"Report!"
A clan soldier rushed into the courtyard and entered the rear hall, announcing his arrival at the door before kneeling down in a panic.
"Come in."
A youthful voice—clear and slightly high-pitched, characteristic of his age—came from inside the hall.
The soldier entered the rear hall and presented a small letter to Li Pingyi, who approached him. His voice was solemn when he spoke.
"Report from Jingyang Town."
Li Yuanxiu read the letter and muttered, "The fourth son of the Tian Family and a male member of the Liu Family got into a fight on the streets of Jingyang Town, knocking out three of the Liu Family member's teeth... Incensed, the Liu Family sent a letter overnight to my aunt, seeking justice."
Li Yuanxiu was amused by the letter. Granduncle Li Tongya's wife was from the Liu Family, which afforded the Liu Family a certain status among the towns.
Although the Tian Family lacked powerful backers, several of its members held significant power, leading to endless disputes between the two families that had now escalated to Liu Rouxuan.
Li Yuanxiu could not help but comment, "They couldn't even handle such a trivial matter and decided to escalate a report..."
"Should we arrest the culprit?" Li Pingyi asked.
"No need," Li Yuanxiu responded softly, his voice low. He held a slight disdain for the Liu Family's manager; he could have stopped the report but chose not to intervene due to respect for his elders.
Soon after, another clan soldier entered the courtyard. Without looking up, Li Yuanxiu inquired, "What was my aunt's reaction?"
The soldier was momentarily stunned, not expecting Li Yuanxiu to predict his news.
Swallowing the long speech he had prepared, he responded succinctly, "The person from the Liu Family delivered the letter, but she only read it without responding..."
Li Yuanxiu simply nodded and pondered over the letter in front of him for a few moments. He then lifted his brush and wrote— Read —before continuing, "Assign the guy from the Tian Family to the ebony mine for a three-year term."
Liu Rouxuan's response to receiving the letter was not to sternly reprimand her people for stirring up trouble but rather to remain silent.
Realizing that his aunt was somewhat dissatisfied with the Tian Family's actions yet refrained from acting due to her past relationship with his third aunt, Tian Yun, Li Yuanxiu decided to tactfully administer a mild punishment to the Tian Family.
He then instructed Li Pingyi, "Send a younger family member to reprimand the Liu Family's manager. How dare they escalate such embarrassing minor issues to the elders? They lack discretion!"
"Understood," Li Pingyi responded quietly. Suddenly, he perked up his ears.
Li Yuanxiu also sensed that something was amiss and looked toward the courtyard.
Clang, clang...
The sound of weapons hitting the ground echoed as the clan soldiers outside all bowed their heads and kneeled, laying their weapons on the ground. Through the open courtyard gate, a robust figure swiftly emerged. Beneath his long eyebrows were a pair of calm eyes.
A man, carrying an impressively large, beak-nosed canine that was still squeaking, entered the courtyard nonchalantly. He had a gold bow ornately carved with patterns slung on his back and he smiled as he looked at Li Yuanxiu seated at the head of the hall.
The old guards in the rear hall were all familiar with this person, so they instantly kneeled and laid down their weapons as a gesture of respect.
Although Li Pingyi did not recognize the man, the sight of the iconic golden bow startled him, prompting him to kneel on one knee and bow his head as well.
"Welcome, Clan Uncle!"
Li Yuanxiu quickly set down his writing brush and hurried forward, cupping his fist respectfully.
"Greetings, Uncle!"
"Hahaha!"
Li Xuanfeng let the two demon beasts drop to the ground with a thud and laughed heartily. He scrutinized Li Yuanxiu, noting, "It's been years, and you're all grown up already. Xuanling told me you were modest, but I see you are handsome and wise, not just bright inside... Very good...very good indeed!"
Li Yuanxiu chuckled softly and replied, "The family still depends on the elders. My little cleverness is nothing special, I'm just managing the family's various branches as my duty."
Li Xuanfeng waved his hand, gesturing toward the two hyenas on the ground, explaining, "The sacrifice is nearing, and these two beasts I've captured are for that. I've sealed their powers. You should prepare for the sacrifice, it's likely that your second uncle and your father won't be able to attend due to their training in seclusion. Arrange everything properly; the household affairs are now in your hands."
"Understood," Li Yuanxiu replied as he nodded seriously.
Li Xuanfeng then inquired about Li Yuanxiu's progress in cultivation. After making sure that the young one had no questions regarding his training, Li Xuanfeng flew out of the courtyard.
Watching Li Xuanfeng leave with envy, Li Pingyi remarked, "With Clan Uncle out of seclusion, the family's upcoming sacrificial ritual should proceed smoothly now."
Li Yuanxiu agreed with a relieved smile, "Indeed. Summon the family elders... We need to consult them about the rituals. We can hold the ceremony at the end of the year."
————
Winter snow arrived on schedule, thoroughly icing over the shores of the lake. Every household lit lamps at the foot of the mountain according to the age-old tradition. Children worshiped the moon and frolicked before the lights, their laughter carrying far into the distance.
Li Yuanxiu consulted with the family elders and finalized the preparations for the sacrifice. The street market surged with people who craned their necks at the stone altar, whispering among themselves as they gazed at the two massive hyena demons strapped in place.
Lu Jiangxian's divine sense emerged from the mirror, observing the noisy scene below the mountain. Streams of pale golden incense flowed out, swirling like threads of gold, all converging on his mirror's surface.
"Time flies... three to five years pass in the blink of an eye. Is this what they call the seed of longevity?" he mumbled.
Lu Jiangxian, having spent nearly fifty years on the mountain, had watched Li Tongya evolve from a mortal to a Qi Cultivator. He had also seen Li Xuanxuan grow from a naive child into the head of a family, witnessed elders pass away, and children born.
A multitude of emotions welled within him.
Time flowed as usual within the mirror. Over the past decades, Lu Jiangxian had focused solely on studying shamanic spells within the mirror, deepening his understanding of the craft. The curses and spells he had developed were now potent enough to easily kill a Qi Cultivator.
"They are here."
In the town center of Lijing, the stone platform was filled with people prostrating themselves. The sacrificial stone knife penetrated the skulls and brains of the two hyena demons.
A robust flow of blood qi and essence qi rose, mingling with the pervasive incense before pouring into the mirror.
"The Li Family of Lijing offers respect along with fine delicacies and wine with unwavering devotion year upon year... Through the smoke of our offerings and the blood of our sacrifice, we call upon the gods, seeking their blessings."
Lu Jiangxian stood atop the mountain within the mirror's world, a wisp of gray talisman qi appearing in his hand.
Observing the changes in the talisman qi, he pondered for a moment before picking up a jade pot from the table, dividing half of the talisman qi for future study.
His divine sense circled a few of the younger generation of the Li Family below, musing to himself, Talisman qi is precious indeed... but to me, it costs nothing. However, if granted too freely, it loses its value and significance.
Looking at the people below, Lu Jiangxian planned his actions carefully.
From now on, each generation should only receive one or two talisman qi... It's better to focus on quality. The excess talisman qi could be condensed into talisman pills or stored for later use.
As for today's sacrifice... each person should only receive one talisman qi. If given now, it would only be a gray talisman of Qi Cultivation Realm, which isn't much. It's worth the wait though. Once Li Tongya achieves the Foundation Establishment Realm and secures a demon beast of that realm, I will bestow white talisman qi of the Foundation Establishment Realm to the generation of Yuan and Qing in the Li Family.
With his mind made up, Lu Jiangxian activated the mirror, condensing half of the talisman qi into talisman pills. In the stone chamber on the mountain, the bluish-gray mirror radiated a bright white light, calmly floating up and releasing six intricately patterned talisman pills.