She waited in the hall for a time until a female cultivator clad in a red robe descended before the entrance. Her complexion was fair and delicate, distinct from Jiangnan features, with a taller frame and large eyes that lent an added striking radiance to her scarlet attire.
Beneath the vivid red robe lay moon-white garments, complemented by golden bangles at her sleeves, elevating her bearing even further. She looked over, smiling. "I am Bi Yuzhuang. Greetings, Fellow Daoist. Might you be from the Wangyue Li family?"
"Li Qinghong of the Wangyue Li family greets Senior," Li Qinghong replied naturally. Beside her, Bi Tiaoyu clasped his hands and quickly withdrew. Bi Yuzhuang gestured invitingly, the golden bangles at her wrists chiming crisply as she smiled. "You are far too polite, Qinghong. Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng and I fought side by side at Qingsong Abbey, so we share quite a bond."
Bi Yuzhuang led her up to the highest vermilion pavilion. Within the small upper chamber stood nothing more than a red-lacquered wooden table, upon which rested a jade vase holding several slanting sprigs of white plum blossoms.
The two took their seats. Bi Yuzhuang brought over tea and said gently, "North of the river, True Master Changyun made use of a favor from Jinyu Sect to establish a sect at Chengshui Tomb called Chengyun Gate, carving out a territory. Tangjin Gate has also reopened its mountain gates and sent disciples down."
"The sect master of Chengyun Gate is Zhong Qian, who shares a deep friendship with Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng. Your noble clan could send someone to establish ties. Lest you have been overseas so long that you are out of touch with the news, I thought I would mention it."
Li Qinghong repeatedly murmured that she dared not take such kindness for granted, growing fond of her host. She thought to herself, *Clearly, my excuse of repaying a favor for a Violet Palace True Master was enough to deceive Bi Tiaoyu, but as a direct disciple of a Violet Palace lineage, Bi Yuzhuang is not so easily fooled.* The woman's opening remarks had been a subtle test. Fortunately, Li Qinghong had not come for her own path. She asked gently, "I wonder what conditions are required if one wishes to trade for those spiritual items?"
Bi Yuzhuang had read intelligence on the Li family before coming. She had initially thought to mention that her lineage possessed a portion of Violet Palace-tier Qingxuan Cold Qi. Yet, considering that Li Qinghong was still far from the Violet Palace stage, directly exposing Li Qinghong's pretext might bring the conversation to an abrupt end without learning anything useful. Hearing Li Qinghong's question, she realized the Li family was indeed aiming for a Violet Palace breakthrough. Li Qinghong turned her teacup without speaking, and Bi Yuzhuang, sensing the shift, smoothly followed along. "Spiritual items like Quetong Radiance and Sea-Riding Rainbow mostly reside among the dragon lineages and Mount Luoxia... Fortunately, my lineage possesses a portion of Chengtian Rainbow, which fell when the Northern Sea sky fractured, making it rather precious."
Li Qinghong said politely, "Many thanks for Senior's consideration. It need not be thunder-attribute; are there any other Violet Palace spiritual items?"
Bi Yuzhuang shook her head repeatedly and replied in a low voice, "Regarding the Violet Palace spiritual items Qinghong requires, I am the most knowledgeable on this island. Although lightning is abundant across the Eastern Sea nowadays, if you seek things like Xiaoying Thunder Flower or Cloud-Pattern Sky Lightning, our sect cannot produce them at the moment. Nor do we have Mingyang items..."
Bi Yuzhuang took a sip of tea and continued, "If you wish to trade, our conditions are Violet Palace artifacts, Binggu-lineage Violet Palace spiritual items, Hengzhu-lineage Violet Palace cultivation methods, and..."
She raised her chin slightly and said softly, "Taiyin Moon Splendor!"
Hearing those words, Li Qinghong reined in her breath and assumed an expression of regret, answering rather dejectedly, "Does the Immortal Dao still believe that simply because my family occupies Lake Wangyue, we can produce such a thing? Even if we truly could offer a portion, our circumstances would hardly be what they are today."
"After all, someone once obtained it upon the lake, and every clan has records of it; I merely asked in passing." Bi Yuzhuang raised her brows, looking somewhat embarrassed, and quickly offered an explanation.
Li Qinghong now understood the situation and sighed inwardly with regret. "I have noted Senior's terms. Should my clan possess the means, we will certainly come to trade with your Daoist sect."
That Hengzhu Dao had no Mingyang spiritual items was within expectations. In the end, Li Qinghong pinned her hopes on Xu Peiyu. Going over her phrasing, she ventured, "Listening to Senior Tiaoyu's words earlier, this Xu Peiyu seems exceedingly rampant."
At the mention of this man, Bi Yuzhuang visibly frowned. Looking at the white plums in the vase, she said with a touch of regret, "He is indeed formidable. The struggle between our Dao and Changxiao here dates back a long time. The previous Yunkongzi was lured into a trap and slain by our sect. Looking back now, had I known that Xu Peiyu would follow in his wake, we ought to have spared that useless wretch's life."
The blood debts between the two lineages were too numerous to recount in detail, so Bi Yuzhuang merely gave a broad outline of their past grievances. Li Qinghong then raised her brows, rested her slender fingers along the edge of the golden ring on her other wrist, and probed softly, "To be frank with Senior, he possesses a treasure that is exceedingly important to my clan..."
At these words, Bi Yuzhuang's expression brightened instantly, her mind finally clearing in sudden realization. *So that's it!* Her eyes grew eager, and she asked in a low voice, "What does your noble clan intend?"
Li Qinghong possessed formidable combat strength, wielding violent lightning and excelling at swift, decisive battles—undoubtedly an ideal candidate. Bi Yuzhuang asked, "How many people can your noble clan field?"
Li Qinghong was silent for a moment as thoughts turned in her mind, then answered, "Besides myself, Ximing excels at suppression, and Xijun has cultivated sword origin. The two complement each other and are quite formidable... If needed, we can summon a few more."
Bi Yuzhuang had been fretting over lacking sufficient strength on the island. Now, she effectively gained a lightning-attribute Foundation Establishment cultivator on par with a sect's direct lineage, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator specialized in suppression, and a slightly lower-cultivated sword cultivator, alongside herself as one of Hengzhu's foremost Foundation Establishment figures.
Bi Yuzhuang let out a deep breath. Regardless of whether True Master Chengyan of Changxiao Gate had returned to his sect from the Eastern Sea, she felt the odds were sufficient. She decisively replied, "As long as we lure Xu Peiyu into the grand array I lay down and invite True Master Hengxing to offer a prayer, with no other Violet Palace intervening, we can surely conceal everything completely! What if Changxiao Gate finds out? Our Dao will simply claim we hired you fellow daoists to strike. Your noble clan has ties to Hengzhu and nominally falls under Qingchi's jurisdiction—what is there to fear? The man died in the Eastern Sea, and the Eastern Sea has Eastern Sea rules; Changxiao will have no ground to make a move! Qinghong, go make your preparations. I shall hold consultations at once!"
Li Qinghong understood that while Bi Yuzhuang spoke reassuringly, this matter would undeniably offend Changxiao Gate, though her family had long prepared for that reality. She replied softly, "Senior speaks truly."
Not wishing to linger, Li Qinghong rose from the table and took her leave. Bi Yuzhuang immediately summoned an attendant to escort her down. The red-robed woman took several sips of tea, confidence gradually taking root in her heart.
***
Li Qinghong settled down in her quarters within the market. Soon, Li Xijun and Li Ximing arrived. As the two entered the cave dwelling, Li Qinghong halted them first, saying in a low voice, "Another's cave dwelling is no place for careless talk."
With a flick of her sleeve, she cast out the Chongming Dongxuan Screen. The screen unfurled, radiating several ribbons of pale golden illusory light that enveloped a two-zhang radius, activating Juecha. Only then did Li Xijun speak in a heavy tone.
"Nephew must ask Aunt's forgiveness. Without reporting first, I took the liberty of using a treasure from the Great Void to scout Xifeng Island."
"Nephew went to look at Chongzhou Island; Xu Peiyu is not there. I inquired along the way and learned he has been residing on nearby Xifeng Island, monopolizing the entire island for his solitary cultivation."
Li Xijun lowered his voice, his gaze burning bright as he continued, "I investigated the island. That man's palace holds quite a few female consorts—a sea of white flesh, thoroughly bustling. That treasure is kept in a box forged of dark jade, resting upon the desk in his palace."
"Did you see it clearly?" Li Qinghong asked.
Li Xijun exhaled softly and answered, "Naturally, I saw it clearly. I have seen Golden Yang Huangyuan before; it must not touch gold, it must not touch iron, and upon meeting copper, water, or wood, it turns to smoke, so it must be contained in jade or stone boxes. Within the dark jade box rests a white stone the size of a pupil, filled with heavenly light and interwoven with flames, blazing pure and bright. Its aura clearly belongs to the Mingyang attribute; it is undoubtedly the Mingfang Sky Stone!"
Those words struck their ears with a palpable shock. Kong Tingyun had mentioned earlier that the item was on Xu Peiyu. Although Xu Peiyu possessed an overbearing temperament, what Foundation Establishment cultivator did not have to bow their head before a Violet Palace cultivator? Li Ximing only felt a headache coming on, saying, "Only one thing seems strange... By all rights, that item would be safest within the sect. Why bring it to the Eastern Sea? And why leave it specifically upon the desk? Could he be cultivating some technique?"
Li Xijun said, "Earlier, I feared the Mingfang Sky Stone was no longer on Xu Peiyu! Although Changxiao Gate is vibrant and would not shamelessly seize a junior's belongings, it is a Violet Palace spiritual item after all. Would Chengyan and Changxiao not have taken or exchanged it long ago?"
Listening to his description, Li Ximing let out a sigh of relief, looked at the smile on Li Qinghong's face, and shook his head.
Li Xijun simply shook his head. "Even if he had not traded it away, Xu Peiyu might not have kept it on his person; leaving it in the sect would surely have been safer. Fortunately, Violet Palace spiritual items are difficult to preserve. Not everyone possesses jade boxes like our clan's that can contain a Violet Palace spiritual item and then be stowed in a storage bag. Often, the jade boxes that hold Violet Palace spiritual items act like qi-gathering bottles, which must be kept close outside a storage bag or placed within a formation."
He continued, "This man obsesses over pedigree and loves boastful talk; ordinary rogue cultivators never get to see him. If we wished to purchase that spiritual item, we would likely have to announce our names just to secure an audience. Moreover, his temperament is quite foul. To my thinking, the clans close to us are all at odds with Changxiao. By then, he would likely demand an astronomical price, subjecting us to gratuitous humiliation."
Li Xijun appeared somewhat troubled, murmuring, "We should not hold out hope; leaning on Hengzhu remains the soundest course."
With his longsword strapped across his back, Li Xijun said in a deep voice, "The Li clan has grown close to Xuanyue in recent years, likely with Xuanyue adding fuel to the fire, which is a good thing. Seen this way, Kong Tingyun's recent easing and negotiations with Changxiao over Yuezhou Island were not a concession, but a move to lull Xu Peiyu into complacency."
"Hengzhu Dao is, after all, one of the most orthodox lineages... and shares friendship with us, so they can be considered trustworthy."
Li Ximing shook his head and said, "It will by no means come to the worst. Hengzhu has walked the righteous path for many years and would not abandon its stance over such a small matter. Changxiao Gate and Hengzhu Dao are playing chess in the Eastern Sea; losing a piece will bring resentment at most, not drive them to smash another clan's pieces to dust."
"Furthermore, our clan maintains good relations with several immortal sects. True Master Hengxing granted an audience in person, True Master Junjian owes us a favor, and the Si family is growing close to us. Nothing disastrous should occur, but in all things, one must consider the worst outcome."
Li Qinghong sighed and probed, "As long as our clan contributes, Hengzhu has promised to help conceal the matter. But such things are unpredictable. If the situation goes awry and Xu Peiyu survives, we merely fail to obtain the spiritual item. Yet if he dies and we still fail to secure the spiritual item, only for Changxiao to discover our family had a hand in it, that would be the most awkward predicament."
Li Qinghong shook her head. "Hengzhu Dao's struggle with Xu Peiyu has not yet reached a point that leaves Bi Yuzhuang disgraced, nor are the ties between our two families so deep that she would actively beg me to intervene. Otherwise, in any negotiation, the benefits gained would be far fewer."
Seeing both Li Qinghong and Li Ximing looking over, Li Xijun explained, "This is the Eastern Sea. Whatever we do here is far more relaxed; the only thing to fear is True Master Changxiao. Ah well, nothing in this world is ever entirely without flaw. As long as we lure Xu Peiyu into the grand array she lays down... Unless this Xu Peiyu is a second Li Xuanfeng, he will surely taste this deadly tribulation!"
Li Ximing asked a question, to which Li Xijun smiled gently and replied, "That will suffice."
"Then all is prepared. We can only hope every matter falls into place, and that things do not drift toward the worst."
Li Xijun nodded with a smile, yet suspicion lingered quietly in his heart. Given to overthinking and calculation, he could not help turning the worst possibilities over in his mind. A moment later, he spoke in a heavy, resolute voice:
"If Changxiao proves overbearing and insists on pursuing the matter, the True Masters of Hengzhu prove unreliable, Bi Yuzhuang plays false and deceives us entirely, Hengzhu Dao refuses to step forward, and Changxiao refuses to give face to the newly ascended Violet Palace True Master Junjian... If that moment truly comes, I shall take the blame as the chief culprit. It will be nothing more than dying to satisfy Changxiao's face, and even he will have nothing left to say."
At these words, Li Qinghong understood at once and nodded slightly, while Li Xijun bowed respectfully.
Chapter 631