An Account

"Oh." When the idle chatter concluded, Lu Jiangxian, who had been squatting quietly by the doorway, raised his head in mild embarrassment. He thought to himself: *No wonder... I wandered around Penglai for half a day and couldn't spot a single secret manual or jade slip... Turns out they're all locked away inside a magical treasure.* He shook his sleeves and muttered under his breath: "Sticking so rigidly to old ways! Adhering to outmoded rules... What era is this? How could cultivation methods be such inconvenient things!" Lu Jiangxian pondered for a moment, then began to suspect whether the immortal monarch who fought Immortal Monarch Chufu had been the immortal monarch of Qingsong Temple... After all, that Heavenly Hearing technique had a miraculous resonance with divine sense; perhaps it was related to Qingsong Temple. "A scholar's pursuit... how could it be called stealing?" He mocked himself with a self-deprecating quip, merely amusing himself. Shifting his position slightly so the tortoise shell vanished from his line of sight, he heard Wang Xun speak in a quiet voice: "Immortal Monarch Chufu attained the Dao in remote antiquity; He was a genuine, mighty Immortal Monarch. My family has records of Him as well. Later, the Immortal Monarch borrowed an attainment of Xuan Earth from the Five Earths—borrowing first before seeking—and from nothingness brought forth the sixth earth, Qingxuan. His merit was boundless, and my family's True Monarch has always offered incense to Him." The middle-aged Real Person sighed and nodded. "Our ancestor possessed vast divine abilities and immeasurable merit. We juniors can only feel ashamed." Wang Xun merely looked up at the jade shelves and mumbled: "Senior Dianxing, since that Immortal Monarch is said to be immortal and ageless, capable of avoiding the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, perhaps He still walks the world today. Your immortal realm truly possesses immense audacity... Even if He has already attained perfection and ascended, the Great Void surely remembers Him." His words made Dianxing even more embarrassed. He could only sigh: "Who could say otherwise? How else would Penglai have ended up without sun or moon?" Naturally, Penglai had neither sun nor moon, but Wang Xun had seen many grotto-heavens devoid of sun and moon, so he had not connected the dots until now. He nodded in understanding. Dianxing answered: "This matter still depends on the tortoise shell personally placed on the main peak by the Immortal Monarch. No one has ever dared touch it. I reckon... if it were taken out into the mortal realm, the sun and moon might shine together, and the Light of the Two Principles would be born in the Great Void... Once again poking a hole in the heavens." Once their pleasantries were finished, Wang Xun finally said: "In coming here today, I also have a matter I must ask Senior's help with." He said softly: "My father took a measure of Six Xin Pure Gold and promised to protect the Jiang family. Our Wang clan has always honored our word, so my family's True Monarch wishes for the Jiang family's descendant to sever his worldly ties and find a place of refuge, so we need not watch over him deliberately nor worry about any mishaps. "Looking at things now, the Yu family, who spearheaded the division of the Jiang family, has already been annihilated. Just as the Jiang family was once carved up, the Yu family was carved up in turn. The other participating families have also been reduced to commoners, while the loyal An clan has been restored to their former status. The retribution is complete, and Jiang Heqian may now extricate himself." Naturally, Wang Xun could not bow, but merely cupped his hands in salutation: "I only hope the immortal realm can grant him a place in one of your temples to shelter him." Dianxing sank into contemplation. Lu Jiangxian had already stood up and walked down the stone steps, thinking to himself: *Dianxing claimed there is a stone cliff of immortal arts in the sea. It is probably similar to that immortal cliff in Qingsong Temple... Only, I wonder which of the Four Seas it resides in, and whether it still exists. Once the Li family produces a Violet Palace, we can search for it...* Lu Jiangxian could now traverse the Great Void to search the sea, but the East Sea was vast beyond measure. Furthermore, he never manifested his true form in the mortal realm, so finding it would likely entail immense trouble. The Li family was at a crucial juncture, and he could not easily turn his gaze away. If Li Ximing failed his breakthrough, Lu Jiangxian would just have to go search for it himself. Walking across the sea, he returned to Real Person Puyu's temple. The young man was drawing greyish-black water from the well, pouring it into a massive cauldron while knocking on its side and pinching his fingers in calculation. The jade box lay at the bottom of the cauldron, radiating a silver sheen through the clear ripples, harmonizing with the kaleidoscopic phantom light of Penglai's secret technique. Lu Jiangxian watched from the side, committing it silently to memory. *** Xuanyue Gate. Yuexi Peak, the main peak of Xuanyue Gate, was shrouded in mist and clouds. Initially, this mountain had not been particularly towering, but it elevated itself year after year. Now, it stood far above the surrounding peaks, like a crane standing among chickens. In the highest cave dwelling, the floor was paved with stone jade. Real Person Changxi sat cross-legged upon the head seat, holding a small piece of jade in his hand, his eyes shut as though cultivating. After a full half-hour, the Real Person opened his eyes, a flicker of helplessness surfacing in his gaze. With a gentle wave of his hand, the cave dwelling's doors swung wide open. The woman in yellowish robes waiting outside for a long time stepped in and bowed respectfully: "Tingyun greets the Ancestor!" Although she had waited outside for a long time before being allowed in, she still knelt with the utmost reverence. Real Person Changxi, on the other hand, looked rather helpless and asked in a low voice: "Tingyun, what brings you here?" Kong Tingyun said respectfully: "I received news from Bi Yuzhuang that Wang Fu possessed a Binggu Violet Palace spiritual object, which has now been handed over to Hengzhu Gate, while the Li family returned empty-handed. Junior was perplexed, so I came to pay my respects." Real Person Changxi remained silent. Understanding Kong Tingyun's true meaning, he was momentarily at a loss for how to answer. The woman in yellowish robes continued softly: "Years ago, Ancestor laid pieces with the Li family, specially having Junior make the acquaintance of Li Yuanjiao. Junior was ignorant and foolish back then, but fortunately did not ruin your grand design... "Later, as our friendship deepened, Junior thought our two families could already serve as mutual allies. Yet regarding the Mingfang Sky Stone, the information provided by our family went awry. Qinghong thought it was the reward promised by our Xuanyue after Qingchi's Deluge... only to be used once more by our Xuanyue. "Tingyun finds it difficult to give the Li family an account, so I specially came to ask for Ancestor's guidance." She remained thoroughly deferent, lowering her voice: "Tingyun harbors no other intent; I only fear upsetting Ancestor's plans." Real Person Changxi coughed and finally spoke, his voice laden with age: "I know your words are always pleasant to hear. "The matter with Wang Fu involved games between multiple factions, and Tu Longjian's move caught everyone off guard, which is why the situation was pushed to this point..." Seeing Kong Tingyun kneeling with her head bowed, his tone shifted, and he said in an aged voice: "An account naturally must be given to the Li family... I would not needlessly discard your friendship and face just to pursue profits for Xuanyue..." Kong Tingyun hurriedly said: "Ancestor speaks too harshly!" Real Person Changxi shook his head and waved his hand in reply: "Doesn't her Lake Central Islet seem to lack a protective formation? Pick a day to go over and invite several veteran formation masters from Fenkuai Island to craft a formation for her—how about that?" Kong Tingyun answered respectfully: "Formations are far too confidential. I fear it would not be a proper means to mend relations." Real Person Changxi frowned and said: "The Li family is indeed cautious. Go make a trip to the Li family and explain the situation... I have here a Mingyang technique manual that my Kong clan obtained from Daxu in years past; we might as well compensate them with it. As for future matters, we will see when the time comes." The woman in yellowish robes prostrated herself and whispered: "Tingyun obeys." Real Person Changxi sighed softly and exhorted: "It was not easy for you to obtain an opportunity in the grotto-heaven. Do not exhaust your heart and mind any further; wrap these affairs up quickly! I am growing old. If you enter seclusion sooner, I can watch over you a while longer and steady the people's hearts."