After thinking it through, Li Ximing took a sip of his tea. But he did not put away the jade slip, merely sighing as he spoke, "How does Daoist Master view the matter of Profound Peak Gate?"
Tinglan saw that he was in no hurry to accept it and realized he was waiting for her response. A faint smile crossed her lips as she replied, "I have spent many years traveling across the outer seas and do not know the situation well. Daoist Master Changxi had gone far despite hailing from a minor family, which is truly remarkable. My master once mentioned him... he is someone who places great importance on his family."
Li Ximing raised his brows and looked at her as the woman continued, "After all, they are our neighbors... My Purple Smoke Gate has been watching them for a long time. Haiying and Haiting in the early days, then Gusun and Tingyun later on, were all excellent aides. Since he valued his family, he remained still. Even a cunning rabbit keeps three burrows, so how could a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator not do the same? Now that he is dead, Profound Peak Gate may appear beyond saving, but in truth, its burrows are more numerous than its roads forward. The immortal gate might not survive, yet its bloodline and Dao lineage remain as unshakable as Mount Tai. Besides... is there not the Moongaze Immortal Family?"
Li Ximing quickly shook his head. Although he had never interacted with Changxi before, and though the man's name had often been accompanied by mocking jokes when he first heard it, now he understood better and replied, "Senior Changxi was deeply thoughtful. It was only Shanji Prefecture, yet the old master spoke of it again and again, saying its millions of people were the work of his life. They had been protected for centuries. Now that he can no longer safeguard them, he looked around and found that only Purple Smoke Immortal Gate remained a sacred land of orthodox cultivation. He could only rest assured if those people were entrusted to the righteous path."
Whatever Tinglan truly thought, with such praise placed upon her, she could not let the first thing she said be a rejection. She replied, "We can only thank the late senior for his high regard. But as you yourself have said, my Purple Smoke Gate is an orthodox gate of the Dao, a sacred land of cultivation. Matters of the immortal Dao must, of course, be guided by burning talismans in prayer, following the immortal mandate of the Origin Mansion, guarding one's heart and clarity of mind, and devoting oneself wholly to cultivation.
"Back then, the Upper Mansion assigned several prefectures to my Purple Smoke Gate, and we have kept watch over those few ever since. We cannot cross the boundary... I ask for your understanding."
Moonlight Origin Mansion?
When she finished speaking, Li Ximing was truly stunned. On his way here, he had considered hundreds of possible reasons for her refusal, but he had never expected this one. The excuse was so lofty and righteous that it left him speechless for a moment before he finally murmured, "So that's how it is... I've been presumptuous."
The faint blue at the corners of Tinglan's eyes shimmered slightly as she looked at him a moment longer and replied, "Your esteemed family is a rising power... and may not be aware. In truth, first Xiao, then Li; by custom, once one becomes an immortal family, one departs from the Azure Pond Sect and governs a land of one's own. This precedent, this system, was once the rule of the Origin Mansion, and Senior Si is merely following the ancient order."
After she finished speaking, Li Ximing realized that Tinglan's earlier words had not been mere excuses. Many regulations of the Moonlight Origin Mansion were still operating in Jiangnan. Although they did not always take effect, Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Masters would not defy them so long as there was no major conflict of interest.
He recalled the conservative naming divisions of the immortal sects and immortal gates, as well as the apparent unity between the Green Pine Supreme Yang Dao lineages. The withdrawal of various families from Green Pine Temple that left six gates standing alone came to his mind, as well as the Xuanmiao Temple's deferential respect toward the Sword Gate...
Even though these six factions schemed against one another in secret, the territories rarely changed. Each continued to guard its own small patch of land... and their battles were all taken overseas...
The six truly held a transcendent status. Cultivators of the Yue Cultivating Sect avoid the world; Profound Peak Gate has become a mere name; and Yue State is now, in truth, ruled by two sects, six gates, and three families... One sect and four gates cannot be touched...
Gradually, Li Ximing began to grasp the picture, and an unexpected thought surfaced, Snow Ji Gate has sealed its mountain for centuries! Mortals enter, yet no disciples leave... and not a single faction has ever moved against it! Could this be the reason? It might precisely be because the surroundings are tightly encircled by the Green Pine Dao lineage, and the land itself is barren, that it has managed to drag on until now.
Many thoughts passed through his mind, but outwardly he only sighed, "Daoist Tinglan... my family has done everything it can to protect them, but we can no longer preserve the entirety of Shanji Prefecture. So many lives there... how pitiful!"
Tinglan let out a soft laugh and replied, "That is not difficult. Simply invite a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator to reside there. No one considers land in Jiangnan undesirable, and there is no shortage of Purple Mansion Realm cultivators who wish to establish a Dao lineage here. The problem is finding someone to vouch for them. The old ones do not dare to come, and the young ones are too frivolous. As long as our two families reach an agreement and then consult the Sword Gate, the matter will be settled."
That set Li Ximing thinking, and the more he thought, the more his brows furrowed. If there truly was a friendly Purple Mansion Realm cultivator nearby, it would not be such a bad thing. Yet with the Profound Peak Gate Dao lineage in his family's hands, it would not sit well with others. Sending members of the Kong Family there would be awkward for his own family and difficult to explain to Xuanmiao Temple.
It is worth a try...
As that thought circled in his mind, he put away the jade slip and asked tentatively, "If we proceed with this idea, could the immortal gate send people to Shanji first to consolidate matters? My family has no strength left to guard it, and I fear that Shanji Prefecture will already have been looted clean by the time we hear any news."
"That is secondary..." Seeing him put the item away, Tinglan frowned and said, "If the matter is to be settled, there are two conditions... First, Profound Peak Mountain must be given to them. How could a dignified Daoist Master establish a sect when every place in the prefecture where spiritual energy converges belongs to someone else? Where would they cultivate? That would be a disgrace. Second, Kong Haiying must die."
Li Ximing had indeed expected those words, and he sighed inwardly. Tinglan's expression grew serious as she said, "Let me offer you a word of warning, Daoist friend. If Kong Haiying does not die, the conflict between your family and the Capital Immortal Dao will grow heavier by the day and rapidly deteriorate into something irreconcilable. Ye Hui is not a stubborn or extreme man, but even he cannot tolerate Kong Haiying. His fortunes run deep and he truly has the potential to break through!
"Daoist friend, you still have to refine pills for me. If you and Ye Hui end up fighting in earnest, the entire riverbank region will likely be thrown into chaos, and there will be nowhere left to refine my pills...
"It is the same with Profound Peak Mountain. If the mountain gate is given to them, what Daoist Master could tolerate several Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators attempting breakthroughs within their own gate? If they succeed and emerge from seclusion, whose sect would the mountain gate belong to? Who would Shanji Prefecture belong to?
"Since the Profound Peak Gate lineage is already in your family's hands, Daoist Masters seeking to move inland will hesitate. Once others seize Shanji Prefecture and Profound Peak Gate, the Kong Family of the wilderness will, at best, be called a remnant family and, at worst, surviving scum. At the very least, your family will have to send the Kong Family there and let them put on a grand display of gratitude before anyone will consider it even a partial reconciliation..."
Although Li Ximing knew this matter would be difficult to handle, he still sighed after hearing her words and nodded as he said, "I understand... Do you need the pill urgently, Daoist friend? If this matter isn't settled, it will likely be difficult to refine pills right away."
"It's no matter. I can still wait three to five years. Besides... I will be heading to the Northern Sea in the coming days, and won't have time to set up the formation for you at the moment."
Tinglan had clearly not expected Li Ximing to refine the pills for her immediately. After a few words of polite conversation and confirming the details of their agreement, she pointed to the clay vessel on the table and said, "I'll give you the Heavenly Quintessence-Expelling Pill recipe to study first. Once you're ready, you can come to my Purple Smoke Gate to collect the Boundless Water-Fire and the Heavenly Origin Essence."
Li Ximing agreed. Tinglan escorted him out, and when they reached the foot of purple jade platform, Cui Jueyin and the Purple Smoke Gate cultivator Wei Danying were chatting and laughing in a friendly atmosphere, far more lively and relaxed than the exchange of interests between the two Daoist Masters.
Though Cui Jueyin's appearance was unremarkable, his broad knowledge and elegant demeanor made conversing with him an enjoyable affair. Wei Danying listened with great interest, but as soon as the two Daoist Masters appeared, both immediately grew respectful and stepped back.
"Farewell, Zhaojing..."
Tinglan escorted him out of the blessed land, and Li Ximing departed in a streak of light, his face still thoughtful.