"Li Tongya of the Lijing Li family!"
"Lingyanzi of Ziqi Peak, Ziyan Gate."
Lingyanzi had arrived at Mount Lijing after all. No sooner had he stepped into the courtyard than Li Xuanling came forward to greet him with a beaming smile, saying:
"Greetings, Senior!"
Lingyanzi gave a reserved nod, not expecting Li Xuanling to chuckle softly and add:
"I have already assembled all our clansmen, respectfully awaiting Senior's wonderful arts!"
Lingyanzi's breath caught for an instant. Only then did he remember that in his frantic flight earlier, he had promised incantations and spiritual treasures. Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng could barely keep straight faces, secretly cheering inside, yet Li Xuanfeng spoke with outward solemnity:
"Ling'er! Do not be impolite. Senior Lingyanzi is an esteemed cultivator from the Three Sects and Seven Gates. You need not worry about him going back on his word."
Lingyanzi let out a low sigh and took a seat with a wry smile.
"Spare me the talk of esteemed cultivators from the Three Sects and Seven Gates. Chased around in such a wretched state, my pathetic display was seen not just by you all, but by the tens of thousands of mortals down the mountain. What kind of exalted cultivator am I now? Just an ordinary man who clings to life and fears death!"
Taking a sip of tea, Lingyanzi savored it carefully, his expression calming as he continued:
"Regardless, I survived. Those two men from Changxiao Gate died at my hands instead. You don't know... being alive!"
He paused abruptly, as though breathing deeply of the hard-won spiritual energy on the mountain after surviving a catastrophe. Only then did he say with a smile:
"It is better than anything else!"
At these words, Li Tongya could not help but regard him with newfound respect, while the several Li youths of the Xuan generation froze for a moment. Lingyanzi smiled and said:
"All of my magic power originates from my sect, and I have sworn the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath, so I cannot transmit it to you. The spirit stones and medicinal pills on my person were already exhausted on the road, and most of my manuals and secret arts were acquired during my travels—many would be of no use to you. There is only this one secret art, known as the *Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method*. It is an outstanding technique even among third-rank cultivation methods, and quite valuable. Brother Tongya, what do you think?"
"Please tell us more, Senior."
Li Tongya had finally heard the fellow offer something, so he listened attentively.
"This method was originally a fourth-rank cultivation method belonging to the ancient sect Leiyun Temple. Back then, one consumed purple-gold lightning liquid to achieve Qi Refinement, and the immortal foundation formed upon Foundation Establishment was called the 'Sound of Winter Thunder.' Later, Leiyun Temple was destroyed, and traces of the purple-gold lightning liquid vanished as well. It was replaced with Xuanyin lightning liquid, and the method downgraded to the third rank. The immortal foundation formed became the 'Lake of Mystic Lightning,' yet it is still far superior to ordinary third-rank methods."
"Oh?"
Li Tongya frowned slightly and asked in turn, "Since it is a secret art, surely there are side effects?"
"Extremely minor... merely infertility and losing a few years of lifespan..."
The eager interest on Li Tongya's face instantly soured. That might be acceptable for a sect, but as a family cultivation method, being unable to bear children—would that not be digging up the Li family's very roots?
Seeing his reaction, Lingyanzi felt quite awkward and hurried to say:
"Not just that! Not just that! I also possess the Qi-harvesting method for the Xuanyin lightning liquid, which I will hand over to you as well."
Looking at him, Li Tongya shook his head and said helplessly:
"Then we thank you, Senior."
"As for these pouches..."
Lingyanzi nodded and raised two plain brocade pouches belonging to the Changxiao Gate cultivators, speaking in a low voice:
"These pouches resonate with Changxiao Gate's methods and cannot be opened. Keeping them with your noble clan would only invite disaster. It would be better to leave them to me to handle. Next year, I will send someone to exchange the items inside for spirit stones and deliver them to your clan."
Li Tongya naturally did not believe him, but had no better option under the circumstances. Treating it as doing him a favor, he said in a low voice:
"Senior may take them."
Lingyanzi put away the storage bags. The flying swords and flying shuttles of the two Changxiao Gate cultivators naturally fell to the Li family. These two swords were somewhat better than Li Tongya's, though they did not dare use them openly.
The two flying shuttles were ordinary enough. The Li family had many places that demanded spirit stones and had never purchased such shuttles; having two delivered now, they still dared not take them out into the open. Li Tongya considered finding a suitable day to take them away and sell them together.
Lingyanzi chatted for a few more moments, rested and recuperated on Mount Lijing for a short time, then bade farewell to the group and piloted a flying shuttle back to report his mission. The people on Mount Lijing finally settled down. Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya went into secluded cultivation, while the others set about their respective duties.
***
Lixia Commandery.
The bustling main streets were filled with crowds of every sort, and on both sides, numerous peddlers pushed small carts selling pastries and rice porridge. Following the flow of people deeper into the quarter, the alley grew much quieter and somewhat deserted.
Inside a courtyard of bluestone within the alley, it was even quieter. A few green vines were planted, and two rows of laundry were propped up on wooden poles, gently swaying in the evening glow.
"Mother!"
A crisp boy's voice called out. Jiang Yunu raised her head gently. Her originally adorable, rounded face had thinned considerably, appearing much leaner.
"Yu'er."
The boy wore plain clothes. Though free of lavish patterns, they were clean and tidy, clearly washed with great care. With chubby cheeks, he stared at Jiang Yunu with smiling eyes.
"Mother, a beggar came out front, asking us for copper coins!"
Jiang Yunu raised her brows at him, then fetched two copper coins from her bosom with a warm smile and placed them in his hands, murmuring:
"Go on, be careful."
"Mm!"
Watching the child stumble out the door, Jiang Yunu felt a trace of unease. She quickly rose to follow him, gritting her teeth as she muttered:
"Five whole years. Has that bastard become addicted to secluded cultivation, or was he killed while fighting someone else? Not a single word in five whole years... If I hadn't become pregnant with Yuanyu before he left, these five years would have driven me mad..."
Jiang Yunu followed to the front of the courtyard, where she saw the beggar was a middle-aged man. His limbs were intact and his complexion had some color, yet he lay brazenly on the ground crying out in pain while little Yuanyu stood by his side, speaking gentle words of comfort in his childish voice.
"Yu'er!"
Fearing that the man might be a child-snatcher, Jiang Yunu urgently called out:
"Come back quickly!"
Li Yuanyu turned his head to look at her, then scampered forward with a smile, his young voice piping:
"Mother, this man is so strange. Not only did he refuse my money and thank me, telling me to move away, but he even gave me a copper coin—it's so round and big..."
With that, he brought out a flat copper coin of a dark grayish-black hue. Four ancient characters were carved upon it, illegible to them. Jiang Yunu paid it little mind, her eyes remaining fixed on the beggar.
"There are wicked people in the commandery who abduct children. You must be careful."
After cautioning him, Jiang Yunu picked up the child and turned back toward the house, asking softly:
"How about I send you to the teacher this afternoon to study characters?"
"Okay."
Li Yuanyu responded in a sweet, childish voice. As mother and son stepped into the courtyard, the brilliant morning sun in the sky suddenly darkened. Dense dark clouds rapidly swept in from the east, and several tiny figures could faintly be seen standing in the sky above Lixia Commandery. Bursts of loud laughter echoed from time to time as those figures looked down upon the mortals below—as if looking at roasted meat on a platter.
Chapter 152