Li Xuanxuan looked forward to this moment every year. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, and he quickly asked in a low voice. "What kind of techniques did you receive?"
Li Jiangqian, familiar with the three elders, responded swiftly, "A sixth-grade Purple Mansion Realm technique, the Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Li Day!"
"Excellent!" Li Xuanxuan was instantly elated, joy flashing across his face. A Purple Mansion Realm technique was an incomparable treasure.
Li Zhouwei nodded, a faint smile appearing as he spoke softly, "It truly is of the Purple Mansion Realm... how many secret techniques does it contain?"
Purple Mansion Realm techniques were known for their length. After a brief moment of thought, Li Jiangqian replied respectfully, "Father, four secret techniques."
"Four," said Li Zhouwei, nodding thoughtfully.
Seizing the pause in conversation, Li Shuwan spoke in a gentle voice, "Honored elders, I received a sixth-grade Purple Mansion Realm technique called the Houshu Golden Book, which contains five secret techniques, as well as a volume titled Profound Shamanic Spells."
Li Zhouwei had expected this and quietly contemplated the names of the techniques. Li Xuanxuan chuckled and sighed, "Good... Our family received spell arts through the talisman seeds... it seems there were only a few in earlier generations... perhaps these are different!"
Li Zhouwei nodded, his thoughts still lingering on the five secret techniques in the Houshu Golden Book, My Radiant Essence Scripture had nine techniques, Jiangqian received four, and Shuwan has five... Could it be that her innate ability surpasses Jiangqian’s... That would be a good thing.
Li Zhouwei understood his younger son well. The boy had a difficult temperament, but thankfully he wasn’t one to lash out at others. It was good to have someone among the juniors who could act as a counterweight and prevent him from acting too willfully.
He finally spoke, his tone solemn, "Jiangqian, Shuwan, memorize the techniques you’ve received first."
Two small desks had already been prepared in the hall. The quick-witted Li Jiangqian had already begun writing. Li Shuwan wasn’t as literate, but thankfully the techniques were within her talisman seed, so she only needed to imitate the strokes and copy them as they appeared.
The two bent over their desks, scribbling quickly. Li Zhouwei stood silently beside them, watching. As night gradually fell, his brow furrowed deeper, and he muttered softly, "These two techniques... are vastly different from the Radiant Essence Scripture."
Li Xuanxuan leaned in closer, and Li Zhouwei said quietly, "It only took me two hours to transcribe my technique back then... but now, two hours have passed... These two techniques are far lengthier."
Li Xuanxuan stroked his beard, while Li Qinghong noticed a faint tremor in the projection screen.
An Siwei’s respectful voice came through the screen, "Honored elders, Xi Zikang is waiting on the island."
"Very well." Li Qinghong responded calmly, as though it were nothing out of the ordinary, and replied gently, "Please have Daoist Xi wait in the side hall. I’ll be there shortly."
The joy on Li Xuanxuan’s face faded, while Li Zhouwei said, "This transcription won't be finished in a short while. Please watch over things, my lord. I’ll accompany her for a bit."
Li Xuanxuan found himself torn. He wanted to see Li Qinghong off, but was also reluctant to leave the two children.
Li Qinghong spoke gently, "No need to see me off, Uncle. It might only dampen your spirits."
Li Xuanxuan sighed and turned away. Li Qinghong, unwilling to linger, stepped through the light screen and departed. Li Zhouwei accompanied her through the corridor, where Xi Zikang had already been waiting in the hall for quite some time.
The young man, clad in silver robes, approached with a cheerful smile. His round face exuded spiritual qi, and his bright, courteous demeanor made it hard for anyone to feel hostility toward him.
He stepped forward and greeted them warmly, "Elder Qinghong!"
He held out a jade slip, clearly the Purple Thunder Secret Origin Technique. Li Qinghong accepted and began unlocking it immediately. Li Zhouwei also handed over two jade slips.
The young man took them and said politely, "I’ve troubled your family many times over the years. Thank you for your patience, family head."
Xi Zikang was very courteous. Li Zhouwei retrieved the jade slips and responded politely.
The young man simply smiled and added, "Your esteemed family understands the stakes. I’ve heard of the reputation of honored seniors in the North; seniors are well-known as righteous cultivators. If not for that, I fear someone might have already tried to kill me. Even with talismans on me, I wouldn’t have dared step into your formation."
"You’re too kind, fellow Daoist." Li Qinghong’s expression was slightly complicated. As they exited the grand hall together, she asked softly, "Fellow Daoist Xi, will you still be on time for your journey to the Eastern Sea?"
"Of course! No problem at all!" Xi Zikang seemed entirely unafraid of what lay ahead and replied with a grin, "I’ll travel leisurely along the way. When the time comes, I’ll naturally be drawn into the grotto heaven. There's no need to rush anywhere."
"I see!" Li Qinghong nodded, then turned to Li Zhouwei and said quietly, "The Han Family of Dongliu has fallen on hard times. They've even been besieged on the main island. Two of their elders died because of matters involving our family, I can’t turn a blind eye. Since I’m heading to the Eastern Sea anyway, I’ll resolve their siege along the way.
"Now that I carry the Dragon Clan’s mandate, ordinary Purple Mansion Realm cultivators wouldn’t dare plot against me. I won’t act under the family’s name, just break the siege and escort their juniors away. That way, it brings closure to what happened with Xi."
The memories of her return from the Eastern Sea was still vivid; Li Qinghong had clearly not forgotten the Han Family. She drew a jade pendant from her sleeve and transmitted through a secret technique, "This was taken from Wang Fu. Before he died, he harbored many grudges against the Daoist Masters, and they’re all inscribed within this jade pendant. The grand formation blocks the Daoist Masters from peering into it, so it might still be useful. Keep it safe."
Li Zhouwei accepted it, and Li Qinghong said, "There’s a spirit persimmon tree in the Quanwu Mountains of Yue State. I came across her once in my youth. Her cultivation was shallow at the time, and she said she had thirty-seven more years to reach the Qi Cultivation Realm. She should be only three or four years away from completing it now. If you get the chance, do go take a look."
Li Zhouwei asked carefully for the location and agreed to everything. Li Qinghong smiled and said, "Minghuang, I leave things here to you."
"Rest assured, my lady," replied Li Zhouwei.
He silently escorted the two out of the lake and watched as two streaks of thunderlight vanished into the sky. As he returned, the cold night wind bit at him. A thin layer of ice had formed over the lake, rustling faintly in the breeze.
Moonlight bathed the vast lake island in silvery white. Li Zhouwei contemplated silently, From now on, I must serve as their defensive wall.
————
Li Zhouwei returned to the quiet hall, bathed in the season’s chill. The two children had taken hunger-suppressing pills and were seated obediently. Perhaps drawing characters was slower than writing them. Li Jiangqian was the first to hand over two thick stacks of paper.
Li Zhouwei accepted them gently and scanned them with his spiritual sense. Everything became clear at once, and he was pleasantly surprised, saying, "There are appended spell arts... No wonder it was so much longer!"
Li Xuanxuan had already read through it and was currently engraving a jade slip with spiritual sense. Though he looked weary, talking about the technique seemed to ease his expression, and he said in a raspy voice, "It’s a good thing... Not a single one of these spell arts is mediocre."
Li Jiangqian was not inexperienced. Though he didn’t fully grasp how rare the spells were, the ranks alone were enough to prove their worth. He replied respectfully, "The sixth-grade Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Li Day, with appended fifth-grade footwork technique Flame-Stepping Movement, fifth-grade escape spell Crimson Radiance of Li Sky[1], sixth-grade spell art Great Li White Radiance, fifth-grade spell arts Li Origin Barrier and Supreme Yang Resonance Li Art, three fourth-grade spell arts, and various third- and second-grade spell arts..."
Li Zhouwei relaxed and nodded, having already browsed the contents through spiritual sense. He pondered, These techniques are all Supreme Yang or Li Fire based. They are extremely compatible, but they don’t quite feel like they originated from the same manual as the Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Li Day.
1. The (离) Li here is the same Li as Li Day of Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Li Day. ☜