Burial

The sky was dim and murky. Li Xuanfeng landed in the courtyard. The surroundings remained deathly still, without a sound except for faint wails drifting from the far horizon. The gloomy dusk would have swallowed all traces of blood from sight, yet Li Xuanfeng's Qi Refinement cultivation allowed him to see every detail with stark clarity. "Little woman... Your man went and killed one of their young masters first to avenge you." Taking down the door boards, he fashioned a simple coffin. Li Xuanfeng carefully arranged each shattered piece, using his mana to stitch the parts of her body together. It took him over an hour of painstaking effort before she looked human again. He muttered to himself as he worked, then found some clothes in the wardrobe to drape over her, only to suddenly catch sight of several pieces of children's clothing. Li Xuanfeng picked them up to look. They were mostly garments for a child of four or five. Turning over the layer beneath, he found all kinds of children's daily articles neatly arranged. Counting the days, if she had indeed conceived during his last stay, their child would be just about this age by now. Through tear-blurred eyes, he noticed two characters embroidered on a cuff: Yuanyu. Jiang Yunu had been the daughter of a prominent fishing family along the river; though she had later fallen into a brothel, she was still somewhat literate. Whether her needlework was clumsy or her handwriting crooked, the characters for "Yuanyu" sprawled awkwardly across the fabric. "Yuanyu..." Only now did he realize that a child he had never even met had also perished in the city. Stricken with deepening guilt and agony, he slumped over the floor, resting a while before shutting the coffin lid. Li Xuanfeng muttered: "Judging by the hour... there are no traces of him in the house. Could he have been at the academy, or playing in the streets...?" Tucking several sets of the child's clothes into his robes, Li Xuanfeng carried the coffin on his shoulder and flew around the courtyard for a while. Under the gloomy sky, he found no corpse of a four- or five-year-old child. Wiping away his tears, he could only make his way to a nearby schoolhouse. Here, however, the ground was strewn with the butchered remains of children. Li Xuanfeng searched through the gore in the dark for a time, but could distinguish nothing. Realizing he could only build a cenotaph, he sighed mournfully, shook the blood from his hands, and headed toward the Li family's shop. Riding the wind with the coffin on his shoulder, he circled through the Li family's shop. In front of the entrance, Li Xuanfeng faintly discerned the corpses of Wan Tianchou and his own kinsman. Gritting his teeth, he said: "I told you all back then to cultivate diligently and never slack off, yet you hid here in the commandery to take it easy! Now you couldn't even withstand a single beam of light from someone's magical artifact!" His lips parted, but staring into Wan Tianchou's despairing eyes, he could not bring himself to go on. In a raspy voice, Li Xuanfeng said: "It's not your fault... Curse this world!" "I'll have your family come collect your remains." Li Xuanfeng let out a low sigh, hoisted the coffin, and flew westward. Passing over the bloodstained city walls, he flew for a time and saw Xiao Ruyu waiting along Guli Road. Seeing the coffin in Li Xuanfeng's hands, Xiao Ruyu felt a surge of guilt and called out: "Brother Xuanfeng, word reached me... that young master is indeed dead!" "I know!" Li Xuanfeng gave a muffled reply and rode the wind toward the Li family, leaving Xiao Ruyu standing blankly in the gradually brightening dawn for a time before descending back to the mountain. *** Mount Lijing. Li Xuanxuan had brought Li Yuanxiu up the mountain. The boy was now twelve years old, quiet and well-mannered. A few years ago, he had been found to possess a spirit aperture and had begun cultivating. By now, he had achieved the first layer of Embryonic Breathing, the Xuanjing Wheel. Li Xuanxuan intended to assign him some family affairs, letting the boy practice his hand at management. Li Yuanjiao was now eight, and possessed a spirit aperture as well; when the news came last year, it had made Li Xuanxuan beam with delight. Li Xuanling's side was not to be outdone. Lu Wanrong had borne him two children in succession, a girl and a boy. The daughter was named Li Qinghong, and the son was named Li Yuanyun. Currently, the eldest daughter was four and the second son was three, both delightfully clever and lovely, winning everyone's affection. "Xuanling's two children are growing up too. In another three years, when the younger generation has grown older, we can petition before the magical mirror for a talisman seed..." Li Xuanxuan looked at Li Yuanxiu sitting below him, diligently reading wooden slips, and inwardly sighed: "It's just unfair to Xiu'er, the eldest brother, having to wait for his younger siblings." Setting down his teacup, Li Xuanxuan noticed Li Tongya, who was seated at the head of the room, stiffen. Suddenly rising, Li Tongya crossed into the courtyard in a few strides and demanded in a deep voice: "What happened?!" Li Xuanxuan hastily stood and followed him outside. There stood Li Xuanfeng, covered in blood that stained his robes in patches of crimson and purple. In his hands, he held a battered, blood-smeared wooden box, cutting a thoroughly wretched figure. Li Xuanfeng had reined in his emotions on the journey back. Seeing his elders gather around, weariness gripped his heart, and he whispered: "The Qingchi Sect and Tangjin Sect have clashed in slaughter again. Hardly anyone was left alive in Lixia Commandery. Our Li family's stationed men, along with Wan Tianchou, are all dead. She... and the child I never got to meet, have perished as well." These brief words stunned everyone. Behind Li Xuanxuan, Li Xiewen stood petrified, nearly crying out in horror. His own younger brother had been in charge of garrisoning Lixia Commandery; what was thought to be a plum post had instead claimed his life. Li Tongya opened his mouth, but seeing the utter exhaustion etched onto the young man's face, he said quietly: "First... let us bury them on the mountain..." Li Xuanfeng nodded, his voice trembling as he replied: "I couldn't find the child's remains, so I brought back several pieces of clothing. I can only raise a cenotaph for him." Li Xuanxuan's eyes grew moist as he listened. Watching Li Xuanfeng take his leave to bury his woman and child in the hills, Li Xuanxuan said raspy-voiced to Li Tongya: "Second Uncle... what kind of world is this?!" "The affairs of the world are impermanent." Li Tongya gave a sigh in reply. He could no longer remember how many times he had spoken those words to console them. Li Tongya had heard that phrase for the first time from Li Mutian, yet he had experienced it time and again throughout his own life, each time cutting deeper than before. Meanwhile, Li Xuanxuan sent people down the mountain to summon the families of those clansmen to collect the corpses. Seeing Li Xiewen nod repeatedly before rushing down the mountain, Li Xuanxuan slipped quietly into the hills. He watched as Li Xuanfeng dug the graves shovel by shovel with his own hands, buried the newly prepared ebony coffin, and then placed the clothing into the other grave, carefully covering it with earth. Only then did Li Xuanfeng lift his head to look at Li Xuanxuan, forcing a faint smile as he said softly: "I buried my father, and I have buried my woman and child. When the day comes for me to be laid to rest, I will have to trouble you, Brother." "What nonsense are you spouting!" For the first time, Li Xuanxuan assumed the stern demeanor of an elder brother, glaring fiercely at him. Just as he was about to speak, Li Xuanfeng waved a hand and replied: "Brother... this won't break me. With my father's vengeance and the clan's hatred resting on my shoulders, I value my life more than ever." As they spoke, Li Tongya descended into the hills, and Li Xuanling hurried up the mountain as well. Together, the three listened to Li Xuanfeng's recount. Hearing how he had used arrow intent to slay the young master of the Tangjin Sect, Li Tongya lowered his brows and stared at him. Wanting to reprimand him yet fearing to agitate him further, he could only sigh: "Do not do something so perilous ever again." Li Xuanfeng nodded and said no more. Leaning against a boulder and seeing neither his father nor brothers speaking, Li Xuanling could only say quietly: "Life is harsh, and times are hard for every clan... All we can do is forge ahead."