"It truly is biyuan copper essence. The deposit should be not far away. Such a thing is rarely seen; it is great fortune for your noble clan to obtain such a spiritual treasure."
Kong Yu gathered up a pool of spring water with his arts, identified it for a moment, and nodded. "If we move this mountain over, the shifting of the earth veins will cause the flow to cease for seven years. Afterward, the spring will gush forth once more, free of yin cold qi."
"Good! Very good!"
It was merely seven years; the Li family could afford to wait. Li Xuanxuan nodded repeatedly before replying, "Fellow Daoist may not know, but this mineral vein belongs to the immortal Xiao clan. Its output and reserves are all recorded at Xianyou Peak; it has nothing to do with my Li family..."
"That is indeed a pity."
Kong Yu offered an apologetic smile and answered, "That makes sense. Cuiyuan copper essence can neutralize yang heat and elevate quality. An eminent figure like Realized One Chuting likely foresaw this many years ago and moved early to claim it."
Hearing Kong Yu's words, Li Xijun, who had just stepped in from behind, raised his eyebrows. Li Xuanxuan was also slightly taken aback, quickly answering, "Fellow Daoist is joking. The various families of the eastern shore were enlightened and fostered by the Xiao clan to begin with, so there was no such thing as moving early to claim anything. Even now, whenever my family collects tributes, it is reported to the Realized One..."
Though he answered readily, Li Xuanxuan mused inwardly:
*What does he mean by this? Is he testing our family's relationship with the Xiao clan?*
Kong Yu put on an enlightened look and chuckled. "My foolishness! Please take no offense."
With this mountain selected, the cultivators of the Li family rode the wind over. Kong Yu produced twelve formation flags, handing them one by one to An Zheyan and the others, assigning each person a position over the lake, providing the accompanying incantations, and instructing:
"When you see a golden light approach shortly, activate the formation."
Returning to shore, the Jade Court Guard had already evacuated the Rui family off the mountain. Kong Yu first withdrew a long, wide white talisman from his robes, half the height of a man. Written upon it in cinnabar brush was:
*This is an accumulation of gravel, not a mountain.*
At the end, a small seal had been stamped in striking, vivid red. Kong Yu said, "This was personally inscribed through the divine ability of Realized One Changxi, specifically used for moving mountains. It deceives the earth veins, allowing the mountain to be moved with ease."
Kong Yu affixed the talisman to the mountaintop, then drew a handful of soft, moist earth from his sleeve and placed it in Li Xuanxuan's hands, instructing:
"When the earth veins erupt shortly, Fellow Daoist, channel your magic power into this Wuxi Sand and pack it in to seal the breach."
Saying this, he smiled again. "If a little earth-vein fiendqi should leak during the mountain relocation, my Xuanyue Gate shall take care of it for your noble clan."
"As you wish, Fellow Daoist," Li Xuanxuan replied, holding the spiritual soil.
Kong Yu nodded and untied the long golden rope from his waist. Folding it over and over in his hands until it was coiled closely between his fingers, he flew around the mountain while casting it out, chanting incantations. Gold fell across the hills and valleys until the entire mountain was covered in a golden hue.
The Embryonic Breathing cultivators of the Li family ascended the mountain one after another. Over a hundred of them found their positions, held the golden cords, sat cross-legged, and channeled their magic power.
Having made all these preparations, Kong Yu finally exhaled a breath and shouted:
"Rise!"
In an instant, sands flew and stones rolled, black vapor filled the air, and two mournful wails echoed. The sky abruptly darkened into oppressive blackness on all sides. Covered in trees, Rui Family Peak shook twice, then vanished amidst the surging earth-vein fiendqi.
"You call this 'a little'?!"
Li Xuanxuan stumbled, buffeted by the fiendqi.
Dense, churning earth fiendqi erupted in a pitch-black deluge. With no time to survey the scene, Li Xuanxuan urgently urged his magic power and hurled the Wuxi Sand.
"Go!"
Touching the fiendqi, the spiritual soil expanded with the wind. A black rain immediately began to fall from the sky, turning into mud and rock as it struck the ground. It surged and rolled across the earth, sealing the ruptured earth veins.
Plumes of black fiendqi still coiled in the sky. Li Xuanxuan looked back, only to find Rui Family Peak along with Kong Yu and the others long gone. The ground was left stripped bare, exposing grayish-white bedrock and soil.
"Truly miraculous."
Riding the wind toward the lake, he saw that a peak was already standing tall upon the waters! Countless trees on its crest were snapped and toppled, cabins and pavilions had all collapsed, and utter disarray covered the slopes.
An Zheyan and the other Qi Refinement cultivators sat cross-legged by the shore, their faces pale. Along with them, the hundred-plus Embryonic Breathing cultivators had been drained dry of magic power, leaving the ground covered with cross-legged cultivators.
Kong Yu's face was likewise as golden-pale as paper, yet he did not dare pause. He sacrificed a white jade bottle into the air, flying aloft to activate the magical artifact and sweep every wisp of that fiendqi away until not a trace remained before finally descending with relief.
After adjusting his breath for a while, Kong Yu exhaled a long breath, opened his eyes, and said to Li Xuanxuan:
"This earth-vein fiendqi belongs to my Xuanyue Gate, and the rest comes to sixty spirit stones for the mountain-moving talisman, Wuxi Sand, and labor fee... What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"
*The old rascal had ulterior motives all along!*
Only now did Li Xuanxuan realize why the Xuanyue Gate was so keen on moving mountains: it was to gather the fiendqi leaked from the earth veins during the move, which was likely needed for most of Xuanyue Gate's pills and cultivation methods.
Considering the sky full of fiendqi just now, who knew how many spirit stones it was worth?
"Ai, Fellow Daoist Kong, that is rather unfair!"
Li Xuanxuan sighed. Kong Yu gave a placating chuckle and said shamelessly, "However, as for the plain left behind by the Rui family, it won't have any spiritual energy or earth veins to speak of for the next hundred years... With the earth veins leaking and spiritual energy depleted, it can only support mortals."
Moving a mountain was work that damaged the earth veins and drained immense magic power. Fortunately, the location in the lake was not far from the eastern shore; otherwise, it would have been impossible for a few Qi Refinement cultivators like them to budge it.
Seeing the earth veins erupt like that earlier, Li Xuanxuan had naturally understood. Yet in the end, it was not his family's own territory, so he did not ache too deeply for it. He feigned anger and barked, "Why didn't you mention this earlier, Fellow Daoist? Fifty spirit stones!"
Kong Yu was taken aback, grumbling inwardly:
*It isn't even your clan's land, what are you pained over!*
The two haggled red-faced and neck-swollen for a while. Eventually, Li Xuanxuan counted out fifty-four spirit stones and handed them over. Kong Yu accepted them gleefully, and the two instantly grew chummy again like good brothers. Kong Yu laughed:
"Brother, never mind that my cultivation isn't particularly grand; I've moved mountains for fifty years, and my mountain-moving techniques are thoroughly mastered.
"According to my experience, brother, just wait a few years. The lakebed beneath the water will rise on its own, propping this mountain up, and two or three small peaks will also emerge on its flanks from the earth veins."
"Good, good."
Li Xuanxuan arranged a courtyard for him to stay and recuperate. Meanwhile, the Rui family was left without a roof over their heads, pitifully lodging in Yuting Town. Rui Qiongcuo did not say a word, squatting at the foot of Mount Yuting day after day to keep watch.
Li Yuanping had no choice but to send a letter to the Xiao clan, requesting that the Rui family be incorporated into their clan's fold, and that the Rui family's quota of mining the vein be transferred to the Li family, still to be surrendered into the hands of the Xiao clan.
As for Kong Yu, after staying here for several months to confirm that the mountain's topography had stabilized, he finally rode the wind and took his leave. Before departing, he even called out:
"Brother Xuanxuan, if you have any business in the future, be sure to call on your younger brother at Xuanyue Gate!"
Li Xuanxuan saw him out of their territory and returned to the spiritual mountain. The Li family had already trimmed the trees on the slopes and begun constructing pavilions and courtyards, creating a lively scene.
Li Xijun and the others were summoned to the mountain by Li Qinghong. Although Li Yuanjiao had not yet emerged from seclusion, Li Qinghong insisted on gathering them, so they had to settle on names for this spiritual mountain and cave dwelling first.
The father and son, Li Yuanping and Li Xuanxuan, put their heads together for a while, offering names such as "Four Veins Peak" and "Lihu Peak," which left Li Qinghong utterly bewildered, at a loss for how to respond.
After racking their brains, Li Xuanxuan finally settled on "Yueque Peak" and "Yueque Cave Dwelling." Li Xuanxuan even sighed:
"It is a pity Qingchi has a Moon Lake Peak; otherwise, that would have been a fine name."
However, Li Xijun spoke up:
"This junior feels... it is better for our family not to tie ourselves to the word 'Moon.'"
The few of them exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Li Yuanping said:
"Why not take a character from each of our clan's two Foundation Establishment magical artifacts, Qingchi and Duruo, and call it 'Qingdu Peak'? The waters of Lake Wangyue are a pale teal year-round, and planting some duruo herbs upon the slopes would make the name true to reality."
Duruo against Li Qinghong's breast glowed faintly. She smiled and said, "At last, a proper name."
"Qingdu Peak, Qingdu Cave Dwelling."
Li Xuanxuan nodded, his aged heart greatly comforted. He sighed, "From now on, this is our clan's main peak."
With this settled, the Xiao clan's messenger arrived. Xiao Guitu had replied swiftly. Reading it carefully, Li Xuanxuan nodded:
"Xiao Guitu handles matters crisply indeed."
The message in Xiao Guitu's letter was that the Rui family had been enlightened by ancestors and had no real ties, so annexation into the Li clan was acceptable; the Xiao clan would dispatch their own people to mine the Cuiyuan copper essence, sparing the Li family any extra trouble.
"They fear our family might embezzle the copper essence and cause unpleasantness."
Li Yuanping looked over the letter his father handed him. The Xiao clan regarded the Cuiyuan copper essence with great importance, and his family was also disinclined to get involved, avoiding unnecessary trouble.
One side did not want to yield it, while the other did not want to touch it; thus, an arrangement that had stepped slightly out of line was settled peaceably. As they were discussing, a Jade Court Guard came up to report:
"Reporting to the masters, that monk has settled upon a small islet not far away and built a thatched hut to cultivate."
"Kongheng? That man is still wandering about the lake!"
Li Qinghong frowned slightly. This monk Kongheng had appeared out of nowhere, yet he had lent a hand during the demonic calamity, holding back two demonic cultivators from the State of Zhao. Without him, there would have been heavy casualties.
The Li family now owed him a debt of gratitude and could hardly drive him away, leaving them no choice but to let him reside upon the lake.
"Indeed," Li Yuanping nodded and said in a low voice. "Over the past few years, I've gathered quite a bit of information. Kongheng first loitered around Mount Huaqian, gathering herbs for a few months and treating people. Later, he moved to Mount Yuting, and now he has followed onto the lake.
"He doesn't preach his doctrine or do anything out of line. It's not as though we can cut him down, so we can only dispatch a few people to keep an eye on him."
***
The lake remained calm for nearly half a month, and the Rosy Cloud Vessel arrived on schedule. With Li Yuanjiao in closed-door cultivation, Li Qinghong had no choice but to go and deliver the tribute.
The Qingchi cultivator who came this time was the Eldest Senior Brother of Yuanwu Peak, Yu Su, nicknamed the "Brocade Dark Shrew," renowned for his greed. Li Qinghong did not wish to give anyone an excuse to pick a quarrel, so she took up her spear early on and flew toward Milin Commandery.
After meddling and covert clashes from multiple sides, the Yu family's internal strife had never settled. While ostensibly still a single clan, they had in fact fractured into four factions, and having overturned Yu Mugao's reforms, the clan was rotten to the core.
Li Qinghong, an eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, drove straight in, flying past more than half of the Yu family's territory without a single person stepping forward to stop her. Only when she neared the mountain peak where tributes were paid did a middle-aged man fly up to meet her.
This man had a weathered face and a mature air, tall of stature, but his jaw was clenched tight, making him look somewhat nervous and uneasy. Carrying a spear on his back, he rode the wind forward in some haste. Taking one look at Li Qinghong, he was struck dumb.
Having reached Qi Refinement early, Li Qinghong still appeared in her early twenties, with curved willow-leaf brows. She said softly:
"Fellow Daoist, you are..."
The middle-aged man froze, his face turning pale. After a couple of breaths of stunned silence, he cupped his hands:
"Fei Tongxiao of the Fei family greets Fellow Daoist!"
"Oh... it is you!"
Li Qinghong recognized him as well. Having not seen each other in years, the youthful matters of the past were inevitably awkward. Li Qinghong had no choice but to change the subject. Looking at the true essence around him, she frowned and asked:
"Why is your..."
"Hah!"
Fei Tongxiao understood she was referring to his cultivation and the drastically altered nature of his true essence, but only replied with a silent sigh.
When the Fei family suffered catastrophe years ago and Fei Wangbai had his head severed by a sword, the family was forbidden from cultivating the *Long Brocade Mind-Inquiry Scripture* to establish their foundation. Fei Tongxiao had been unwilling to resign himself to that fate, so he scattered his cultivation and started anew.
With the full support of his elder brother Fei Tongyu, more than ten years had passed, and Fei Tongxiao had walked the familiar path back to the Qi Refinement stage, breaking through only a few days prior...
Yet no matter how quickly he progressed, going through Embryonic Breathing twice had consumed thirty years... Fei Tongxiao had originally been a genius of his clan, but now found himself breaking through to Qi Refinement only when nearing forty. The melancholy in his heart aside, his visage already showed traces of age.
Now facing the beauty of his youth—still valiant, bright, and stunning, clad in jade armor and bearing a long spear, already at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement—how could he put the emotions churning in his chest into words?
Back then, he had been so decisive, saying he would cripple his cultivation and then doing so, fully prepared for what lay ahead. Yet when the consequences arrived in due course, Fei Tongxiao's face still alternated between pale and flushed. He could only say:
"Heh! Has Fellow Daoist also come to pay tribute?"
With only a moment's reflection, Li Qinghong understood everything. Casting a slightly remorseful look at him, she answered gently:
"Indeed."
Silence descended between them once more. Not a single person from the Yu family was on the peak, leaving only the two of them standing in the cold wind of the summit. Fei Tongxiao's expression gradually settled. After several aborted attempts to speak, he finally gave a bitter smile:
"The ways of the world are unpredictable. No one could have foreseen how swiftly things would change back then..."
Li Qinghong responded softly. The radiant light of the Rosy Cloud Vessel slowly rose on the horizon, and figures began to multiply around them. The cultivators of the various families all paused respectfully, stepping before Li Qinghong to address her as Senior before slowly stepping back.
Fei Tongxiao kept his head bowed, pale-faced and silent. Given the difference in their cultivation now, he ought to have addressed her as Senior, yet he could not bring himself to say it, so he simply held his peace.
The crowd waited for a while before the Rosy Cloud Vessel touched down upon the peak. A contingent of green-robed cultivators disembarked. The leader did not wear green robes, but rather a brocade gown. He had a short beard, a sallow complexion, an elongated face, and sharp, glittering eyes.
It was none other than the Eldest Senior Brother of Yuanwu Peak, the "Brocade Dark Shrew," Yu Su!
Alighting from the cloud vessel, Yu Su glanced over the crowd and said in a light tone:
"Where are the people of the Yu family?"
The crowd pushed a man forward—Yu Mugao's seventh son, Yu Chengyi. He dropped to his knees with a thud and cried out:
"This junior greets the immortal envoy of the exalted sect!"
Yu Su looked him over and shook his head:
"My junior brother entrusted me with a task as well. Let me take care of that first, and then I will speak with you all in detail."
Yu Su was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, the highest-cultivated cultivator anyone on the lake had ever seen. His brocade gown billowed without wind, exuding imposing majesty. The moment he spoke, everyone shivered.
Unaccustomed to such overwhelming presence, the crowd could only nod repeatedly. Yu Su chuckled, drawing a small golden cage from his sleeve—bright, exquisite, yet utterly empty within, without a single thing inside.
Chapter 374