Rumors

Qingsong Island. Li Xizhi sat quietly within his cave dwelling, leafing through small letters laid out across his desk. Having remained in closed-door cultivation for a long time, he found quite an accumulation of news waiting for him upon emerging. Suddenly, his brow furrowed as he picked up one of the notes. "The Yuan family broke off the engagement? What nonsense is this!" The matter between Li Yuexiang and Yuan Fuyao was originally just a private understanding—nothing had even been set in stone yet. What was more, Li Xizhi had flatly rejected it and returned the betrothal gifts, so it had long since fallen through. Yet this missive stated it in no uncertain terms: word had come from within the sect claiming that Yuan Fuyao had reneged on his betrothal to Li Yuexiang. This made Li Xizhi's frown deepen considerably. Looking closer, there were even rumors detailing how Yuan Fuyao had fled. "The Song family? Changed to the Song family?" Li Xizhi nearly laughed aloud in disbelief, irritation rising in his chest. Thinking it through while weighing the current situation, he murmured: "They threw their lot in with the Chi family..." He fell silent. As several Purple Palace masters showed signs of decline, the Chi family's authority was gradually returning. Though Chi Buzi's whereabouts were unknown, Master Suiguan was still backing the Chi family... "Master Yuanwu still has some lifespan left... Doing the math, more than half of the twenty-one sect members in seclusion attempting to break through to the Purple Palace realm have likely reached the end of their days. Qingchi and Xiuyue are locked in conflict; how the situation will unfold in the future remains truly hard to predict." As he pondered, someone came up from below, an expression full of bitterness, both furious and bewildered. Cupping his hands, he blurted: "Senior Brother! This! What is this..." The newcomer was none other than his junior brother, Yuan Chengzhao. Evidently, he had also just received the news, and was just as puzzled and enraged. Li Xizhi let out a sigh and answered: "This is the Yuan family's doing; no blame will fall upon you. The bond between us brothers remains as it has always been. You need not worry." *** The Shanji Commandery market. Shanji Commandery had always been the territory of the Xuanyue Gate. It did not have many market towns, so the few concentrated markets were quite prosperous, bustling with crowds. Being very close to the East Sea, combined with the Xuanyue Gate's longstanding reputation for fair dealing, many cultivators traveling to and from the East Sea chose to stop here. Li Xuanfeng put away his golden bow, found a tavern at random, and sat down. Ordering two light dishes, he sat in the second-floor dining hall, looking out at the banners fluttering outside the window. In his entire life, he had visited a tavern only twice. The first time had been with Liu Changdie, who had merely asked him about trivial matters and remarked that he acted like someone on the demonic path. That man had brought up Jiang Yan's involvement in the demonic disaster very early on; he must have known the inside story long beforehand. *Jiang Yan...* The old man chewed on the name for a moment, thinking it sounded quite pleasant. He lowered his eyes in contemplation, but his ears twitched as he caught the words of cultivators nearby: "Have you heard... about the Yuan family?" "Of course I have! Sigh, why on earth would the Yuan family break off the betrothal out of nowhere?" Li Xuanfeng slowly raised his eyes. His grayish-black gaze swept over the table beside him. The jade cup in his hand tilted slightly as he listened in silence. One of them was clad in black robes and wore a Daoist headscarf, looking somewhat like an ancient Daoist. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a cultivator under the domain of the Great Xiukui Temple in Linhai Commandery. He spoke up: "I heard that the Li family lady is an orphan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Who knows how many spiritual items she inherited. That Young Master Yuan must have lost his mind, ditching her to marry the daughter of that tiny Song family!" The other man was dressed in white, his background indiscernible. He merely tapped his jade chopsticks and said solemnly: "What do you know! The Song family's daughter was his childhood sweetheart—they grew up together. How could he cast her aside so easily? I, for one, think it shows an admirable character." "Hah! He'll have plenty of time to regret it!" The black-robed man pulled a long face, but then came a sudden, sharp crack, like the shattering of a silver vase. Turning his head, he saw that the cultivator at the neighboring table had crushed the spiritual cup in his hand into powder, jade-green fragments scattering in every direction. Most of this man's hair had turned white, yet he wore black-and-gold armor over a solidly built frame. His sharp brows carried an air of weathered fortitude, making him resemble a veteran general tempered by years of war. His eyes were thoroughly frigid as he turned his head to look over. Perplexed, the black-robed cultivator swept his spiritual sense across him, only to be struck with terror: *A Foundation Establishment cultivator!* He hurriedly stood up with deference and said submissively: "I know not what words of mine have offended Senior... I am Lin... of the Lin clan in Linhai Commandery..." Before he could finish, he found the man already seated at their table. With deep, unreadable eyes, the armored figure casually pressed him back down into his seat and asked in a low voice: "You said just now... the Yuan family... broke off the engagement with Yuexiang?" The moment the man named Lin heard the name "Yuexiang," how could he fail to understand? Terror gripped his heart: *Damn it! We ran right into her people!* Beside him, the white-robed man collapsed to the ground with a thud. Having just spoken a few words defending the Yuan family, he wished he could slap himself across the face several times. Shivering, he knelt on the floor, not daring to utter a word. "Yes... There was an upheaval in the Yuan family. Word has it they broke off the betrothal and parted ways with the Li clan on bitter terms..." He recounted the whole backstory in hushed tones. Li Xuanfeng's expression grew much calmer, and he nodded thoughtfully, one hand lightly tapping the tabletop. Li Yuanjiao had died right before his eyes; the bitter fury coiled in his chest had found no outlet, and now Yuanjiao's daughter had been made to suffer grievance. A chilling frost settled in the old man's heart. Li Xuanfeng paused for a moment, spacing out slightly. All the metal utensils throughout the tavern began to tremble and hum. The cultivators huddled like quail with their heads tucked in, not daring to make a sound. Li Xuanfeng glanced at the black-robed man and asked: "Since you are from the Great Xiukui Temple, do you know Lin Chensheng?" The black-robed man was overjoyed and hurriedly answered: "He is an elder of my clan!" "Have his injuries healed?" Startled, the black-robed man nodded and said: "Much improved. I heard Elder returned to the sect to seek a breakthrough." "Good." Li Xuanfeng tossed down a pouch of spirit rice to compensate for the cup. In the span of a breath, he had vanished from the tavern. The metallic objects finally settled into stillness. A golden flagon fell onto the floor with a clang, and the cultivators present let out a collective breath. Someone muttered: "A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator drinking in a place like this... Truly a rare sight!" The black-robed man remained stunned. Looking at the sweat-drenched young man in white opposite him, he could only sigh: "You really had the luck of the heavens! Thank goodness this senior was good-tempered... Do you even know who Lin Chensheng is?" His soul still unsettled, the white-robed youth asked: "Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist." "He is a favored prodigy of the temple, the personal nephew of a Purple Palace Real Person! He comes and goes through the grotto-heaven as he pleases!" "For this senior to bring up that name and even inquire about his injuries, they might very well have entered the grotto-heaven together! A figure like this is no ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator; a mere breath from him would be enough to wipe you out completely!" Both men let out a sigh of relief. Sounding like a survivor of a catastrophe, the white-robed youth said: "As the saying goes, disaster comes from the mouth. Today I truly understand that lesson. What a fortune to have kept my life... what a fortune..." Remembering Li Xuanfeng's demeanor, the black-robed man could not help but shudder. Seeing the entire tavern watching him in silence with eager eyes, he said with a hint of showmanship: "Taking advantage of an elder's absence to bully their junior... I'm afraid someone is about to face calamity!"