The autumn dew over the lake had yet to fade even as the morning sun dimly appeared over the horizon. Li Qinghong stepped out of the great hall, and the sword-bearing Li Xijun approached her.
He said quietly, “All families may see clearly with the autumn dew filling the lake, but news of mourning should still be sent to all. Report to the Ning Family in the Azure Pond Sect, then pass word to Yi Mountain, the five prefectures, and even the cultivators along the riverbank. My lord preserved Jiangnan single-handedly, and such grace must be swiftly consolidated.”
Li Qinghong nodded and instructed him to proceed. Li Xizhi stepped forward lightly and continued, “I’ll handle the news to the Azure Pond Sect. I’ll set off in three days, after observing the proper rites...”
He paused, then shifted the topic gently, “We should also wait for Si Yuanli.”
No one showed any doubt. Li Qinghong nodded as though it were only natural. Si Yuanli, who would be returning triumphant to his residence, would surely stop by Moongaze Lake. He wouldn’t leave without presenting himself properly.
The woman then spoke softly, “Yuanqin is held as a hostage in Yi Mountain, and there was no hope of seeing him. But now that the Azure Pond Sect is in sudden chaos, we must seize this chance to summon him back at once. If we hesitate, we may never see him again.”
Though the Chi Family had suffered severe damage to its core and most of its direct descendants had perished, there could still be ambitious ones among the collateral branches. Li Yuanqin’s closeness to the Chi Family was well known, and Li Qinghong feared a shift in the situation could lead to unforeseen troubles.
“I’ll send someone there overnight.” Li Xijun replied softly. Just then, the formation let out a burst of sound, and a towering elder descended from within it, his back slightly hunched.
His voice was low and deep, “My lords, Li Wushao and Li Minggong have returned from the North. They are waiting outside the formation.”
“Quick, bring them in!” Li Xijun felt a chill run through his heart and quickly gave the order. Moments later, several figures descended from the formation and knelt before the hall.
Li Minggong was in front, and bowed at the base of the steps, “Greetings to all elders...”
Her face was slightly pale, but her clothes were still neat. She was clearly in the best condition among them all. The grim-faced Li Wushao, an elderly man, stood behind her with a burly figure. Both of them were at the ninth stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
The elderly man had a full white beard, a smooth, bald scalp, and was missing an eye. He knelt blankly on the ground. The burly man was physically intact, but his face was the color of gold paper. He was also swaying like a teetering iron tower, as if he could collapse at any moment.
Li Qinghong lowered her eyes slightly and spoke softly, “The upheaval at Chengshui Tomb that broke Mount Yan Pass was part of a larger shift, it is not your fault. Go on and speak.”
Li Minggong, a bright and gracious woman from the first lineage who had always been fond of smiling, now spoke with a choked voice, “Less than half a day had passed from when the lords had entered Chengshui Tomb when the devil cultivators arrived. A devil general rode in on a wave of violet aura, holding Yu Su’s severed head. He activated several talismans and breached the pass in under fifteen minutes.
“The cultivators collapsed like a landslide, fleeing south in panic, fearing only that they weren’t running fast enough. They trampled over the rear formations, and half of them abandoned their posts. Midway, I encountered Master An, who was gathering the scattered forces under his banner. We made our way toward Aunt.”
The Aunt she referred to was naturally Li Yuexiang. Regret colored Li Minggong’s face, and she choked up for several breaths before continuing, “The scene was complete chaos, with a grey and overcast sky. We couldn’t tell which experts were above us. The hearts of the people had scattered, so we rushed toward the rear. Soon we saw Aunt Yue, wielding her sword and controlling fire, locked in battle with a devil cultivator...”
At this point, she was overcome with sobs. Behind her, An Zheyan, who resembled a lifeless corpse, crawled forward a few steps on his knees and took up the tale in a hoarse, grating voice, “I sought only to aid, and led the cultivators to support her. When Yuexiang saw us, her expression changed. She rebuked me... and said...
“Master An, are you here to harm me as well?!”
At those words, Li Qinghong slowly closed her eyes. Li Xizhi lowered his head. Li Xijun’s hand gripped his sword hilt so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
An Zheyan’s forehead knocked hard against the ground as he went on, “Then a Buddhist cultivator descended from the sky, calculated with his fingers, and smiled with delight. He looked around and said, ‘I nearly missed a fine delicacy.’”
Li Xijun dared not look at Li Xizhi. He stood alone as An Zheyan continued, weeping, “Only then did this old man recall that Buddhist cultivators relish esteemed blood, it was already too late. That bald demon struck Li Qin dead with a single palm, plucked out his heart for inspection, then sneered. All the cultivators were shaken with fear...”
“My son Siming charged in with his sword but died in five exchanges. That bald monk killed several others, and was about to strike me when Li Wen threw his hammer to stop him...”
Li Minggong had regained her composure and continued softly, “Aunt Yue took my hand and said urgently, ‘If I must die today, I will not drag others with me.’ Then she relinquished her spiritual essence, summoned a talisman, and looked at Master An, saying, ‘Escort them home, do not waste my life in vain.’
“We fled several miles, while Aunt Yue used a Foundation Establishment Realm talisman to protect herself and headed north. She was cloaked in pheasant fire; it must have been self-immolation.”
There must have been quite a few survivors back then, yet only the two with the highest cultivation made it out.
An Zheyan merely kept knocking his head to the ground. “I am incompetent. Please execute me to atone for my crimes.”
An Zheyan collapsed to his knees like a corpse. Li Yuexiang, An Siming, Li Qin, nearly everyone had died because of him. How could the old man not be driven nearly mad? Inwardly, he repeated to himself coldly, In the past, I was reckless and caused my eldest son’s death. Now, I’ve caused the death of my second son, and brought ruin upon my lord’s family and fellow cultivators out of stupidity. A man more useless than me does not deserve to live. Better to die early, so I harm no one else!
Li Qinghong gazed quietly at the old man before her. He had served faithfully since the time of Li Tongya, through four generations. His two sons had both given their utmost, and even now, An Siwei was still guarding below the mountain. How could she say anything more? The hall fell into heavy silence.
At last, Li Wen spoke. The honest man had already discarded his golden hammer and said in a deep voice, “The situation then was urgent. Had I been leading, I too would have gone to help. Master An merely happened to be there in the moment... I ask to be punished along with him.”
Li Minggong also stepped forward to accept punishment. Only Li Wushao remained in the rear with a sour expression, lost in his own thoughts.
All of Jiangbei was in chaos at the time. If they saw their own kin locked in battle with devil cultivators, anyone not exceptionally sharp would have struggled to react in time. The elders above said nothing, their expressions heavy.
Li Qinghong waited for a while before Li Xizhi finally spoke, his voice quiet, “Were any belongings left behind?”
At last, Li Wushao stepped forward. He held up a broken sword and a small box with both palms. Li Xizhi took them gently, glanced briefly inside the box, then quickly turned his gaze to the sword.
The wooden talisman tied to the sword’s end swayed gently. Li Xizhi examined the script, then put the sword away. He handed the small box to Li Qinghong before finally speaking, “Deliver lenient judgment.”