Li Chengliao was busy picking up wooden weapons scattered on the ground when the lively chatter of his brothers and sisters suddenly fell silent. The quietness was so profound that one could hear a pin drop, with only Li Minggong's nervous voice breaking the stillness.
"Brother Liao... Brother Liao..." she called.
Li Chengliao looked up and saw a young man standing before him, dressed in white with a sword at his back, exuding an extraordinary aura.
The teenager's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement as he nervously exclaimed, "Liao'er greets Youngest Uncle!"
Li Xijun was momentarily taken aback, only now realizing that this child was the eldest son of Li Xicheng. He had seen him before, though the boy had not been named at birth. A decade had passed, and he could hardly recognize him.
"Your name is Li Chengliao?" he asked, slightly embarrassed before quickly introducing Li Yuanjiao. In a gentle voice, he said, "Come, Liao'er... Meet your granduncle."
Li Chengliao then noticed a middle-aged man standing beside Li Xijun. He had eyebrows that were close to each other above his sharp eyes and was clad in a simple black robe with a sword at his back.
Granduncle?!
Who else could be referred to as granduncle by Li Xijun so respectfully?
Upon seeing Li Yuanjiao's attire, Li Chengliao felt a surge of awe and excitement. He kneeled and bowed deeply, trembling slightly.
"Chengliao greets... Granduncle!"
The other teenagers, who had just raised their gazes, lowered their heads again, not daring to make eye contact. They bowed together and said in unison, "Junior greets Granduncle!"
Li Chengliao's gaze was fanatical, forcing Li Yuanjiao to look away slightly. He raised his palm gently, gesturing for everyone to stand up.
If Granduncle Tongya were here, these kids would be so overjoyed they'd lose their minds!
Despite his inner thoughts, Li Yuanjiao had always regarded his family members with kindness.
"Which lineage of the major sect are you all from?" he asked gently.
"Li Chengliao, eldest, directly from the second lineage!"
Li Chengliao spoke first, and the girl next to him, Li Minggong, the eldest girl in the group, added respectfully, "Li Minggong, the eldest sister, and granddaughter of Yuanwan from the first lineage." [1]
"Li Chenghui, grandson of Yuanyun from the second lineage." [2]
The twelve children introduced themselves in order of age. Li Yuanjiao nodded, calculating their ages. The most talented, Li Minggong and Li Chengyi, were about the same as Li Xicheng.
He gently encouraged them, "Cultivate diligently. There are many cultivation techniques available in the clan. Aside from a few that require spiritual qi that are too difficult to gather, you can read through them and choose the techniques you wish to practice."
The teenagers responded eagerly.
Li Yuanjiao glanced at the weapons scattered on the ground, which were mainly spears and swords, with very few bows.
"You can practice with any weapon you like; you don't have to limit yourselves to these three. We wish to have people wielding all sorts of different weapons. The clan can also acquire specific cultivation techniques for you from the market," he added.
"Have any of you ever killed anyone? Have you ever slain a demon?" he asked.
When he saw all the children shake their heads, Li Yuanjiao formulated a plan in his mind. He turned to Li Xijun and said, "Inform Xicheng that there are many Qi Cultivators in the family now. Tell the others not to kill the Embryonic Breathing Realm demons caught in various prefectures and towns... Send them over for the kids to train with."
"Understood," Li Xijun replied with a smile. The generation of Cheng and Ming did not seem scared; instead, they all looked eager for the new experience.
Li Yuanjiao paused before saying, "As for killing people... there will be plenty of opportunities for that in the future. There's no need to rush into it so early..."
Putting aside the direct descendants of the Li Family who had perished, there were now more than fifty guest cultivators who had died—some by demonic beast attacks, others at the hands of rogue cultivators and devil cultivators.
Although Jiangnan was calmer than the Eastern Sea, incidents of killing and robbery were still prevalent.
Li Yuanjiao instructed the children on their cultivation. Under Li Xijun's excited persuasion, he also reluctantly demonstrated the Jing Dragon King to the younger generation.
At first, Li Chengliao and the others cheered, but when the grayish-green serpent dragon bared its fangs and claws, fear gripped them instantly. They dropped their weapons and slumped to the ground with pale faces.
Rejecting Li Xijun's suggestion to divide his immortal foundation into snakes, shrimps, crabs, and fish to torment the kids from the Cheng and Ming generation, Li Yuanjiao departed with Li Xijun. They flew on clouds and mist, disappearing over the cave dwelling.
The children took a long time to calm down after the two left, but they were now more envious of the power of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
Li Chengliao's heart raced as he looked at his brothers and sisters beside him, all of them visibly excited.
"Come on, let's cultivate!" he urged.
Li Yuanjiao, observing Li Xijun's amused face, could not help but chuckle softly.
"You really are Qinghong's nephew... Both of you are the same when fooling around! What a handful."
He continued with a fond smile, "When she was a child, she insisted on using a spear to hook peaches, tricking Brother Yun into catching them. The peaches hit Brother Yun, causing him to cry loudly while she laughed joyfully, refusing to stop until Brother Xiu came to scold her."
Li Xijun smiled, clearly seeing the warmth in Li Yuanjiao's eyes. Since Yuanjiao was talking about Li Xijun's other elders, he merely listened and refrained from commenting.
After reminiscing for a moment, Li Yuanjiao snapped back to his senses and realized he had lost his composure. He returned to his usual serious demeanor, but his tone softened as he remarked, "The children are all good and very adorable."
Li Xijun cupped his fist and replied gently, "I've spoken with Brother Ming about Uncle Xuanxuan; he's been wanting to meet you."
"All right, I'll go and see him now," Li Yuanjiao replied simply.
Li Xijun nodded and left, heading to Mount Wutu first to inform Li Ximing, ensuring that Li Yuanjiao would not walk in on any embarrassing situation.
Li Yuanjiao was fully aware of the situation but chose not to talk about it. Instead, he waited for the right moment before slowly descending onto Mount Wutu.
On Mount Wutu...
Li Ximing had already tidied up the place and was waiting for his arrival. Once the uncle and nephew were seated, Li Yuanjiao listened as Li Ximing respectfully recounted the events.
He resisted the urge to ask, "Did Xijun teach you that?" and spoke in a deep voice, "That's not a bad idea... Hengzhu Gate has been established for many years. What did your grandfather say?"
Li Ximing quickly replied, "Xijun asked him, and the old man insisted on finishing the talismans for the next two years before leaving. It will take some time."
"As long as he's willing to go," Li Yuanjiao said.
He looked Li Ximing up and down before nodding in approval.
"Not bad. You're almost at the seventh heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm."
Li Ximing quickly explained, "I could have made a breakthrough, but I feel that I've been progressing too quickly lately. I worry that my foundation isn't stable, so I haven't attempted to break through yet."
"Hmm."
Li Yuanjiao nodded. Given that Li Ximing had received the teachings from both the Xiao and Li families in his cultivation, Li Yuanjiao believed that he would not make such a simple mistake.
As he glanced around the courtyard, he noticed a painting hanging in the corner, mostly completed. It depicted Li Ximing seated in a white robe, his expression calm and serene.
Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes slightly and commented, "That painting is very lifelike."
Li Ximing nodded awkwardly, prompting Li Yuanjiao to turn to him and ask, "Do you like it?"
Li Ximing was taken aback by the question and replied, "It's just a painting..."
With a sigh, Li Yuanjiao turned and left, hands clasped behind his back.
1. This is the first time Li Yuanwan has been mentioned. He is the child of Li Xuanxuan and one of his concubines. So Li Minggong is Li Changhu's lineage. ☜
2. Li Chenghui is the child of the child of Li Yuanyun and one of his concubines. So he is from Tongya's lineage. Likewise, Li Chengyou and Li Chengchu are also children of the child of Li Yuanyun with ANOTHER concubine. These children with grandmothers who are concubines are all from minor sect. ☜