Tears welled up in Wan Tiancang’s eyes as he recounted the Ji Family's brutality and the dire straits of the Wan Family, emphasizing the mutual dependency between the Wan and Li Families.
Li Yesheng, listening intently, found himself deeply moved by the tale.
In contrast, Li Mutian remained calm as he sipped his tea thoughtfully before asking, “Has the Wan Family’s situation truly become so dire?”
“Yes!” Wan Tiancang affirmed, looking earnestly at Li Mutian. He gritted his teeth as he realized that he was dealing with a shrewd individual who would not commit without certainty.
From his chest pocket, he pulled out a leather scroll and said, “Before departing, my family instructed me to extend our gratitude for any assistance. In return for the Li Family’s kindness, I’ve brought this formation scroll.”
Li Mutian gestured, and Li Tongya stepped forward to receive the scroll.
Wan Tiancang explained, “This is the Misty Barrier Formation, a century-old purchase from the market by my grandfather. It requires specially crafted flags for its activation. My grandfather was particularly fond of this art, he even set up all the formations on the mountains back home. Unfortunately, since his passing, no one in our family specializes in formations.”
With a sigh, Wan Tiancang handed over the scroll to Li Tongya with a tinge of reluctance.
Once Li Tongya nodded to his father, Li Mutian smiled and offered magnanimously, “We’re all under the governance of Azure Pond Sect. It’s only natural that we help each other out. Since the Wan family is in distress, there’s no way the Li family will exploit them. Therefore, we’ll only take fifteen percent of the harvest as our due.”
Wan Tiancang, with a resigned smile, expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, elder!”
With a gentle nod from Li Mutian, Li Tongya escorted Wan Tiancang and Li Yesheng out.
Once outside, Wan Tiancang turned to Li Tongya with a hopeful look. “May I know where this spirit field is located? Can you please take me there so I can have a look at it?”
“Of course," Li Tongya agreed with a nod.
As they strolled down the neatly laid stone path, Li Tongya explained, “Our Li Family oversees two villages along the Guli Road. One is Lidaokou Village, from where you arrived, and the other is Lichuankou Village, which sits by the shores of Moongaze Lake.”
“The spirit field we’ve allocated for lease is in Lichuankou Village. We’ve built a small courtyard there, and the field remains untouched. Its annual yield is approximately seventy jin.”
Wan Tiancang nodded, signaling his understanding, and glanced around at the scenery of Lijing Village, remarking, “This road is well-maintained. Despite the foot traffic, it’s remarkably clean and orderly. Quite impressive.”
“You flatter us, Brother Tiancang,” Li Tongya responded with a modest chuckle. “I’ve heard about nearby immortal markets. Being relatively new to this, our family isn’t very familiar with them.”
“Brother Tongya, always eager for more information, aren’t you?” Wan Tiancang laughed and teased him.
“Though I’ve only condensed the Profound Scenery Chakra and haven’t been to these markets myself, my clan brother and our head of the family have. They’ve shared quite a bit about it,” he said.
“The market is on a small island in Moongaze Lake, run by a rogue cultivator who has attained the Qi Cultivation Realm. During the full moon, large boats shuttle between the shore and the island, transporting rogue cultivators and immortal cultivators from small families like us to the market,” he explained.
“According to the head of my family, it’s advisable to attain the Jade Capital Chakra before venturing there, just to be safe,” he quickly cautioned, mindful of the potential risks the Li Family might face and the possible repercussions for the Wan Family if something were to happen to members of the Li Family.
“Understood.” Li Tongya nodded, absorbing the vital information Wan Tiancang provided while engaging in light conversation with him.
Shortly after, they reached Lichuankou Village. Upon learning of Li Tongya’s arrival with a cultivator from another family, Chen Erniu, anxious and eager to make a good impression, rushed with his men to greet them.
He carefully trailed behind Li Tongya and engaged in hushed discussions with Li Yesheng.
Wan Tiancang surveyed the size of the field and then assessed both the spiritual qi and the soil quality. Satisfied, he gave Li Tongya a nod of approval.
Li Tongya, with a friendly smile, excused himself, “Brother Wan, you must be weary from your journey. I have family matters to attend to, so I’ll have to say goodbye for now.”
With that, he delegated the oversight of the arrangements to Li Yesheng and Chen Erniu, then made his way back to Lijing Village.
————
Lijing Village’s back mountain, now dubbed “Mount Lijing” by the locals, had recently become a lot more lively. Nestled among the lush woodlands on the mountain stood a cluster of small houses crafted from bluestone bricks, their roofs adorned with gray tiles, painting a picturesque scene.
A stone path wound its way from the foot of the mountain to its summit. At the foot, villagers stationed at a watchpoint respectfully greeted Li Tongya as he approached, “Welcome back, Immortal Master.”
Li Tongya acknowledged them with a casual nod and proceeded up the stone path. After a short ascent, a quaint courtyard came into view.
Here, Han Wenxu was in the midst of teaching. The courtyard buzzed with the focused energy of fifty to sixty young students, each attentively seated under a tree, absorbing his lectures.
These students hailed not only from Lijing and Jingyang villages but also from the more distant Lidaokou and Lichuankou villages. Typically, only families with some savings could afford to send one or two of their children to study in Lijing Village, and hence, they choose Lijing Village.
Li Tongya gazed at Li Xuanxuan, who was deeply engrossed in reading, and a thought crossed his mind.
In a few months, once Xuan’er turns six or seven years old and his physique is fully developed, we’ll be able to measure his spiritual orifice. There are still three Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds in the mirror, so it’s fine even if Xuan’er doesn’t possess a spiritual orifice.
Now that I think about it, Tian Yun will be in labor in a few months too.
For some reason, the image of Liu Rouxuan’s face flashed through his mind. Startled, he quickly shook his head to dispel the thought. After a momentary pause, he let out a wry smile and continued his ascent.
Past the academy, Li Tongya counted 126 steps before arriving at a platform graced with a red-painted gate. There sat an elderly man with graying hair.
“Uncle Tian!” Li Tongya called out warmly, observing Tian Shoushui happily crafting a wooden horse with a small hammer in hand.
“Tongya, you’re back.” Tian Shoushui nodded to him with a warm smile, looking slightly embarrassed as he gestured toward the wooden horse.
“Yun’er’s baby will be arriving soon, and I wanted to make something for the little one.”
The old man had endured many hardships in his youth, aging more rapidly than his peers. Though roughly the same age as Li Mutian, he appeared over a decade older.
“Take your time making it, Uncle,” Li Tongya said with genuine respect for the fatherly figure, before entering the courtyard.
Inside, he found Li Xiangping emerging from meditation and releasing a deep breath.
Catching sight of Li Tongya, Li Xiangping asked, “Second Brother, have you condensed the Celestial Whirl Chakra?”
“Yes, I did,” Li Tongya replied with a smile.
“So, I’m still a step behind.” Li Xiangping pouted and pretended to be frustrated, yet his face soon broke into a genuine smile as he stood up and stretched his body.
After discussing Wan Tiancang’s visit and carefully placing the formation scroll on the table, Li Tongya leisurely picked up a teabowl on the table and took a sip.
Noticing Li Xiangping deep in thought, he curiously inquired, “What’s on your mind?”
“Wan Tiancang is much more difficult to deal with than Wan Yuankai,” Li Xiangping replied, lifting his gaze with a measured look.
Li Tongya smiled and was about to respond when Tian Shoushui’s voice interrupted them. “Linfeng is here!”
The brothers exchanged a glance of mild surprise as Liu Linfeng entered the courtyard briskly, wiping the sweat from his brow. He looked at them and informed, “An immortal master from Qingsui Peak has just descended the mountain.”