On Mount Lijing, Li Xuanxuan stood amidst the messy courtyard, accompanied by Li Yesheng’s eldest son, Li Xiewen.
Li Xiewen, who had been reassigned back to this place by Li Xiangping in recent years, now assisted Li Xuanxuan in managing the clan affairs.
With Li Yesheng following Li Xiangping westward, it fell to Li Xiewen to assume his father’s responsibilities.
Shaking his head with concern, Li Xuanxuan furrowed his brow and asked, “Still no sign of Jingtian and Xuanling?”
“We’ve scoured the surrounding mountains and forests, but haven’t located them, Young Family Head.”
A pang of worry gripped Li Xuanxuan’s heart as he surveyed the messy courtyard. He grabbed a fallen wooden stool and sank onto it.
“Brother Xuan... Mount Yue has taken away the youths in the village. The casualties in Lijing Town were minimal, but there were many deaths at Lichuankou Village, including the eldest son of the Chen Family.”
Li Xuanxuan nodded somberly, mumbling, “It could have been worse. Our losses are manageable.”
The youths from Lijing Town had already been tested for spiritual orifices. The children found to possess one recently were disciples who did not bear the surname Li. They were all safe as they had been following Li Xuanxuan around.
“As long as Chen Donghe survives, the other deaths in the Chen Family don’t matter. Go tell the men who are willing to retaliate against Mount Yue to rescue their children and gather at the foot of the mountain. We’ll assemble a troop out of them.”
“But Young Family Head, this is...”
Li Xuanxuan shook his head and reassured, “The Family Head has taken away our clan soldiers, so we’ll need to assemble a new force to maintain order in the villages. This is just a symbolic gesture. Mount Yue holds considerable power now, and I won’t act recklessly.”
As Li Xiewen departed to carry out the orders, Li Xuanxuan retreated to the backyard. He pushed open the door of a small house but was immediately greeted by the sight of an altar table that had been knocked over and an empty stone platform.
“Damn it,” Li Xuanxuan muttered, feeling a surge of frustration and anger in his heart. After a few moments, the emotions subsided into a long sigh of helplessness. He glanced at the broken wooden chair where Li Mutian used to sit, then took a seat in it and stared blankly at the empty stone platform.
All of a sudden, the door creaked open, and Li Tongya entered the room, covered in dust from his travels. He looked around at the scattered objects on the floor in silence.
Quickly rising to his feet, Li Xuanxuan respectfully asked, “Second Uncle, have you found any news of Family Head?”
Shaking his head, Li Tongya used the Purifying Spell to brush off the dust from his clothes. “I explored the territory of Mount Yue for four hours but found no traces of them. However, I did notice that those from Mount Yue have established a stronghold in the west, guarded by four Qi Cultivators.”
Seeing Li Xuanxuan’s crestfallen expression and his gaze drifting to the empty stone platform, Li Tongya remained composed and offered reassurance with a smile.
“There’s no need to panic. If I couldn’t find them, those from Mount Yue won’t either. Xiangping’s safety shouldn’t be a concern for the time being. Besides, Ling’er is smart. He has taken the mirror away in advance.”
As Li Tongya lifted the altar table, he continued, “Jianixi’s surprise attack on Mount Lijing was clearly aimed at capturing Xuanling and Jingtian to extort a ransom from us. But since nothing has happened, it’s likely that Xuanling has escaped when they ascended the mountains, foiling Jianixi’s plan.”
Li Xuanxuan nodded thoughtfully in response. “I see. Xuanling must have sensed the danger and fled with the mirror, but was intercepted and taken westward.”
Li Tongya rearranged the offerings on the altar table as he said, “I’ll look for another opportunity to act. You focus on calming down the people at home and assessing the damage to the spirit fields. Chen Donghe and Li Qiuyang are with the army in the west, so the spirit fields should be managed accordingly.”
“All right. Be careful out there, Second Uncle!” Li Xuanxuan expressed his concern, but Li Tongya waved it off with a smile.
“These people from Mount Yue are mere savages, relying on sheer numbers and primitive qi. With my Profound Water Sword Qi, a few of them won’t be able to pose a threat to me. There’s no need to worry! If your fourth uncle, Chejing, were here, even five of them wouldn’t be enough to handle him.”
With those reassuring words, Li Tongya stepped out and headed west.
Li Xuanxuan exhaled a deep breath and sat back on the worn wooden chair. The glimmer of hope caused his lips to curl up into a small smile, but it was at this moment that he noticed some wonky words carved onto the chair legs.
Harmony at home leads to prosperity in the family.
The words reminded him of the old man who had spent half his life secluded in the mountains due to a rumored sighting of a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Wiping away the tears that gathered in his eyes, Li Xuanxuan stepped out with resolve.
As soon as he exited the house, he bumped into Li Xuanfeng, who was carrying a pitch-black longbow on his back.
Observing his urgency, Li Xuanxuan called out to him, “Feng’er!”
Li Xuanfeng lifted his head. After Li Xuanxuan shared with him the conversation he had with Li Tongya, Li Xuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
However, concern still lingered on his face as he said, “Father is alone with his troops in the territory of Mount Yue. I’m still worried about him.”
“You mustn’t act recklessly!” Li Xuanxuan immediately cautioned.
Li Tongya had just left to rescue Li Xuanling and Li Jingtian. He could not afford to have Li Xuanfeng fall into the same trap, so he quickly consoled him, “Family Head knows what he’s doing. You mustn’t venture into the territory of Mount Yue to search for him! It’ll only cause more trouble for everyone...”
“I know, it’s because I’m still too weak.” Li Xuanfeng waved him off dismissively, then lamented, “If only I had attained the Qi Cultivation Realm, dealing with those from Mount Yue or Jianixi would be as easy as shooting an arrow.”
“Whatever!” Li Xuanfeng gritted his teeth and waved his hand in frustration. “I’m going into seclusion to condense the Jade Capital Chakra so that I can attain the fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm!”
Hearing his determined tone, Li Xuanxuan felt a pang of concern.
Is breaking through really just about secluding oneself...? Doesn’t it involve waiting for an opportunity...?
Having been stuck at the fourth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm for over two years, Li Xuanxuan let out a sigh and took out a jade bottle from his chest pocket.
“This is the Snake Essence Pill leftover from the time when Senior Xiao helped our family refine them. We had three in total. The elders used one each to break through the Jade Capital stage. This last one is reserved for my breakthrough, but you can have it first,” he offered warmly.
With another sigh, he lamented softly, “It’s a pity our family lacks a legacy in alchemy. We’ve been holding onto three Snake Dragon Fruits for years, yet we haven’t been able to put them to good use...”
Li Xuanfeng expressed his gratitude and accepted the jade bottle. “Don’t worry, Brother Xuan. Our family has only been on the immortal cultivation path for a little over thirty years. We can’t possibly compare ourselves to those well-established clans. When we have more Qi Cultivators in our family, I’ll find a rogue cultivator who has legacies in pill refinement and take what we need by force.”
Li Xuanxuan shook his head at the idea and chuckled. “Your inclination toward violence is concerning. These legacies aren’t acquired by just quickly killing a few people. We need to save up Spirit Stones to purchase them.”
Li Xuanfeng shrugged indifferently. “As long as we’re stronger than them, whether we mug or buy is irrelevant, isn’t it?”
With that, he chuckled lightly and headed toward the cave dwelling on Mount Meiche to begin his seclusion.