In the third lunar month of spring, the Yu Family concealed a spell within a pearl, which was placed inside the ebony mine and unearthed by a servant, who then presented it to Young Master Xiu. At that moment, thunder flames erupted. The house collapsed and Xiu perished.
Li Yuanyun had grown up quite a bit. With his black hair now tied back neatly, he looked like a proper teenager.
He lifted his head and looked at the half-burned wooden slip. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued writing.
The townsfolk mourned loudly and everyone was draped in mourning clothes. The vicious and sinister nature of the Yu Family's young master is now widely known.
Li Jingtian was pregnant and leaning tiredly against the desk, her eyes half-closed. Chen Donghe had already returned to the mountain to take care of his wife. Under the setting sun, he took two oranges and peeled them. The pale golden sunlight cast patches of gold on his white robe.
"Auntie, take a look at this."
Li Yuanyun handed the finished work to Li Jingtian, who looked it over and said softly, "Well done."
Li Yuanyun took it back and checked it twice more before setting down the brush. He picked up the half-burned wooden slip again. The characters on it were charred, with only a few strokes remaining intact.
He carefully turned it over, revealing a few complete characters on the side—it was a signature.
"...gift to Brother Yun."
Li Yuanyun was still examining the wooden slip in his hands when Li Jingtian accepted an orange from Chen Donghe and said in a low voice, "Yun'er, given the current situation, our family lacks a head to manage affairs. You should come down from the mountain to handle some matters..."
Li Jingtian’s words were straightforward, and Li Yuanyun knew that Li Jingtian was asking if he intended to take on the role of the family head.
He shook his head and answered, "I have no such desires. Firstly, I do not enjoy managing affairs, and secondly, there is Brother Jiao. He possesses a spiritual orifice and is a more suitable candidate than I am."
"Mortals are indeed too frail compared to immortal cultivators. If we let a mortal manage those of the Embryonic Breathing Realm and Qi Cultivation Realm, it might diminish our family's dignity," Li Yuanyun remarked, sharing his concerns.
Li Jingtian nodded slightly as she listened.
"You have a point," she responded softly.
She looked at Li Yuanyun who was engrossed in reading with his head down, then continued, "But you are also of age. You won't be able to find a woman you love if you spend all your years up here on the mountain..."
She then turned to look at Chen Donghe, who was quietly peeling oranges. "Are there any suitable candidates with spiritual orifices among the young at the foot of the mountain?" she asked.
Chen Donghe looked up and thought for a moment, then answered warmly, "There are none... The younger ones have not yet matured."
Li Jingtian pondered for a few moments, then resigned herself to the situation, leaning against the desk tiredly and closing her eyes once more.
Li Yuanyun and Chen Donghe fell silent, and for a while, the courtyard was bathed in golden sunset, accompanied only by her steady breathing.
————
"Family Head."
Li Xiewen, with a white cloth still tied around his forehead, cupped his fist to Li Xuanxuan who was nearby, and spoke softly, "People from Mount Yue have arrived."
"Oh?" Li Xuanxuan replied as he raised his eyebrows at the news. Although he still looked to be in his thirties, he appeared considerably worn and much older than usual.
After pondering for a moment, he asked, "How are the few descendants of Shamoli who stayed with the Li Family doing?"
Li Xuanxuan and Li Xiewen had been partners for a long time. Even though Li Xuanxuan had not been managing household affairs for a while, Li Xiewen was well-prepared before coming up the mountain.
"All the children are only three to five years old, and nothing much can be discerned yet. They are all studying with the other kids in the clan together in the school," he replied readily.
"I see... let them come up," Li Xuanxuan commanded.
Li Xiewen promptly left to carry out the order, and Li Xuanxuan returned to his seat. He prepared his ink and started drawing a talisman.
Now that he was handling affairs on the mountain, Li Xuanxuan had to make a considerable journey up and down the mountain and pass through the Sun Rite Profound Light Formation each time, which he found to be quite troublesome.
He finished the talisman in front of him and waited for the time it took an incense stick to burn before Li Xiewen returned with the visitor to the small courtyard.
Li Xuanxuan was still working on a second talisman. As the bright red tip of his brush glided across the pale yellow talisman paper, the envoy dared not make a sound. He remained kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear until Li Xuanxuan finally lifted his brush and sighed, content with his work.
Currently, Li Xuanxuan's success rate with drawing talismans was two or three out of ten. Achieving two consecutive successes was indeed rare for him, and he mused, Since I broke through the Qi Cultivation Realm and mastered the Cave Spring Clear Spirit Technique, this method has become increasingly compatible with talisman arts. I can draw talismans better now!
It was only then did he look up at the envoy, who was dressed in white with a hemp garment over it.
Li Xuanxuan spoke in a low voice. "State your business."
"The King of Mount Yue heard of Young Master Xiu's demise and was extremely saddened. He sent me with offerings, presenting three hundred and sixty slaves to serve as funeral attendants for the young master..."
As Mount Yue had become a vassal, the envoy no longer dared to refer to Shamoli as our great king , but instead referred to him as the King of Mount Yue . He also presented himself as a servant, adopting a very humble posture.
Li Xuanxuan frowned upon hearing this and said sternly, "Our family does not practice the custom of sacrificial burial. Send the slaves back."
"Yes."
The envoy remained kneeling on the ground as he bowed deeply and repeatedly, knowing that Li Xuanxuan was in a foul mood.
Li Xuanxuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Anything else?"
Sweating profusely, his white clothing clinging to his rough bronze skin, the envoy replied, "The King of Mount Yue has recently organized the state's affairs, and with domestic stability restored, he finds himself lonely without children around. As he has four sons and a daughter still in the east, he thought... he thought of... bringing a child back..."
The envoy was trembling while Li Xuanxuan remained silent, staring at him. He pondered to himself, Shamoli must not have discovered the flaw in that technique yet... he's probably just thinking of bringing back a few hostages to raise.
He lifted his head and replied, "Then you may take the princess back."
The envoy hesitated slightly. Shamoli did not care about his daughter and only wanted to bring back male heirs, but he dared not say more. He stood up and pretended to be relieved, saying, "Thank you, Great King!"
"Hmm." Li Xuanxuan nodded, and the man quickly left. Li Xiewen then stepped forward and handed over a report.
"The tributes from Mount Yue are recorded here. Most of them are spirit items of Embryonic Breathing Realm."
Li Xuanxuan accepted the document and did some mental calculations before chuckling coldly.
"It looks like a long list but everything totals up to only less than three Spirit Stones in value. From what we know, Shamoli isn't having an easy time either," he remarked with a snort.
Li Xiewen nodded in agreement, and Li Xuanxuan took out another piece of talisman paper. He continued sketching with his vermilion brush, musing, Shamoli won't notice the side effects of that technique anytime soon. Once he's been married for over a decade, he'll definitely see that something is amiss, and then he'll be desperate to find his sons.
Images of Shamoli angrily wielding a hammer flashed before Li Xuanxuan's eyes, causing him to worry.
If Second Uncle fails to break through, the rest of us will have to work together to kill this man... The Purple Thunder Secret Origin Technique is a profound technique, and although Shamoli has consumed unrefined qi, he is not to be underestimated. After all, Mount Yue has a population of hundreds of thousands! Things can easily get out of hand.