Only after watching Si Yuanbai vanish into the horizon aboard his flying shuttle did Li Xiangping rise. He picked up the wooden slip from the table, untied its cloth cord, and unrolled it.
"*Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Method*, Grade One."
He scanned it cursorily. It was a cultivation method for the Embryonic Breathing realm. As he read with furrowed brows, he heard Li Tongya let out a soft exclamation:
"This breathing art requires only daily respiration, without the need to refine moon essence?"
"Naturally, it cannot compare to that mir—to our family's technique."
Li Xiangping had almost mentioned the mirror, but fearing Si Yuanbai might double back, he caught himself and changed his words.
"Is that Si Yuanbai truly some peak master from the Qingchi Sect? Jing'er went off with him just like that; it feels rather hasty."
Li Tongya smiled wryly. "What choice did we have? If he were an evil cultivator, he could have simply abducted him. Why bother mincing words with us and leaving behind manuals and tokens?"
Li Xiangping nodded and picked up the second wooden slip from the table. He unrolled it and read, "*Tianyuan Qi Refinement Art*, Qi Refinement realm cultivation method, Grade Two."
Li Tongya took up another one and read aloud to himself, "*Secret Notes of Lixia*."
Reading a few lines further, he could not conceal his delight and turned to Li Xiangping. "These secret notes record much common knowledge about cultivation, the distribution of powers across Lixia Commandery, and trading markets for rogue cultivators. It is precisely what we urgently need right now."
Li Xiangping took the slip, glanced over it, and said thoughtfully, "So cultivation methods are divided into nine grades, with Grade One being the lowest and Grade Nine the highest, while dharmic arts, pills, and artifacts correspond to realms of cultivation. I wonder what grade our family's technique is."
Seeing his younger brother absorbed in the notes, Li Tongya picked up the pale green jade seal left behind by Si Yuanbai and quietly channeled his dharmic power.
*Under Qingchi Governance.*
Several large, pale-gold characters surfaced on the jade seal. Then the characters slowly faded, replaced by a radiant white character for "Li" and a small map.
"Lijing Village, Lichuankou, Jingyang Village, Lidaokou."
Li Mutian squinted for a while, making out and reading the names of these villages one by one. These four villages were precisely those situated from Guli Road to the foot of Mount Dali, as Si Yuanbai had spoken of.
"With the Qingchi Immortal Sect as our backing, our Li family now possesses sufficient strength. We no longer need to hide. Let us build our power openly and uprightly!"
"These villages belong to our Li family now."
Li Xiangping, who had kept his head lowered in reading, suddenly looked up and said calmly, "Starting tomorrow night."
***
Early the next morning, when Chen Erniu woke up, he saw the Li family's tenant farmers darting back and forth from one end of the village to the other like swimming fish, pulling people aside door to door.
"Auntie Li! Tell your husband to come to the back of the village after finishing in the fields tonight. Uncle Tian has an important matter to discuss!"
"Ah! Right away..."
"Brother Liu! The Li family requests your presence..."
For a time, the village was in an uproar, with everyone harboring deep curiosity. After enduring the wait until dusk, Chen Erniu hastily finished his meal and rushed to the back of the village.
As one of the foremost prominent households in the village, the Li family wielded immense influence. Chen Erniu looked up and saw that large and small families alike were all present. Even Xu Wenshan, the middle-aged leader of the refugees from several years ago, stood respectfully behind Li Xiangping.
*Damn it, I'm late,* Chen Erniu cursed inwardly. Nowadays, Xu Wenshan had also become a tenant of the Li family. Pleasant of speech and adroit in interpersonal relations, he had banded together with a dozen refugee households for mutual support. He had already begun to supplant Chen Erniu as the head of the tenant farmers, leaving Chen Erniu grinding his teeth in frustration.
Glancing around, Chen Erniu did not see Li Mutian anywhere. Instead, Li Xiangping stepped forward, speaking with a smile.
"Pardon the intrusion, everyone. Today, I have good news to share with you all."
Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Li Xiangping continued, "Last night, an immortal from the Qingchi Immortal Sect passed through this area. Seeing that my younger brother, Li Chijing, possessed extraordinary natural talent, he accepted him as a disciple to cultivate immortal arts on the immortal mountain."
The moment these words left his mouth, it was like a boulder dropped into a placid lake, sending shockwaves through the entire gathering. People exchanged bewildered glances, staring blankly at Li Xiangping as if listening to a tale from a storybook.
"Congratulations!"
It was Han Wenxu, the village scholar, who let out a long sigh and called out his loud congratulations.
Han Wenxu came from the city and was well-traveled and knowledgeable. Hearing Li Xiangping name the Qingchi Immortal Sect, he knew in his heart that this matter was almost certainly true: Jing'er likely possessed a spirit aperture and had been taken away by a cultivator of the Qingchi Sect.
"Each person has their own destined path," Han Wenxu murmured softly. Then, speaking up on Li Xiangping's behalf, he added, "That Chijing could enter an immortal sect is truly a blessing for the entire village."
Han Wenxu had lived in the village for over twenty years, practicing medicine, saving lives, and teaching pupils; he had long become an authority among the villagers. Once he spoke, Li Xiangping's words gained credibility, though most villagers still could not help leaning together and whispering back and forth.
With a calm demeanor, Li Xiangping brought forth a jade seal in his hand. Under the urging of his dharmic power, four gleaming gold characters emerged.
*Under Qingchi Governance.*
"An immortal!"
Witnessing such divine means, the crowd erupted into an uproar. Many dropped to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly and crying out in awe. Chen Erniu was also jolted with fright, looking up in shock and uncertainty.
Li Xiangping waited until the character for "Li" finished appearing before putting away the jade seal. Looking at the crowd below, he declared in a clear voice, "That immortal also bestowed immortal methods and decreed that our Li family shall guard Lijing Village, Lichuankou, Jingyang Village, and Lidaokou."
With that, he lightly clenched his palm, and a dazzling golden light manifested within it. With a gentle flick of his wrist, that golden light whistled through the air, plunging into the continuous mountain forest. A resounding boom erupted, startling flocks of birds into the air.
The moment this Golden Light Art was displayed, the crowd below dropped to their knees with a rustling clatter. Even Liu Linfeng, the head of the Liu family, knelt trembling and gazed at him in a daze.
"Everyone, there is no need for this. We are kin and neighbors; I, Xiangping, cannot bear such homage."
Looking down at the people prostrate before him, Li Xiangping stood motionless, his tone indifferent.
Listening to Li Xiangping's voice, Chen Erniu pressed his forehead firmly against the ground. Beyond his sheer shock, his thoughts were in total disarray, leaving only a single realization echoing in his mind:
*The sky is going to change.*
***
Li Tongya walked slowly out of Lichuankou. Behind him, Li Yesheng held a roll of cloth in one hand and a charcoal pencil in the other, scrawling down notes in crooked strokes.
"Lichuankou suffered that drought over twenty years ago and still has not recovered. There are barely over a hundred households; it is truly pitiful," Li Tongya said, turning his head toward Li Yesheng as they walked.
"Brother, we've cleared out the prominent households in Lichuankou and redistributed the land equally. The villagers no longer have rent to pay, and this ten percent land tax is very light!" Li Yesheng replied respectfully. Tucking away the charcoal pencil, he handed it to a villager following behind them, then bowed and lowered his voice. "In the end, we still need to send someone to manage affairs, but between our direct and branch lines, our Li family really has no presentable figures who can read and write."
"There is no need to worry." Li Tongya waved his hand. Under Li Yesheng's envious gaze, he pinched a Clothes Cleansing Technique with his fingers, dusting off his robes, and replied at an unhurried pace, "Father and Xiangping will arrange everything properly."
Chapter 21