"Sixteen stalks of Autumn Moon Grass, two thousand jin of Purple Jade Spirit Rice, ninety pieces of Azure Pool Essence Stones, seven Long Sea Pearls..."
Box after box of spirit items were carried to the stage. Yu Muxian, rubbing the jade buckle in his hand, reflected internally, If I had not found this treasure as a child, which allowed me to see through people's true nature and sever worldly ties, I might have ended up mired in the power struggles of the Yu Family at Moongaze Lake… facing a tragic fate.
"Li Family of Lijing!"
Yu Muxian was lost in thought when the attendant's voice brought him back to reality. A young man in black came forward, broad-shouldered with high-set eyebrows, exuding an ambitious air that made him seem untrustworthy at first glance.
"Li Yuanjiao of the Li Family greets the Emissary!" Li Yuanjiao responded with composure, his gaze fixed on Yu Muxian's robe.
Yu Muxian nodded and said warmly, "I have long heard of the Sword Immortal's fame."
He cupped his fist, smiling as he continued, "The Qingche Sword that the Sword Immortal wielded was crafted by my master's own hands. Yuanwu Peak has always had good relations with Qingsui Peak. There is no need for such formalities, fellow Daoist."
These words not only stirred Li Yuanjiao but also drew the attention of the various families around the lake. Yu Mugao slowly closed his eyes, saying nothing.
"So, there is such a connection…"
Yu Muxian's excessive friendliness made Li Yuanjiao uncertain of his intentions. He responded vaguely, and Yu Muxian said no more, simply standing there with his hands clasped behind his back.
As box after box of spirit items were brought up and all the families reported, an attendant verified everything. A young cultivator in green then stepped forward, respectfully addressing Yu Muxian, "Senior Brother, the three clans and sixteen prominent families of Moongaze Lake, along with forty-one smaller households, have all been checked. Please review them."
Yu Muxian took the record from him and read aloud the names of the families marked for discrepancies—either underreporting or for the poor quality of spirit items. Immediately, several disciples in green stepped forward and dragged the offenders out unceremoniously.
Thud!
The people from several families trembled and kneeled. Yu Muxian chuckled lightly and asked, "Junior Brother, how are these cases usually handled?"
The reporting disciple looked disdainfully at the families below and replied, "They shall be punished according to the severity of the discrepancies—some by executing their elders, others by removing their family name, and some by banishment to Yi Mountain City."
The crowd below immediately began to tremble with fear, begging for mercy out loud repeatedly. Yu Muxian glanced at them and saw that several families were under the jurisdiction of Daoist He on the western shore—most likely unable to pay double taxes.
He then said gently, "Just confiscate the storage pouches from a few people to make up for the shortfall. Otherwise, we'll have to require Senior He's advice and trouble him."
"Understood!"
As soon as he had finished speaking, several uniformed cultivators seized the storage pouches from those individuals. Despite their pleas and cries, the cultivators handed the pouches to Yu Muxian, who calmly tucked them into his sleeve. Then he said, "The clans should stay; the rest may leave now."
The smaller households felt as if they had received a pardon and they bid their farewells, then quickly scattered like the wind. In an instant, only the Azure Pond cultivators and the Fei, Li, and Yu families remained on the mountaintop.
Although the Fei Family had lost Fei Wangbai, they were still recognized as a clan by the Azure Pond Sect and therefore did not leave. Representing the Fei Family was Fei Tongyu, who had just reached the Qi Cultivation Realm. His aura was unstable, indicating that he had used some medicinal aid.
Yu Muxian swung his sleeve, stepped forward, and cupped his fist to Fei Tongyu. His immortal grace was evident as he said regretfully, "You must be the young master of the Fei Family… I have heard about Senior Wangbai's passing. As a cultivator under our sect, his death caused quite a stir within the sect, and we sent people to investigate."
Shaking his head with regret, he continued in a low voice, "Unfortunately, the culprit remains elusive, and we have not uncovered any information."
"Thank you for your effort..." Fei Tongyu responded, pretending to be moved by his words as he exchanged pleasantries with Yu Muxian.
Yu Muxian then said, "The Fei Family has provided tributes for many years. Our sect feels obliged to offer some compensation."
Fei Tongyu's eyes lit up, understanding that the crucial moment had arrived. Yu Muxian smiled and said, "My master has decided that the next disciple slot will go to your clan!"
These words shocked the three families. Several moments of silence passed, with only the whistling wind breaking the quietness.
"What?!" Yu Mugao was utterly stunned, his expression one of disbelief.
Li Yuanjiao appeared thoughtful while Fei Tongyu exclaimed in amazement, "Which peak would that be?"
"Naturally, it will be my Yuanwu Peak!" Yu Muxian announced.
After the initial shock, Fei Tongyu was visibly overjoyed. Fei Wangbai's greatest regret while he was alive was not being able to support a disciple within the Azure Pond Sect. Now, despite knowing Yu Muxian's likely had ulterior motives, he could not bring himself to refuse such an offer.
My family still needs to send disciples to the sect, so how could the Fei Family refuse? How could they possibly refuse…
Li Yuanjiao stared silently at Yu Muxian's ethereal profile, lost in countless thoughts. For a moment, he was speechless, only thinking to himself, This Yu Muxian... he is indeed a remarkable figure. With this single move, he has restored the tripartite balance on the lake and caused a rift between the Fei Family and mine... Even if the ancestors were still alive, there would be no changing this. He keeps that jade buckle hidden inside his robe, close to his body… It must have many miraculous properties! Obtaining it will definitely not be an easy task... I must plan carefully.
Meanwhile, Yu Muxian discussed some details with Fei Tongyu. Afterward, he turned to address Yu Mugao and Li Yuanjiao, saying softly, "Greetings, fellow Daoists!"
Yu Muxian was a Foundation Establishment Realm immortal cultivator, and both of them felt unworthy of being addressed as fellow Daoists by him. Before they could decline and refuse, Yu Muxian continued, "Every seventy years, the various peaks of the sect rotate their jurisdictions. Moongaze Lake now falls under the jurisdiction of Yuanwu Peak. In recent years, my junior brothers have been handling peak-related affairs, and we have not made proper agreements with you all. This has caused many disturbances on the lake, which is our peak's fault."
Li Yuanjiao dared not let him apologize and quickly brushed things off. Yu Mugao, on the other hand, stared at Yu Muxian in confusion and disbelief, as if he could no longer recognize his younger brother.
Yu Muxian then continued, "So I reported to my master, and Yuanwu Peak has re-evaluated the current situation and redefined the boundaries, which I have brought to you."
With a gentle pat on his silk pouch, three light green jade seals appeared in his hand, which he distributed to the three of them. His gaze finally carried a hint of warning as he said coldly, "With these boundaries set, minor conflicts between minor households will not be our concern, but the major clans must not engage in further disputes! This is also my master's intention..."
Li Yuanjiao received the light green jade seal and brushed it lightly with his hand. The seal emitted a golden light, revealing several large golden characters— Under the jurisdiction of Azure Pond Sect.
Immediately, the boundaries' outlines appeared in silvery light, encompassing Lijing, Huaqian, Huazhong, Yuting, and even including Mount Wutu and Eastern Mount Yue.
The Li Family had previously held a jade seal left by Si Yuanbai, which only marked the four towns of Lijing. It could not compare to this new one.
Now that Yuanwu Peak had acknowledged the legitimacy of the Li Family's territory, Li Yuanjiao felt a sense of relief and responded, "We will strictly follow the Daoist Master's decree!"
Fei Tongyu was even more overjoyed. Of the three major clans on the lake, his was the weakest. He responded eagerly and felt greatly relieved.
Seeing Li Yuanjiao and Fei Tongyu both agree, Yu Muxian nodded approvingly.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists."