Bulwark

"What manner of cultivation method did you receive?" Year after year, this was what Li Xuanxuan anticipated most. A flash of shock flitted through his eyes, and he hurriedly asked in a low voice. Li Jiangqian was intimately familiar with the three elders before him and answered without hesitation, "A Grade Six Violet Palace cultivation method—the Tianli Rize Scripture!" "Good!" Li Xuanxuan was instantly invigorated, joy rushing to his brows. A Violet Palace cultivation method was a treasure beyond compare. Li Zhouwei nodded, a faint smile surfacing on his face as he asked softly, "It truly is at the Violet Palace grade... How many secret arts does it contain?" Given the vast length of a Violet Palace method, Li Jiangqian pondered for a breath before respectfully replying, "Reporting to Father: four." "Four." Li Zhouwei nodded thoughtfully. Taking advantage of the pause in their conversation, Li Shuwan spoke in her delicate child's voice, "Reporting to the lords and masters, Shuwan received a Grade Six Violet Palace cultivation method, the Houshu Golden Scripture, containing five secret arts, as well as a tome called the Mystic Shaman Dao Arts." Li Zhouwei had anticipated as much. He carefully turned the names over in his mind. Li Xuanxuan chuckled and sighed, "Good... When our family receives talisman seeds and gains arts... it seems there were only a few in the early days... Perhaps times have changed!" Li Zhouwei nodded, his thoughts still lingering on the five secret arts of the Houshu Golden Scripture. He pondered internally: 'My Scripture of Minghua Huangyuan has nine arts; Jiangqian has four... yet Shuwan has five... Could Shuwan's talent be even higher than Jiangqian's? That is a fine thing indeed.' Li Zhouwei understood his second son reasonably well. The boy was not gentle-natured, but fortunately, he was not prone to lashing out in fury. Having someone among the younger generation to check him would prevent him from acting purely on whim. He spoke up, his voice deep and measured: "Jiangqian, Shuwan, write down the methods you received from memory first." Two small desks in the hall had long been prepared. Li Jiangqian was intelligent and had begun writing at an early age. Li Shuwan did not yet recognize many characters, but fortunately the scripture was impressed directly in her talisman seed, so she only needed to copy the strokes stroke by stroke. The two of them wrote furiously at their desks. Li Zhouwei stood nearby, watching quietly. As the sky gradually darkened, his brows knitted tighter and tighter. He murmured in a low voice, "These two methods... are very different from the Scripture of Minghua Huangyuan." Li Xuanxuan leaned closer, and Li Zhouwei said softly, "When I wrote out my method back then, it took barely a single shichen... Now two shichen have already passed, yet these two methods are far longer." Li Xuanxuan stroked his beard. Just then, Li Qinghong felt the light of the screen tremble slightly. An Siwei's respectful voice transmitted in from outside: "My lords, Xi Zikang is waiting on the isle." "Very well." Li Qinghong answered gently, as if it were an ordinary matter, and replied, "Please ask Fellow Daoist Xi to wait a moment in the side hall. I shall arrive shortly." Hearing this, the joy faded from Li Xuanxuan's face. Li Zhouwei said, "This is not something that can be finished in short order. May I trouble Eldest Uncle to watch over them while I accompany Aunt." Li Xuanxuan was torn, wishing to see Li Qinghong off, yet reluctant to leave the two children. Li Qinghong said gently, "Eldest Uncle, there is no need to see me off; it would only sadden your heart." Li Xuanxuan sighed and turned his face away. Unwilling to linger and prolong the parting, Li Qinghong stepped through the glowing screen. Li Zhouwei escorted her out, passing through the winding corridors to the hall where Xi Zikang had already been waiting for a long time. Clad in a silver robe, the youth came forward with a smile. His round face was bright with spiritual verve, and his cheerful, polite manner made it truly difficult to harbor any ill will toward him. He smiled as he greeted them: "Senior Qinghong!" He held up a jade slip, which was evidently the Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method. Li Qinghong took it immediately and unsealed it for him. Li Zhouwei also handed over two jade slips. The youth received them and said, "I have imposed upon you greatly over the past few years. My thanks to the Patriarch for your trouble." Xi Zikang was exceedingly courteous. Li Zhouwei took back the jade slip and exchanged pleasantries in an amiable tone. The youth merely laughed and said, "Only with an honorable clan whose background is well known would I dare do this. Even up north, I heard of your seniors' reputations—you are famous for walking the righteous path. Were it not so, someone likely would have found a chance to strike me down long ago. Even with talismans on my person, I wouldn't have dared step into the formation." "Fellow Daoist is joking." Li Qinghong's expression was slightly complicated. She stepped out of the hall with him and asked softly, "Fellow Daoist Xi, for the journey ahead to the East Sea, will there be enough time?" "Naturally, there won't be any issue!" Xi Zikang seemed entirely devoid of fear regarding the upcoming journey. He grinned and said, "We can sightsee and travel at leisure along the way. When the time comes, we will naturally be guided into the grotto-heaven. There is no need to rush anywhere." "I see!" Li Qinghong nodded, then looked toward Li Zhouwei and lowered her voice: "In recent years, the Dongliu Han family's situation has deteriorated to the point where their main island is besieged. Those two seniors of theirs died in affairs tied to our family after all; we cannot disregard them entirely. On my way to the East Sea, I shall relieve their siege in passing. "After all, with the dragonkind's decree upon me now, ordinary Violet Palace cultivators would not dare plot against me. I will not use the family's name; I will merely break the siege and escort their juniors away, thus settling this matter on Xizhi's behalf." The scenes from her journey back from the East Sea remained vivid in her memory; Li Qinghong had clearly not forgotten the Han family. Drawing a jade pendant from her sleeve, she sent a voice transmission via secret method: "This was obtained from Wang Fu. Before he died, he harbored immense resentment toward the Zhenren, all of which was recorded in this jade pendant. Inside that grand formation, the Zhenren could not pry. It might still be of some use, so keep it safe." Li Zhouwei acknowledged. Li Qinghong continued: "Within the Quanwu Mountain Range of the State of Yue, there is also a spiritual persimmon tree. I happened across her in my youth, but her cultivation was still shallow then. She said she needed thirty-seven more years of Qi Refinement; by my calculation, only three or four years remain. If you have the chance, please go have a look." Li Zhouwei inquired closely about the location and agreed to everything. Li Qinghong smiled and said, "Minghuang, I leave the affairs here in your hands." "Rest assured, Aunt." Li Zhouwei nodded in silent farewell, seeing the two of them all the way out of the lake. Watching the two streaks of lightning light fade into the distance, he flew back on his beam of light. The night wind was biting along the way, and a thin film of ice had formed on the lake's surface, rustling faintly as the evening breeze stirred it. Moonlight spilled over the vast lake and isles, bathing everything in brilliant white. Li Zhouwei reflected quietly: 'Now, it falls to me to stand as the bulwark.' ... Li Zhouwei braved the cold wind and landed back in the hall. It was midwinter, and the great hall felt chillingly empty. The two children had taken hunger-suppressing pills and were sitting obediently inside. Perhaps drawing characters was slower than writing them, for Li Jiangqian was the first to hand over two thick stacks of paper. Li Zhouwei gently took them and swept over them with his spiritual sense, taking in everything at a glance. A hint of pleasant surprise surfaced on his face: "It actually includes appended spells... No wonder it is so much longer!" Li Xuanxuan had already read through them and was currently engraving a jade slip with his spiritual sense. The old man had looked somewhat listless, but speaking of the cultivation methods eased his expression slightly. He said in an aged voice, "It is a good thing... Not a single one of these spells is deficient." Li Jiangqian was far from ignorant. Although he did not fully grasp the sheer value of these arts, the high grades alone made it obvious they were extraordinary. He said respectfully, "The Grade Six Tianli Rize Scripture appends the Grade Five movement technique Flame Tread, the Grade Five escape art Crimson Illumination of Heavenly Li, the Grade Six spell Dali White Splendor Light, the Grade Five spells Liyuan Wall and Taiyang Li Resonance Technique, three Grade Four spells, and several Grade Three and Grade Two spells..." Li Zhouwei relaxed his expression and nodded. Having already skimmed the contents with his spiritual sense, he thought to himself: 'These arts belong either to Taiyang or Lihuo. While they harmonize seamlessly, they do not appear to have originated from the same book as the Tianli Rize Scripture.' He flipped through it carefully; nowhere did the text mention the origin of the method, and the entire piece was remarkably succinct. Li Zhouwei was perceptive and quick to notice. In truth, most of the spells originally appended to the Tianli Rize Scripture were famous; had anyone cast them, they would almost certainly be recognized. Lu Jiangxian had thus taken the trouble to strip them out, sifting through over ten thousand spells to select ones that lacked distinctive sect styles to pair with it, resulting in the present version of the Tianli Rize Scripture. While he was pondering this, Li Shuwan hurriedly presented the Houshu Golden Scripture. Li Zhouwei read through it as well and praised, "What an arduous method!" The Quandan nature was inherently extraordinarily difficult, which was why Changtian Peak of the Qingchi Sect had reached the brink of an extinguished lineage. The Houshu Golden Scripture was a Grade Six method on top of that, so its difficulty went without saying. Even Li Zhouwei was inwardly astonished as he read it. To Li Xuanxuan, it was like reading a heavenly script; he recognized every single word, yet when strung together they were completely baffling and incomprehensible. The Houshu Golden Scripture had few appended arts—only a Grade Five escape art, Scattered White Falling Plumes, and a few ancient techniques. Most of its length was dedicated to documenting various transformations of material natures, mystic and enigmatic. "Ah!" As he was reading, a muffled pop resounded, and a burst of flame erupted before Li Shuwan's desk. The little girl gave a startled shudder. Before she could even speak, Li Zhouwei had already lifted her away, frowning: "What happened?" White fire blazed fiercely on the desk, and several caterpillars of unknown origin writhed on the floor. Li Xuanxuan had already shielded Li Jiangqian behind his back. Li Shuwan caught her breath and said in a childish voice, "Reporting to the master, I was about to write down that spell from memory... but I had only written the opening... and the paper caught fire by itself..." "Oh?" Li Zhouwei was taken aback, and Li Xuanxuan was even more surprised, murmuring, "It seems its grade is too high... or perhaps it is tied to an immortal..." "Indeed." A look of anticipation surfaced on Li Zhouwei's face as he muttered, "Quandan... white fire... shaman talismans..." He comforted Li Shuwan. The night had grown late, and having spent more than a day writing from memory, the two children were thoroughly exhausted. He had them retire first, waved his sleeve to reduce the two piles of paper to ash, and said in a low voice, "Eldest Uncle, these are two Violet Palace cultivation methods." Noticing that Li Zhouwei had more to say, Li Xuanxuan turned his gaze toward him. Li Zhouwei spoke in a low voice: "I have studied our clan history. From our ancestors' hard beginnings all the way to the present, the requirements for talisman seeds have grown increasingly stringent, and the cultivation methods bestowed upon us have grown ever better. What could be the reason? "In my view, it may be related to shielding the common folk... The more mortals our family protects, the better the methods bestowed... and the stricter the criteria for receiving a talisman seed. When we controlled over half of Lake Wangyue, a Violet Palace method appeared. Now that all of Lake Wangyue has fallen under our domain, even complementary spells have been provided..." Li Xuanxuan nodded. Li Zhouwei added softly, "It is merely a guess for now; time will tell. I see that the Embryonic Breathing portions of both methods are exquisite. Neither of the two is slow in cultivation, so we can simply let them begin practicing." Neither Li Jiangqian nor Li Shuwan had been taught the Taiyin Breath Exhalation Wheel Cultivation Scripture; both of their Violet Palace methods started from the Embryonic Breathing realm, so their cultivation would require little fretting from Li Zhouwei. Putting the matter aside for the moment, Li Xuanxuan said: "The spells of the Quandan nature can only be practiced by those cultivating Quandan. However, most of the arts in that Lihuo series can be practiced by anyone. Those Grade Two and Three arts can be distributed to the clan." "Let us not rush." Li Zhouwei seemed to feel a bit of a headache, lowering his voice: "None of these methods have known origins, and there is no telling whether some cultivator might recognize them. Let me review them first. Those that follow conventional paths can be handed down for cultivation, but anything peculiar had best be set aside for now." Li Xuanxuan was clearly still thinking about Li Qinghong, unable to dispel his lingering worries. He nodded and rose. Li Zhouwei helped the old man to his feet. Stroking his beard, Li Xuanxuan said in a slightly raspy voice, "Tend to your duties, Minghuang. This old man will make another round outside." Li Zhouwei watched him leave, then picked up the documents on the desk. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his brush and spent a quarter of an hour reviewing and annotating them. An Siwei came forward to report: "Your Highness, Lord Chengliao has entered secluded cultivation to break through." Li Zhouwei hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I know. He spoke to me about it earlier... Go to the great desert... and invite Aunt Minggong to return." ... Winter. Snow swirled thick over the lake. Li Zhouwei had been busy for over a month, practicing his spells whenever time permitted, and Shangyao Fuguang was finally beginning to take shape. Chen Yang, who had been busy for years at the northern foothills of Mount Dali, finally returned to the lake with his contingent of men. He entered the hall in high spirits, clearly bearing good news, and bowed deeply: "Your Highness! There is news from the demon cave at the northern foothills! Lu Ken has returned from visiting a friend and reentered the cave. Upon receiving our family's message, he apologized repeatedly, claiming he had been delayed by a trip to the Helin Mountain Range." Li Zhouwei had long prepared himself for the possibility of finding no trace of the demons, so this unexpected breakthrough brought a flicker of joy to his heart. He nodded and said, "Good. I shall pay a visit at once." Chen Yang hastily cupped his fists and withdrew to arrange the travel preparations. Setting down his vermilion brush, Li Zhouwei rested his hands on the desk, arriving at a conclusion immediately. 'So they weren't afraid of the Dingjiao matter—they were afraid of the lightning-devouring matter...' For years, the Li family had been unable to find any trace of this deer demon. Yet only a month after Li Qinghong set out, Lu Ken returned from visiting a friend and reentered the demon cave at the northern foothills. The implication was glaringly obvious. 'This deer demon... or rather, the faction behind him, was afraid our family would fail to recognize boundaries and trouble him over the lightning-method grotto-heaven. Refusing would have soured relations between our two sides... Yet they possess no small interest in the Dingjiao matter, and feared our family might reply elsewhere too soon. That is why he hurried back after barely a month.' No matter how shrewd the few demon beasts in the cave were, there remained an evident gulf between them and humans steeped in such maneuvers. Li Zhouwei saw through it as clear as fire. He felt no anger, only a mild satisfaction. After all, what magnitude of event was a member of the dragonkind devouring lightning? Li Zhouwei would never be so tactless as to seek aid from foxes, nor had he ever entertained the notion. On the contrary, the fox clan held great interest in the Dingjiao matter, which made his position in the middle considerably easier. Stepping out of the hall, he was met by a vast expanse of white under the heavy snowfall. Kongheng, the White Ape, An Siwei, and the others were all waiting before the hall. Li Zhouwei looked over them and said, "The family cannot be left without a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding it. Uncle Ape will watch over the lake, while I make the trip with Kongheng..." Midway through his sentence, he hesitated, recalling that the fox clan had poor relations with Buddhist cultivators, and that the White Ape, being a demon beast, would find it much easier to interact with the foxes. He decided to take the White Ape instead. Without lingering, he set out immediately toward the depths of the northern foothills.