Yuanbian

Li Ximing sized him up in secret, sitting upright and still as he said in a soft voice: "This pill is extraordinarily wondrous, so fellow daoist must surely understand the degree of difficulty involved. I have some friends in Jiangnan who possess a Violet Palace spirit furnace. If I call in a personal favor to borrow it for this, the chance of successfully forming the pill should be at least seventy percent." The monster king laughed heartily and rose from his seat, his face beaming with delight as he said in a resonant voice: "If Fellow Daoist can guarantee seventy percent, then this deal is well worth doing!" Seeing his eager look, as if ready to go all-in on this grand endeavor, Li Ximing knew this was not a matter concerning just one party. If the pill concoction failed, pointlessly provoking a noble lineage would invite trouble, which Li Ximing wished to avoid. After pondering repeatedly, he spoke up to advise: "Fellow Daoist had better remain prudent... After all, with a spiritual object of such immense value, if anything goes wrong, the heartbreak would be immense!" Fuxun turned his intertwined red-and-white eyes toward him, parted his lips, and whispered: "I might as well let Fellow Daoist know: this king still holds some modest influence around here. Near Xipo, there is a monster cave whose master is a close friend of mine. His Daoist name is Qingyan, and he cultivates the path of 'Qingxuan'!" "Oh?!" Li Ximing was immediately intrigued. Qingxuan was far across the horizon, yet right before his eyes—his own neighbors, the Yuan family, cultivated Qingxuan, renowned as a peerless art of Jiangnan. Yet they had long failed to break through to the Violet Palace, causing their illustrious lineage to lose its luster. Never did he expect to encounter a follower of Qingxuan in this scarcely populated monster kingdom. Li Ximing nodded with a smile, already understanding his meaning, and asked: "Could it be... invocation arts?" The Great Sapo King nodded smugly, raising his chin, and replied: "Fellow Daoist is truly an immortal cultivator from Jiangnan, well-traveled and knowledgeable indeed! In this whole Southern Border, scarcely anyone has heard of the Qingxuan path!" Li Ximing pondered for a moment and reminded him: "Although traces of invocation arts remain in our Jiangnan, I have rarely heard of them aiding in alchemy. We still need to test and verify beforehand." "Naturally!" Fuxun said solemnly. "Of the so-called Three Wu and Two Zhu, the Two Zhu are Hengzhu and Qingxuan. That brother of mine is also of noble descent, with no shallow cultivation. What is more... Fellow Daoist must not forget yours truly!" He smiled slightly, his red-and-white eyes blinking, looking all the more uncanny. "This king cultivates 'Ruiqi', possessing a divine ability that naturally senses fortune, calamity, and safety while conferring great luck. With the combined efforts of the three of us, if this pill still cannot be formed, I fear there are no other means under heaven that could succeed!" "That is indeed true..." The other party possessed the divine ability of Ruiqi. Since their conversation was proceeding smoothly, it indicated his divine ability sensed no ill omen, and the endeavor itself held benefits. Thus, Li Ximing relaxed somewhat. Looking at Fuxun, he said softly: "If that is the case, I shall borrow the spirit furnace. As for Fellow Daoist's spiritual fire..." Only then did Fuxun perk up. Rubbing his chin in thought, he took quite a while before answering: "Actually, robbing someone is the most convenient. Over at Shengbai Hall on the Xitian Plain, there is one who cultivates 'Shaoyang'. He knows a bit of alchemy and definitely possesses a spiritual fire—and quite a formidable one at that, named 'Shangjue Palace Minister Fire'." Li Ximing merely tactfully declined: "There is no need to consider Shaoyang fire. The spiritual fire I wish to obtain must at least belong to Fire Virtue, and not be Combined Fire!" If forced by necessity, taking action by force was indeed inevitable, but the other party secretly harbored the intention of pitting him against Shengbai Hall. How could Li Ximing agree to that? He hardened his tone to press him. Seeing that he had narrowed the scope, Fuxun pondered back and forth and finally found a target, whispering: "All the way south from here, near the northern edge of the South Sea, lies a major country of the Southern Border whose capital is situated on a great southern island, named Zhuluo. Its former lord perished long ago, his body transforming into spiritual fire that was carved up among various factions, leaving behind a new lord who only recently broke through to the Violet Palace. I suspect he still holds spiritual fire in his hands." Li Ximing saw right through his intention to kick a man while he was down, realizing this fellow possessed no small amount of cunning. Frowning, he said: "Fellow Daoist should either retrieve the spiritual fire yourself beforehand, or you and I should trade with him for it. I will not have you using my banner to intimidate him and stir up enmity." "Naturally, naturally." Fuxun cupped his hands, his tone even turning somewhat flattering. "After all, Fellow Daoist is the one concocting the pill... how could this king play petty tricks in this matter? What this king means is that he is currently living in straitened circumstances and distress. Fellow Daoist can provide some pills from your side, while I promise him certain conditions and offer several years of protection..." The monster chuckled cunningly, speaking with a rather wicked air: "He is already in dire straits and cannot afford to offend me. With both threats and enticements, there is a high probability he will agree at this moment!" "Very well." Li Ximing cared little whether Fuxun could fulfill his promises or not; so long as he provided the pills and extricated himself from the rest, it would suffice. He reminded him: "If you go to negotiate with him, I will accompany you." Fuxun agreed, quietly observing him for a moment before answering: "Only, he cultivates 'Lihuo'. Can Fellow Daoist concoct such pills?" "That is no problem." Although Li Ximing did not possess pill formulas for Lihuo pills in his collection, he possessed mastery of the alchemical art and had obtained the *Tianxin Yiyi Pill Method*. He had no fear of being unable to satisfy these monster kings from such remote backwaters. He said softly: "Fellow Daoist may go ahead and ask him. If he does not have any specific pills he urgently needs concocted, simply inform me of his requirements, and I will refine them for him. The quantity of pills produced will certainly not disappoint him." At this point, he paused slightly and smiled: "As for the materials for concocting the pills... that will require Fellow Daoist to consider and provide accordingly." In truth, Li Ximing happened to have a Lihuo Violet Palace material in hand—the Chongli Treasure Leaf given to him by Ning Wan when she visited Lake Wangyue back in the day—which could originally have served for this pill. But having reached his current standing, Li Ximing had long seized the upper hand, so naturally he insisted that Fuxun provide the resources. The Great Sapo King pondered for a moment, appearing somewhat helpless, and shook his head: "I am not afraid of Fellow Daoist laughing at me: years ago, in order to trade for the Non-falling Golden Cloud, I cleaned out all the spiritual resources I had accumulated over so many years... Otherwise, I would not constantly harbor thoughts of fighting and pillaging. But this expense should indeed be borne by me... Let us see what he demands first." Seeing that he was actually quite sincere, Li Ximing nodded in agreement, already feeling a bit impatient. He asked: "When shall we go to meet that monster king?" "No rush for that," Fuxun chuckled and whispered. "A friend of mine from Jiangnan whom I mentioned earlier, whose Daoist name is Yuanbian, was in seclusion cultivating on the sea and only emerged last year. I have invited him over to bolster our presence and add some momentum, so we can intimidate that King of Zhuluo a bit." Li Ximing nodded, simply discussing the Dao with him in the courtyard. When it came to discussing Daoist arts, this Great Sapo King truly possessed genuine depth of cultivation, and Ruiqi was exceedingly rare in the world, bringing Li Ximing considerable gains. Moreover, the monster king's temperament was not as tyrannical as imagined, but rather humorous and forthright. As Li Ximing talked with him further, he could still sense how desperately important this pill was to him. Fuxun gripped his teacup, looking quite uneasy. Li Ximing could only say: "The spiritual materials are indeed precious, and this pill formula is a bit too absolute. Have you ever considered altering the method?" Fuxun merely shook his head, speaking in a measured voice: "The Non-falling Golden Cloud is no ordinary thing. In my lineage, it is recorded that a certain True Monarch used this object before attaining the Dao. At that time, He had just reached the Violet Palace, and by using three clouds and one stone with Taiyin as the foundation, He forged a talisman... Among these three clouds and one stone were the Non-falling Golden Cloud and Fuyuan Taimi." Li Ximing calculated in his mind and chuckled: "Just reached the Violet Palace... and He already used four top-tier Violet Palace spiritual materials to forge a single talisman?" "Far more than that!" Fuxun laughed heartily with an expression full of reverence, answering: "I heard that the material serving as the Taiyin foundation was far superior even to the Non-falling Golden Cloud and Fuyuan Taimi! Otherwise, how could He be a True Monarch?" He shook his head quietly and continued: "This pill precisely borrows the concept of that talisman, taking the True Monarch's talisman-refining as its model. Back then, the True Monarch refined a talisman, so today what is refined will be a pill. As for the blessing of Qingxuan, even if you were one hundred percent certain, I would still invite him... After all, we must follow precedent..." From the perspective of pill formulas, Li Ximing felt one was simply concocting it, yet modeling after former sages could never be dismissed as mere comfort—it undoubtedly carried tangible effects. Even to this day, Jiangnan cultivators retained some bizarre practices, to the point of breaking a weapon without rhyme or reason before activating a formation... A mere two days and nights later, a commotion arose outside, and someone called out: "Is Senior Fuxun present? Yuanbian comes to pay his respects!" The voice made Li Ximing raise his head slightly, frowning with an odd sensation, an indescribable doubt welling in his heart. 'Indeed a Jiangnan accent... it even feels somewhat like a familiar local accent...' Hearing this voice, Fuxun realized the backup he had awaited for so long had arrived. Overjoyed, he exited the pavilion and shouted: "Brother, you have arrived!" With that, the doors swung open, and a Zhenren flew in. He appeared to be middle-aged; though his features could not be called exceedingly handsome, he wore a white fur coat with pearls tied at his waist, appearing gentle and scholarly. In the center of his fair brow were three vertical markings—the sides short and the middle long—shining with a glittering silver hue. His eyes shone brightly as he entered the pavilion with a smile, speaking modestly: "Senior is too courteous! Senior is much older than I; I truly dare not address you as brother. Please just call me by my Daoist name!" Having spoken, the Zhenren in the white fur coat only then noticed there was another person in the pavilion. He gave a slight start, his gaze shifting blankly over, his pupils suddenly dilating as if he had laid eyes on something utterly astonishing. Meanwhile, the Zhenren in the platinum Daoist robes had long since risen from his seat and walked to the front of the pavilion. Their gazes met. Compared to his incredulous expression, Li Ximing's gaze was filled with suspicion and uncertainty, as though struggling to confirm his identity, repeatedly sweeping across his face. For a moment, the atmosphere froze like stone. Fuxun's smile remained frozen on his face, but in that split second his mind grew alert, alarm bells blaring within his heart: 'Not good! These two are enemies!' The moment this thought surfaced, faint fangs began to break through beneath his pale-faced scholar skin. A single thought echoed in Fuxun's mind: 'What a pity! Where will I ever find such a good alchemist again?!' Yet in merely a flash, the middle-aged man in the long white fur coat grew red around the eyes, weeping tears of pure joy: "Ximing!" That single exclamation caused Fuxun's surging fangs to vanish instantly, and he turned his head in slight embarrassment. Li Ximing's pupils were filled with disbelief. Only when the middle-aged man stepped right before him did he stammer in a daze: "Could it be Senior Changdie...?" This person was actually Liu Changdie! Li Ximing was thoroughly familiar with the name Liu Changdie. Not only was he well acquainted with several elders of his family, but he had also constructed formations for their family from early on. Before their clan had risen to prominence, almost every formation had been built by this formation master... To this day, Mount Qingdu still utilized the Five Waters Imperial Qi Grand Formation he had constructed! It was said that this man had been bosom friends with his uncle, Li Yuanjiao, and had wept bitterly before Li Yuanjiao's grave, wailing even harder than most relatives... Yet Li Ximing had cultivated at the Xiao family during his early years and had never met him. When Liu Changdie had come for the last time to construct the formation on Mount Qingdu, Li Ximing had been in seclusion making a breakthrough... Thus, among so many brothers, Li Ximing was actually the only one who had never met him. At the time, Liu Changdie had deeply regretted it and had asked Li Xijun about him... Because Liu Changdie had built formations without taking a single copper out of gratitude, Li Xuanxuan had specially brought out a portrait for Li Ximing to see once he emerged from seclusion, etching it into his memory ever since... 'To think he quietly achieved the Violet Palace in the Southern Border! As a mere rogue cultivator... how incredible!' Although he knew there was something strange about this man, there were countless people in the world who harbored secrets—how many of them could reach the Violet Palace?! Liu Changdie had actually attained the Violet Palace in this remote, desolate wasteland?! He understood the deep bond between his family and Liu Changdie, feeling both surprised and overjoyed. Little did he know that the man before him felt emotions far more complicated than his own... Li Ximing had never met Liu Changdie, but Liu Changdie had seen him! In his previous life, Li Ximing's concubine had been Liu Changdie's daughter! Seeing his appearance now, how could he not feel in a trance? His voice choked for a moment, and with mingled grief and joy, he blurted out: "Seventh Young Master!" The moment the middle-aged man in white fur spoke those words, Li Ximing felt as though an entire lifetime had passed: 'How many years has it been since anyone called me Seventh Young Master? Who else would dare call me Seventh Young Master?' From this single sentence alone, he could fundamentally confirm that the person before him was indeed Liu Changdie. Feeling somewhat at a loss, he could only sigh: "Congratulations, Senior! Truly, I never could have imagined..." Liu Changdie gazed deeply at him. 'I possess memories of a past life and advantages at every turn. Yet even so, I suffered no end of hardships before barely managing to find spiritual materials in the Southern Border to achieve a breakthrough. Without a stroke of luck, I might not have succeeded even now!' 'He, on the other hand, had to carry an entire clan, cultivating in a Jiangnan fraught with perils and murderous traps at every corner, breaking through to the Violet Palace at an even younger age than I... Who knows how much bitterness he had to swallow...' He let out a long sigh, taking quite a while before speaking: "If Brother Jiao knows of this in the Netherworld, he can finally rest in peace!" These words caused Li Ximing's newly settled emotions to churn once more. He gently let out a breath and listened as the man before him asked with great agitation: "Is Lord Xuanxuan in good health? How is Miss Yuexiang? Is the Third Young Master doing well at Qingchi? Did Xicheng establish his foundation? And Xijun must be around the time to make a breakthrough to the Violet Palace..." Li Ximing listened carefully until he finished, then said quietly: "The Old Master is still well. Third Brother has already gone to cultivate in the East Sea. Sister Yuexiang, Eldest Brother, Eighth Brother... they... are no longer with us." "Ah!" Liu Changdie turned his head, sitting frozen in place as if suffocated. Li Ximing forced a smile and replied: "Let us attend to proper business first!" Both were already exalted figures of the Violet Palace, and with an outsider monster watching nearby, they regained their composure within a few breaths. Fuxun looked left and right, then rejoiced: "Since you two have known each other for so long, this matter will be far easier to handle!"