Li Tongya flicked his sleeves, his expression tinged with a hint of melancholy as the north wind rustled through the woods, the echo of their words lingering. The Qi Cultivator gently cupped his fist and responded, "That's a pity..."
Li Tongya nodded and asked, "May I know your name?"
The man responded with a light gesture of respect and smiled as he replied, "Xiao Jiuqing."
As they were talking, a gust of wind whooshed down the path. The newcomer had sharp eyes and was clad in a snow-white fox fur coat with a dharma sword tied at his waist. Despite appearing to be in his early forties, he maintained the handsome features that a middle-aged man would otherwise possess. Relaxing his spell, he cupped his fist and greeted them.
"It has been many years Brother Tongya, but you still carry yourself with grace!"
Li Tongya laughed heartily and returned the gesture. "Likewise, Brother Yongling!"
The newcomer was none other than Xiao Yongling, possessing the ninth heavenly level of the Qi Cultivation Realm, a status he had polished over many years. He smiled warmly.
"Brother Tongya, your progress has been swift, putting me to shame!"
He waved to Xiao Jiuqing, who was standing quietly aside, waiting on them.
"Jiuqing, I have not seen Brother Tongya for many years, and we have much to catch up on. Go attend to the others; I'll personally take care of Brother Tongya," he instructed.
Xiao Jiuqing quickly excused himself as Li Tongya and Xiao Yongling took to the air, laughing. "Xiao Jiuqing is indeed talented."
Li Tongya then recounted earlier events, and Xiao Yongling listened with amusement, playfully remarking, "My words from that day have indeed come to pass."
Li Tongya chuckled and shook his head, while Xiao Yongling continued with a beguiling smile, "But Brother Tongya, you've really been keeping such a low profile... You didn't even send out invitations or celebrate your breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm! I was thinking of sending a gift or two, but it seems there was no way to do that!"
They exchanged a knowing smile and Li Tongya chatted with him for a few more moments before they landed on a small peak within the mountain range.
A middle-aged man was sitting at a jade table, engrossed in reading an alchemy manual. Xiao Yongling landed and said with a smile, "Clan Uncle, guess who's here."
The middle-aged man looked up in surprise and quickly put away his manual. He cupped his fist and greeted, "Ah, you've come, Tongya, my friend!"
"Greetings, Senior!"
This person was Xiao Yuansi, the senior brother of Li Chejing. As they took their seats and accepted the tea served to them, Li Tongya weighed his next words carefully, then spoke earnestly.
"I have a favor to ask, Senior... For the Daoist Master's ceremony, I put great effort into finding a spirit herb I thought to offer to the Daoist Master. However, I am unsure what spirit root it actually is or its quality, and I am afraid of making a fool of myself. Could you please take a look?"
"Sure," Xiao Yuansi agreed, and Xiao Yongling also turned his attention to him eagerly. Li Tongya then reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a jade box. Using his mana, he extracted the spirit herb.
It was a glowing, yellow, delicate fruit that seemed almost translucent, with a halo of light around it which made it quite captivating.
Xiao Yuansi examined the item carefully for a while and even pulled out several jade slips to verify his findings before he responded, "From what I can see, this appears to be a Golden Bamboo Fruit. It is known for enhancing cultivation and stabilizing vital essence. Among the Foundation Establishment Realm treasures, it is considered top-notch. It fears direct sunlight or flames and is rare in the Yue State... in fact, this is my first time seeing one."
As he spoke, Xiao Yuansi held the fruit in his left hand and flicked his right hand, igniting a burst of flame. As the flame came close to the fruit, it immediately started to tremble and split open like a mouth, emitting a loud and grating wailing noise.
Xiao Yuansi nodded slightly and extinguished the flame, confirming his speculations. "It is indeed a Golden Bamboo Fruit! The scripture states that when approached by fire, it cries incessantly and curses frequently... From this, one can discern its origin. If it is older, it might even attempt to flee. Consuming it at this stage benefits a cultivator of the Purple Mansion Realm."
Both listened intently, their faces showing surprise. Xiao Yuansi laughed. "Right now, this fruit can only cry, but if it reaches the age when it can move, even Purple Mansion Realm cultivators would be greatly tempted by it!"
Even though Xiao Yuansi had already extinguished the flame as he was speaking, the Golden Bamboo Fruit continued to fuss, babbling on and on. Xiao Yuansi, with a strange look on his face, whispered, "Be quiet!"
However, the fruit ignored him and kept on shouting. Xiao Yuansi, unable to hold back a chuckle, remarked, "My immortal foundation is Vermillion Sage , which enables me to understand the language of plants."
He formed a hand gesture, and suddenly Li Tongya's hearing cleared. He listened as the fruit screamed profanities.
"Stupid motherfuckers! I was doing just fine on the vine but that damn barbarian had to pick me..!"
Li Tongya was astonished and listened for a while, but the fruit just repeated the same few phrases over and over. He eventually took out the jade box, forcefully stuffed the struggling Golden Bamboo Fruit back inside, and shut the lid. Just as he did so, a loud and final Motherfucker! was heard before everything went silent again.
Both the uncle and nephew of the Xiao Family burst out laughing, while Li Tongya shook his head helplessly.
Xiao Yuansi commented, "Once plucked, this fruit can speak within moments, then dies soon after. Although it can still speak later, it only repeats a few phrases. It is certainly quite peculiar!"
Li Tongya nodded slightly and asked about the most pressing issue on his mind in a low voice. "How much might it be worth...?"
Xiao Yuansi paused slightly before responding, "Ordinary spirit herbs are priced between two hundred and three hundred Spirit Stones. This one, being of superior quality, is roughly worth around two hundred fifty Spirit Stones. If someone urgently needs it, the price could go up by a dozen or so stones."
After saying this, he glanced at Li Tongya and added softly, "If Brother Tongya uses this as a gift for the Daoist Master, it certainly conveys your sincerity even if it might not be considered precious to a man of his caliber."
Li Tongya nodded, feeling relieved. He then inquired quietly, "Do you have any updates on the Yu Family's situation?"
Xiao Yuansi nodded gently and replied, "I have already presented the River Crossing Torrential Step to our ancestor. He was very pleased but is still deliberating on how to deal with the Yu Family. He might summon you to discuss this before or after the ceremony... Just wait a little longer."
Li Tongya quickly expressed his gratitude. Xiao Yuansi shifted aside, then pulled out another jade slip which was imbued with mana light—it was the Wing Clipper Spear technique .
Li Tongya carefully took it, and as they chatted and waited, they saw the spiritual qi above the Xiao Residence interconnect with the earth veins and swirl up like a lotus flower. Xiao Yuansi smiled.
"Brother Tongya, come with me."
————
Following the jade stairs upwards, the Xiao Family had set up a formation at the summit. It was shrouded by clouds and mist, creating a scene akin to that of an otherworldly paradise.
At the very top, the main hall, which was constructed of gold and jade, housed exquisitely crafted tables with seventeen high seats.
This caused Li Tongya to furrow his brow slightly as he thought to himself, Three sects, seven gates, and seven other clans... I wonder if they are rogue cultivators or foreign cultivators.
The seventeen high seats were still conspicuously empty. The forces from the Purple Mansion Realm indeed had a grand presence. The tables were filled with spirit wine and fruits, and the jade vases and bowls emanated a soft glow—they were clearly not ordinary objects.
Below the high platform was a ring of tables for less formal seating, each set with utensils made of white jade. Li Tongya observed the setup carefully for a while until Xiao Yongling approached him, walking through the mist.
"Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators sit at the highest places, as befits your esteemed clan!" he said with a smile.
Li Tongya, not one to be comfortable with such distinction, quickly waved his hand and whispered urgently, "I'll pass!"
He sighed softly and cupped his fist, saying, "Brother Yongling, you are putting me on the spot here. Let us do away with that seat... I would rather find a spot at the lower end to sit."