True Person Yuansu's cave dwelling was built simply. It appeared to be made of plain bluestone without any magnificent adornments, save for a bronze beast crouching before the entrance, neither wolf nor tiger, curled into a tight coil.
Ning Wan walked ahead, and the two entered the cave dwelling together. True Person Yuansu was seated high above in the seat of honor, holding a tiny, pale-golden seal in his hand and gazing at it absentmindedly.
This was the first time Li Xuanfeng had ever laid eyes on a Purple Mansion cultivator. True Person Yuansu possessed a rounded, gentle countenance devoid of intimidating aura and looked to be barely in his twenties. One hand rested lazily upon his knee, entirely at ease.
All around, white vapors drifted and swirled without cease. The spiritual qi was astonishingly dense; perhaps scooping a handful and refining it slightly would yield a wisp of Xiaoqing spirit qi. Around their ankles, the air felt icy and refreshing, likely due to some manner of natural spirit water.
Yuansu wore light armor, and beside him lay a halberd flat. Both shimmered with a pale golden glow as he lifted his eyes toward them.
"Li Xuanfeng / This junior pays respects to the True Person!"
True Person Yuansu merely uttered a faint grunt of acknowledgment and gave no further reaction.
The azure cave dwelling was surrounded on all four sides by bare rock. Lines of characters were carved across the stone, obscured by spiritual qi condensed into mist so that their contents could not be read clearly, revealing only countless smudged strokes of varying depths.
Yuansu did not keep the two waiting long. After a brief pause, he asked, "Wan'er, the radiance in the Great Void has dissipated. That person should have already taken rebirth, perhaps somewhere between Yufu Commandery and Lin'an Commandery. Have people keep an eye out, and ensure no conflict arises under any circumstances."
"This junior understands!"
Ning Wan gave a slight nod, and Yuansu added, "Arrange well the play of returning north while exorcising demons and defending the Dao. Do not let him break the golden nature linked to him. Deliver him back safely, and that will be the end of it."
Li Xuanfeng listened quietly to their exchange, remaining silent while committing every word to memory and pondering it within his heart. Only then did Yuansu turn his gaze toward him and ask in a mild voice, "Did Li Mutian forge an immortal foundation? What kind of immortal foundation did he forge?"
The topic came abruptly, but fortunately Li Xuanfeng had received Ning Wan's prior hint and had deliberated over it for a long time on the way. At this moment, he showed little panic and replied, "The matter of Foundation Establishment was merely a rumor. My late grandfather was nothing more than a mortal. Back then, our family's power was weak, so we deliberately let the rumors spread simply to borrow their prestige."
Yuansu nodded and murmured, "A mortal fathering four sons, three of whom possessed spirit apertures, is no coincidence. Do you know why?"
The most critical question was finally laid upon the table. Li Xuanfeng was well aware of the methods and arts available to a Purple Mansion cultivator. He nodded and opted to retreat in order to advance, answering, "May the True Person see clearly. My family has been troubled by this for a long time as well. We often wondered whether we were descendants of some Purple Mansion master, and upon hearing that the inheritor of the Immortal Mansion shared the surname Li, we even wondered whether there was any kinship between us."
Such a topic was practically taboo. It startled Ning Wan so much that she could not help casting a sidelong glance at him. Li Xuanfeng, however, did not bat an eye, his tone steady and composed as though he were merely discussing an ordinary, trivial matter.
"Oh?"
True Person Yuansu chuckled, shooting him a smiling glance before replying, "Donghua Li Jiangqun?! You certainly dare to dream!"
He waved a hand and said softly, "Eight or nine out of ten Li and Cui clans in the world originate from Wei. By precedent, yours is most likely derived from the Li clan of the State of Wei back then, and second to that would be the Tanshan Li clan of the State of Wu. The Li clan accomplished great deeds in the near-ancient era and left behind no small amount of bloodlines."
"As for True Person Donghua…"
True Person Yuansu glanced into Li Xuanfeng's gray eyes and smiled. "True Person Donghua hailed from the State of Ning, renowned for turning drops of blood into sweet osmanthus and falling tears into frost. If your family could claim kinship with him, how could you be in your current state?"
Even so, Yuansu paused before gently saying, "Step forward."
Li Xuanfeng took a step forward. Yuansu placed one hand on his shoulder while forming an incantation gesture with the other. Multi-colored light flowed from his fingers, and Li Xuanfeng felt a sharp prick at his fingertip as a drop of blood welled out.
The blood rolled and leaped, spinning continuously within the multi-colored light until it transformed into a radiant beam of golden light. Only then did Yuansu speak:
"Indeed, it is the Wei Li. Your Dao lineage must have been severed long ago…"
Yuansu was a Purple Mansion cultivator; that he would spend this much effort on such an inquiry was already extraordinary. With a wave of his sleeve, he dispersed the spell and murmured, "Your family is indeed a remnant of the Wei Li…"
He paused for two breaths, and then a look of sudden enlightenment swept over him, as though he had just solved a puzzle that had perplexed him for ages. His doubts instantly vanished, and he laughed. "No wonder those bald donkeys are always giving your Li family trouble! So that was the reason! The Hu and Jie barbarians destroyed Wei and took dominion over the north, destroying the Zhaoyuan Immortal Mansion. This clan hatred and blood feud naturally makes the finest medicine of destiny!"
"It must be a remnant from the main branch of the Wei Li!"
Having lived for hundreds of years, Yuansu had grown weary of most worldly pleasures. Now that he had unraveled the cause and effect, he felt immense satisfaction and said with a beaming smile, "What a fine scheme! With such a design, I fear even those bald donkeys cannot comprehend why destiny lies with you! Wrathful only knows to slay the whale, yet has no idea where this whale came from."
"If not for a move I made at whim, who could have stumbled upon this? Utilizing Mingyang golden nature to entangle for a thousand years—a thousand-year layout, this is what a great cultivator does! This is what it means to be a Golden Core cultivator!"
Li Xuanfeng understood only half of it, but at least the crisis had been averted. Yuansu, however, had grown excited, pacing back and forth before sighing with a touch of regret. "No wonder Xiao Chuting played his pieces like this. If this man isn't some old fellow cultivating anew, he is truly a formidable junior!"
Ning Wan was likewise shaken by Yuansu's lapse of composure. With her broader knowledge, she faintly pieced together part of the truth.
'Could this be related to Wrathful Mahasattva?!'
A partial understanding was often the most terrifying. Ning Wan felt a chill run down her spine, a profound fear welling up within her heart.
'Is this the handiwork of a Golden Core cultivator? Even when surrounded and killed, he could still leave behind hidden preparations to outcalculate a Ninth-Generation Mahasattva a thousand years later!'
A deep chill gripped her heart, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness arose within her toward that person above—True Monarch Lushui Wuyuan Fuyu.
'The schemes of the three True Monarchs of the State of Yue—who could possibly interfere?'
Li Xuanfeng stood quietly at the side, straining to gather information, and gradually began to understand a portion of it as well. But the True Person before him had no intention of saying more. Seemingly certain that the family was of the Wei Li, he slapped Li Xuanfeng firmly on the shoulder and smiled. "Li Xuanfeng, since you haven't married yet, why not take a wife from my Ning family?"
Li Xuanfeng instantly froze. Before he could speak, True Person Yuansu narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "Don't go thinking about Wan'er. She has the potential for the Purple Mansion, whereas your path ahead will be difficult."
Seeing his expression, Li Xuanfeng knew this was an offer he could not refuse. Yuansu said softly, "Hemian is quite good. Get it done quickly; do not delay."
***
The Li family, Mount Lijing.
The small courtyard atop the mountain was eerily quiet. The moonlight, white as frost, bathed the ground.
Li Ximing, dressed in white robes, knelt quietly on the stone floor. One of his cheeks was heavily swollen, bruised purple and red.
Li Yuanjiao sat astride the seat above with his saber resting across his knees, his expression dark and gloomy. His naturally fierce features were twisted with a mixture of shock and fury, looking as though he might devour someone at any moment.
Unlike the silent, simmering wrath of his granduncle Li Tongya, Li Yuanjiao's fury blazed directly from his eyes. Whenever he grew tense, a palpable menace would bare its fangs across his face.
Li Qinghong had arrived long ago, standing silently with a face as cold as frost. Li Ximing dared not raise his head.
Only after dozens of breaths did hurried footsteps sound outside the door. Li Yuanping pushed open the door and entered. His face was terribly pale, his chest aching with grief, yet he did not utter a single word, merely taking his place quietly at the side.
Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes, forcibly suppressing his rage, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Ping, was this the work of the 'Old Man on the Creek'?"
Without a shred of color in his face, Li Yuanping bowed his gaunt frame and said in a heavy voice, "There was no need for that. Besides… isn't the talisman seed still intact?"
Li Yuanjiao shook his head slowly, his heart heavy with vexation. He had been preparing for secluded cultivation when he was abruptly jolted awake. For his junior to have brought himself to such a state—how could it not torment him? He could only chide himself in regret:
'I can only blame myself for focusing on cultivation day in and day out, failing to see clearly into the younger generation! I thought he was someone disciplined and restrained, so I carelessly sent him off to the Xiao family… It's my fault, all my fault!'
Not knowing whether a child had been left behind at the Xiao clan, Li Yuanjiao felt a deep dread:
'Losing one's primordial yang is not that big of a deal in itself; there is no lack of precedent for young men indulging themselves a few times… But… what if he left an heir outside…'
'Ximing is the eldest legitimate son of the elder branch, and this child is also the eldest of the entire elder branch. If he has no children in the future, he is truly the sole seedling of the elder branch. Even if he does have children later, he carries the clan system and orthodoxy upon his shoulders…'
The courtyard fell dead silent. Li Yuanping slowly sat down to the side and whispered, "Why not…"
Before Li Yuanping could finish, Li Yuanjiao raised a hand to cut him off. Glancing at Li Ximing, he answered, "Let us speak inside."
The three entered the rear courtyard, and Li Yuanping said quietly, "Why not strip this child of his status according to clan rules and expel him from the main lineage, just to be safe?"
"Out of the question!"
Li Yuanjiao's expression shifted, and he muttered in a low voice, "You have only this one son beneath your knees. Do you intend to sever the elder branch's line of descent?!"
"We can adopt an heir."
Li Ximing was his own flesh and blood, yet Li Yuanping spoke without the slightest mercy. Though his face showed no emotion, his hands trembled faintly. Li Yuanjiao shook his head and replied:
"When all is said and done, it was merely a youth coveting pleasure. The punishment should not be too severe. Since he has sincerely repented, strip him of his status as young patriarch, and let everything else remain as before."
Li Yuanjiao's face remained hidden in the deep shadows as he spoke in a low voice, "This matter should not be punished harshly; it is best handled gently. Did he not fear being torn between cultivation and clan affairs? The Golden Yang Huangyuan will still be given to him, and before he reaches Foundation Establishment, he will not be burdened with much alchemy work."
Listening to this punishment that seemed almost no punishment at all, Li Yuanping slowly raised his head and murmured, "Then the position of young patriarch?"
"Let Xicheng try it."
The moment Li Yuanjiao's words fell, Li Yuanping's expression changed several times. He hissed in a low voice, "Elder Brother… that is the path to chaos!"
Li Yuanjiao shook his head and gritted his teeth. "For now, this is all we can do!"
A sudden flush of crimson rushed to Li Yuanping's cheeks, and he said in a strained voice, "And what about after Xicheng? Does it belong to the elder branch or the second branch! Once this precedent is set, it will be the beginning of schism!"
Li Yuanjiao answered hoarsely, "What else would you have us do? Turn Ximing, our family's genius in the Dao of alchemy, into an enemy filled with resentment?!"
Li Yuanping looked fierce and desperate, snarling, "And what if he is? At worst, I will cripple his cultivation!"
Driven to this point as a father, two trails of tears rolled down Li Yuanping's cheeks, leaving him choked for words. Li Yuanjiao stood up from the shadows, the moonlight falling once more across his face. The black-robed young man said:
"Ximing received the talisman seed! He has read the Inner History!"
The two brothers fell silent together. Beside them, Li Qinghong, having listened for a long while, finally spoke:
"How about this."
"For now, let us absolve him under the premise that he may have been bewitched by a divine ability. That will keep the child from drowning in self-reproach while calming everyone's hearts. Punishing him too harshly would do no good in the end."
"Set this offense aside for now and act as if nothing happened. Explain it clearly to Ximing—treat it entirely as though he were bewitched by a divine ability."
The anger in Li Yuanping's chest subsided slightly, and he murmured, "Eldest Sister wants to act as if nothing happened, but it is hard to say what the Xiao family thinks. Furthermore… now that this has happened, how can we entrust him with responsibility!"
Li Qinghong answered, "Employing someone who has committed a fault is often better than employing someone based on past merit. He is of our Li bloodline; he may be foolish for a time, but he will not remain foolish for a lifetime. Let us observe him for now. Xicheng was dull in his youth, yet today he has grown into a benevolent and capable leader. Who can say for certain?"
"As for future troubles, a few encounters with wine and women may not have left anything behind. Elder Brother and I are in the prime of our years, and with the Xuan Light guarding the clan, usurpation will not happen overnight."
Li Qinghong let out a soft breath and said gently, "When Grandfather was alive, he guarded against troubles before they arose, yet we never saw him plant seeds of disaster over hypothetical fears. We must still proceed with caution."
Li Yuanping cupped his hands slightly and said placidly, "I must still ask Elder Brother and Eldest Sister to remain vigilant. My life is frail; I likely will not live to see that day."
With that, he cupped his hands and withdrew. Li Qinghong watched his departing silhouette, then turned to look at the silent Li Yuanjiao, sighing, "Yuanping was far too extreme! What crime did Ximing commit to warrant this? And you, Elder Brother—you let him talk like that!"
The argument between the two brothers earlier had appeared as though Li Yuanjiao were defending Li Ximing at every turn, but in truth, it was not so. The suggestions Li Yuanjiao put forward had subtly pushed the boy toward a dead end, even driving Li Yuanping to cry out about crippling his cultivation.
Li Yuanjiao had still not been satisfied and wanted to push further. Hearing this had sent a chill through Li Qinghong's heart, finally prompting her to intervene.
Listening to her counsel while standing beneath the moonlight, Li Yuanjiao gripped the long sword in his hand tightly and said softly, "I could not bear it either. But it is because Yuanping loves him so deeply that he rebukes him so harshly. Had it not been for that, he would never have agreed to handle this gently."
He understood all too well how much blood and sweat Li Yuanping had poured into this only son, how much hope he had placed upon his shoulders. Li Yuanjiao murmured, "Brother Ping's talent was meager, and his foundational bones were broken. He has no hope left in this life. His only hope lay in this one child. However great his expectations were in the past, that is how great his disappointment is today."
Li Qinghong felt a tangle of emotions in her chest. Gritting her teeth, she said, "In the end, it was the child who let him down."
Li Yuanjiao sighed and answered, "Keep father and son from seeing each other for a while. Send him to Mount Yuting to cultivate!"
"It will spare Yuanping from saying things that wound their bond. A youth is at an age of pride and impulsiveness; piling on rebukes might only cause greater trouble."
Li Yuanjiao walked quietly out of the courtyard. Li Ximing was still kneeling before the gate, with Li Xijun keeping him company as before. Unlike earlier, Li Xicheng had joined them, quietly kneeling in front of the two.
Seeing Li Yuanjiao emerge, Li Xicheng said in a muffled voice, "It was Xicheng who failed to teach his younger brother well. Please…"
Irritation surged within Li Yuanjiao. He cut him off with a flick of his sleeve and directly rode the wind into the sky. Looking down upon Lake Wangyue in the darkness of the night, he tightened his grip on his sword, thinking inwardly:
'Old Ancestor! When it comes to slaying enemies and eliminating demons, sacrificing my own life, Jiao has never hesitated in the slightest. But when it comes to supporting the weak and upholding justice, Yuanjiao is truly utterly exhausted…'
He stood in the biting northern wind above the lake through the entire night, letting out a long breath, and merely murmured:
"Jiao dares not forget."
Chapter 369