Inquiry

The Sword Gate cultivator stopped in his tracks, somewhat hesitant. "Fellow Daoist, Daoist Jinzhu has already departed for the branch island. There is no way to verify your claims now, which is truly a pity." His tone wavered slightly. Yet, fearing these people had deliberately timed their arrival to when Cheng Jinzhu was away, he ultimately said in a heavy voice, "Do the three of you possess any other proof? If not, I am afraid I cannot let you pass on your word alone." Li Xizhi felt a sudden twinge of awkwardness. Nine times out of ten, the Sword Gate would not give face to the Qingchi Sect. If he produced his Qingchi jade medallion now, not only would it have no effect, but his shifting stories would only make them more suspicious. He gripped his sword, just about to speak, when Li Qinghong stepped forward from behind him. A streak of clear, bright lightning manifested in her palm, swirling purple and shimmering like a swimming fish. She said softly, "I am Li Qinghong of Lake Wangyue. What I cultivate is precisely the ancient lightning arts. May I ask if this can serve as proof?" Hearing this, the cultivator closely examined the lightning in her hand. After weighing the details back and forth, he finally relented. Pondering for a breath, he said softly, "Since you are indeed of the Li family, my Sword Gate naturally has reason to lend a hand. I see that you fellow Daoists are all carrying injuries. It so happens that several seniors from our sect are heading to Daxiyuan in the State of Wu. Why don't you travel with them and disembark at Lake Wangyue along the way?" How could Li Xizhi fail to see through his arrangement? Unable to ascertain their true background, yet seeing they did not look like villains, the cultivator was simply nipping the problem in the bud: taking them straight to the Li family to verify. If they were demonic cultivators in disguise, a confrontation at the Li family would expose them at once. It was a sound method, yet quite troublesome for the Sword Gate. Li Quantao mused that if he were guarding the ferry, at most he would turn them away; he would never go to such lengths. The Sword Gate truly conducted itself uprightly. Li Quantao nodded. Having a favorable impression of the Sword Gate, he advised Li Xizhi via a secret voice transmission: "Brother Zhi, the Sword Gate has been an upright sect for many years; they will not harm us." Li Xizhi responded, "Then we shall trouble your noble sect." The cultivator's face softened like spring wind thawing frost, turning gentle at once. He said softly, "Then follow me quickly; if we miss the hour, it will be troublesome." They followed him forward, flying across the ferry. Wanyu Sword Gate's architectural style was distinct, sharp and stern, possessing the unmistakable bearing of sword cultivators. Covered walkways linked pavilion to pavilion, with upturned eaves like beaks perched high, striking and grand. The Sword Gate's grand boat was moored right above the ferry. Before the vessel stood a sword cultivator dressed in simple white robes, a gleaming white longsword slung across his back. With narrow eyes and long brows, he was looking toward the west. The cultivator who had led them over called out, "Grand Uncle-Master!" and quietly explained the situation. The dashing sword cultivator turned around in surprise and asked, "You are all of the Li family?" Li Xizhi answered warmly. Cheng Gao nodded amiably, while Li Quantao felt slightly awkward, remaining silent. Cheng Gao stood with folded hands. Pausing for a breath, he observed Li Quantao's features, and only then asked, "Who is Li Encheng to you?" Li Quantao was taken by surprise, slightly shaken. He could only reply, "He is my father..." "You are his son? No need to wait in the clouds; come aboard!" He waved for the Sword Gate disciple to withdraw, then led the three into the sword boat. Once they were seated before the table, someone immediately stepped forward to serve tea. Cheng Gao said in a deep voice, "I am Cheng Gao. Not having seen brother Yuanjiao for many years, I wonder how he has been? He once said he would visit when he had the chance, yet I never received word of him." Li Quantao did not know the extent of Li Yuanjiao's relationship with this man and dared not say much. Then he saw Cheng Gao let out a breath and say in a low voice, "I was previously in the East Sea recuperating my sword origin—a seclusion that lasted twenty years. Who would have thought so many things had happened... What a pity..." Cheng Gao had been holding the teapot to pour tea into the cups, but hearing their silence, he slowly looked up, set the teapot down, arched his sword-brows slightly, and asked, "And you two?" "I am Li Qinghong, younger sister to Li Yuanjiao..." Cheng Gao was startled, and then looked at Li Xizhi. "And fellow Daoist?" Li Xizhi's chest straightened slightly, and his complexion grew ruddier. Cheng Gao looked at him a few times as Li Xizhi answered softly, "Li Xizhi of Qingchi's Fuchen Peak." Cheng Gao asked softly, "How is your father?" "Father fell in Chunjingtian fourteen years ago." Cheng Gao nodded and said warmly, "True Person Hongxue was on good terms with our Sword Gate in those days and offered much guidance. Although your noble clan submitted to Qingchi, the old friendship remains. Quantao, there is no need to be polite. We are all our own people; there is no need for courtesy." Li Quantao heard this and felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart, finally letting out a breath. Li Quantao was stunned, his hand gripping his cup tightly. Cheng Gao glanced at him, and Li Quantao asked, his voice trembling slightly, "Could Senior inform me... how did our family's True Person meet his end?" Cheng Gao nodded and said amicably, "Go ahead and ask, Fellow Daoist." The sword cultivator sipped his tea, looking thoughtful. With a faint smile, the white sword on his back hummed softly, and he began his narration: "Back when Donghua fell, his Changzhen Marvellous Art dispersed, and all the treasures sustained in the Great Void by his magic power plummeted down... It was truly a sky full of crystalline radiance, dazzling in all directions. "A fierce melee broke out over the lake, descending into total chaos. True Person Hongxue obtained that immortal sword, secretly clutched it to his chest, and dared not return to his own sect. He fled all the way westward, not daring to plunge into the Great Void, running toward the State of Wu. "When he reached Xunyang Pool in the State of Wu, True Person Hongxue's injuries flared up. He had no choice but to stop, preparing to find a secluded spot to enter seclusion. But that immortal sword leapt out from his embrace, circled around his neck, and severed his head from his shoulders. "Caught off guard and wrapped in sword qi, True Person Hongxue dared not take a single step. Standing desolate upon the pool, he died shortly after. The immortal sword then vanished into the Great Void, never to be seen again. "It is said that the sword is named 'Bili'—truly an immortal sword." Hearing that it was an immortal sword, Li Quantao naturally did not press further as to why a Purple Mansion cultivator died from decapitation alone. Instead, he thanked him: "Thank you, Senior, for telling me." Cheng Gao then asked, "By whom was he killed?" Earlier, they could not understand those words at all, but having received Yu Yuwei's earlier pointers, they quickly realized: "Tang Shedu!" "Now that Tang Shedu has been shot and killed by Senior Xuanfeng, that karma can be considered settled!" Li Quantao's voice trembled slightly. Cheng Gao nodded and said amicably, "There is no need to dwell on it... No matter who it was... even Sword Immortal Donghua was not a flawless man, and those who besieged him back then were not all wicked. Some entanglements have nothing to do with good or evil; it is merely fate playing tricks." These words brought sudden clarity, leaving Li Quantao's eyes slightly red as the gloom in his chest dispersed. He slowly sipped his tea. Cheng Gao looked sentimental and said softly, "Coincidentally, Li Qinghong has ended up together with Li Quantao's family... That makes sense as well. The Qingdu Li are Wei Li, and the Hongxue Li are also Wei Li; helping each other is only normal." Li Xizhi naturally nodded. The few of them sipped tea for a while, and the sword cultivator pointed beneath his feet, saying softly, "Lake Wangyue has arrived." Cultivators from the Li family had already come up to investigate, and seeing who it was, they were all overjoyed. Seeing this, Cheng Gao nodded, saw the three off, and said softly, "I will be cultivating in Ganzi in Daxiyuan for the next few years. If you fellow Daoists ever travel west, you are very welcome to visit me. I am heading to Ganzi Commandery in Daxiyuan to meet a guest and cannot chat with you longer. When you have time, you are welcome to visit my Sword Gate." Having finished speaking, he piloted the sword boat back into the sky, returned to his seat in the vessel, refilled his tea, and sank into silent contemplation. *** That day, Li Xuanfeng had watched the True Persons slay Murong En as ruins plummeted from the Great Void amid pouring rain, lightning, and thunder. He had no chance to linger, however, and was soon brought back to Mount Bianyan by True Person Yuanxiu. True Person Yuanxiu still kept a stiff, stern face. He retrieved a strange wooden bottle from his robes and instructed, "Your injuries this time are not light. After all, you suffered Mahayana methods, injuring both mind and body. In this bottle is a single drop of Dropping Gold Treasure Dew. Take and consume it. Within three months, you will be able to emerge from seclusion, and at that time, I will still have tasks for you." Li Xuanfeng naturally accepted the medicine and consumed it in his cave dwelling. Truly worthy of an item used by Purple Mansion cultivators, within three months, his injuries were mostly healed. When he inquired carefully, he found the casualties had indeed been catastrophic. The casualties across all sides were heavy, and Qingchi's defensive line had also shrunk drastically. Originally centered around Mount Bianyan, with Yanshan Pass on one flank and Baixiang Valley and Salt Lake on the other, it had occupied most of Daxu. Now both flanks had suffered severe losses. Baixiang Valley in the east was slightly better off, having retreated to the edge of Mount Yu, while Yanshan Pass in the west had fallen back directly to defend the riverbank. Only Mount Bianyan remained in central Daxu. The remaining defensive lines linked together covered barely a fifth of Daxu. What was worse, the northern forces had been joined by the Jingbo Gao family. The Purple Mansion cultivators in the Great Void were bound to be under immense pressure. Fortunately, the Gao family was on Jinyu Sect's side, so Qingchi did not have to face those fiends directly. Pattering rain fell incessantly. Li Xuanfeng paused his wind above the dark waters. The anomalies from Murong En's death had dispersed, but the black smoke was growing thick, blotting out the sky. This place was already the edge of Chenshui Mausoleum, so the landscape looked somewhat better, the water having turned gray. Li Xuanfeng looked into the distance. Beside him, the middle-aged man had an ordinary appearance, two gourds tied to his waist, and wore vine armor that shimmered with magical radiance. This man was precisely Lingu Rao, the high-level cultivator known as 'Raozi Scorpion' who had long guarded the South Sea for Qingchi. The man's voice was hoarse and deep: "Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng, can you still advance?" Li Xuanfeng replied modestly, "Fellow Daoist, your strength is formidable; you will surely not disappoint expectations. Unfortunately, my strength is insufficient. Having failed to attack Chenshui Mausoleum and gotten wounded instead, the sect instructed me to rest more, so I cannot accompany you further." Lingu Rao said, "Brother Xuanfeng is too modest. Fellow Daoist's ancient art Foundation Establishment is not comparable to ordinary Foundation Establishment; naturally, I cannot compare to you." Li Xuanfeng's scouting of Chenshui Mausoleum was partly on sect orders, and partly to search for traces of his own clan members. If his calculations were correct, Lingu Rao most likely had the same idea. Lingu Rao took out a thin piece of gauze and tossed it lightly into the air. Instantly, it enveloped both their figures, cloaking their radiance so that even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could not detect them. Demonic clouds rolled across the sky, thunder rumbling mutely. Darkness enveloped the surroundings, with only faint specks of light gleaming in midair. The two darted through the demonic smoke for a time. The few Qi Refinement cultivators flying in the demonic territory were naturally unable to detect their traces. After circling the perimeter twice, Lingu Rao lowered his voice, transmitting via magic power into Li Xuanfeng's ears: "Zhuang Cheng sent by Jinyu Sect was heavily injured, Lin Shouye lost years of his lifespan, Lingu Lanying's hook snake died and she herself is missing, and among the rest, few have sent any word..." Li Xuanfeng glanced at him, his spiritual sense continuously sweeping the ground, and replied via magic power, "That is natural." The two flew for a time, conversing via magic power. Soon they saw the demonic clouds churning, and the dark water before them gradually turned blue, while the demonic qi in the air grew thinner. Flying along the blue water for a time, the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator finally surfaced. They could even sense a familiar presence—the lineage of the southern Purple Mansion Golden Core. The northern demonic path also largely followed the path of Purple Mansion Golden Core, accounting for a significant proportion among demonic cultivators, only their cultivation was more radical, frequently consuming blood and vital qi for faster, more convenient progress. Even in the eyes of northern cultivators, the Purple Mansion Golden Core path was originally a branch of the demonic path, referred to as the Purple Gold Demonic Path. As for the 'Different Mansions, Same Furnace' called demonic in Jiangnan, the north called it the Heavenly Embryo Demonic Path. In the end, it was merely a matter of standpoint. Hence, when northern and southern cultivators clashed, they often branded each other demonic fiends. Unless one cultivated the ancient immortal path of qi-ingestion and nature-nurturing, one would be reviled as a demon wherever one went. "The supreme sect intends to dispatch me to recover Baixiang Valley and Salt Lake, to prevent the northern demonic cultivators from linking up with the demonic cultivators of Jiangnan and the East Sea to exchange advances and attack together." Lingu Rao had actually risen to fame earlier; in terms of seniority, placing him in Li Tongya's generation would be more fitting. But having spent many years in the South Sea, he had few social ties, and here within the pass, there was no need to dwell on such things, so they addressed each other as fellow Daoists. Lingu Rao's voice was slightly hoarse as he asked in a low voice, "I heard that Fellow Daoist previously received a reward—an unheard-of spirit elixir called the 'Gengjin Three Qi Pill.' I wonder what marvellous uses it has?" Li Xuanfeng guessed he would ask about this, but found it awkward to answer, so he could only apologize, "That medicine was bestowed by the True Person. Without the True Person's permission, I cannot speak of it casually." Lingu Rao did not know what medicine Yuanxiu had given Li Xuanfeng, but since only three months had passed, fearing he was still wounded, he inquired specifically. Seeing the man nod, he said, "Once the sect's rewards are handed down, Fellow Daoist's strength will surely make great strides." "When that time comes, Fellow Daoist must spar with me more." Li Xuanfeng by now had long deduced many things, waiting only for confirmation. The rewards Lingu Rao would subsequently receive could likewise corroborate the guesses in his heart. He merely said politely, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist." Lingu Rao's attention remained on him, as if his words confirmed certain suspicions. With lowered brows, he answered, "Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng, I have a doubt in my heart, and I wonder if I should speak of it..." Li Xuanfeng replied frankly, "Fellow Daoist, please speak." Li Xuanfeng answered, and Lingu Rao immediately let out a deep breath. The guess that had troubled him for a long time was finally confirmed. His expression remained unchanged as he continued transmitting via magic power: "What a coincidence. To think that Li Xizhi has actually ended up traveling together with Li Quantao's family..."