After seeing off Tian Youdao, Tian Zhongqing tidied up the room right away. Not daring to waste any time at all, he made his way west toward Lijing Town hurriedly. With the dazzling morning sun slowly rising, he was bathed in the brilliant golden light. An image of Xu Gongming suddenly popped into his mind.
"I have the guidance of my elder and must still rush about... Who knows if I can avert disaster? Brother Gongming is all alone, how will he manage?"
A faint sense of guilt mixed with deep relief surged within Tian Zhongqing, creating a complex blend of emotions in his heart. This mixture of worry and conflicting feelings made the otherwise tedious journey pass quickly.
Between Lijing Town and the various towns of Huaqian lay Lidaokou Village, the original dirt road had been replaced by a beautifully paved stone path. Lidaokou Village was also home to a family from Moongaze Lake surnamed Xu, who later moved to Lijing Town.
Known for keeping a low profile, it was said that the ancestors of these families were refugees skilled in business dealings, and several of their descendants had even managed affairs with Mount Yue. Tian Zhongqing had never been to this place, so he just glanced around and continued west.
It was still early and Lijing Town was just waking up in the morning mist, with smoke rising from every household. Tian Zhongqing headed straight to the foot of Mount Lijing and spoke directly to the two clan guards stationed there.
"Please deliver this letter to my cousin."
The guards took a good look at him and recognized Tian Zhongqing right away, knowing that his cousin was Li Jingtian. They quickly nodded and took the letter, and soon, a message came down in response. They then collected Tian Zhongqing's storage pouch and dharma artifacts before leading him up the mountain.
Tian Zhongqing entered the mountain, walking along a small path for a while until he saw a small courtyard appear before him. He entered the courtyard respectfully, where there was only a small desk by the window where a woman in a palace dress, with a jade hairpin and a gentle demeanor, was seated. Beside her kneeled a young girl who stared at him curiously.
"Zhongqing greets elder sister!" Tian Zhongqing called out respectfully.
Li Jingtian, however, merely held the letter in her hand and said calmly, "Uncle sent you here. Is there something you need to ask?"
Tian Zhongqing was about to speak, but Li Jingtian waved her hand to interrupt him, gently patting Li Qingxiao's head and sending her off to study. Only then did she focus her attention on listening to Tian Zhongqing's explanation.
Raising her eyebrows slightly, she felt a mix of exasperation and amusement as she set down her tea bowl and criticized harshly, "How could you be this foolish!"
Li Jingtian frowned slightly. Though her temperament was gentle, she had a dignified presence when serious, startling Tian Zhongqing into a tirade of repetitive apologies.
"Indeed, I was foolish! I was foolish!"
Li Jingtian paused and then advised, "If you fear trouble, relinquish your position and take some of our clan's allied cultivators to Mount Yue to cultivate spirit fields."
Tian Zhongqing nodded repeatedly but hesitated before asking quietly, "When can I return...?"
Li Jingtian pondered for a moment and replied, "Focus on your cultivation. If all goes well, someone from our family will be sent to the Eastern Mount Yue to guard and establish a foothold. Your days may not be so difficult, but as for when you can return, that is not something I can predict."
Tian Zhongqing nodded continuously, seeing that Li Jingtian remained silent. Not daring to say more, he expressed his thanks and quickly left.
As Tian Zhongqing departed, the courtyard was left with only a gentle breeze. Li Jingtian waited quietly at the desk for a while, and soon enough, there was a knock on the door. She smiled warmly.
"Come in."
A young man wearing a black robe and matching black boots adorned with silver patterns stepped inside. He cupped his fists lightly and said with a soft laugh, "Auntie, what did you tell him?"
Li Jingtian smiled softly and replied, "I told him to go to Mount Yue."
Li Yuanjiao nodded, a hint of a smile appearing on his face as he said quietly, "Previously, people despised Mount Yue for its poverty and the fact that it was inhabited by uncivilized men with disheveled hair and tattoos... No one even wanted to go there to plant Spirit Paddies. Now, they have come knocking by themselves!"
Li Jingtian nodded silently and said softly, "They would rather engage in cockfighting and dog racing in the town than go to Mount Yue to manage spirit fields... This is the nature of these cultivators. In contrast, the impoverished cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm work tirelessly, taking on multiple jobs just to earn a few more jin of Spirit Paddies."
"It is indeed human nature..." Li Yuanjiao said, laughing heartily before adding, "The influential families live without worries, provided for by their elders. Besides their daily cultivation, they naturally indulge in entertainment. This Tian Zhongqing is actually one of the better ones...
"Most cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, knowing they have no hope of breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Realm, start to behave recklessly, indulging themselves in pleasures and vices, making them an annoyance to others. With this excuse, we can send the Tian Family's allied cultivators to Mount Yue to farm, preventing them from causing trouble under the pretense of residual favors."
Li Jingtian poured tea for Li Yuanjiao, startling the young man into repeatedly expressing his unworthiness. Li Jingtian then smiled and said, "My uncle Tian Youdao is loyal, but over the years, the Tian Family has grown increasingly arrogant, relying on his and my mother's past favors. They have taken in several Mount Yue cultivators and have become somewhat overconfident... This matter serves as a good warning to several families."
Li Jingtian's words were partly to absolve Tian Youdao, and Li Yuanjiao understood this clearly. He nodded, saying, "Granduncle and father have both noticed this, which is why they gave him the pill to help him break through. However, the Tian Family's ethos is not right. Even without Tian Zhongqing's incident, there would still be something to hold against them."
The two talked for a while before Li Yuanjiao asked, "How is Qingxiao doing now? Is she studying and practicing calligraphy?"
Li Jingtian replied softly, "Of course, she is studying and practicing calligraphy diligently. But... if she does not have a spiritual orifice, learning will not be of much use."
Li Yuanjiao fell silent as he heard this, picking up the tea bowl from the table and taking a small sip. He then said in a low voice, "Uncle Donghe is talented; Qingxiao will surely be fine."
Despite his reassuring words, Li Yuanjiao was anxious. The Li Family originally had no spiritual orifices, and Li Xiangping could cultivate only because he used a talisman seed. Besides, Li Jingtian also lacked a spiritual orifice. Whether Li Qingxiao possessed one was truly uncertain and unknown.
It was known that at that time, Li Xuanxuan had already reached the fourth or fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. The brothers Li Yuanxiu and Li Yuanjiao, one of whom had a mother with a spiritual orifice at the third stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm and the other with the noble bloodline of the Mulu Clan, both had spiritual orifices.
However, even though Li Xuanling and his wife were both cultivators, they still gave birth to Li Yuanyun, who lacked a spiritual orifice. Clearly, the intricacies of this matter were indeed complex and difficult to predict.