A streak of light flew out from Xianyou Peak, weaving through the wind. Li Yuanjiao took his leave of the Xiao clan members and picked up Li Ximing, drifting on the wind back toward home.
A howling wind cut through the void. The young man stood with hands clasped behind his back, clad in Daoist robes with a medicine pouch hanging at his waist, looking down upon the rolling mountains below. Ahead of him, Li Yuanjiao, dressed in black robes, quietly rode the wind and said in a heavy voice, “Only one portion of Golden Yang Huangyuan was gathered. Xijun has already decided to absorb the Cold Pine Snow Qi.”
“My younger brother has been wronged,” Li Ximing said.
His robes fluttered in the breeze as he gave a slight nod, gently fingering the jade bead, Qingxuan, in his hand. The corners of his mouth drooped as though burdened by many worries, his face showing little expression.
Li Yuanjiao was naturally suspicious. At a single expression from Li Ximing, dozens of thoughts churned through his mind. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable and uncertain of the youth's thoughts, he continued flying in silence.
The two remained speechless the entire way until Mount Lijing appeared beneath their feet.
Having been away for several years, Li Ximing still found the mountain below quite familiar. Once they entered the cave dwelling, Li Yuanjiao placed the jade box containing the Golden Yang Huangyuan and the talisman pill into his hands.
“Go to your father to collect the Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula.”
Li Ximing nodded in acceptance and said respectfully, “Ximing will certainly not fail your expectations!”
He slowly withdrew. Li Yuanjiao remained sitting blankly in the seat of honor, his fierce brows knitted tightly together. Only after quite a while did he exhale a long breath, his expression softening as he murmured, “Grown up... they've all grown up... Even before family, you conceal your joy and anger, revealing neither your thoughts nor your intentions. How can I possibly entrust the Li family to you?”
“In childhood, I thought Ximing was approachable and Xijun was cold and detached. Yet upon reaching adulthood, both wear unreadable masks... If anything, Xijun feels more warm-blooded and human.”
Regarding the affairs of the Xi-Yue generation, Li Yuanjiao had discussed them with Li Yuanping many times.
In terms of temperament and disposition, Li Xijun was the most outstanding. Li Ximing was also quite fine, but he was always inexplicably rigid and conventional, never displaying anything extraordinary, and at times even appearing rather dull.
Had it not been for Li Ximing possessing the greatest talent, along with an aptitude for alchemy and birth into the senior branch, the two of them might truly have considered placing the Li family into Li Xijun's hands.
Yet after deliberating back and forth, and seeing the close bond between the two brothers, as well as Li Ximing's gentle disposition and willingness to listen to counsel, they figured the brothers could support each other either way, and ultimately settled on Li Ximing.
Seeing his demeanor today, Li Yuanjiao assumed that after several years away, he had grown distant from his own clan. Undoing his black robe, Li Yuanjiao felt only weariness. He peered into the small well inside the cave dwelling.
The clear, rippling water reflected a pair of fierce, harsh eyes. The distance between his brows was too narrow, giving him the look of a beast poised to devour anyone in sight. Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes at his reflection for a moment, then suddenly mused to himself, *When I was young, Father disliked me the most. He must have seen this very face and felt unnerved!*
He cast an indifferent glance, sat down cross-legged, and immersed himself in cultivation.
***
Meanwhile, Li Ximing made his way down the mountain, walking in silence for a time. The spiritual energy on Mount Lijing was far inferior to that of Xianyou Peak. Counting the years, he was already sixteen.
*The fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing. After consuming the talisman pill, I will reach the sixth layer. Spending two or three years to break through, I will become a Qi Refinement cultivator at eighteen.*
Back then, Xiao Yuansi had also entered Qi Refinement at twenty, yet he had endured until nearly sixty before breaking through to Foundation Establishment. Why his progress slowed to a crawl after Qi Refinement was something Li Ximing understood all too well:
*It was nothing more than the Xiao clan demanding that he concoct pills.*
The Xiao clan's ancestor, Xiao Chuting, had also been a Foundation Establishment alchemist in his day. Even with him shielding from the front, Xiao Yuansi had still been dragged down to such a degree. It was only because Xiao Yuansi was a gentle, honest gentleman that he had dutifully complied.
*What about me? In our clan, I am the only one. Once the alchemical fire is ignited, driven by clan interests, even if the family cares for me, there will hardly be any time left for my own cultivation... What's more...*
He had only just broken through the Yujing wheel and become able to ignite alchemical fire to refine pills when the clan's letter arrived right on his heels. Li Ximing desperately wished not to harbor suspicions, yet a chill gripped his heart nonetheless.
After walking slowly for a while, he saw someone who had long been waiting ahead. The youth stood holding a sword, endowed with sword-like brows and starry eyes—naturally Li Xijun.
Li Xijun had already consumed a talisman pill to condense the sixth wheel of Embryonic Breathing, making his cultivation a notch higher than Li Ximing's. Cradling his sword, he came forward and said softly, “Brother has returned home after so long, why do you look so downcast?”
Li Ximing stared at him in a daze. Suddenly, he produced the jade box with flowing golden patterns from his storage bag, thrust it into Li Xijun's hands, and said as if letting out a sigh of relief, “You take it instead!”
“Golden Yang Huangyuan?!”
Li Xijun was stunned. For several breaths, he could not utter a word before finally snapping, “Li Ximing! What madness has taken you?!”
Li Ximing looked much more relaxed and answered, “I have pondered this a great deal. The clan requires a supply of pills, and in the end, I must devote my time to alchemy. If so, wouldn't accepting this fourth-rank technique be a waste? Better to give this opportunity to you. I will practice a lesser technique and focus on alchemy from now on. Holding down the clan will be left to you.”
He paused, then continued, “I have seen many alchemists in various clans; more often than not, they are held back by the alchemical path. Reaching Foundation Establishment is an extreme rarity for them. I might as well do like Grandfather—specialize in drawing talismans and abandon all extravagant hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment...”
Li Xijun let out a cold laugh and retorted, “You certainly know how to draw comparisons!”
Fury surged within him. “Your grandfather had no hope of advancement, which was why he chose to focus on drawing talismans! But you? Your talent is clearly higher than any of ours, yet you talk about focusing solely on alchemy! Can a Qi Refinement alchemist be compared to a Foundation Establishment alchemist?!”
Li Xijun gritted his teeth and spoke bluntly, “You're just afraid! Li Ximing! How much hope has the clan placed in you, expecting you to be a figure like Xiao Chuting? Yet here you are, timid and hesitant, scheming a way out for yourself!”
Stunned by his roar, Li Ximing flushed slightly and retorted, “Yes, so what if I'm looking for a way out? Everything falls on me, everyone pins their hopes on me! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one bearing it! Do you really think anyone can just be a figure like Xiao Chuting? Cultivating at lightning speed while mastering profound alchemy at the same time—how could the world ever be so generous?! I only fear that on one hand I will refine pills, while on the other my cultivation will fall behind; when Foundation Establishment comes, my dao will perish and I will die, squandering this precious spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth for nothing! I might not even manage to remain a Qi Refinement alchemist!”
Li Xijun let out a breath, shoved the Golden Yang Huangyuan back into his chest, and said in a heavy voice, “Fine! Then come up the mountain with me, explain this yourself, and let Second Uncle decide!”
Clutching the jade box, Li Ximing slumped dejectedly to the ground, falling silent at last. Li Xijun also let out a long breath, slowly sat down beside him, and said gently, “Brother, you need not worry so much...”
“How can I not worry?!” Li Ximing stroked the jade box on his knees. His voice was faint and hollow as he whispered, “High Ancestor went from a mere mortal to Foundation Establishment in twenty years, and our great-grandfathers, the Three Lords, were heroes without exception. Every time I read the Clan History, they seem like divine beings, unbelievable to behold. In our youth, I always heard the elders remark that you were the most like our forebears—calm, composed, thorough in thought, unyielding in countenance, unmoved even when killing.”
Li Ximing raised his head and replied, “I learned to put on that same calm and composed guise, but in the end, it was merely an awkward imitation—drawing a tiger only to end up with a dog. You act with complete confidence; I merely borrow the tiger's might...”
He lowered his voice. “When I was ten, Father told me to kill someone, so I killed him. I knew full well what kind of person Father wanted me to be, but in private, I trembled so hard words failed me, yet I dared not show it. Later, when I went to the Xiao clan, I went down the mountain several times and was likewise led astray by wine and women, prompting Master Xiao to admonish me repeatedly... I thought that being a man of the Li clan, I would not succumb to such temptations, but...”
Li Ximing muttered, “In truth, what I feared was the Clan Rectory. I feared tarnishing Father's reputation. With the elders watching above, I behaved myself. But if something could be done without a trace, even I could not resist temptation.”
His expression turned flustered and panicked.
Li Xijun froze, his expression changing drastically. Finally unable to contain himself, he cut him off and asked urgently, “You... you lost your primordial yang?! That was the Xiao clan! That was the Xiao clan! Our fathers took every precaution, made countless calculations, and you actually... Did you leave behind any child?!”
Li Ximing silently shook his head, tear streaks already visible on his face, and answered, “I don't know.”
“You don't know?!”
Li Xijun shot up, his expression a storm of conflicting emotions. Gripping Li Ximing's sleeve, he was at a loss for words, then flung it away with force, saying coldly, “You don't know?! No wonder... No wonder!...”
Li Ximing jerked his head up as if kicked without warning, pleading anxiously, “Xijun! I... I am... No, listen to me.”
Scrambling clumsily against the ground, he rose to his feet, having lost all composure. He blurted out incoherent excuses, “I talked with Brother Cheng many times. We are not like you. Many of the words I said to Father were taught to me by Mother and the Eldest Madam! I am no great talent destined to revive the Li family... No... that's not it either...”
Looking at the silent Li Xijun before him, Li Ximing felt both remorse and dread, thinking to himself, *Alas, confessing is for the best! Better than continuing to put on this pretense forever...*
“You!”
Looking at his demeanor, Li Xijun suddenly recalled the night they had sat on the mountain talking freely about clan affairs. Thinking back carefully, he realized the other boy had always slyly agreed with whatever he said, maintaining an appearance of unbroken fraternal harmony so thoroughly that he had never noticed.
“No wonder you drank so eagerly back then! I thought it was your first time drinking and you simply had low tolerance, but you were just seeking to get drunk quickly to avoid giving yourself away! We never should have sent you to the Xiao clan!”
Seeing Li Xijun's fury, Li Ximing suddenly calmed down as if an immense burden had been lifted. Waving his hands repeatedly, causing the Qingxuan on his wrist to jingle frantically, he said softly and placidly, “Xijun... not everyone has your poise and mettle.”
Li Xijun closed his eyes in silence, looking cold and stern. Only after a long while did he say, “Make no more excuses. Come up the mountain with me, report everything that happened here to our elders, and let the clan decide.”
“All right.”
As the single word left Li Ximing's mouth, a heavy fist smashed into his face. Stars exploded before his eyes, and with a tearing rustle, his cap and outer robes were violently ripped away, leaving his hair disheveled and his appearance thoroughly humiliated and wretched.
The jade cap shattered against the ground, while his medicine pouch and storage bag tumbled about. Only a thin white undergarment remained clinging to his body.
Catching his breath, Li Ximing touched his nose and found fresh, bright blood. He heard Li Xijun say in a chilling voice, “Stripped of robes and crown to await punishment!”
***
*Buzz...*
The golden bowstring hummed faintly. The middle-aged man's large hand held a longbow covered in profound talismans, his long arm hanging down loosely.
In the distance, an eagle beast struggled in a pool of blood, its internal organs already shattered to pieces. The two men behind him scurried up ingratiatingly, fawning, “General, you truly live up to your title of 'Jingeng Astral String'! That arrow of yours was truly a blazing golden rainbow, arriving in the blink of an eye...”
Both men were from the Ning family, assigned there by Ning Hejing. Li Xuanfeng listened silently. Only when the cultivators below dragged the demonic beast over did he say in a raspy voice, “It is merely meddlers showering excessive praise to kill with flattery. There is no need to mention it again.”
Their flattery having backfired, the two could only change the subject with awkward smiles. Seeing a subordinate bring forward an eagle egg from the demonic creature, one said, “Congratulations, General! This Foundation Establishment beast actually laid an egg!”
Li Xuanfeng casually took it, rode the wind into the air, slung the bow across his back, and retrieved the jade tablet from his storage bag as he entered the city, calculating silently in his mind, *Ning Hejing gave me over a dozen minor merits to win me over. Combined with my hunting over this period, exchanging for a Suiyuan Pill should not be a problem. Counting the days, Yuanjiao might be approaching Foundation Establishment. If I can entrust Liu Changdie to carry it out...*
As soon as he touched down atop the city wall, people swarmed around him, cries of “General” rising one after another. Li Xuanfeng let a slight smile show and exchanged a few pleasantries with the crowd. Just then, a woman drifted down gracefully onto the wall.
She wore the green robe of an immortal sect disciple, embroidered with golden patterns on the sleeves—evidently a figure of Peak Master rank. Her eyebrows curved delicately and her eyes were gentle; she appeared no older than twenty.
Frightened into silence, the gathered clan cultivators dispersed in a swarm. Li Xuanfeng cupped his hands and asked, “May I ask which Peak Master stands before me? I am Li Xuanfeng.”
The woman said softly, “Ning Wan of Moon Lake Peak greets the general.”
Ning Wan was now a cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Having refined the Northern Wind of Pine Forests, she had forged the immortal foundation “Attuned to Pure Clarity.” As she moved, she carried a scent of pine—refreshing yet bitter.
Standing in the moonlight, she appeared otherworldly.
Li Xuanfeng kept his head bowed. Ning Wan said softly, “I have waited for quite some time. I did not expect the general to be so devoted to his duty. Please bathe and change your clothes, General; our True Person summons you.”
Li Xuanfeng froze slightly, his expression growing solemn. Baffled, he thought to himself, *True Person Yuansu... what is this about?*
He nodded and stepped back, changed into a fresh set of clothes, stowed his bow into his storage bag, and only then stepped out of the cave dwelling. Ning Wan was still waiting outside the courtyard, gently twirling a string of jade beads in her hands.
Seeing Li Xuanfeng emerge, she inclined her head slightly. As they rode the wind into the sky together, she asked out of the blue, “When did your noble clan migrate to Lake Wangyue? The great war back then took place right on the south shore, obliterating all living beings. It must have been within the past three hundred years.”
Ning Wan's topic was completely out of nowhere, catching Li Xuanfeng off guard. He replied, “According to our clan's records, it should have been after that great war three hundred years ago. The south shore's spiritual opportunity was severed for over two hundred years, and no one cared to visit, so we lived as mortals for three hundred years.”
“Oh?” Ning Wan offered a gentle smile, her willow-leaf brows curving as she murmured, “Where would one ever find mortals who produce Foundation Establishment cultivators for three generations and have spirit apertures everywhere? Fellow Daoist must be joking. If you attempt to brush off the True Person with such words, I fear you will face reprimand and trouble.”
Though spoken as gently as a breeze, those words detonated like thunder in his ears. Li Xuanfeng jerked his head up, his gaze locking directly onto Ning Wan's distinct, gentle, dark eyes.
Before achieving Foundation Establishment, Ning Wan had been renowned as the foremost beauty of Qingchi, the “Autumn Lake Fairy.” Those eyes were exceedingly lovely, yet Li Xuanfeng had no leisure to admire them.
*Is she warning me? Why? My clan has no ties with her—why would she help me?*
*What does Yuansu mean by this... Does he intend to investigate my clan's origins?!*
Chapter 368