The middle-aged steward felt his mind go blank. Dazedly, he lifted his head, only to see two simply dressed men draped in ordinary fur cloaks sitting inside the shop and drinking together. Meanwhile, his domineering, tyrannical clansman stood respectfully to one side.
"Fellow Daoist, what keen eyes!"
Wan Yuankai glanced at him with an appreciative praise and smiled. "Why not sit down and share a few cups with us?"
"My thoughts exactly!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the youth in luxurious robes sat down upon the rickety wooden stool. The seat instantly creaked and groaned beneath him as though it might collapse at any moment, leaving the middle-aged steward staring in utter bewilderment.
"I am Xiao Yongling of the Xiao family of Xia Commandery under Qingchi jurisdiction. Greetings, Fellow Daoists."
Xiao Yongling offered a polite smile, accepted the wine bowl Li Tongya handed him, and voiced his thanks before asking, "May I ask how to address the two of you?"
"Under Qingchi, Wan Yuankai of the Huaqian Wan family."
"Under Qingchi, Li Tongya of the Lijing Li family."
Seeing how modest and courteous he was, both men took an immediate liking to him and replied with equal politeness.
Xiao Yongling’s smile did not waver when he heard the Huaqian Wan family, but at the mention of the Lijing Li family, a look of astonishment crossed his face. He quickly asked, "Could it be the Lijing Li family by the shores of Lake Wangyue?!"
"Indeed. I never expected that our Li family, having just embarked on the immortal path with meager roots and thin foundations, would already be known to a prestigious great clan like yours."
Li Tongya was inwardly taken aback as well, silently recalling Xiao Yuansi. Wan Yuankai felt even more awkward, thinking to himself, *The Xiao family is an illustrious great clan, so it's only natural they wouldn't think much of my Wan family. But this Li family has only been on the immortal path for a few years—how could they already have caught the Xiao family's notice?!*
"Hahaha!"
Xiao Yongling gave a hearty laugh and politely explained, "My clan uncle is Xiao Yuansi of Qingsui Peak. Both of our families reside beneath Qingsui Peak, so naturally, I have heard of you."
"So that's how it is!"
Wan Yuankai's heart gave a thump. Only then did he remember that the Li family had a disciple accepted into the Qingchi Sect. A tangle of complex emotions rose within him. Turning his gaze back to Xiao Yongling, he remarked, "Fellow Daoist has already cultivated to the Yujing Wheel at such a young age. Truly an impressive cultivation."
Xiao Yongling froze for a moment, then replied rather sheepishly, "I only possess the cultivation of the Chengming Wheel. It is merely because I belong to the main lineage of the Xiao clan that our clan elders bestowed a treasure upon me capable of discerning those with cultivation. That was how I recognized the two of you; it was not by spiritual sense from the Yujing Wheel."
"Then I spoke too hastily!"
Wan Yuankai was equally embarrassed, repeatedly cupping his hands in apology.
Xiao Yongling waved it off unconcernedly. A smug expression surfaced on his face as he asked, "You two must be heading to deliver your tribute, yes?"
"Indeed."
Li Tongya and Wan Yuankai exchanged a glance. Seeing Xiao Yongling's gossipy demeanor, they felt amused and adopted a posture of attentive listeners.
"The region stretching from Lake Wangyue to Lixia Commandery falls under the jurisdiction of Moon Lake Peak. Currently, Moon Lake Peak has only four disciples remaining. Do you know which emissary is coming?"
"We do not..."
"It is Fairy Autumn Lake, Ning Wan!"
Xiao Yongling puffed up with pride. But when he saw the puzzled looks on their faces, he faltered, then quickly explained, "This Ning Wan refined the Pine Forest Northern Wind to achieve Qi Refinement, and she is particularly skilled in formations. She broke through to the eighth layer of Qi Refinement at merely twenty-four years of age! I've heard she is a peerless beauty who never concerns herself with mundane affairs below. If the other disciples of Moon Lake Peak hadn't all been occupied, she would never have taken up this task of collecting tribute."
Xiao Yongling rambled on excitedly, then came to an abrupt halt. He peered quizzically at Wan Yuankai and asked, "Speaking of formations, does your Wan family possess an inheritance in them? The Huaqian Wan family has always sounded somewhat familiar to me."
"We certainly do."
Having held back for so long, Wan Yuankai's eyes lit up at these words. With a hint of pride, he explained, "Two hundred years ago, our Wan family produced a formation master named Wan Huaqian. Mount Huaqian was named after him."
"Ah, I see..."
Xiao Yongling nodded in realization. "I read the history compiled by our clan, and it mentioned this Wan Huaqian. Our family speculated that he had obtained the inheritance of a cultivator who perished in that great war back then."
Hearing something of genuine interest, Li Tongya feared the young man would steer the conversation right back to Ning Wan's beauty, so he quickly chimed in, "May I ask about that great war...?"
Xiao Yongling shook his head, pondered for a few breaths, and murmured, "Our clan's records are rather vague about that war as well. I only heard that someone claimed the banner of the exalted sect, Yuehua Yuan Mansion, demanding that the three sects and ten gates submit to his command. In the end, the three sects rose in outrage and joined forces against him, and he died above Lake Wangyue."
"How arrogant!"
Wan Yuankai sucked in a cold breath, unable to help feeling a sliver of awe toward that figure.
"That war made rivers run dry and severed the earth's spiritual meridians. The three sects lost fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators and dozens of Qi Refinement cultivators. Even two exalted Purple Palace cultivators fell, and of the ten gates, only seven remained."
Li Tongya sighed with deep emotion. In his mind's eye, the tragic spectacle of severed mountains and reversed rivers from three hundred years ago seemed to unfold before him.
"A Purple Palace cultivator enjoys a lifespan of five hundred years. After enduring so much hardship to reach that realm, why couldn't they just enjoy life instead of throwing themselves into bloody slaughter with others?"
Wan Yuankai let out a sigh, lamenting with regret.
"Hahahaha! Lowly cultivators like us only hope to reach Qi Refinement in this lifetime. Naturally, we cannot fathom those supreme, mighty figures."
Xiao Yongling chuckled, took a sip of the snowflake wine, and picked up his chopsticks to scan the side dishes on the table. Finding nothing appetizing, he sheepishly set them back down, secretly thinking, *Only the wine in this wretched place is fit for drinking.*
"Brother Xiao, do you know what this Pine Forest Northern Wind is?"
Aware of his family's shallow foundations, Li Tongya refused to miss any opportunity to gather information and pursued Xiao Yongling's earlier comment.
"To advance from Embryonic Breathing to Qi Refinement, one must absorb a breath of heaven-and-earth spirit qi. The Pine Forest Northern Wind is one such qi. One must seek out a pine-and-cypress forest amidst freezing snow and ice, wait for the northern wind to blow, and harvest it using a secret technique. It yields only one wisp every six months. On a snowy high peak, it takes five years to complete; but if one must wait for snow year after year, it would likely take more than ten."
Xiao Yongling smiled faintly as he explained.
"So that is how it works!"
After chatting a bit more, Xiao Yongling waved his hand and said with a smile, "It is getting late, so I won't delay your journey to Guanyun Peak. Let us part ways here. Should the two of you visit Lixia Commandery in the future, you must look for me, Yongling. When that time comes, we shall drink and converse to our hearts' content once more!"
"Naturally!"
Xiao Yongling bid them farewell with a smile and led his entourage out of the shop, heading eastward.
After taking only a few steps, Xiao Yongling wore a contemplative look. The middle-aged steward dared not disturb him, able only to bow his back and follow closely behind in lockstep.
As the steward watched Xiao Yongling's expression, he heard someone from behind whisper softly, "Isn't this master notorious for being arrogant and overbearing? How come he knew just when to advance or yield today, acting all modest and polite? Never mind those two—even we were dumbfounded!"
"Stupid ass!"
The middle-aged steward stepped back, smacked the back of the man's head hard, and whispered fiercely into his ear, "Do you mortals even count as human beings in this master's eyes? Who speaks politely to dogs!"
Chapter 48