Si Yuanli hurried down from the head seat. The painting, ignited by the magic power he had left behind, caught with bright crimson flames atop the jade table, curling into a clump of dark soot. Dantai Jin dared not look and followed closely behind him, asking in a hurried whisper:
"Xiao Chuting?"
"He must have had a hand in it!"
Si Yuanli answered in a low voice. Though his face appeared calm, his overly brisk strides still betrayed the unease and disbelief in his heart.
"Earlier, we thought Xiao Yuansi had acted on his own initiative, seizing the chance while that old fellow was in the North Sea and egged on by outside forces to concoct the pill by force... Thinking about it now, Xiao Chuting factored even his own junior into his schemes! Kan Water's 'Old Man of the Brook'... he truly lives up to his reputation.
"For nearly a century since achieving the Violet Palace, Xiao Chuting has schemed without a single misstep, maneuvering between Qingchi and Jinyu until he gradually became a formidable figure of great prowess among Violet Palace masters... We should never have assumed he had miscalculated in the first place!"
Dantai Jin said in a low voice:
"Could it be... that Li Ximing was the most calculating of the Li clan's Four Xis all along? Playing the fool and coward the whole way to reach this point?"
Si Yuanli pondered for a moment, lifted his hem, and took to the wind, shaking his head.
"Unlikely. Under a lifebound divine ability, there are no secrets. Moreover, Heaven's favor is never overly lavish. Li Xizhi and Li Xijun are both outstanding figures, and I hear Li Xicheng was also a talent who poured out his very life for his clan. How could there be yet another in Li Ximing?
"Xiao Chuting must have participated in plotting this affair, and there is certainly something amiss with Li Ximing. Either there is an issue with his phenomenon, or there is an issue with the man himself. Once the Perfected returns, I will consult him thoroughly."
He rushed toward Jiutian Pavilion at top speed with Dantai Jin. As the immortal pavilion gradually came into view, Si Yuanli quickly adjusted his demeanor, a radiant smile surfacing on his face.
'Fortunately, I have never let things look improper on the surface, so my attitude now will not seem strange. If I hadn't laid the groundwork beforehand, going over now would appear far too fawning and snobbish.'
***
"Li Ximing, Zhaojing of the Wangyue Li clan, hath this day attained the Mingyang divine ability..."
The vast, resounding voice emerged from the Great Void and gently brushed against the Qingchi Sect's Tianyuan Unified Spirit Array. Discerning that it was merely sound carrying no divine ability, the spirit array merely flared with a slight shimmer.
The sound then passed through the grand array, echoing across the entire Qingchi Mountain Range, drifting and lingering until it reached a pavilion perched atop a high peak amid clouds and mist.
*Clink, clank...*
The jade talismans hanging in the pavilion chimed crisp and clear under the buffeting wave of sound. The middle-aged man in feathered robes on the top floor of Jiutian Pavilion raised his head, staring blankly at the clouds in the sky.
Behind him, the black-robed man looked somber. Beneath his black robe, several shadow-like serpent tails writhed, yet he was frozen in place just the same, his expression even more incredulous.
"Ximing?"
Li Xizhi listened through the proclamation several times. His brows lifted, and an expression of stunned amazement—halfway between a smile and pure shock—spread across his face. As if walking in a dream, he paced two steps across the pavilion floor, the silence around him so deep he could distinctly hear the crisp chimes of the jade talismans.
"Ximing... Perfected Zhaojing, Li Ximing?!"
He mumbled under his breath, a ruddy flush rising to his cheeks. Still unable to shake the sense of unreality, he let out a laugh.
"Here I was, calculating how to protect Zhouwei... and my younger brother has already attained the Violet Palace..."
Standing beside him, the disbelief in Li Wushao's eyes deepened even further.
*Damn it all... I'm a spirit beast of a Violet Palace immortal clan now?*
Li Xizhi felt completely refreshed. Uncharacteristically losing his usual composure, he chuckled aloud a couple of times. His steps grew brisk and light as he pushed open the pavilion window, where several streaks of escaping light were rushing toward him from the distance.
As that voice spread across more than half the State of Yue, Li Xizhi felt an esoteric warmth rise from within his sea of Qi. His tri-colored talisman Qi, Caiche Yunqu, grew noticeably more vivid, shimmering with dazzling light.
"Caiche Yunqu has ascended another step!"
Li Xizhi was momentarily taken aback before immediately understanding.
The empowerment of Caiche Yunqu was tied to status and standing. As the news of Li Ximing breaking through to the Violet Palace spread, Li Xizhi's status as his elder brother and one of the Li clan's Three Xis rose with the tide, markedly distinct from before!
"I've truly ridden on his coattails!"
Li Xizhi watched with a smile. The pavilion door was knocked on abruptly, and a youth hurried in. He wore a delicate jade crown and silver-white robes draped with a crimson brocade cloak. Stepping forward, he cupped his hands with uncontainable joy:
"Congratulations, Master! My felicitations, Master! Perfected Zhaojing has refined his divine ability!"
After finishing his flurry of congratulations, he smiled toward Li Wushao:
"Greetings, Protector!"
Li Wushao had always cultivated by Li Xizhi's side, whereas Li Qiyun, who possessed greater cultivation, had gone to guard the spirit jade mine in the Helin Mountain Range and was not around at present.
Li Wushao returned the courtesy and noticed another person standing behind the youth. A head taller and burly of build, he bore a bow upon his back. Though solemn and unsmiling, his eyes were brimming with delight.
Li Xizhi had always prized composure and poise, but faced with an occasion so joyous it could move one to tears, he could not help but laugh heartily three times. His face full of warmth, he stroked his beard and said:
"Duan'er, open the gatehouses on both sides of Jiutian Pavilion at once. Stand at the main gate to welcome guests, and have Junwei wait at the side gate."
He quickly regained his bearing, though his eyes still held a smile as he said softly:
"The Sect Master is coming. We must not neglect him."
The youth in white robes and red cloak before him was Li Xizhi's eldest disciple, Quan Yuduan. Round-faced, he was a member of the Quan clan and a distant relative of the late Quan Yi. The person behind him was his second disciple, Zhao Junwei.
Quan Yi had been slain by Tuoba Chongyuan, leaving behind only an aged mother who had depended on him. Li Xizhi had looked after her all along until she passed away a few years ago. Unwilling to see the Quan clan fade into ruin, the elderly lady had written outside the sect multiple times while still alive. Li Xizhi fulfilled her wish, tracking down members of the Quan clan who had declined into rustic country squires and bringing Quan Yuduan into the sect.
Over a year later, when Li Xizhi went to the Helin Mountain Range to survey the Li clan's spirit jade vein, he took Zhao Junwei, the son of a hunter in the mountains, as his disciple. It had been more than a decade since then.
Quan Yuduan complied respectfully and withdrew in high spirits, his steps brisk as the wind. Not only this youth, but even Zhao Junwei, who had cultivated for merely a dozen years, knew how formidable the Violet Palace was. The two youths were clearly overjoyed, and laughter filled the pavilion.
Li Xizhi smiled softly as well.
In past years, his standing had been somewhat awkward, and he had not dared to associate too closely with the various clans. Thus, both youths he took in came from humble backgrounds.
Quan Yuduan could still be considered a young master from an affluent family whose ancestors were cultivators after all, and his talent was decent. Zhao Junwei, on the other hand, was of truly impoverished stock and possessed mediocre talent, yet both were hardworking, and Zhao Junwei's temperament was particularly remarkable.
'Si Yuanli has arrived...'
He tapped lightly against the jade window. Seeing the familiar streaks of escaping light arriving one after another, he quickly turned and exited the pavilion. Sure enough, Si Yuanli came forward with a face full of delighted surprise, laughing heartily as he offered his congratulations:
"What wondrous news! Perfected Zhaojing has succeeded—truly a paragon of our generation! For your noble clan to become an immortal clan is truly the grandest joyous occasion in a hundred years!"
Li Xizhi replied courteously, his gaze sweeping past him and landing on the similarly smiling man behind him.
'Dantai Jin!'
This man had joined the sect ten years ago, and Li Xizhi was no stranger to him. Rumor had it that he was the high disciple of an overseas Violet Palace master, and that Violet Palace master was a junior whom Perfected Yuanxiu, Si Boxiu, had once fostered...
Si Boxiu did not have much lifespan left, and this was evidently one of his arrangements for the future. Li Xizhi returned the courtesies one by one, and Si Yuanli said with a smile:
"I have sent men to the Southern Border to invite Yuanqin back. With such grand news for your noble clan, Yuanqin will surely be overjoyed!"
'Yuanqin...'
Li Xizhi had not seen Li Yuanqin often over these years. After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Yuanqin had led the Ning family members to guard the Southern Border. Perhaps due to his sensitive standing, he did not maintain much contact with Li Xizhi.
Li Xizhi paused briefly. Outside the pavilion, another figure stepped forward, wearing vine armor with a gourd tied at his waist and exuding an imposing aura—it was none other than Lingu Rao, "Rao the Scorpion," who had once shared equal fame with Li Xuanfeng.
The middle-aged man cupped his hands with a smile:
"Congratulations, Pavilion Master!"
The three families remained quite cordial on the surface and in private. Si Yuanli also cupped his hands toward Lingu Rao, calling him "Senior" repeatedly. The atmosphere grew warm and lively, every face bearing smiles of celebration.
The two parties offered brief congratulations before taking their leave. Visitors arrived at the pavilion one after another, and Li Xizhi received guests for most of the day until the sun set. Only then did he gather his things and ask softly:
"Yuduan, have they all been seen off?"
Quan Yuduan cupped his hands in reply and whispered:
"There is still one person downstairs. He has been pacing anxiously down there for a long time, not daring to come up."
"Oh?"
Li Xizhi knew full well, yet he asked mildly:
"And who might that be?"
"The Peak Master of Qingsui Peak!"
Quan Yuduan answered with a smile, coldness in his eyes.
Quan Yuduan was no pampered playboy. The household affairs of country squires were fraught with complications, and his childhood within the manor had been far from smooth, harboring perils of its own. As a disciple, how could he not know of the friction between his master and Peak Master Yuan Chengzhao of Qingsui Peak?
Earlier, Yuan Chengzhao had been fidgeting restlessly below. Though Quan Yuduan had welcomed guests with a radiant smile, he hadn't spared him a single glance. He tolerated him only out of deference to his status as a Foundation Establishment cultivator; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown him the slightest courtesy!
Li Xizhi shook his head and said gently:
"He is your martial uncle after all. Go and invite him up."
Quan Yuduan complied and went downstairs. Before long, the deep yet courteous voice of his second disciple, Zhao Junwei, could be heard:
"Martial Uncle... please!"
Quan Yuduan was stark in his likes and dislikes and clearly disdained bowing his head to Yuan Chengzhao, so he pushed the task onto Zhao Junwei, who possessed a deeper temperament. Li Xizhi heard his junior brother nodding and sighing. Outside the door, Yuan Chengzhao smoothed his robes before pushing the door open with a creak.
"Chengzhao greets Senior Brother!"
Yuan Chengzhao dared not look at him, dropping to his knees before him and speaking meekly.
Bathed in the golden sunset, Li Xizhi hesitated, remaining silent.
Yuan Chengzhao was actually terrified of him. As their master, Yuan Tuan was away year-round, so Li Xizhi had always played the role of the strict elder. Rather than viewing Li Xizhi as an elder martial brother, Yuan Chengzhao feared him more like a master.
Yet human nature was difficult to fathom and circumstances were complex. Clearly fearing him like a tiger, Yuan Chengzhao had nonetheless repeatedly bowed to the Chi family and tripped him up multiple times... Back then, when Chi Buhua tracked Li Xizhi down, it had been through an implement Li Xizhi used in his youth. Li Xizhi did not need to think twice to know it had come from this junior brother of his.
Ludicrously enough, when the Chi family fell and was purged by the Si family, this junior brother had been terrified out of his wits. His very first act was to visit Si Yuanli, falling to his knees before him, clutching Si Yuanli's legs and begging.
As for what he begged for, it was nothing else—he was terrified of Li Xizhi's wrath, and so pleaded with Si Yuanli to conceal the fact that Chi Buhua had obtained Li Xizhi's personal belongings from him!
'To think he lost his wits to such a degree! Why would Si Yuanli hide it for him? He wished for nothing more than for Yuan Chengzhao and me to turn against each other!'
Li Xizhi's gaze upon him was filled entirely with disappointment. He had watched this child grow up since coming up the mountain and genuinely regarded Yuan Chengzhao as a junior. He knew the man was cowardly, but he had never imagined he could be so utterly devoid of judgment!
Kneeling on the ground, a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator was now drenched in cold sweat. Li Xizhi said softly:
"Years have passed since we last met... and you have turned misfortune into a blessing."
Yuan Chengzhao understood all too well what Li Xizhi meant by turning misfortune into a blessing, and his hair stood on end.
Over these years, Si Yuanli had bestowed plenty of benefits upon him. His talent was indeed not poor, but his Foundation Establishment had largely relied on items provided by the Si family. Si Yuanli appeared amiable on the surface, but he never passed up an opportunity to legitimately support a member of the Yuan family who had friction with Li Xizhi!
He could only plead mournfully:
"Senior Brother... I was wrong, Senior Brother... This junior brother was forced with no other choice...
"Whether it was Chi Zhiyun, Chi Zhiyan, or Chi Fupo, Chi Buhua... or the current Sect Master... I couldn't afford to offend any of them, Eldest Senior Brother! Chi Buhua was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, while back then I was just a tiny Qi Refinement disciple. When he demanded it of me, how... how could I not give it to him?!"
He burst into tears and began kowtowing with thumping noises, his forehead smacking against the floorboards. Li Xizhi did not look at him, merely gazing out toward the distant setting sun as he said in a low voice:
"You stepped onto a path of no return long ago. Ever since you coveted power and position... and took up the seat of Peak Master of Qingsui Peak, you became a pawn of the Chi family, destined to be used in the clashes of power to counterbalance me, Li Xizhi. When the Chi family's eldest branch fell, there was still the second branch. No matter who held the seat of power, they would never let go of a pawn like you.
"Had you been able to maintain your composure back then, decline the temptation of status, take an assignment outside the sect, and stay far from Qingchi... how could today have come to pass?"
Yuan Chengzhao could no longer muster an answer, doing nothing but kowtow as he sobbed:
"Senior Brother is right! Senior Brother is right! I was blinded by folly..."
Li Xizhi said softly:
"You need not be like this. In truth, no one could have anticipated today. I was supposed to have died early in the East Sea, and your Yuan family would have rightfully reclaimed the seat of this immortal peak—a perfect conclusion.
"Unfortunately, the ways of the world often defy expectations. Were it not for my clan's Perfected Zhaojing breaking through, you would still be reaping benefits at every turn and enjoying great fortunes even now."
Yuan Chengzhao choked with sobs, unable to speak. Li Xizhi lowered his gaze. A tinge of sorrow brushed his heart, but his face remained serene.
"There is no need to come crying to me. Go back where you came from. For our master's sake, all past matters are wiped clean. You need not come see me ever again."
He picked up his teacup and called out:
"Junwei, see our guest out!"
Yuan Chengzhao was gripped by panic. Zhao Junwei stepped forward, though with his Qi Refinement cultivation he could not budge him. Yuan Chengzhao lamented:
"In a moment of foolishness, I brought harm upon Senior Brother, and I have no face to return in the future. Senior Brother's guidance over the years, Chengzhao holds engraved in his heart...
"Senior Brother, take care... In this life, Chengzhao must still preserve the clan and cannot serve you. This debt of kindness... I shall repay in the next life..."
Yuan Chengzhao rose to his feet, tears streaming down his face, and said respectfully:
"How I still yearn to ride the wind alongside Senior Brother and Senior Sister, touring the commanderies, sporting with rosy rays, and listening to your teachings...
"Now... that can never be again..."
He cupped his hands and backed out. Throughout it all, Li Xizhi uttered not a single word. Zhao Junwei escorted him all the way out, while Quan Yuduan curled his lip, stepped swiftly to Li Xizhi's side, and bowed:
"Master, on such a joyous day, should we arrange an itinerary to return to the lake?"
Li Xizhi said warmly:
"Naturally. Qingchi will also be sending a delegation to offer congratulations; we shall go together when the time comes."
Chapter 691