In the world within the mirror, gray and white mist floated between heaven and earth. Below, the moon-white buildings were mostly repaired, with pavilions, bridges, high platforms, and palaces stretching endlessly. The rising moonlight from them created a rather ethereal scenery.
Lu Jiangxian leaned on a stone table, dozing off against its white jade-like edge. The jade pot in his hand shook slightly as a steady voice reached his ear.
"Li Tongya, the descendant of the Li Family, humbly requests the mirror to exterminate demons and eliminate evil, in return for a blood offering..."
Lu Jiangxian was startled awake. He stretched his body before straightening himself up. His divine sense emerged from the mirror's surface. Before him stood a man in gray, standing respectfully.
"Li Tongya..."
Having lingered in the Li Residence for so many years, Lu Jiangxian had watched on as the four brothers dwindled to just this one. Even though he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Tongya still respectfully recited the prayer while bowing below the platform, causing Lu Jiangxian to fall silent.
Of the four Li brothers, Li Tongya is the most cautious and suspicious. I have been with the Li Family for decades... There's no way he never harbored any suspicions! Lu Jiangxian thought quietly to himself.
Lu Jiangxian knew that the help he had provided during the Li Family's rise was full of loopholes. Initially, none of the family members were familiar with the path of immortal cultivation. Even if they had their suspicions, they kept their doubts to themselves.
Now, after half a century of mingling in the cultivation world, Li Tongya had seen plenty. Even Li Mutian, a mortal man, had suspicions about the mirror in his final years. Lu Jiangxian simply could not believe that a man like Li Tongya would have no doubts at all.
"He's already a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, yet he treats the mirror like a deity rather than a dharma artifact... The implications are obvious. Even those actions that seemed too deliberate back then have been beautified when Li Tongya recounted them to the younger generations. It's as if he's deliberately preserving the current relationship between the mirror and the family... He's truly a farsighted one!"
Although Lu Jiangxian was not particularly a deep thinker, his mental age over thirty years of waking and sleeping made him realize he could not outwit these cultivators.
He thought to himself, I have a long lifespan... As long as I stay hidden in this mirror, I fear no disasters. I only wish to plant and harvest talisman seeds, helping out as much as I can. If things go well, that's great. If not, so be it.
Li Tongya waited below quietly for a quarter of an hour before carefully stepping forward to take the mirror. Lu Jiangxian thought, Going to Xu State should be fine. When Zhi Wei and other Purple Mansion Realm cultivators had passed by back then, they did not even discover my presence. There shouldn't be any issues.
He then withdrew his light, leaving the object in Li Tongya's hand appearing as nothing more than an ordinary, worn bronze mirror. Li Tongya studied it for a moment, detecting no traces of spiritual energy or light. With a sigh, he tucked the mirror into his robe and drifted out of the courtyard.
As Lu Jiangxian reflected atop the stone platform earlier, Li Tongya was similarly lost in thought. Ever since Xiangping had found the mirror in the riverbed, the Li Family had risen steadily to prominence.
Recalling the lines from the Reception Method —" When the time comes, I will remain true to my oath. With this talisman burned, I express my gratitude to Supreme Yin"— Li Tongya felt uneasy.
The Li Family had benefited so much from the mirror that it made him anxious. He thought to himself, I don't mind nurturing the mirror after my death. But what must I accomplish to stay true to my oath...?
As he pondered, he had reached the foot of the mountain and saw Li Xuanxuan drawing talismans in the courtyard silently. He stepped into the courtyard and called out warmly, "Xuan'er!"
Li Xuanxuan raised his eyebrows and looked up, replying quickly, "Second Uncle, did you find out something from the fox demon?"
"Yes," Li Tongya nodded and replied, "I have a direction already, but we need to send someone to the Xiao Family."
"The Xiao Family?" Li Xuanxuan echoed.
Li Tongya continued, "I am going out to capture the demons, but I cannot leave you all unprotected. Go and ask Senior Xiao Yuansi to come over if he has time."
Li Tongya's journey to Mount Bianyan was not far, but it would still take him several days. Although the Yu Family was likely tending to their wounds and unaware of Li Tongya's location—hence eliminating immediate concern—Li Tongya remained vigilant. After some deliberation, he decided to involve Xiao Yuansi.
He instructed, "Use Yuanjiao's wedding as a pretext to invite him here."
Li Tongya paused and explained, "Yuanjiao is adopted by Chejing, making him your Fourth Uncle's nominal grandson. As long as you explain this to Xiao Yuansi, he will naturally agree to come. This is also an opportunity to ask Xiao Yuansi about the current great turmoil in Xu State."
Li Xuanxuan nodded repeatedly, always trusting his Second Uncle unconditionally. He agreed readily before Li Tongya rode the wind into the sky, then instructed a servant nearby, "Get Donghe to come here."
Chen Donghe was at Mount Huaqian at the time, but he promptly accepted the order and headed east.
————
Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan chatted in the courtyard for a while before they heard a light laugh. Xiao Yuansi stepped in, smiling at the two as he said, "Congratulations, your esteemed family has claimed two more mountains!"
"Greetings, Senior!" Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan responded in unison.
Xiao Yuansi waved his hand, indicating for them to sit, and began, "Fortunately, I was not away or in seclusion; otherwise, you would not have found me so quickly. What is it? Do you need pills refined, or do you need some help with other matters?"
Li Tongya returned the greeting and explained, "Senior, the wedding date is approaching, and I am concerned there might be trouble. I should stay to guard the family, but I have urgent business in Xu State. That's why I have invited you here to oversee things, and also, I would like to inquire about the situation in Xu State."
Xiao Yuansi waved his hand generously and replied, "Sure, it's no big deal for me. It's just a few days of cultivating in a different place! As for Xu State..."
Xiao Yuansi paused. Noticing that Li Tongya did not mention the reason for his trip, he did not pry further and continued, "I have also consulted the ancestor about Xu State. If you are going there to gain some benefit or for an opportunity, you should make haste and keep your visit brief. In about six months, an immortal will intervene to rectify the situation in Xu State. After that, anyone visiting will be under close scrutiny. It will not only be restrictive but could also easily lead to trouble."
Li Tongya nodded gratefully. Li Xuanxuan could not help but ask, "Is this immortal intervening out of goodwill and because he is unable to bear the chaos?"
"There is no goodwill involved."
Xiao Yuansi shook his head and continued, "They are not stepping in because of the chaos and the people's suffering... It is because Buddhism is growing steadily. If they lose Xu State today, they will lose Wu State tomorrow. They fear their Dao lineage will be suppressed."
Li Tongya nodded silently and asked in a low voice, "Is it a Golden Core Realm cultivator taking action?"
"I do not know, but the situation has not deteriorated to that extent. There should not be a need for a Golden Core Realm cultivator," Xiao Yuansi replied as he shook his head and took a sip of his tea.
"The ancestor was secretive about it and did not go into detail. Most likely, they will send late-stage or peak Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, with Golden Core Realm cultivators overseeing the matter. If Golden Core Realm cultivators were to fight, the entire Xu State and even Wu and Yue States would be affected. Xu State might lose its spiritual energy for six or seven hundred years, with the earth veins destroyed. Even if they win, what use is it? They would be left with devastated, unusable land. Nowadays, it's rare for Golden Core Realm cultivators to intervene directly," he explained.
Li Tongya, thinking that the difference between Purple Mansion Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm was already significant, did not realize that Golden Core Realm cultivators were in fact this powerful.
Curious for more information, he continued, "If the Golden Core Realm cultivators are so formidable... can they not fight in the sky to avoid damaging the earth veins and disrupting the spiritual energies...?"