Li Xizhi first arrived at the Hall of General Affairs to return his jade token. The cultivator in charge nodded with great courtesy and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Daoist... Your cultivation progresses with astonishing speed."
Li Xizhi nodded slightly. The man continued, "However, your earned merits must be withheld for now..."
Before Li Xizhi could ask, the man hurried to explain. "The sect dispatched investigators who found that you were absent from your peak for the better part of the past half-year. They also uncovered that you were pursuing private matters—traveling to Mount Xia to collect mist—and reported it to the main peak. Daoist Chi Liangzhe of Hongda Peak took the matter all the way to the Sect Master, demanding that you be punished."
Li Xizhi had anticipated that someone would make an issue of this. Unsurprised, he asked, "Very well. Am I to report to Yuanxing Peak?"
The man shook his head repeatedly and lowered his voice. "The matter has not spread because the Sect Master suppressed it. He left word with me instructing you to pay your respects at the main hall as soon as you returned."
Li Xizhi nodded without another word. Riding a beam of xiaguang, he flew directly to Qingchi Sect's main hall. White vapor churned over the jade flagstones, and a lone figure stood within the hall. Li Xizhi waited briefly before the dragon-and-phoenix-carved entrance before finally being granted entry.
He walked slowly into the hall, adjusted his sleeves, and bowed solemnly. "Xizhi pays his respects to the Sect Master!"
The man above had already risen and descended the steps with brisk strides. Taking Li Xizhi's arms with both hands, he helped him up and spoke warmly. "No need for such ceremony..."
Li Xizhi rose with the gesture and met his gaze, seeing a dignified face with a neatly trimmed beard and eyes full of genial warmth. Lowering his brow, Li Xizhi said, "Xizhi stands accused of wrongdoing! I dare not speak out of turn!"
Chi Zhiyun patted him on the shoulder and said gently, "Your mission to Mount Xia was assigned by a Purple Palace senior; it was never private business. Those petty men merely used it as a pretext to attack you... Were it them, a single summons from the Purple Palace would have them throwing their very lives at the chance. What right have they to speak ill of you? Naturally, I would never heed their words!"
He sighed softly. "I know you have heard many rumors alleging that my Chi clan sought to harm you... Alas, in the end, the fault lies with me."
Chi Zhiyun shook his head in lament. "The kinsmen of my clan still nurse grudges over the past, believing that Chijing shamed me back then! What nonsense is that? They lack any sense of the greater good. Taking advantage of my seclusion, they deliberately sent you away to seize the seat of Qingsui Peak.
"This was ultimately my oversight. Summoning you here today is precisely to make amends, see justice done, and restore the seat of Peak Master to you!"
Chi Zhiyun spoke with intimate warmth, adding, "By twist of fate, you did not go to Qunyi, yet that ended up costing the Han brothers their lives! Those fools tried to send you away to steal Qingsui Peak, only to doom the Han family!"
Li Xizhi asked, "Qunyi? What happened there? I only heard that the Han family was in that region... Ah... searching for traces of my master on Qingchi's behalf."
"The Han master and his servant both perished! While searching, they ran straight into the hands of the dragon race! Had I been there... or had you been there to present your Qingchi identity, you certainly could have secured their safe retreat. What a pity!"
'What a fine way to downplay the blame!' Li Xizhi thought coldly to himself. 'What a fine claim that we could have secured their safe retreat. Had I not actually been there myself, I might truly have been fooled by him!'
When Chi Zhiyun finished speaking, Li Xizhi did not immediately express gratitude. Instead, he feigned eager excitement, saying, "Sect Master! Thank you, Sect Master!"
Yet how could Li Xizhi truly accept? In his heart, he remained stone-cold. If he took the position back now, it would no longer be a simple parting of ways with the Yuan family—it would forge a blood feud! The Yuan family would not merely be drawing boundaries to detach from the Li family; they would hate them with genuine vitriol. Becoming caught in a pincer between enemies would be disastrous.
A look of profound sorrow immediately surfaced on Li Xizhi's face, and he choked back tears. "Xizhi has thought it through. Setting aside all old grievances and entanglements, when Master was alive, he valued our clan above all else. The Yuan family is in dire straits. Were the choice mine... I too would have offered it to my junior brother... I labored so long in the Eastern Sea, yet failed to rescue Master or even glean a single piece of news about him... I have no face left to serve as Peak Master! It was I who failed them both."
Chi Zhiyun shook his head repeatedly, adopting a mournful tone. "Xizhi, how much helplessness there is in this world! You must look past it... Back then, there were hidden complications regarding Chijing as well, and my hands were tied!"
Li Xizhi put on a display of gratitude, bowing slightly with hands clasped. Chi Zhiyun pulled him close with great warmth and said gravely, "Since you are unwilling to take Qingsui Peak, there are still vacancies among the thirty-six peaks. Zhang Lingshu of Changtian Peak recently perished in the Eastern Sea, severing her lineage. I hereby grant Changtian Peak to you!"
Just as Chi Zhiyun stroked his beard with a smile, someone interrupted from below. A man in lavish attire ascended the steps and bowed respectfully. "Sect Master! Trouble has broken out in the east between Chijiao Island and the Great Owl Sunflower Daoist Temple... Lin Chensheng slew Guo Hong'er on an island in the Eastern Sea! Red rain covered the skies, causing a massive uproar, and it seems a Purple Palace master intervened."
Chi Zhiyun appeared to have known long beforehand. He quietly turned the jade talisman in his hand and said softly, "The eastern and western halves of Chijiao Island were never on good terms to begin with, and Guo Shentong has failed to show himself for far too long... It was bound to happen sooner or later."
The newcomer only then noticed Li Xizhi standing inside. Startled, he clamped his mouth shut at once. Li Xizhi recognized him as Ning Heyuan of the Ning family, who now carried himself with utmost reverence before Chi Zhiyun.
Chi Zhiyun turned to Li Xizhi. "Xizhi, you may withdraw for now... My younger brother is already waiting below. Go with him."
Li Xizhi bowed and took his leave. Ning Heyuan reported a few more matters before slowly retreating, leaving Chi Zhiyun seated alone in the hall. Chi Zhiyun gazed quietly in the direction of Li Xizhi's departure, the smile on his face gradually fading.
Taking in the memory of Li Xizhi's posture—handsome eyes half-closed, refined brows slightly arched, deportment impeccably dignified—Chi Zhiyun mused to himself, 'None of them are easy to manage... I thought Tang Shedu was troublesome enough, but this Li Xizhi is even harder to control than Tang Shedu.'
After a moment's contemplation, Chi Zhiyun set down the jade talisman. Among the various Purple Palace seniors, he genuinely disliked Real Person Yuansu's conduct, and disliked even more the way Chi Wei had drained the pond to catch all the fish. Yet on second thought: if Tang Shedu and Yu Yuxie had not died, and Xiao Yuansi and Yu Xiuxian were still present, he would not have to depend on anyone today... Once he reached the Purple Palace himself, perhaps his perspective would change again.
Meanwhile, Li Xizhi rode the wind down the mountain. A young man was waiting for him, bearing a strong resemblance to Chi Zhiyun yet with a gloomier cast to his features. At this moment, a sincere smile broke across his face, and he called out heartily, "Zhiyan greets the Peak Master! I have long heard of your renown, Brother Xizhi, and have looked forward to meeting you! But you were always busy abroad, so we missed each other time and again until today."
Chi Zhiyan said with great familiarity, "Brother Xizhi, you have secured a fine mountain peak now! My elder brother is weighed down by ten thousand daily affairs and cannot keep tabs on every subordinate brother. Should you run into any trouble, come straight to me, Chi Zhiyan! I will take full responsibility. I will never let your Changtian Peak suffer the slightest grievance!"
Li Xizhi nodded emphatically and clasped his hands in return. Together, they arrived at Changtian Peak.
Changtian Peak was not particularly tall, though it was somewhat rugged and steep. Because no one had resided here for years, the slopes were overgrown with wild weeds. Li Xizhi lowered his wind to the summit, where a solitary, rather elegant lodge stood. Most of the pavilion's arrays remained operational.
Li Xizhi wished to inquire about Zhang Lingshu. "Which lineage did she belong to?"
"Ah, she was originally an itinerant cultivator. Zhang Lingshu was an only daughter."
Distrusting Chi Zhiyan, Li Xizhi exchanged pleasantries and politely saw him off the peak. Chi Zhiyan offered parting assurances before departing.
Li Xizhi smiled, nodded, and flew back down to tidy up the residence. Barely half a cup of tea later, a visitor indeed arrived.
Li Xizhi smiled, his expression finally carrying a touch of warmth. The man before him was Yang Ruizao, the older brother of his wife Yang Xiao'er. He was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator and had crossed paths with Li Xizhi several times.
"Brother, your information is remarkably swift!"
Yang Ruizao surveyed the surroundings, chatted briefly, and chuckled before Li Xizhi could even ask. "The Kong family indeed needed xiaguang, and Changxi did come to request an escort... but how could Li Xizhi have possessed such immense face on his own?"
***
Lake Wangyue.
The northern shore of Lake Wangyue bordered the State of Xu, placing the Fei family directly in the line of fire. Once Buddhist and demonic cultivators fled Xu, Mount Xiping split them into two streams flowing toward Wu and Yue.
The northern sky hung somber and dim. Fortunately, the Fei family's grand formation was an ancient inheritance capable of withstanding Foundation Establishment. Furthermore, the fleeing cultivators had only just crossed the border and were eager to erase their tracks rather than linger, so no major catastrophe had occurred.
Even so, several Fei family members who ventured out were slain by demonic and Buddhist cultivators. Having learned their lesson, the family had withdrawn completely into their mountain, remaining turtled up and motionless.
The snow on the northern mountains lay pure white. Li Xijun had been observing the lake quietly for several days, already spotting traces of over a dozen skirmishes. He intended to capture someone to interrogate about conditions in the north, yet had held off waiting for a suitable target. First, Buddhist cultivators were adept at calculation and fond of laying traps, and they harbored grievances with his family—he would definitely not choose a Buddhist cultivator. As for demonic or immortal cultivators, he needed someone of low cultivation who appeared to lack background or formidable techniques.
After a long wait past Lake Central Islet, Li Xijun saw two streaks of light race across the sky, one pursuing the other. The lead streak was clearly the spiritual light of an immortal cultivator, looking thoroughly ragged, while the trailing streak was dark and heavy.
Li Xijun checked their trajectory; nine times out of ten, they had come from Xu. Having waited days for such a pair—both with modest escape arts, clearly ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators of the righteous or demonic path—he stepped forth upon clear wind and white snow, barring the path of the front runner in a flash.
Li Xijun reached out and snatched him, instantly shattering his spiritual light and escape art. Before the man could react, he fell into Li Xijun's grasp like a lamb to slaughter, had his cultivation sealed, and was tossed into the swirling wind and snow.
The captive turned out to be an old man clad in a ragged Daoist robe, clutching a horsetail whisk. His cultivation and speech were sealed, leaving him unable to utter a word. Curled in the wind, he pressed his palms together, repeatedly pleading for mercy through gestures.
The pursuer behind him reacted far faster. Nearly the instant the clear wind and white snow appeared, he wheeled around to flee, erupting in a burst of blood light—clearly burning his lifespan and vitality to fuel a secret escape art. He was a young man in black, his face pale from the backlash.
Li Xijun nodded slightly, formed a hand seal, and pointed two fingers at the fleeing back.
Tujun Sunflower Light surged forth like a white silk banner, thread-like and swift as lightning. It swept across the fleeing light. With a cry of agony, the youth's defensive arts were wiped clean, and he plunged into the lake.
Li Xijun swept forward, hooked the youth up, and sealed his cultivation as well. Before a Foundation Establishment cultivator, two Qi Refinement practitioners were like fish upon a chopping board, utterly powerless. Without a word, Li Xijun immediately rode the wind and flew south toward Mount Qingdu.
Li Xijun was now stationed on Mount Qingdu for cultivation. With Li Ximing in perennial seclusion, Li Qinghong overseas, and both Li Xizhi and Li Xuanfeng at Qingchi Sect, the mountain's affairs were increasingly handled between Li Zhouwei and Li Xijun.
After half a cup of tea, Li Zhouwei appeared, clad in armor and standing tall with a halberd in hand. Behind him, Chen Yang, who had already broken through to Qi Refinement, followed upon the wind.
Li Zhouwei had already attained the eighth layer of Qi Refinement. He was in no rush to advance further, as doing so would be too shocking and draw unwanted suspicion; instead, he devoted more time to practicing his halberd arts. With age, the abnormal traits from his birth had grown faint. Standing aloft upon the wind, he looked no different from an ordinary person, save for a mesmerizing power within his shifting gaze that made it impossible to look away. His features had opened up, his shoulders broad and thick, carrying something of his father Li Yuanjiao's presence. Chen Yang remained standing respectfully behind him.
Li Zhouwei rode the wind forward, bowed, and said clearly, "Granduncle, there was a minor disturbance just now. That is already the first Buddhist cultivator to fly across this month..."
Li Xijun glanced at him, fully understanding, with the two captured cultivators curled upon the wind beside him. He said in a low voice, "Indeed. I just returned from the Fei family on the northern shore. The Fei family has already lost three Qi Refinement cultivators. I seized these two along the way so we can question them thoroughly about matters in the north. The Fei family has truly suffered a calamity."
Li Zhouwei tilted his head with a slight smile and replied, "Now that Yue has pulled back its forces, cultivators from Xu are fleeing into our borders in droves. One can run into them with an aimless flight, which shows just what a state of chaos Xu has fallen into."
Chapter 535