Coincidence

The water rippled beneath the Xiaguang Cloud Ship. Li Yuanqin stood at the prow with his hands behind his back, white mist swirling beneath his feet. Watching the cultivators bustling below in the distance, his mourning robes fluttered slightly in the breeze, his demeanor calm and composed. Sorrow still lingered in Ning Hemian’s eyes as she stood quietly behind him. Her gaze swept past the cultivators flanking both sides—the green-robed members of the Chi family and the white-clothed confidants of the Si family—all sizing up Lake Wangyue. Ning Hejing naturally did not feel at ease leaving her unattended and had specially dispatched someone along—a junior whose cultivation was lower than hers, now standing behind them with his head pulled down timidly. Ning Hemian had always been clever, yet now she could not understand her elder brother. Ning Hejing had clearly joined hands with the Chi family's second branch, yet he stubbornly insisted on preserving a fig leaf of propriety for the eldest branch. Looking at it all, she felt only embarrassment: *Papering over a broken window—what is the point? In our clan's current predicament, why risk his life for Chi Zhiyun?* Seeing the members of the Chi family's second branch grow increasingly silent, she felt her brother was courting his own doom. Fortunately, she had little affection for him to begin with, so she simply let him be. "My Lord, we have arrived at Lake Wangyue," a cultivator behind reminded him. Li Yuanqin acknowledged with a hum. Watching the cloud ship slowly come to a halt, he said casually, "Wait for Li Chengliao to come up." His intention was obvious, and the green-robed Chi family cultivator nodded in agreement. Thus, the Xiaguang Cloud Ship moored above the lake. Rosy clouds filled the heavens, bathing both the water and the sky in a brilliant expanse of iridescent light. Seeing that no one had ridden the wind up to receive them after a while, someone indeed came forward to invite them down. A man in white waited respectfully outside the ship. Li Yuanqin turned his head, and the Chi family member beside him murmured a few words before stepping out of the cloud ship to speak politely with An Siwei. The white-robed man then withdrew, and Li Chengliao flew up on the wind. Li Yuanqin calculated in his heart that the Chi family merely wanted his deferential attitude as a junior, while the Si family wanted both sides to appear harmonious. Thus, presenting a front of smooth accord, the two descended from the spiritual ship together. Only then did Li Chengliao greet Ning Hemian, bowing, "Junior greets Aunt and all honored emissaries." Li Yuanqin said, "Immortal affairs have been intricate and demanding; only today was I able to get away. I must ask Chengliao to lead me to pay my respects." Li Chengliao replied, "Granduncle! Our Lord has long been eagerly awaiting your return, but his old injuries flared up in recent years, leaving him bedridden. The other lords are each in secluded cultivation, and Grand-aunt has gone out to visit friends, making it difficult to meet right now." "No wonder I haven't seen my clan nephews; what a pity," Li Yuanqin remarked. Li Chengliao nodded, "It is indeed a pity. I also heard that the new sect master of Xuanyue was installed, and Lady Qinghong went to offer congratulations." The green-robed man of the Chi family darkened his face, on the verge of speaking out: "What is the meaning of this! This is showing too little face to your Si family! How could they all enter secluded cultivation at the same time? They clearly just do not wish to see us! Fine, fine, fine—" Li Chengliao cut him off: "Since the timing is unfortunate, we should not impose further trouble. The bow is far too precious; why not send it back onto the ship first, and discuss the rest later?" "The bow is what matters; let us send it up to the cloud ship together first." Li Yuanqin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If matters ended here, it could still be blamed on Li Xijun and the others being unwilling to see him; if the Chi family made a scene and he could not produce Li Xijun and the others, that would truly be immense trouble. Ning Hemian's expression was stricken with grief. She had always treated Li Xuanfeng with deep mutual respect, making her far easier to approach than the impassive Li Yuanqin. Li Chengliao respectfully invited everyone down to the main hall on the isle, where the black bow had already been laid out upon the table. The black bow possessed no dazzling golden luster or radiant spiritual glow, lying quietly there, yet no one could tear their eyes away. Li Chengliao lowered his brow and gaze; Ning Hemian’s eyes grew misty with tears; as for the rest behind them, their faces betrayed only greed. Li Chengliao stepped forward and performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows, fulfilling every ceremonial rite. Under the watchful eyes of the Qingchi cultivators, Li Yuanqin hastily lifted the black bow from the table and said respectfully, "My father's bow was renowned throughout Jiangnan. There were even rumors in Jinyu Sect that it caught the eye of a Real Person and had the potential to become a Violet Palace spiritual artifact. It is truly far too precious; I dare not accept it." Li Chengliao said, "The elder left behind his last wishes—this item must be handed to you!" "There is no need..." Seeing the Chi family cultivator look over with suspicion, Li Chengliao took a step forward and sighed, "This matter is of great consequence; we dare not be negligent." Had he not said this, it might have been fine, but once spoken, Li Yuanqin dared all the less to keep the item. He repeatedly insisted he did not dare disobey the elder's command. Only when Li Chengliao took it back did he finally feel at ease. Li Yuanqin agreed with a beaming smile, and everyone escorted the black bow back toward the sky. Li Yuanqin sighed inwardly, thinking: *Furthermore, if this matter blew up and everyone found out, should anything happen to Yufuzi, those with malicious intent would certainly connect the timing... Why was the timing so coincidental? I can only deal with it like this for now...* *** Far away on the Eastern Sea, a red boat rocked upon the waves, laughter and playful banter rising and falling. Snow-white lotus-root arms reached over the boat's edge, tender scallion-like fingers lightly brushing the sea surface, rippling waves spreading outward in succession. On the boat were some seventy to eighty women, completely unclothed, each possessed of unique beauty, their voices charming and sweet, an entanglement of fair flesh. In the very center, a burly man wore only an open robe, laughing heartily. Xu Peiyu embraced a beauty with one arm while his other hand remained hidden beneath his robe, pinching an incantation gesture. His smiling eyes took in the fair expanse before him, feeling immensely gratified: *It truly has some merit.* As his incantation operated, the concubines' eyes turned hazy and entranced. Wisps of red qi drifted out from their nostrils, falling into his palm, circling once, and flowing back into their mouths. *Good! This Mingfang Sky Stone is indeed a Mingyang treasure! The Method of Adding Yin to Lodged Yang can truly extract Suyang primordial qi... With this, my cultivation has accelerated considerably!* As the red qi settled, the concubines were all intoxicated. Xu Peiyu pondered: *Holding such a thing in my hands, it truly is hard to part with... A Mingyang item is considered a rarity nowadays. That monk spoke the truth. This thing is indeed of the Bright King Shengming Jin lineage. When it comes to the allure of sexual union, Mingyang and Jueyin can be called foremost. How intriguing.* Xu Peiyu's hands were restless, yet his eyes remained clear. The red qi shuttled back and forth, not only advancing his cultivation, but subtly making the concubines' skin even finer and more delicate. He was careful to control his technique so as not to harm them. Suddenly, sensing something, he raised his head. A pitch-black mysterious pearl immediately surfaced before him. Illumination from its white light cast reflections into his pupils. Xu Peiyu raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Yangyi Evening Flower? Not bad, rare to see nowadays." He waved his hand, and someone immediately descended from the sky, clasping his hands in salute—a guest elder of Changxiao Gate. Xu Peiyu was stark naked, yet paid it no mind, saying casually, "Head north. There is a fish demon. Go retrieve the item." The man acknowledged and withdrew. Xu Peiyu continued observing through the pearl. After half a quarter of an hour, he let out an angry laugh and cursed, "Useless fool! Damn stupid fish!" He saw that person heading north aimlessly; far from catching up to the fish demon, he couldn't even keep pace with the rogue cultivator pursuing behind it, scurrying across the sea like a stupid pig. Seeing that the creature held the Shaoyang spiritual item he needed, Xu Peiyu didn't move immediately. He watched quietly, carefully observing the fish demon's expression, noticing it wasn't particularly afraid, but rather ecstatic. Both the fish demon and the rogue cultivator had drifted in the area for years. Seeing Xu Peiyu give chase, the cultivator was terrified and turned to flee, while the fish demon shifted direction north, accelerating by more than a pace. This was beyond everyone's expectations; the creature had clearly held back earlier, intending to harm the cultivator behind it, which made Xu Peiyu trust the scene even more. Xu Peiyu wanted to observe a bit longer, but realized the stupid fish had already reverted to its true form—a dead fish's face dripping with slime, two eyes as large as windows occupying its entire vision. Frustrated, Xu Peiyu could only scoop up one of his concubines, treading the waves and riding the wind after it. The Changxiao cultivators hadn't even had time to react before Xu Peiyu vanished from where he stood; several cultivators, finally getting the chance, hurried to look at the concubines on the boat, whispering among themselves in admiration. Xu Peiyu's actions held a few surprises, but he had chased after it in the end. Bi Yuzhuang and the others silently breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the situation was far better than originally anticipated. What surprised them most was that he did not end it quickly, but strolled leisurely, examining the fish demon as if suspecting it carried some extraordinary bloodline. Several people lay quietly in wait beneath their magical artifacts. As soon as Xu Peiyu dashed into the formation... "Rise!" The Shenbai brothers pinched incantations at the same time, crimson light bursting from their hands as they shouted in unison, "Rise!" Four crimson pillars of light instantly surged from the sea, shooting straight into the heavens. Several figures revealed themselves, each occupying one cardinal direction, looking down upon him from above. The red spiritual barrier in the sky snapped shut, then faded into transparency, thoroughly concealing everything in this maritime domain and restoring the sea to a calm and tranquil appearance. Within the formation, Bi Yuzhuang narrowed her eyes slightly. A white feather robe materialized around Xu Peiyu. He had large eyes and a broad forehead, unexpectedly bearing an upright air. There was no panic on his face, only deep contemplation. Only the naked woman in his arms wore a terrified expression. Xu Peiyu's gaze swept across the group. The figures of Li Qinghong and Si Tongyi made his expression slowly sink. His voice was resolute as he asked in a low tone, "How come... The Shenbai brothers are one thing, but why is Li Qinghong here! By what right do you kill me!" Supporting the white light with one hand, Xu Peiyu looked down at the woman in his arms and said solemnly, "Suffering lightning and fire is painful. Better that I do it." His first words were neither curses nor fright, but granting a painless end to his concubine. The woman could only choke with sobs as her form scattered like drifting blossoms. Xu Peiyu flicked the blood from his hand, and a pale white longsword appeared in his grip, its light flickering intermittently. Pingdong! Before Bi Yuzhuang's voice even faded, the Shenbai brothers had formed hand seals, their magical arts flashing and turning into two showers of golden rain pouring across the sky. White light shone around Xu Peiyu as he blocked them with his feather robe. He hadn't expected their spells to be so formidable; the golden rain looked ordinary, yet many spiritual substances had been refined into it. The white light around him flickered, forcing him to raise a hand to cast a warding spell. His sword whipped through the air, leaving his hand like pear blossoms in a tempest to transform into a sky full of white shadows. Thousands of longswords shuttled through the heavens, extinguishing the golden rain. Chen Xuanyu had long been waiting for his Pingdong sword. Holding his magical artifact in his palm, layers of red light blossomed like flower petals as he shouted, "Freeze!" The tens of thousands of white sword shadows in the sky froze in an instant, like heavy snow arrested in midair above this stretch of sea, casting countless white gleams upon the water below. Pingdong's sword shadows were clearly not ordinary phantom images produced from sword qi and sword origin; every single one was a real white sword, sharp and distinct, occupying the entire sky, poised to slash or thrust, yet all halted simultaneously. Chen Xuanyu would not let up. A strangely shaped, petal-like trident dagger-axe appeared in his palm like a ritual weapon. Silently funneling magic power into it, he muttered under his breath, stalling for time, "A mortal doom..." After merely several exchanges, a chill ran through Xu Peiyu's heart. He considered himself superior to Chen Xuanyu, but had never fought Si Tongyi, estimating she would at least be no weaker than himself. Facing these two alone was perilous enough, let alone four of them besieging him! Li Chenghuai rose with sword drawn, unleashing a white sword qi amid the myriad white shadows, piercing past the thousands of white swords straight toward his chest. Xu Peiyu's expression hardened, and he roared, "Clang!" A bronze bell manifested before him, trembling violently as if it had just trapped something beneath it. Before Xu Peiyu could feel relieved, he vaulted into the air. He had no idea what wrong he had committed to draw the Li family into the ambush. But he had no time to question it; storm clouds rolled across the sky, lightning darting through the black clouds. That female cultivator stood bathed in purple lightning. "When Yang reaches its zenith, it exhales, birthing the Eight Thunders!" Eight slender, elegant tokens flared before her in unison, their talismans lighting up one by one. Dense silver-white lightning flowed across the tokens, mirroring the purple thunder upon Li Qinghong's body, gradually illuminating Xu Peiyu's face.