"Xizhi greets Senior!" Li Xizhi greeted as he cupped his fist respectfully.
Xiao Yuansi nodded and mused, "Yuan Tuan owes your family a great deal... She will certainly take good care of this child. Do not hesitate to ask her for anything he needs!"
However, he soon let out a sigh.
He glanced down at the shimmering Dragon Coiling Pillar sword hanging from Li Yuanjiao's waist and nodded.
"This Dragon Coiling Pillar has been in the Yuan Family for many years... Even though they have no sword cultivators, they never let it go. Now it has easily come into your family's possession... That speaks volumes."
The Dragon Coiling Pillar was a congratulatory gift from the Yuan Family to Li Tongya when he had achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm. It eventually ended up with Li Yuanjiao, who had never thought much about it.
Xiao Yuansi continued to explain, "The Yuan Family of Mushroom Forest Plain owes your Li Family a great debt. Giving you Dragon Coiling Pillar hardly repays even a fraction of that debt... If you need anything, you can always ask the Yuan Family for help."
Li Yuanjiao felt increasingly suspicious. Instead of feeling pleased, he grew alarmed and narrowed his eyes, asking softly, "I was unaware of this matter... Could you enlighten me, Senior?"
"Well..."
Xiao Yuansi looked uncomfortable, pausing for several seconds before speaking vaguely, "I only recently learned of this... The Azure Crest Manifestation was... originally a substitute for Lake Moon Autumn , which is why my junior sister delayed for so many years... It is a complicated mess, and it is really difficult to explain!"
Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of the two brothers, Xiao Yuansi changed the topic awkwardly but hastily.
"It has been many years, Yuanjiao. At such a young age, you have already reached the sixth heavenly layer of Qi Cultivation Realm!" he suddenly remarked with a forced smile.
"You flatter me, Senior..." Li Yuanjiao responded politely despite his confusion.
Xiao Yuansi chuckled. "Each generation brings forth new talents... Rare, indeed!" he commended, though his words hinted to a deeper meaning behind them.
He then looked at the two juniors with a smile and, with a playful tone, said, "Senior Mutian... he's probably more than just a simple Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, is he not?"
The two brothers exchanged glances, both equally confused. Li Yuanjiao respectfully replied, "The family records do not provide detailed information..."
Xiao Yuansi waved his hand and interrupted him before saying loudly, "I see, never mind then... I still have important matters to attend to, so I won't intrude any longer! Please inform me when Tongya emerges from seclusion."
"Of course!"
The two immediately responded before Xiao Yuansi left by riding the wind. Li Yuanjiao respectfully saw him off beyond the borders, then returned.
The affairs in the hall had already been taken care of. Li Yuanping was holding the alchemy recipe, reading it in deep thought. Seeing Li Yuanjiao stride in, he smiled wryly and said, "Senior Xiao has been so considerate, we have no way to repay him. The Xiao Family indeed has shown great kindness to our family... Moreover, we will still need to rely on the Xiao Family in the future."
Li Yuanjiao responded with a sigh, "Xiao Yuansi is Xiao Yuansi... the Xiao Family is the Xiao Family. Senior Xiao's intentions are protective and caring, but Xiao Guitu may not necessarily feel the same. This matter is not urgent... But how did the Yuan Family come to owe us a favor?"
"It seems to be related to the sword immortal... Lake Moon Autumn is the sword immortal's Dao foundation. Perhaps Yuan Tuan owed a favor? It is just a pity we cannot ask the ancestor..."
The two pondered about the matter for a little while longer but ultimately lacked information and could not deduce much, so they had to give it up.
Li Yuanjiao picked up a jade slip, assessed it with his spiritual sense, and said warmly, "This Golden Temple Radiant Origin Manual is indeed excellent, and the Radiant Origin Pass has many wonders. However, collecting the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth known as Golden Yang Radiant Origin is quite difficult."
Li Yuanping had also read this technique and immediately responded, saying, "This Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth indeed sounds extraordinary! Fortunately, the technique also includes methods for gathering this qi. Otherwise, such ancient spiritual qi would be impossible to find even if we turned Yue State upside down."
Li Yuanjiao laughed and shook his head, reading aloud, "Seek a pass extending for thousands of li in the desert... wait until dusk when the wind and sand are calm, and the sunset is half-set. Then, use your mana to extract the power of the glowing sun. There is only a moment to obtain this energy... requiring two years to get a wisp, and ten wisps to make one portion."
"Ancient methods are indeed troublesome!"
Li Yuanping sighed and reminded him, "It is even more than that. The Golden Yang Radiant Origin must not come into contact with gold, iron, copper, water, or wood; otherwise, it will transform into Scorching Smoke Qi ... It also requires a fine jade box for storage."
"That is not a concern."
Li Yuanjiao still had a Purple Mansion Realm jade box that Li Tongya had found on the island in the heart of the lake, and it was more than sufficient to store the Golden Yang Radiant Origin qi . He was now considering where to find such a pass.
"Brother, put these matters aside for now. The Dawn Cloudliner is arriving!" Li Yuanping said as he shook his head slightly.
————
The golden cloudliner glowed brilliantly, its golden wings cutting through layers of clouds. It glided over the dark green lake water, reflecting dazzling golden light.
At the front of the Dawn Cloudliner, a youth in simple green attire stood quietly. His features bore a strong resemblance to Yu Mugao, but while Yu Mugao's expression was often harsh and sinister, this man's face was calm and serene.
"Moongaze Lake, formerly known as the Moongaze Marsh..."
The Dawn Cloudliner docked slowly in Milin Prefecture. Yu Muxian stood with his hands behind his back, his ethereal demeanor making his simple clothing appear elegant and dynamic. Just by standing there, he drew the gazes of all the cultivators on the ship.
Yu Muxian had been away from home for over twenty years, making it hard to recognize the familiar landscape beneath his feet. He gazed down in indifference, continuously playing with the jade buckle in his hand.
The jade buckle was as clear as ice, emitting a faint moonlight-like glow as he twirled it in his hand. Yu Muxian's eyes gazed steadily forward, seemingly observing something in silence.
"Moongaze Lake... truly a blessed land."
The jade buckle in his hand glimmered faintly with colored light, and the immortal foundation within him, the Molten Metal Cave , continued to operate. Shadows appeared in his pupils as he counted silently, "The Yu Family's Jade Smoke Mountain , the Li Family's Qingche Sword , and Daoist He's Nine Gates Temple ."
"Hmm?"
A trace of purple light flashed in Yu Muxian's eyes, and he smiled slightly, whispering to himself, "Oh... there is also a hidden spear!"
He withdrew his gaze and glanced around him, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"A minor Mount Yue cultivator possessing a Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact... Ah, he must be from Duanmu Kui's Mount Wu, I guess it's no surprise they'd have one or two valuable items on hand!"
Yu Muxian examined for a while, then frowned with a hint of disdain in his eyes, envisioning the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He thought to himself, The Mountain of Human Heads... what a sinister dharma artifact!
Despite his disdain, Yu Muxian could not help but admire the clever design of the artifact. He then mused, There are ten Foundation Establishment Realm legacies and five Foundation Establishment Realm artifacts around this lake. Aside from the three sects and seven gates, no place in Yue State is richer than Moongaze Lake!
While he was lost in thought, the Dawn Cloudliner came to a gentle stop. Yu Muxian disembarked slowly, hearing a chorus of respectful greetings from the mountain below.
"Welcome, Emissary!"
Yu Muxian looked up to see a crowd of bowing cultivators. He rubbed the jade buckle and responded, "No need for formalities!"
The cultivators straightened up right away and returned to their seats. A middle-aged cultivator with a haggard face but hawk-like, piercing eyes that were full of sinister intensity approached Yu Muxian, bowing deeply and cupping his fist.
"Yu Mugao of the Milin Yu Family greets the Emissary!"
This man was his older brother by blood.
"Rise."
Yu Muxian's icy demeanor faltered slightly as he gazed at Yu Mugao, who slowly lifted his head.
Yu Mugao spoke respectfully and courteously, "Thank you, Emissary."
The two brothers locked eyes for a moment, their gazes clashing in silence—one with a hawk-like gaze, the other as cold as snow. Their faces bore a striking resemblance, yet their auras were entirely different.