Milin Commandery

Blood flowed across the prohibitive grand array for a time. On the scorched earth of Lake Central Islet beneath the array's shroud, the glow of spells faded, revealing a cowering middle-aged man lying with his head clutched in his hands, trembling with closed eyes. A massive bloody gash had been torn across his waist, dripping steadily with crimson. After a long while, he opened his eyes, stared blankly at his surroundings, and looked up in disbelief. Grinning in wild ecstasy, the man roughly tended to his wound and rummaged through the ruins for a bit. Yet his face grew paler from blood loss, so he wrapped some talismans and magical artifacts in clothing and emerged. The cultivator by the shore muttered as he took the bundle, cursing: "Damn it, these clodhoppers get craftier by the day. If not for the fear that those behind wouldn't cooperate after entering the array, why would we bother giving out gold..." With that, he tossed down a bag of gold, hauled the man onto an empty boat holding two or three people, and shouted loudly: "Number twenty-one. Haul him away." The small boat carried two or three lucky survivors missing hands and feet into the distance. On several small boats trailing behind the large vessel, people craned their necks, waiting for orders from the main ship. Li Tongya watched this spectacle of human struggle on Lake Central Islet. After waiting a little longer, an emaciated old man came flying from the east riding the wind, holding a jade ruyi scepter—it was none other than Lu Sisi. "Brother Tongya!" Lu Sisi cupped his hands and stood alongside Li Tongya in midair, asking in bewilderment: "The Yu family invited us to gather on this Lake Central Islet, yet I see no sign of anyone from their family. Watching from a distance for a while, I only saw the heads of several minor clans waiting together in the sky. What is the meaning of this?" Li Tongya chuckled softly, glanced left and right, pointed toward the large ship in the distance, and smiled: "Nothing more than slaughtering the chicken to warn the monkeys." Lu Sisi stared at the large ship, put on a look of sudden realization, and laughed with schadenfreude: "This old man understands! We too found this pack of rogue cultivators quite an eyesore, but there are several Qi Refinement cultivators aboard that ship. None of the clans wanted trouble, which was how they were allowed to run wild for so long." As the two chatted, the distant vessel suddenly hoisted its sails and went on high alert. Shouts erupted above. Several figures standing upon empty air emerged beside the vessel, surrounding it from all four directions. Directly above stood a middle-aged man in black robes with his hands behind his back, radiating an imposing aura. "Nine Qi Refinement cultivators. The Yu family's foundation is truly deep." Lu Sisi counted them and looked up at the black-robed man, sounding somewhat dispirited as he said: "That man should be the current head of the Yu family, Yu Xiaogui. He is a Foundation Establishment cultivator now. He and I reached Qi Refinement in the very same year. I had dealings with him back in those days—he is sinister and ruthless, not someone easy to deal with." "Oh?" Li Tongya flew with him for a stretch, drawing closer to the large ship. Lu Sisi rambled on: "Yu Xiaogui was the leader of the 'Yu Family Five Talents' back then. Later, two of the five perished along the way, while the remaining three all reached peak Qi Refinement. They went into secluded cultivation for a breakthrough, but only he survived." Yu Xiaogui and his companions stood in the air for a breath. On the ship below, everyone felt their lives hanging in the balance, flustered and disoriented. An elderly rogue cultivator flew up with an unsightly expression, cupping his hands toward Yu Xiaogui. He slapped himself twice across the face with loud smacks, looking thoroughly obsequious as he said repeatedly: "Ah! Junior pays his respects to Clan Head Yu! We were foolish and ignorant of the lake's rules, disturbing everyone by sailing on these waters. Junior expresses his deepest apologies and is willing to compensate for all losses! Clan Head Yu..." This old man was also at peak Qi Refinement. The true essence in his body was relatively clear; he likely had not ingested impure qi, but neither was his cultivation particularly refined. He was far older than Yu Xiaogui, yet he flatteringly addressed him as Senior. Yu Xiaogui wore an amiable expression. He took a step forward, his sleeve slipping down to reveal a jade-smooth arm. With a mere casual flick of his hand across several zhang, the old man's head exploded like a watermelon. Without even having time to groan, he fell straight down, crashing onto the deck and raising a wave of terrified screams. The Yu family's Qi Refinement cultivators swarmed forward at once. The formations inscribed on the ship blazed with light. Fighting broke out everywhere. The lake waters churned and surged, spell shockwaves bursting across the water's surface from time to time. The lucky survivors from earlier had not traveled far before their boat capsized in the surging waves; several crippled men sank into the water without a sound, their lives extinguished. "Just as always! Just as always! That is Yu Xiaogui's style, through and through." Lu Sisi shook his head with deep emotion. Seeing Yu Xiaogui standing with his hands behind his back, looking merely like a middle-aged man while he himself was already full of white hair with little time left, he fell silent. Li Tongya stroked his chin, watching the group. Seeing that when they appeared they were merely several zhang from the cabin—well within the spiritual sense range of those cultivators—he thought to himself: *The Yu family likely possesses some artifact that conceals their presence, with a fairly wide range. It hid them until they drew close to the ship before revealing them, avoiding spooking these rogue cultivators into fleeing.* Amid their conversation, the ship had become a bloodbath. The small boats trailing behind had all overturned. Hundreds of mortals clung to the ship's hull, while even more tried swimming toward Lake Central Islet. Yet, knowing nothing of formations and unable to tell where to land, the scene grew ever more gruesome and unbearable to watch. Before long, the rogue cultivators' large ship overturned with a deafening rumble. From behind Yu Xiaogui and the others, an even larger and more luxurious vessel slowly sailed forward. The Yu family cultivators, still spattered with blood, landed on its deck. Only then did Yu Xiaogui look up with a smile, channeling his magic power as his voice echoed across the lake: "Fellow clan heads, please come aboard the vessel for a talk!" A full dozen-plus breaths passed before figures began landing on the ship from far and near. Judging by their demeanor, they were Yu family retainers, conversing with cheerful smiles. Lu Sisi and Li Tongya landed on the ship. Sweeping with their spiritual sense, everything on board became clear. Two rows of stone tables were already set out on the deck. Yu Xiaogui sat at the head, holding a wine cup and drinking. Young Master Yu Mugao hurried forward to greet them, cupping his hands toward Li Tongya while completely ignoring Lu Sisi beside him, smiling: "Senior Tongya arrived early, yet we have kept you waiting!" "Not at all, not at all. It has allowed Tongya to truly appreciate the magnificent bearing of your noble clan's head!" Li Tongya replied politely. Seated at the high seat, Yu Xiaogui immediately looked up, set down his wine cup, and narrowed his eyes at Li Tongya, his thoughts unreadable. After a few pleasantries, the various clans all arrived. Only two families on the lake possessed Foundation Establishment cultivators: the Yu family on the eastern shore, and the Fei family on the northern shore. The Li family's seat was arranged beside Yu Xiaogui, directly across from the Fei family, making it quite prominent. Li Tongya furrowed his brow, but seeing Yu Xiaogui watching him, he had no choice but to take his seat. Opposite him, the Fei family head was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Dressed in brocade robes, he looked dashing and unrestrained, appearing much younger than Yu Xiaogui. He offered a faint smile to Li Tongya. Li Tongya merely met his gaze; seeing the hopeful look in the man's eyes, he nodded slightly. Both men now had a clear sense of where the other stood. Seeing that everyone below had gathered, Yu Xiaogui nodded, stood up with a smile, and said loudly: "You have all arrived in good time, granting my Yu family ample face. Xiaogui offers his thanks to you all." The various families below hastily rose, protesting that they dared not accept such thanks. Yu Xiaogui waved his hand, cutting off their words, and continued on his own: "Ever since the Immortal Mansion withdrew from the world, Lake Wangyue has been divided between the Qingchi Sect and the Tangjin Sect. The two factions have clashed incessantly, and not a single day of peace has graced this lake. Clans large and small have risen and fallen for more than three hundred years now. Everyone must have had enough of these chaotic, turbulent days." Seated below, Lu Sisi was taken aback and cursed internally: *Every family was living just fine! Who wants your Yu family hovering over their heads? Fine words, indeed...* Yet on the surface, he answered with utmost deference: "Clan Head Yu speaks the truth!" "Indeed." Yu Xiaogui nodded, glanced at Li Tongya, who remained silent at his side, and turned to look at the brocade-robed middle-aged man, who was staring intently into his wine cup as though trying to spot flowers blooming within it. Yu Xiaogui smiled and said: "Fortunately, the Tangjin Sect has retreated, and the Qingchi Sect has advanced northward. The entire Lake Wangyue finally falls under a unified domain. These days of disorder have come to an end. "My son was accepted into Yuanwu Peak, and he petitioned the peak master of Yuanwu Peak to report to the main peak, designating the entire Lake Wangyue as a single jurisdiction detached from Lixia Commandery. Our Yu family's twelve towns shall be established as a commandery named Milin Commandery. From now on, fellow Daoists need not travel all the way to Lixia Commandery to pay your tribute—you may simply deliver it to my Milin Commandery!"