Li Tongya felt his heart skip a beat, and a faint dizziness came over him. Hurrying to turn his head away, he fixed his gaze on the pale green, swaying spirit rice in the field and murmured, "You... had better wait until you have formed the Xuanjing Wheel before speaking of other matters."
Liu Rouxuan giggled. Leaning in close to his face, her shapely brows gently smoothed out as she whispered softly into his ear, "Then, Brother Tongya, you mustn't run off with someone else first..."
Li Tongya flushed crimson at once. Rising in flustered embarrassment, he blurted out, "Just make sure you cultivate properly!"
With that, he practically fled from the courtyard, hurrying into the distance.
He walked along the flagstone path for a stretch and splashed river water over his face. Only then did he gradually calm down, unable to hold back a rueful smile. "I fear I've truly fallen into that girl's hands."
"So Second Brother really has developed feelings for Liu Rouxuan! Father was indeed playing the superior game!"
Li Xiangping sat smiling by the riverbank, beaming up at Li Tongya. "Back then, when Father arranged for you to look after Liu Rouxuan, Second Brother, you only saw his external strategy—exchanging territories to govern and preventing them from growing too strong. But being in the thick of it clouded your eyes, and you failed to see the internal strategy aimed right at you, Li Tongya."
"Third Brother, stop teasing me!"
Li Tongya offered a bitter smile and shook his head helplessly. "The more I observe Father, the more I realize there is always something to learn from the old man."
"Naturally!"
Li Xiangping nodded, his tone turning serious. "Regarding those three Sheyuan Pills Xiao Yuansi left behind, I intend to save them for when you and I break through to the Yujing Wheel."
"Father and Yesheng have already dripped their blood into the Lost in the Mist Array, and I will personally carry the magical mirror up to the courtyard on the mountain in secret. As for the Mystic Water Sword Art... I doubt I have the talent for it, so you should study it more, Second Brother."
Li Tongya scooped up a handful of river water to wash his hands and replied, "Chijing has been at the sect for nearly three years now, and the first crop of spirit rice we planted is about to ripen. In the days ahead, neither of us will have a moment of leisure."
* * *
The snow in Lijing Village was heavier this year than in past winters. The spirit rice in the fields had ripened, its pale green ears tightly encasing grains of spirit rice that looked like white jade. They stood upright in the fields, unbroken even by the heavy snowfall.
This spirit rice was nothing like ordinary grain. Its leaves were as sharp as blades, and its stalks had to be felled with axes. Li Tongya and the others had infused their sickles with the Golden Light Technique before they finally managed to harvest these few plots of spirit fields.
Looking at the spirit rice stacked into bundles of small green ricks, Li Qiuyang stepped across the snow and clapped his hands, smiling. "Brother Xiangping, this spirit rice truly gladdens the heart to look at."
Li Qiuyang had formed his Xuanjing Wheel just last month, sworn the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath in the ancestral hall, and learned several spells. The boy was now ten years old. With his features opening up, he looked rather handsome and already possessed the air of a young adult.
He had originally accumulated all eighty-one strands of spiritual energy a year ago, but unfortunately, he had fallen short at the final hurdle when condensing the Xuanjing Wheel. He had been forced to spend another year regulating his breath to recover his spiritual energy, and he had almost been overtaken by Liu Rouxuan.
"Indeed," Li Xiangping agreed, his face brimming with smiles. His own magic power circulated endlessly within him; he had already cultivated the Zhouxing Wheel.
Tian Yun had carried twins—a boy and a girl—bearing a matched pair for the Li family, which left him beaming from ear to ear. The old master had looked over the children time and again, and in accordance with the generational names of the clan, named the boy Li Xuanfeng and the girl Li Jingtian.
"The Baiyuan fruits are not yet ripe, but the spirit rice is completely harvested. Let us take it back first."
Behind them, the village laborers had already clipped away the leaves of the spirit rice one by one with heavy shears, binding the stalks with thick ropes before daring to lift them in pairs. The razor-sharp leaves had caused everyone quite a bit of suffering.
When they reached the foot of Mount Lijing, a thin mist gradually rose around them. Li Yesheng said in a low, stern voice to the men behind him, "Stay close! If you get lost in this array, take care that you don't lose your little lives!"
The laborers hastily voiced their agreement. Treading along the flagstone path, they climbed to the mountaintop and deposited the bundles of spirit rice in the courtyard. Li Xiangping waved his hand. "Lead them down."
Stripping the spirit rice from the stalks still required magic power, and specialized incantation gestures had to be used to dehull the grain and remove the bran, ensuring that none of its spiritual energy leaked away.
In the entire harvesting process, all mortals could do was cut the stalks with sickles imbued with the Golden Light Technique and carry the bundles. The truly vital steps still required cultivators.
"Third Uncle! Clan Brother!"
Li Xuanxuan emerged from the courtyard, cupping his hands in greeting toward Li Qiuyang and Li Xiangping. He was now over seven years old, his frame gradually filling out, and his face bore a distinct resemblance to the late Li Changhu.
"Xuanxuan, come here."
Seeing Li Xuanxuan walking toward Li Qiuyang, Li Xiangping's expression shifted slightly, and he called the boy over at once. Once Li Xuanxuan had settled beside him, Li Xiangping smiled and said, "This child had his spirit aperture tested before the new year. He cultivates with astonishing speed; I wager he will be able to form the Xuanjing Wheel in just a few more months."
Standing nearby, Li Xuanxuan was taken aback, doubts flooding his mind. He mused inwardly, *The family clearly never tested my bone structure, nor did they pass down any cultivation chant. Why would Third Uncle say this...?*
Yet he kept a smile on his face and nodded toward Li Qiuyang, whose eyes were filled with envy.
"Xuan'er is truly remarkable!" Li Qiuyang could not help praising him. Thinking of how it had taken him two years to condense the Xuanjing Wheel, he felt a twinge of shame.
The two chatted for a short while. When Li Tongya came up the mountain, Li Xuanxuan took his leave. It took the men several hours to strip the spirit rice and remove the husks. Li Mutian divided the harvest into bags, lifted one gently, and announced, "One hundred and twenty jin of spirit rice, and forty jin of spirit rice bran."
"There will be another harvest in two years. This tribute should be sufficient."
Li Xiangping saw Li Qiuyang off, then placed the two bags of spirit rice and bran on the table to inspect them. Seeing each grain shining as smooth and beautiful as white jade, he could not help offering a word of praise. Only after moving the grain into the room did he whisper to Li Tongya, "Xuanxuan's bones have settled now that he is seven. It is time for him to cultivate."
Li Tongya froze for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. Together with Li Xiangping, he walked into the house.
A charcoal fire was burning inside. Old people slept heavily in the winter, and Li Mutian had already turned in early, leaving only Li Xuanxuan leaning by the brazier to warm himself.
Li Xuanxuan had been staring blankly out at the drifting mountain snowflakes, gazing at the silver-clad Mount Lijing. Seeing the two enter, he hurriedly stood up and asked, "Third Uncle, why did you tell Clan Brother that I am close to forming the Xuanjing Wheel? If I don't possess a spirit aperture, wouldn't I make a fool of myself...?"
Li Xiangping carefully closed the doors and windows. He made a shushing gesture to Li Xuanxuan and said in a low voice, "Follow me."
Li Xuanxuan closed his mouth at once and obediently followed behind Li Xiangping, heading to a blue-brick, tiled house at the deepest part of the courtyard.
Li Xiangping took out a key, removed the lock from the door, pushed it open gently, and whispered to Li Xuanxuan, "Come in."
Seeing Li Xiangping's grave expression, Li Xuanxuan felt uneasy. Looking inside, he found the room remarkably spacious, empty save for a bluestone pedestal set in the exact center, upon which rested a greenish-gray mirror.
Incense burned within the room, its fragrance soothing to the mind and spirit. Li Xuanxuan peered up quietly at Li Xiangping. Seeing him staring silently at the mirror, the boy did not dare make a sound.
Chapter 37