Li Qinghong couldn’t quite gauge his true intent. Her priority was to obtain that cultivation technique first; all else could wait. So she replied softly, "You’re a newcomer here, and I must admit I still feel some caution. Let’s postpone this for now. Once our families have exchanged techniques and understand each other better, we can revisit the matter."
Xi Zikang could only sigh softly and nod in agreement. After a few more casual remarks, he prepared to take his leave.
Li Qinghong nodded at Li Ximing, signaling him to leave first. Only then did Xi Zikang rise and casually say, "It’s a bit of a coincidence. I, too, cultivate the Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. My Immortal Foundation is called Heaven’s Crying Spur. This trip, I’m heading south to Lake Xian, then turning east toward the Eastern Sea."
Li Qinghong sighed inwardly and asked, "What business takes you there?"
Xi Zikang shook his head with a smile and said, "You and I both cultivate with borrowed Dao lineages. Surely, you’ve had your own doubts, so why ask me? The dragon kin devour thunder, and such a prolonged Falling Water Rising Storm must mean unfinished business. My sect informed me long ago, so I traveled south voluntarily to spare the Dragon Monarch the trouble of dragging me down and harming my kin..."
Li Qinghong escorted him out all the way to the island’s edge. She saw thunder bloom beneath Xi Zikang’s feet as he turned and said softly, "It’s not all bad. There’s no need for them to kill us all. There may be benefits to come. When the time comes, I’ll seek you out, Qinghong. If we go together, at least we’ll have each other’s company."
Li Qinghong fell silent for a moment, watching him depart. Then she rode thunder back to the peak, where she happened to run into Li Ximing. He said softly, "Aunt... he seems to have an ulterior motive."
Li Qinghong had sensed the same. This man had shown no real urgency for the technique, and his request about the artifact seemed more like a pretext. It was perhaps just a way to build rapport. The information he later revealed likely mattered far more.
As for his final remarks before leaving, those were probably the real reason he had come. Li Qinghong understood this well and didn’t explain further. She only replied softly, "Don’t worry. Are you doing better?"
"You need not worry, Aunt." Li Ximing’s tone was gentle. He had shaved the beard he used to keep, and his body brimmed with Radiant Light. Li Qinghong had rarely heard such a tone from him, so she was slightly surprised. The young man cupped his hands and said softly, "Aunt, I’m going into seclusion for cultivation."
Li Qinghong responded with a quiet "Mm," and watched him ascend toward Mount Wu, where the spiritual energy was most abundant along the shoreline. The hall fell silent. The woman sat alone for a moment, then rose and returned to her dwelling.
————
On Pingya Island.
Morning light leaped over the distant mountains, spilling golden rays across the lake. Pingya Island was relatively flat, with connected isles, drifting white mist, and rows of pavilions and towers laid out in graceful order. It radiated the atmosphere of an immortal domain.
The grand hall at the island’s peak gleamed in the morning light. Li Chenghuai walked up the stairs one by one and entered. The carved flying beasts at the eaves had faintly red eyes and four bared teeth. It was a sign of vigorous fire veins. He calculated with his fingers and thought, Summer is near, today is an auspicious day. The Celestial Whirl generation is to receive teachings and breath arts... a well-chosen date.
With both Li Ximing and Li Qinghong in seclusion, time flowed like water. This was the Li Family’s first formal instruction ceremony since unifying Moongaze Lake. Li Chenghuai, master of Qingdu Peak, one of the two peaks among the sixteen prefectures, had arrived early, as expected.
Inside the main hall, someone had already arrived and stood with hands clasped behind his back, studying a map intently. He wore a deep red robe with golden embroidery and had discarded the heavy overrobe for summer. He looked clean-cut and decisive.
The design had been settled by the two brothers. Li Chenghuai naturally recognized this as the garb of the family head. Dark red with gold, it symbolized the family’s axis. His own robe was outer blue with inner white, the mark of Qingdu’s chief, representing the family's formal leadership.
The Li Family governed sixteen prefectures, two peaks, and one mountain. All peak chiefs of the sixteen prefectures wore red robes. The two peaks had distinct colors where, Qingdu, which represented the clan chief, was outer blue and inner white. Jade Court, which represented the enforcers, was pale with gray. It was visually clear at a glance.
As for the great mountain of Milin, it was too vast to be entrusted lightly. It remained vacant to this day, and the designated purple robes had yet to be used.
Li Chenghuai ascended several steps and saluted Li Chengliao, speaking softly, "Family Head, the Celestial Whirl generation and the younger members of the prominent families from the sixteen prefectures have all arrived outside the hall."
Most of the Li Family’s Celestial Whirl generation had now stepped onto the Dao of cultivation. The eldest, Li Zhoufang of the first lineage, was twenty-six and had reached the sixth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. Li Chengliao had met most of them and said plainly, "Let them enter."
Most of the Radiant Lure generation had attained cultivation, but many had died in battle in the north, leaving few heirs. As a result, the Celestial Whirl generation was not only small in number but there were even fewer among them with the innate ability to qualify for the main hall. When Li Chengliao looked over them, he saw fewer than ten.
"In all great families, it’s common to see sparse descendants and mutual adoption... It’s true. Once one attains cultivation, having children becomes harder, especially after Qi Cultivation Realm or Foundation Establishment Realm..."
It wasn’t entirely a bad thing. Li Chengliao had long observed that ties across three to five generations within the family often grew distant. But with adoptions, relations that had drifted apart were drawn close once more. The four branches had become notably more united.
He pondered quietly, Some great families endure for centuries. Adoption must be a crucial strategy for them...
He put his thoughts away as those below bowed. The one in the lead looked no older than sixteen and was also at the sixth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. Li Chenghuai nodded slightly, a smile forming on his face.
This youth was the only descendant of the seasonal branch: his eldest son, Li Zhouluo.
Li Zhouluo had gray eyes and long brows, with the poise of a young man. Dressed in black pleated robes, he spoke with confidence. Though Li Chenghuai himself was plain in looks, his wife, Madam Ding, was beautiful, and their son had inherited the best of both parents, appearing elegant and refined.
Li Chenghuai had never been fond of long seclusions, so Li Zhouluo had grown up to be well-mannered and courteous by his side. Watching from the side, his father felt a warm satisfaction.
If Father saw him, he’d surely be pleased , thought Li Chenghuai.
Last time his father, Li Xizhi, returned home, he hadn’t said a word to him. Li Chenghuai had long since grown used to it. Now in his thirties, he no longer minded and often forgot about him. Yet thinking of him now, he felt a faint daze, Father...
By his count, he had only seen his father a handful of times since childhood. The man rode mists and rainbows and was a prominent figure in the sect. But when Li Chenghuai thought of his father, it was mostly confusion.
I owe him nothing, and he owes me nothing. That’s all there is to it.
Standing atop the steps, gazing down at those in the grand hall, Li Chenghuai knew exactly where everything he had come from, and he also knew he hadn’t lost much. He never harbored resentment, but on rare occasions like this, when they came to mind, he quietly thought, I often forget them. They probably don’t often remember me either and that’s just how it is.