This passage was very brief. It made no mention of any deployment beforehand, nor did it offer any explanation afterward; it was merely a short note inserted at the very end of the letter, seeming to have neither head nor tail.
Yet it was precisely this brief account of heavy snow that left Li Jiangqian holding the letter in prolonged silence. Meeting the old man's gaze as he looked over, he said in a low voice:
"It has snowed in Yishan City."
Yishan City was situated in the Southern Border. Far from snowing, it experienced summer all year round, and even a few instances of frost were exceedingly rare. Hearing this, Li Xuanxuan was slightly taken aback at first, but quickly caught on, a look of shock appearing on his face as he replied:
"So it is Fairy Ning..."
Had it been any other family, it would truly have been difficult to fathom the secret behind it so quickly. But when the Ning family's Real Person Yuan Su passed away, he had entrusted his descendants to Li Xuanfeng, and the Ning family had even tied their entire clan's fate to Li Xuanfeng at one point. The Li clan knew quite a few secrets, and they immediately guessed that it was Ning Wan, the Autumn Lake Fairy, who was in seclusion in Yishan City attempting to break through to the Violet Palace.
Not only was she the fairy who had once overseen Moon Lake Peak and the earliest direct superior of Lake Wangyue, but she was also someone the Li family had known back during their humble beginnings, acquainted with both the sword immortal Li Chijing and the Yueque Sword Li Tongya... Moreover, she cultivated "Cold Qi", a lineage close to Li Xijun's, and the celestial phenomenon of this path was pine fragrance and heavy snow!
"No wonder they summoned him back in such a hurry... and no wonder it was called a tremendous event. This truly is an earth-shaking development..."
Yet a phenomenon was just a phenomenon; whether she succeeded or failed, a heavy snowfall was inevitable in the end. When Li Ximing had succeeded, the sky over Lake Wangyue had brightened, yet Qingchi still presumed he had perished. Li Xuanxuan murmured to himself for a moment, shaking his head:
"We can only hope that Real Person Yuan Su's departed spirit blesses her, and that the fairy must succeed at all costs!"
Li Jiangqian, after all, belonged to the younger generation. By the time he came of age, Ning Wan had long since entered seclusion, and the clan history did not make separate mention of her, so he was unfamiliar with this Autumn Lake Fairy. Hearing this, he fell into silent contemplation.
Full of deep emotion, the old man shook his head and said:
"Back then, when my second uncle and Wan Yuankai drove a carriage out of the lake, stepping beyond Lake Wangyue for the very first time, they met Senior Xiao Yongling and learned of the Autumn Lake Fairy's renowned name from him... Back then, she was already at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, as well as the foremost beauty of Qingchi Sect. If she can attain the Violet Palace now, it will be a legendary tale as well."
Li Jiangqian pondered briefly and asked:
"In your view, Old Sir, how much certainty does Fairy Ning have?"
Li Xuanxuan pondered and said:
"I would say it is very great! I heard her cultivation method was personally selected by Real Person Yuan Su, the resources she received were the spiritual assets of Real Person Yuan Su's entire lifetime, and there was even a Violet Palace spiritual item of Cold Qi!"
Although Li Xuanxuan was merely at Qi Refining, his brothers and descendants alike were all top-notch figures. The old man knew a great deal and was sharp as could be. He lowered his voice and said:
"Yuan Su was one of Qingchi's Three Yuans, yet he was distinct from Si Boxiu and Yuanwu. His status was comparable to Chi Wei's... both were close friends of the heir to Yuan Manor. Had his lineage not been severed, who would have held sway over Qingchi all these years would truly be hard to say.
"Back then, how many benefits did Chi Wei, Real Person Zipei, and that figure from Jinyu reap? How could Real Person Yuan Su be far behind? Back in those days, even his mount was a Three-Eyed Tiaoshan Beast. Were it not for the emergence of a ruthless man who feared nothing in heaven or earth like Situ Tang, that spirit beast would also be a high Violet Palace cultivator if it had lived to this day.
"If we sold our entire Li clan, would it even be worth one eye of that spirit beast? Could that Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal have been the only thing in his hands? How could he lack fine treasures?
"Looking at it this way, Fairy Ning's breakthrough to the Violet Palace might not be a dead certainty, but she has at least a seventy to eighty percent chance."
Li Jiangqian was truly having his horizons broadened. Nodding quietly, he answered:
"Then it seems more than likely a good thing."
Li Xuanxuan nodded:
"This old man won't speak too definitively, but it truly is a good thing. After all, that one is getting on in years, as all cultivators know. This will be an earth-shaking development. If our backing in the future is Fairy Ning..."
Although Si Boxiu was the youngest of the Three Yuans, his lifespan was nearly at its end as well. He was also a difficult man to deal with, having always harbored designs of absorbing the Li clan into Qingchi. If Ning Wan were to take charge of Qingchi, things would become far easier. Li Jiangqian understood this clearly and replied:
"I reckon that rushing to Yishan City now would be too late anyway. Li Quantao hurried back in such a rush; this matter gives one plenty to ponder."
Li Xuanxuan replied:
"Back then, Ning Heyuan died in the north and the spirit implement was lost. To this day, there is still no news of the Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal. That is a numinous treasure! An ancient spirit implement! That person has always been under the greatest suspicion, so naturally he has his own things to ponder."
Having concluded their discussion, both felt it was good news. Stashing the letter away, Li Xuanxuan said:
"I don't know how your arrangements for Jiangbei are progressing. Having time on my hands, this old man did hear a piece of news: a sword cultivator has emerged in the State of Wu, quite famous, surnamed Xu."
Though Li Jiangqian managed myriad daily affairs, with the sharp mind of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he immediately pieced it together. Drawing a letter from the desk, he said:
"Old Sir is quite right. I have also received news here. First, Huifu, the sword immortal of the North Sea, has attained the Violet Palace and established a sect at Xieyudi, styling it the Northern Palace Sword Way..."
He paused, speaking with solemn gravity:
"The crucial point lies in the fact that... he is not merely a sword immortal, but a Violet Palace Real Person of the 'Taiyang' path."
Li Xuanxuan was alarmed to hear this, nodding silently. Although Jiangnan claimed to follow the Taiyang lineage, there were few cultivators of the Taiyang path, and not a single Taiyang Real Person, leaving its true might unknown; of the Taiyin path, only Chunyi Dao had amounted to anything. Li Jiangqian continued:
"The other piece of news concerns this Daoist Xu, who killed a cultivator from Changhuaishan and fled far into the Southern Border, marking the first such instance in the current era."
Changhuaishan's authority in the State of Wu was truly in a class of its own. Anyone who could kill a disciple of Changhuaishan and still escape could not possibly be an ordinary figure. Li Jiangqian shook his head and said:
"With that great figure's arrival imminent, such incidents are naturally multiplying. There are two or three others besides, though none as sensational as this Daoist Xu. He is also skilled in sword techniques, boasting extraordinary prowess in combat."
Li Xuanxuan murmured:
"That stands to reason. Although that exalted figure's immortal carriage will descend upon Jiangbei, there are numerous cultivators along both banks of the river. If chaos erupts, it will be a major headache as well. Do not forget the past affair with Xu Xiao."
"This junior takes your words to heart."
Knowing he was using Daoist Xu as a cautionary tale to remind him, Li Jiangqian nodded in agreement, then saw the old man out.
...
Yishan City.
Yishan City was the foremost city of the Southern Border, standing tall upon Mount Lingqiu on the borders of Qingchi. Beyond this city, stretching all the way south, were boundless virgin forests. The overall terrain of the Southern Border leaned southwest, while slightly to the east, coastal borders met Beidan Island and the Wanli Shallows.
If one journeyed southwest across those dense, layered forests, passing the ruins of ancient Nanyue, one would reach the State of Shahuang, the State of Pyu, and even further, the State of Meng and Shendu—all of which fell within the boundless demon ranges deep within the Southern Border.
Although mankind was widely distributed, the descendants of the Xia in the traditional sense extended only as far as Yishan City; all beyond were barbaric tribes. The ancient State of Chu had already been widely looked down upon by the Central Plains, while those outside the city could only be counted as barbarians beyond the barbarians, lacking even the qualification to be despised.
This mighty city that marked the boundary between civilization and barbarism had already been recorded by name in the ancient records of Nanhuo Celestial Manor. When Nanhuo Celestial Manor erected this city, flames filled the heavens; only after the spirit ores of Mount Lingqiu were mined completely did the fiery clouds gradually fade. Yet this place remained abundant in spiritual energy and, backed against the Southern Border, was rarely affected by the spiritual atmospheres of various regions.
Yet this ancient city, which had never seen snow fall for hundreds of years, was now blanketed in pure white. Deep snow, thick enough to submerge a person, piled up throughout the city, completely burying every street. Many cultivators stood upon rooftops poking out from the snow, gazing up at the vast expanse of white in the sky.
*What a heavy snowfall...*
Through generations of cultivation by the Ning clan, nearly everyone in Yishan City from top to bottom was surnamed Ning. Facing the celestial phenomenon of boundless falling snow, the cultivators naturally understood its significance. None dared to clear the white snow filling the city, only staring up at the sky in trepidation.
Within the highest grand hall, a plain-robed woman sat upright upon the dais, appearing middle-aged. Below the steps stood a man clad in armor, his features fierce and ruthless; one could tell from afar that he was no gentle soul.
"Mother, the snow has eased."
Standing before the hall's entrance, Li Yuanqin gazed at the snowflakes drifting down from the sky and spoke. Ning Hemian rose from her seat. Compared to her son's composure, she was visibly anxious. Stepping out of the hall, she said in a heavy voice:
"Let us go together to receive the Real Person!"
Whether Ning Wan had succeeded or failed, this trip was unavoidable.
Mother and son walked together to the outer chamber of the secluded cave dwelling. The great gates of the cave dwelling were already covered in thick frost, and the stone statue of the Three-Eyed Tiaoshan Beast still crouched before the entrance, coated in pure white by the accumulated frost and snow, with only its three eyes staring eerily ahead.
Ning Hemian reached out and pressed upon the statue's long horn. The mechanism, which had once been rigidly immovable, had now loosened. With a gentle turn, the frost-encrusted gates of the cave dwelling opened with a rumble, and a dense, frigid frost qi surged out from the gap like a river of pure white.
Li Yuanqin's hands and feet went icy cold. Though both mother and son were Foundation Establishment cultivators now, they still felt a secret shudder before such chilling cold. Waiting slightly until the densest wave passed, they pushed open the cave dwelling's gates further and stepped inside.
Real Person Yuan Su had locked down the cave dwelling's formation. Having been redesigned, modified, and empowered with his divine ability, the grand formation was no longer what it once had been. Inside stood a Honghuo Lamp; only when this magical lamp was snuffed out by the encroaching cold qi could the locked grand formation be unsealed.
This method was ingenious in design, resolving virtually every problem. Even if a traitor emerged within the Ning family, they could not disturb her; one could only enter once Cold Qi surged from within the cave dwelling. If Ning Wan emerged successfully, that was best; if she had perished, the Ning family could also enter to collect her relics.
Braving the bone-chilling Cold Qi, Li Yuanqin entered. Meeting his eyes was a jade lamp placed upon a jade table beside the inner entrance, long extinguished, leaving only dim, yellowish light lingering in the cave dwelling.
This was where Ning Tiaoxiao used to cultivate. The jade platform, steeped in spiritual energy all year round, stood quietly in the gloom, while the walls faintly radiated pulses of eerie light. Li Yuanqin took a careful look, only to feel a chill seize his heart.
The stone wall flickered with eerie hues; it seemed as if countless people were standing inside the surface of the wall, peering outward, causing cold sweat to break out on the back of his neck. Ning Hemian gave him a tug and whispered:
"A Real Person's place of cultivation. Listen less, look less."
Li Yuanqin lowered his head. The secret chamber where Ning Wan cultivated was still on the other side of the cave dwelling, just a dozen-odd steps away. He had only taken a single step when he heard his mother beside him drop to her knees with a thud, respectfully saying:
"Greetings, Real Person!"
He snapped his head up. Upon the jade platform that had been completely empty moments ago, a woman in a white dress now sat.
She was tall and slender, with curved brows and soft eyes. Her black hair cascaded loosely behind her, and a snow-white vertical mark adorned the center of her brow. Her features held a gentle, tender air, yet her eyes carried a cool aloofness that made it impossible to look away.
She appeared only around twenty years of age, gold patterns embroidered upon her sleeves. She sat quietly against the jade platform, her fair legs dangling over the edge and her bare feet resting in pure white mist.
The entire cave dwelling was suddenly suffused with the scent of pine.
Li Yuanqin hastily stepped back and knelt behind his mother, listening as the fairy asked in a cool voice:
"Hemian, where is Li Xuanfeng?"
Ning Wan did not ask about Ning Tiaoxiao, seeming to have long known the elder's fate. Though this was the day she attained her divine ability, as she looked upon the empty cave dwelling, her gaze carried sorrow. Ning Hemian said respectfully:
"In the war between north and south, my husband died in battle to halt the Buddhist cultivators from sweeping southward."
Ning Wan's gaze dimmed slightly. She replied:
"It sounds like something he would do."
She spoke again, asking:
"Chi Zhiyun has not emerged from seclusion yet, has he? He always had a competitive streak, always one step ahead of me in everything. Now, it seems he will fall behind."
Ning Hemian said respectfully:
"Reporting to Real Person: Chi Zhiyun has already fallen. The Chi family's direct descendants are exhausted; there are no cultivators surnamed Chi left in Qingchi today."
Ning Wan was moved at last. Listening to them recount the events before and after, she fell into deep contemplation for a long time, surprisingly looking somewhat desolate. She replied:
"How lamentable. He was quite a figure in his own right."
She calculated carefully, and her expression turned solemn as she asked:
"Heyuan fell, so where is the Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal?!"
"Its whereabouts are unknown..."
Ning Wan gritted her teeth and let out a cold snort:
"What unsightly greed."
The Real Person stepped down into the air from the jade platform, turned around, and looked at the eerie, colorful stone wall behind her, calling out:
"Who is here?"
Thereupon, faces began to emerge from the stone wall one after another, some blurry, some distinct. Yet Ning Wan stared vacantly at a corner of the stone wall, not looking closely, and soon everything vanished. She seemed to be calculating something; after a moment, she pondered:
*Nineteen... two are missing... The lord said that when a countenance fades, it means they are seeking a Dao fruit. Setting aside Senior Zipei, there is another. Since there has been no word of anyone attaining the status of Perfected Monarch, that person must have reincarnated with the aid of a certain golden nature.*
*As it happens, three golden natures emerged from Anhuai Heaven, one of which should correspond to 'True Qi'. Looking at the seat, it is that one from Changhuaishan who intends to vie for the seat of 'True Qi.'*
Pursing her lips in deep thought for a long while, she lightly tapped the jade platform. The platform shook slightly and actually split open from the middle, revealing a case inside which lay twenty-eight small white banners.
The woman beckoned gently, and the twenty-eight small banners took flight together, circling around the palm of her hand. Ning Wan smiled faintly and took a step outward. The grand formation of the entire cave dwelling instantly began to shake; countless rays of white light shone brightly, and a massive array plate the size of a desk, adorned with profound patterns, flew out from the Great Void.
Deploying a Violet Palace grand formation had always been an intricate, tedious affair; even with a Violet Palace array plate, setting it up and retrieving it was a troublesome task. Yet to Ning Wan, it seemed as simple as retrieving a magical implement from the Great Void.
"Let us go, to see Senior Si Boxiu."
This Autumn Lake Fairy rose, stepping upon the endless drifting snow. Standing amid the snow, Ning Hemian suddenly recalled something in hindsight:
*Back then, when the Real Person was hailed as the Autumn Lake Fairy, it was by no means based solely on her cultivation... Her talent in the Dao of Formations was so extraordinary that even Real Person Chi and Real Person Si Boxiu had praised her...*
Chapter 830