Li Chijing made a circuit around the cave dwelling, his finger tracing along the pale golden formation patterns at the center for a while before he said with some uncertainty, "Master has only taught me a bit of talisman craft, and in the sect my primary focus has been sword arts, so I don't know much about formations. These patterns don't resemble the mainstream styles of the State of Yue; they seem primarily intended to gather and nurture qi.
"As for this gushing spirit eye, it was likely formed naturally, and someone who came later laid a formation over it to preserve its form. Blessed by the spirit eye, the spiritual energy in this cave dwelling is forty to fifty percent higher than in the outside world."
Li Chijing carefully copied down the formation diagram. After inspecting all the furnishings in the cave dwelling and finding no hidden tunnels or secret chambers, he rose, walked over to the stone table, and looked at the white cloth upon it.
"Chi Wei bows with respect: That person has arrived at Lake Wangyue. The sect has already dispatched men to corner and surround him, so I urge Fellow Daoist to take action with all haste... Should you encounter that person unawares, please fly in the direction of our Qingchi Sect and inform us immediately."
Li Chijing looked at it for a while and pondered for several breaths, his expression turning somewhat complex as he spoke: "It seems this person must have been one of the cultivators invited back then to besiege and kill the heir of the Immortal Mansion. He must have also realized the journey was fraught with mortal peril, so he cleaned out everything in this cave dwelling down to the last scrap...
"That great battle took place right at the foot of our Mount Dali. After entering the sect, I consulted the records extensively. There are many secrets surrounding it, yet the sect's records consist of only a few meager words."
Li Xiangping could not help but be intrigued, asking with great relish, "And what did the Qingchi Sect say?"
Li Chijing furrowed his brows and said in a heavy voice, "'In the seventh month of autumn, the rogue cultivator Li Jiangqun obtained the orthodox teachings of the Yuehua Yuan Mansion and clamored that the Immortal Mansion was destroyed; the Three Sects and Seven Gates were ordered to besiege and slay him upon Lake Wangyue.'"
As soon as those words were uttered, before Li Tongya and the others could react, Lu Jiangxian—who was observing the group from Mount Lijing with his visual sense—felt a jolt of terror. As if struck by lightning, his mind grew muddled and dizzy; the moon essence on the mirror's body flickered between brightness and gloom, and his thoughts turned entirely blank.
"Li Jiangqun..."
The name detonated in Lu Jiangxian's ears like piercing shrieks. In an instant, all six of his senses went vacant, and a vast expanse of blinding white light rose before his eyes.
"Why does this name sound so terribly familiar?!"
In his daze, he saw flashes of sword light, incantations, talisman arts, and stray arrows—the brilliance of magical treasures and spiritual artifacts darting back and forth before his eyes. The shock tore a wretched cry from him, and he instantly fell unconscious.
The magical mirror floating in midair wobbled precariously and slowly descended onto the stone dais.
***
In the Meichi Mountain cave dwelling.
Li Xiangping knitted his brows, his expression full of bewilderment.
"If this Li Jiangqun obtained the orthodox teachings of the Immortal Mansion, why would he clamor that the Immortal Mansion was destroyed? And if he was the legitimate heir, on whose orders were they commanded to surround and kill him upon Lake Wangyue?"
Li Chijing shook his head and said, "That is why the waters run deep here. There are likely sordid dealings of the Three Sects and Seven Gates at play. I fear that probing any further would bring catastrophic ruin upon our clan!
"Let's speak no more of this!"
Li Chijing cut the topic short and asked softly, "Does our family possess any inheritance in the arts of immortal cultivation?"
"None," Li Tongya shook his head and explained. "Such inheritances are nowhere to be found. Only the Wan family was willing to trade a formation inheritance, and even that requires our magical mirror to take action."
Li Chijing pondered for a few breaths, took out a jade slip from his storage bag, and said solemnly, "The talisman art passed down within the sect is called the Liuren Talisman Art. I have already sworn the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath never to leak it, so it cannot be used by our family. Fortunately, when Master taught me talisman arts, he gave me a rogue cultivator's inheritance for reference. That can be given to the family to study."
Li Tongya and Li Xiangping were instantly overjoyed as they took the jade slip from Li Chijing's hand.
"This inheritance is called the Lingzhong Talisman Art. It contains methods for crafting twelve Embryonic Breathing talismans and three Qi Refinement talismans. However, it cannot be considered profound; they are all rather common varieties."
Li Chijing smiled and drew a stack of talisman paper from his storage bag, explaining, "Drawing talismans requires three spiritual items: talisman paper, a talisman brush, and spirit ink—none can be lacking. Talisman paper is usually made from spiritual plants. It would be best if the family could find some seeds to cultivate on our own, so you won't need to purchase blank talisman paper at the market.
"A talisman brush is also a type of magical artifact. I have no spares on me, so the family will need to search for one at the market.
"As for talisman ink..."
Li Chijing patted the pouch at his waist and produced a small jade box, saying in a low voice, "I still have a little left here, which I can leave for the family to use first. Once it runs out, you will likely have to turn to the market again. If you truly cannot afford it, cinnabar mixed with some spiritual blood can also be used to draw talismans."
Li Xiangping accepted the small jade box and gave a wry smile. "Drawing talismans costs so much. I fear our family currently lacks the funds to craft these talismans."
Li Chijing waved his hand and pointed at the white jade vial with a smile. "This earth fire baleful qi is considered quite rare in the State of Yue, and our family has no use for it at present. Selling it will definitely fetch enough to gather all these items, perhaps even leaving a substantial surplus."
Li Xiangping nodded upon hearing this and remarked, "I have heard there is a market on Lake Wangyue, which is quite convenient."
"The earth fire baleful qi is precious," Li Chijing said. "If someone from our family went, it would surely invite covetous eyes. Tomorrow is the full moon. It would be best for me to go personally in my identity as a Qingchi Sect disciple to purchase all these items."
The men carefully discussed and settled the details. Seeing that Li Chijing was pressed for time, they departed immediately for Lake Wangyue.
***
Li Tongya and Li Xiangping slapped Divine Movement Techniques onto their legs, kicking up gusts of wind as they ran. Li Chijing was even more graceful, stepping lightly upon the wind as he moved forward, a notch faster than the two of them, eliciting envious looks from both brothers.
After traveling for a while, the shimmering expanse of Lake Wangyue appeared before their eyes. It had been a little over ten years since Li Xiangping had last set foot in this place.
"That year, when I came to Lake Wangyue with Second Brother to retrieve that jade stone, we were merely boys of fifteen or sixteen. Now we have families, established careers, and even children of our own."
Li Xiangping sighed with emotion. Looking up at the scattered stars in the night sky, a dreamlike sensation suddenly welled up within him; looking back over everything that had transpired over these ten years felt like treading among the clouds.
It was as though if he were to close his eyes and open them in the next second, he would be back on that night of a bright moon and sparse stars, waiting anxiously amid the reeds by the lake for Li Tongya's return.
"Time flies indeed," Li Tongya replied softly.
The three searched along the lakeshore for a while. Li Chijing and Li Tongya scanned repeatedly with their spiritual senses and finally discovered a stretch of shore subtly radiating fluctuations of magical power, closely matching the description in the *Secret Notes of Lixia*.
Following the method for entering the market recorded in the scroll of *Secret Notes of Lixia* left behind by Si Yuanbai years ago, they picked up a small pebble by the shore, imbued it with a Golden Light Technique, and hurled it toward the center of the lake.
The pebble flew for a distance and then suddenly plummeted. Stirred by the magical power, a concealment formation in the air flashed with streaks of silver light before quickly vanishing from sight.
"Now that the formation has been triggered, a large boat should arrive before long to receive us."
Li Tongya and the others waited quietly on the shore for a while. As the hour grew later and later, a trace of anxiety crept into their hearts.
"If we miss this chance, disposing of this earth fire baleful qi will be troublesome."
Chapter 59