Watching Li Qiuyang step forward and receive it with both hands, Li Tongya instructed, "Your failed breakthrough has taken a toll on your body. This talisman water was condensed from my immortal foundation and will not keep for long. Take it twice every three days and carefully regulate your breathing; perhaps it can salvage something of your foundation."
"Thank you, Clan Uncle!"
Deeply moved, Li Qiuyang accepted the jade bottle and bowed low. Li Tongya smiled and asked, "I heard you took in a child of the Chen family as an apprentice several years ago. How is he doing?"
Li Qiuyang nodded and replied respectfully, "The boy is named Chen Mufeng. He is of the Chen family, from the same lineage as Donghe. His talent is quite good as well—even better than mine was. He is twelve years old now and has just reached the third level of Embryonic Breathing."
Li Tongya raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "That is indeed impressive. You have taught him well."
Li Qiuyang shook his head repeatedly. "It is the boy's own hard work. The bloodline of Donghe's branch is truly out of the ordinary; I suspect their ancestors were remarkable."
Li Tongya made a mental note of this. He waved Li Qiuyang off, buckled his longsword back to his waist, rode the wind, and flew toward Mount Dali.
Following the mountain's ridges along familiar paths for a while, Li Tongya landed beneath a cliff. A large banyan tree with pale, whitening leaves stood tall upon the slope, scattering a mottled layer of white foliage across the ground.
Beneath the tree, just as expected, a large crimson fox lay sleeping soundly. The moment Li Tongya came to a halt, the fox's ears pricked up alertly. It squinted at him, but upon recognizing who it was, it flopped lazily back down and squeaked:
"Chi Wei is dead! Even his gold nature was seized! The overseers of Yin specially brought out a dharma treasure just to capture that gold nature of his."
"Gold nature."
Li Tongya nodded silently. He, too, had heard rumors that this gold nature was the essence of the Golden Core—the source of a Golden Core cultivator's divine wonder, capable of transforming into all manner of miraculous treasures. However, he had never heard of the overseers of Yin, so he asked, "These overseers of Yin..."
The fox swished its tail and glanced at Li Tongya. Just as it was about to speak, it suddenly sprang up from the ground, its fox eyes widening as it cried out, "You... you broke through to Foundation Establishment!"
Li Tongya nodded gently. The fox's expression immediately crumpled, and it rolled on the ground, screeching in exasperation, "Aaargh! This infuriates me to death! Here I am, still languishing at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refinement, while you've gone and achieved Foundation Establishment! It makes me miserable!"
The fox was entirely devoid of pretense, blurting out whatever crossed its mind, which brought an understanding smile to Li Tongya's face. The fox then mumbled listlessly, "How should I know so much? I only heard the greater monsters up there talking, so I parroted what they said."
With that, it lifted its head, sniffed Li Tongya, and ground its teeth. "What immortal foundation did you cultivate?"
Li Tongya paused briefly before answering gently, "'Vast Sea.'"
"'Vast Sea'?"
The fox shook its head in confusion, stroked its whiskers in thought for a while, and then had an epiphany. "It's the 'Jing Dragon King'!"
"'Jing Dragon King'?"
Now it was Li Tongya's turn to be puzzled. The fox chuckled slyly. "Is it not an immortal foundation adept with watercourses and perceiving drought and flood, disturbing neither crab nor shrimp, startling neither fish nor turtle, and conjuring talisman water?"
"Indeed it is."
Li Tongya had originally intended to be discreet, but seeing how thoroughly the fox understood it, he cupped his hands and admitted the truth. The fox grinned and said:
"In ancient times, this immortal foundation was called the 'Jing Dragon King.' Serpent and jiaolong monsters often forged this immortal foundation, which is how it earned its name. I hear it is quite respectable."
It paused, smiling broadly as it took the spirit rice Li Tongya handed over, and continued, "A Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator with the 'Jing Dragon King' once cultivated along the northern foothills of Mount Dali. He entered the mountains to slay monsters several times without any tact, offended several monster generals, and was driven out. I witnessed that battle myself, so when I returned, I paid special attention to this immortal foundation, which is why I know a bit about it."
Li Tongya nodded. The fox rolled onto its side, settling into a comfortable position, and asked, "What instructions does the esteemed Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator have for me upon entering the mountains?"
Seeing the teasing look on the fox's face, Li Tongya knew it was joking and replied, "I dare not give instructions. I merely wished to ask if you, fellow Daoist, might know where to search for precious herbs in the mountains."
"Precious herbs? Most already have owners, though a few remain unknown to the monsters..."
The fox raised its head and waved a paw dismissively. "But if I knew where one was, would I have left it for you? I'd have swallowed it myself long ago to raise my cultivation! The precious herbs in these mountains are just like the spirit rice of you cultivators: every single one out in the open is cataloged in the monster caverns' ledgers, strictly apportioned, and guarded by appointed monsters. Once mature, they are delivered straight to the monster caverns. They are not something you can easily scheme after!
"If you were a rogue cultivator, it would be simple enough—you could just snatch the herb and flee. But your family lives right at the foot of the mountain. Offending the monster caverns is hardly a wise move."
Li Tongya nodded gently and offered his thanks. After pondering for several breaths, he asked, "If none can be found in the mountains, do you know where else such precious herbs might be sought? An elder of mine has broken through. Our families share close ties, and we require his favor, so we must present a gift that is presentable."
The fox swished its tail, pointing a claw toward the territory of the Shanyue. "At this point, your only option is to search within Shanyue lands. There are merely a few Foundation Establishment cultivators there; you need only steer clear of them carefully. The Shanyue are inept at farming, and vast swathes of their land consist of dense forests. If you search diligently for a few years, you are bound to reap some harvest."
"Thank you, fellow Daoist."
Li Tongya sighed inwardly, having made up his mind. He mused silently, *With only three months, how could I expect to find one just by searching? In the end, this expense cannot be spared. I shall make a brief sweep through Shanyue territory, but I must also tour the surrounding market towns to see what can be bought.*
The fox's dark, beady eyes darted about, and it asked probingly, "What kind of celebratory gift requires a precious herb? Could it be for the Purple Mansion? That elder of yours... could it be that newly ascended Real Person of the Xiao family?"
Li Tongya had known this Bairong Fox for decades. After only a brief deliberation, he answered, "It is indeed that Real Person. Having broken away from Qingchi, my family intends to enlist him as a powerful backer."
The fox narrowed its eyes and thought for a few breaths. Suddenly, its expression changed, and it cried out, "The divine ability that Real Person cultivates seems to be the 'Old Man on the Stream'! Your Vast Sea is precisely one of his dao complements! You must be on your guard—do not consume any pills or spirit medicines he sends your way! The tragic precedent of your younger brother is not far behind; do not let yourself become someone else's tonic!"
The fox showed genuine concern. Li Tongya nodded in gratitude and said in a low voice, "The matter of the dao complement was brought up to me explicitly by an envoy from the Xiao family. They laid it out in the open precisely to dispel suspicion. As for consuming pills..."
Li Tongya searched his memory carefully, finally unearthing a distant recollection from the depths of his mind. Solemnly, he said, "Only when I was at the fourth level of Embryonic Breathing did the Real Person bestow a medicinal powder upon me. It was just that single dose; it should not amount to anything so sinister..."
"As long as you are aware."
The fox lowered its head and listlessly counted the grains of spirit rice, muttering, "Ever since I came down from the monster caverns, I haven't had many friends in these mountains. Plenty want to eat me, though. I imagine things aren't much different in your human world. Take good care of yourself, and don't get eaten... That way, a hundred years from now, you and I can still chat beneath this tree."
Li Tongya stared at it blankly for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"Very well."
Chapter 223