Kongheng approached silently with his staff, the copper rings on it jingling with each step he took. Li Yuanjiao, overwhelmed with complex emotions and still grappling with his own suspicions, lowered his gaze.
"Many thanks for your help, monk."
Kongheng shook his head slightly, then walked over to Tian Youdao's limp body. He quietly recited a few sutra verses, as if offering a blessing for the deceased.
However, Tian Zhongqing suddenly raised his head and let out a loud wail.
"Go away, bald donkey! Nothing good happens when you guys are around!" he shouted in anguish.
However, Kongheng remained unruffled. He retreated a few steps, then addressed Li Yuanjiao warmly, "I will be cultivating at the little island near the lake. If your esteemed clan needs anything, they may come find me there."
With that said, he rode the wind and swiftly departed. The remaining people began taking their leave too as the hues of the crimson sunset and the blood-stained ground overlapped with each other. Li Qinghong offered a few more words of comfort to Tian Zhongqing who then picked up Tian Youdao's body, and apologized to Li Yuanjiao before he left.
In the forest, only the core members of the Li Family remained.
Li Yuanjiao stood alone. Li Xuanxuan coughed slightly before wiping the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"There is no fault in choosing and weighing the costs..."
Li Yuanjiao nodded slowly, gripping the green and white Qingche Sword tightly.
"I understand. As I hold this sword, it is only right that I prioritize the clan's interests above all else, even if it means bearing dirt and grudges."
————
Tian Youdao, younger brother to Tian Yun, was Li Xuanfeng and Li Jingtian's uncle. He was an elder of significant status in the Li Family and one of the few who had broken through to the Qi Cultivation Realm. His death at the hands of the devil cultivators was a significant loss.
The funeral ceremony was simple. Apart from the immediate Li and Tian families, the other guests showed little grief and some even felt a sense of relief.
The battle had killed two devil cultivators, one of whom was a mid-stage Qi Cultivator. Naturally, the Qi Cultivators in the family were too excited by the prospects of the spoils to be mourning at the moment.
Meanwhile at the central hall in Lijing Town, where the head of the Li Family, Li Yuanping, who handled the family affairs, also served as the center of the Li Family's secular power. Originally magnificent, the hall now showed its age, with worn bricks on the steps visibly marking the passage of time.
Since the Li Family had been accused of indulgence and luxury, Li Yuanping had not made any attempts to repair the building and simply used it as it was. Today, it was Li Yuanjiao who occupied the seat, all dressed in white, with two storage pouches before him.
An ordinary Qi Cultivator typically carried only about ten Spirit Stones on them, with a net worth ranging from thirty to forty stones. However, they had seized a total of forty-six Spirit Stones from these two devil cultivators alone. Even the Li Family would struggle to produce this amount of wealth within such a short time.
Of the eleven cultivators who participated in the battle, five were direct family members. Xu Gongming and Tian Zhongqing, both at the early stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm and severely injured, earned three Spirit Stones for contributing the most. Li Qilang received two.
The old monkey and Shamoli, who were at the mid-stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, acquired two Spirit Stones each. An Zheyan, at the late stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, received six. Ten more were allocated as Tian Youdao's death gratuity, and the remaining eighteen were confiscated.
The external guest cultivators eagerly stepped forward to receive their share. Xu Gongming, disfigured and concealing his appearance with a mask, smiled despite his condition.
When Tian Zhongqing approached to claim the substantial sum of thirteen Spirit Stones, Li Yuanjiao personally gave him a few bottles of medicine and asked him softly, "With Grand Uncle's passing, is this gratuity received by Tian Rong, his only son?"
Tian Zhongqing, having already composed himself, quickly responded in a respectful manner.
"Old Master, Tian Rong has always tended to mistreat maidservants... During the mourning period, he became heavily intoxicated and was secretly killed by several maidservants with a hairpin in the dead of night. It seems this sum will likely be claimed by the eldest and legitimate grandson, Tian Ling."
"Oh."
The external guest cultivators showed no surprise. Tian Youdao's only son was considered a disappointment; he not only lacked good judgment but also got into conflicts with multiple families. Even the king of Mount Yue, Li Jiman, harbored deep disdain for him. It was Tian Youdao's deep affection for his son that led him to protect him at all costs.
Now that Tian Youdao had been dead for half a month, any discussion of his death was overshadowed by the good karma he had accumulated during his lifetime. Whether his death was disgraceful or not was of little concern, and even Tian Zhongqing himself showed no interest in determining who was responsible.
Li Yuanjiao stroked his beard and sighed.
"Since Granduncle is no longer around and has left behind this orphan, we will send him to the mountains for cultivation. From now on, the responsibility for his training will fall under the main family."
"Understood!"
Tian Zhongqing bowed and the guest cultivators began to withdraw, heading toward the town's tavern amidst their happy chatters.
Li Qinghong, who was observing the situation, realized that Li Yuanjiao's actions and compensation were also a form of a test. "I need to send someone west to inform Aunt Jingtian," she said, feeling somewhat disheartened.
"I've already done that," Li Yuanjiao replied, dismissing the blood qi, resentment qi, and cultivation technique on his desk. He picked up the hammer and the glazed beads, both of which were low-grade Qi Cultivation Realm dharma artifacts. The hammer was unremarkable and could be sold off easily.
"This string of red glazed beads is a valuable dharma artifact... The runes within are quite profound; they can release mana light for protection. It'll be useful for the juniors," he remarked thoughtfully.
With a flick of his wrist, a red light was released from the beads, which was accompanied by a flowing neutralizing force. Li Yuanjiao assessed its power and determined it could neutralize most early-stage Qi Cultivation Realm spells.
"How about calling it..." Li Yuanjiao mumbled as he began thinking of a name for it.
Li Qinghong, concerned that he might come up with something uncreative like Red Light Beads or Crimson Light Beads , quickly interjected with a smile.
"I see that the beads are made of Rouge Glaze. They share the hue of dusk and hold all sorts of runes in them... Why not name it Glazed Dusk ?"
Li Yuanjiao thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Good. Send it to Xijun."
The remaining items were mostly spirit items and Embryonic Breathing Realm dharma artifacts of unknown origins, and likely plundered from others. Altogether, they were worth about ten Spirit Stones. Since Li Yuanjiao had recently sold a batch of spirit items and dharma artifacts in the family vault, these truly helped.
Combining all the Spirit Stones he had gathered, Li Yuanjiao finally accumulated one hundred and twenty pieces together. He handed them to Li Qinghong with a sigh of relief.
"Please take these to the Yuan Family, sister."
Li Qinghong nodded. Li Yuanjiao hesitated briefly before taking out the bluish-gray mirror which he handed over respectfully. He then retrieved the Foundation Establishment Realm talisman and continued, "I'm worried that Zhang Huaide and Qiu Ji might still be plotting against us and could ambush you on the road... It would be better for you to make the trip with the mirror, just in case."
As he watched Li Qinghong depart on the wind, Li Yuanjiao took a deep breath. Counting the days, he took out a Jade Sprout Pill and murmured quietly to himself.
"It's time to cultivate in seclusion and break through to the eighth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm..."
Upon riding the wind and returning to Mount Wutu, he saw Xiao Guiluan standing in the courtyard, smiling and gazing at him. Li Yuanjiao was puzzled but did not expect to see her phoenix eyes crinkle up as she said warmly, "It's time for you to think of a name again!"
Having been husband and wife for many years, they shared a deep bond and understood each other well without words. Seeing Xiao Guiluan caressing her tummy, realization immediately dawned upon Li Yuanjiao.
"WHAT?!"
He was both astonished and delighted. They already had a son when he was an Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivator, and now that they were both Qi Cultivators, the chances of having a child were even slimmer. He never expected much while bedding his wife, treating it as a way to bond with her.
Xiao Guiluan's unexpected pregnancy was joyous news to him. Laughing heartily, he kissed his wife and replied, "I wonder if it's going to be a boy or a girl... This child is truly a late arrival!"
After spending a tender moment together, Li Yuanjiao focused on preparing for his breakthrough.