Chapter 1072: Children

Kuang Yu saw Li Li Ximing off, then steered the wind back to Mount Mount Qusi. Brother Xuan Yi and the others were already gone, and the pavilion appeared silent.

Kuang Yu walked into the mountain alone, only to see a woman in red robes blocking the path. She bowed respectfully and said:

"Miss, the Master wishes to see you."

Kuang Yu withdrew her hand, feeling a touch of surprise. She nodded slightly and made her way to the front of the 【Sanyang Yuqi Hall】. Rolling waves of dawn-Qi were weaving across the golden dais. She stepped over the threshold and saw the main seat on the dais glowing brightly, her Master sitting amidst the deep, dark red.

She took a few more steps forward, bowed in greeting, and said respectfully:

"Master!"

Di Yan's expression was less solemn than before; her face held a bit more vitality. She sat casually on the main seat, holding a wine goblet, and said in a low voice:

"What did he say?"

Kuang Yu replied:

"About the matter of the Baoya Golden Land."

Di Yan sipped her wine and asked:

"I am determined to seek the Dao; do you hold any resentment?"

Kuang Yu lowered her head and bowed:

"I dare not hold resentment... Master seeks the Dao, and this junior can only offer full support. I only worry about the affairs of Mount Qusi, and even more so..."

Her expression was complex as she said:

"If we are involved too deeply and provoke this family or that, will it implicate Mount Qusi..."

Di Yan sipped her wine again and said:

"Do not worry. 【Patriarch Qujie】 is, after all, a disciple of the 【Motongce Palace】. Those in the heavens... view this matter differently."

Kuang Yu raised her head, somewhat puzzled, and heard Di Yan say:

"The beauty of this matter lies precisely here. In the eyes of the Wei Wang, we are helping him; but in the eyes of Mount Luoxia, are we not also helping Mount Luoxia? Even in the eyes of the Dragon-kin, we have contributed our share!"

"Although that Lord has not appeared in the world for a long time, according to his stance and interests, this is what should be done. Regardless of whether he directly ordered it, in the eyes of those Lords, it is his handiwork. Why would they vent their anger on us?"

Kuang Yu fell silent, then asked:

"So it was all calculated by you, Master."

Di Yan looked at her with a half-smile, sipping her wine without a word.

'Who calculated it? That is not necessarily certain!'

Kuang Yu stood up. Di Yan hesitated for a moment, then finally took a jade talisman from her sleeve. It was about three fingers wide, with a black base painted in gold and red.

Kuang Yu stood up, took the talisman from her hand, and glanced at it closely. Her expression suddenly turned suspicious. She looked up at the Master and heard Di Yan's tone remain flat:

"Back then, I had you cultivate 'Xiuyue' because I anticipated a chaotic future of displacement. 'Xiuyue' is not only adept at self-preservation, but can also follow the flow of the situation, offering a chance to achieve the Great Dao..."

"Now that you are deeply involved in the Mingyang layout, you can well borrow some of the power of your 'Xiuyue' path."

Kuang Yu looked slightly pale and replied:

"This junior has never thought of seeking Gold!"

Di Yan shook her head:

"I am not asking you to seek Gold, only to borrow the power to cultivate divine abilities. If you wish to rebel, it would be hard to find anything more rebellious than regicide."

Kuang Yu said in confusion:

"This junior is confused... Master has already let my cousin cultivate 'Xiuyue'; is he not a more suitable candidate? I inherited the Mount Qusi legacy..."

Di Yan paused, a hint of pain appearing in her expression. After a long while, she sighed:

"This matter should have been done by your father... His age was just right... If he were alive today, his cultivation would also be just right. Let him assist the Wei Wang in rebellion; in the end, whether it succeeds or not, he would have had a chance to claim the remaining position... If he were here, I would never let you touch this matter!"

She closed her eyes tightly:

"Hateful... to be harmed by Can Luofu!"

Mentioning her father, Kuang Yu's expression flickered between light and shadow, her mood sinking. Di Yan said gloomily:

"He is gone, and no one dares to touch the karma of the Mingyang rebellion, leaving only you... and your cousin to share it. With your aptitude, only then is there hope of crossing the Canzi. If you obtain the lion's share, you might even have a chance at reincarnation."

"That is why I had you get close to Li Li Ximing, rather than the Wei Wang—that is the business of Juexi. He is a subject in the open, while you are intimate in the dark. By borrowing Juexi, you can share more karma... Without him, it would be very difficult for you to obtain any."

Kuang Yu nodded thoughtfully. Di Yan said earnestly:

"This is also why I had to tell him about this matter today, why I had to make him see Juexi, and why I had to make him agree on behalf of the Wei Wang first. Juexi's aptitude... breaking through to the Early Zifu is ultimately very dangerous. Only by letting him touch the status of the Mingyang rebellion will he have more certainty in achieving divine abilities!"

Kuang Yu suddenly realized and sighed deeply:

"Master's intentions are profound..."

"There is also the intention of avenging your father... but that is still too early..."

Di Yan shook her head, cutting off her words, and gathered the jade talisman that Kuang Yu had been clutching into her palm, saying:

"I have arranged things up to this point for you... how you walk the path of the future, and whether you do it or not, is entirely up to you."

Perhaps the red light in the hall was too intense, making Kuang Yu's pretty face appear more flushed. She silently withdrew, leaving Di Yan sitting on the main seat.

The expression on her face vanished completely. Her gaze toward the woman's retreating back was even somewhat lonely. This Great True Person with complete divine abilities was like a bird in a cage, trapped in this small hall, squinting her eyes as she watched Kuang Yu leave.

'Di Yan...'

Li Li Ximing steered his light, flying over the South Sea, his inner contemplation still lingering.

He knew quite a bit now; even eighty or ninety percent of what Li Li Zhouwei knew had been discussed with him. With the major factions appearing one by one, testing him time and again... Li Li Ximing actually felt a sense of absurdity.

'The Mingyang affair has actually become a gambling game!'

This gamble has the 【Mingyang Shaking】 as a base, the 【White White Qilin Destiny】 as the jackpot, and the 【Will there be a new Mingyang Lord】 as the grand prize. Not only are the various Lords betting at will, but people like Senior Chang Xiao, Di Yan, and even Senior Yuan Dao are taking turns adding to the stakes, not hesitating to bet their entire lives and fortunes.

'These people are betting more and more, which is equivalent to pushing the entire world forward... leaving no room for retreat.'

His gaze was calm as he flew westward on his own. It was not until some time later that he saw the numerous pavilions on the coastline—emerging.

The Jinghai Protectorate was originally the territory of True Person Zhusheng. There was a Shahuang Kingdom here, mostly inhabited by Jiaozhi people, but it had now disintegrated and been divided into counties, all governed by officials of the Great Song.

Li Li Ximing returned in his light. The mountains were surprisingly lively; a group of cultivators knelt in the hall, not daring to move. Cheng Zhong Qian, dressed in white, looked quite stern as he sat on the main seat, scaring them so much they didn't dare to breathe.

Li Li Ximing's heavenly light suddenly appeared, and Cheng Zhong Qian's expression softened:

"Fellow Daoist Can Zhaojing!"

As he went to welcome Li Li Ximing, he waved his sleeve and ordered:

"Go and investigate again!"

The group of cultivators scattered as if granted amnesty. Li Li Ximing saw his solemn expression and raised his eyebrows:

"What happened?"

Cheng Zhong Qian waved his sleeve and sighed:

"I arrived here and visited several Witch Kingdoms, then set about dealing with the demon chaos... but after investigating, this matter is not simple. Behind the turmoil in the Witch Kingdoms, there should be Demon Kings."

Li Li Ximing narrowed his eyes and asked:

"Which Demon King?"

Cheng Zhong Qian sighed:

"Not just one!"

His expression looked ugly as he recounted:

"These Witch Kingdoms are sandwiched between two places. One is the territory of the Mountain Lord of Bifushan, with the border at 【Heiqi Ridge】. The other is also a Mountain Lord, called the Mountain Lord of Yuanzun, with the border at 【Haoling Peak】, who has shown goodwill toward Jinghai."

"This Mountain Lord of Bifushan is famous; I presume you know him, Daoist, he is called Can Luofu..."

Although he was intelligent, he was an overseas cultivator after all, unfamiliar with the affairs of Jiangnan, and even less aware of the Li family's past or who they had grudges with, so he spoke very naturally.

Li Li Ximing didn't react on the surface, but his heart turned cold:

'Still at large... Let you enjoy yourself for a few more decades!'

Before Li Li Ximing had broken through, the Li clan was but a speck of dust in Can Luofu's eyes. Even after Li Li Ximing broke through, the entire Li clan together would only be a tumble in Can Luofu's hands. But things were different now; if Li Li Ximing really got ruthless, he could certainly give this Demon King a hard time, though it was far from enough to kill him.

Cheng Zhong Qian then said:

"This Can Luofu is a notorious old demon, with extremely high means and cultivation. The Mountain Lord of Yuanzun on the other side is only in the middle stage of the Early Zifu, and it was only by winning over several surrounding Demon Kings and working together that he could barely contend with him."

"The General of your noble clan took Can Luofu's territory, and now... the old demon is cutting in the north and supplementing in the east, finding excuses to fight fiercely on both sides, using this to plunder the population and incidentally suppress the Mountain Lord of Yuanzun..."

This True Person had not been in the Early Zifu for long and had spent a long time in the East Sea, so naturally, he had a headache encountering such a thing. Li Li Ximing exhaled and pondered:

"Have any Early Zifu experts made a move?"

Cheng Zhong Qian's expression sank:

"The trouble lies right there... The Mountain Lord of Bifushan sent two Early Zifu Demon Kings, who have been tossing back and forth several times. There have been tremors in the earth veins and requests for reinforcements. If the fighting gets more intense, we might have to assist Yuanzun..."

Li Li Ximing pondered:

"I vaguely remember... True Person Zhusheng had a demon friend in the area... called True Person Xianchan."

"Exactly under the command of the Mountain Lord of Yuanzun!"

Li Li Ximing already loathed Can Luofu; hearing this, how could he not be biased! But firstly, his desire for revenge was greater, and he was wary of alerting the enemy. Secondly, even if he were to make a move, he hoped to do it in the name of the Song Court, so he said:

"We should support Yuanzun to balance the Southern Frontier. But now is not the time for autonomy abroad; everything must be reported to the Lord first. Even if no manpower is sent, it would be better to have one or two spirit tools sent over!"

Cheng Zhong Qian immediately felt it made sense and replied:

"Senior's thinking is still the most thorough!"

Li Li Ximing just picked up his pen and used his divine ability to write a scroll, weighing his words as he reported to Yang Zhuo, while coldly calculating:

'There is more than one use for this! The current Green Talisman is far from being settled! If I can find out the situation here clearly, find a gap, and eliminate one of the Demon Kings close to Can Luofu, I can add a Talisman Qi for Li Jiangqian!'

Thinking of this, he was quite satisfied and felt a bit more favorably toward Yang Yang Ruiyi:

'No matter how the situation in the Southern Frontier is manipulated, under the banner of the Great Song, there won't be any major trouble. Compared to the North, this place is truly much more comfortable. Not only do I not have to face the Northern Buddhist cultivators, but I might even earn some spiritual resources and favors...'

Simin County.

Simin was originally the foundation of Mount Qingchi, but the immortal towers and pavilions were all on the mountains. The county was wealthy and luxurious, ultimately a place for mortals. But with the founding of the Great Song, it was set as the Imperial Capital, gathering the heroes of the former Yue Kingdom, reforming the system, and building palaces, which finally made it brilliant.

Under the cover of heavy pavilions, a vast but low-key mansion had its doors tightly closed. The inner chamber was equally quiet, with a group of servants standing against the wall, not daring to raise their heads, save for the sound of light bells.

A woman in white sat sideways beside the bed, her clean, plain hand gently twisting a bell, making a tinkling sound. The male baby on the bed was only a year old, looking focused, his pair of golden eyes fixed firmly on the bell.

Another baby girl looked even more petite and cute, her golden eyes even brighter, as she turned her back and leaned against her mother to sleep.

The woman teased the children, while a sturdy man beside her was trying on black robes, the purple-gold sash tied around his body, looking extremely majestic.

Li Li Jiangxia picked up a bronze mirror and looked closely at the pair of golden eyes in the mirror. Suddenly remembering something, he asked:

"True Person Can Zhaojing has gone to the Southern Frontier?"

The woman beside him immediately put down the bell in her hand and said softly:

"Yes."

Li Li Jiangxia raised his hand and shook his head:

"If he hasn't returned to the lake, he must be unaware of the affairs of Deng Yuzhi and Suichu. Please send someone to Jinghai to report a word to the Lord."

The woman agreed harmoniously, seemingly having something difficult to say. Li Li Jiangxia waved the others away and heard the woman say:

"This concubine has a thin fate, yet I have obtained this great fortune to give birth to a son for the General... but I have heard that there is a generation order in Tingzhou. Whether it is Zhi or Chu, I fear it does not conform to the rules."

Her expression was worried:

"This concubine is not afraid of gossip, I am only afraid that the two children... will not be liked by the Wei Wang!"

Li Li Jiangxia laughed, shaking his head while putting on his spirit boots, and said:

"There is no need to worry about that. My 【Xia】 is also not within the rules, and it was also named by my Father King."

He turned his head on his own and said:

"I understand his meaning now, so naturally, I am not afraid of any rules. I am not like Li Li Jianglong, who insists on begging for a title. This is fine... As for you, having given birth to twins for me, who would dare to make things difficult for you?"

Although Li Li Jiangxia had many concubines, he had been childless for many years. Finally, when he arrived at the Song Court and fought in the Brother Xuan wars, he had originally cut off his last bit of hope, focusing only on cultivation.

The Song Emperor valued him highly, not only bestowing spiritual resources and treasures but also six women to serve him, all cultivating Cui Jueyin—not in the hope of giving birth to offspring, but purely to let him dual cultivate and harmonize Yin and Yang to enhance his cultivation.

But perhaps it was because he had left Wangyue Lake, where Mingyang was entrenched and his father and brother oppressed him, that his destiny was more prosperous, or perhaps the Cui Jueyin path was truly useful. Among the six women, a woman from the Xunlin Plain, surnamed Zou, named Yu Xie, actually became pregnant!

Li Li Jiangxia was overjoyed, but an even greater surprise was yet to come: Zou Yu Xie had actually given birth to a pair of children for him!

'Could it be that my destiny is truly unfolding?'

He was happy in his heart. Having become a father, he loved this pair of children dearly, and even Zou Yu Xie was taken wherever he went. Now that he had returned to the Imperial Capital to report on his duties, he had brought the mother and children along.

At the moment, he touched the two children with great affection and said softly:

"The Lord has summoned me; I am going to the palace." ===== CHAPTER 1073 =====