Keeping the Appointment

"Compiling it into a manual will certainly be no problem." Li Xuanfeng nodded and pondered for a few moments before answering, "However, mastering this archery method is truly no easy feat for an ordinary person. If one has no spirit aperture in the hands, I fear years of diligent practice would still hardly yield success. Even if they managed it, its power would be greatly diminished, and they would be unable to produce that astral qi. "The greatest strength of my archery method lies in this astral qi. If the arrows fired lack it, I am afraid not even one-tenth of its power remains, which would leave anyone deeply disappointed." "Is that so..." Li Tongya knitted his brows slightly and shook his head in resignation. "In that case, write it down whenever you have the leisure. At the very least, it will leave a foundation for our family." "Yes!" The two touched down on Lijing Peak. Looking at the hour, there was still more than a day before the appointed time with the Yu family. Li Tongya set the butchered portions of the bear demon from his storage bag onto the ground and instructed: "Take these goods to the county seat to sell. Inquire about the children of our clan stationed there, and then report back to me." "Yes!" Li Xuanfeng's face lit up with delight. Taking the storage bag from Li Tongya's hand, he bowed and took his leave, riding the wind eastward in high spirits. He left Li Tongya standing there for a moment, stifling a chuckle, before Li Tongya gave a soft snort and smiled. "That boy." Watching Li Xuanfeng's silhouette vanish into the horizon, Li Tongya pondered in silence for a few breaths and murmured: "Yet Jing'er has no heir. I will have to see which of the younger generation bears a child with a spirit aperture, to be adopted under Jing'er as his successor so that his line will not end..." *** Li Xuanfeng flew along Guli Road for a time. Benefiting from his previous experience, he crossed directly over the town walls and landed within the county seat. Though his heart was itching like a cat's paws to see his little woman, he still prioritized family business and stepped into the medicine shop under the Li family's name. A young man was sound asleep in the shop, sprawled over the counter, head bobbing and drool dripping from his mouth. Li Xuanfeng studied him for a moment; it was likely a son of his clan uncle Li Yesheng, sent here by Li Xuanxuan to watch the shop. He snorted, jolting him awake. Only then did the youth lift his head with bleary eyes, rub them, and gasp in astonishment: "Brother Feng! Y-You... why are you..." Though Li Xuanfeng was young, back in the day he had been quite the little tyrant among the clan children, chasing the older boys with his bow until they ran for their lives. The youth naturally recognized him, and despite being older, he still addressed him respectfully as "Brother Feng." Li Xuanfeng waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Call Wan Tianchou out!" The youth hurriedly retreated into the inner courtyard and summoned Wan Tianchou. Dressed in gray robes, Wan Tianchou came bustling out. His face had grown considerably broader and plumper, though one could still discern his childhood features, and his cultivation had reached the third layer of Embryonic Breathing. He bowed respectfully and said: "What orders does the young master have?" Ever since Li Tongya annihilated the Ji family and flung Ji Dengqi's head before him, Wan Tianchou had wept and laughed like a madman, losing all further ambition in life. He had taken a wife, married into the Li family, and his cultivation had shown little progress since. His wife at home was terribly fierce. With his domestic authority utterly lost, Wan Tianchou had eagerly taken up this mission in the county seat just to escape the shrew. He was thoroughly enjoying himself here, never expecting to run straight into Li Xuanfeng. *Thank goodness I didn't step out today. If I had missed this master, my standing in the clan would have dropped a few points, and if word got back home, that woman would scold me to death.* As his mind raced, Wan Tianchou suddenly heard Li Xuanfeng ask: "When will the Guanyun Peak market next open?" Li Xuanfeng was fairly courteous with Wan Tianchou, posing the question in a mild tone. Wan Tianchou hurriedly replied: "Reporting to Young Master, in one month's time!" "I see." Li Xuanfeng nodded, cast a glance at Wan Tianchou, and asked softly, "Are the family's businesses in the county seat proceeding smoothly? Has anyone caused trouble for you?" "Not at all, not at all! Once the local powers heard it was the Li family, they all backed off. With the Xiao family lending support as well, everything has gone smoothly!" After listening to Wan Tianchou recount the notable events of recent days, Li Xuanfeng nodded and drifted away before their eyes. Leaving the medicine shop, Li Xuanfeng walked briskly to the small courtyard. With a smile, he knocked on the door, and soon Jiang Yunu's voice came from within, light and gentle: "Who is it?" "It is me," Li Xuanfeng answered. Hurried footfalls came dashing forward, and the gate creaked open. A girl with a round, pretty face stood before the doorway. Beside her feet stood a wild goose, puffing out its chest and tilting its head, glaring up at his face with wide eyes. "Young Master!" "This is..." Li Xuanfeng caught the leaping maiden in his arms, yet his gaze remained fixed on the goose. He let out a goofy laugh, leaned down to kiss her lips, and chuckled, "Why haven't you eaten it?" "It is too lonely being by myself. This goose broke its wing, so it just flutters about all day without being able to take flight. When I was young, my family raised geese, so I decided to keep it like one." The maiden smiled and answered softly. Li Xuanfeng carried her to the couch, undoing her clothes as he continued, "Didn't I tell you to buy a few servants?" "I went to take a look! They were terribly expensive. Besides, I am used to washing clothes and cooking. I was never meant to be a pampered lady—what need do I have for servants?" Jiang Yunu's breath quickened as she responded dotingly. Li Xuanfeng kicked aside the wild goose, which was fluttering its wings with a ferocious look and trying to peck him. With a casual flick of magic power, he pinned the creature to the floor and laughed: "The beast holds quite a grudge." After savoring Jiang Yunu's body to his heart's content, Li Xuanfeng wiped the sweat from her brow and asked with a tender smile: "How have your days been lately?" "Very good." Jiang Yunu pinned up her hair, beads of sweat rolling down her fair neck. Wrapping her arms around Li Xuanfeng's neck, she sat cross-legged atop him, her almond eyes staring intently at his face. Then she heard him say: "I came to the county seat on family business. Once it is concluded, I will be entering secluded cultivation. Having lingered at the first layer of Qi Refinement for two years, it is time for me to break through." "How long will it take?" Jiang Yunu asked, her voice tinged with dejection. Li Xuanfeng comforted her, saying, "A few months if short, a year if long." Jiang Yunu pursed her lips and stroked his features, which had not aged a bit over the past year. Serving him with even greater devotion, she said forlornly: "You are an immortal cultivator. A single seclusion takes years. After a few more years, I will grow old, yet you will still look like a youth. It is truly unfair. Twelve years from now, when I turn twenty-eight, you will probably give me a sum of money and send me away to live out the rest of my days..." "What nonsense are you thinking!" Li Xuanfeng lifted her up, gazing at her fair, petite figure, and murmured, "In a few years, we will have a child. Only then will I take you home, so that no one will look down on you." *** Li Tongya circulated the River Unity Qi Formula, exhaled a wisp of light white qi, and concluded his cultivation. The morning sun had just risen into the sky. Calculating the time, he strapped the Qingfeng sword to his back and stepped outside, running straight into Li Xuanxuan. "Second Uncle!" Li Xuanxuan had grown a beard, giving him a far more mature appearance. Having managed the clan's affairs for nearly a decade, he kept both the main and lesser branches in immaculate order. He cupped his hands to greet Li Tongya, who nodded and said: "I am heading out to the lake. Watch over things carefully, and do not open the Sun Dial Profound Light Formation for anyone other than our own kin." "Your nephew understands." Having given his instructions, Li Tongya rode the wind northward, skimming across the crystalline lake waters until he came to a stop above Lake Central Islet. The islet was bustling with activity. A large brown vessel floated quietly upon the lake surface, trailed by over a dozen smaller skiffs packed with mortals. All of them were bound with ropes, disheveled and dazed, staring blankly at the sky without daring to utter a single sound. "Twenty-first!" someone shouted from the large vessel. A dozen Embryonic Breathing cultivators appeared at the stern, pressing their hands forward to channel their magic power. One of the trailing skiffs immediately lifted gently into the air. The people aboard burst into wails and screams; the weeping of women and cries of children mingled into a deafening clamor, alongside endless curses and furious shouts. Yet those cultivators had long grown accustomed to it. With cold faces, they watched the small boat drift over Lake Central Islet. As the hull tilted, the mortals tumbled down one after another, stirring ripples across the flickering warding array below. Thunder and flames erupted with violent roars, detonating burst after burst of arcane radiance. The crowd's screams vanished in an instant. Blood and severed limbs flew high into the air, raining down all around and dyeing the surrounding lake water a crimson red. Crocodiles, crabs, and aquatic beasts surged forward, madly fighting over the flesh and blood beneath the surface. *So this is the 'cost-free venture' Lu Sisi spoke of!*