Reawakening

The setting sun was like blood, and the surroundings sank into dim gloom. It was rare for Lake Wangyue to see evening fog, but tonight it was exceptionally thick—a murky gray where one could barely see five fingers spread before one's face. All was dead quiet; not a bird chirped or a sparrow called. Insects drooped listlessly to the earth, entirely motionless. Scarcely a soul walked the streets of Lijing Town. Across the ground, the blood-red remnants of sunset crawled along the seams between paving stones grid by grid. Even the roadside peddlers had grown weary, retiring early to their homes. A town of tens of thousands was as silent as if it were utterly deserted. Li Yuanping hurried up the mountain. His father and elder brother were already waiting at the summit, and every clan soldier before the courtyard had been cleared away. His elder sister, Li Qinghong, stood in the courtyard with her spear resting against her back, an intricate expression on her face. There was a hint of vindictive satisfaction in her look, yet her arms were wrapped tightly across her chest, betraying a subtle unease. It was the first time Li Yuanping had ever seen his sister like this, and doubt could not help but well up in his heart. "Elder Sister!" Stepping through the gate, Li Yuanping called out. Li Qinghong nodded to him without uttering a word, then pulled the courtyard gate shut behind him. *Clink, clack...* A crisp sound of clattering came to his ears. Li Yuanping walked slowly across the courtyard. In the rear yard, his elder brother Li Yuanjiao stood in silence. Their father, Li Xuanxuan, was crouched on the threshold, saying nothing, clutching a handful of bright red jade beads in his hand. The sky had grown ever darker. Li Yuanping had yet to develop spiritual sense and could barely make out what was in the yard. Forming a hand seal, he conjured a wisp of bright light, and pure white radiance flowed forth. "Elder Brother, what is..." Even as he asked, he slowly raised his head, only then discovering that another person stood before them. The figure's face was as smooth as jade with sharp, defined features. Cloaked in green robes, he stood like a cold, frozen statue. Li Yuanping's gaze drifted up slowly, locking straight onto a face streaked with two lines of bloody tears. *Clack.* A rustling cascade sounded against the ground as a blood-red bead struck his ankle. Li Yuanjiao's voice rose raspy beside his ear: "This is Qingchi Sect's Real Person Bu Zi. An hour ago, he descended upon our house. The moment he discovered our talisman pill, he ended up like this." Li Xuanxuan sat with his back to the two of them, holding a gourd and sipping the spiritual wine within. His face slightly flushed, he took over from Li Yuanjiao's words: "Your brother and I inspected him for a long time. Bu Zi most likely caught sight of that object... and was struck dead by sheer terror." *Struck dead by terror... struck dead by terror...* Their father's words echoed relentlessly in his ears. Li Yuanping stood frozen where he was, murmuring in a daze, "You mean to say... a Qingchi Real Person dropped dead in our home?!" A pale terror slowly crept into his face, and he blurted out in desperation, "Run! At the very least, we must send the younger generation away! This—" "No." Li Yuanjiao shook his head, his expression grim. Evidently, he had already thought this through. He said in a low voice, "The Qingchi Sect does not know of this yet, nor has his soul lamp in the sect gone out. Otherwise, Qingchi cultivators would have torn open the Great Void and arrived long ago, and our house would already have been razed to the ground!" If a Purple Palace cultivator of the Qingchi Sect died at Lake Wangyue, to what extremes would matters escalate? What was more, this Purple Palace master was of the direct Chi family lineage, the de facto authority of the Qingchi Sect... Not only would the Qingchi Sect erupt in total fury, but cultivators beyond the Purple Palace might even be disturbed. Even assuming that the Qingchi Sect had no Golden Core masters, and that most Purple Palace masters were too cunning to risk coming in person, if it were confirmed that Chi Buzi had died, countless figures would surely traverse the Great Void. Double-digit numbers of Foundation Establishment cultivators would likely be cast through the void, turning the entire Lake Wangyue upside down! Knowing full well the consequences, everyone fell silent. "Perhaps the Real Person is not dead yet," Li Qinghong suddenly spoke up. The others exchanged glances, then retreated together, shutting the small gate to the rear yard and each taking a seat or standing in the front courtyard. "Elder Brother." The moment they reached the front courtyard, Li Yuanping swiftly composed himself and said in a grave voice, "Whether the Real Person is dead or not, we must immediately dispatch the direct lineage and scatter them in all directions. While the Qingchi Sect has yet to react, we must preserve the spark of our family... "We can flee to the State of Wu and seize some small mountain or temple. Though we will lose everything we own here, at least we will keep our lives... Or we can go to the East Sea, using our family's strength to claim a tiny island and bide our time..." In a clear voice, Li Qinghong suddenly cut him off: "Once our Li family flees en masse, it will be tantamount to a confession, and Purple Palace cultivators will easily divine our trail! What is more..." A trace of sorrow showed on her face, and her voice softened as her vermilion lips parted: "Grandfather killed the Wrathful Mahasattva. It is only here in the State of Yue in Jiangnan, by Lake Wangyue, that cultivators of the Wrathful Aspect dare not come for revenge. If we leave this place, the Masters and Lianmins of the Wrathful Aspect lineage will surely swarm upon us like a pack of wolves... Forget a Lianmin; even a single Master would be enough to annihilate our clan!" Only then did Li Yuanping remember the scapegoat's burden that some unknown Purple Palace master had dumped upon their family. Suffocation seized his chest, and he gritted his teeth. "Then... could we seek refuge with the Xiuyue Sect? The three sects have always stayed out of each other's affairs. We are subjects of Qingchi; if we go to Xiuyue, how could they tolerate us?" Li Qinghong gripped her spear and shook her head slightly. "Under the Xiuyue Sect's domain... where could we find a foothold? We could only live as guests. A bunch of Qi Refinement cultivators like us is not something one or two immortal peaks can sustain." Li Yuanjiao remained silent for a long moment before sending a voice transmission with his magic power: "The Immortal Mirror possesses an exceedingly lofty status. I do not know if the one holding it can be divined. If not, there will be a chance of survival." The meaning behind his words was plain: one member of the Li family had to take the mirror and flee. Hearing this, Li Xuanxuan and the others fell into silence. "That is assuming Bu Zi is dead. If Bu Zi is still alive, after suffering such a loss at our hands, how could he ever spare us?" From the rear yard, the steady *drip, drip* of falling blood grew agonizingly irritating. Stroking his beard, Li Xuanxuan finally spoke: "Jiao'er, take the things and go. Do not worry about matters at home." Li Yuanjiao rubbed the longsword at his waist, struggling to find the words. Before he could speak, Li Xuanxuan continued: "We will deal with the rest. Your cultivation is the highest, and your cultivation method does not draw attention. Take the Qingchi Sword with you, and the vast world will be yours to roam. Find a place to enter secluded cultivation and break through to Foundation Establishment..." Li Yuanjiao clenched his teeth. Weighing the options over and over, countless thoughts spun through his mind, and his grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles turned white. The courtyard fell utterly still, so quiet that panic began to brew in the chest. The night sky was pure and bright, white moonlight drifting down. Li Yuanjiao raised his head to look at his family, but the expression on his face suddenly froze. There had been no sound or movement around them for a long time. His father, Li Xuanxuan, stood rooted to the spot pinching his beard, his pupils dilated wide. Sweat poured down Li Yuanping's face, streaming down along his neck. Li Qinghong stood as still as a statue, the Duruo spear in her hand devoid of any glow, resting silently in her grip. Her slender fingers had turned pale from clenching so hard, and beads of sweat dotted the bridge of her delicate nose. *Why is it so quiet?!* *Creak...* Under the snow-white moonlight, the gate to the rear yard was pushed slowly open. A pale hand braced against the doorframe, and a drape of green robes hung down, strikingly pale beneath the moonlight, seemingly shimmering with luster. *Clatter...* Across the ground of the rear yard, a scatter of red jade beads clattered outward, gently rolling over the stone pavers of the front courtyard. *Tap.* It was the sound of a footstep.