Li Jiangqian dispatched his men and waited inside the hall. Soon, a clamor of noise arose outside, and a procession of figures swiftly arrived before the great hall. After hesitating and jostling among themselves for a moment, none dared to enter.
*Creak.*
Finally, Chen Donghe and An Siwei led the way inside into the Jade Court, followed respectively by three influential figures each from Qingdu and Mount Yuting. They offered their salutations first. Li Jiangqian remained courteous toward the two of them, sitting upright as he spoke:
"The two elders may come inside first."
With that, the hall doors were firmly shut, leaving only the two of them standing within. Li Jiangqian gestured toward the numerous letters on the desk and said:
"Regarding the twenty-two candidates for hereditary protection within the clan, Uncle Zhouluo granted each three protections, allowing them to remain on the islet, secure peripheral appointments, and receive annual stipends.
"Every move they made over the past three years, large or small, is recorded right here—suspicions, evidence, reports suppressed by Uncle Zhouluo, and past stains found in the clan dossiers, all marked in vermilion ink.
"I need the two departments to cooperate. The personnel of Qingdu are not to mobilize; those of Mount Yuting will go down directly to fetch them. Those brought in will be detained separately in the side halls—no interrogation is needed, nor any torture."
Chen Donghe hesitated, while An Siwei bowed and offered a reminder:
"Reporting to the Patriarch, the clan has been quite well-behaved over these past three years. Those selected for hereditary protection have no faults to be found. Even if some acted with deliberate intent, no solid handle can be seized against them. To hold the past against them now might arouse resentment."
"No matter."
Li Jiangqian smiled and replied:
"I only require the two seniors to keep a close watch over everyone and ensure the atmosphere remains tense."
Understanding his meaning, the two nodded. Li Jiangqian walked all the way down and personally opened the doors for them. As the main doors abruptly swung open, the murmuring crowd kneeling outside fell silent at once. Li Jiangqian said with a smile:
"There is one more matter. I ask Qingdu and Mount Yuting to pass word along to every branch while you are at it: whenever a household holding hereditary protection commits crimes or is sentenced by Qingdu, if one person offends, the entire residence is implicated, and their hereditary protection shall be reduced accordingly."
The crowd dispersed in an orderly fashion, and people were brought up the mountain one after another. After waiting for a while, Li Jiangqian saw a man in a patterned cloth headband being dragged along the path. Li Jiangqian had been waiting specifically for him. Dispensing with his previous smiling facade, he glared coldly at him.
Li Chengzai felt a chill sink deep into his heart.
When the Jade Court Guard had arrived at his door in the middle of the night declaring that a single person's crime would implicate an entire residence, Li Chengzai's heart had skipped a beat.
What had his old man gone to do? To confess his guilt and beg for punishment!
Li Xixuan had hurried away without pause, turning back halfway to Mount Qingdu to plead for mercy. But Li Chengzai had no inkling of that; he only knew his father had gone to beg and had not returned even by the dead of night. Earlier, he and several brothers had sat huddled in worry, wondering where their father might be undergoing punishment...
Now, receiving such a glare from Li Jiangqian, his heart filled with sheer terror:
*Father told us long ago that the Eldest Young Master is ruthless. Pulling this off, he intends to strip our family's hereditary protection—all five of our spots will fall through... He truly is the superior player. Father walked right into his trap!*
He was dragged into a side courtyard and locked inside. Once the heavy doors shut, darkness enveloped him entirely. A formation sealed the interior from the outside, severing all communication. His heart was as dead as ashes. When an attendant entered the hall bearing tea, he did not react at all.
"My lord, please..."
He tilted his head for a look and suddenly found the attendant familiar. Taken aback, he asked:
"Are you from the Ren family?"
Li Xixuan's primary wife was from the Ren family, and Dongdi was very close to them. He quickly grabbed the attendant's hand. His seldom-used mind spun into motion as he stammered:
"For me... deliver a message to Dongdi... divide the family estate immediately... save whichever ones we can..."
The member of the Ren family glanced at him and replied:
"Young Master thinks too highly of me. I am merely a humble attendant; how could I possess such great ability? Besides, the moment you were led away, the people of Dongdi had already divided the family property!"
Li Chengzai went limp. He sat in a daze for a long while before squeezing out a single word:
"Fine."
While Li Chengzai struggled in despair within, the outside remained quiet, broken only by hurried footsteps. Moonlight flowed like water. Li Jiangqian stood before the hall doors as Chen Yang bowed slightly and murmured:
"Patriarch, Lord Xixuan is still in the courtyard on Mount Qingdu. Dongdi has already panicked and divided their household. The western side had already divided before, so there was no commotion there, save for two branches separating further..."
"Enough."
Li Jiangqian remarked casually:
"By the time Clan Elder Xixuan comes down from the mountain, he will have lost his Dongdi anyway. His fractured descendants will resent him instead. The old master said resentment shouldn't fall upon brothers, nor upon the clan. It's just right for it to fall upon our Clan Elder Xixuan."
He scoffed and added:
"When parents fail in their duties, don't the siblings unite against a common foe and grow even closer? It won't harm their kinship, nor can they blame the clan... It was Li Xixuan who confessed first, and only then did I, Li Jiangqian, send men to apprehend people. Now that Dongdi has made an unforced confession, the reason for rounding people up everywhere... is clear to everyone!"
At this moment, Chen Yang also felt a chill run through him. Silent for a beat, he cupped his hands and replied:
"I only worry he won't cooperate... Clan Elder Xixuan is situated right in the center of the board and sees it clearest. If he proclaims it everywhere..."
"There is no fear of his noncooperation."
Li Jiangqian flicked his sleeve and walked into the hall with hands behind his back, smiling:
"Parents who love their children plan far ahead for their sake. What good would it do Dongdi to lay everything bare? It would merely invite me to divide and dismantle them again and again. He is old and dares not pit himself against me, who holds power.
"Moreover..."
He took the main seat, lifted a writing brush, and said:
"Is there any difference between pleading for mercy and confessing guilt? If one is innocent, why plead for mercy?"
Li Jiangqian glanced at him and continued:
"Go invite Cui Jueyin over."
Chen Yang departed like the wind. Before long, Cui Jueyin entered from outside the hall, having clearly waited on the side for quite some time. Li Jiangqian raised his brows and smiled:
"The matter discussed with Lord Cui over these past two months... has it borne fruit?"
Cui Jueyin offered a slight bow and said respectfully:
"Following the Patriarch's instructions, from the six hundred and sixty-seven volumes of Daoist scriptures in our clan's collection, three great lineages' Daoist scriptures were chosen: respectively, the 'Baihan Chapter' from *Six Chapters of Seeking Immortality*, the general record of *Inquiring into the Dharma with Scaled Beasts*, and the general outline of *Talisman Methods of the Spirit*.
"The selected portions from the three lineages were redacted, augmented, and supplemented by multiple doctrines, compiled into three divisions named Baihan, Wenfa, and Lingfu."
He presented the three volumes with both hands. Bound in white, gold, and purple covers traced with delicate patterns, they carried an air of transcendent immortality. Li Jiangqian took them, flipped through them twice, and nodded:
"Thank you for your trouble, Senior."
Cui Jueyin stood to the side while Li Jiangqian addressed Chen Yang below:
"Bring the clansmen from the various side courtyards here."
Before long, the crowd filed in. Lowering their heads in dread, they stood in formation below. Li Jiangqian said with a smile:
"First, congratulations to you all. Clan Elder Xixuan climbed the mountain out of righteousness to confess and request punishment. The clan dispatched an investigation downward, and fortunately Uncle Zhouluo possesses discerning eyes; his candidate selections for hereditary protection were exceptionally precise. Although there were doubtful points, each has now been cleared up, and the hereditary protection remains untainted."
The crowd below breathed a collective sigh of relief, stealing glances at one another and turning their eyes toward Li Chengzai.
Li Chengzai was now completely certain that his old man had gone to confess his guilt. Fortunately, nothing had turned up against them, or their household would have been hated to death. As he silently rejoiced, he heard Li Jiangqian speak:
"Inviting everyone here today is truly to discuss an important matter. I intend to open wide the gates of convenience within the clan. Centered upon the solitary peak of Milin, three tiers of scholarship will be established—namely the three paths of Baihan, Wenfa, and Lingfu—for those clansmen on the islet who cannot cultivate to study, so that they too may offer their humble contribution to the clan."
The crowd below looked up in slight confusion, gazing toward the dais. Li Jiangqian smiled and said:
"Henceforth, the path of hereditary protection shall continue as before, restricted solely to the descendants of cultivators who sacrificed themselves for the clan, and shielding only one generation that possesses spirit apertures. If an offspring lacks spirit apertures, the protection shall be temporarily recorded with the cultivator's assets at the lake, awaiting future bestowal onto a spirit aperture bearer. This shall be known as 'merit protection.'
"As for the path of studying the Daoist scriptures, every five years during the sacrifices, Milin shall conduct assessments. Those who attain accomplishments across the three paths and pass character evaluations may receive positions of clan emolument. Not only may they remain on the islet, but they may also receive rewards and stipends. This shall be known as 'Dao emoluments.'"
The courtyard fell dead silent. Cui Jueyin was evidently prepared, retrieving several pre-drafted golden scrolls from his sleeve and passing them down into the hands of Chen Donghe and An Siwei.
One had to know that the Li family's hereditary protection was never rock-solid; if one lacked ability, any sought-after office could still be stripped away, and the rewards and residency could only be enjoyed for a single generation. If these Dao emoluments proved viable, would it not be even better than hereditary protection?
Now, everyone looked up with raised brows. Li Jiangqian continued:
"This path offers three tiers of posts. Afterward, the family will also establish clan schools across the various prefectures and dispatch members off the islet... Let each branch come forth to transcribe the scriptures."
He leaned against the high seat at the head of the hall. The fervent gazes below drifted along with the three books. With several Foundation Establishment cultivators present here, these people obediently lined up to copy them. Li Jiangqian let his gaze wander across the sea of jubilant faces.
*There is no way I will readily place you in positions of power... Only by tying your energy to the myriad annotations of the Daoist scriptures—spending your lives poring over texts until your hair turns white, leaving no mind to dabble in anything else—will you slowly climb this system of authority completely isolated from the sixteen prefectures, two peaks, and one mountain. Only then can future troubles be eradicated...*
Wearing a smile, he raised his head slightly amidst the cries of gratitude praising the Patriarch's boundless benevolence after the transcriptions were finished:
*Moreover, it is not without benefit... Reading more Daoist scriptures will also help them educate their offspring... Having spirit aperture bearers begin their enlightenment with three volumes of Daoist scriptures might even prove beneficial to their future cultivation.*
"This is the system of merit protection and Dao emoluments!"
***
The night deepened as stars twinkled across the sky. Across the sea, ten thousand li of waves lay still. Sea eagles soared overhead, their calls echoing from the furthest reaches of the horizon before quickly fading away.
A cool breeze drifted through the maple grove. White jade lotus cups bobbed along the stream, while the cyan jade platform shone with pure, bright light. A cultivator clad in white-and-gold Daoist robes opened his eyes, and a burst of sky-light appeared; purple flames surged and dissipated, illuminating the forest.
During this period, Li Ximing had remained cultivating within the forest, having fully recovered from the injuries to his dharma body. The cultivation dwelling provided for him by Mount Jiuqiu was certainly not bad, its spiritual energy comparable to Mount Zhijing.
What was rare was the drifting of white jade lotus cups bearing Female Water spiritual substances that aided healing, their fragrance greeting the nostrils. Though of limited use against injuries at the Violet Palace level, real thought had gone into the gesture.
*Progress on the Audience at the Heavenly Gate divine ability has been modest. Though I walked through the boundary of life and death and my comprehension grew slightly, my cultivation base was delayed by healing...*
Tempering a divine ability was grinding work. Li Ximing estimated it would take another thirty-some years to temper Audience at the Heavenly Gate to perfection. He pinched his fingers in calculation:
"By Jiangnan's standards, my cultivation aptitude is actually not slow. Tempering it to completion in thirty-some years, I can immediately segue into the *Precious Scripture of Body Guarding Tiger Pass*. Without needing esoteric methods to bridge the path, spending a decade or so to forge a Dao foundation will allow me to cultivate Sovereign Treads on Peril.
"As for the time needed to break through to a second divine ability, nowhere is it recorded, as it depends far more on individual aptitude. Without prior experience, it is hard to estimate. Reckoning a tentative ten years, sixty years should see Sovereign Treads on Peril achieved. If everything goes smoothly, condensing a third divine ability in one hundred and twenty years will allow me to break through to the mid-stage and confront the Canzi Threshold."
The Canzi Threshold was renowned far and wide, and Li Ximing could estimate no further. Once he possessed three divine abilities, he would be considered a mainstay among the Violet Palaces of Jiangnan. Li Zhouwei would not lag far behind him, and by then, even facing Changxiao, they would not be outmatched.
"The only issue is safely surviving these one hundred and twenty years while Changxiao targets us. That will truly be no easy feat."
Li Ximing's situation was somewhat awkward. If he returned to Jiangnan, he had no confidence in weathering Changxiao's open spears and hidden arrows; remaining overseas, his family back home was equally unsafe:
"Though Zhouwei took a desperate gamble and eliminated Situ Mo, settling our family's century-long affliction and removing a crucial knife, once Changxiao returns to Jiangnan and employs his methods, borrowed knives will certainly not be lacking, even if none match Situ Mo's caliber..."
He felt a quiet gloom. Suddenly, the wind chimes on the maple trees tinkled, and Xia Shouyu, clad in white, approached through the forest. Bowing slightly, she spoke with great respect:
"Reporting to the Perfected One, the two Perfected Ones have sent someone to invite you. They say the matters agreed upon earlier are ready, and we may set off now."
Over the past half-year or so on Mount Jiuqiu, Xia Shouyu had not merely lived in comfort—compared to the first half of her life, it was outright luxurious. Leaving aside how rich the spiritual energy was in the dwelling where she stayed, even crouching down at the sparsest spot along the mountain paths yielded several times more spiritual energy than Qingxu Temple.
After living through these good days, the woman appeared increasingly radiant. Adorned with a few magical artifacts and pieces of jewelry, she looked all the more beautiful. The slight air of sharp-tongued severity brought on by her overly thin eyebrows was softened by a pendant at her brow. Xia Shouyu was naturally adept at carrying herself with poise, and now she resembled an orthodox Violet Palace descendant from a prominent sect.
Li Ximing was not an unkind person and did not find it excessive. Seeing a once rustic woman transform into this state merely made him nod with a smile. Gathering his sleeves, he rose, thoughts stirring in his mind:
*I can take this opportunity... to ask Houfu to bring her back to the lake. It would be both safe and convenient, and could serve as a mild deterrent... Zhouming is getting on in years as well, drifting along each day without settling down. Right now, he might well be lingering in some pleasure quarter, which is hardly proper.*
Thus, as he walked outward, he asked:
"Lingdu is a generous elder. I heard that while your treatment on the immortal mountain is styled as a guest, it is practically that of an outer disciple, with several Daoist repositories opened to you... Is that so?"
Xia Shouyu panicked at once, speaking with a touch of urgency:
"Reporting to the Perfected One, that is so. But the magical artifacts and garments on my person were all traded using the resources and spiritual goods bestowed by the Perfected One; I did not take a single item from the Jiuqiu lineage..."
Xia Shouyu possessed a meticulous mind, instantly thinking several steps ahead. But Li Ximing was not taking issue with that. He nodded slightly and replied:
"You did well. I will find an opportunity to secure a slightly better background for you, but you must measure up to it yourself. Since several Daoist repositories have opened to you, read more during these days."
Xia Shouyu was both shocked and overjoyed. Though her talent, beauty, and wit yielded to no one, she had been born humble; how could she not harbor a secret inferiority? For a moment, tears streamed down her face as she answered:
"The Perfected One's grace of remaking me—even if my bones were ground to dust, I could never repay it!"
Li Ximing walked ahead with hands clasped behind his back, nodding gently:
"Read more during these days, lest when something is handed to you, you cannot hold it steady or keep it upright. Regretting it only when others expose you later would be far too late."
Xia Shouyu nodded repeatedly. The two of them had already reached the large maple tree where they had conferred earlier. Master Houfu, clad in shamanic robes, was murmuring with the visibly aged Lingdu. Seeing Li Ximing arrive, Lingdu stood up early and said in an aged voice:
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhaojing. Time is tight; please accompany us."
Li Ximing nodded. Master Houfu merely gave a greeting and remained silent. The three plunged into the Great Void, boundless pitch-blackness welling around them. Only then did Lingdu whisper:
"Fellow Daoist Houfu and I have been arranging things these past days, wishing to do everything as thoroughly as possible and keep the commotion minimal, which is why we delayed until now. Unexpectedly, news arrived the day before yesterday: that Lianmin who went to the Buddha Land to report has crossed the Mountain of Knives and Sea of Fire. Having endured his punishment, he was not demoted, but sent back to atone for his crimes by investigating. Thus, we had to invite Fellow Daoist over in haste."
Li Ximing shook his head and replied:
"What could he possibly uncover? Anything that could be calculated would have been calculated long ago; had any traces been found, they would have pursued them back then, and it would not have fallen to him to undergo punishment in the Buddha Land."
Though he said this, Li Ximing felt a twinge of unease in his heart:
*What a grand fuss. I only hope that fellow doesn't bear all that pressure on his return and pin everything on my head... Better to get this business done as quickly as possible.*
Lingdu seemed to harbor similar thoughts. Rather than traversing directly through the Great Void, he detoured into the mortal sea, using the rapid transit of the mortal sea to swiftly reach the northern Peacock Sea. From his sleeve, he produced a lotus flower.
This lotus was palm-sized, pink, and lovely, while another stem bore an old seedpod. Standing beside him, Li Ximing saw it clearly: the seedpod had five neat holes.
Lingdu formed an incantation gesture, and three of the five holes immediately responded, popping out three jade-white lotus seeds. The old Perfected One said softly:
"Please take one each and place it against the tiger's mouth of your hand to prevent Mahas from calculating your presence!"
*If you had such good things, why didn't you mention them sooner...*
Li Ximing's heart eased slightly. He took the seed and pressed it as instructed, feeling a slight anomaly in his dharma body, faintly shrouded in a five-colored precious light. As Lingdu stepped out of the Great Void, they had already arrived at a certain seabed within the Peacock Sea.
This place was murky and lightless, the seawater a deep copper-green. Li Ximing dove along with the other two, soon reaching a massive trench. Lingdu spoke:
"Please wait a moment, both of you!"
The old man swam toward the depths of the trench. Though Li Ximing knew the likelihood of them harming him was nearly zero, drums still beat quietly in his heart:
*If they set an array here and the two attacked me together, my life would be in dire peril... If I didn't unleash the Profound Light, there would be a sixty percent chance of perishing here...*
Fortunately, his grim imaginings did not come to pass. After only half a quarter of an hour, the seabed shook violently, the entire sea floor trembling.
*Rumble!*
A dazzling burst of five-colored precious light erupted from the seabed, as vast as a mansion, piercing through the dense layers of ocean water and surging toward the horizon. Master Houfu, who had been chanting incantations and forming gestures in silence, finally halted and barked:
"Rise!"
A small pouch with brown patterns flew from his sleeve, darting through the seawater to intercept the radiant five-colored light halfway up. The pouch's mouth billowed, redirecting the ascending light so that it flew a few extra li before turning just before breaching the surface, plunging into the pouch.
Suppressing this anomaly was no easy feat. Even though the five-colored light did not pierce directly into the sky, clusters of auspicious clouds still drifted above the sea. Li Ximing was quick on the uptake; rather than using his own divine ability or magic power, he stimulated the spiritual bead in his hand, the Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger. Several rays of Gen Earth radiance shot toward the heavens, dispersing the auspicious clouds.
Master Houfu knitted his brows tightly. Maintaining the brown pouch with one hand, he looked at Li Ximing and warned in a low voice:
"Please take note, Fellow Daoist Zhaojing. The Peacock Lianmin can sense this object. Though suppressed by us, the Peacock Sea is right before our eyes; that Lianmin will surely ride the wind and come."
Li Ximing gave a slight nod. After a few breaths, the pillar of light finally subsided, and Master Houfu looked visibly relieved. Yet just then, a piercing, rock-shattering cry echoed from the horizon:
*Skreee—*
Above the sea surfaced a massive beast of mixed five-colored and bronze hues, bearing red eyes and a golden beak, as large as a small hill. Its back was broad and flat, and the escape light trailing behind it flowed with vibrant, colorful hues that instantly stained half the sky.
With a light hop, the peacock plunged into the sea, bearing straight down toward their position, a thick, middle-aged man's voice booming from its mouth:
"Who dares steal from my Peacock lineage!"
The Lianmin arrived in an instant, transforming in the sea into a middle-aged monk draped in a five-colored monastic robe. Six ordination scars of different colors marked his shaved head. His hands were empty, and his eyes bulged with rage.
Li Ximing glanced at Master Houfu. Seeing the monk, the Daxiukui Abbey Perfected One in shamanic robes seemed immensely pleased. He let out a hearty laugh and replied:
"Your daddy."
The middle-aged monk followed the sound and froze on the spot, shock gripping his heart:
"Violet Palace?! Two Violet Palaces!"
A Lianmin was roughly equivalent to an early-stage Violet Palace cultivator. Even if one cultivated beneath the lotus throne, that merely enhanced survivability while offering little boost in strength—at most enough to clash with a cultivator possessing two divine abilities. Usually, a cultivator who had crossed the Canzi Threshold required three to five Lianmin to hold off...
Confronted suddenly by two Violet Palaces, dread gripped him. Furthermore, Li Ximing and Master Houfu had restrained their auras, revealing neither their divine abilities nor cultivation bases, leaving him unable to gauge their depth. Yet he was a peacock after all, a proud Lianmin of Daci Tongcai Temple, and his backbone remained. He said coldly:
"I do not know which lineage the Perfected Ones hail from, but do you not know that the Peacock Sea is the territory of our Daci Tongcai Temple? This precious light likewise belongs to our Peacock lineage. Please yield it at once...
"Our Daci Tongcai Temple possesses four full Lianmin, who are rushing here even now. Do not bring disaster upon yourselves, Fellow Daoists!"
Li Ximing's Bright Yang divine ability was not suited for concealing his aura, nor did he know the extent of this Lianmin's divinatory prowess, so he remained silent if possible. Master Houfu, however, burst into wild, arrogant laughter and barked coldly:
"I change neither my surname when walking nor my given name when sitting! I am none other than Master Buzi of Qingchi of Taiyang! Scram!"
Li Ximing was stunned. He nearly turned his head to stare at him, muttering in utter disbelief:
*Wait... Houfu... you... huh?!*
Chapter 806