Stalling

Looking at Wan Tiancang before him, Li Tongya felt utterly awkward. If his family truly possessed a few Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment talismans, he might genuinely consider trading them to Wan Tiancang for the formation inheritance. But the white ray that had saved Wan Xiaohua was no talisman at all; it was an attack unleashed by the magical mirror when confronting an enemy. This left Li Tongya at a loss for words. "Brother Wan, it is not that Tongya is unwilling to make the exchange, but truly that I cannot..." Li Tongya opened his mouth and uttered words he did not even believe himself, sighing inwardly. Naturally, Wan Tiancang did not believe him. Frowning, he persistently urged him, laying out the pros and cons while wondering in secret: *This is clearly a win-win for both our families. Why is Li Tongya being so vague, acting as though he has little interest?* Seeing Li Tongya's troubled expression, Wan Tiancang suddenly had an epiphany. He pledged solemnly, "Brother Tongya, rest assured! Aside from the Earth-Locking Huaqian Formation on our Mount Huaqian—which concerns our clan's survival and heritage and cannot be disclosed—the remaining ten Embryonic Breathing realm formations and three Qi Refinement stage formations will not be shorted by a single bit or altered in the slightest! They will be handed over to your noble clan in their entirety!" Seeing that the man had spoken so plainly, Li Tongya felt thoroughly tempted as well. Left with no other choice, he resorted to stalling, nodding as he said, "Tongya must still discuss this with my father and younger brother before getting back to you, Brother Tiancang." "Of course, of course!" Wan Tiancang nodded repeatedly, feeling that the matter was practically settled nine times out of ten. He breathed a relaxed sigh of relief and added, "Such a major matter naturally requires your esteemed father's consent. Then I shall await Brother Tongya's good news!" The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Wan Tiancang took his leave. *** Atop Mount Lijing. *This Wan Tiancang certainly has a silver tongue.* Lu Jiangxian's divine sense had observed every move between the two with complete clarity, and a hundred thoughts turned in his mind. *The power of that Taiyin Mysterious Light was equivalent to a full-power strike concentrating the entire cultivation of a peak Yujing Wheel cultivator. Taking a direct hit from it would deal heavy damage even to a cultivator who had just entered the Qi Refinement stage. No wonder Wan Tiancang came asking for it.* As for the Li family, Lu Jiangxian was thoroughly satisfied. The entire family had stepped onto the immortal path through his Xuanzhu talisman seeds, and each person's talisman seed condensed their entire cultivation. One could say that their rise or ruin lay entirely in a single thought from Lu Jiangxian, which gave him a great sense of security. Every time a formidable aura flew over Mount Dali, Lu Jiangxian dutifully disguised himself as an ordinary mirror and hid in these deep mountains and old forests, precisely to avoid becoming an implement in someone else's hands. Who knew what kind of methods those Purple Palace and Golden Core experts possessed? There was no guarantee they could not do something to an artifact spirit-like existence such as him. Although he might recover faster in the hands of those immortal cultivators, how could that possibly compare to the comfort of lying low and developing day by day in these mountains? Every Xuanzhu talisman seed he planted acted like one of Lu Jiangxian's tentacles, relaying information and searching for treasures for him; every breakthrough they achieved augmented his own magic power and divine sense. *Why be someone's dog when you can be the master?* Lu Jiangxian murmured to himself, watching the Li family thrive under the protection of the talisman seeds he had nurtured, feeling exceedingly content. Yet looking at it from another perspective, if he were a member of the Li family and his entire cultivation were held in the hands of a conscious artifact, Lu Jiangxian would never be able to endure it; he would try every possible means to seize control. Though the Li family members were clever and capable, they were also suspicious and guarded. Thus, Lu Jiangxian had never displayed any sentience, always maintaining the appearance of acting purely on instinct. As for the Wan family's formation inheritance, Lu Jiangxian was quite tempted as well. If he used his mirror spirit body as a medium to lay formations, what kind of effect would that produce? *The only question is how to let the Li family obtain this inheritance...* *** "A formation inheritance?" Li Xiangping furrowed his brows, looked at Li Tongya, and shook his head. "Our family has no talismans to give him." "Yet this formation inheritance is truly enticing; I was sorely tempted myself," Li Tongya admitted. Li Xiangping was sorely tempted as well. Slapping his thigh, he quickly rose to his feet, pulling Li Tongya toward the back courtyard. "Let's go ask Father." Li Mutian was sweeping the floor in the small cottage in the back courtyard. The old man had few hobbies; he neither smoked nor gambled. Usually, when he had nothing to do, he would play with his grandson, chat with Tian Shoushui, or stroll around this small cottage where the mirror was kept, almost as if afraid the mirror might fly out through the skylight if he let his attention slip for a moment. Li Xuanxuan was cultivating in the side room. With the help of the moon essence on the mirror's surface, the child had already condensed seventy strands of moon essence, falling only slightly behind Li Chijing in his earlier days. This had brought immense delight to Lady Ren and the elders. After hearing Li Xiangping out, Li Mutian set down the broom in his hand, looked at the mirror on the stone platform, and said in a heavy voice, "This matter will be difficult to handle." Seeing the regretful expressions on his two sons' faces, Li Mutian narrowed his eyes and continued, "A few days ago, that monster was killed by the white ray from the mirror. What do the two of you think of that?" Li Tongya and Li Xiangping were taken aback, furrowing their brows in thought. "Such a spiritual tool inherently bears the mandate to slay evil and purge monsters. Perhaps because that monster drew too close, it was slain by the mirror," Li Tongya offered after a few breaths of reflection. "That makes some sense," Li Mutian nodded, speaking in a low voice. "If we wish to help Wan Tiancang, we could very well tell him that this talisman must be used by our own family members, and then ambush Ji Dengqi from afar using the magical mirror. However, Ji Dengqi is neither evil nor a monster, so how could we provoke the mirror into attacking him?" Li Xiangping fell silent for a long time before suddenly speaking up: "The path of immortal cultivation begins with Xuan Scenery. Alchemy, artifact refining, talisman crafting, and formation laying—even storage bags can only be used once a cultivator forms a spiritual sense at the Yujing Wheel. Perhaps once we achieve the Yujing Wheel, we can unravel some of the mysteries of this magical mirror and borrow its power to slay enemies." "Indeed," Li Tongya nodded. Calculating the timing, he added, "A crop of the Wan family's spirit rice was just harvested. It will take at least two to three years before the next harvest matures, at which point Ji Dengqi will cross the border to attack. We have plenty of time." Sitting on a stone stool, Li Mutian picked up the teapot and filled the tea bowls before him. He said unhurriedly, "Let us stall for now. Once our Li family produces a Yujing Wheel cultivator and our strength rivals that of the Wan family, we can resolve these problems. Until then, let Ji Dengqi keep pressing the Wan family on our behalf." "Understood." Li Xiangping took a gentle sip of the clear tea and asked Li Tongya, "Second Brother, how is your progress?" "I have already touched the edges of the Qingyuan Wheel. I only need to breathe and meditate for a few months, find a day when the heavens herald life and bright yang dispels darkness, and I can attempt the breakthrough." Li Tongya gave a gentle smile, looking at the water-like moonlight and the pale-white moon essence flowing across the mirror's surface as he explained, "This Qingyuan Wheel is much easier than the Chengming Wheel was." Li Xiangping smiled and shook his head, then turned serious. "In a few months, it will be time for the immortal sect's exalted envoy to collect the tribute. We should also consult the Wan family regarding the various details."