Li Qinghong waited in the hall for a time before Li Chenghuai brought someone up. The youth wore silver-feather, snow-white robes, with purple patterns embroidered along both collars. A sword hung at his waist, and divine light shimmered in his bright eyes. He spotted Li Qinghong at a single glance.
He simply cupped his hands in greeting, enunciating clearly and speaking briskly, his voice resonant: "North Sea lightning cultivator Xi Zikang greets Fellow Daoist!"
Li Qinghong nodded and said softly, "I am Li Qinghong. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
"I have long heard of your renowned name."
Xi Zikang's dark hair was bound up, and a dot of purple marked his fair forehead. He had the appearance of a youth, giving off a vibrant, candid aura. His age was impossible to tell, but his gaze was clean and clear. He said in a warm voice, "I hail from the North Sea and have heard of the conflict between Yue and Zhao. Journeying south, I have come first to pay my respects to your noble clan."
He chose a pleasant, gentle topic to break the ice. Li Qinghong took a sip of tea, her mind settling. Though she knew nothing of his background, the youth was exceedingly polite and a fellow lightning cultivator, so she naturally felt no ill will toward him. She nodded and said, "Our clan has recently met with some misfortune, so please forgive our lack of proper hospitality."
After exchanging pleasantries, Xi Zikang deliberated for a moment and said gravely, "My family has lived in the North Sea for generations, cultivating the path of Xuan Thunder for over eight hundred years. We possess some foundation, yet we lack methods of Xiao Thunder. My visit this time is, first, to make an exchange with your noble clan."
The Li family possessed two Xiao Thunder methods, both of the Xuanlei Pool lineage: the third-rank Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method, and the ancient art known as the Cloud Firmament Thunder Inquiring Art. Li Qinghong had cultivated both, beginning at least from the third rank and not reaching the fifth rank. Yet there was nothing about them that could not be offered in exchange.
To the Li clan today, the Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method itself was no formidable technique. Though its power was considered great among the third rank, it shortened lifespans and cut off offspring. What was truly formidable were the three Xuan Thunder marks—namely, the Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Method.
Listening closely, Li Qinghong pondered for a moment and replied, "Very well. Our family is currently facing difficulties, and your noble clan cultivates an orthodox lightning art. So long as both sides agree on a price, there is nothing inappropriate about this."
Xi Zikang smiled faintly and said softly, "An exchange of cultivation methods is best. Your noble clan boasts deep ancestral learning; I wonder if you might have any cultivation methods of the Mingyang path?"
Li Qinghong thought to herself, 'Are cultivation methods regulated so loosely in the North Sea?! They can actually exchange for methods with immortal sects and then resell them?!'
Unsure of his true intentions and wanting only to secure the method first before considering anything else, Li Qinghong replied gently, "Very well! If so, our family will offer more goods, hoping to exchange for a few extra copies!"
Xi Zikang hastily replied, "My clan possesses an abundance of lightning-attributed items. If you have any requests, Qinghong, I can try to request them from my family."
He then said gently, "I hope to take a look at the opening volume first."
Li Qinghong summoned someone to retrieve the jade slip. When the Li family selected cultivation methods for juniors, they already transcribed the opening volume specifically for review, so there was no need to transcribe it anew. Xi Zikang waited for a time, hearing a chime before the hall. Amidst glittering light, a young cultivator strode inside.
This cultivator wore a white Taoist robe over an inner robe of grayish gold. His facial features were handsome and composed, his eyes slightly open as natural light drifted across them. Raising his brows, he first bowed to Li Qinghong, and someone behind him entered presenting the slip.
Hearing that the youth's voice was slightly hoarse though his tone was even, Xi Zikang paid it little mind. He turned the jade slip in his hands and read it, a look of surprise surfacing between his brows. He asked, "'Xuanlei Pool'? Is that Fellow Daoist's cultivation method?"
Li Qinghong's immortal foundation was no secret, so she merely gave an affirming response.
Xi Zikang hesitated, then said, "In truth, that thing is hardly anything grand... nor is the method particularly outstanding... Qinghong, please do not overthink it... This method is a substitute study for the Xiao Thunder 'Winter Thunder Sound', yet it is named 'Xuanlei Pool'. Attempting to harmonize Xuan and Xiao is precisely the consistent style of the Ce Xuan Leibo Method Dao."
Li Qinghong had also sensed this. The youth showed no real urgency regarding the cultivation method, and his mention of the Dharma treasure seemed like an afterthought—more like a pretext to draw closer. The news he subsequently revealed was likely far more significant.
It seemed that the ease with which she wielded Duruo and the Eight Thunders Mystic Punishment Token was no coincidence; her immortal foundation was itself the product of numerous refinements.
Xi Zikang smiled faintly and said softly, "It is somewhat coincidental. I am also a cultivator of the Ce Xuan Leibo Method Dao, and my immortal foundation is Tianmingce. On this journey south, I intend to pass Salt Lake and turn toward the East Sea."
"To be frank, I have also heard that this immortal foundation belongs to the Ce Xuan Leibo Method Dao."
Li Qinghong had always harbored a faint, lingering apprehension regarding the Leiyun Grotto-Heaven. She nodded courteously and asked, "May I ask what you are heading there for?"
Xi Zikang shook his head and smiled. "It is hardly a secret. From south to north, everyone knows that there are Five Virtues in the realm, and that there are three thunders: Xuan, Xiao, and Yuan. Yet we lightning cultivators have never understood across generations: why do water and fire have five, while lightning and origin magnetism have only three?"
"Reason dictates that if such a path exists, there would inevitably be corresponding spirit items in the world, and beasts would be born with corresponding immortal foundations. How could it simply not be seen?"
"Even if Heaven and Earth are thus, Xuan and Xiao govern lightning, and Yuan Thunder is also called origin magnetism. By all accounts, there should be a fourth thunder governing magnetism as well, standing in pairs to accord with the principles of Heaven and Earth."
Li Qinghong had also heard of the Beihuan Sect's renown, so she said gently, "I have only heard some rumors that ancient immortals and immortal lords stood in great numbers. Those whose cultivation reached the pinnacle transcended their fruit status, and could even borrow from and conceal within Heaven and Earth, causing Heaven and Earth to change. Perhaps very early on, one of the thunders was hidden away by an immortal lord of great power."
Listening quietly from the side, Li Chenghuai finally nodded.
Xi Zikang was slightly surprised, and after pondering for a moment, he replied, "Thus, ancestors have always sought to prove it, suspecting that a Dao fruit from the beginning of Heaven and Earth has vanished. This 'Xuanlei Pool' was their effort."
He then added, "Then this matter is settled! There is one other matter: I hope to examine the Dharma treasure in your hands..."
Li Qinghong's heart stirred, and she asked, "The Eight Thunders Mystic Punishment Token?"
"Precisely!"
A trace of bitterness entered Xi Zikang's voice as he said, "That item is rather important to my family. Years ago, after emerging from the ruins in the sea of Leiyun Temple, an elder of my family clashed with Lord Bu Zi of Qingchi. Both were at Foundation Establishment at the time... My family's elder suffered a narrow defeat, which remains a regret to this day..."
Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of Li Qinghong and her nephew, Xi Zikang shook his head in slight embarrassment. It evidently touched upon his clan's private affairs, and Li Qinghong could not press further, so she let the matter drop.
Xi Zikang then smiled and said, "I hope you might lend it to me for some perusal!"
Xi Zikang seemed aware that his request was somewhat presumptuous, his face showing deep apology. Li Qinghong showed no anger, but hesitated and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist has just arrived, and I naturally harbor some caution. Why not postpone this matter? Once our clans exchange cultivation methods and come to know each other better, we can discuss it again..."
Xi Zikang had no choice but to sigh softly and agree. The two chatted for a few more pleasantries, and Xi Zikang rose to take his leave.
Li Qinghong nodded to Li Chengliao, signaling him to withdraw first. Only then did Xi Zikang rise.
Li Chenghuai escorted him out all the way. Reaching the edge of the isle, lightning sparked beneath Xi Zikang's feet. He looked back and said softly, "Your noble clan has a long lineage. Do you know why this Dharma path is so?"
Li Chenghuai asked with a sigh, "I do not..."
Xi Zikang replied with a bitter smile, "You and I both cultivate by receiving the Dao lineages of others. Qinghong harbors the same doubts, so why ask me? The dragon lineage swallows thunder, and during this prolonged water receding and thunder rising, perhaps there is still unfinished business. The superior sect informed me long ago, so I journeyed south all the way, sparing the Dragon Lord from personally drawing me and harming my clansmen."
"It is not entirely a bad thing. There is no need to kill us all; perhaps there will be no small benefit. When the time comes, I will seek out Qinghong. If we go together, at least we will have a companion."
Li Chenghuai remained silent for a breath. Watching him depart into the distance, he rode the thunder back toward the peak.
Li Qinghong happened to come out to meet him, saying softly, "I see he seems to have other intentions."
She continued, "Moreover... why would someone travel tens of thousands of li merely for a cultivation method? My method originates from the Ce Xuan Leibo Method Dao—that is not hard to see. I suspect he came for that grotto-heaven, testing the waters."
Li Chenghuai said, "Aunt, please be at ease. I am going into secluded cultivation."
Li Qinghong murmured an acknowledgment, watching him head toward Mount Wu along the shore, where spiritual opportunity was most abundant. The hall fell into silence. The woman sat quietly for a moment, then left the table to return to her cave dwelling.
***
Li Chengliao and Li Chenghuai went into seclusion one after another, and time flowed by like water. Following the unification of Wangyue, the Li clan held its first Dharma bestowal ceremony. Li Ximing held Yuting Peak among the eighteen prefectures and two peaks, so he naturally arrived early.
Summer was approaching, and it was a momentous day. The Zhouxing generation was to receive Dharma and gather Qi; the chosen date was indeed propitious.
Morning light leaped from the distant mountains, casting shimmering golden ripples across the lake. The terrain of Pingya Isle was picturesque, its islets interconnected amidst drifting white mists, with pavilions and terraces arranged in graceful order.
Upon Pingya Isle, the morning light illuminated the highest hall. Li Ximing ascended the stone steps one by one, stepping into the uppermost hall. The flying beasts carved on the hall's eaves had slightly reddish eyes and five teeth exposed in their mouths, signifying the vigor of the fire vein. He pinched his fingers to calculate.
Entering the hall, someone had already arrived before him, standing with his back turned, hands clasped behind him as he carefully examined a map. He wore a dark red pleated robe patterned with gold. In the summer heat, he had shed his outer coat, appearing neat and resolute.
The dress code had been established by the two brothers, so Li Ximing naturally knew this was the attire of the clan head—dark red with gold, representing the hub of the clan. On his own body was outer green and inner white, marking him as the head of Qingdu, representing the clan rector.
The Li clan had eighteen prefectures, two peaks, and one mountain. The peak heads governing the eighteen prefectures all wore red robes. The two peaks were Qingdu, outer green and inner white, representing the clan rector; and Mount Yuting, pale white over gray, representing the disciplinary inspectors, clear at a glance. As for the single mountain of the Dense Forest, it was far too vast to be easily granted to anyone and remained vacant to this day; the designated purple robe had yet to be put to use.
Li Ximing ascended several steps, bowed to Li Chengliao, and said softly, "Clan Head, the juniors of the Zhouxing generation and the prominent surnames of the eighteen prefectures have all arrived outside the hall."
Li Chengliao's tone was exceptionally gentle, and the beard he had grown was now shaved clean. The magical power on his body shimmered with bright light. Li Ximing rarely heard such a tone from him and felt slightly surprised. The youth cupped his hands and said softly, "Let them enter."
Li Ximing gathered his thoughts as the crowd below bowed. The youth leading them appeared under sixteen years of age, yet his cultivation had also reached the third layer of Embryonic Breathing. Looking at him, Li Ximing nodded slightly, a smile touching his lips.
Most of the Li clan's Chengming generation possessed cultivation, but because many had fallen in the northern war, more than half had left no descendants. Consequently, the Zhouxing generation was few in number, far fewer than their fathers' generation. Even fewer possessed the talent to enter this hall; glancing across them, Li Ximing saw fewer than ten.
Most of the Li clan's Zhouxing generation had now embarked on the Dao path. The eldest was twenty-eight years old, having reached the third layer of Embryonic Breathing: Li Zhoufang of the Bo branch. Li Ximing had seen most of them.
He stood upon the steps, looking down upon the gathered juniors. Li Zhouluo had gray eyes and long brows, already possessing the bearing of a young man. Dressed in a white pleated robe, he showed no timidness in speech or manner.
Though Li Xizhi looked ordinary, his wife Lady Ding was very beautiful; the boy had inherited his parents' finest traits and appeared elegant and poised.
This youth was the sole heir of the Ji branch, his eldest son Li Zhouluo.
Li Ximing had never been willing to enter long seclusions, and Li Zhouluo had grown up beside him step by step, behaving with refined courtesy. Watching him from the side, the man felt gratification in his heart. If his father were to see him, he would surely be pleased.
"Father..."
"Rest easy. Are you feeling better?"
That brief exchange was all his father, Li Xizhi, had said to him the last time he returned home, without another word spoken. Li Zhouluo had long grown accustomed to it; now a man in his twenties, he felt nothing amiss. He often forgot his father, and recalling him now by chance, he felt a momentary daze: "I owe him nothing, and he owes me nothing. It is simply so."
Counting the time, Li Zhouluo had barely seen him since he was old enough to remember. His father rode the rosy clouds and trod rainbows, a grand figure within the sect; yet whenever Li Zhouluo remembered him, confusion dominated his thoughts.
Li Ximing pondered inwardly: 'Prominent clans often suffer from sparse populations and adopt heirs across branches... Indeed, once one possesses cultivation, having offspring becomes difficult, and even more so after Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment.'
'For some great clans to stand tall for hundreds of years, adoption is likely an exceedingly crucial method.'
He thought quietly: this matter was not entirely without merit. Li Ximing had long observed that among clansmen, blood ties became difficult to trace after four or five generations; yet through such adoptions, once-distant relations were pulled close again, fostering deep affection among the five branches.
Standing upon the steps and looking down upon the crowd in the hall, Li Ximing understood where everything he was born with had come from, and knew even better that what he had lost was hardly much. He harbored no resentment in his heart, and seldom thinking of them, he mused quietly to himself: 'I often forget them, and they likely do not often remember me either. It is simply so.'
Chapter 646