Xicheng and Xijun

This golden cage was no larger than a human head, framed by seventy-two vertical bars, with a small opening in the front standing quietly ajar. Yu Su gave the cage in his hand a shake and balanced it on his palm. Opening a small door on its side, he pointed a finger down at Yu Chengyi, who was prostrate on the ground, and chuckled. "This man still has five brothers. I ask Fellow Daoist to strike and fetch me their heads!" Li Qinghong, Fei Tongxiao, and the others felt only a gentle breeze brush against their faces, fluttering their robes with an icy chill. Yu Su's aura was formidable, and none dared probe the golden cage with their spiritual senses, leaving them no choice but to wait quietly below. Whispers broke out among the bystanders to their left and right: "Is that a Foundation Establishment magical artifact? Could such an artifact even exist?" "Who knows? Perhaps it is an artifact of the Purple Palace grade... It is not as though Qingchi possesses only the Heavy Snow Apex. The Purple Palace Realized Ones haven't made a move in ages; perhaps it belongs to one of them..." Only a few breaths and a couple of remarks had passed when a gale whipped through the air. Five bloody heads plummeted from above, tumbling into a small pile on the ground. Sweeping her spiritual sense across the scene, Li Qinghong only then noticed a vortex of astral wind circling in midair, sweeping back into the cage like a great whale drawing in water. 'A spirit beast? Or the effect of some artifact...?' Yu Su waited a few breaths before fastening the cage door shut. Only then did he cast his eyes upon the heads—their features frozen in indignant bewilderment after being snatched out of nowhere by the wind—and furrowed his brows. "Yu clan member, with this settled, consolidating the Yu family shouldn't pose any trouble now, should it?" Yu Chengyi stammered out a few disjointed replies. While he still hesitated over something, the guest elder behind him tugged at his sleeve, prompting him to stumble over his words: "Th-thank you, Immortal Master." Yu Su cast a sidelong glance at him and remarked, "To think Muxian has such a junior among his kin." Tucking the golden cage back into his sleeve, he extended a hand and commanded, "[Jade Smoke Mountain]!" The faces of the Yu family turned pale in an instant, and an uproar broke out below. Yu Chengyi's complexion drained of all color. Scrambling forward two paces on his knees, he pleaded tremulously, "Senior! Jade Smoke Mountain is our family's clan-guarding treasure! This junior..." "Hand it over!" An impatient flicker crossed Yu Su's eyes and brows. With a flick of his sleeve, he struck Yu Chengyi so hard that the man staggered back several paces. Barely holding back the impulse to slay him on the spot, Yu Su spat, "Worthless cur! How dare you drag your feet... Hand over the artifact! Leaving it in your family's hands is a complete waste anyway; it would be better served in Muxian's hands." 'Indeed... in the eyes of Qingchi, are we not just like dogs...?' At those words, the members of the various families were gripped by a sullen gloom. They realized that beneath Yu Su's veneer of courtesy, he had long regarded them as nothing more than weeds. Watching Yu Chengyi wail upon the ground, not a single person dared to utter a word. The Yu family below brought forward the Foundation Establishment artifact, Jade Smoke Mountain. Yu Su accepted the [Jade Smoke Mountain], lifted it gently, and examined it closely for a couple of breaths. Snow-white and translucent, Jade Smoke Mountain was the size of a fist and exquisitely carved. It bore miniature cranes and ancient pines in lifelike detail, yet halfway up the miniature mountain was a faint hairline crack, glowing with a soft cyan light. Yu Su immediately furrowed his brows and murmured, "He really did leave a mark on it... Li Tongya was indeed someone of note; this was forged from [Shangming Dark Jade] after all..." After examining it for a while, Yu Su raised his head and said bluntly, "The matter is settled. Everyone, bring forth your tributes." The representatives of the families nodded repeatedly and hauled the tributes up. Yu Su himself did not move an inch, but the attendants he brought were excessively nitpicky; the moment an item passed into their hands, its counted value dropped by ten or twenty percent, and they demanded that the clans make up the deficit. The people of Lake Wangyue had long known he was a rapacious scoundrel who plucked feathers from every passing goose, so they silently paid the difference. Yu Su glanced over them a few times, gently swaying the golden cage in his grasp, and said in an airy tone, "Barring any major upheavals, it will be I, Yu, who comes in the future. Next time, prepare properly in advance so you won't have to keep patching up shortfalls." With that, the disciples in blue-green robes took to the wind, settling back onto the rosy-cloud barge one after another. Standing at the prow, Yu Su looked down haughtily at the crowd below as the vessel slowly vanished into the horizon. The expressions of the crowd immediately collapsed. A few established families fared somewhat better, but the rest wore grim, sour looks, glaring after Yu Su's cloud barge with bottled fury they dared not voice. As soon as the Qingchi Sect's rosy-cloud barge departed, the eastern shore families who had submitted and paid tribute to the Li clan swarmed forward. Pleas for help and grumblings rose one after another. "Senior! Please ease up on this year's tribute!" The head of the Pu family was over eighty years old, yet his cultivation was merely at the fifth tier of Embryonic Breathing. Draped in plain coarse cloth, he did not possess even a single magical artifact, yet he still addressed Li Qinghong as "Senior," his face steeped in bitterness. "Senior... the peaks of Qingchi rotate their garrisons every seventy years, and we are only halfway through; there are still over thirty years of bitter days ahead! What are we to do?" The five Lingbi families had been affected by the Cuiyuan copper essence, leaving their fields almost incapable of growing spirit rice. The Rui family had annexed themselves to the Li clan and escaped this sea of misery, but the remaining four families were the most destitute of all the eastern shore clans, having long buckled under the burden. Now, they gazed up at her with longing, praying only that she might utter a word of assent. Rui Qiongcuo, on the other hand, was rejoicing inwardly. His Rui family had annexed themselves; while nominally an independent clan, in reality they had long become external retainers of the Li family and lived quite comfortably. The meager tribute demanded of an Embryonic Breathing clan was truly nothing to them now. Watching his former rivals pour out their grievances, he felt a secret smug satisfaction as he stood respectfully behind Li Qinghong. As the cultivators clamored all at once, Li Qinghong had no choice but to plant the butt of her spear into the ground. A resounding clang silenced them instantly. Knowing beforehand of Yu Su's avaricious nature, Li Qinghong had not brought the [Duruo Spear] with her; in her hands was merely an ordinary, low-grade Qi Refinement magical artifact. Even so, the strike shattered the stone pavers into charred powder. "Fellow Daoists, if you find yourselves in tight straits, please go speak with our clan head in detail. My Li family will not drive you to ruin just to collect tribute; there will naturally be a solution." With Li Yuanping at home, sending these people over would ensure everything was handled properly and smoothly. There was no need for Li Qinghong to meddle in such affairs, so she took to the wind and departed. *** Lijing Town. The mountain path was pitch black, yet several figures in white armor rode along it at full gallop. The leader astride a spirit steed had a broad, genial face and a tall stature—none other than Li Xicheng. Li Xicheng urged his horse along the path beside Lijing Town. The surroundings were dim and somber; fireflies drifted along the dark forest track, hanging quietly beneath the leaves. The Zhongsuo horse trod silently. He had not brought many people with him; as the current commander of the Jade Court Guard, Li Xicheng naturally had to avoid suspicion among his brothers. Trailing behind him on the wind was Chen Mufeng, the highest-ranking hall guard in the Jade Court Guard. Chen Mufeng's talent differed little from Chen Donghe's; he had simply cultivated a superior technique during Embryonic Breathing, allowing him to achieve his breakthrough half a year earlier. Now at the second tier of Qi Refinement, his cultivation was on par with Li Xicheng's. Li Xicheng was the eldest, roughly ten years older than his brothers, but possessed the lowest talent among them. It was only because he cultivated a third-grade technique during Embryonic Breathing that he managed to reach Qi Refinement by age thirty. In the dead of night, one riding a horse and the other riding the wind, Li Xicheng held a jade slip in hand and asked in a warm voice, "During this inspection, two people on Mount Huaqian were found hoarding spirit rice. They were arrested according to regulation. What did the Clan Rectory say?" Chen Mufeng was roughly the same age and deeply trusted by him. He replied simply, "They have both been brought in. It is just that... one of them belongs to a lesser branch of the Zhong branch... His eldest son is Li Chengmu, who cultivates on the main Qingdu Peak. This..." "This what?" Li Xicheng shook his head and said softly, "Just follow regulation. The clan head will make the arrangements—most likely a minor reprimand instead of severe punishment, transferring him to an idle post." Chen Mufeng nodded. The two walked along the riverbank for a while. Gazing at the lush, flourishing vegetation, Li Xicheng broke into an unprompted smile and spoke genially, "Mufeng, our family is flourishing right now. The various branches are unified in heart, and cultivators among the external surnames and lesser branches are springing up like bamboo shoots after rain. This is a rare, vibrant era for us—truly something to rejoice over." Chen Mufeng nodded with a beam and replied, "The main house is like this cloud mulberry, and we are the creeping vines. We are one and the same; my heart rejoices just as much!" Switching the jade slip to his other hand, Li Xicheng said gently, "I also have an unwed concubine-born sister who has always hoped to marry a promising Qi Refinement cultivator. Why not match her with you? The two of you can meet over the next few days. If you find each other pleasing to the eye, our families can become in-laws once again—would that not be wonderful?" Chen Mufeng was instantly elated. In the years since his wife's passing, hadn't his reluctance to remarry been all for an opportunity like this? Now that he had finally secured ties with the Zhong branch, he nodded repeatedly and beamed with joy, "This subordinate thanks Your Excellency!" The two conversed heartily for a while. Now that Chen Mufeng was aligned under Li Xicheng's wing, the atmosphere grew considerably closer and his speech much more relaxed. He lowered his voice, "I have followed Your Excellency for many years, yet a doubt has always lingered in my heart." "Speak." Li Xicheng gave a slight nod. Chen Mufeng arched his long eyebrows and whispered, "My lord..." Barely had Chen Mufeng uttered those two words when a sudden gust of chill wind descended from the heavens. A youth in white rode the wind toward them, a sword hanging at his hip. His piercing gaze swept over Chen Mufeng's face before settling back on Li Xicheng: "Elder Brother!" "Brother Jun! Come, come..." Li Xicheng immediately put Chen Mufeng out of his mind and stepped forward to take his younger brother by the hand. Li Xijun gave a soft chuckle and answered, "This is no place to speak. Why doesn't Elder Brother accompany me up the mountain?" "Good! Very good!" Together, Li Xicheng and he took to the wind, alighting in a small courtyard on Mount Qingdu. Pushing open the door, Li Xijun stepped inside and flicked his sleeve, illuminating the entire room with lamplight. Bringing over two pots of fresh wine, he set them on the table. As he poured the wine into cups, he spoke in a soft voice, "Elder Brother truly cuts an imposing figure. I hear the Jade Court Guard moves across all six peaks, investigating all manner of matters even faster than the Clan Rectory!" "Far from it, far from it..." Flattered by his praise, Li Xicheng laughed aloud. Li Xijun continued quietly, "I have also heard that the humble households and collateral lines Elder Brother aided back then have now produced skilled cultivators who are taking up posts on the peaks. Some have even entered the Clan Rectory and the Jade Court Guard, and all of them speak of Elder Brother with endless admiration." "They overstate things!" This was indeed a celebrated story within the clan, and Li Xicheng had privately taken pride in his discernment. Now that his brother brought it up, he quickly displayed modesty. Li Xijun waved a hand and went on, "Talents have emerged from our Zhong branch in even greater abundance, taking on key posts across the peaks... Having cultivated on the mountain for many years, I rarely meddle in clan affairs, but surely these people could not have risen without Elder Brother nurturing and promoting them..." Li Xicheng frowned slightly. Sipping the wine Li Xijun handed him, he sensed an underlying edge and said in a grave voice, "I have not harbored the slightest bit of favoritism! Every one of them earned their place through talent and hard work. If you mean to reproach me with such words, Brother Jun, you look down on me far too much!" "What Elder Brother has done is not inherently wrong." As though expecting this reaction, Li Xijun shook his head. "Were that not the case, I would not be speaking so courteously with you." Slowly arching an eyebrow, his tone chilled, dropping to a low register: "Yet elevating talent, intermarrying with prominent surnames, laying hands on both the Jade Court Guard and Clan Rectory, cultivating confidants across the peaks..." Li Xijun paused, fixing his gaze upon his elder brother's eyes. "This is not what the eldest di son of our Zhong branch should be doing... nor is it what an elder brother to Ximing should be doing." He set down his jade cup and narrowed his eyes. "Does Elder Brother know what you are doing? You are building a faction and courting the various surnames. You are proving yourself superior to Brother Ming, pressuring the clan head to yield Ximing's position to you..." With matters laid bare to this extent, the gentle demeanor Li Xicheng always wore finally turned solemn. He said slowly, "There is no question of yielding or not. Ming'er's ambitions do not lie there; you all were merely forcing his hand... Nor do I harbor such intentions; I only act for the clan's good." "The matter of his bloodline leaking outside has yet to be settled!" Li Xijun's face was taut as he whispered, "Ximing can still have children! Even if he has no interest in such matters, his offspring could just as well take over the clan's affairs!" Li Xicheng sighed softly and asked warmly, "Then what do you propose, Brother Jun?" This single counter from his brother immediately rendered Li Xijun speechless. On one side was the clan brother whose position had been stripped away because of his own words; on the other was his own elder brother preparing to realize his ambitions. Li Xijun could only close his eyes, unable to utter a word. 'The present situation is surely something the clan elders have tacitly permitted as well...' Suffocated by a heavy feeling in his chest, Li Xijun could say no more, managing only a muffled reply: "I, too, share the blame for what happened to Ximing. Ever since Ximing was confined, the entire Zhong branch has been propelling Elder Brother forward. With so many people standing behind you, you have had no choice but to advance. I have no right to lecture Elder Brother." Li Xicheng nodded thoughtfully. Li Xijun's sharp brows relaxed, and he continued, "It is just that among the people Elder Brother has elevated, many appear outstanding only because they received your favor, borrowed your prestige, and obtained the backing of the Zhong branch. Elder Brother must use them with caution." "I understand," Li Xicheng replied. Li Xijun could only cup his hands and say gently, "From here on, the Xi-Yue generation will be led by the two of us brothers. I hope Elder Brother will act with prudence." Flicking his sleeve, he turned to leave. As his white-robed figure stepped toward the doorway, Li Xicheng stared fixedly at his upright back, his voice almost inaudible: "Why didn't you ask, Brother Jun... whether Uncle Yuanjiao... was the one who told me to do all this?" Li Xijun paused for a fleeting moment, then took to the wind and departed. *** Li Qinghong spent three years in secluded cultivation on Qingdu Peak. When she emerged, she had already attained the eighth tier of Qi Refinement. After consolidating her cultivation for a time, she originally intended to wait for the new moon to ingest pills and break through to the ninth tier. Unexpectedly, Li Yuanping paid a personal visit to Mount Qingdu, reporting that over recent years, clouds and mist had been surging around the cave dwelling at Mount Wutu. The faint sound of water echoed constantly within the abode, while clear spring water welled up from the ground. The weather across the Shanyue lands had grown increasingly abnormal: torrential downpours often lasted only half an incense stick of time, clear skies turned in an instant to misty squalls, and fish and turtles scurried onto the riverbanks. Having witnessed Li Tongya's breakthrough in the past, Qinghong immediately knew upon hearing this that her elder brother Li Yuanjiao, having secluded himself for years, had reached the critical juncture of his attempt at Foundation Establishment. "Brother is truly... something as vital and life-or-death as breaking through to Foundation Establishment, and he quietly began the attempt... without even a word of notice." Though she muttered in complaint, Li Qinghong hurriedly rode the wind to Mount Wutu to stand guard before the cave dwelling in person.