Departure

When the Shejiao Fruit had completely dissolved in the cauldron, melting into a streak of cinnabar-red medicinal liquid that hovered above the alchemy fire, Xiao Yuansi produced several supplementary herbs and tossed them into the cauldron one by one. He then continually refined them with the alchemy fire. After roughly two hours, when the thin mist in the mountains had cleared and the dew had evaporated completely, eight pale-red spirit pills were spat out from the spout of the cauldron. With a pinch of an incantation gesture from Xiao Yuansi, the eight pills rose into the air and landed in his palm, which glowed with white light. Producing eight small white jade bottles, he bottled the pills one by one, keeping two for himself and handing the rest to Li Xiangping and Li Tongya. He explained: "These Sheyuan Pills should likewise be kept in jade bottles and preserved with care. Only unstop the cork when taking them. If they are not kept airtight, their medicinal potency will gradually disperse, wasting a pill for nothing." "If kept well-sealed, they can last for around twenty years, so there is no need to worry." The two naturally agreed and carefully put them away. Only then did Li Tongya exchange a glance with Li Xiangping, retrieve three bottles of Sheyuan Pills, and say, "May I trouble the Immortal Master to take these three bottles of spirit pills to our younger brother, so that he may cultivate well?" "Very good. Your Li family values affection and loyalty. I shall certainly deliver them." Xiao Yuansi nodded approvingly as he accepted the three jade bottles. Cupping his hands, he remarked with visible emotion: "It has only been a few years since the Li family stepped onto the path of immortality, so your foundation remains somewhat shallow. The arts of alchemy, formations, and artifact crafting within the clan must have inheritors, and you should take in more people with spirit apertures into the clan, so that you do not fade away after a few generations... There are no powerful cultivation clans along Lixia Road or Guli Road; your Li family must seize this opportunity." "For hundreds of years in Lixia Commandery, countless clans have risen abruptly only to perish within a few generations. As an established clan of the commandery, my Xiao family has watched so many banquets begin and end, so many towers rise and fall. Your Li family must strive hard..." Xiao Yuansi's words came straight from the heart, moving Li Tongya deeply. He let out a long sigh: "What the Immortal Master says is very true. We two brothers started from scratch. Today, there are only twenty or thirty descendants of the Li surname, and the collateral Ye branch barely numbers two or three hundred people. Jing'er cultivates alone in the sect, yet we can provide him with almost no cultivation resources." Seeing Li Tongya sighing continuously, Xiao Yuansi frowned slightly and murmured, "My alchemy attainments were passed down within the sect, and I have sworn the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath. The recipe for the Sheyuan Pill cannot be disclosed outside either. You might look around in the market; perhaps you will find something there." Hearing this, Li Xiangping, who had waited beside them for some time, hastily asked, "May I ask the Immortal Master, this Xuanjing Spiritual Oath..." Xiao Yuansi paused for a moment before explaining, "Clans and sects alike use this Xuanjing Spiritual Oath to pass down secret arts. The caster swears upon their Xuanjing Wheel, the oath moving with their heart. If one breaks the oath, their Xuan Scenery shatters, their cultivation pours out like water, and in mere moments they regress to a mortal. Their vitality decays and their spirit is exhausted until they die in fulfillment of the oath." "This Xuanjing Spiritual Oath is of immense use for passing down heritage. I wonder what the price..." Li Tongya quickly chimed in, but Xiao Yuansi waved a hand to cut him off: "It is just a worthless little trick that everyone knows. I will write it down for you." He then took paper and brush, set brush to paper, and finished writing in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. He softly cautioned: "However, there is one thing to note. This spiritual oath is not the luminous Heavenly Dao that perceives all things. If used to keep incantations or secrets safe, it will do, but if you hope to prevent someone from harboring malice, it is of little use." "After all, even the Heavenly Dao struggles to distinguish the good and evil within human nature. What could a mere spiritual oath know?" "Thank you for the guidance, Immortal Master! Our Li family will remember this kindness!" The two hastily expressed their gratitude. The heavy stone of wariness that had long weighed on Li Xiangping's heart finally fell away, and he felt much lighter, musing to himself: *With this Xuanjing Spiritual Oath, the final link is complete. Once those two children cultivate the Xuanjing Wheel and swear the oath, we can use them without worry.* Xiao Yuansi accepted the reply letter Li Xiangping handed him, stowed his cauldron, and summoned his flying shuttle. He chuckled softly: "My junior brother has good cultivation talent and average innate bone structure, but in the Dao of swordsmanship, his talent is exceptional. You have no need to worry." "Everyone, until fate brings us together again!" With that, he mounted the flying shuttle and soared into the sky amid their expressions of gratitude. Once Xiao Yuansi was far away, Li Xiangping carefully tucked the remaining three bottles of pills into his robes and smiled at Li Tongya. "Jing'er truly has a good senior brother." Li Tongya nodded. While memorizing the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath, he handed the jade slip to Li Xiangping, gesturing for him to take a look. Li Xiangping hastily took the jade slip and lightly unrolled it. Looking at the dense, tiny fly-head characters on the slip, he froze. Having barely read a few dozen words, he muttered in utter bewilderment: "This is what counts as 'not difficult'?" *** Li Xuanxuan was absentminded in class, staring blankly as Han Wenxu spoke eloquently at the front. Han Wenxu was nearly fifty years old, with white hair creeping over his temples. In his twenties, he had been an apprentice at a pharmacy in the commandery. In a fit of rage, he had killed someone and had no choice but to flee into Mount Dali to hide. For over twenty years, he had treated the villagers' illnesses and taught the children, living a reasonably comfortable life. Looking down at the children studying earnestly, Han Wenxu smiled a little more. He had neither sons nor daughters in his life, but he had raised the children of the Li family. Those who grew up in his academy were no different from his own nephews and nieces. "Hmm? Mist is rising?" Seeing a thin layer of mist at his feet, Han Wenxu thought with some unease, *Why would mist rise at this hour...* Below the platform, though drowsy, Li Xuanxuan had sharp eyes. He suddenly gave a start, tugged at the sleeve of Li Xiewen, who was also nodding off beside him, and whispered: "Brother Wen! Look out the window." Li Xiewen hastily looked out and saw dense layers of gray mist swirling outside the window. Growing uneasy, he whispered in reply: "Brother, what is going on?" "This mist is too strange. The elders of my family are at the mountaintop. You and I should tell the teacher and go up the mountain together to inform them." Li Xuanxuan was not yet six years old, yet he already spoke with the bearing of an eight- or nine-year-old child. His small brow furrowed as he spoke solemnly. As Li Xuanxuan was speaking, his granduncle Liu Linfeng entered the academy and whispered something to Han Wenxu. Han Wenxu nodded repeatedly, then announced: "Children, pack up your clothes and bedding. Starting today, you will have three days off." The two boys exchanged a glance, then amidst the cheers of the children, they quickly went to pack their clothes and bedding. Having informed Han Wenxu, Liu Linfeng sat on the steps in front of the building waiting for the children. Feeling an itch in his mouth, he reached into his robes for his pipe. As he raised his head, he caught a faint glimpse of a furtive figure poking its head out from the mist, crouching in the woods and peering in secret. Frightened, Liu Linfeng leaped up from the ground. His prized pipe struck the ground, snapping at the stem. With no time to grieve over it, he shouted tremulously: "Who's there?!"