After departing Mount Lijing, the three from the Yu family flew across Lake Wangyue. Yu Mugao rode the wind with a sullen expression, while the two behind him kept their heads down, not daring to speak. Only when they were halfway through their journey did the tall, thin man break the silence with a wry smile.
"Eldest Brother, the Li family made it plain that they don't even want to touch this matter. They clearly have no faith in us!"
"Hmph."
Yu Mugao snorted coldly and replied, "That Li Tongya is cautious enough. He has made up his mind to stay out of it, and we can do nothing to force his hand. So be it. We will simply proceed as planned, treating the Li family as if they did not exist among the clans of Lake Wangyue."
"It is just..." The tall, thin man shook his head, looking hesitant as he lowered his voice. "It is just that the Li family appears vibrant all around, thriving anew each day. Neither Li Xuanfeng nor Li Tongya is a fool, so there is no telling what they might become in the future. If that Li Chijing truly succeeds, I fear bowing our heads as vassals will become a distant dream, and Lake Wangyue will belong entirely to the Li family."
"Those are my concerns as well." Yu Mugao looked grim. After pondering for several breaths, his expression relaxed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Yet on second thought, breaking through from Foundation Establishment to the Purple Palace is fraught with difficulty; it is by no means easily accomplished. The mortality rate in Nanjiang is exceptionally high, and Li Chijing might not even survive to the end.
"Second, Li Chijing has only just established his foundation. There will be at least a century to prepare during this time. Whether we cling to the thighs of Mount Qingchi or ally with the other families in the commandery, we still have time."
The tall, thin man nodded repeatedly. Then Yu Mugao's tone shifted, and he said, "We cannot touch Li Chijing, but the Li family here lies right under our noses. It would be best to find a chance to quietly kill Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng, or secretly bring some calamity upon them to trip them up and sever the Li family's line of succession. If done covertly, they will never be able to trace it back to us. Once that is done, we can rest easier."
"Eldest Brother is right. But we still need to consult the clan head upon our return and let him make the decision."
Talking as they went, the three rode the wind straight north.
***
Leaving aside whatever plots Yu Mugao and his companions were scheming, Li Tongya was currently leading Li Xuanfeng through Mount Dali. Following the information given by the fox, they traveled several hundred li east from the foot of Mount Dali and found a pitch-black cave. The ground before it was strewn with white bones, and a howling, foul wind blew outward continuously.
Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng landed before the cave, whereupon the earth-shaking snores abruptly ceased. Sweeping his spiritual sense over the area, Li Tongya smiled.
"What a fine bear."
Nodding at Li Xuanfeng, Li Tongya watched as Xuanfeng took to the air, found a vantage point on the opposite hilltop, and took his stance. Only then did Li Tongya flick his drawn sword, sending several gusts of sword qi whistling into the cave.
"Roar!"
Li Tongya leaped back as a colossal beast over a zhang tall charged out of the cave, completely blocking what little sunlight filtered through the canopy. Shrouded in imposing black fur, it glared with bloodshot eyes, bounded forward with rumbling strides, and swiped a paw down toward Li Tongya.
The bear possessed a cultivation of the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, and its massive paws were the size of two men's chests. Before it, Li Tongya's longsword looked as frail as a glowing toothpick. Naturally unwilling to meet it head-on, he retreated swiftly.
Boom!
Barely had Li Tongya stepped back several paces when a paw slammed into the ground where he had just stood, sinking it several inches. The bear's second swipe came hurtling forward like a gale; had this blow landed, he would have been severely injured if not killed outright.
Li Tongya flicked out several blooms of sword qi, effortlessly slipping away as he mused inwardly, "No wonder that fox warned me to be exceedingly careful. This beast is so massive and exceptionally ferocious; capturing it alive will not be easy and might even result in injury. Better not to hold back and simply slay it, then capture a smaller, lighter Qi Refinement beast afterward."
Even as this thought crossed his mind, he had already parried and retreated a dozen steps, unleashing more than a dozen streaks of sword qi, all of which were shattered by the bear's iron-like paws. The beast possessed immense strength, yet unlike a wild boar, it was not clumsy in the slightest. Knowing the sharpness of Li Tongya's sword qi, it either dispersed the blades of light with magic-infused paws or preferred to take two steps back rather than suffer injury.
Li Tongya did not employ any sword arts either, merely expending the bear's stamina with sword qi. Their clash thundered with deafening crashes, felling trees across the clearing and sending birds into frantic circles in the sky, afraid to return to their nests.
On the opposite hilltop, Li Xuanfeng had already drawn his bowstring taut. A gleaming golden light emanated from the pitch-black longbow. A specially crafted arrow, polished from Qingwu stone, was nocked to the string. Squinting as he observed, the aura about him gathered continuously, growing increasingly majestic.
Suddenly on alert, the bear felt its limbs go numb under the prickling, razor-sharp arrow qi. Rearing onto its hind legs, it parried Li Tongya's attacks while casting suspicious glances around. Just as it turned its head, a streak of golden light drifted in from afar, sinking all the way to the fletching into its chest!
"Roar! Howl!"
Wailing in agony toward the heavens, the bear exposed an opening. Below, Li Tongya seized the opportunity, soaring up with his drawn sword as a Lunar Crescent Sword Arc slashed toward the beast's neck.
Yet the bear reacted with astonishing speed, raising its paw to shield itself. Li Tongya's sword strike had been launched on the spur of the moment without much accumulation, unable to exert its full power, leaving only a deep, bloody gouge across the great paw.
With a swat of its paw, the bear forced Li Tongya back. The lingering irritability of being awakened was completely washed away by the sharp pain, replaced by overwhelming terror. It turned to flee, trampling the surrounding trees, but Li Xuanfeng's second arrow arrived, piercing into its body from behind.
With a tremendous crash, the bear fell to its knees. Pausing for only a breath, it dropped onto all fours and scrambled forward, yet Li Tongya's sword qi clung to it like maggots on bone, slicing a bloody slab of meat from its thigh.
The bear howled in torment, finally realizing that running meant death. It wheeled around savagely to strike at Li Tongya, but its movements were hindered by astral qi, growing ever slower, and Li Tongya dodged with effortless grace. Li Xuanfeng's arrows struck again and again. After man and beast tangled for a short while, the bear's internal organs were mangled into a ruined mess by astral qi, and it collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Li Tongya backed far away, waiting for the bear's life force to drain completely. After waiting roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, Li Xuanfeng emerged from the nearby woods. He did not approach either, instead watching the bear warily before saying in a grave voice, "Take great care. Beasts often feign death, so do not draw near rashly!"
"I know."
Li Tongya nodded and looked at the bow in his hand, praising, "Your archery is truly sharp. Did you employ the spirit aperture in your palm?"
"Indeed!"
Li Xuanfeng cupped his hands. Scratching his head with an apologetic expression, he said in a low voice, "Seeing how exceptionally ferocious the beast was, this nephew feared that holding back might allow it to harm you, Uncle. Therefore, I put full strength into every arrow, seeking only to slay it quickly. Now that it clearly will not survive, we have no live sacrificial offering, and I am truly ashamed."
It was only before Li Tongya that Li Xuanfeng showed such mild obedience. Feeling uneasy, he watched as his elder smiled and said gently, "No harm done. We can simply replace it with another beast in a few days. You and I thought the exact same thing."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the bear suddenly sat upright, red-eyed as it swiped a paw toward them. Yet the two dodged it with airy ease. The bear collapsed heavily back to the ground, blood pouring out like a stream. It appeared to have drawn its last breath, stirring no more.
The sword qi gathered in Li Tongya's hand had long reached its peak. Unleashing a white beam of light, he severed the monster's head. Only then did the two step forward, quickly staunching the spurting wounds on the bear beast, busily casting the Spirit Sealing Technique into it, and carefully butchering the corpse to store it into their storage bags. They even buried every trace of blood on the ground clean before riding the wind toward the east.
"Feng'er, your archery is so formidable. Could you organize your insights and compile them into a manual, so that the younger generations of our clan may learn it and have a craft to protect themselves?"
After flying through the air for a while, Li Tongya asked with a smile, then continued, "Although our family possesses a fair number of arts, they are mostly common, run-of-the-mill techniques. Overcoming foes and seizing victory with such arts is truly difficult. The only one that truly stands out is the Mystic Water Sword Art, which is considered passable among the various families. However, not everyone possesses the talent for the sword. If we could add another legacy to the clan, it would naturally be for the best."
Chapter 133