With this new insight, Li Xizhi took out a small letter and wrote a message to his family before sending it off.
Moments later, the old man returned with news that a monk wished to see him.
"A monk…?"
Li Xizhi was alarmed. He carefully inquired about the monk's appearance and confirmed it was indeed Kongheng. With a talisman ready in his hand, he left the sect to meet him.
The monk had fair skin, sharp eyes, a long face, and round ears. He greeted Li Xizhi solemnly, "Greetings, fellow Daoist. I have been entrusted by your esteemed family to deliver a treasured panacea."
Upon hearing the mention of a treasured panacea, Li Xizhi had already begun to piece things together.
However, Kongheng did not present it immediately. Instead, he studied Li Xizhi closely and said softly, "Please show me the jade pendant, fellow Daoist."
Quite a stubborn one!
Li Xizhi smiled. Though they had just met, both were cautious. Li Xizhi revealed the jade pendant that symbolized the direct lineage of the Li Family. After verifying his identity, Kongheng apologized and handed him a jade box.
Li Xizhi scanned the box with his spiritual sense, confirming that it did indeed contain the Blood Sun Fruit.
"Master Monk, please stay for a moment. The sword is about to be completed, and I would appreciate it if you could take it back with you," he said softly.
Kongheng nodded and departed, allowing Li Xizhi to breathe a sigh of relief.
The matter with Li Encheng has finally been resolved... Now, I'll head to Xuanyuan Market to establish a connection with him first.
With Situ Mo away in the Eastern Sea, Li Xizhi felt much more at ease. He handed over the other responsibilities to the two elder men and set off for Xuanyuan Market.
Xuanyuan Market was located near Mount Dongli, not far from Libu Prefecture. As Li Xizhi approached, mist rose around him, obscuring his appearance. Upon landing outside the market, an Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivator greeted him, asking, "Senior, you are…?"
Li Xizhi simply replied, "I am a rogue cultivator from the Mushroom Forest Plain, traveling here for now."
Since Li Xizhi came here for a personal matter, he could not use his identity as a member of Azure Pond and had to fabricate a random backstory instead. The Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivator showed no surprise. He pulled out a round dharma artifact and said respectfully, "Please pass in a trace of true essence, Senior."
The devil plague had been rampant for some time, and major markets had taken precautions to prevent devil cultivators from entering, ensuring the safety of the markets from internal and external threats.
Li Xizhi nodded slowly, infused the artifact with his true essence, and watched as it immediately emitted a brilliant white light.
The cultivator's eyes widened in surprise.
"A cultivator practicing authentic techniques..."
Li Xizhi acknowledged him with a nod, dismissing the flattery as he accepted the jade token offered by the man. He stepped inside the bustling market and searched for a while before quickly locating the Enshui Alchemy Pavilion .
As soon as he entered, a servant approached. Li Xizhi waved his hand and said, "Please invite your shop manager to see me."
Despite having concealed his feathered robe and obscured his face, his calm demeanor and extraordinary presence commanded respect. The servant hurried off, and soon, a tall, thin man descended the stairs, dressed in a short coat.
He smiled and cupped his fist, introducing himself.
"I am Li Enxi. It's an honor to meet you, fellow Daoist."
Although Li Enxi was only in the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he showed great courtesy to Li Xizhi.
Li Xizhi returned the politeness, following him into a secret chamber. Once inside, he removed his disguise and revealed his true identity.
Recognition flickered in Li Enxi's eyes right away.
"Ah, so you're Xizhi. My elder brother has told me about you and I've been expecting you."
Li Xizhi presented the jade box and said softly, "It's a small gift for our meeting. Please accept it."
Li Enxi took the box, and with a quick check through his spiritual sense, he understood its contents.
"Is your Li Family... from the Wei State?" he asked.
Li Xizhi nodded in response, and Li Enxi smiled warmly.
"So… you are from the main family. My brothers and I have suspected only the descendants of Wei State's Li Family could produce such talent."
His demeanor grew more enthusiastic as he added, "Considering our lineage, we trace back at least to Ancestor Mutian... But let's not dwell on that, as I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Li Xizhi nodded modestly. Given their shared lineage spanning thousands of years, it was difficult to trace back now. Li Enxi had merely brought that up as a way to bring both of them closer.
Ultimately, Li Encheng needed a reliable clan, and the Li Family required a seasoned alchemist at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Li Xizhi understood this but maintained his polite demeanor.
Li Enxi leaned in and whispered, "My elder brother doesn't have much time left. The only path forward is to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm. In the future, we will need more assistance from the main family."
Recognizing the conditions being laid out, Li Xizhi nodded politely and said, "Of course, but my family is weak, and I'm afraid we can't offer much help at this moment… There are certain matters where we will require your assistance, Senior."
"Of course," Li Enxi replied.
They exchanged glances, reaching a tacit agreement. Li Xizhi continued, "When the time comes, we will need Senior Encheng's help within the sect…"
"Yes."
Li Enxi paused, then took out a pill from his robe and smiled.
"Take a look."
Li Xizhi swept his spiritual sense over the pill, seeing that the inside was white and thus confirming it was indeed an Essence Gathering Pill. He felt a surge of happiness, wondering if Li Encheng had secretly refined it himself without expending blood qi, or if he had specially asked around about the Li Family's preferences and prepared it accordingly.
Li Xizhi expressed his gratitude repeatedly. Li Enxi chuckled, but then his expression darkened, and he said harshly, "The incident about the Wrathful Maha... is inevitable after all. After a whole thousand years, these Dao lineages still won't let us go..."
There was finally a note of sincerity in his tone. Li Xizhi was taken aback as Li Enxi continued, "My eldest brother was also killed by a monk! This hatred is a shared animosity within the Li Family of Wei. As long as my Li Family remains, we will never forget the blood debt of our destroyed homeland and the lives taken. When my brother heard about Maha, he speculated that it was connected to the Li lineage of Wei and was eager to meet you..."
Li Xizhi then realized there was another reason for how smoothly things had gone. He nodded solemnly, recalling the unresolved hatred between the Qingdu Li Family and Maha.
At that moment, he was struck by a thought and said, "Speaking of this, our whereabouts have recently been exposed, and we've been ambushed by our enemies… The Buddhist cultivators from Zhao seemed to be involved."
Li Enxi frowned, hesitating before responding, "If you find yourself in trouble with the monks, you can always ask me for help. I see that you're a smart child who knows how to navigate these situations, so I won't say more..."
Li Xizhi nodded. He knew he and Li Enxi were still not close enough for him to divulge information about Situ Mo, fearing it might frighten Li Enxi away. Instead, he replied, "If I come across any trace of a Buddhist cultivator, I will certainly let you know."
After talking for a while, they established the rules for future meetings before Li Xizhi turned and left. He rode the wind, stroking the hilt of his sword and lost in his thoughts.
Azure Pond… Overseas… Moongaze…
"Father is already preparing to make a move overseas. The family is growing stronger. Seventh and Eighth Brothers have a chance to establish their foundations; they are merely waiting for the right opportunity…"
For the first time in twenty years of hiding and being submissive at Azure Pond, his expression shifted, revealing his ambition. He no longer concealed his desires.
With the support of Li Encheng, the Yuan, Xiao and Ning families, it would be entirely feasible to unify Moongaze Lake…
Yu Muxian… Yu Muxian! As long as we eliminate this obstacle, we can quickly seize control of the entire Moongaze Lake.