Scarcely had Li Xuanfeng been dispatched to Nanjiang when Li Tongya's wife, Liu Rouxuan, having held on for only a few months, finally passed away on the mountain. Li Tongya remained at her bedside the entire time. Tears welled in Liu Rouxuan's eyes, and before she drew her last breath, the old woman stammered out her final words:
“Husband, you still have more than two hundred years of lifespan ahead. I hope you will take another wife. After I pass, there is no need to show undue favor to the Liu clan, lest kindness invite calamity.”
Li Tongya sat quietly beside the bed, speaking a few gentle words, but the breath of life had already departed from Liu Rouxuan. Her son, Li Xuanling, wailed in grief before the bed. Li Yuanyun, who had been in Eastern Shanyue, and Li Qinghong, who had been stationed at Mount Yuting, also hurried back to the mountain, weeping in silence at the bedside.
Liu Rouxuan's face bore none of the youthful beauty and tenderness of the past, when she had asked Li Tongya in the small courtyard, “Do you cherish me?” In death, her eyes were vacant, her lips stiff, and deep wrinkles etched across her face. Only those withered hands still held fast to Li Tongya's, refusing to let go even in death.
Grief fell over the entire Lijing Li family, draped everywhere in white mourning silk. The Liu clan was gripped by even greater panic. For decades, the Liu clan had produced no capable talent; its mansions were filled with decadent scions whose minds were consumed entirely by pleasure.
Now that Liu Rouxuan was gone, the Liu clan was stricken with terror. Everywhere, people cried out, “Clan Grandmother is gone!” and “Great-Grandmother has passed!” When Liu Rouxuan's dying words were carried down the mountain, they stomped their feet in frantic distress, and some even muttered bitter grievances.
Li Tongya laid Liu Rouxuan to rest. Looking upon the Li family juniors who had returned to the mountain, he unhooked Jiaopanying from his waist, its magical light rippling across the scabbard, and spoke gently:
“From now on, I will enter secluded cultivation and shall not emerge for years, perhaps even decades. Leaving this magical sword with me would only let it gather dust in vain. It is better placed in your hands.”
“Yuanjiao!”
Hearing his name, Li Yuanjiao quickly raised his head and stepped forward, receiving the magical sword with both hands. Li Tongya said softly:
“Among all the juniors, you possess the highest talent in the sword dao. Take this magical sword and use it.”
How could Li Yuanjiao have imagined that Li Tongya would give this sword to him rather than to his own son, Li Xuanling? Deeply moved, he was about to decline, but Li Tongya simply waved a hand and guided him back down, continuing:
“You are the eldest brother now. Look after your younger brothers and sisters, and do not let me down.”
Then he turned to Li Xuanxuan. After a moment's contemplation, he untied a storage bag from his waist, tossed it into his hands, and said:
“I have reviewed the tribute required of a prominent family. It is far beyond what our Li family can currently afford. Next year we must pay the tribute for these five years. Inside are some magical artifacts and spiritual items I have collected over the years. Take them to the market to sell off and plug this hole.”
Li Xuanxuan respectfully assented. Li Tongya continued:
“This cannot be a lasting solution. In the past, I made a quiet move at the Guanyun Peak market; a small shop wished to seek refuge under our Li family. Go there at once, get everything in order, and open a path for our family to earn spirit stones.
“You have crafted so many talismans over the years—take them along to sell as well. Since you have no heart for advancement in cultivation, you shall oversee that post from now on, drawing talismans and cultivating there. Leave the household affairs to the juniors.”
Li Xuanxuan showed no discontent, simply nodding in assent. Li Tongya then instructed Li Xuanling:
“In your spare time from cultivation, assist your elder brother more.”
Seeing everyone below nod in agreement one by one, Li Tongya stood straight and said gently:
“Cultivate diligently, and care deeply for your fellow clansmen.”
“Yes!”
The juniors chorused in agreement. Before the sound had even faded, Li Tongya's figure had already vanished. Li Xuanling wiped his tears and exchanged a look with Li Xuanxuan; without delay, the two immediately rode the wind toward Guanyun Peak.
The members of the Yuan-Qing generation gathered together, shared a few words of mutual encouragement, and then went their separate ways down the mountain. The lights on Mount Lijing flickered, while brilliant morning light rose from the horizon, sweeping across every corner of the Li family's lands. Plumes of cooking smoke drifted up from the rooftops below the mountain. A new day had arrived on schedule.
***
Eastern Shanyue.
Eastern Shanyue was filled with mountains and ridges and sparse in farmland, hardly an ideal place to sustain common folk, though minor peaks and small veins were plentiful. Li Yuanjiao had ranged through the region for months, surveying the veins and spiritual energy from west to east, until he finally found a fairly good little mountain.
“Mount Wutu.”
Li Yuanjiao rode the wind upward, drew a light circle on the map in his hands, calculated the travel time, and examined the leylines and spiritual energy. Nodding slowly, he landed back at the mountain's base.
At the foot of the mountain stood an elegant, dignified woman, her phoenix eyes radiant and spirited, her dress flowing softly. In her hand she held a young boy who looked about five or six years old, clever and good-looking, peeking and craning his head to look around. As soon as Li Yuanjiao touched down, the boy hopped eagerly and cried:
“Father! This mountain looks like a bird!”
This boy was Li Yuanjiao's legitimate son, Li Xizhi. Now just over four years old, clever and endearing, he was deeply adored by Li Yuanjiao and his wife.
“Hahahaha!”
Li Yuanjiao laughed heartily. Beside him, Xiao Guiluan asked softly:
“How is it?”
“The spiritual energy of the leylines is quite sufficient, no worse than Mount Lijing, and among the very best within Eastern Shanyue,” Li Yuanjiao answered, then added, “According to the past records of spiritual field surveys, the spiritual fields on Mount Wutu are fertile and intact. We won't find a better place in Eastern Shanyue.”
“Then let it be here...”
A faint tinge of worry lingered between Xiao Guiluan's brows as she whispered, “The tribute demanded of a prominent family is too heavy. The household suffers losses year after year, so we can delay no longer.”
Li Yuanjiao was silent for a moment before nodding. “Indeed.”
Five years flashed by in an instant. Over these five years, the lake remained relatively tranquil. The Yu family had relinquished their tribute and control over the clans on the eastern shore, retreating into Milin Commandery without making a move. The Li family quietly assimilated Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting, keeping very quiet for a time.
During these five years, Li Qinghong and Li Yuanjiao broke through to Qi Refinement one after another, and most of the Yuan generation had children of their own. The children of Li Yuanjiao's concubine-born brothers had all turned seven, but their talents left much to be desired; even those with spirit apertures showed little promise, making Li Yuanjiao shake his head in dismay.
Li Xuanxuan had spent years at the market without returning. Reluctant as he was, Li Yuanjiao had no choice but to take over household affairs and serve as acting family head.
Xiao Guiluan held Li Xizhi in her arms while Li Yuanjiao took to the wind with them. The two looked at each other, and Xiao Guiluan said:
“There is one matter I must tell you, Husband. I spoke with people from Yushan; they need to forge magical artifacts and will likely have use for our family's Qingwu ore. If we can supply the full quota, getting a premium of ten to twenty percent won't be an issue.”
Li Yuanjiao's eyes lit up, and he rejoiced:
“Splendid! If this succeeds, it will add another share to our earnings, and we won't need to draw as much from the clan treasury to cover the quota.”
Ever since the Yu family declined on the lake, a tripartite balance had formed across the waters. The Li family's greatest trouble had instead become the tribute owed to the Qingchi Sect. The tribute demanded of a prominent family was more than ten times what it had been when they were a Qi Refinement clan, far higher than the Li family's income back then.
It was only because Li Tongya, as a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator, was unlike the likes of Yu Yufeng and never demanded supplies or resources that Li Yuanjiao had not been forced to sell off the family to sustain him. Even so, Li Yuanjiao fretted daily over the household's deficit. Hearing now that Xiao Guiluan had found a way to earn spirit stones, he could not help but shower her with praise.
Seeing Xiao Guiluan smile without answering, Li Yuanjiao paused, the corners of his lips curling up as he chuckled:
“That fellow Xiao Xian—he belongs to the Yushan branch of the Xiao family, doesn't he?”
“Heh.”
Xiao Guiluan had assisted Li Yuanjiao in managing the household for five years, and the two lived in harmonious accord. She let out a soft chuckle now, her phoenix eyes blinking gently as she said fondly:
“The drinker's desire isn't for the wine! That Xiao Xian runs to our Lijing Town month after month just looking for an excuse to see Qingxiao. Now that the Yushan branch has sent him to handle this matter, the boy must be beside himself with joy.”
Chapter 273