Rui Family Peak

Lake Wangyue. In winter, the lake water was a pale, clear teal. Broken shards of ice already floated upon its surface, drifting in delicate scattered fragments. A streak of light tore through the air and plunged into the water with a splash. "The serpent demon's cave dwelling... I wonder what name they plan to change it to." Forming a water-warding incantation with his fingers, Li Xijun dove beneath the waves and landed upon the yellowish-black lakebed. The serpent demon cave dwelling lay near the shore of Lake Wangyue; its entrance was not deep, and the formation protecting it was simple, laid down by the Li family themselves. Weaving a sign to pass inside, he stepped into a vast, sprawling manor-cave. A faint blue hue filled the air, and beneath his feet as well as across the four surrounding walls, the stone had been polished smooth and flat, pristine and white. Within, the estate was divided into numerous small courtyards, while more than a dozen cave abodes had been chiseled into the surrounding stone walls. Most were dim and devoid of light, entirely unoccupied. At the very center stood an enormous, ice-blue pillar. Its surface had been roughly smoothed, propping up the cavern while connecting the earth veins and spiritual nexus above and below, maintaining the spiritual qi at a level forty percent higher than that outside. The cave dwelling's luminescence emanated from this very pillar. The Li family had already learned that it was made of spirit-rinsing jade. It was no extraordinary rarity, mostly used to fashion jade slips. Though not particularly valuable, a block of this size was rare. Connecting the earth veins above and below and sustaining the spiritual qi, the Li family was naturally not so short-sighted as to quarry this deposit. He flew down onto the central dais, where Li Wen, brandishing two golden melon maces, came forward to greet him with an honest, clumsy grin. "Young Master!" The collateral branches of the Li family now numbered nearly ten thousand people, with quite a few Embryonic Breathing cultivators, most of whom had taken up posts across the peaks. As for miscellaneous qi cultivators, there was only Li Qiuyang, while Li Wen was the sole true Qi Refinement cultivator to have emerged—making him, in his own right, something of a genius. "Third level of Qi Refinement at thirty-five is truly not bad." Li Wen had an honest, simple disposition. With the clan's recent administrative reforms, there were few places that required his services, so he had been sent here to cultivate in peace. Meanwhile, Li Xijun's elder brother, Li Xicheng, had become clan rector, so Xijun rarely got to see him. Figures within the cave dwelling were few and far between. Li Yuanjiao remained in closed-door seclusion in Wutu, but Li Qinghong had already moved here. The only others were two youths from the lesser branches, named Li Chengdi and Li Chengju, who possessed decent talent and were cultivating in this place. Li Xijun descended into the courtyard where the two boys stayed and gave them a few pointers. Snow-white qi swirled around him, his true essence surging like that of a transcendent, filling both children's eyes with sparkling reverence. "Eighth Uncle!" These disciples all had hopes of achieving Qi Refinement. Once they attained it in the future, they would be sent out to replace those outsiders with other surnames as peak wardens. Li Xijun naturally spared no effort, producing two medicinal pills and gifting them to the pair. As he was considering this, a ripple of purple light shimmered from one of the cave abodes in the wall. Li Qinghong rode the wind outward, cast a glance around, and landed beside Li Xijun, saying softly, "Eldest Uncle Xuanxuan has returned!" *** Li Xuanxuan and Kong Yu brought their winds to a halt over the Li clan's domain. Kong Yu looked all around and marveled, "I heard long ago that Wangyue Marsh was once the foremost place of dao cultivation in Jiangnan. Later, repeated great wars damaged the earth veins and spiritual nexus, yet to think it still possesses such scenery!" His lineage had made its name through moving mountains, so he could see it all clearly at a single glance. After offering a few compliments, he pointed toward Mount Yuting and said with regret, "This mountain was once snapped in two. Were it not for that, it would also be a fine immortal mountain!" "Fellow Daoist can see so much with just a glance!" His clan had only risen a century ago; how could Li Xuanxuan know whether Mount Yuting had ever been broken? He put on a look of sudden enlightenment. The two chatted and laughed for a while until Li Xijun and Li Qinghong came riding the wind to welcome them. "These are our ancestor's granddaughter and great-grandson." Li Xuanxuan introduced them with considerable pride. Kong Yu watched the aunt and nephew drift over on the wind. Staring wide-eyed for a couple of breaths, he said softly, "Having laid eyes upon these two fellow daoists, I can hardly bear to look away. One can readily imagine the transcendent elegance and extraordinary countenance of the Moon Crescent Sword, Li Tongya." 'This old rogue certainly knows how to flatter.' Li Xuanxuan chuckled gleefully to himself. If one were truly to compare them, Li Tongya's bearing was more heroic and imposing, whereas Li Xijun possessed an ethereal grace that resembled Li Chijing far more closely. While he was indulging in his pleasant thoughts, the two who came forward reacted quite differently. Li Qinghong merely nodded politely, while Li Xijun bowed slightly and spoke in a gentle voice: "Senior possesses a commanding stature and carries the true bearing of the Xuanyue." Li Xijun's voice was clear and melodious, composed and naturally poised. Kong Yu had originally intended only polite flattery, but now he could not resist looking at him once more. Chuckling, he made a joke: "Disciples ought to be like Xijun—a tree of jade and fragrant orchids. If one turns out harsh and ungrateful like Situ Mo, that is a true disaster." Li Xuanxuan smiled wryly, not expecting Kong Yu to hold a grudge so firmly. He quickly changed the subject and began discussing the local earth veins. Li Xijun listened attentively, following behind on the wind. His appearance was a magical treasure bestowed upon him by heaven. From childhood, Li Xijun had relied on it to win favor time and again, wielding it with effortless ease. To make Kong Yu think highly of the Li family and leave his elder beaming with pride had taken nothing more than a single remark. 'The ways of the world are often just this shallow.' Li Xijun saw through it with absolute clarity, sighing coldly in his heart as he mocked his own methods. The group landed above the lake. Li Xuanxuan marked out a boundary and asked in a low voice, "Would Fellow Daoist take a look and tell us whether this spot would be suitable for moving a mountain here?" Kong Yu glanced around, performed several hand incantations, and then flew down to the lakeshore, grabbing a few handfuls of silt from the water. Only then did he return on the wind, remarking with a broad smile: "My friend, oh my friend! It turns out your noble clan has a cave dwelling beneath, and a wonderfully vast one at that. Lake Wangyue truly is a fine place!" Li Xuanxuan was thick-skinned. Laughing heartily, he stepped forward and said plainly, "Fellow Daoist's vein-seeking arts are truly remarkable! My family did not come by this cave dwelling easily." Kong Yu nodded and grew serious. "I have examined it closely. The earth veins here are shallow, while the water veins are abundant. You cannot move too large a mountain here; otherwise, not only will it disrupt the spiritual qi of the underground cave dwelling, but within a century, the mountain itself will erode into sand and gravel. "Second, the cave dwelling's water veins lean toward yin-cold, well-suited to housing serpents and flood dragons. The relocated mountain must not possess any fire veins. If you intend to refine pills or forge artifacts upon the mountain, I'm afraid that won't be possible..." The Xuanyue Gate truly lived up to its heritage as a lineage of mountain-movers. Kong Yu enumerated point after point, setting forth all the potential risks and complications with absolute clarity, before concluding: "I am afraid it will cost at least fifty spirit stones to start, and twelve Qi Refinement cultivators working together, to anchor the mountain here." "No matter!" Li Xuanxuan waved his hand generously. The Li family today possessed both the manpower and the resources, so he agreed without hesitation. Behind him, Li Xijun broke into a smile, thinking to himself: 'I suspect Uncle Yuanping is going to stamp his feet in heartache over the expense again.' Kong Yu exclaimed, "Splendid!" and accompanied the others to survey the tributary families along the eastern shore. Spending most of the day checking them one by one, the dozen-odd tributary families on the eastern bank naturally dared not object, allowing each to be inspected. By the time Kong Yu took to the wind once more, dusk had already fallen. On his register, he crossed off the overly large mountains and those with fire veins, as well as several with overly complex earth veins, before guaranteeing outright: "Any of the rest will do. Pick whichever you please!" The three were instantly delighted and landed together on the Rui family's mountain. Rui Qiongcuo, the head of the Rui family, bowed and scraped as he deactivated the grand array, respectfully following behind. The two elders entered the mountain to study its earth veins, while Li Xijun stopped Rui Qiongcuo, saying gently: "We apologize for troubling your esteemed clan. Should your clan's mountain be chosen, the main family will grant your clan an inheritable peak post, along with subsidies in spirit fields and spirit rice, and your clan's younger generation may come to study..." Rui Qiongcuo could only nod repeatedly. Although the Li family's compensation was certainly not worth as much as an immortal mountain, having the chance to leave this godforsaken place while earning the main family's favor left whether he was profiting or losing something he could only calculate in his own heart. While Li Xijun was offering placating words, Li Xuanxuan, inside the mountain, pointed at a spirit spring and asked Kong Yu, "This spirit spring has been affected by cyan-element copper essence, making it bone-chillingly cold and unfit for irrigating spirit rice. If we move this mountain back, will the spring still remain? Will it be able to irrigate spiritual herbs and crops?"