"My lord!"
As Chen Donghe stepped through the door of his home, the people flanking both sides greeted him with that title. The address burned uncomfortably in his chest, yet he could say nothing to stop them.
Chen Erniu had met with him once before he passed away. Chen Donghe had been choked with sobs, unable to speak, but Chen Erniu had clasped his hand and said in a raspy voice:
"From now on, be bold in all you do. Your father will not blame you. You are a clever child, and you know how to handle affairs. Guard and uphold the family well."
Chen Erniu understood the knot in Chen Donghe's heart. Although marrying into another family had been a joint decision between the two of them, Chen Erniu had long ceased to care about the family name. If Li Mutian's father, Li Genshui, had not rescued him all those years ago, there would be no Chen family today to speak of. Furthermore, on the Li family's territory, neither father nor son had been in any position to refuse.
Yet on the surface, Chen Erniu had still driven him out of the house, cursing his precious son to the open street to prove that the Chen family had severed ties with him once and for all. Chen Erniu understood that with their current relationship with the Li family, such a display was no longer strictly necessary, but he had prudently staged it nonetheless.
Now the old man was dead. Chen Donghe stood before his coffin, consumed by remorse. From childhood to youth to manhood, he was now twenty-six years old, shaped by the teachings of two men: Chen Erniu before the age of seven, and Li Xiangping thereafter. One had taught him prudence and forbearance; the other had taught him ruthlessness and swift strikes.
"Father!"
Chen Donghe knelt before the coffin and wept bitterly. The man he had revered as a father and his biological father had passed away one after the other; how could he not feel shattered by grief?
Li Jingtian stood at his side, gently stroking his back. Chen Donghe's white mourning robes looked exceptionally frail against the wind. Li Tongya also sighed softly. He, too, had watched Chen Donghe grow up, and now the young man had taken Li Jingtian as his wife. Gazing at him weeping so bitterly, Li Tongya stood in silence, unsure what to say.
Down below, moved by the solemn, heavy atmosphere, Li Pingyi could not hold back his tears either. Covering his eyes, he glanced at Li Yuanxiu beside him, only to see the boy's eyes brimming with tears as well. Lowering his voice, he whispered:
"Brother Yuanxiu..."
Li Yuanxiu turned his head and made a shushing gesture. Only then did the two boys lower their heads again, weeping silently without another word.
Not until Chen Erniu's funeral drew to an end did the two boys walk out the door. Li Yuanxiu sat quietly on the stone steps, while Li Pingyi choked out through his tears:
"If my father died, I would be this sad too."
Wiping away his tears, Li Pingyi looked at the glistening teardrops catching the sunlight on Li Yuanxiu's face and murmured:
"Brother Xiu..."
Li Yuanxiu lifted his eyelashes and turned to look at him. Li Pingyi declared with earnest solemnity:
"If you died, I'd be sad too."
Li Yuanxiu nodded firmly, about to speak, when Li Xuanxuan emerged from the courtyard. Taking the boy by the hand, the two of them walked away together. Li Pingyi sat there for a short while longer, then got up, brushed the dust off his seat, and slipped off into an alleyway alone to play.
***
Li Xuanfeng had arrived in town three days ago and spent several days lost in pleasure with Jiang Yunu, night and day blurring together. The wild goose was still pacing the courtyard in fury, honking indignantly. He carried Jiang Yunu around the yard for a few turns, only to hear the bashful woman ask with a flushed face:
"If we have a child, what should we name them?"
Li Xuanfeng gave a chuckle and explained:
"I belong to the Xuan generation. If you bear a son, he shall follow the Yuan generation; if a daughter, she shall follow the Qing generation. That will do."
Jiang Yunu nodded. Li Xuanfeng checked the hour, carried her back to the bed, and murmured softly:
"The market at Guanyun Peak is about to open, and I have proper business to attend to. I must head out for a while, but I'll return to you once I'm done."
With that, he tidied his clothes, kissed Jiang Yunu, and flew westward out the door. Before long, he landed at the foot of Guanyun Peak.
He walked several paces along the market streets. As the stalls grew sparser, several proper storefronts appeared before him. Li Xuanfeng looked around for a moment, selected a shop that sold magical artifacts, and stepped over the threshold.
An Embryonic Breathing cultivator stood inside, welcoming him with a beaming smile. Li Xuanfeng said in a deep voice:
"Go ask your shopkeeper how many spirit stones it costs to commission a custom artifact. I want to commission a Qi Refinement-grade artifact longbow."
The shop attendant who had stepped forward froze for an instant before quickly replying:
"Right away, right away! This lowly one will go at once!"
He hurried off to the back. Before long, a strapping man with a bare torso pushed through the door from the rear courtyard in a rush. He moved like the wind, the numerous iron implements hanging from his body chiming and clattering together. Judging by his cultivation, he was already at peak Qi Refinement.
"What requirements does Fellow Daoist have?"
The man was full of stubble, his eyes bright and alert as he stared straight at Li Xuanfeng. Though his appearance was rugged, his voice was surprisingly gentle. He scrutinized Li Xuanfeng for a moment, as if recalling something.
"I am Li Xuanfeng of the Lijing Li family. Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"
"The Lijing Li family? So you are from the family of Sword Immortal Qingsui!"
The rugged man cupped his hands, looking enlightened, and said with a smile:
"I am Chu Minglian. Back then, I also ran a small shop on Lake Wangyue, so I share some history with your elders!"
"Truly?"
Li Xuanfeng's spirits lifted at once, and he asked in return.
"Years ago, Sword Immortal Qingsui came to my shop to sell a measure of fire baleful qi, which was exceedingly rare in the State of Yue. Later, when the Sword Immortal's fame spread, Old Chu thought the name sounded awfully familiar. I puzzled over it day and night, and finally figured it out! I felt immense regret then and there—had I known, I would have offered more spirit stones. Who knows, I might even have earned a favor from the Sword Immortal!"
Chu Minglian possessed quite a bit of humor, quickly closing the distance between them with his banter. Hearing this, Li Xuanfeng laughed heartily and cupped his hands, saying:
"Senior truly shares such affinity with my family. It seems I might be able to spend a few fewer spirit stones today!"
Chu Minglian let out a couple of soft chuckles, but Li Xuanfeng's words caught the laughter right in his throat. He froze for a second or two before bursting into hearty laughter, repeating:
"Little brother certainly has wit."
He looked him over once or twice and sighed in admiration:
"The Li family truly produces prodigy after prodigy. When the Sword Immortal came to me back then, he was merely at Embryonic Breathing, yet now he is a senior who has established an immortal foundation. You, little brother, have attained Qi Refinement at such a young age—your future is beyond measure."
Li Xuanfeng exchanged a few polite pleasantries before steering straight to the point, outlining the artifact he wished to forge. Chu Minglian listened attentively and nodded:
"This artifact of yours is indeed rare. Few cultivators use bows, let alone one this heavy!"
After pondering for a few breaths, Chu Minglian said in a deep voice:
"I intend to use Jinfangping stone for the bow body, forged with profound fire. Only then can it withstand the five thousand jin of draw weight you specified while retaining sufficient elasticity. As for the bowstring... does Your Excellency wish to use beast sinew, or metal?"
"Metal!"
Li Xuanfeng considered that astral qi was exceptionally destructive to physical matter, yet conducted swiftly through metal; he feared the sinews and bones of magical beasts would be unable to endure it. Metal was the most suitable choice.
"Then we shall use the metal essence of Qingwu ore. Refining ordinary Qingwu ore to yield a single strand of Qingwu metal essence will be enough to satisfy Your Excellency's requirements."
Li Xuanfeng nodded repeatedly at his words and said:
"Splendid, splendid. But may I ask how many spirit stones it will cost?"
Chu Minglian smiled faintly and explained:
"The raw materials require eighty spirit stones. It will take me a full six months to forge, for which I charge forty spirit stones in labor fees—one hundred and twenty spirit stones in total."
Li Xuanfeng's feet went numb. This price far exceeded his budget. The spirit stones currently in his storage bag, combined with the fifty spirit stones subsidized by the family, amounted to barely over a hundred in total value. Yet he was exceedingly pleased with the bow Chu Minglian described. Gritting his teeth, he whispered:
"Senior, if I provide the Qingwu ore myself, how much can be discounted?"
Chu Minglian pondered for a breath and replied:
"The Qingwu ore accounts for thirty spirit stones. If you can provide it yourself, it will only cost ninety spirit stones."
"Then it's a deal!"
Li Xuanfeng grew greatly invigorated. He piled a heap of clinking spirit stones onto the table and had the attendant count them clearly. Then he produced a large chunk of Qingwu ore for Chu Minglian to cut and inspect, staring at him eagerly until Chu Minglian smiled, nodded, and said:
"Little brother, come collect it in half a year!"
Li Xuanfeng nodded vigorously. The two went together to the Xiao family's agents in the market to draw up a contract, swearing a Xuanjing Spiritual Oath together. Only then did Li Xuanfeng take to the wind, thoroughly satisfied. Not minding his emptied pockets in the slightest, he happily took off to seek out his little woman.
Chapter 148