An Zheyan offered his congratulations, saying, "Subordinate has discovered two mineral veins beneath the lake. One is Wuhui spirit molybdenum, an Embryonic Breathing-grade spiritual ore, with reserves of around four hundred thousand jin. The other is Qi Refinement-grade Mishui cold iron, with roughly two hundred thousand jin."
His face was flushed with excitement as he said, "Neither vein is small. They will be enough to sustain us for several hundred years!"
The news gave Li Yuanping a start, and delight surfaced on his face for a moment before he immediately seized upon the crux of the matter. He asked, "Unlike Qingwu, which can be used right after being quarried, I imagine Wuhui spirit molybdenum and Mishui cold iron need to be refined, do they not?"
An Zheyan nodded repeatedly and replied, "Wuhui spirit molybdenum is a spirit essence commonly used in artifact forging. When refined from the ore, a hundred jin yields only a thimbleful of powder the size of a fingertip, but that amount alone can sell for one spirit stone!"
He withdrew two pieces of raw stone from his robes. One was a grayish earthy yellow, covered with circular patterns, while the other was striking—fine blue and white veins interweaving like a gemstone. Handing them to Li Xicheng, he continued, "Mishui cold iron is even more precious. Although the deposit is somewhat lean, two hundred jin can still yield a fist-sized chunk of cold iron. Its value is even higher—worth several spirit stones..."
"Good."
Li Yuanping nodded upon hearing this. The one thing the Li family did not lack nowadays was manpower. The Embryonic Breathing cultivators across the various hills had light duties; with these two mineral veins, the refining work could be assigned to them, saving the lot from idling about with nothing to do.
He then asked, "Li Wushao has also introduced you to them. With those monster beasts helping, how much ore can be mined each year?"
An Zheyan replied, "We should be able to mine over a thousand jin of Wuhui spirit molybdenum a year. As for Mishui cold iron, it is exceptionally hard and requires Qi Refinement cultivators to dig it out personally; yielding two hundred jin a year would already be quite good."
'That will bring an extra dozen or so spirit stones in income each year, nearly a hundred over five years... Not bad at all.'
Li Yuanping smiled faintly. Wuhui spirit molybdenum was very common and used in most Embryonic Breathing magical artifacts, so selling it off was naturally fine. Mishui cold iron, on the other hand, was precious; it would be best to stockpile it for their own use.
Having made up his mind, he arranged for the Jade Court Guard to accompany An Zheyan down, then turned to Li Xicheng beside him and said, "Go fetch Li Wushao. Directing the lakebed monster beasts to mine will require the hook snake's hand."
Li Xicheng nodded and withdrew. Li Yuanping calculated carefully: 'The farmed spirit fish will gradually yield a harvest in a few years, and the two minerals will produce at least a dozen or so stones each year. This way, when Xicheng manages the family in the future, he won't be strapped for funds.'
Were it not for the need for spirit stones, Li Yuanping truly would have been reluctant to sell these minerals. Once their family produced an artifact master, the price difference from selling them forged into magical artifacts would be like night and day.
The Li family also possessed a few artifact-forging techniques acquired from rogue cultivators, but they were clumsy to use. One had to draw on a fire vein to barely forge Embryonic Breathing magical artifacts, and the cost was steep. Since they had no fire vein of their own, they could only drop the idea.
For now, Li Yuanping merely calculated in silence: 'I wonder whether we can obtain the artifact-forging inheritance in Meng Taizhi's hands... From his appearance, he can forge artifacts even without a fire vein. The old man doesn't have many years left; getting it shouldn't be difficult...'
Recalling Meng Taizhi's words and expressions just now, he was somewhat uncertain.
...
The lakeshore.
Having departed, Meng Taizhi rode the wind back to the bank. The light was still on in the small cottage by the shore. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, where Meng Zhuoyun was silently cultivating.
"Yun'er."
Meng Zhuoyun was fair-faced and snow-skinned, looking quite young. Sitting on the couch in cultivation, she looked up as Meng Taizhi entered and asked in a low voice, "How is the Li family? Xiao Yuansi may share an acquaintance with Grandfather, but he is a pampered young master; he scarcely understands the wickedness of the world..."
Meng Taizhi shook his head and said in a grave voice, "Though the Li family is a rising newcomer, their discipline and rules are strict. The Li family ancestor was likely a rigid moralist, binding everyone high and low in tight constraints. With the letter from Old Ancestor Xiao as well, they certainly won't harm us."
Meng Taizhi reflected for a moment before speaking: "I have yet to meet Li Yuanjiao, but that Li Yuanping is quite a figure. It is just a pity... seeing his pale complexion and feeble breath, he must have suffered some severe injury. I fear he doesn't have many years left to live."
Meng Zhuoyun frowned slightly and asked in puzzlement, "The Li family is a sword immortal clan, so how can even their patriarch look so decrepit? There must be something amiss. Demonic cultivators ran rampant for years; I refuse to believe their family doesn't have secret methods in hand!"
Meng Taizhi shook his head, stroking the long beard on his chin. "Their family is ruthless toward cultivators yet harbors great compassion for mortals. Burdened by mortal morality, they refuse to employ secret methods to save their own kin, looking on coldly as a figure like him goes to his grave. It is truly a pity."
Pausing, the old man continued, "Still, perhaps it is for the best. This man has sharp methods; if he were to manage the household long-term, even though we harbor no designs against them, we would inevitably live in anxiety."
Meng Zhuoyun listened in confusion and marveled, "Such a thing actually exists? Between the lives of a hundred unrelated mortals and a trustworthy, capable brother of his own blood, which weighs more heavily? Could that Foundation Establishment cultivator Li Yuanjiao fail to distinguish between them? A thousand years after the war between immortals and demons, such a family still remains.
"Back in the Eastern Sea, I often heard that many inland conservative sects and clans clung to antiquated ways. I thought it was mere jest, never imagining it was actually true!"
"Better hold your tongue!"
Meng Taizhi cautioned her, then said, "I have laid things out clearly with Li Yuanping, so trading for the alchemy inheritance shouldn't be an issue. However, Li Yuanping refuses to trust me and has shown no intention of recruiting me so far. After I die, I fear you will be left to wander Yue State alone."
With regret on his face, he continued, "I had thought that the Li family is thriving. Li Tongya is a renowned sword cultivator, and Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong are remarkably talented. Even rarer, they have worthy successors coming up. It would have been best if we could take refuge with this clan, but alas, he does not trust me."
Meng Zhuoyun remained silent. Meng Taizhi sighed, "If Li Yuanping still refuses to trust me as my lifespan nears its end, I will hold nothing back and offer this entire lifetime of artifact-forging attainments to the Li family. My only plea will be for you to learn a secret art or two of alchemy under that Li Ximing, so you will have the capital to survive on your own in the future.
"Under Qingchi Sect's rule, things are quite similar to the Eastern Sea. It would be safer for you to head toward Jinyu Sect instead."
Listening, Meng Zhuoyun's pale, delicate fingers tightened around a dark gold bronze mirror. She murmured, "If only my husband had not been slain by that rogue cultivator... With his methods, why would I ever have had to lead such a displaced, vagabond life?"
"Speak no more of it... speak no more..."
Meng Taizhi sighed again and again, despair etched into his face as he answered, "Who could have imagined it? A formidable cultivator at the peak of Qi Refinement, slain by an insignificant cultivator at the early Qi Refinement stage! To think he died at the hands of a rogue cultivator he met on the road!"
The old man lifted his white-haired head, tears trickling down his cheeks as he lamented, "If only... if only we hadn't provoked that Tulong Jian! We wouldn't have fallen to where we are today!"
Yet Meng Zhuoyun's face remained cold. She merely said in a low voice, "I have nothing to regret. Sooner or later, I will kill him."
...
Qingchi Sect.
In a bamboo grove atop Qingsui Peak, a youth clad in feathered robes sat cross-legged. As a gentle breeze stirred, he opened his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Morning Glow Flight is complete!"
The Morning Glow Dew Plucking Incantation was a cultivation technique refined by Qingchi over five hundred years. Its complementary arts were extraordinarily comprehensive, ranking among the very best of fourth-rank techniques. Li Xizhi's cultivation of this path included this particular levitation art.
Unfortunately, this technique could only be cultivated up to the peak of Foundation Establishment. Which Qingchi Sect disciple did not aspire to seek the Purple Palace? Moreover, this path offered no benefit to alchemy or artifact forging, so naturally few practiced it.
When Li Xizhi cultivated this technique, not a few of his fellow disciples looked down on him, but he never took it to heart, focusing solely on his own practice.
Now rising to his feet, six-colored streams of vibrant qi rose beneath him, lifting him aloft. Clad in the dark feathered robes Yang Xiao'er had gifted him, he truly carried the air of an immortal.
After flying above Qingsui Peak for a while, he was well pleased:
'For close-quarters leaping, I have the River-Crossing Torrent Steps; for levitation and wind-riding, I have Morning Glow Flight. If someone wants to kill me, it will be exceedingly difficult even for a peak Qi Refinement cultivator.'
'Once I master the Six-Color Origin-Seeking Escape and carry a few talismans with me, few dangers out in the world could claim my life.'
Looking down at the churning six-colored qi beneath his feet, he thought with a touch of regret:
'A pity that this art is excellent in every way except for being too dazzling. One look and anyone can tell it's an extraordinary technique—hardly discreet.'
Li Xizhi chuckled at his own insatiable greed. Riding the wind down, he saw Yang Xiao'er ascending on the breeze, holding a small storage bag in her hand.
Earlier on, she had still been beset by anxieties, but Li Xizhi had always treated her with gentleness. The young woman had gradually put her heart at ease; now she beamed, her eyes filled only with him.
"Husband, news has come from home!"
Li Xizhi quickly took it. Probing with his spiritual sense, he found three sealed jade boxes inside. Reading the short letter within, he fell silent.
Yang Xiao'er stepped forward and asked softly, "What do they say?"
Landing back in the bamboo grove with her, Li Xizhi took her hand and said in a low voice, "The family's affair is settled. I'm afraid I must make a trip to Fuchen Peak. If I can establish a connection with him... after all, he is an alchemist at the peak of Foundation Establishment."
Yang Xiao'er pursed her lips and said, "Li Encheng has an eccentric temper and has never aligned himself with any faction... Apologizing is one thing, but getting on his good side won't be easy. You might only suffer humiliation instead..."
Qingchi Sect was a great sect five hundred years in the making, a colossus dominating Yue State. Anchored in the southern two commanderies and the Qingchi Mountain Range, it infiltrated the five sects to the east and suppressed the vibrant, prime-state Changxiao Gate to the west. On the frontiers, places like Wangyue and Lixia were governed through heavy taxation and slaughter to harvest blood qi. Every territory had clearly divided jurisdictions, maintaining an exceptional stability.
In contrast, factions abounded within Qingchi Sect itself. Headed by the Yuanxiu and Yuanwu factions, alongside a dozen smaller factions, the peak masters, elders, and True Persons engaged in endless political maneuvering. Sect Master Chi Zhiyun merely managed to maintain a fragile balance among them.
"No, I must try," Li Xizhi replied after careful thought. "Currently, the Chi family has sparse offspring within the sect and relies on the Ning family to maintain control over the peaks. They already find it strenuous against the Yuanwu faction, to say nothing of the uneven distribution of Donghuo Grotto-Heaven, which has prompted repeated provocations from the Yuanxiu faction. Chi Zhiyun has been largely sidelined and cannot micromanage everything.
"If I am to secure backing within Qingchi Sect to help our family gain a footing in Yue State—to at least ensure Qingchi treats us as hunting hounds rather than food to be devoured—this is an excellent opportunity! It must not be missed!"
Yang Xiao'er looked at him with great concern, her ordinary features rendered vivid by the tenderness in her eyes. She said, "But... Master's Yuan family belongs to True Person Bu Zi's lineage, and my family's status is sensitive; we've never dared form cliques... If you go like this..."
'The Yuan family ancestor made an error in his early years and was expelled outside the sect; now he is near death. The Yuan family's influence in the sect wanes with each passing year, so what favor is there left to call upon? If there were any, Master would have introduced me to the people of Tianzi Peak long ago!'
Li Xizhi understood this well. Yuan Tuan had hinted at it to him in private multiple times without daring to say it openly. He could only say aloud, "Don't worry, Master is also on the peak."
Hearing this, Yang Xiao'er knew there was likely Yuan Tuan's backing behind it, so she pressed no further and nodded in agreement.
Li Xizhi rode the wind away from Qingsui Peak, turning things over in his mind.
'Granduncle has gained favor with a True Person in Yishan City and already secured the backing of the Ning family, but True Person Yuansu has always acted on his own in Yishan City and never interferes in the sect's affairs...'
Li Xizhi understood that the Ning family held good favor toward his clan, yet in his heart, throwing their lot entirely with the Ning family was not the best choice:
'If I can establish ties with Li Encheng, everything will open up. Our family needs our own voice in Qingchi... From there, we can support the Ning family and remain close allies, rather than throwing ourselves at their feet as their vassals...'
He understood the vast difference between the two. After drifting through the clouds for a time, he landed before Fuchen Peak. A Daoist boy of Fuchen Peak spoke up:
"May I ask if the Immortal is here seeking elixirs? How may I help you?"
Li Xizhi did not dare put on airs. Cupping his hands, he said in a humble tone, "Li Xizhi of the Lake Wangyue Li family has come to pay respects!"
He did not mention Qingsui Peak, visiting instead in the name of the Li family. That was his opening gambit; if he couldn't even get through the front door this way, he would have to drop the matter and call it a day.
The boy went up for a moment, and then the clouds and mist of the grand array parted. Li Xizhi descended onto the peak and saw fiery red ground all around, with who knew how many fire veins buried beneath. Jagged boulders jutted everywhere, and the palace ahead loomed tall, resembling a colossal cauldron furnace.
He respectfully entered the main hall. Seated at the head was a tall, gaunt old man clad in white robes, thin as a skeleton, hugging a white jade wine flagon and drinking freely. Seeing him, the old man scowled and asked bluntly:
"The Li family? I have never had dealings with your clan. What business do you have with me?!"
Seeing how impatient he was, Li Xizhi's heart sank, yet he still maintained a humble posture and said, "Xizhi pays respects to the Peak Master. This disciple has heard that there was a Shanyue at Lake Wangyue who often collected precious herbs for the Peak Master..."
Li Encheng was taken aback for a full breath before the realization struck him. "Ah, there was such a thing."
Li Encheng's gaunt cheeks twitched as he frowned and took a sip of wine. Li Xizhi replied:
"That Shanyue broke through to the late Foundation Establishment stage and grew arrogant. A few days ago, he entered our family's territory and was slain by our family in league with the Yuan family. This disciple has come on this journey specifically to report this matter to the Peak Master!"
"I wondered what it was!"
Reeking of alcohol, Li Encheng had almost forgotten that person existed. He waved a dismissive hand. "If he's dead, so be it. It makes no real difference—at most, finding precious herbs will take a little more time. To think they made you make the trip for that. Be on your way!"
Li Xizhi hastily said, "Our family feels deeply apologetic and hopes to make amends to the Peak Master..."
"Oh?"
Li Encheng took a swig of wine and said with a squinting smile, "What do you propose?"
Li Xizhi bowed low and said respectfully, "My Li family borders the lakeshore, backed by Mount Dali, with the desert to the west, reaching Xu and Zhao to the north, and bordering the river mouths leading to the sea in the east. We have opportunities to acquire all manner of spiritual materials. If the Peak Master has need, our family can gladly procure them on your behalf!"
Chapter 393