His knowledge of Li Xuanxuan had been limited strictly to Li Yuanjiao’s remarks. Whenever Li Yuanjiao mentioned his father, he would always wave a hand and dismissively say:
"My old man... he’s boring. Not an ounce of fun in him!"
Back then, Liu Changdie had merely laughed along, not daring to agree aloud. Now, after spending a little over a year around Li Xuanxuan, he had formed his own assessment, thinking to himself:
*Though this man is stern and rarely seen smiling, he is diligent, conscientious, and expends all his heart and blood for his clan. He shows no taste for debauchery, nor has he ever indulged in wine, women, or banquets of silk and bamboo... He is truly a man worthy of respect.*
Looking at the boy beside the table, Liu Changdie smiled slightly, turned to Li Xuanxuan, and asked pleasantly, "And who is this...?"
"This is my legitimate son, named Li Yuanxiu," Li Xuanxuan replied warmly, scooping the boy up into his arms.
Liu Changdie nodded in understanding. After pondering for a moment, he found no recollection of the name in his memory. Turning back to business, he said, "I have already engraved the formation runes on all eight platforms. We can begin laying the formation."
A look of delight touched Li Xuanxuan's face. He patted the brocade pouch at his waist, and twelve small flags bearing white patterns upon black fabric flew forth. After circling in the air for a moment, they descended into Li Xuanxuan’s palm, shimmering with silver light. Before he could speak, Liu Changdie stared fixedly at the formation core in his hand and blurted out in astonishment:
"The White Feather Purple Catalpa Flags!"
Li Xuanxuan was taken aback. Though he already knew the items were precious, he had not anticipated such an intense reaction from Liu Changdie. Seeing his wide-eyed gaze, he could only reply, "Indeed they are!"
Liu Changdie hurriedly took them, turning them over in his hands and admiring them insatiably. "Back in the day, Wan Huaqian’s renown spanned the entire Lixia Commandery. Not a soul was ignorant of his White Feather Purple Catalpa Flags! Later, rumor had it that they were sold to a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Qingchi Sect. How did your noble family acquire them?"
Li Xuanxuan gave an awkward smile and answered, "The Lu family breached Mount Huaqian and seized these formation flags, after which they sold them to my family."
"So they remained on Mount Huaqian after all. That rumor must have been deliberately spread to throw people off the scent." Liu Changdie nodded in revelation, a trace of melancholy surfacing on his face. "I once gazed at Mount Huaqian from afar. For Wan Huaqian to use such a low, stunted hill, missing several corners, to lay out an array capable of withstanding the peak of Qi Refinement... his mastery of formations was far superior to ours!"
Seeing his dispirited expression, Li Xuanxuan quickly consoled him, "Once your Sun Dial Profound Light Formation is established, Sir, it will likewise be able to resist cultivators at the peak of Qi Refinement. It will not be inferior to Wan Huaqian's work."
"It is not the same!" Liu Changdie shook his head and murmured, "We had to erect eight high platforms! Did you ever see any raised platforms or array pools on Mount Huaqian? That alone proves Wan Huaqian’s peerless genius in the art of formations."
Cutting the topic short, he smiled at Li Xuanxuan. "Let us not waste any more time. We shall begin at once."
With that, he sat cross-legged and formed incantation gestures with both hands. The twelve White Feather Purple Catalpa Flags shot into the air, splitting into two flights of four and eight that streaked north and south. One by one, they settled into their respective formation eyes. The array patterns on the elevated platforms blazed to life, radiating faint wisps of golden light.
In an instant, Mount Lijing and Meichi Peak erupted in brilliant gold luminescence and began trembling faintly. The craftsmen and idle bystanders had long since been evacuated to the foot of the mountain. Streaks of flowing light rose and drifted aloft, bathing the peaks in liquid gold.
Liu Changdie sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, spending the time it took for an incense stick to burn to adjust and balance the energies. Finally, a radiant, golden grand formation materialized across the mountain, blazing with dazzling brilliance in the sunlight.
"Fortunately, I have not failed my mission!"
Liu Changdie exhaled a long breath and nodded slightly. Li Tongya had already strolled into the courtyard from outside. Both men quickly rose and cupped their hands in salute.
"Senior!"
"You have labored hard, Sir!" Li Tongya replied. He looked upon the formation with evident satisfaction, then nodded toward Li Xuanxuan.
Li Xuanxuan understood immediately. He tapped his brocade pouch, swept his sleeve across the table, and with a clattering cascade, a small mound of jade-white spirit stones tumbled forth. Li Xuanxuan said in a solemn voice, "All one hundred spirit stones are here. Please feel free to count them, Sir."
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Liu Changdie verified the count of exactly one hundred stones in an instant. Even so, he waved a magnanimous hand and said, "There is no need."
With a flick of Liu Changdie's sleeve, the spirit stones vanished from the tabletop. Smiling, he said, "Now that the Sun Dial Profound Light Formation is complete, I shall return to the commandery. In the future, should I travel past Lake Wangyue and seek a resting place here on Mount Lijing, please do not shut me outside your formation, Brother Xuanxuan."
"Not at all!" Li Xuanxuan shook his head and replied, "Should you come, Brother Changdie, I will personally welcome you!"
Liu Changdie laughed heartily, respectfully took his leave of Li Tongya, bid farewell to the Li family members, and departed toward Lixia Commandery. Li Xuanxuan escorted him all the way to the boundary of the Li family's territory before turning back home.
Li Tongya stood before the pearwood table, carefully studying the talisman runes drawn upon the cloth. Beside him, Li Yuanxiu gazed shyly at Li Tongya, staring for a long while at the sword hanging at his waist. Li Tongya looked down with a warm smile and asked gently:
"What is your name, little one?"
"Li Yuanxiu," the boy murmured softly.
Li Tongya chuckled and said, "Call me Granduncle."
"Granduncle!" Li Yuanxiu called out. Feeling a great sense of warmth and familiarity from the man before him, he wrapped his small arms around Li Tongya's leg. The anxious look caused by his father's brief absence eased considerably, a faint smile breaking across his face as his tiny hand reached out to grasp the hanging sword scabbard.
***
Li Jingtian made her way down the mountain wearing a white veiled hat. Followed by several clan soldiers, she walked along the stone-paved path until a grand, imposing courtyard appeared before her. It boasted green bricks, dark tiles, and flying eaves curling upward, with the sloped stones before the gate polished spotlessly clean.
As she stepped past the stone steps, two clan soldiers immediately came forward to meet her and asked respectfully, "May I ask who..."
One of the soldiers behind Li Jingtian stepped forward at once, barking in a low voice, "What are you good for?! You don't even recognize who this is?! You dare stop just anyone without looking?!"
Li Jingtian raised a hand to stop him and lifted the veil slightly. The two guards shuddered, quickly retreating to the side as Li Jingtian said in a quiet voice, "Take me to see your Seventh Mistress."
"Yes!"
Following the two guards through winding corridors lacquered in red, Li Jingtian arrived before a small courtyard. A woman in splendid garments was tending to the flowers and shrubs in the yard. Seeing the group escorting Li Jingtian into the grounds, she was taken aback, her expression turning somewhat uneasy.
"May I ask who you are?"
Li Jingtian took off her veiled hat. Mu Yalu froze, then hurriedly knelt in homage and said respectfully, "Young Mistress."
"No need for such ceremony." Li Jingtian smiled softly, exchanging a few pleasantries with Mu Yalu and chatting about recent events. Only then did she glance at the infant cradled in Mu Yalu's arms, saying with a smile, "Let me see Jiao'er."
Mu Yalu hesitated, forcing a smile as she passed the child over. Li Jingtian received him gently, cradling the babe with a beaming expression. She inspected the child’s eye color closely, confirming it was a deep shade of black. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Hoping to uncover the truth behind the rumors, she asked softly:
"I heard... does the former lord of the Shanyue, Jianihexi, share blood ties with your family?"
The moment the words left her lips, they struck Mu Yalu's ears like a thunderclap. A terrible misunderstanding instantly seized her mind, filling it with fearful and panicked conjectures. Seeing Li Yuanjiao still held in Li Jingtian's arms, she fell to her knees with a thud, trembling as she stammered:
"T-this is surely slander by vile men! Jianihexi was of slave descent, while my family has been shamans for generations, noble aristocracy through the ages! How could we possibly be related to him?! Young Mistress, someone must be framing us!"
Chapter 128