Yuzhi

“The Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel...” Li Xuanxuan gazed up at the seven-colored rosy glow in the sky, feeling a touch of unease in his heart. His uncle Li Tongya had vanished without a trace after the ancestral sacrifices. Foundation Establishment cultivators measured their cultivation in units of years; unable to find him at a moment’s notice, Li Xuanxuan could only wait in silence. Fortunately, it was not long before a gray-robed figure appeared before him. Li Tongya descended with furrowed brows. He had originally intended to enter secluded cultivation, but the health of his wife, Liu Rouxuan, was deteriorating by the day. Li Tongya had been forced to set aside his prior plans, which was how he happened upon this scene. “They must be conscripting people for Yishan City in Nanjiang.” Li Tongya stood suspended in midair, his hand on his sword. He had heard snippets about the situation during Xiao Chuting’s Dharma assembly, and with a little thought, he had roughly deduced the purpose of the Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel. After waiting aloft for a short while, he saw someone riding the wind toward them, standing atop a flying shuttle. Though clad in handsome robes, the man possessed the rat-like features of an unscrupulous rogue, his shifty eyes darting about with an air of pure insolence. The rogue came to a halt before the protective array and barked, “Li family juniors, open the array this instant and let your grandfather in!” The people gathered below showed anger, but Li Tongya grew thoughtful. Calm and composed, he opened the formation and stepped forward personally to receive him, bowing with cupped hands. “The Lijing Li family respectfully welcomes the envoy!” Seeing a Foundation Establishment cultivator personally come out to greet him, the rogue could hardly maintain a scowl. He merely grumbled resentfully, “At least you know how to read the room.” With that, he slouched into the courtyard, casting a disdainful glance over the assembled members of the Li family, who seethed with unspoken fury. Waving his sleeve impatiently, he barked, “All of you clear off! Scram! This conversation is between the two of us. How could you juniors be permitted to listen?” “You!” Li Xuanxuan’s face flushed with anger, but Li Xuanling shot the man a serpent-like glance and pulled his brothers away. Once inside the courtyard with Li Tongya, the rogue cast a spell to seal off their surroundings. Shedding every trace of his earlier flippant demeanor, he straightened his back, adopted a respectful posture, and bowed deeply with a look of slight remorse. “I am Deng Yuzhi. What happened just now was done out of pure necessity; I beg Senior’s forgiveness.” Li Tongya was startled by the man’s abrupt transformation, but he simply cupped his hands and replied, “Brother Deng, please rise. There is no need for such ceremony; none of us took it to heart.” Deng Yuzhi’s words came in a rapid, urgent rush. Without wasting time on courtesies, he straightened up and said, “I am a scion of the Deng family, a noble clan under Qingchi Peak. My elder brother, Deng Qiuzhi, was a close friend of the Sword Immortal. Both of them perished together in Nanjiang, devoured by a Demon King. I wonder if Senior is aware of this?!” “I know of it.” Seeing the urgency in Deng Yuzhi’s heart, Li Tongya answered crisply. Deng Yuzhi nodded, his voice turning somber. “It is good that Senior knows. The sect disciple who came this time is Chi Zhiyan of the Chi family. This man is harsh and sinister, and he already knows that the Sword Immortal has fallen. The Yu family has heard the news as well. I hope Senior will be prepared.” Without waiting for Li Tongya’s reply, Deng Yuzhi’s lips moved rapidly as he continued, “Though our clan’s ancestor has never met Senior in person, he has heard of your many deeds and has long held you in high esteem. Our two families find ourselves in similar circumstances. If Senior does not disdain us, we could certainly interact more closely in the future.” Li Tongya kept his hand on his sword, an inscrutable look on his face. He asked in a gentle voice, “Let me ask you one thing. In the maneuvering among the various Purple Palace and Golden Core figures of Jiangnan, what kind of relationship exists between the Xiao family and the Qingchi Sect?” “They share a common enemy. Xiao Chuting seeks to cultivate the Jiazi Kan Water Qianne Nature...” Deng Yuzhi answered, but Li Tongya cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I understand.” Deng Yuzhi nodded and continued, “My Deng family also owns properties in Lixia Commandery. If Senior ever has urgent matters to discuss, you may send someone to find us. Senior is broad-minded and steady; you will surely understand the crux of the matter.” With that, he handed over a small letter. Li Tongya swept his spiritual sense over it and found several alleyways in Lixia Commandery recorded within. Watching Li Tongya put it away, Deng Yuzhi breathed a long sigh of relief and said in a low voice, “Across the four commanderies, people have been spreading word of Senior’s profound Dao foundation and superb sword arts. I fear this is being done with ulterior motives. It would be wise for Senior to limit your movements and avoid revealing your tracks.” This information caught Li Tongya by surprise, drawing him into brief reflection before he gave a nod. Deng Yuzhi then spoke again: “Regarding the conscription for Yishan City, the person Chi Zhiyan chose is named Li Xuanfeng. This matter is beyond our power to alter; we have no choice but to take a descendant of your noble clan... I hope Senior can understand.” Li Tongya slowly closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Li Xuanfeng was Li Xiangping’s only son and had yet to produce any offspring. If anything happened to him in Yishan City, that branch of the lineage would be completely severed. Unwilling to see this happen, he frowned and asked, “Xuanfeng is my late brother’s only child. I am willing to send my own son in his stead. Would it be possible...” Deng Yuzhi waved his hand, his refusal swift and unmistakable. He said bitterly, “I am merely acting as a dog for others, scraping by to survive. Chi Zhiyan deeply envied the Sword Immortal. I had to put on an arrogant front just to come here; how could I possess such authority...?” Li Tongya could only cover his face with a sigh and answer, “I understand.” Without pausing, Deng Yuzhi continued, “I cannot linger. I must take the man and depart immediately. If I have caused offense, I beg Senior’s understanding!” With that, he flicked his sleeves, kicked the door open with an ostentatious clatter, and shouted into the courtyard, “Where is Li Xuanfeng?!” A crowd of people stood anxiously in the courtyard below. Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan both looked up at him. Li Xuanfeng quietly carried his golden bow on his back, his eyes fixed squarely on Deng Yuzhi above. “Present!” Deng Yuzhi sneered and proclaimed loudly, “By order of the Qingchi Sect, you are conscripted to defend against the demon race at Yishan City in Nanjiang. You will set out immediately, without delay!” Li Xuanfeng tightened the strap of the golden bow on his back. A smile curled upon his scruffy, bearded chin, as though he had heard something immensely amusing. He let out a hearty laugh and replied, “Very well.” Deng Yuzhi gave him a tug and said, “Keep up.” Li Xuanfeng glanced toward Li Tongya, who was slowly walking out of the courtyard, and offered him a deep bow. Turning to his brothers Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanling, he said, “Please look after the affairs of the family. Do not worry about me.” Having lost his parents in his youth and his wife in his early years, this middle-aged man uttered only this single sentence. His eyes began to shine with brilliant light. It was as though all the years since the slaughter of Lixia Commandery had left him devoid of interest, but now, faced with slaughter and struggle—with the prospect of killing or being killed right before him—he felt a surge of eager excitement. “Brother!” While Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan stood frozen in the courtyard, still processing the shock of the news, Li Xuanfeng had already ridden the wind to follow Deng Yuzhi, soaring toward the north. Only then did Li Xuanxuan come back to his senses, blurting out in distress, “Uncle! This...!” Li Tongya waved his sleeve, pain written plainly across his face, and said softly, “Go and cultivate...” The men exchanged glances, then lowered their heads and dispersed. The wedding had already been nearing its end, and after this disturbance caused by the Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel, no one had any heart left for festivities. Guests took their leave one after another. After escorting Li Yuanjiao and Xiao Guiluan into the bridal chamber, Mount Lijing returned to its customary quiet and seclusion, with only the scattered litter on the ground preserving a faint trace of celebration. Only when the Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel swept across the horizon and its dazzling rosy light vanished completely did the entirety of Lake Wangyue sink once more into darkness and silence. *** “Reporting to the Envoy, everyone has been gathered!” Deng Yuzhi fell to his knees before Chi Zhiyan with a flattering smile. At the side, Yu Mugao looked completely dazed, as if trapped in a nightmare. Chi Zhiyan’s words continued to echo relentlessly in his mind. “Yu Mugao... Yu Yufeng was slain through the joint efforts of our Qingchi Sect and Xiao Chuting! Even your younger brother personally agreed to it!” “Muxian... personally agreed to it...?” Yu Mugao wore a bewildered expression. He had exchanged dozens of letters with Yu Muxian, yet the latter had not breathed a single word of this. Was it for fear of alerting the enemy, or did he simply not trust his own brother enough to tell him? Yu Mugao suddenly felt as if his blood brother within the sect had become a total stranger. He muttered something indecipherable under his breath. Taking in his pitiful state, Chi Zhiyan said impatiently, “In the future, don't bother cultivating any ‘Classic of the White-Headed Court Knocker’!” The group rode the wind back onto the Rosy Dawn Cloud Vessel, while the members of the Yu family fell to their knees in unison, crying out their deferential farewells. The intricate patterns along the vessel’s hull illuminated, unfurling wings of rosy light as it flew toward the southeast. Yu Mugao watched with his own eyes as the vessel disappeared between heaven and earth before slowly getting to his feet. He cocked his head to survey the people around him, all of whom kept their heads bowed in silence. Feeling not the slightest shame over his humble, obsequious display moments ago, he remained silent for a while before finally speaking: “Jiang Heqian... So it is an old feud from years past. Call back all the men deployed along the eastern shore.”