Baixiang Valley.
Li Xizhi had cultivated for half a year in peace. As winter gradually set in and snow began to fall, the mountain forests turned into a sea of white. This place held a different kind of beauty compared to the scenery of Jiangnan, one that brought great peace to the heart.
Having stood guard for quite some time, he encountered a period of shifting spiritual energy in the heavens and earth, with flows of Heavenly Glow coursing through the air. Li Xizhi’s foundation was already solid, so he consumed a Talisman Pill and smoothly advanced to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The two who had come with him, Yu Yuwei of Panqi Peak and Quan Yi of Linghe Peak, had also begun to settle in. Yu Yuwei’s two disciples had arrived, and even Quan Yi, who had once seemed timid and uneasy, had found peace in his cultivation.
The group would often gather in the courtyard, chatting while facing the vast snowfall. Two juniors served tea at the front, while the rest of the valley’s cultivators knelt nearby, listening in fascination. They drank wine and discussed minor Daoist matters; it truly felt like a scene of carefree leisure.
From time to time, the checkpoints around the valley, managed by the residents, would send someone to report. The stationed Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators brought news, but there were never any major incidents, just a few devil cultivators who had stirred up trouble and fled through the area.
"Brother Xizhi!" The middle-aged man, Quan Yi, now addressed him as a peer. Though he was slightly older, he no longer dared to act superior. He said, "What a beautiful snowfall this is!"
Li Xizhi had grown familiar with Quan Yi over the past six months. The man had grown up within the sect, was not particularly scheming, and had neither wife nor children. He only had an elderly mother living on his home peak.
He had no intention of seeking a Dao companion, nor did he have close friends. The greatest accomplishment in his life had been achieving Foundation Establishment Realm, and all he wished for now was to protect his mother and let her live out her old age in peace. He had been conscripted here against his will, but after more than half a year, he’d warmed up and even started to smile again.
Yu Yuwei sat nearby, took a sip of wine, and sighed, "Xizhi... your family’s elder truly is mighty, slaying Murong Wu within the formation..."
Li Xizhi gave a small, amused smile. He had indeed been pleased upon hearing the news. Quan Yi had bombarded him with questions for a while, but the buzz had faded over the past few months. Only Yu Yuwei still brought it up frequently, always speaking of it with a trace of nostalgia.
Li Xizhi nodded slightly, his thoughts drifting to his family on the other side of the mountain. He was silently watching the falling snow, when suddenly he spotted a streak of black light racing in from the south and halting just outside the formation.
"Hmm?"
Li Xizhi stood up, and even the usually unbothered Yu Yuwei grew serious. Then came a call from outside the formation, "Third Young Master! Third Young Master? Wushao is here! I've brought some items!"
Li Wushao... Li Xizhi was a little surprised. Li Wushao was a serpent demon that had been personally subdued by his father, Li Yuanjiao. Naturally, he had seen this creature before, in fact, according to the family law, he was technically Li Wushao’s master.
Recognizing him at a glance, Li Xizhi flew to the edge of the formation and asked softly, "How are things at home? Why did they send you here?"
Li Wushao was travel-worn, and brushed the snow off his robes to reveal his ever-unchanging black attire. He answered, "Third Young Master, the checkpoint just repelled a wave of devil cultivators. There were no major issues; however, Lord Qinghong has taken a dharma artifact to be reforged and asked me to deliver it to you."
Li Xizhi nodded and observed carefully. Once he confirmed it was indeed Li Wushao, and after inspecting several command tokens, he stepped outside the formation.
Li Wushao stared at him for a moment, and a look of envy appeared on his gloomy face as he said, "You’ve already surpassed me in cultivation, Young Master... Truly envious, I am."
Li Xizhi used his spiritual sense to double-check it was Li Wushao, and then led him inside the formation, replying, "Though your cultivation advances more slowly, you enjoy great longevity. Each path has its own benefits, there’s no need to envy anyone."
Li Xizhi excused himself from the others in the courtyard and returned to his room with Li Wushao, who pulled a folded fan from his sleeve.
The fan was deep, dark blue in color and shaped like a semi-circle. It had twelve clean, evenly spaced ribs and emitted a faint, otherworldly glow. Hints of multicolored brilliance flickered across its surface, as if infused with the light of Heavenly Glow.
Li Xizhi smiled slightly as he took the fan and studied it carefully. Li Wushao explained, "This was seized by Lady Qinghong after slaying someone from the Helian Family. Originally, it had only six ribs; it was a magic weapon, refined using souls and blood essence. It could release a gray demonic wind, and perhaps had other uses as well...
"Later, it was thoroughly remade with the intent of gifting it to you. The blood qi and souls were removed, and it was reforged using Cold Essence and Profound Metal. Though its quality dropped a little, it’s still a fine piece.
"It used to be a large fan that could cover half a body. Now, with added ribs and a thicker surface, it’s about the size of a person’s chest... After much searching, only a bit of Heavenly Glow treasure could be found, which was then fused into it."
After listening attentively, Li Xizhi responded gently with a simple, “Good."
In his eyes, the artifact was merely average among Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, but its meaning was special. So he smiled and said, "Please trouble yourself to pass on my thanks to aunt. I appreciate her concern."
Li Wushao nodded. "I certainly will. If the Young Master would give it a name, I can report back accordingly."
Li Xizhi tested it a little. It wasn’t as comfortable in hand as a sword, but it had its own unique strengths. It would be useful for repelling, scouting, and capturing spells.
He said softly, "Let it be named Xia You"
Li Wushao nodded. Then Li Xizhi suddenly recalled something, "When I broke through, Xiao’er had gathered a Six-Colored Rainbow Mist for me. It’s still in my storage pouch, but now’s the perfect time to take it out, refine it day and night, and fuse it into the fan’s surface."
As he was still mulling things over, Li Wushao nodded promptly, took out a letter, and handed it to him with a bow, saying, "I shall take my leave now... If I’m away too long and something happens at the checkpoint, I’ll end up being blamed."
Li Xizhi nodded naturally and personally escorted him all the way to the edge of the grand formation.
Li Wushao hesitated for a moment, his gloomy face softening slightly as he said, "Now that the old master is gone... I should be by your side, Young Master. But I've been stationed elsewhere by assignment. Please take care of yourself."
This old serpent was usually dour and never held back when cursing others, but over the decades, he had lived a life that the Eastern Sea couldn't compare to, and he remembered the kindness. Li Xizhi listened quietly, nodded in reply, and escorted him all the way out of the valley.
He hung the Xia You spirit fan at his waist, rode the wind back, and read the letter along the way, gaining a better understanding of the situation in the central regions.
Once he returned to the formation, Yu Yuwei glanced at him and smiled. "Congratulations, Xizhi, on acquiring a dharma artifact."
Quan Yi looked enviously at him. He assumed that the sword on Li Xizhi’s back was certainly of Foundation Establishment Realm, as was his feathered robe and now his treasured fan. He offered a few congratulatory words but sighed inwardly, What a pity that my Quan ancestors... missed their chance and went all in with Azure Pond too early. Had we just held some territory and waited to be merged in, at least... the Quan family could've stood alongside the Yuan, Yu, or Ning families. Now, we’re left passing down the name alone, one generation at a time...
As he brooded, both Li Xizhi and Yu Yuwei suddenly stiffened, turning simultaneously to look northward. A haze of gray mist had begun to rise, faint and drifting, into the air.
Quan Yi’s face went pale, and he cried out in alarm, "The Tuoba Family is on the move!"