Li Xuanfeng descended onto the peak, only to find the crowd looking up toward him, with quite a few unfamiliar faces mingled among them. Ning Heyuan stood at the very front with his hands behind his back, his brow relaxed and faintly harboring an air of smug satisfaction.
Li Xuanfeng nodded slightly, and Ning Heyuan immediately made a welcoming gesture, whispering, "Congratulations, Brother-in-law..."
He stepped aside to reveal the man behind him. It was none other than Chi Zhiyan, the younger brother of Sect Master Chi Zhiyun. The man had a somewhat sinister visage and kept his eyes squinted, opening them only when he saw Li Xuanfeng, smiling as he said, "What splendid archery, Daoist! Slaying Murong Wu within a quarter of an hour—truly, you have broadened our horizons today!"
Chi Zhiyan held virtually the highest status here. He gestured for Li Xuanfeng to come inside for a detailed talk, his tone reasonably polite as he asked, "Which Real Person did you meet, Daoist?"
"Real Person Qiushui and Real Person Yuanxiu..."
Li Xuanfeng responded as he stepped forward. He stood a full head taller than Chi Zhiyan. When Chi Zhiyan raised his brows, his gaze met Li Xuanfeng's eyes. Li Xuanfeng said in a deep voice, "The Real Persons bestowed a pill and offered words of encouragement, but did not say much else."
Chi Zhiyan seemed to ponder this carefully. Lowering his head, he remained silent for a moment before asking, "May I ask what manner of divine pill it is?"
"A Gengjin Sanqi Pill..."
As Li Xuanfeng uttered the words, his gaze swept across Chi Zhiyan's face. He could see blank bewilderment in the man's eyes; Chi Zhiyan turned the name over in his mind, clearly having never heard of it before.
"Might I ask which Real Person bestowed it...?"
"Real Person Yuanxiu."
Li Xuanfeng answered. Seeing that Chi Zhiyan still looked utterly perplexed, he thought to himself, *Chi Zhiyan likely doesn't know...*
He humored Chi Zhiyan with a few casual replies, and once he felt he had given the man enough face, he finally said, "Having fought a fierce battle, Xuanfeng bears injuries... Forgive me for being unable to keep you company longer. Once I finish tending to my wounds and harmonizing my qi, I shall take the pill."
Chi Zhiyan could only nod and withdraw. Ning Heyuan hurried in to take care of matters. Li Xuanfeng had only spent half an hour suppressing his injuries, and after the strain of the journey here, his internal organs throbbed with sharp pain once again, leaving his complexion somewhat pale.
He took out Murong Wu's helmet and armor and tossed them onto the floor. At once, magical radiance rippled across the jade pavers. He said softly, "Have this helmet and armor reforged as well. Find a few weapon refiners and have them propose several reforging designs for me to choose from."
Ning Heyuan nodded gently. Li Xuanfeng hastened down, finding Li Qinghong waiting in the hall.
Seeing Li Xuanfeng approach, she looked at him with concern and asked, "How are Second Uncle's injuries?"
Li Xuanfeng merely exhaled and waved his hand. Observing his expression, Li Qinghong swiftly recounted how she had injured Helian Changguang earlier, then drew two items from her storage bag.
One was an intricately patterned blackish-green brocade fan covered in incantations, roughly divided into five totem-like patterns, its exquisite style hinting at a certain opulence.
The other was naturally that set of brocade robes, pure snow-white, with long green plumes on both shoulders. When worn earlier by the demonic cultivator shrouded in roiling demonic qi, its nature had been obscured. Now that it was laid out, it seemed rather ethereal—though having been washed over by lightning, its luster was slightly dimmed.
Li Xuanfeng listened attentively, and casually activated the formations in the hall before speaking in a grave tone, "Qinghong, the Helian clan is the royal surname of the State of Tiefu north of the State of Zhao. From your description, Helian Changguang holds a high status. For you to face two opponents alone and still kill one was no small feat."
Beneath his brows, his aged eyes remained sharp. Crossing his arms, he spoke with clear and forceful diction despite his injuries, "Yet crossing this man is no good thing. I have noted this down. For now, focus on cultivating within the pass. Once I keep an eye out and patrol to the east, I shall find him and shoot him dead, so he won't have time to harbor a grudge against you."
Li Qinghong was taken aback. While she did not fear the man, she had family in the pass after all, and staying constantly on guard was difficult, meaning there was some risk. Reluctant to trouble Li Xuanfeng further, she could only reply, "Thank you, Second Uncle... but seeing to Second Uncle's matters is more urgent."
Li Xuanfeng merely shook his head, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Setting aside that your cultivation is the highest in the family... I am certainly going this time. Killing a mere demonic cultivator is no trouble at all."
He did not dwell on it. Looking closely, he pointed at the two dharma artifacts and said, "The Helian family has a deep heritage, and both these dharma artifacts are of fairly good quality. I know holding onto them makes you uneasy. Go out and ask Ning Heyuan to assign someone to accompany you into the pass to reforge them."
Li Xuanfeng paused and specifically instructed, "Be sure not to reforge them on Mount Bianyan. There are too many eyes and ears here, and far too many complications. Once I have Murong Wu's helmet and armor reforged, I will send them home for the juniors."
Li Qinghong understood that the junior he referred to was Li Zhouwei. She nodded and committed it to memory. Li Xuanfeng already showed signs of exhaustion; waving his hand, he took two steps back to retire. Li Qinghong saw him out of the hall, thinking to herself, *Second Uncle's aura of authority grows ever more formidable.*
She sought out Ning Heyuan. The man was exceedingly warm and enthusiastic now; he brought over several weapon refiners under his command, specifically introducing one: a burly, imposing old man dressed in red.
Ning Heyuan smiled and said, "This is Fellow Daoist Chu. He once cultivated at the Lake Wangyue Market and is an old acquaintance of my brother-in-law!"
Li Qinghong nodded. Understanding Li Xuanfeng's warning about there being too many prying eyes on the mountain, she had long grown restless here. Without conversing much with this weapon refiner surnamed Chu, she hurriedly took her leave.
Taking along Fei Tongyu, who was still somewhat listless, the three of them rode the wind onward. Li Qinghong promptly apologized for the haste and asked, "The matter is urgent, so I dared not linger. May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?"
"Chu Minglian."
The old man chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back and throwing out his chest with impressive vigor as he replied, "Back in my youth, when I refined artifacts at the Lake Wangyue Market, the 'Jin Geng' in Xuanfeng's hands came from none other than my workshop!
"Even when the sword immortal returned home, it was at my shop that he bought supplies!"
This was evidently a proud tale Chu Minglian boasted of to everyone he met. After chuckling for a moment, he noticed Li Qinghong's eyes suddenly light up as she asked with great anticipation, "Then did Senior ever meet my father, Li Xuanling?"
"Li Xuanling...? I have only heard of Li Xuanxuan... never of Li Xuanling."
Chu Minglian felt slightly awkward. Li Qinghong quickly added, "He was the son of the Yueque Sword."
"Oh!"
Chu Minglian's expression turned solemn at once. He nodded and said, "So you are Li Tongya's granddaughter..."
He recalled with nostalgia, "Among the three who came back then, only he looked like an escort on a journey. I vaguely remember his broad shoulders, never imagining he was such an extraordinary figure."
The two chatted amiably, and soon returned to the pass. From far away, they spotted Kongheng, who was inspecting the surroundings, though Li Wushao was nowhere to be seen.
Li Qinghong asked casually, only to learn that in the pass there was another female Foundation Establishment cultivator from an adjacent valley whose mount was a white hook snake. Having not seen his own kind for decades, Li Wushao could not restrain himself and had gone over to pay a visit.
This development caught Li Qinghong off guard. Chuckling softly, she led Chu Minglian and Kongheng forward, and only then took out the two dharma artifacts.
Chu Minglian examined them closely. Beside him, Kongheng spoke first, musing thoughtfully, "This fan appears to be an object of the Helian clan. As for the brocade robe... it is difficult to say... it carries some archaic charm."
Startled by the monk's sharp eye, Chu Minglian paused slightly, then displayed his own profound knowledge as he said softly, "I have never been to the north, so I cannot say much about the fan. As for this brocade robe, however, there is quite a story behind it."
He picked up the snow-white brocade robe, glanced at the green plumes on either side, and examined the patterns on the fabric with care, saying quietly, "Nine times out of ten, it belongs to the Wanling Sect of the State of Ning."
*Wanling Sect...*
Li Qinghong had also heard the name of this immortal sect. Her family's Wanling flower had been obtained by the Wang clan from the Wanling Sect. Yet suspicion suddenly arose in her heart: *This man claims to be an itinerant cultivator... yet how could he possess such insight? It seems his heritage runs deep...*
Chu Minglian scrutinized it and clicked his tongue in praise, answering, "The Wanling Sect consists mostly of women, and this robe truly reflects a woman's delicate sensibilities. Furthermore, they implement the ancient system of governing through decentralized Daoist temples; these thirty-six plumes around both sides likely represent the various temples under their jurisdiction."
Li Qinghong listened attentively and nodded, "Senior is truly knowledgeable... May I ask how powerful this sect is?"
"They call themselves a superior sect, so naturally they possess Golden Cores."
Chu Minglian sighed, perhaps realizing something, and explained, "My Chu family originally migrated from north of the river, so of course I know..."
"Chu... Which commandery's Chu family?"
Only then did Li Qinghong realize Chu Minglian also came from a family clan. She had simply assumed it was a minor family and that was why she had never heard its name. Yet Chu Minglian was now at Foundation Establishment; by rights, it should have been a prominent house...
Chu Minglian squinted his aged eyes slightly and shook his red robe, looking somewhat desolate as he replied, "It was originally a small family, but today, there is no Chu family left."
His expression was downcast as he answered, "My grandnephew... was named Chu Yi... the 'Lihuo Spear' of bygone years."
*Chu Yi!*
Decades had passed since that name was prominent, yet it still circulated in secret. The many cultivators who had experienced those events firsthand still felt lingering dread. As an itinerant cultivator, he had thrown everything into turmoil, unsealed the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven of the Dongli Sect that had been sealed away for years, and single-handedly engineered a spectacle that shook the entire State of Yue.
The Li family had also reaped many benefits back then; nine times out of ten, the jade bottle at Li Qinghong's waist was an item from the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven, bearing an ancient lineage.
"Back then, he disguised himself as an itinerant cultivator, but the Han family, whom he had offended, investigated him in secret. While he was still in secluded cultivation outside, disaster struck the family."
Chu Minglian seemed reluctant to dwell on it. Everything suddenly clicked for Li Qinghong, and she realized: *So it is that Chu! Back then, the uproar at the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven was enormous... Afterward, he most likely recovered his memories, went to Mount Luoxia, and never once returned... No wonder he feels disheartened.*
Understanding was one thing, but Li Qinghong had no wish to pursue the matter. She sighed and did not take up the topic. Chu Minglian soon smiled and said, "There is not much to this brocade fan. At a glance, one can tell it is the crude, shoddy handiwork of northern Buddhist and demonic cultivators. I need only take some materials to alter it, and within a few months, it will be finished.
"As for this brocade robe..."
Chu Minglian examined it closely and said earnestly, "I see several poorly executed patches on it. It was likely lost by the immortal sect and passed down through generations of demonic cultivators, who needlessly patched it up or repaired damage, leaving it in its current state.
"I need only dismantle these flawed additions and repair it by following the original traces. Within little more than half a year, it will be ready for use, far better than it is now. However, it will require some Foundation Establishment spiritual materials... and we must see what can be used to make up for the damage."
Chu Minglian agreed with great confidence. Li Qinghong recalled the many spiritual materials Li Xijun had given her, taking them out one by one and arranging them on the table. Chu Minglian inspected them thoroughly and knew what to do, "If Qinghong trusts me, leave it to me. I will take some of these to exchange, and barter for some more in the mountains. If it is not enough, I will ask you for more."
Li Qinghong naturally nodded, politely seeing him out. Kongheng followed along beside her, looking somewhat anxious as he said softly, "Fellow Daoist Qinghong, did you kill someone of the Helian clan?"
"Though I did not kill him, it was near enough... Meeting on the battlefield, there is no way back."
Li Qinghong answered offhandedly. Following behind, Kongheng felt a faint stir of emotion and mused inwardly, *Could this be an intertwining of karmic mandates? Yet the ancestors of the Helian clan were once a tribe on the border of the State of Wei, and had received kindness...*
Thinking to himself, he could not help but chuckle wryly: *How many years have passed since then... I am overthinking it... Watching the entanglements of karmic mandates so often has ultimately made me obsessed.*
...
Mount Qingdu.
Li Xijun received the messengers from the north and collected Li Chengju's remains, then inspected the skeletons one by one. There were also two concubine-born descendants, one from the Chen family, two from the Xu family, and one from the Dou family.
Li Chengju had truly grown up under Li Xijun's watch—taciturn and swift in cultivation. Looking upon the cold bones now, he could only sigh.
The Ning family had provided some compensation, and Li Xijun offered more on behalf of the clan, arranging people to take the remains and deliver them one by one. The moonlight shone bright and clear. He mused inwardly, *This is only the beginning.*
Having received a reply from Li Qinghong stating that neither she nor Li Xuanfeng were severely injured, and that Li Xizhi's Baixiang Valley was among the few places that had not come under attack, Li Xijun breathed an inward sigh of relief.
*Still, Brother Zhi's post is far more perilous... Though they have suffered no attack at the moment, they are facing the Tuoba family. If someone comes to assault them, it will be no simple matter.*
He pondered for a moment, only to see Chen Donghe rush forward in haste, bowing hurriedly as he said in a heavy voice, "A monk has arrived in Lijing Town!"
Li Xijun's heart dropped instantly. He rose abruptly from the high seat. Though he had long prepared himself mentally, he was still on high alert and tense. Exiting the hall, he asked, "What is the situation? Can you tell where he comes from?"
The Li family's grand formation could only protect a few immortal peaks; shielding all dozens of towns surrounding Lake Wangyue was obviously a fool's errand. Those towns were merely flanked by alert formations, with clan cultivators patrolling day and night.
Such measures could still detect minor demonic cultivators, but whether Buddhist or demonic, if a Foundation Establishment level cultivator snuck into town, detecting them through these measures was practically impossible—one could only rush over once anomalies occurred.
Li Xijun had long anticipated that Masters would infiltrate the towns to gather intelligence, so he had stationed men all around so the family would discover any disturbance immediately. He pressed with two questions, "Has he killed anyone? Or bewitched minds?"
Chen Donghe shook his head, speaking in a low voice: "The monk is simply sitting in a restaurant in the town. He called someone over directly, saying he wished to see whoever oversees the Li family.
"Seeing his Buddhist guise appear out of nowhere, the people around were frightened and sent someone to notify the mountain. I happened to be patrolling that area, and upon receiving word, I hurried up to inform you."
Chapter 548