Li Qinghong cultivated on the island for some time. With water receding and thunder rising across the Eastern Sea, her progress was exceptionally swift. A single day here was worth three days within the mainland. Becoming somewhat intoxicated by the rapid surge in her strength, she lost all track of time.
Only when the grand array of the cave abode began to hum did she slowly awaken from her meditation. Exhaling a wisp of purple lightning, she cast her gaze outward and was somewhat surprised to find a rare visitor had arrived, jolting the cave abode's warding array into motion.
"How peculiar."
Emerging from the cave abode, she saw Zongyan standing guard at the edge of the formation. It appeared he had triggered the array. Bowing respectfully, he reported, "Milady, a cultivator from an immortal sect has arrived outside. He wears a feather robe, hails from the north, and claims to be Li Xizhi of the Li family."
Zongyan had never met Li Xizhi before and did not know him, so he described the man's appearance. Hearing this, Li Qinghong hurriedly rose and asked, "Since Zhi'er has come, why haven't you invited him in?!"
Zongyan hastily bowed with cupped hands. "I already invited him, but the young master refused to trust me. He insisted on seeing Milady before entering the array."
He paused, but Li Qinghong paid it no mind. Nodding, she gripped her spear, rode the wind aloft, and stepped out of the formation. There she saw a young gentleman in feather robes riding a multihued light, standing amid the clouds. The light split into six colors, undulating and shimmering with immense beauty.
"Aunt Qinghong!"
Reunited, aunt and nephew exchanged warm greetings to brush away the estrangement of years apart, then rode the wind down together. Looking somewhat pensive, Li Xizhi turned toward Kongheng nearby and asked, "Is this Monk Kongheng?"
"Indeed... a guest elder of our family... Back then at the market, he once gave you a spirit fruit."
Li Qinghong made the introduction. Kongheng bowed his head in reply, but Li Xizhi remained cautious. He studied the monk closely for a moment, and seeing no sinister aura about him nor any colored halo behind his head, politely inquired, "Which lineage does the Master belong to?"
Kongheng replied, "Liaohe Temple of the State of Yan... the Liaohe lineage..."
Li Xizhi, unconvinced, offered a faint smile and clasped his hands behind his back. "Among the Seven Lineages, the State of Yan falls within the territory of Compassion and Ultimate Bliss and the Jushe Sect Temple. May I ask which branch the Master hails from?"
Kongheng showed surprise and answered, "Benefactor is remarkably knowledgeable. However, our Liaohe branch was established before the division of the Seven Lineages and does not belong to them."
"So you are of the ancient Buddhist tradition."
Li Xizhi let out a breath and visibly relaxed. "Pardon my discourtesy... pardon my discourtesy..."
Seeming disinclined to speak further, he simply glanced around. Li Qinghong smiled. "Your arrival is timely. I managed to capture a Foundation Establishment monster. Accompany me back to the family."
Li Xizhi naturally understood his aunt's intention. Counting the days on his fingers, he replied, "I made a trip to Qingsong Island. Although I have arranged matters there, I cannot remain away for too long. If we are to return home, we must depart immediately."
Possessing a straightforward and decisive nature, Li Qinghong put away her long spear, took two strides to the pool at the center of the island, and hauled out the severed torso of the saddle-nosed old man, bound tightly in iron chains and looking dull and senseless.
"Let us go!"
Once they passed out of the grand array, Li Xizhi hesitated for a couple of breaths before saying, "Since the family employs this monk, there must be a degree of trust. I will not say much more—so long as it is certain he follows the ancient tradition, he can still be entrusted with duties."
Li Qinghong nodded, recalled their earlier exchange, and asked, "What are these Seven Lineages of the northern Buddhist cultivators?"
Li Xizhi shook his head and explained, "It is extremely complicated. The Buddhist sects differ widely from one another, and the rift between some branches is as vast as that between the Zifu Dao and the Shamanic Talisman Dao.
"Leaving aside Wrathful Pure World, our family has already crossed paths with the Murong family's Compassion and Ultimate Bliss. Then there is the Jushe Sect Temple, which believes that all things are void save for a single true essence; and the Damu Dharma Realm, which regards the present world as the Buddha land... The strife among the Seven Lineages is remarkably ferocious."
At this point, his expression turned somewhat bewildered as he added, "To these Buddhist cultivators... suppressing one another seems far more important than marching against the south."
After sharing what information he had gathered from the sect, he turned the topic to Qingsong Island, sighing, "A great deal of Deep Abyss Gale fell upon Qingsong Island, perhaps having leaked from within the grotto-heaven. When I arrived, everyone was disputing endlessly, scrambling to carve up those spiritual treasures."
They conversed about recent events over the past few years. Li Xizhi gained a clearer picture of clan affairs, while Li Qinghong benefited greatly from his insights. Before long, riding the wind, they crossed into the State of Yue, where the rain in the north continued to patter ceaselessly.
Li Xizhi cast a deep look below and murmured, "The sect claims this rain is caused by the influence of water receding and thunder rising overseas. There might well be some truth to it."
Having witnessed the True Monarch of the Xiuyue Sect personally intervene and seal the celestial anomaly beyond the shores long ago, Li Qinghong understood the truth clearly. Though it was inconvenient to explain to her nephew, she thought to herself, *What a convenient excuse!*
***
Qingdu Peak.
For the past few months, Li Chengliao had been occupied with clan affairs, barely finding time to look upon his prized young son. The poisonous moisture of the ceaseless rain was truly headache-inducing.
Years of inundation had stripped the earth bare, turning rich black soil to yellow clay and yellow clay into bleached silt. Vast swaths of woodland were rotting away, and many cliffs had collapsed into murky ponds tainted with foul poison, devoid of life.
Wooden beams groaned and collapsed into ruins, and the legs and feet of mortals who regularly ventured out began to ulcerate. Thanks to years of sustained drainage efforts, the Li clan's territory remained relatively peaceful, but the lands beyond had fallen into chaos; every day, skeletal corpses could be seen drifting down the rivers.
Li Chengliao had led men to inspect the surroundings for days on end. Xunlin Plain had already turned into Xunlin Marsh, with terrible casualties.
The Qingchi Sect had not dispatched a single soul. Perhaps in their eyes, this flood was no different from past droughts or wars—it was merely a matter of losing some commoners, who would replenish their numbers in several decades anyway. Forcing Xiuyue's hand was the only thing that truly mattered.
"With Xiuyue remaining calm and refusing to act, the Yuan family will simply continue to suffer..."
He rode the wind aloft to patrol the town when he spotted several figures flying in from the horizon.
The Jade Court Guards on either side quickly closed in around him. Li Chengliao focused his gaze and recognized the garments of the Xiao family. Since this party was approaching openly, he quietly observed them, ready to adapt to the situation.
Leading the group was a woman dressed in white, appearing thirty-six or thirty-seven years of age. She was at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, carried an imposing bearing, and possessed a very familiar face.
Behind her followed a stern-faced youth clad in black, under thirty years old yet already at the early stage of Qi Refinement. Li Chengliao recognized him—it was Xiao Muyun, the young master of the Xiao family's Yushan branch, who had come to pay his respects when Li Yuanping passed away.
The party came to a halt ahead. The woman stepped forward alone and asked, "I am Li Qingxiao of Yushan... May I ask which clansman currently oversees the household?"
Li Chengliao stared blankly for a couple of breaths before responding, "Greetings, Great-aunt."
This was none other than Li Qingxiao, the daughter of Li Jingtian and Chen Donghe. Li Chengliao remembered seeing her return once in his childhood, but it had been so long ago that his recollection was hazy. Today, she was the head of the Xiao family's Yushan branch, carrying an innate air of authority in her every movement.
Li Chengliao guided her up the mountain. Li Qingxiao landed on Mount Qingdu with a faintly bewildered expression. Looking around, she said wistfully, "After all these years apart, the family has completely transformed."
She had taken only a few paces along the stone path when thunder roared. A bolt of purple lightning struck down from the sky, and a woman in jade armor and white boots descended with a mudra in hand. Her spear pointed diagonally toward the ground, her almond eyes wide with shock as she cried out, "Little Sister!"
Li Qingxiao hastily looked up, the jade beads in her hair chiming softly. Two pairs of somewhat similar eyes met. Li Qingxiao felt a faint trace of complexity in her heart as she said softly, "After several decades, Eldest Sister hasn't changed at all."
Li Qinghong lowered her eyes in silence. The Li Qingxiao before her was entirely different from the girl in her memories; she resembled the Lady Dou of the past, exuding the poised presence of someone holding great power.
She hurriedly stepped down and took her little sister's hand. Looking at the lingering purple lightning, Li Qingxiao's eyes were filled with envy as she simply said, "Congratulations to Eldest Sister for fulfilling your wish and forging an immortal foundation."
Nearby, Li Xizhi held the monster and gave Li Chengliao a meaningful glance. The others quickly withdrew, leaving the two sisters to walk alone through the mountains. Li Qinghong was slightly taller, and Li Qingxiao looked up at her; for a time, words failed them both, and silence fell between them.
Neither said much, yet both could sense that the warmth of their childhood in the mountains was gone forever. Each had walked further down her own path, and common ground had grown scarce.
Li Qingxiao finally spoke, "I was in closed-door seclusion earlier and missed the news..."
She paused gently and added with sorrow, "Both of our elder brothers have passed away, one after the other. Only the two of us sisters are left."
These words struck straight at Li Qinghong's heart. Growing up, she and her sister had imagined many futures, whether tragic or ordinary. Li Qinghong had always believed she would die in pursuit of the Dao; never had she imagined that only the two sisters would remain.
Just as she was about to speak, the area outside the array lit up once more, and a hoarse voice carried through:
"Liu Changdie... has come to pay his respects!"
Li Qinghong sighed softly. Seeing that someone had gone out to receive him, she did not move. Counting on her fingers, she realized that all of Li Yuanjiao's remaining friends and kin had likely arrived. She said gently, "Let me take you to see Elder Brother. It will bring some closure..."
The two women headed toward the graveyard. Outside the array, Liu Changdie was personally received by Li Xuanxuan. Looking utterly disconsolate, he stood dazed in the rain, disbelief written all over his face.
Li Xuanxuan called to him several times, noticing that his cultivation had already reached Foundation Establishment—a remarkable feat indeed. Yet Liu Changdie showed no response, speaking only after several breaths had passed: "Senior, please do not deceive me. Is Yuanjiao truly dead, or is he faking his death?!"
"What sort of talk is that..."
Li Xuanxuan's expression was clearly genuine. A catastrophic storm raged in Liu Changdie's heart, and warm tears choked forth on the spot. In grief and bewilderment, he mumbled, "How could this be possible!"
The thoughts buried deeper within his heart were things he dared not utter aloud:
*How could this be possible! Ever since my rebirth, I have changed so much... There was no Master laying siege to the mountain, Li Qinghong did not take her own life, Senior Tongya cut down the Mahoraga with his sword, Li Xuanfeng's might shook the Southern Border, and Li Xuanxuan never fell into mad confinement... In the end... in the end, it only brought harm to Brother Jiao!*
*How did it come to this!*
He stumbled forward in a daze, completely deaf to whatever Li Xuanxuan was saying beside him. Thoughts tumbled wildly through his mind:
*Is this truly better or worse... Yes! The Li family has grown far more prosperous, yet Brother Jiao went into the grotto-heaven and lost his life instead! It was me... I was the one who disrupted everything... I was the one who killed him!*
Liu Changdie felt suffocated with anguish. Throughout this lifetime, he had scrambled to chase spiritual treasures and power, only to feel greater dread with every step forward. He had gradually realized that this world was entirely different from what he had imagined, shrouded in countless conspiracies and machinations.
Yet after all his striving, he had lost the closest friend from his past life, and had even caused his death. Dizziness washed over Liu Changdie. Collapsing before the tombstone, he wept softly.
Evidently, the Li clansmen beside him could not comprehend why he was so sorrowful and watched him with disbelief. Liu Changdie wept with such heartfelt grief that even Li Xuanxuan began to wonder.
*Could it be that Jiao'er truly shared such a deep bond with this man during his life?*
Liu Changdie cried bitterly, his grief mingled with dread. In his past life, he had been foolish and ignorant, turning to this old friend every time; Yuanjiao had always arranged everything smoothly for him, debts of gratitude he had never had the chance to repay.
In this life, armed with foreknowledge, he had never once sought his counsel, nor even exchanged many words with him. Yet Li Yuanjiao had departed so abruptly. As time wore on and his foreknowledge lost its advantage, seeing more of the world only made him realize how utterly ignorant he had been in his previous life, deepening his terror.
He wept for a long time, until Li Xuanxuan could bear it no longer and stepped forward to comfort him. Only then did Liu Changdie rise, crying out in anguish:
"Brother Jiao!"
***
Yuan Fuyao had stayed with the Li family for several months. The people he sent out to make inquiries all returned empty-handed and silent.
His men had first approached the Jade Court Guard, secretly intercepting a guardsman in the street. Under a flimsy pretext, they pulled him into a secluded corner and attempted to press something into his hand.
Who would have thought that the guardsman, having followed them into the alley with skepticism, jumped high into the air as if he had touched a red-hot coal the moment they tried to hand it over. The spirit stones scattered all over the ground with a loud clatter.
"I have never offended Young Master Fuyao! Why are you trying to frame me?!"
The two Yuan family attendants were practically shoved out of the courtyard in disgrace. Thinking they had simply run into a fool, they sought out two clan soldiers instead.
Reason dictated that mere clan soldiers could never know anything about the betrothal gifts; they merely hoped to plant an informant within the Li clan. Yet the two rough men flushed with fury and nearly came to blows with them.
The two Yuan family attendants returned in utter disarray. Meanwhile, on Yuan Fuyao's end, he had tried slipping gifts to the attendants waiting on him, only to be given the cold shoulder as well, turned down with polite and courteous firmness. He now sat frozen in place.
"The Li family's... penalties and punishments are actually severe to such an extent! Soldiers and civilians alike live in sheer dread!"
Regret instantly washed over his face as he told his attendants, "Since the bribe failed, they will surely use this to claim credit with the Li family leadership and make things humiliating for me."
The two attendants exchanged glances, silently grumbling in their hearts:
*Before we left, the Ancestor repeatedly urged you to maintain a humble demeanor. Look at what you've done now!*
Yuan Fuyao, however, felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles. Seeing the lack of comprehension on their faces, he gritted his teeth and said, "What do you two know! My father only told me to obey orders, but I am not entirely blind—something disastrous is brewing for our family! We only need to find out how that dowry came and where it went, so that I will have something to rely on in the future. Whether I advance or retreat, I must have a path forward.
"If I truly throw myself at the Li family's mercy, I will lose my freedom on one hand, and have no backing on the other. Who would even look at me twice! If something happens to our clan, I fear I will become an abandoned pawn of the Li family!"
Hearing him say this, the two attendants found his reasoning sound. Their demeanor softened considerably, and they began pondering the matter. Yuan Fuyao added uneasily, "Yet Father concealed such a major matter from me, never telling me the arrangements for those betrothal gifts before leaving for the Eastern Sea. Just what is his plan..."
Unsure how to comfort him, the attendant on the right could only say, "The Ancestor made such arrangements; perhaps he has his own reasons."
Chapter 485