When Li Tongya returned to Mount Lijing, Li Xuanfeng came forward to meet him. Carrying his longbow on his back, Li Xuanfeng had been frowning over a jade slip, but he hastily put it away upon seeing Li Tongya and bowed respectfully.
"Second Uncle, you're back... How is Qinghong?"
"She has been settled in at the Fei family."
Li Tongya studied him for a moment and smiled. "The fifth layer of Qi Refinement. You're only in your early thirties, so your progress is already fast enough. Still, you must polish your foundation thoroughly."
"Yes."
Li Xuanfeng nodded, and Li Tongya went on to advise him, "When Yu Mujian was your age, he had only just entered Qi Refinement. You have reached this level because you were blessed with a talisman seed and nurtured with talisman qi... While you cannot compare to that monster An Jingming, you are still among the very finest on the lake.
"An Jingming was simply too exceptional, a terror to friend and foe alike. Setting aside the Yu family, even the Ding family feared him and wished him dead. Previously, with him in the limelight, few paid attention to you. Now that An Jingming is dead, you must understand the stakes."
Li Xuanfeng nodded. "Your nephew understands."
With a wry smile, he lowered his voice and said to Li Tongya, "Do you recall the *Clear Eye Pure Pupil* technique? Senior Xiao brought it back, and it is a rare ocular art. I have studied it for several years with little progress. According to the text, washing one's eyes with a certain spirit water would be of immense benefit. It is called Qingyuan spirit water—something I have never heard of. We should keep an eye out for it."
"Mm."
Seeing Li Tongya acknowledge this, Li Xuanfeng looked up and asked hesitantly, "Second Uncle... are you preparing for Foundation Establishment?"
"Indeed."
Li Tongya's nod caused Li Xuanfeng's expression to shift slightly, brimming with concern. Seeing this, Li Tongya said in a low voice, "I will begin my closed-door breakthrough today. Watch over the juniors and do not leave the formation carelessly. The Fei family is stirring up trouble for the Yu family, so Yu Mugao will have his hands full for the foreseeable future. Just keep a low profile."
Pausing, Li Tongya continued, "At shortest, it will take two to three years; at longest, five. If I succeed, I will emerge. If ten years pass without word, then my life and Dao will have been extinguished. In that case, break open the chamber and collect my bones."
Unable to bear such words, Li Xuanfeng hung his head low. Having settled his affairs, Li Tongya originally intended to head straight to his cave dwelling, but on a sudden whim, he landed in the graveyard on the mountain instead.
Stone tablets large and small stood in clusters. The earliest bore faint traces of greenish moss, while the newest were polished and pristine. Li Tongya walked among them, stopping before Li Xiangping's cenotaph.
He gazed at it in silence for a time, then tapped his pouch to retrieve a brown eyeball. Gently placing it before Li Xiangping's grave, he parted his lips, but no words came.
Letting his gaze sweep across the graves, Li Tongya walked past each monument until he spotted an empty patch of ground. It sat slightly lower than Li Mutian's grave, wedged conspicuously between Li Changhu and Li Xiangping.
Li Tongya lowered his eyes to examine the spot. Meticulous by nature, he measured his own height in his head and confirmed the space was more than large enough to hold him. Only then did he laugh aloud and ride the wind toward his cave dwelling on Meichi Mountain.
***
Lake Wangyue, the An family's territory.
There were no great mountains on the southern shore of Lake Wangyue. Mount Huazhong sloped gently, covered in lush, verdant woods. The blood shed when the Yu family charged up the peak had been washed by heavy rain, and An Zheyu had ordered his men to scour it thoroughly, yet dark red stains still clung to the crevices between the stones.
Mount Huazhong had originally been the mountain gate of the Ji family before the Wan family breached it. After the Wan family departed, the Lu family took their place, and later it fell into the hands of the An family. Across several decades, four bloody upheavals had erupted here. Countless heads had rolled, each feeding the lush growth of the trees on Mount Huazhong.
Several dozen li south of Mount Huazhong stood a small orchard enclosed by a brown wooden fence. A few kumquats hung from the branches of the fruit trees, giving it the appearance of a humble peasant homestead, while a handful of small cottages stood on the adjacent hillside.
An Zheyan lay dazed on the bed, feeling lost and helpless. Terrified of being discovered by the Yu family, he had hidden in the woods for days. Not daring to ride the wind, he had disguised his appearance and traveled here on foot.
The family living here was fairly hospitable. Years ago, their son had died after a tree branch pierced his neck in their courtyard, leaving behind a spare guest room where they let An Zheyan stay.
"The Li family..."
An Zheyan had no idea how things stood on Mount Huazhong, but he had learned from this household that An Zheyu had become the patriarch. His heart sank, and he thought, *That bastard is utterly unscrupulous... He has likely become the Yu family's dog...*
Though An Zheyan did not yet know what had become of An Jingming's corpse, an ominous premonition weighed heavily upon him. Wiping away a tear, he let out a low sigh and murmured, "Even if I am reluctant to accept it... it is time to leave and see what the Li family is doing."
At that thought, a savage look crept over his face. *These two cannot be left alive!*
Forming an incantation gesture, An Zheyan summoned a flicker of spellfire and slowly rose. The cottage was mostly made of wood; a single wisp of spellfire would erase every trace.
*Knock, knock!*
A knock sounded at the door. An Zheyan raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, stepped forward, and pulled the door wide open.
Standing before him was the wife of the household, looking timid and shy. In her hands, she held a bowl of duck soup. She said softly, "We live out here in the wilderness and rarely see another soul in years. Knowing our guest is not used to wild greens... my husband slaughtered this duck and simmered it for hours so you could have a taste."
An Zheyan was struck speechless. Accustomed to mountain delicacies and rare meats, he had only sat at their table over the past few days to keep up his disguise, barely touching a few morsels with his chopsticks. The couple had noticed and worried that he was eating poorly.
"Th-thank you."
An Zheyan took the bowl in a daze, lowering his head as though struck across the face. Hesitantly, he took a sip. The woman had almost certainly never cooked duck soup more than a handful of times in her life; the flavor was bland, carrying a faint earthy smell. That watery sip rolled over his tongue and went down into his belly.
Years ago, had anyone dared serve such soup to An Zheyan, their hands would have been severed without question. Now, An Zheyan swallowed it, cursing inwardly, *This tastes goddamn awful.*
Yet a sharp pang seized his eyes, and tears fell beyond his control. Sniffling, An Zheyan wept even as a smile curved his lips. He cried out, "Good! It's truly delicious!"
The moment the words left his mouth, An Zheyan broke into loud sobs, throwing his hundred-and-eighty-jin frame onto the ground and rolling about. Frightened, the woman stepped back, spilling duck soup onto her arm. Glancing down at An Zheyan on the floor, she covered her face and cautiously sipped the broth from her own skin.
"I was wrong, truly wrong through and through..."
As memories of all his past absurdities rushed to mind, An Zheyan sat on the ground and wept for a time. He coughed up a clot of stagnant blood, and his complexion immediately improved. Ignoring the woman, who was screaming in fright, he tossed down two pieces of gold and rode the wind toward the north.
He left the woman looking around the courtyard in bewilderment. The man outside hurried in, and the two stared wide-eyed at the gold. After standing dazed for a moment, the man quickly grabbed a hoe and shouted, "What're you still gaping at? Bury it first!"
Chapter 206