An Zheyan cupped his hands, swept back his robes, and dropped to his knees, his voice thick with venom.
“My three sons and one daughter, along with my many wives, concubines, and brothers, were all slaughtered by the Yu family. The clan fell into the hands of a traitor, and our entire lineage has been reduced to slaves! The hatred in my heart is vast as the boundless sea, impossible to suppress.”
“Your noble family disregarded past grievances and took in a stray cur like me. I am endlessly grateful. I am willing to offer up the An family’s inheritance, to become your hound and your claws, to spend the rest of my days running at your command.”
An Zheyan paused, steeling his resolve before continuing:
“If in my lifetime I am able to reclaim Mount Huazhong, I swear to offer up all of the An family’s territory in recompense...”
With that, he formed an incantation gesture. A speck of spiritual radiance surged at the center of his brow, clearly swearing a Xuanjing Spiritual Oath. Li Xuanxuan was overjoyed inside, yet he put on a grief-stricken expression as he helped the man up, speaking in a somber voice:
“Senior, how could you go so far! The Yu family is a mortal enemy to both of us. It is only right that we support each other.”
An Zheyan rose and took a seat. After hesitating for a few breaths, he shook his head and explained in a low voice:
“My clan’s ancestors once saw glorious days. Our progenitor was an outer disciple of the Immortal Mansion. Back then, the Immortal Mansion held sway over the world, sheltering the three states of Wu, Yue, and Xu. When the Yuehua Yuan Mansion established the decree separating immortals from mortals, all the immortal sects and orders were bound by it, secluding themselves to cultivate rather than living intermingled with mortals as we do now... My ancestor cultivated alone among the mountains.”
“Later, the Immortal Mansion retreated into seclusion, and the Three Sects and Seven Gates entered the secular realm one after another, carving up the State of Yue. The earliest great families crowned themselves kings and marquises. By then, my ancestor had already grown old and died. His descendants branched out in this region, eventually dividing the household to form separate clans. Strictly speaking, the Yu, Ji, and Lu families all share ancestral blood ties with the An clan. Only the Wan family came from the east.”
Listening attentively, Li Xuanxuan was quietly startled by this revelation. Recalling how those families fought tooth and nail against one another, he nodded silently and whispered:
“That is truly... enough to make one sigh.”
“Eight hundred years of kinship has long since turned into estrangement,” An Zheyan remarked. “Truth be told, which family in the State of Yue isn't descended from the clans that fled south from the north? Aside from the Shanyue, practically everyone shares the same origin.”
An Zheyan continued, “The cultivation art passed down in my family was originally called the *Classic of the White-Headed Court Knocker*. It is an ancient art capable of guiding someone from the Embryonic Breathing realm all the way to the Purple Mansion, though it requires court mortal qi to cultivate. With the passage of generations, that qi could no longer be harvested. Only a derivative secret art was left behind, which can only reach Foundation Establishment. It is called the *Court-Knocking Palace Guard Incantation*. Its grade has fallen to Rank Two, and it uses sub-court cold armor qi instead.”
From its name alone, Li Xuanxuan could tell it was an ancient method. Ancient arts were famous for their profound marvels, and his interest was immediately piqued. He asked:
“Since it was altered into a secret art, I imagine it must be imperfect. What shortcomings does it have?”
An Zheyan nodded respectfully and explained in detail:
“The marvel of this incantation is that it allows the cultivator to condense the six wheels much faster, passing through the Embryonic Breathing realm to reach Qi Refinement. However, after reaching Qi Refinement, cultivation speed slows considerably, and one’s lifespan is slightly reduced. On the other hand, the magical power produced is particularly attuned to jade, granting an extra measure of strength when wielding jade magical artifacts.”
“As for the sub-court cold armor qi required by the art, we have a qi-harvesting incantation. Heavy bronze and iron armor is submerged in a specially crafted jade well and steeped in rainwater. One wisp can be gathered in three months, and ten wisps make up a single portion. Compared to other types of heaven-and-earth spirit qi, it is fairly easy to harvest. However, sub-court cold armor qi was invented for ancient arts and has no other use today, so it fetches barely any spirit stones.”
“It possesses such marvels?!”
Li Xuanxuan’s mind raced with possibilities, delighted beyond measure. He asked, “Doesn’t this effectively grant those of lesser talent nearly a century of additional cultivation time? That is still an exceptional treasure.”
“Precisely,” An Zheyan replied after a pause. “There is one more crucial point. If someone practicing the *Court-Knocking Palace Guard Incantation* faces someone who cultivates the *Classic of the White-Headed Court Knocker*, their power will be greatly diminished. Even if their cultivation is far superior, they likely would be no match. Fortunately, that original art can no longer be practiced.”
“Good, very good!” Li Xuanxuan nodded repeatedly.
An Zheyan continued, “There is also our vein-seeking art, known as *Listening and Surveying the Earth Court*. In a moment, I shall find a jade slip and transcribe it along with the rest for the patriarch!”
“We trouble Senior, then.”
Li Xuanxuan pondered for a breath before noticing something amiss. He asked quietly, “There is still one thing I do not understand. If the *Court-Knocking Palace Guard Incantation* makes reaching Qi Refinement so easy, why were you and your son the only two Qi Refinement cultivators in the An family, while the rest lingered in the Embryonic Breathing realm...?”
An Zheyan let out a deep sigh and cupped his hands in embarrassment. “Only after enduring so much have I realized just how stingy and narrow-minded I was... Only my son and I practiced this art. For the other branches of the clan, I merely fobbed them off with other cultivation methods.”
“I see!”
Li Xuanxuan sipped his tea and asked about the details of what had occurred on Mount Huazhong. An Zheyan answered each question thoroughly before cupping his hands:
“Fearing they might fall into enemy hands, this subordinate destroyed the ancestral jade slips before fleeing the An family. I shall now go down and write the methods from memory.”
With that, he hurriedly took his leave. Watching An Zheyan depart, Li Xuanfeng, who had remained silent the entire time, raised a brow and gave an instruction:
“Uncle Donghe is still up on the mountain. Have him head down and keep an eye on this man.”
Li Xiewen nodded and withdrew. Li Xuanxuan sighed softly, saying in a gentle voice:
“Uncle Tongya spoke to me about him before. An Zheyan was originally a greedy and petty man, but after facing such catastrophe, he seems completely transformed!”
After a moment's contemplation, he added, “To think the An family’s ancestor was an outer disciple of the Immortal Mansion. This method was likely tailored by the mansion for outer disciples. To pass down such a technique without restriction suggests their ancestor held some status.”
Li Xuanfeng nodded, but then waved his hand cautiously, murmuring, “You can know a man’s face, but not his heart. Even though he swore the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath, we cannot place too much trust in him. He cannot keep his mouth shut. Just put him to work clearing beasts and farming. When the family needs muscle, he can serve as a thug. Keep him in the dark regarding everything else.”
“I understand,” Li Xuanxuan replied, setting down his teacup. “Let us observe him for a while before deciding anything else.”
After the two chatted for a time, Li Xiewen brought up several jade slips. Li Xuanfeng took them and examined their contents. Aside from the *Court-Knocking Palace Guard Incantation*, *Listening and Surveying the Earth Court*, and the uncultivable *Classic of the White-Headed Court Knocker*, the rest were a few Rank One Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement cultivation methods. Reading through them all, Li Xuanfeng nodded repeatedly and praised:
“The An family’s ancestor truly had deep roots. These methods can indeed be called profound. Though the *Classic of the White-Headed Court Knocker* can no longer be practiced, its original rank must have been remarkable. The *Court-Knocking Palace Guard Incantation* has a distinct character of its own, standing out even among Rank Two arts. In particular, its ability to speed up advancement to Qi Refinement will be of immense use!”
Li Xuanxuan chuckled and agreed, “It isn’t just for clan members with ordinary talent. Now that we have late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to keep order, cultivators of outside surnames can practice this method as well. We need not expect formidable combat prowess from them; having a few more Qi Refinement cultivators simply means more hands capable of riding the wind, making everything far more convenient.”
“Brother Xuan speaks the truth,” Li Xuanfeng agreed. He handed over *Listening and Surveying the Earth Court* and said quietly, “Ever since the An family was attacked and their personnel evacuated, we lacked people to survey the ore veins, and work at the Qingwu mine has been suspended for a long time. Take this spell, Brother Xuan, and select new hands to begin mining.”
Li Xuanxuan accepted the jade slip. Seeing Li Xuanfeng cup his hands to return to his cultivation, Li Xuanxuan grinned and teased, “I still have no idea how An Zheyan managed to father a prodigy like An Jingming. I was thinking of arranging a few more wives and concubines for him to see if he can sire another. If he produces another like that, wouldn't we have struck gold?”
Li Xuanfeng laughed aloud, knowing Li Xuanxuan was merely joking, and stepped out of the courtyard to head up the mountain. Left alone in the courtyard, Li Xuanxuan drank his tea and pulled out a sheet of yellow paper, tracing out a talisman. After quite a while, he put away the talisman ink and paper and instructed:
“Have An Zheyan pick from among the women. Clumsy as he may look, he is a Qi Refinement cultivator after all. See if any woman with a spirit aperture is willing to marry him.”
Li Xiewen bowed in assent. Li Xuanxuan shook his head. While An Zheyan’s arrival had brought the Li family substantial benefits, a pang of regret still rose within his heart. He murmured under his breath:
“If our two families had joined hands back then and married a Li family daughter to An Jingming, how could all these tragedies have unfolded today?”
Chapter 209