He let out a hearty laugh and entered the hall alongside them. Once seated, his expression turned solemn and he said, "We’re both of Wei's Li Family, so let’s get straight to the matter."
True to his bold and generous style, he waved his sleeve, and a subordinate hurriedly brought a large box, cradling it from beneath with both hands. Once it was infused with mana, the jade box opened on its own.
Whoosh!
A wave of pill fragrance surged forth as five Essence Gathering Pills, nestled in the grooves, came into view. The pills had a gray hue with swirling patterns, and were emitting glimmers of light. Behind them, An Siwei quickly lowered his head and did not dare to look further.
There were also two smaller jade boxes and a longer rectangular one inside. Li Quantao opened them one by one and explained gently, "No need to say much about the Essence Gathering Pills; all five are potent and highly beneficial for the Foundation Establishment Realm. As for the other two boxes, one contains a rare thunder-attributed treasured panacea, Thunderheart Core, and the other holds a Nine-Stamen Spirit Daylily."
He picked up and opened one of the boxes. Inside lay a pale, faintly pulsating, purple organ, shaped like a heart and lung fused together and crisscrossed with black veins. It was nested between layered petals.
Li Quantao chuckled and said, "This item is easy to preserve, but it must never be opened during a thunderstorm. If it leaves the box and encounters lightning and rain, it will turn into lightning and flee. Its essence will scatter, and not even a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator can retrieve it. It’s highly beneficial for thunder cultivators; it's meant as a gift for Senior Qinghong."
He closed the box with a flick of his hand and stored it away. The second jade box he didn’t open, but introduced it through the lid, "This is the Nine-Stamen Spirit Daylily. It can treat fractured foundations, congenital deficiencies, unstable cultivation, and an unsteady Immortal Foundation. But it cannot be exposed to light, since it will wither upon contact."
Chi Fubo was being rather generous; both of these treasured panaceas were rare and valuable. Li Quantao placed them back into the larger box, then reached for the longer jade box, flipped it open, and said, "This is a Shadow Bloom Branch of the Bone Tree, a rare Veiled Yin dharma artifact..."
He lifted his brows and glanced at Li Zhouwei, letting out a deep sigh before saying softly, "The sect master originally approved a Bright Yang dharma artifact, but Lord Ning blocked it with repeated petitions. The matter was delayed again and again, until that artifact couldn’t be retrieved. So it was replaced with this one."
"I see!" Li Zhouwei nodded and looked into the jade box. He saw a pristine and gleaming jade branch the length of a forearm. It was half bone and half jade. Several black leaves dangled sparsely from its forked ends, shrouded in a faint aura of Yin.
Shadow Bloom Branch of the Bone Tree—what an awful name... but it does look rather nice, thought Li Zhouwei.
After examining it, Li Zhouwei smiled. "You’re too courteous, Emissary. Whatever the sect bestows is already more than enough; there’s no need to trouble the sect master. My household gratefully accepts this gesture."
This dharma artifact was certainly useless to Li Zhouwei—not just to him, but likely to most cultivators. It would probably only shine in the hands of those from the Women's Nation or the Chunyi Dao Gate.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel that Ning Hejing’s interference made no sense at all.
I don’t know what madness seized Ning Hejing; this item is a treasure for the Chunyi Dao Gate. If it’s useless to my household, can’t I just exchange it? thought Li Zhouwei.
As An Siwei took the jade box, Li Zhouwei noticed lingering regret on Li Quantao’s face. His mind turned quickly, Ning Hejing, as a regional governor, likely isn’t that stupid. He probably just advised Chi Xuxiao against giving us a Bright Yang artifact, fearing our rise... Looks like someone’s been stirring the pot, trying to make my family resent Ning Hejing...
To Li Quantao, the youth before him seemed somewhat imperious, albeit courteous in speech. He had no idea just how much had already crossed the youth’s mind. Once they reached the hall and dismissed the others, worry finally surfaced on his face.
Li Quantao spoke in a low voice, "Family head... have you heard any word of Xizhi? He and I are like brothers... He’s been missing for some time now, and the Abyss has changed drastically. His soul lamp in the sect is dangerously dim... I’m deeply worried!"
His face was etched with sincere anxiety. Li Zhouwei shook his head and said gently, "Even the Upper Sect has no news. How could my family possibly know?"
Li Quantao could only sit back down, brow tightly furrowed, unable to ease his worries. He muttered, "Your esteemed family may not realize how serious this is. The Abyss is filled with Radiant Essence and Lesser Yang light—both dazzling and spiritually corrosive. A single year inside could be fatal!"
Li Zhouwei appeared thoughtful and squinted slightly. He raised his head, showing a hint of unease, but his heart was pounding. The family’s jade talisman for Li Xizhi had shown no change at all. It still shone as brightly as ever!
Is the talisman simply imprecise... or is this a ploy to deceive me?
Li Quantao had gone through life-and-death with Li Xizhi. Li Zhouwei didn’t think he’d collude with the Azure Pond Sect to deceive him, but tricking Li Quantao was hardly difficult. Stirring true feelings with false information was a classic and simple scheme.
Li Zhouwei’s silence made Li Quantao think he was being swayed. He leaned in and said softly, "Xizhi was close with Lord Si. That senior even died following his orders. Ask him; there must be some response! He’s in constant seclusion and sees no one. I haven’t been able to reach him... or I’d have asked myself!"
Li Zhouwei feigned sudden realization and said with delight, "Very well! I’ll write a letter immediately!"
But inside, he chuckled coldly and thought, So that’s the angle!
Ask Si Yuanli? He was merely in the Foundation Establishment Realm, how could he possibly know what’s happening in the distant Abyss? The real aim was to contact Si Boxiu.
Si Yuanli had feigned weakness for so long, and now that his influence was gone, Chi Fubo was beginning to suspect that it was actually Si Boxiu in seclusion who was using Si Yuanli as his proxy in secret!
If Si Yuanli truly had the support of a Daoist Master Yuan Xiu, then even if the letter lacked concrete updates on Li Xizhi, it would still hint that he was safe. That alone would be enough to stop the Li Family from despairing. If Li Quantao relaxed even a little, Chi Fubo would have confirmation.
Li Zhouwei merely displayed a solemn expression, clasped his hands to Li Quantao, and said gravely, "You shared life-and-death ties with my elders. I trust you! I’ll write the letter, but you mustn’t let anyone know. If there’s a reply, have it sent discreetly and don’t let anyone else hear of it. Something might go wrong!"
He added fuel to the fire, and Li Quantao nodded repeatedly, swearing several oaths. Li Zhouwei knew he meant well, but since Chi Fubo had orchestrated this test, he surely had ways of monitoring their exchange. In the end, it was just a matter of belief or disbelief.
Since he could settle that matter, Li Quantao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took his leave soon after, riding the clouds with his companions. Li Zhouwei escorted them to the lake and watched them vanish into the distance.
He returned on Radiant Light, landed in the great hall, pulled out a sheet of paper and tossed it aside casually.
Write to Si Yuanli? With such blatant correspondence—even if Si Yuanli dared speak, Chi Fubo would never believe him! Li Zhouwei had never intended to send that letter.
News that arrives through unofficial, roundabout channels... that’s what will make it seem like a secret exchange between the Li and Si Families.
He calculated the timeline. He could reply to Li Quantao in a month. But to send a letter openly to the sect? How could that win Chi Fubo’s trust?
"Li Encheng and Li Enxi are both dead now... so the original channel is cut," muttered Li Zhouwei.
Li Zhouwei pondered for a moment, then brushed the formation on his desk. After a moment, a young man entered, dressed in robes of blue outside and white within. It was Li Chenghuai.
Li Zhouwei spoke in a whisper, "The Deng Family once left us a covert way to communicate... Is that shop still traceable? Uncle, please make a trip to the market, get in touch with their people, and help me send a letter into the sect."
Li Chenghuai didn’t ask a thing; he simply nodded and left. Li Zhouwei twirled the jade slip in his fingers, gazing silently at the radiant jade box under the sunlight as he thought, To the clever, the more secretly a message is heard, the more believable it becomes... To deal with the wise, act foolish; to deal with the foolish, act wise. That’s all there is to it.