Li Xizhi descended the mountain, but he did not go directly to find Yuan Fuyao. Instead, he made a slight detour toward the towering pavilions and touched down outside the central great hall.
Eighteen stone steps led from the terrace up to the great hall, flanked on both sides by statues of horned beasts crouching in vigilance. The roof was laid with bright yellow glazed tiles. Rain pattered down rhythmically, rolling off the eaves and dripping from the beasts' stony maws in a scenic display.
Li Chengliao had just finished tidying up his belongings and was descending the steps. His features were deep and solid; compared to his father, Li Xicheng, he possessed less plain honesty and a few more sharp edges. Seeing the figure descend on a beam of flowing rainbow light, feathered robes fluttering, he hastily cupped his hands.
"Chengliao greets Third Uncle!"
Li Xizhi held one hand behind his back and used the other to support him upright. With a smile, he said, "No need for formalities. I have come this time to see our clan's heir."
A proud glow immediately surfaced on Li Chengliao's face. He nodded and led the way toward the pavilions to the side. Descending from the jade terrace above, they passed through several covered corridors before pushing open a courtyard gate.
Inside stood a small desk. Seated beside it was a boy of about four years, clad in a short white-and-gold robe. Two stacks of scrolls were piled upon the desk, and he was resting his chin on one hand, quietly reading.
The bridge of his nose was somewhat high, and a lingering touch of childish innocence remained between his brows. His eyes were cast downward, and his cheeks still held the chubby roundness of a child, flushed with a healthy rosy hue. His legs were crossed in a quiet, composed lotus posture.
As Li Xizhi stepped forward, he noticed there were no attendants in the courtyard—only an old, white-furred monkey sweeping the ground, possessing a cultivation at the peak of Qi Refinement. Draped in a Daoist robe with lowered brows and cast-down eyes, it seemed unconcerned by the arrival of guests.
"Wei'er… this is your Third Great-Uncle."
Li Xizhi looked over with a warm smile, only to abruptly collide with a pair of dark gold eyes. With the acute eyesight of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, everything before him was rendered with flawless clarity, allowing him to clearly discern that the gold in those eyes resembled interlocked rings, connected layer upon layer.
The golden light flickered faintly before his eyes and dimmed as Li Zhouwei shifted his gaze. With a slight lift of his brows, the boy gathered his golden-white robe and performed the formal bow of a junior.
"Greetings, Third Great-Uncle!"
Li Zhouwei rose and spoke, clasping his small hands together as he prepared to prostrate himself. Only then did Li Xizhi snap out of his daze like a man waking from a dream. Quick of eye and deft of hand, he caught the boy and whispered:
"Only now do I understand why the elders were so certain… Indeed… a personage such as this, it is as though he cultivated both spiritual nature and physical life while still in his mother's womb, extraordinary from the moment he entered this world."
Li Xizhi took the child's hand, turned to beckon Li Chengliao over, and instructed in a low voice, "I have heard that in ancient times, those who cultivated both nature and life were bound by numerous taboos. Such lore has been lost to time and cannot be verified today—it might merely be superstition, but just in case, our family would do well to heed it."
With a solemn expression, he continued, "From now on, no matter whom he meets, do not let this child bow to them… Minimize the use of his personal name and address him by a Daoist moniker instead… Calling him the heir within the household is indeed fitting."
Li Chengliao listened with utter gravity and nodded in assent. Still carrying a lingering look of astonishment, Li Xizhi pulled the boy down to sit beside him, pondering for a long while as he stared into the child's eyes.
"His constitution transcends the common multitude, yet it does not resemble one endowed with a karmic mandate. Instead, it seems like some kind of Mingyang physique."
After observing for a while, a faint fragrance gradually drifted past Li Xizhi's nose. Discerning it carefully, he raised his brows and glanced at Li Chengliao in surprise. "Peony?"
Yet Li Chengliao seemed entirely oblivious, looking back at him with confusion. Li Xizhi picked Li Zhouwei up; the child's small hand gripped his arm tightly, his brow furrowing slightly. Li Xizhi inspected him thoroughly from head to toe before murmuring softly:
"When this child grows up, I fear he will not be an easy person to cross. His very nature is inherently overbearing."
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "It must be my shallow learning and inadequate knowledge—I truly cannot see through him. He resembles nothing at all, yet looks like… looks like…"
He swallowed the words back down, thinking to himself:
*Truth be told, a state exhibiting all these distinct omens actually resembles what the ancient texts describe as an incarnation of a golden-natured evil fiend… But if that were truly the case, fiends possess no ordinary intellect, so how could he sit here so quietly and placidly…*
Li Xizhi set him down, asked Li Chengliao a few more details, and after a brief silence, said, "Whatever the truth may be, we must make him appear as the least threatening possibility. We will simply claim he possesses a Mingyang bloodline… As for these eyes… I will head to the sect to exchange for a similar ocular technique to mask them."
He explained, "When the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven fell, Qingchi acquired many Mingyang cultivation methods, including several ocular techniques. I browsed through them long ago, and one or two among them can serve as a disguise."
Li Chengliao nodded in agreement. With a smile, Li Xizhi watched Li Zhouwei practice his calligraphy on paper of his own accord. Looking at the boy, he asked:
"Is the ancestral sacrifice prepared?"
"It will be ready by tomorrow."
Li Xizhi calculated that the timing was just right. Wasting no further time, he inquired about Yuan Fuyao's residence and rode the wind straight there.
Along the way, his mind continued to dwell on Li Zhouwei's gaze and that peculiar aura, secretly contemplating:
*Once his eyes are concealed… With Qingchi and Xiuyue at each other's throats and everyone fearing for their own survival, while several factions from Chijiao Island in the East Sea are growing restless again, and multiple Violet Palace masters have perished… it should not attract too much trouble.*
Lost in thought, he soon arrived before the cave abode. After having someone announce his arrival, a handsome young man rushed out in fluster and greeted him:
"Junior greets the Daoist master! Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar and neglecting my manners!"
After all, Li Xizhi was very likely to become the future peak master of Qingsui Peak, possessing considerable status. Back then, when Yuan Tuan visited the Li family, the entire clan had turned out to welcome her. Today, the gap in cultivation and status between the two was far greater than that between Yuan Tuan and Li Yuanjiao in those years, so it was no wonder the young man was so terrified.
Li Xizhi waved his hand and strode inside. Yuan Fuyao steeled himself and followed the feather-robed Daoist into the cave abode, sitting down to the side. He then heard Li Xizhi ask:
"Young Master, you have lived in the Yuan family for many years. Now that my master has disappeared, I searched all across the East Sea to no avail. My purpose in seeking you out today is to ask whether the Yuan family has any news, and what the current situation is."
Yuan Fuyao hesitated for a moment before replying, "My clan… has five main branches, and my father does not belong to any of them… Frictions have arisen among the branches now, but the truth is… the inheritance left behind by the ancestor simply isn't enough to divide among them.
"Ancestor Huyuan belongs to the first branch of the primary lineage… Yet their talents have withered away, leaving him as their sole Foundation Establishment cultivator… As for news regarding Ancestor Yuan Tuan, the clan only knows that she went to the barbarian lands, with no further word."
Li Xizhi gave an acknowledging grunt, glanced at him, and said nothing more. In a calm voice, he asked, "What are your plans, Young Master?"
A faint sheen of sweat broke out across Yuan Fuyao's forehead as he answered, "I… I merely obey the clan's orders to cultivate here in your esteemed family and await my father's return."
Li Xizhi nodded and said, "Very well. I shall take that as your intention, Young Master."
Smiling faintly, he stood up abruptly. Caught off guard, Yuan Fuyao realized his words had sounded somewhat amiss. Mouth agape, he looked at the feather-robed Daoist, meeting the sharp sidelong glance from the corner of his eye, yet found himself unable to utter a word.
A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Li Xizhi's eyes. He paced out of the cave abode and, upon reaching the steps outside, seemed to remark offhandedly:
"The friendship between our two families runs deep. You may stay here for as long as you wish, Young Master."
With those words, he took to the skies on a flowing rainbow light. His wife, Yang Xiao'er, was already waiting in midair. Looking somewhat anxious, she regarded him with an inquiring gaze. Li Xizhi joined her in flight and remarked with a touch of mockery:
"The elders in our family are simply too bound by rules. Having been a prominent clan for so many years, performing too many good deeds has become a burden to them… Seeing that our families have been friends for generations, they could not bear to refuse. But so what? Yuan Chengdun merely wanted our family to shelter his descendants, so we shall shelter him. Must we throw my younger sister into the bargain as well?"
He paused, and the gentle, placid look on his face gave way to a fierce ruthlessness reminiscent of his father, Li Yuanjiao. In a cold voice, he continued:
"Lacking both courage and cunning, ignorant of when to advance or retreat. If Yuexiang had taken a liking to him, that would be one thing. But could we truly wrong my sister just to repay a baseless, nebulous favor? What kind of logic is that!"
Yang Xiao'er took his arm and said softly, "Fortunately, it was only a private verbal agreement between the two of them; otherwise, word spreading would not sound pleasant… Yuexiang has her own thoughts, and Yuan Fuyao truly fails to understand her."
"Enough…"
Li Xizhi waved his hand dismissively. "My sister handled it well and left herself plenty of leeway long ago. What does it matter whether it sounds pleasant or not? Believe it or not, once we return the betrothal gifts to him, that lad will secretly rejoice."
The two descended back onto the peak and strode into the great hall. Li Yuexiang came forward with a smile, her eyes gazing at him as if they could speak. Not much time had passed, and the others were still in the hall. Li Xizhi said:
"I have already played the villain. Little Sister, go fetch those betrothal gifts and hand them over to him. You know how to speak; he might even end up grateful to you."
Li Yuexiang said softly, "Thank you for troubling yourself, Brother."
Although Li Xizhi had intervened forcefully in this matter, he maintained a very humble posture before Li Xuanxuan, saying respectfully, "Your grandson acted out of momentary pique and took his words at face value to settle the matter conclusively. I wonder if I have disrupted the family's plans…"
"Go on, go on… What nonsense are you spouting to tease an old man like me…"
Li Xuanxuan raised a foot as if to kick him, and Li Xizhi chuckled as he stood up. Watching the brother and sister coordinate so seamlessly, Li Xuanxuan sighed from the side and said in an aged voice:
"This is already the best outcome."
Li Yuexiang retrieved several jade boxes from a cabinet in the hall, each neatly holding an embroidered pouch. Blinking her phoenix eyes, she took them into her hands, rode the wind into the air, and flew toward the cave abode down the mountain.
Yuan Fuyao was sighing despondently inside his cave abode when someone came to report that Lady Yuexiang had arrived.
Rousing his spirits, Yuan Fuyao hurriedly rushed out with his two attendants. Watching the fair lady descend on a fiery cloud, he urgently blurted out:
"Yuexiang, you've come! I…"
He wanted to explain himself, but Li Yuexiang merely smiled faintly and raised a silencing finger to her lips, making him hold his tongue. Drawing several jade boxes from her sleeve, she said with a light chuckle:
"Look what this is!"
Yuan Fuyao received them and opened them one by one. Sinking his spiritual sense inside, he discovered an array of glistening jade stones, shimmering precious liquids, magical artifacts, spiritual materials, precious herbs, and monster pearls piled high like miniature mountains, dazzling the eyes. For a moment, he was utterly entranced.
Li Yuexiang sighed very softly in her heart, then said gently, "My elder brother gathered that you do not intend to reside in our home permanently, Fellow Daoist… You possess an upright nature and the conduct of a true gentleman, harboring no other intentions."
These words immediately jolted Yuan Fuyao awake. He opened his mouth hurriedly to explain, but was cut off by her subsequent words.
"Since that is so, these items originally left behind by Senior Yuan Chengdun as betrothal gifts to our family are now returned to you in full. They are exceedingly precious, so please keep them safe, Fellow Daoist."
With this statement, she placed Li Yuexiang and these treasures of immense value on opposite sides, shattering all the words he wished to offer in reconciliation into indescribable fragments.
"Our family's promise to Senior remains valid. There will always be a place for you in the Li clan, and we shall protect your safety to the best of our ability."
Li Yuexiang handed over all the jade boxes, released her grip, and said softly:
"Take care, Fellow Daoist."
She swiftly rode the wind away, leaving Yuan Fuyao standing dazed on the spot. Even with spiritual items sufficient to sustain three generations of cultivation without worry now resting in his hands, he did not feel the anticipated exhilaration. Instead, a sense of profound emptiness and loss washed over him.
*What a fine woman.*
He quickly swept the sentiment from his mind. Looking at his two attendants whose eyes were shining with greed, a sense of security finally settled into his hollow heart. He sighed:
"Now I have leeway…"
The swarm of words tumbled around in his belly, and he murmured:
"Now I have no leeway left…"
……
This year's sacrifice at the foot of the Li family's mountain was smaller in scale than in previous years. With water flooding all four borders, it was truly ill-suited for grand celebrations. Observing from within the Great Void, Lu Jiangxian saw that the population across these commanderies had plummeted sharply, giving rise to malevolent resentments everywhere.
*The situation in Xunlin Marsh is almost settled.*
The Li family could not see the conditions on the plain, but Lu Jiangxian saw them clearly. The faction within the Yuan family aligned with the Chi family had gradually taken control of the situation. Yuan Huyuan found himself in increasingly dire straits and likely could not hold out much longer.
*Not only this yin-natured rain… but also the wails of millions of common folk are likewise eroding the Xuanping Central Mist.*
He watched quietly from the shadows, unable to intervene. Within the mirror, he simply reached out to beckon the talisman qi offered up through the sacrifice, refined it slightly, and cast it back down upon Li Xizhi atop the sacrificial altar.
Lu Jiangxian was no longer what he once was. Narrowing his eyes, he watched several meridians surface upon the feather-robed Li Xizhi, roughly branching into two directions.
One path was encircled by light vermilion talismans, their color hovering between red and pink, carrying a slight sharpness. The seal script turned with crisp edges:
"Vermilion Mansion Flowing Rainbow."
This talisman could, first, bless one's offspring, granting higher innate talent and greater intelligence to children born after receiving it; second, it could make one's Dharmic power more robust, enhance the might of one's immortal foundation, and boost one's flight speed.
The other path was surrounded by an orange-yellow halo, the edges gradually fading into yellow and white, the seal script gleaming brightly:
"Radiant Clouds Across the Sky."
This talisman could nourish mental energy and invigorate the spirit. The bearer could better neutralize others' magical techniques and comprehend the flow of Dharmic power. Each time they entered seclusion to cultivate, the talisman would be nurtured and reinforced, steadily enhancing the power of their spells.
Even more remarkably, this talisman possessed the ability to preserve spiritual nature and physical life. Although it could not compare to "Averting Death and Prolonging Life" in dispelling calamity, it could still subtly augment one's fortune.
Lu Jiangxian peered at them for a moment. Upon reflection, "Vermilion Mansion Flowing Rainbow" was only useful for offspring born after receiving the talisman. Li Xizhi was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and Yang Xiao'er possessed Qi Refinement cultivation; it would be exceedingly difficult for them to bear another child, so that effect would largely go unused.
On the other hand, "Radiant Clouds Across the Sky" was a rare talisman qi endowed with the effect of boosting fortune, growing increasingly potent the longer one cultivated in seclusion. Li Xizhi's cultivation technique had been specifically chosen, and he enjoyed the protective status of Qingchi, making him the least likely of the Li clan members to meet with mishap. He was quite suited for this talisman qi.
With this thought, Lu Jiangxian waved his hand. The talisman qi transformed into a bright yellow hue and merged into Li Xizhi's body. He then shifted his gaze toward Li Zhouwei.
Over the past few years, the Mingyang golden nature had become ever more tightly bound to the boy, and numerous anomalies had already begun to manifest. Lu Jiangxian waited in silence:
*Once he receives a talisman and acquires cultivation, I can utilize the resonance between the talisman seed and the main body to test whether he can rein in and release these influences at will… lest he draw too much unwanted attention.*
Chapter 487