Li Xuanfeng’s eyes flickered slightly with the light of his perception technique. He couldn’t discern the youth’s true form, but upon hearing the surname Dongfang, he assumed it likely had ties to the Dragon Clan. He nodded and replied, “Fellow Daoist, are you from the Converging Sea’s Dragon Clan?”
Dongfang Heyun wore robes of blue and white, appearing refined, with a polite smile as he replied courteously, “Indeed. I was blessed by the Dragon Monarch, born of cloud and vapor, and now serve the dragons of the Eastern Sea. Thus, I was granted the surname Dongfang.”
Li Xuanfeng didn’t know what this man was up to, so he listened silently as Dongfang Heyun sat across from him and spoke gently, “What a coincidence. While patrolling near the Qunyi Strait, I once saw a young member of your clan flying through the clouds with carefreeness. He accidentally entered Dragon Clan territory, so I took action to escort him out.”
Xizhi…
In recent days at the southern border, Li Xuanfeng had only heard that Li Xizhi was out on an errand for Profound Peak Gate. He hadn’t expected him to have entered Dragon Clan territory. His eyes opened slightly as he replied, “Oh? Then it seems the younger one overstepped his bounds.”
Dongfang Heyun smiled and shook his head, speaking softly, “Yes, that did happen. He was injured by mistake. I’m here to ask how he’s recovering.”
Li Xuanfeng found it a bit unusual, and heard Dongfang Heyun continue, “If he’s mostly recovered, he’s welcome to visit the Converging Sea. I happen to have a bit of affinity with the Heavenly Glow technique.”
Li Xuanfeng couldn’t tell whether his intentions were good or ill, so he responded noncommittally. Only then did Dongfang Heyun rise, politely cup his hands and vanish into wind and rain.
This one is neither man nor dragon. But a creature born of heaven and earth. A troublesome sort. Li Xuanfeng watched his departing figure in thought, then turned his gaze to the swirling snow outside the cave and pondered, How did Li Xizhi end up in Dragon Clan territory? There’s something strange about Xizhi’s situation… I should find a chance to seek him out.
The information he received from this man was completely different from what he’d heard from the Ning Family. Sensing something amiss, he realized the child was likely scheming in secret. Not wanting to disrupt any plans, he resolved to speak with Li Xizhi personally.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and cultivate, someone nearby had been quietly watching for some time. Dressed in flowing white robes, a middle-aged man with a sword at his waist strode over quickly and smiled, “Xuanfeng! Senior is here!”
Li Xuanfeng looked closely, it was Xiao Yongling of the Xiao Family, an old friend of Li Tongya. Dressed in white, Li Xuanfeng immediately rose and said softly, “It has been a long time since I last saw you, senior.”
Xiao Yongling’s expression turned a little somber. He studied Li Xuanfeng for a moment and said softly, “Since that day at the Green Pine Grotto Heaven, I haven’t seen you again. Your killing aura has grown much heavier, Xuanfeng.”
He sat down nearby, accompanied by a young woman in violet robes who smiled sweetly and said gently, “Kong Tingyun of Profound Peak Gate. Greetings, Senior.”
Li Xuanfeng naturally knew of the Profound Peak Gate’s ties with his family and had heard the name before. He nodded slightly, and the three of them sat on the snowy peak. Kong Tingyun chuckled and said, “This Beihuan Sect is quite amusing. With all these talents of the Immortal Dao gathered from around the world, they didn’t even bother to set out tables or chairs. But they only opened this little cave and had everyone sit on the ground.”
Xiao Yongling, who seemed to have been here for a while, stroked his beard and said, “Beihuan Sect is of a very old Dao lineage. They still keep many of the old customs. They rarely leave the mountains, and they have only a few dozen disciples.”
He glanced slightly toward the figure standing on the peak and whispered, “That one is a descendant of a Golden Core Realm cultivator, from the Xie Family of the Northern Sea. Not sure which Dao lineage he cultivates but it’s rare to meet a True Monarch’s bloodline.”
Out of courtesy, Li Xuanfeng didn’t stare and saw nothing unusual about the man. Kong Tingyun, however, said with some intrigue, “I’ve heard that the Xie Family are adept in spells, they can manipulate spiritual energy, ride mist and cloud, and are masters of technique. They can even craft talismanic water to heal wounds.”
The phrase ‘talismanic water’ seemed to stir some memory in Li Xuanfeng, and he paused slightly. As they chatted on the peak, he looked north and asked softly, “Among all the immortal families with True Monarchs, aside from the Wang and Xie Families, how many others remain?”
Xiao Yongling paused, then replied, “In the ancient times, there were many. But now, those clearly still in existence are likely no more than five. The Wang and Xie Families are the most well-known.”
He hesitated briefly and then added in a low voice, “Years ago… There were also the Li and Cui Family of Longdi, the Ning State’s Li family of Daoist Master Donghua, and the Jing, Ji, Yang Family of Jiangnan. Some have declined, some were destroyed. Most have fallen silent.
“The rest, such as the Mount Tan Li Family of Wu State, the Chen Family of Jiangnan, my own Xiao Family, and the Shen Family of Jiangbei are a tier below. Known, but not prominent.”
Listening at the side, Kong Tingyun noticed Xiao Yongling pause and gently added, “If our guess is right, your esteemed family should be a remnant of a northern lineage. Formerly nobility of Wei State, and further back, likely descended from the Li Family of Longdi.”
Their reasoning was quite thorough, but Li Xuanfeng couldn’t be sure. Others might not know, but his family were originally farmers. His ancestor, Li Mutian and all who came before were mere mortals, wanderers who had drifted here.
When the rise of Lijing began, several brothers all possessed spiritual orifices, but these were granted through talismans. The outstanding talents of the later generations were likewise due to the presence of talismanic seeds and the support of immortal arts. Without these, their cultivation would have been as slow as that of ordinary people. They were by no means descendants of immortal families.
Although Yuan Su calculated that his bloodline was from Wei State, Li Xuanfeng felt that, at best, it might be from a collateral branch of a collateral branch. The Wei State Li Family had ruled for a thousand years, expanding from a few counties to dominate the north. No one could say how many descendants they’d produced.
Only Li Zhouwei stirred a hint of suspicion in Li Xuanfeng’s mind, something about him felt strange, If that’s truly the case, why is there not a single word of it? How could the line fall to generations of mere mortals…
He dared not think further. These thoughts filled his mind in just a couple of seconds. He couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge it, and simply muttered, “Just rumors and hearsay. If our family were truly descendants of Wei State, how could we have fallen to such a state?”
Kong Tingyun misunderstood his meaning. She exchanged a glance with Xiao Yongling, they both seemed to understand something deeper, she said, “Though so many years have passed, plenty of old enemies remain. The name of the Wei State Li Family may be glorious, but it brings plenty of trouble too.”
That said, Kong Tingyun couldn’t help but feel some envy. As long as the Li Family grew strong enough, the legacy of the Wei State Li Family would still be there, possibly traceable to ancient times. It wasn’t just a name, it was something that flowed in the blood.
Her own Kong family had produced only one Daoist Master and that was Daoist Master Changxi. Further up the lineage were merely rogue cultivators of the Yue State. They were ancestors who had once been mere county magistrates under the shadow of the powerful Yuan Family…
Xiao Yongling watched the two as their expressions shifted, forming a few guesses. He gently advised, “Rise and fall are part of the world, they are often unexpected. Don’t overthink it. Back then, everyone thought the Yuan Family was untouchable… who would’ve imagined today? Or that from a tiny village, a Li family would emerge with four generations and eight Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators? Even Purple Mansion Realm cultivators can’t fully divine such a thing!”
Li Xuanfeng nodded slightly, and Kong Tingyun responded with a bright smile, secretly amused, Didn’t your Man on Creek already divine that? Leaving everyone stunned.
The three soon fell into silence, each adjusting their breath in quiet meditation.