Bu Zi

Qingchi Sect, Qingsui Peak. The small attic at the mountain summit had changed masters several times, yet it still stood quietly amid the snow. As the golden sun leaped above the horizon, casting radiant light in all directions, a youth in green robes sat cross-legged within the pavilion, quietly inhaling and exhaling. Time flew by. More than a year had passed since Li Xizhi followed Yuan Tuan to cultivate on the peak. Spiritual energy was dense on Qingsui Peak; having only broken through to the third layer of Embryonic Breathing before arriving at Qingsui, he was already preparing to break through to the fourth wheel of Embryonic Breathing. *Creak.* Yuan Tuan appeared to have just returned to the mountain. Her attire was neat and practical, her cuffs bound tightly. Peering into the attic, she saw Li Xizhi cultivating quietly as usual and could not help but nod in approval. "Xizhi is well-behaved as always." This year, Yuan Tuan had taken on another disciple, forced upon her by the Yuan family. Though she harbored some resentment toward the clan, she had still accepted the boy; he was mischievous and willful, however, and unlikely to amount to much. The green blade hanging quietly on the wall was the very one Li Chijing had once used. Yuan Tuan's gaze lingered upon it for a while. Li Xizhi finally roused from his meditation, hurriedly rising to his feet and greeting her respectfully: "Master! You have returned." Yuan Tuan nodded and asked, "How is your cultivation in the sword Dao progressing?" "The sword ray is formed, but there is still some distance before I reach sword qi." Li Xizhi answered with a touch of distress, looking heavily pressured as he replied, "People in the sect constantly come seeking me out by reputation, demanding to spar with me. Had Master not locked the mountain gates before leaving, I would likely have suffered quite a bit." Yuan Tuan smiled faintly. "The Xiao family came under attack. A few days ago, I made a trip back to the Xunlin Plain and settled a few matters, which put my mind somewhat at ease. Right now chaos reigns everywhere and demonic cultivators are running amok; staying outside for too long is ill-advised after all." Back then, Yuan Tuan had managed to hold out alone on Qingsui Peak, carving out a path to survival and breaking through to Foundation Establishment; her sense of circumstances and powers of observation were naturally razor-sharp, so she had hurried back without delay. "How fares the Xiao family?" After all, his mother Xiao Guiluan was of the Xiao family, making them his maternal clan, so Li Xizhi naturally cared deeply and promptly inquired. "They are fine," Yuan Tuan answered, taking down the sword from the wall to toy with it. The blade gleamed with chilling light, yet moved obediently in her grasp. She continued, "Ancestor Chuting underestimated the murderous intent of the Three Sects and Seven Gates toward the Chen clan. He was schemed against by Tianyuan of the Jinyu Sect and trapped in the Eastern Sea, unable to return to aid them, so the Xiao family suffered a quiet setback of no small measure. "The Xiao family is our Qingchi's protective shield, and Ancestor Chuting's *Old Man on the Brook* is crucial; they dare not act rashly against them. Going through all that trouble was merely to kill Chen Taojing." Yuan Tuan's words were astonishing. Li Xizhi merely committed them to memory. Just as he was about to interject, Yuan Tuan changed the subject with a smile: "Your Li family should be fine. I was right by Guanyun Peak at the time, and used *Qingxuan Peak* to pray three blessings for that Li clansman—he should be your granduncle—at least preserving his life." Li Xizhi was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Thank you, Master!" "No need for that." The corner of Yuan Tuan's lips curved upward in a smile. "Mine is only a Dao foundation, not a divine ability. At most, it was a modest bit of assistance, hardly anything grand." Li Xizhi obediently offered some flattering words. Yuan Tuan seemed to be in high spirits, listening with visible satisfaction, when she suddenly asked: "Li Tongya is no longer among the living, is he?" Li Xizhi was still caught up in his joy; caught off guard by this sudden question, the hairs all over his body stood on end. Almost instantly, he answered: "I... Xizhi has heard no such thing..." Li Xizhi's wits could not be considered slow, but his physical reaction could not be faked. How could Yuan Tuan fail to notice? Staring straight at him, she sighed: "A pity." Li Xizhi quietly lowered his head, suppressing the unease in his heart. He was merely a youth of fourteen or fifteen; how could he deceive Yuan Tuan? By the time he gathered his thoughts, Yuan Tuan had already mourned for two breaths before speaking: "Had Li Tongya not died and joined forces with Chen Taojing, Guanyun Peak might well have been held... From now on, flaws and clues will only multiply. I hope your father can keep it hidden for a few more years." Seeing Li Xizhi's crestfallen look, Yuan Tuan comforted him, "No need to worry too much either. I heard that your granduncle Li Xuanfeng has already taken leave in Yishan City to enter seclusion and break through to Foundation Establishment. Once he emerges successful from seclusion, he will be quite the capable figure." When Yuan Tuan brought this up, Li Xizhi, who had kept certain questions bottled up for a long time, swiftly seized the opportunity and asked urgently: "Master! Is there any precedent for cultivators of outside surnames to be recalled from Yishan City? If so, how can they be transferred back?" Yuan Tuan paused slightly, a contemplative look crossing her face. She said softly: "In past years, the sect has drafted cultivators as well. If they are sect disciples, they usually return after ten or so years. Conscripted clan cultivators, however, generally cannot survive more than a few years... There have indeed been precedents for their release, generally after fifty to sixty years. If someone inside the sect uses their connections to plead on their behalf, they might just be allowed to return." Li Xizhi nodded thoughtfully. Yuan Tuan pondered for a few breaths, swallowed back words that ought not be spoken, and steered the conversation elsewhere. Calculating the timing, she asked softly: "Have you decided what qi to harvest to achieve Qi Refinement?" Li Xizhi fell silent for a long time. Thought after thought flickered through his mind, his heart thumping violently. Finally, with a calm smile, he replied: "Whichever technique within the sect has the most practitioners, that is the one this disciple shall cultivate." "Oh? And why is that?" Yuan Tuan gave him a deep look. Li Xizhi answered: "When more people cultivate it, perhaps the road is a smoother one." *Creak—* Before Yuan Tuan could reply, a creak echoed—the sound of the courtyard gate outside slowly opening. The expressions of both people in the attic shifted simultaneously. Li Xizhi frowned, while Yuan Tuan's face was stricken with sheer horror. Li Xizhi had yet to awaken spiritual sense and assumed his junior brother from the Yuan family had come upstairs to visit. But as Yuan Tuan's Foundation Establishment-level spiritual sense swept across the courtyard, she found only white snow drifting down; there was plainly no one there at all! *How is that possible?!* Shock convulsed Yuan Tuan's heart. To leave her completely unable to detect their presence, and to walk in and out of Qingsui Peak with such effortless ease, as though strolling through their own courtyard—there was only one kind of person capable of that: *A Purple Mansion Master?!* Yuan Tuan's expression warped, horror crashing over her like surging waves and toppling mountains. For an instant, the magic power throughout her body seized up, and only a few thoughts flickered across her mind... Their expressions differed, but the footsteps outside moved swift as the wind. In just two strides, the visitor reached the front of the attic, slipped off their shoes with a rustle, and strode in with utter nonchalance. *Rustle...* The bamboo curtain of the attic was swept open. In walked an exceptionally handsome cultivator clad in green robes, a piece of jade hanging at his waist. Though a broad smile was plastered across his face, his gaze was chillingly cold, piercing straight toward Li Xizhi. With Yuan Tuan locking the peak as peak master and the great array severing inside from outside, a Daoist in green had slipped in without a sound. Li Xizhi was gripped by profound dread. Just as he was about to call out and challenge the intruder, he found his entire body stiff and utterly unable to move. The scenery before his eyes dimmed to gray. With stiff gaze, Li Xizhi looked at his master's horrified expression, alarm bells blaring wildly in his heart. Through the last vestiges of his awareness, he saw Yuan Tuan's vermilion lips part and close, silently shaping the mouth movements of a name: "Bu Zi." *Bu Zi?*