Seeing Li Xuanxuan keep his head lowered, Li Tongya's tone softened, and he said gently, "Fortunately, this was only your first time managing clan affairs, and you made no fatal errors."
Pondering for a few breaths, Li Tongya looked down at him and spoke mildly, "Go to the cave dwelling on Meichi Mountain to reflect properly. Do not come out until you break through to the fourth layer of Embryonic Breathing, the Qingyuan Wheel."
"Thank you, Uncle!"
Li Xuanxuan cupped his hands in respect, stepping back deferentially as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Li Tongya went to the rear courtyard to change his clothes, then sat in the seat of honor and looked through the records of matters, large and small, that Li Xuanxuan had kept. Frowning, he said in a low voice, "Send Yesheng in."
A clan soldier stationed outside went to summon him. Li Yesheng hurried into the main courtyard with a stooped back, only to see Li Tongya looking down at a wooden slip without lifting his gaze.
Li Yesheng's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, *Damn it, I've outsmarted myself.*
Though Li Xiangping and Li Tongya had raised Li Xuanxuan to be the clan head from childhood, neither Li Xuanfeng nor Li Xuanling had been born back then. Who could tell what the two brothers thought now? Li Yesheng had stood by and watched Li Xuanxuan make mistakes without intervening, intending to test where the two uncles stood.
Seeing Li Tongya remain completely silent, Li Yesheng immediately realized his petty schemes had been seen through. He dropped to his knees to plead guilty.
Li Tongya frowned, waved his hand to cut him off, and said in a low voice, "When the clan head returns, explain yourself to him."
With that, he put away the wooden slip in his hand and said solemnly, "Beat the drums and mobilize the troops."
***
Li Xiangping stumbled forward for a while before finding a large tree to lean against. He regulated his breathing until his magical power had recovered by twenty to thirty percent, then slapped a Divine Movement Technique talisman onto his leg and pressed southward despite his exhaustion.
Only after walking for three hours did Li Xiangping dare relax. He climbed into a massive banyan tree and dozed there between sleep and wakefulness for several hours until he felt his stamina somewhat restored.
The surroundings were a desolate wilderness without a soul in sight. Li Xiangping caught a wild hare, roasted it for food, and spent several days circulating spiritual qi to clear his meridians before resuming his journey south.
His external injuries had mostly healed, but his internal wounds were far harder to mend; his organs still ached faintly, and his strength had only recovered to seventy or eighty percent. Terrified of running into demonic beasts, Li Xiangping traveled with utmost caution. By the time he returned to his clan's territory, more than a month had passed.
As soon as he crossed into clan lands, Li Xiangping saw several squads of clan soldiers patrolling the woods. He thought to himself, *It seems things are peaceful at home. The Ji family didn't push west.*
Even though those squads wore his clan's uniform, Li Xiangping prudently skirted around them. He slipped quietly all the way to Lijing Village, and seeing everything as usual with no signs of unrest, he finally felt at ease and climbed the mountain.
Li Tongya was wiping down his sword with a furrowed brow when he heard footsteps. He looked up in surprise, only to see Li Xiangping standing in the doorway, battered and disheveled yet grinning broadly. The corners of Li Tongya's mouth immediately curved into a smile.
"I knew you were too crafty to die."
Li Xiangping curled his lip, sat down at the table, grabbed a bowl of tea, and gulped it down. Only then did he cry out, "What a nightmare! A Qi Refinement cultivator chased me for a day and two nights, and I was nearly killed by a single palm strike!"
After recounting the chase of the past twenty-odd days, Li Xiangping unfastened his outer robe and gently placed the magical mirror on the table. Watching the cyan-gray mirror slowly float up, he tossed out an embroidered pouch and a pale-green block of metal, smiling.
"Care to take a look?"
Li Tongya nodded and extended his spiritual sense into the storage bag, pouring out a small pile of items with a clatter.
Aside from a heap of clothing, sundries, gold, and silver, the old Daoist's storage bag contained twenty-five spirit stones, several kinds of healing pills for the Embryonic Breathing realm, a carefully sealed jade bottle labeled "Yuya Pill," a pack of yellowed talismans, and the jade pendant faintly radiating white light.
Finally, with a sharp clang, an off-white longsword tumbled out.
Just as Li Xiangping picked up the jade pendant, Lu Jiangxian—who had been half-asleep within the mirror—perked up. Seeing the pendant barely an inch away, he gave a gentle tug along the connection between them.
The jade pendant immediately leaped up like a cheerful bird and plunged straight toward the cyan-gray magical mirror.
"Huh?"
It happened so suddenly that Li Xiangping failed to catch it. He could only watch as the pendant sprang up and gently adhered to the mirror's surface. Plumes of white vapor burst forth, sinking into the mirror like weary birds returning to the forest.
Along the mirror's rim, twelve seal script runes lit up one after another. Lu Jiangxian felt thoroughly invigorated as the reach of his divine sense expanded steadily, strands of information flowing into his mind. He focused his awareness and began sorting through them.
Seeing the white light on the pendant slowly fade before it dropped back onto the table with a clatter, Li Xiangping and Li Tongya exchanged a glance. They respectfully returned the magical mirror to its stone pedestal and waited for the time it took an incense stick to burn. Seeing nothing amiss, they returned to the main courtyard to continue inventorying the spoils.
The old Daoist had led a frugal life; even his healing pills were only meant for Embryonic Breathing. Setting aside these bottles of medicine along with the twenty-five spirit stones, Li Xiangping gently opened the Yuya Pill. A refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately wafted out. Just a whiff made the magical power within their bodies surge.
"The potency of this pill surpasses the two remaining Sheyuan Pills at home. People say Sheyuan Pills are suitable for both Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement, so this Yuya Pill must be purely for the Qi Refinement realm."
He quickly resealed the Yuya Pill, only to see that Li Tongya had already picked up the longsword and was studying it fondly. Li Xiangping smiled and asked, "How is the sword?"
Li Tongya shook his head with a smile. "It must have been his weapon back in the Embryonic Breathing realm. It only looks to be worth three to five spirit stones, but it is far better than ordinary steel."
Hearing this reminded Li Xiangping of his Qingwu Bow—a magical artifact Li Tongya had bought for two and a half spirit stones, though it was quite heavy.
Originally, Li Xiangping had planned only to unleash a blast of Taiyin Mysterious Light before retreating; carrying the bow would have hindered his movements, so he had left it at home. Who could have known he would run into that old Daoist and end up with no handy weapon during the fight?
*Then again, if I'd been carrying the bow, the old Daoist might have caught me much sooner.*
While Li Xiangping was lost in thought over the harrowing chase, Li Tongya quietly opened the pack of talismans and carefully compared them against the key points in the *Lingzhong Talisman Art*.
"They seem to be Embryonic Breathing talismans used to summon a magical shield," Li Tongya said in a deep voice after comparing them for a while. He counted them up—there were twenty-four in total, worth around eight spirit stones.
"We can leave some for Xuanxuan and Xuanfeng for self-defense. Xuanfeng especially—that child has a mind of his own and loves running outside."
Remembering the massive shield the old Daoist had summoned with twelve talismans, Li Xiangping cursed under his breath, then chuckled. "The old fellow fell for my bluff twice regarding his most treasured trump card. No wonder he flew into such a rage."
Li Tongya picked up the pale-green block of metal and examined it, unable to make heads or tails of it. He looked up at Li Xiangping and asked with a furrowed brow, "Do you still have injuries? Take some medicine first and rest up."
Chapter 75