Fruit

"Fruit?" Li Xiangping raised his head and looked quizzically at Li Qiuyang, who sat cross-legged before him. "Yes..." Li Qiuyang appeared somewhat uneasy, clutching the hem of his robe tightly with both hands. He had cultivated for only a few nights before coalescing a wisp of spiritual qi embryonic breath. Feeling that his progress did not match what was written in the scroll, he feared he had gone astray in his cultivation and hurried to consult Li Xiangping with the method in hand. Hearing the speed of Li Qiuyang's cultivation, Li Xiangping was startled. He took the Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Method, read it over and over, and pondered it carefully several times. Only after a full cup of tea's time did Li Xiangping finally look up and ask if he had ever eaten anything strange. After thinking it over carefully, Li Qiuyang suddenly remembered an important event and answered hastily, "A few years ago, several companions insisted on testing their courage and made a pact to climb the back mountain. In the end, I was the only one who went up. Along the way, none of my friends were to be seen, and before I realized it, I got lost. "As I walked, I spotted a small jade-green tree bearing six or seven bright red fruits. The fruits glowed a vibrant crimson and looked utterly delicious. "I truly couldn't resist. As if possessed, I picked one and ate it. In a daze, I walked down the mountain. After returning home, I slept for three days straight—my father was so frantic that he called many people to look at me." Hearing Li Qiuyang finish his tale, Li Xiangping was left speechless. He patted Li Qiuyang on the shoulder and said, "From the looks of it now, in just over a year, you should be able to condense the Xuanjing Wheel." Seeing Li Qiuyang's face filled with hope, Li Xiangping added, "However, there is another urgent matter." Li Qiuyang was taken aback and looked up at Li Xiangping. "Lead us up the mountain to search for that spirit root." * * * Li Tongya returned to the small courtyard in Lijing. Just as he stepped over the stone steps before the entrance, he saw Liu Rouxuan sitting obediently in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hands, idly counting the fruit seedlings in the spirit field to pass the time. Seeing Li Tongya enter through the gate, Liu Rouxuan sprang up from the stone stool. With lowered brows, she gazed at him and said timidly, "Immortal Master." "No need to be so formal," Li Tongya waved his hand, his gaze sweeping briefly across her pleasant features, and smiled. "I am only six or seven years older than you. Just call me Tongya." Seeing how easy to talk to Li Tongya was, Liu Rouxuan relaxed considerably. After a moment's thought, she said, "Brother Tongya." Li Tongya nodded, retrieved a wooden slip from a wooden shelf inside the room, and said to her, "This is an incantation method for the Embryonic Breathing realm, called the Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Method. Memorize it in the courtyard first, and remember: never leak it to outsiders." "Yes!" Liu Rouxuan answered in pleasant surprise. She respectfully took the wooden slip with both hands, cradling it carefully against her chest. "Every day during the Chen and Shen hours, someone will deliver meals. If you need anything, you can tell that person and have it brought over." Li Tongya took the teapot and spoke as he poured tea. Pouring two small cups, he continued, "I am not often in this courtyard, but I will come during the Chen and Shen hours to cast the spirit rain over this spirit field. If you have any questions about your cultivation, feel free to ask." Seeing Liu Rouxuan nod repeatedly, Li Tongya smiled and asked softly, "Have your utensils and clothes from home been delivered?" "They have already arrived," Liu Rouxuan answered. "Then tidy up the east room and settle down there. Cultivate diligently in your daily routine, and do not go outside before achieving Xuan Scenery. Have you ever studied books?" Li Tongya suddenly asked. "I read a bit when I was little and know some characters." "Then I will not need to teach you character by character. Read through it once first, and come ask me if you have questions." Liu Rouxuan readily assented, clutching the wooden slip as she began reading word by word. Watching her lower her head to study the Qingyuan Wheel Nourishing Method, Li Tongya sipped his tea and thought idly, *This child has arrived in Lijing Village where the people and the place are unfamiliar to her, and she is confined to this courtyard. Over the next few years, there will be no need to worry about the technique leaking out.* Just as he was thinking this, a hearty laugh rang out, and someone pushed open the gate to the courtyard. "Third Brother, why have you come?" Li Tongya asked in surprise, only to see Li Qiuyang following behind Li Xiangping with an apprehensive look on his face. When Li Xiangping explained the matter of the spirit root, Li Tongya was naturally astonished and made a mental note to keep an eye on Li Qiuyang. After conferring with each other, the two brothers took Li Yesheng and a few able-bodied men from the village and headed up the back mountain. Late autumn had already arrived. The mountain behind the village was bleak and barren, with leaves falling in drifts. The wild beasts had grown plump and sturdy, lying low as they prepared to winter. With the bountiful and vibrant reed marshes, the people of Lijing Village had never shown much interest in the back mountain. Since fish and meat were provided by the reed marshes, why risk their lives fighting beasts in the deep mountains? Thus, for generations, the villagers of Lijing had relied only on the patches of woods at the foot of the back mountain to gather firewood, using loropetalum or serissa for cooking. These shrubs grew fast and were easy to gather; only when building houses did they climb further up the mountain to fell timber. Consequently, the mountain paths were overgrown with brambles and tangled with vines. With Li Qiuyang unable to remember the route clearly, several village men cleared the way with billhooks, while Li Xiangping and Li Tongya followed behind. "Second Brother, I have a few questions," Li Xiangping said, holding Li Qiuyang's hand and turning his head toward Li Tongya. "What is it?" "You said Si Yuanbai marked out a boundary for our family, and beyond that boundary lies another clan's land. Before our Li family rose, that other family would only need to dispatch a single Embryonic Breathing cultivator here, and who would dare disobey them? "Why, then, has our Li family farmed this land for two hundred years without a single cultivator willing to come here? Could they truly disdain these mortals so much?" Li Tongya stroked his chin and spoke with a solemn expression, "I have pondered this matter as well. Judging from what Si Yuanbai said, this place was originally bereft of spiritual opportunity for hundreds of years, devoid of any cultivation resources, so no cultivator was willing to waste time here. "Second, Mount Dali lies right beside us, with its endless mountain ranges. Who knows how many demons and ghosts lurk within? It is far less comfortable than the commandery city." Li Xiangping nodded in agreement, his expression turning somewhat grim as he whispered to Li Tongya, "Brother, there is an even worse possibility. "Though the Qingchi Sect is said to be immensely powerful, it only controls a quarter of the State of Yue. Could it be without formidable enemies on its borders? I fear our Li family lies right on the outer periphery of the Qingchi Sect's sphere of influence! "When two villages fight over water, naturally no one wants to plant crops along the border—the principle is the same. According to Xu Wenshan, heading south leads to the State of Wu. Frictions between Wu and Yue are constant, so the relations between the immortal sects behind them are likely no better!" Li Tongya's heart tightened, his face darkening as well. He spoke up, "We were indeed negligent. Tomorrow, we must send men to thoroughly scout around the Guli Road. Ascertaining our Li family's situation must come first. "I only hope our Li family isn't just a crop casually sown on the border by the Qingchi Sect," Li Xiangping remarked with a bitter smile. Just then, Li Yesheng and several village men, drenched in sweat ahead of them, shouted out: "Immortal Masters! What a huge snake!"