Only then did Fei Luoya ride the wind and depart. Li Yuanjiao waited for a few breaths before another man came flying through the distant valley on the wind, carrying a pair of cudgels on his back. It was Yuan Chengdun. As he landed beside Li Yuanjiao, Li Yuanjiao cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!"
Yuan Chengdun chuckled heartily and replied, "Before getting the pill, I couldn't wander too far. If that fellow had harbored ill intent and something happened, I would have had no way to clear my name."
Understanding his meaning, Li Yuanjiao brought out the Suiyuan Pill and placed it into his hands. Yuan Chengdun also unsealed two jade slips and said in a gentle voice, "These are our family's secret arts. I must ask your noble clan to keep them for personal use and not spread them carelessly."
"That goes without saying," Li Yuanjiao nodded and replied. "In a few days, my sister will head to Xunlin Plain and will surely have to trouble your clan."
This man's strength was exceptionally formidable, and Li Yuanjiao had taken note of every detail from the earlier fight. Turning Fei Luoya's words over in his mind, Li Yuanjiao smiled. "Your strength is truly astonishing, Fellow Daoist. Yuanjiao admires you greatly. If I ever encounter trouble in the future, might I invite you to lend a hand?"
Yuan Chengdun nodded steadily and replied, "Your son is apprenticed under my aunt, and our Yuan and Li families have been allies for many years. There is no need to be polite, Fellow Daoist. Whenever you need me, just call on Chengdun to loosen up his muscles. Splitting the spoils afterward makes it a fine thing for both of us."
"Splendid! Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!"
Li Yuanjiao saw that he was a generous, heroic man, as well as a rare talent of the Yuan family. After conversing warmly for a few moments, both had formed favorable impressions of each other, cupped their hands, and went their separate ways.
*This man bears a grand and imposing demeanor—a true gentleman. To have broken through to Foundation Establishment at thirty-seven is truly remarkable.*
Li Yuanjiao nodded inwardly. Remembering the bitter grievances Yuan Huyuan had once poured out to him, he sighed. "A victim of ill fortune. Had this man been born five hundred years earlier, the Yuan family would surely have held a place among the Three Sects and Seven Gates. What a pity he was born five hundred years too late; he can only shelter them for a time."
As Li Yuanjiao rode the wind, he read through the *Six Weirs Extraordinary Method of Fate Pairing* carefully from beginning to end. Seeing that the note at the very end was signed by Master Xuanyang, one layer of his doubts dissipated.
*When all is said and done, our clan's current situation has the backing of Yuansu and Xiao Chuting, and perhaps even Mount Dali... With the various factions keeping each other in check, as long as we take care regarding our immortal foundations, the Violet Palace figures have little reason to persecute us.*
*On the contrary, it is the Buddhist cultivators toying with fate who are hard to guard against...*
On this chessboard between the Violet Palace and the Mahas, the moves of the Violet Palace were driven by visible self-interest and could be defended against. Yet the Mahas struck whenever they willed—once they decreed a destiny, death followed, making them exceedingly difficult to anticipate.
*In the end, it is merely a concealment art; it cannot overturn the heavens.*
Li Yuanjiao took out the pig demon's storage bag, looked through it from side to side, and sighed. "A poor pig..."
What filled the pig demon's storage bag most were various spirit materials, while spirit stones were pitifully sparse. A dignified Foundation Establishment pig demon had a mere thirty-two of them, leaving Li Yuanjiao momentarily speechless.
"Our family is not of the Three Sects and Seven Gates after all. The goods in the pig demon's cave have already been promised to the fox demons to manage the lair, with any excess or deficit to be balanced later..."
Dragging the Foundation Establishment demon pig back to the mountain, Li Yuanjiao sealed the creature as usual and handed it over to the clan's cultivators for safekeeping. He then descended on the wind, sweeping his spiritual sense along the riverbank until he located the hook snake.
A massive iron yoke forged from Qingwu iron was locked around the hook snake's neck, and iron chains were pinned into its serpentine body. Its scales, originally a deep dark brown, were covered in grime and caked in dark mud. Slumping in the marshy ground, it looked like a collapsed, giant log.
Nearby, An Zheyan sat cross-legged, suspended in midair. A group of Jade Court Guards, all elites of the Yujing Wheel, silently stood at the ready, each holding an iron chain.
"Forebear!"
Seeing Li Yuanjiao arrive, An Zheyan hastily rose to his feet. Li Yuanjiao nodded slightly and spoke: "You have reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. Do you have plans to attempt Foundation Establishment?"
Ever since the downfall of the An clan, An Zheyan had cultivated with increasing diligence. Following the guidance of his wife, Li Feiruo, in all matters, he had lived quite comfortably in the Li family. Over the past twenty-four years, he had attained the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. Hearing the question, he sighed and answered, "Your subordinate is already one hundred and nine years old. Although I have made great progress these past dozen years, I know my own limits. What hope do I have for Foundation Establishment? I have no desire to gamble with my life; I only wish to pass my twilight years in peace."
"Mm."
Li Yuanjiao shifted his gaze away from him and let it rest on the hook snake. The serpent demon opened its black eyes, which were as large as ordinary human heads, and obsequiously nudged its head closer. The Qingwu chains clattered noisily as it flattered, "Immortal! The exalted immortal has arrived! This small demon has been waiting for a long time. Might I ask what instructions you have?"
Li Yuanjiao asked, "What lineage of golden nature does your Dao Foundation, Morning Cold Rain, belong to?"
The hook snake froze momentarily, startled, before answering, "It is... it belongs to... the Fu Water lineage."
*Fu Water?*
Li Yuanjiao's interest was piqued, but the hook snake cried out in terror: "Spare my life, Immortal! There are eight hundred if not a thousand small snakes like me in the Eastern Sea! This small demon's Dao Foundation is truly impure, not fit for consumption... It won't fetch much of a price!"
Seeing its state, Li Yuanjiao suddenly recalled Xiao Yuansi's words from years ago:
*Dao foundations of the same lineage can be consumed by one another. Though it severs the path to the Violet Palace, it grants far more wondrous might than ordinary Foundation Establishment... No wonder this hook snake is terrified out of its wits. It fears my family will sell it to an immortal cultivator of the Fu Water lineage.*
*This snake hails from overseas and is a demonic beast. Unlike the inland cultivators beneath the Three Sects and Seven Gates, who have information kept from them layer by layer to maintain control, its mouth must hold plenty of secrets to uncover!*
Stirred by the thought, he pressed on: "How many golden natures of the Water element are there in total? What are they called? And how many are vacant?"
The hook snake smiled fawningly and answered, "According to the Flood Dragon Palace... such Golden Core fruit statuses are collectively known as Water Virtue. There are five in total, currently called the Five Waters: Kan, Pin, Lu, He, and Fu. At present, only Kan Water and Fu Water remain unclaimed. The Immortal Master's flood dragon snake belongs to the Kan Water lineage... It cannot consume me."
"So that's how it is!"
Understanding dawned upon Li Yuanjiao, and he thought to himself:
*Kan Water... that is precisely the golden nature Xiao Chuting requires!*
Aloud, he continued asking, "If that is so, where are Pin, Lu, and He Water?"
The hook snake hurriedly replied, "Lu Water... was attained long ago by a True Monarch of the Qingchi Demonic Sect. He Water has always belonged to the Flood Dragon Palace. As for where Pin Water is, this small demon truly does not know; I only know someone occupies that seat..."
"Good."
Uncovering such esoteric lore brought Li Yuanjiao a sense of deep satisfaction. He followed up immediately: "Do you know the full names of the golden natures?"
"This small demon has no background. The little information I have is merely hearsay; how could I know so much? I only know the names of the five Water Virtue fruit statuses. There are five Fire Virtue fruit statuses as well..."
The hook snake stammered, "According to rumors this small demon heard, there are Three Golds inland who have already fully attained every fruit status of the Metal and Stone lineage. Because of this, metal and stone flourish inland—Qingwu copper essence, Shock Iron, and Cold Gold can be found everywhere, their sharp qi piercing and fierce, to the point that even mortals can wield iron arms and armor..."
Hearing this, a white-robed figure abruptly surfaced in Li Yuanjiao's mind, and he thought in shock:
*Wang Xun from back then... was truly the scion of a Golden Core immortal!*
When Wang Xun had visited the Li clan years ago, he claimed the ancestor of the Wang clan was the foremost of the Three Golds of the Inland. Li Yuanjiao had been skeptical at the time, assuming only three Golden Core cultivators remained inland.
Looking at it now, those Three Golds were not three Golden Core individuals at all, but three fruit statuses of the Metal and Stone lineage! The Qingchi Sect was guarded by a Golden Core, and if one counted Wu and Yue, the number of Golden Cores inland likely exceeded both hands.
"Good, good."
Li Yuanjiao nodded slowly. After turning the thoughts over in his head, he leaned closer to the hook snake and asked softly, "Oh? Since you say the fruit statuses of the Metal and Stone lineage have been completely attained, why are there five fruit statuses for Water Virtue, yet only Three Golds for Metal and Stone?"
The hook snake was stunned. It had never pondered the matter closely, and caught off guard by the question, it muttered, "Indeed... why is that... Five Waters and Five Fires, yet only Three Golds..."
It then pleaded, "This small demon truly does not know! Please see clearly, Immortal!"
After questioning it repeatedly, Li Yuanjiao found the hook snake had no more useful information to offer. He silently studied the creature for several breaths, staring until every single one of the beast's scales stood on end in sheer terror.
Knowing this was a matter of life and death, the hook snake flicked its tongue and bowed low. "This small demon cultivated bitterly for a hundred years before gaining sentience. Coming inland was solely to pursue spirit water; I never dared harbor thoughts of harming humans. The spirit water, the paired hooks, and the snake pearl have all been taken by the Immortal. Now I ask only for my life..."
Li Yuanjiao lowered his brows, weighing his options.
*The hook snake was entrusted to us by Kong Tingyun, backed by Xuanyue, who has shown goodwill to my family many times. There shouldn't be much of an issue...*
He lifted the hook snake and said in a low voice, "I can spare your life on the condition that you obey my family for the rest of your days. I have borrowed a secret method, and I require your cooperation in relinquishing your soul nature. Are you willing?"
The hook snake breathed a long sigh of relief. Seeing a path to survival, it said joyfully, "Willing! I am willing!"
Li Yuanjiao adjusted his sleeves. By then, Li Xicheng had arrived, leading a contingent of Jade Court Guards. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Second Uncle."
Li Yuanjiao asked, "How many spirit stones remain in the clan?"
Li Xicheng answered at once: "Our family has always set aside spirit stones for tribute first. Fifty remained, of which one hundred and fifteen were spent on the Azure Ox River-Snuggling Array. Yushan sent eighty to patch the deficit, leaving an excess of fifteen."
Li Yuanjiao was left momentarily speechless. Subduing this beast required six types of spirit materials, worth roughly ninety spirit stones in total. Their clan possessed three of them, while the rest had to be purchased from other families. He retrieved fifty spirit stones and instructed, "This is from my personal savings, supplemented by what I gained from slaying demons. Adding them makes sixty-five, which should be enough. Gather the rest and send them over within a few days."
"Your aunt is going to the Xunlin Plain to enter seclusion for her breakthrough. Send a few men to accompany her."
Though Li Qinghong still felt a measure of unease, Li Yuanjiao had full confidence in her.
***
Snow fell upon Lake Wangyue as scheduled. Mount Qingdu towered over the water, flanked by several recently raised mounds. The dark brown rocky peak stood silently, an azure grand array active around it to seal off the interior from the outside world.
The hook snake's dark, blackish body was coiled around the small rocky peak, its head raised upward as billows of white vapor surged from its mouth, streaming toward the mountain summit.
Li Yuanjiao had repeatedly warned it that if the technique were interrupted, it would suffer severe backlash, and the Li family had no spare spirit herbs for another fate pairing. The hook snake was naturally on edge, spewing white mist continuously.
Before long, a beam of white light rose from the summit, streaking through the air to imprint itself upon the serpent's carriage-sized head. A white mark flared to life, and a wisp of soul nature separated from the beast, flying into the hands of Li Yuanjiao on the mountain.
Li Yuanjiao descended slowly. The *Six Weirs Extraordinary Method of Fate Pairing* had succeeded without a hitch. Far from looking languid, the hook snake's aura surged dramatically as it exhaled icy chill, having clearly gained significant benefits.
"It truly seems to be a spirit material at the Violet Palace level..."
At the six corners of the Six Weirs Fate-Pairing Grand Array were the six spirit materials recorded in the manual. For the central fate-pairing medium, Li Yuanjiao had placed a Lunar Osmanthus blossom, while Taiyin moonlight had been poured in to the brim, with much of it wasted and dissipated.
With a flick of his fingers, the hook snake's Cold Jade Snake Pearl shot forth, vanishing into its gaping maw. In an instant, the hook snake's aura swelled with immense might, the hue of its scales deepening further, taking on the presence of a monster general.
The hook snake circulated its breath for half an hour before opening its massive serpentine eyes. A white, frigid light flickered within them for three full breaths before settling into calm. As its coiled body shifted along the peak, loose stones clattered and tumbled down.
Riding the wind, it cast a dark shadow over the ground. Touching down, its shape shifted, transforming into a dark-robed young man with a sinister countenance, narrow eyes, and crisp, tight-fitting robes. He clasped his hands and bowed: "Subordinate greets the Master!"
Li Yuanjiao noticed that when the demon serpent had revealed its true form earlier, its two long tails were still bare. He asked, "Can the hooks on your tails still grow back?"
The venom of a hook snake was renowned far and wide. Even Kong Tingyun had previously borrowed an artifact just to pin down its tails. Without those two venomous hooks, its strength would be considerably diminished.
The dark-robed young man shook his head repeatedly and answered, "Replying to Master: unless I consume some precious herb or spirit water, it will take several decades of nourishment before the twin hooks on my tails grow back..."
Li Yuanjiao frowned. "I will keep an eye out for you. Have you ever assumed human form before?"
"Never. The Eastern Sea places no value on such things," the dark-robed young man answered timidly. "It has only been a dozen years since your subordinate broke through to Foundation Establishment, and I spent the earlier years in seclusion at the salt lake..."
Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes, studying him. Seeing his sinister face, ruthless and venomous demeanor, and look of someone ready to tear into human flesh at any moment, he said, "Why do you look like me, looking nothing like a good person?"
Not expecting Li Yuanjiao to say this, the young man was taken aback and said awkwardly, "My soul nature is in Master's hands... so naturally, there is some resemblance."
Li Yuanjiao nodded. With an extra Foundation Establishment combatant at their disposal, his mood improved markedly, and he smiled. "Since you have taken human form, I ought to give you a name, rather than calling you hook snake day in and day out."
The sinister young man bowed his head in compliance. After musing for a moment, Li Yuanjiao spoke:
"Seeing that your form resembles a black-striped serpent, and having entered my Li clan, you shall be called Li Wushao."
Li Wushao cupped his hands and said respectfully, "Wushao obeys!"
Li Yuanjiao chuckled, thinking to himself:
*A name copied from our predecessors really does sound better, saving me from Qinghong's muttering and secret laughter at my expense.*
With another Foundation Establishment demon cultivator in the household, many matters could now be handled with far greater ease. Feeling much lighter, Li Yuanjiao said to Li Wushao, "Go down and meet Xicheng. Have him guide you so you can recognize our family members clearly, lest the flood waters wash over the Dragon King's temple."
"Understood!"
Li Wushao gave a grim reply and flew downward. Li Yuanjiao turned back into the courtyard, picked up brush and ink, and prepared to write a letter to Qingsui Peak.
"I should ask Zhi'er if this Fu Daimu has any background... If this matter can be done, I will invite Yuan Chengdun or Senior Yuansi to lend a hand, and five of us can encircle and slay that rogue."
"That fellow has lingered in that territory for so long; he must have gathered plenty of fine goods—precious herbs, sorcery arts, and a Foundation Establishment artifact. Slaying the pest will bring great profit and win over Fei Luoya..."
A genuine smile, rare for him, surfaced on his face as he thought to himself:
*Zhi'er... has been betrothed to the Yang daughter for several years now. I wonder if they have any children yet. I must make sure to ask.*
Chapter 387