Li Xuanfeng crossed the border. The jade boat was conspicuous, and before long, he had arrived in Xuanyue Gate's territory.
Qingchi Sect had its own outlet to the sea, but entering the sea from Xuanyue Gate's Salt Lake was the shortest route to Fenkuai Island. Going by Qingchi Sect's southern passage would require taking a vast detour, which was thoroughly inconvenient, so Li Xuanfeng had flown straight here to borrow passage through Xuanyue Gate's domain.
Xuanyue Gate's Shanji Commandery appeared in the distance ahead. A white light screen rose out of thin air, and he brought the jade boat to a halt. A Xuanyue disciple rode the wind up toward them, speaking very politely in a hushed voice:
"May I ask, Senior..."
The elder Ning brother stepped forward and replied, "We are from Qingchi, escorting disciples to Fenkuai Island."
Li Xuanfeng stepped forward and patted his belt. From the dark-gold beast head flew a jade medallion, which shone brilliantly in midair, dazzling to behold.
The disciple was an old man clad in white robes, with fairly neat features and moles on both cheeks, adorned all over with jade ornaments of various sizes. He scrambled to say:
"This humble cultivator, Kong Yu, greets Senior! Please... please follow me into the lake!"
He adopted an exceedingly humble posture, sneaking covert glances at Li Xuanfeng as he led the way. After hesitating for a long while, he spoke somewhat haltingly:
"Senior... could you be the Southern Border's 'Jingeng Astral String'? You closely match the descriptions I have heard..."
Li Xuanfeng was not surprised at being recognized. He gave a slight nod, but to his surprise, Kong Yu immediately grew excited and said hurriedly:
"Senior, I am Kong Yu of Xuanyue! Xuanyue has always been on good terms with the Li family! I even went to Lake Wangyue once to help move mountains for Qingdu, and I have quite a friendship with Fellow Daoist Xuanxuan..."
Li Xuanfeng raised an eyebrow in surprise. His expression softened considerably, and he said in a low voice:
"Oh? Eldest Brother?"
A faint smile appeared on Li Xuanfeng's face, and he asked softly:
"I have not seen him in many years... How is Eldest Brother doing these days?"
"Well... he is well, of course!"
Under Li Xuanfeng's gaze, Kong Yu felt his heart leap, growing inexplicably nervous. He offered a couple of quick reassurances before continuing:
"Fellow Daoist Xuanxuan's cultivation... has also reached late-stage Qi Refinement... His attainments in the Dao of talismans have grown increasingly profound, though he is not particularly adept in combat..."
"The two of us traveled west together back then, talking endlessly along the road. I gained a great deal from our talks..."
Li Xuanfeng looked away, listening quietly. Kong Yu racked his brains, and suddenly an idea struck him. He blurted out:
"And... and another thing... I heard your noble clan even took a trip overseas, joining hands with our Xuanyue's Foundation Establishment cultivator to take revenge on Situ Mo, beating that monk of the Wrathful Lineage within an inch of being utterly destroyed, body and soul!"
"Revenge? Situ Mo? A disciple of Tangjin Gate?"
The Southern Border had always been cut off from the outside world. Although Li Xuanfeng had exchanged messages with his family once through Liu Changdie, what he knew was limited after all; most of his information came through the Ning family's channels.
While the Ning family was fairly capable at gathering intelligence, they still could not know every private affair. Kong Yu had learned of this matter directly from Kong Tingyun, so it was hardly surprising that Li Xuanfeng remained in the dark.
Catching onto the crucial details, Li Xuanfeng pressed with a question. Kong Yu did not dare delay, hastily recounting the story he had heard from Kong Tingyun:
"Indeed, Tangjin Gate! I heard that Tangjin Gate's Situ Mo somehow forged a feud with your noble clan, and colluding with the Wrathful Lineage from the north, secretly ambushed your clan's juniors. Fortunately, your clan's Foundation Establishment cultivator rushed to their aid in time, preventing disaster..."
"Later, when your noble clan needed to make a trip to the Eastern Sea, they entered the sea alongside our sect's Foundation Establishment cultivator Kong Tingyun, and as fate would have it, ran into the two of them on the way. After a fierce battle, they went right ahead and beat that monk..."
Kong Yu kept his story brief, giving only a concise summary. But when he mentioned Situ Mo ambushing the junior cultivators, he noticed Li Xuanfeng raise his brow, his eyes slightly widening as sparks of fury flickered within them.
Yet by the time he finished, Li Xuanfeng's eyes had returned to complete calmness, showing no visible stir of emotion. He merely said quietly:
"What audacity."
The tone was thoroughly plain, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down Kong Yu's spine. Then he saw Li Xuanfeng ask:
"Is that Situ Mo still in the Eastern Sea?"
"Naturally!"
Kong Yu nodded eagerly, feeling a surge of delight inwardly, and answered:
"On Jindou Island in the Zhulu Sea. Just head due east from here; you need only ask around to learn its exact location."
Li Xuanfeng nodded and stood with his hands behind his back. The dark-gold spiritual armor gleamed in the sunlight, his long robes fluttering. Several names flashed through his mind, and he said coldly:
"Situ Mo... Guo Hongyao..."
'You had best hide away in the State of Yue or on Chijiao Island... If I catch you in the Eastern Sea, I will make you taste the torment of ten thousand arrows piercing your hearts and blades flaying your flesh!'
As killing intent stirred in his heart, Kong Yu felt as though sharp blades were slicing across his face. Shaken and terrified, he did not dare utter a word.
'As for this Kong Yu, he wants to use me as a weapon.'
Li Xuanfeng glanced at the old man, but did not care much. They shared a common enemy after all, and having obtained the information, Li Xuanfeng knew his own bounds.
He remained reasonably polite for Li Xuanxuan's sake, but that single glance left Kong Yu feeling uneasy. The old man quickly tried to smooth things over:
"It is just that Situ Mo is a direct scion of Tangjin Gate. Regardless of whether he is strong or not... if things truly get out of hand, it might be troublesome to resolve. If Senior has the mind to act, teaching him a small lesson to discipline him would suffice..."
Li Xuanfeng nodded. Resting his hand against the ship's gunwale, he remained courteous enough, exchanging casual remarks with him. Once they left the Salt Lake, Kong Yu finally took his leave:
"This old fellow will see you off only up to here! The rest is up to you all, please make yourselves at home."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist!"
The elder Ning brother nodded in response. Seeing how familiar Kong Yu seemed with Li Xuanfeng, he was reasonably polite. Kong Yu turned and flew away, sweating profusely as he thought:
'Close call! This Li Xuanfeng is completely different from Li Xuanxuan! How can they even seem like brothers... they couldn't be more different...'
In Kong Yu's eyes, Li Xuanxuan was like a drowsy old rabbit: though he grew nervous at the slightest rustle of grass in the wind, he was earnest and conscientious, easy to get along with, devoid of ferocity, and pleasant in everyday conversation.
Although he had not spent much time with Li Xuanxuan, he had felt a strong sense of resonance with him, becoming quite well-acquainted and coming to understand him well.
This Li Xuanfeng, on the other hand, was truly a falcon. Polite on the surface, his every glance exuded ferocious sharpness—especially just now when Kong Yu mentioned Situ Mo ambushing the Li clan's younger generation, the way his eyelids lifted had made one's face feel literally sliced by blades.
'If he were merely a solitary hawk, that would be one thing... but he has weathered decades in the bitter winds of the Southern Border, honing a set of razor-sharp talons... and has now nested in the great tree of the Ning family. Truly terrifying!'
Watching the green jade boat vanish into the distance, Kong Yu mused silently:
"Within ten years, the name of this great hawk will surely resound across the State of Yue! Across three generations... the Li family has produced such a host of remarkable figures. No wonder their fortunes rise with every passing day!"
He rode the wind down to the mountain peak, lost in thought. Hurriedly rummaging through chests and cupboards, he brought out a spiritual talisman and carefully inscribed it:
"Right, I must warn Tingyun! See if she has any way to contact the Li family. For one, it would be best if they could drive Situ Mo back to the State of Yue, and second, doing so could curry favor and win over the Li family's goodwill!"
The old man was around a hundred years old and thoroughly versed in these ways. He quickly stored his message within the talisman, then summoned someone over:
"Go! Deliver this to Yuezhou Island!"
Chapter 433