The golden cage Yusu held was no larger than a human head, and it had seventy-two vertical bars. The small door on the front was ajar.
Placing the cage in his palms, Yu Su opened another small door on the side and then pointed at Yu Chengyi, who was prostrated on the ground.
With a sinister smile, he said, "This person has five brothers... Please help me collect their heads, fellow Daoist!"
Li Qinghong, Fei Tongxiao, and the others felt a cold breeze blowing against their faces, causing their robes to flutter. Given Yu Su's authority, none of them dared to assess that golden cage with their spiritual senses. They could only wait in tense silence.
Murmurs began spreading among the crowd.
"Could that be a Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact? Such artifacts exist...?"
"Who knows? It might even be a Purple Mansion Realm dharma artifact... The Frosty Absolute Sword isn't the only artifact in the Azure Pond! The Purple Mansion Daoist Masters have been quiet for too long... Perhaps it belongs to one of them..."
As the whispers continued, a gust of wind delivered five bloody heads which fell from the sky and tumbled into a grisly heap. Li Qinghong, using her spiritual sense, detected a vortex of wind retracting into the cage, much like a whale sucking in water.
A monster? Or the effect of that dharma artifact?
Yu Su waited for a few moments before shutting the cage and frowning at the severed heads, with surprised and dismayed expressions frozen on their faces. He frowned and then said, "With this... the Yu Family should be able to consolidate their power now, right?"
Yu Chengyi stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Nudged by the guest cultivator behind him, he snapped back to his senses and managed to stammer, "T-Thank... Thank you, Exalted Immortal."
Yu Su's gaze lingered on him momentarily as he remarked, "To think that Muxian has a cousin like you..."
He returned the golden cage back to his sleeve, then extended his hand and commanded, " Jade Smoke Mountain !"
His words caused the expressions of those from the Yu Family to change. Yu Chengyi, panic-stricken, took two trembling steps forward while kneeling and desperately pleaded, "Senior! The Jade Smoke Mountain is the prized treasure of my family! Please, I implore you—"
"Give it to me now!"
Impatience flashed across Yu Su's eyes. With a swing of his sleeve, he pushed Yu Chengyi and he was sent tumbling backward. Suppressing the urge to beat him to death, Yu Su snapped, "Stop wasting my time, dog! Bring that dharma artifact to me! Rather than wasting it on your household, Muxian will make far better use of it."
That's right... In the eyes of Azure Pond, these people are no different than dogs...
As soon as Yu Su spoke, sadness fell over the other families. They realized that although Yu Su appeared courteous, he regarded them as inconsequential, mere grass beneath his feet. Witnessing Yu Chengyi's tearful plight, nobody dared to speak up.
Someone from the Yu Family presented the Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact, Jade Smoke Mountain . Yu Su accepted it and lifted it high up, scrutinizing the artifact for a few moments.
The Jade Smoke Mountain was snow-white and translucent, about the size of a fist, and exquisitely carved. The various cranes and trees on it were impeccably detailed, bringing them vividly to life. However, a shallow line on the mountainside emitted a faint green light.
Yu Su frowned as he observed this, murmuring to himself, "It really left a mark... Li Tongya was truly formidable. This thing is made of Supreme Radiant Profound Jade..."
After looking at it for a while, he lifted his head and said bluntly, "All matters are settled. Bring forward the tributes, everyone."
The families nodded, quickly bringing their tributes. Yu Su stood by as his attendants sorted through the tributes, dismissing inadequate ones and demanding replacements.
It was well known around Moongaze Lake that Yu Su was opportunistic, exploiting others for gain. The families complied in silence. After inspecting the tributes, Yu Su gently swayed the golden cage in his hand and advised, "If there are no significant changes in the future, I will return here again in due time. Be better prepared next time, so no adjustments will be necessary."
With that, his disciples lifted into the air, boarding the Dawn Cloudliner. Yu Su, standing at the bow, surveyed the crowd below once more before the ship eventually vanished into the horizon.
The mood among the families soured immediately after Yu Su's departure. Although a few prestigious clans managed better, most faces were marked by discontent.
As the Dawn Cloudliner left, families along the eastern shore who had allied with the Li Family gathered to plead for leniency and share their grievances.
"Senior! Please consider a lighter tribute this year!"
The head of the Pu Family, over eighty but still in the fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, wore plain clothes and lacked even a basic dharma artifact. He respectfully addressed Li Qinghong, his face etched with a troubled expression.
"Senior, the peaks of the Azure Pond rotate their residency every seventy years, and we're only halfway through... Over thirty more years of hardship await. What are we to do?"
His land, affected by Green Essence Copper, scarcely supported the growth of Spirit Paddies. While the Rui Family had found relief by pledging loyalty to the Li Family, the remaining four families remained deeply troubled, as they were among the poorest on the eastern shore.
He looked to Li Qinghong with earnest hope for a favorable word.
Rui Qiongcuo, standing behind Li Qinghong respectfully, could not help but secretly rejoice at the misfortune of their former competitors.
Although his Rui Family was independent on the surface, they were technically under the Li Family. Yet, they lived comfortably. To him, the modest tribute from the Embryonic Breathing Realm family was a trifle.
The clamor of voices grew until Li Qinghong, forced to assert control, slammed her spear onto the ground.
The clang silenced them instantly.
Knowing Yu Su's greed, Li Qinghong had wisely left her Duruo Spear at home, carrying only a low-grade Qi Cultivation dharma artifact with her today. Yet, even this was enough to shatter the stone bricks on the ground.
"If you face financial difficulties, please consult with my family head directly. The Li Family does not intend to ruin anyone merely for tributes... We have our ways to address such matters," she stated firmly.
With Li Yuanping at home to handle these issues, Li Qinghong was free to depart without concern, confident that the matters would be resolved appropriately.
————
The forest path near Lijing Town was shrouded in darkness, yet it buzzed with activity as several figures in white armor galloped past. Leading them was Li Xicheng, astride a spirit horse.
Li Xicheng rode along the dark path near Lijing Town, illuminated by fireflies that floated silently beneath the leaves of the trees around them.
Zhongsuo, his loyal companion, galloped on without a word. Li Xicheng, now head of the Jade Court Guards, had to maintain a cautious distance from his brothers to avoid any suspicions.
Trailing close behind him was Chen Mufeng, the highest-ranking guard in the Jade Court Guards. His talent rivaled that of Chen Donghe, but his slightly superior cultivation technique used during the Embryonic Breathing phase had allowed him to advance faster, achieving the second heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm—a rank mirroring Li Xicheng's own.
Though Li Xicheng was the eldest by about ten years, he was considered the least talented among his siblings. Nevertheless, he managed to attain the Qi Cultivation Realm at thirty, thanks to a Grade Three technique he practiced during the Embryonic Breathing Realm.