Hanlin

Mount Qingdu. Time flowed past like water. Mount Qingdu had completely settled into a peak amid the lake, its earth and water veins blending seamlessly with the surroundings until not a trace remained of it having been moved there. Li Xijun was practicing his sword arts on the mountain. Compared to his brothers, his innate talent was not considered high. Over the past two years, Li Ximing had taken pills and broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, his cultivation gradually nearing completion, while Li Xizhi had also broken through to the seventh layer. Li Xijun alone still lingered at the sixth layer. "The final three layers of Qi Refinement are exceptionally arduous. My talent falls short, and earlier on I merely took advantage of some fortuitous circumstances to barely keep pace with them. It is only natural that I fall behind." He possessed a steady disposition, training his sword arts ceaselessly day and night. As his longsword danced, it gradually took on a subtle charm and flawless fluency. "The Threefold Moonstream is truly difficult. After painstakingly studying it for so many years, I've finally made some slight progress." As Li Xijun practiced his swordplay, he saw a monk land upon the peak, carrying a long jade box on his back and looking at him warmly. "Master, you have finally returned!" Kongheng had been away for two years. Had Li Xizhi not sent a letter back explaining things, they might have feared something had happened to him on the road. Li Xijun glanced at the jade box on his back, felt a premonition, and said delightedly, "Has the sword been forged?!" At present, Li Xijun did not have a single valuable treasure on his person. Originally, the ceramic red bead given to him by Li Yuanjiao—the protective artifact Evening Red Glaze—could be considered an excellent Qi Refinement-grade artifact, but he had given it to his younger sister, Li Yuexiang, early on for self-defense. Now, he had only the sword in his hand. Now that his elder brother had specially forged a Foundation Establishment artifact for him, how could Li Xijun not be overjoyed? Even someone as steady as he could rarely hide his delight. "Indeed!" Kongheng nodded, took off the jade box from behind his back, cradled it in both hands, and withdrew a longsword from within. The blade was like white snow, cold light rippling across its surface. The edge was slender and sharp, and the sword as a whole was rather thin and long. Kongheng held it up flat in both hands and presented the sword, saying, "This sword measures three chi, nine cun, and three fen in length, and weighs ninety-two jin and twelve liang. Forged from cold iron and refined gold, it is a Foundation Establishment artifact. Bright as flowing water, pure as white frost, it is named Hanlin." Li Xijun's eyes had long been glued to it. Trembling, he took it and nodded. "Good... wonderful..." Held in his hand, the Hanlin Sword rang with a clear chime. The two seal script characters engraved on the blade, 'Hanlin', flared brightly, emitting a white radiance as if in joy. Li Xijun flipped the steel blade, gripping the sword in reverse. The snow-white edge reached all the way to his opposite shoulder, radiating a chilling aura. He measured its proportions for two breaths and exclaimed once more, "Splendid!" His sword-like brows lifted, and he swung the treasure sword, raising a biting cold wind at his side. A speck of frigid light swayed left and right in the wind, suddenly dividing into three streaks of flowing light—snow-white and translucent—that danced and vaulted through the air, circling around him. "Threefold Moonstream!" Li Xijun let out a long breath, and the three streaks of light vanished. The sword technique he had failed to execute for years was finally unleashed with the aid of Hanlin, freezing the bluestone beneath his feet until it shattered to dust. "Good!" A deep, husky voice rang out. Li Xijun was intimately familiar with the voice. He hurriedly sheathed the sword and said respectfully, "Greetings, Old Ancestor!" Li Yuanjiao strolled out from the stone path, thoroughly pleased. He said softly, "Your talent in the sword dao is quite good. What serves you best is your diligence and hard work; having a devoted love for the sword, your efforts have finally borne fruit." He paused, then added in a quiet voice, "Ancestor Tongya also practiced the sword for thirty years back then before mastering this move. You've caught up with him." Li Xijun hurriedly demurred and said with deference, "How could I compare to him! I am dull-witted and have studied this sword art for twenty years. Though our ancestor practiced the sword for thirty years, it took him a mere ten years to master the move after obtaining the sword manual. Naturally, there is no comparison!" Seeing his anxious expression, Li Yuanjiao knew he was genuinely filled with reverence rather than putting on an act of false modesty. He laughed heartily and said contentedly, "Good! At any rate, you're at least better than me!" Li Xijun hesitated as if wishing to speak, but Li Yuanjiao waved his hand to interrupt him. Taking the Hanlin Sword to examine it, Li Yuanjiao said in a grave voice, "The materials are superb... likely second only to Qingchi. The cost could not have been pretty. Fortunately, it was merely reforged rather than forged from scratch... Take thirty spirit stones and send them to Zhi'er. Don't let him push himself too hard and delay his cultivation." Li Xijun assented. The Li family's surplus was quite substantial now; after these few years, they had accumulated a reserve of around a hundred spirit stones, so spending a few dozen was no strain. Li Yuanjiao handed the blade back into his hands and muttered, "The name was chosen well, at least." Li Xijun pursed his lips, while Kongheng puckered his mouth without a word, offered an apology, and hurriedly withdrew. Li Yuanjiao produced a small letter and said with a serious expression, "A letter Zhi'er sent back. It arrived at my cave dwelling a long time ago. Have a look." Li Xijun nodded and skimmed through it, then said in a deep voice, "In my humble view as your nephew... we should head overseas immediately. On one hand, we can look for an island to establish a foothold; on the other, we cannot allow Situ Mo the leeway to focus on targeting Xuanyue Gate." "Xuanyue Gate has good relations with our family after all, and Kong Tingyun is Second Uncle's friend. Why not join hands with her? At the very least, we can make Situ Mo suffer a setback!" His mind was nimble, and he swiftly deduced: "It would be best if we can unearth Situ Mo's accomplices or backing and eliminate them, so that he cannot divine our family's movements. That would greatly reduce the threat." He said softly, "At home, we only need Kongheng to remain... He is most skilled at defense. Coupled with our clan's grand formation, and with Situ Mo stranded overseas and unable to return, our home will naturally be safe!" Li Xijun said this, but in truth, as long as Situ Mo's location was confirmed, the clan did not necessarily require a Foundation Establishment cultivator to stay behind. Understanding Li Yuanjiao's cautious nature, he swallowed the rest of his thoughts. Li Yuanjiao had been in secluded cultivation for over two years, healing his wounds, and with the aid of numerous spirit pills, his cultivation had even made slight progress. At this moment, he only said, "It is feasible, yes... But if Situ Mo's accomplice is truly Zhao Shi, without Kongheng's assistance, we might not even be able to find the monk, let alone deal with him." Li Xijun nodded slightly and murmured, "Aunt is a major combatant and cannot be left out. Does Clan Uncle mean... to have Senior Wushao stay behind to guard the home?" "Mm." Li Yuanjiao nodded and replied, "In the Eastern Sea, we also need that demon snake to guide the way. It would be better to resolve the matter with Situ Mo first, then have Qinghong return home and swap him out." "It seems that is the only way..." Li Xijun let out a low sigh and voiced his doubt, "Yet I fear the moment we set out from here, that person will divine our movements!" "I asked Kongheng. That person must pay a certain price to divine my location, so he won't know at all times. It is better to make it a quick battle, setting out immediately to catch Situ Mo off guard..." Even as Li Yuanjiao spoke the words, doubts lingered in his mind. He silently thought: 'Our family has gradually gained status and can hear some news. A Purple Mansion master shouldn't be stooping to strike personally; what we must fear most is an ambush set by a group of masters like Zhao Shi!' Pondering deeply, he decided to first have Kongheng make a trip to the Eastern Sea with a letter for Xuanyue Gate's Kong Tingyun to inquire about the current situation before drawing up further plans.