The lake waters rippled gently beneath the Heavenly Glow Dawn Cloudliner. Li Yuanqin stood at the prow of the vessel, hands clasped behind his back and white mist curling beneath his feet. He gazed quietly down at the cultivators moving below. His mourning robes fluttered lightly in the air, yet his expression remained calm and composed.
Ning Hemian stood quietly behind him, sorrow still lingering in her eyes. Her eyes swept across the faces of cultivators on either side, those of the Chi Family in green, and the Si Family’s confidants in white, all carefully observing Moongaze Lake.
Ning Hejing, unsurprisingly distrustful, had sent someone to accompany her. He was a junior with lower cultivation, who now stood quietly at the back with his head lowered.
Ning Hemian had always been sharp, but now she could no longer understand her elder brother. Ning Hejing was clearly aligned with the Chi Family’s second lineage, yet he still stubbornly and viciously defended the first lineage’s last fig leaf of dignity. The more she watched, the more unbearable it felt.
She thought, It’s just patching a broken window; what’s the point? Why risk everything for Chi Zhiyun with our family in such a state?
When she saw the growing silence among the Chi Family's second lineage cultivators, she only felt he was courting disaster. But since there was little affection left between them, she simply went along with it.
"My lord, we've arrived at Moongaze Lake." A cultivator behind Li Yuanqin reminded gently.
Li Yuanqin acknowledged the man with a nod, and seeing the cloudship gradually come to a halt, casually said, "Wait for Li Chengliao to come aboard."
His intent was clear, prompting the Chi Family cultivator in green to nod. The Heavenly Glow Dawn Cloudliner came to rest over the lake, its radiance spreading across the sky and painting both lake and heavens in a wash of rainbow-colored light.
Seeing that no one from the Li Family had come down by windflight, someone was soon sent to invite them.
Soon, a white-robed man stood respectfully outside the ship. Li Yuanqin tilted his head, and the Chi Family member beside him quietly explained, "This man is from the An Family. The An Family are descended from the Jiang Family, and the Jiang Family were outer sect disciples of the Moonlight Mansion. The An family married into the Jiang Family's main branch, so their bloodline is among the purest on the lake."
Li Yuanqin understood at once. The Chi Family cultivator left the cloudliner and spoke kindly to An Siwei, who then withdrew. Shortly after, Li Chengliao arrived, riding the wind.
His tone was respectful, and his bearing impeccable. Bowing beside the cloudship, he said, "This junior greets granduncle and all attending emissaries."
Only then did Li Yuanqin give a small nod, step off the ship, and reply, "There have been countless immortal affairs tying me down and only today have I managed to break free. Chengliao, please take me to pay my respects..."
Li Chengliao quickly assessed the situation. The Chi Family simply wanted the attitude of a younger generation shown, while the Si Family preferred the appearance of harmony. So the two sides acted cordially and disembarked together.
Only then did Li Chengliao formally greet Ning Hemian, saying, "Greetings, my lady."
Grief clouded Ning Hemian’s expression. She had always stood as an equal beside Li Xuanfeng and was far easier to approach than the outwardly composed Li Yuanqin. Li Chengliao respectfully led the group into the central hall of the island, where White Lightning had already been laid out on the ritual table.
The white bow bore no dazzling golden glow, nor any radiant dharma light. It lay there quietly, yet none present could take their eyes off it. Li Yuanqin lowered his gaze solemnly; Ning Hemian’s eyes shimmered with tears; and greed filled the eyes of the others behind them.
Li Yuanqin stepped forward, performing the full rites, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times.
As the cultivators of Azure Pond Sect all turned toward him, Li Chengliao quickly picked up White Lightning from the altar and respectfully said, "My elder left clear instructions, this item is to be handed over to granduncle."
Li Yuanqin was visibly surprised, but maintained a mourning demeanor as he received White Lightning, replying, "My father’s bow is well-known in Jiangnan. There were even rumors from the Golden Feather Sect that it had caught the eye of a Daoist Master and might one day become a Purple Mansion Realm spirit artifact. It is truly precious, how could I dare accept it?"
Had he not said anything, it would have been better, but with those words, Li Chengliao felt even less qualified to hold the bow. He repeated that he dared not disobey his elder’s command, and only after Li Yuanqin accepted it did he feel at ease.
But before he could say more, a Chi Family member nearby looked at him and asked suspiciously, "Why haven’t we seen..."
Li Chengliao knew exactly what he was about to ask, as none of his family's Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators had shown themselves. This matter wasn’t one to be revealed casually.
Fixing his gaze on Li Yuanqin, he said in a low voice, "Granduncle, our lord has long awaited your return. However, his old injuries have flared up again, leaving him bedridden. The other elders are each in secluded cultivation, and our grandaunt is away visiting friends. A meeting is unfortunately not possible at the moment."
As soon as these words left his mouth, even before the others could react, Si Tongyi’s eyes lit up with delight, What does this mean? This is an incredible favor to my Si Family! There’s no way they’re all in seclusion, it’s clear that they don’t want to see him! Excellent... Excellent...
Li Yuanqin glanced at him, but his expression showed no change. He merely nodded and said, "No wonder I haven’t seen the younger family members. What a pity."
The Chi Family cultivator in green looked grim and was about to speak, but Si Tongyi cut in first with a sigh, "Indeed, a pity. I also heard the new head of Profound Peak Gate has been appointed and Lady Qinghong went to offer her congratulations."
He quickly silenced the Chi Family’s response and followed up, "Since the timing isn’t ideal, there’s no need to impose further... White Lightning is far too valuable. Let’s send it back to the ship first, and we’ll discuss the rest later."
Si Tongyi was the first to end the visit. Though the Chi Family cultivator still looked angry and Ning Hemian frowned slightly, Li Yuanqin softly said, "White Lightning is important. Let us send it to the cloudliner together first."
Li Chengliao secretly sighed in relief. If things ended here, then it would still be framed as Li Xijun and the others simply being unwilling to meet him. If the Chi Family really kicked up a fuss, he wouldn’t be able to bring Li Xijun and the rest out at all. It would’ve been a disaster.
Moreover, if this incident escalated and word got out... and if anything happened to Yu Fuzi, anyone with ill intent would connect the dots...
He let out another breath as the group departed. As expected, Si Tongyi lingered at the back. Li Chengliao leaned in and whispered, "The elders are indeed in seclusion. Daoist friend, would you like to go up and visit them?"
"No need..." Si Tongyi replied cheerfully. The group then escorted White Lightning as they flew toward the heavens. Li Chengliao let out a quiet sigh and thought to himself, Why did the timing have to be so coincidental...? I can only muddle through it like this...
————
Eastern Sea, at the boundary of the Qingzhou scattered reefs.
A red vessel swayed atop the sea, filled with laughter and teasing. Pale, lotus-like arms stretched out over the edge, jade-like fingers gently tracing the water’s surface and sending ripples across it.
There were around forty to fifty women on board, all unclothed, each with distinct features and charming voices. Their snow-white bodies tangled together in a dazzling mass. At the center sat a burly man, clad only in an outer robe and laughing heartily.
Wang Fu held a beauty in one arm, his other hand hidden beneath his robe as he formed a spell seal. He smiled while gazing at the snowy, delicate skin before him, feeling greatly pleased as he thought, Good... This Radiant Sky Stone truly is a Bright Yang treasure. The Supplement Yin with Residual Yang Method really does draw out Residual Yang Vital Qi... With this, my cultivation has sped up significantly!
Now that I have this thing in hand, I truly don’t want to give it up... A Bright Yang treasure like this is a rare find these days.
As the spell seal in his hand circulated, the gazes of his concubines turned hazy. A wisp of red vapor drifted out from their mouths, landed in his palm, swirled briefly, and then returned to their mouths.
When the red vapor settled, all his concubines fell into an intoxicated daze. Wang Fu thought to himself, That monk was right, this indeed comes from the Undefeated King of Brightness's Dao lineage. When it comes to carnal allure, the mingling of Bright Yang and Veiled Yin is truly unmatched. Quite fascinating.