Chapter 140: Closed-Door Cultivation

Li Xuanfeng bid farewell to Liu Zhangdie, left a sum of money for his woman, and rode the wind south along the Gu Li Road for several hours. The Lijing Mountain, shrouded in clouds and mist beneath a pale golden light barrier, appeared before his eyes. He landed on the peak, and Li Xuansuan, beaming with joy, greeted him head-on.

"Brother Xuan, what has you so happy?"

Seeing Li Xuansuan's face full of smiles, Li Xuanfeng couldn't help but curl his own lips upward, asking with a grin.

"Uncle Tongya obtained a precious sword, and within it lies a movement technique inheritance from the Lingyu Gate called the 'Crossing River Turbulent Step.' It is a full third-grade cultivation technique, so naturally, it is a joyous occasion."

Li Xuansuan shook his head with a smile, handed over a jade slip, and then continued:

"Everyone in the family has already read and memorized it. Uncle Tongya has already entered closed-door cultivation; you should read it quickly."

Li Xuanfeng took the jade slip with a smile, probed it with his spiritual sense to get a rough idea, and said solemnly:

"It just so happens that it is the Lu family and the An family's turn to guard the mineral vein, and there are no affairs in the family. I also intend to enter closed-door cultivation to break through now, so I will take this jade slip with me. I leave the family to you, brother."

Li Xuansuan nodded in agreement, waved his hand to signal him not to worry, and replied:

"This is a good thing. Go ahead and cultivate in peace."

Li Xuansuan and Chen Donghe were both at the fifth level of Fetal Breath, the Jade Capital Wheel, so guarding the home was certainly no problem. Li Xuanfeng nodded, flipped his hand to put away the jade slip, rode the wind toward Meichi Peak, and entered seclusion to cultivate.

Li Xuansuan then descended the mountain and saw Li Xuanling rushing up to meet him, saying repeatedly:

"Brother Xuan! People from the Yu family have arrived before the courtyard and wish to see you."

"Are they not Qi Refining cultivators?"

Li Xuansuan frowned. Generally, when families came to visit, Qi Refining cultivators could inquire directly outside the formation; only envoys or disciples of the Fetal Breath stage would request someone to come and report.

"They are Qi Refining cultivators; they landed riding the wind. It's just that I heard this person explicitly say not to disturb Uncle Tongya, so I came up to report."

Li Xuansuan nodded, feeling puzzled. He straightened his clothes and walked a short distance. Upon entering the courtyard, he saw a middle-aged man in a long robe sitting on a chair, tapping his fingers on the wooden armrest, looking uneasy. His aura was majestic; he was at least in the middle stage of Qi Refining.

"Li Xuanxuan of the Li family greets you, senior."

Li Xuansuan cupped his hands. The middle-aged man, carrying a sword on his back, also cupped his hands with a stiff expression. Seeing that the person who arrived was not Li Tongya, he felt a sense of relief and replied:

"Yu Mujian of the Yu family."

Yu Mujian had lost face during the competition on the boat. Upon returning home, he was severely scolded by Yu Xiaogui. It just so happened that the Yu family's marketplace was about to open, so he was sent by Yu Xiaogui to apologize to Li Tongya and, along the way, invite the Li family to attend the ceremony.

Yu Mujian had been feeling stifled the whole way, fearing that if he met Li Tongya, the latter would think he had come to reclaim the sword.

Heaven have mercy! What "sharp aura," what "retracting and releasing at will"—Yu Mujian had listened in a daze and hadn't understood a single word. In his heart, he felt he had grasped the essence of the Sword Dao, yet he couldn't comprehend anything at all. How could he have the face to see Li Tongya? He had no choice but to follow the procedure for Fetal Breath cultivators and arrive at the Li family.

After inquiring with Li Xuanling and learning that Li Tongya had already closed his doors to guests and entered closed-door cultivation, he felt a weight lift from his body and thought happily:

"Even Heaven can't bear to watch; at least I won't have to be embarrassed any longer."

Who knew that when he met Li Xuansuan and they exchanged names, Li Xuansuan suddenly looked enlightened and smiled:

"So you are Senior Mujian!"

Yu Mujian was struck as if by lightning. Thinking that his face had already been lost to the other side of the lake, he said in a strained voice:

"You know me too?"

Li Xuansuan saw Yu Mujian's expression and immediately knew what he was thinking. He quickly changed the subject and smiled:

"Senior Tongya is my uncle. He told me: 'Among all the families around the lake, only Young Master Yu Mujian's swordsmanship can be called Sword Dao; the rest are merely holding swords to hack and slash.'"

This was originally just flattery to be listened to for fun, but Yu Mujian, whose nature was pure, took it seriously. His expression became one of great joy. Recalling his various provocations on the boat, he felt great shame and sighed toward the sky:

"Li Tongya is truly a gentleman! I am truly a petty person!"

Li Xuansuan was stunned, unable to keep up with his train of thought. Yu Mujian sighed, handed the invitation for the ceremony to Li Xuansuan, cupped his hands, and said solemnly:

"When the senior comes out of seclusion, Mujian will definitely come in person to apologize!"

Having said that, he waved his hand and left, still muttering words like "sharp aura" and "retracting and releasing at will," disappearing into the distance, leaving Li Xuansuan and Li Xuanling staring at each other.

"This person..."

Li Xuanling was stunned and speechless. Li Xuansuan was even more confused, so he opened the invitation to look.

The Yu family had already notified the various families of the time on the boat, but they had specifically sent someone to the Li family to deliver an invitation. Firstly, to show importance, and secondly, to show goodwill.

"Brother Qiuyang is steady in his dealings, and his cultivation is just right, so it won't make the Li family appear high-profile. Let's send him."

Li Xuansuan finished reading the invitation, made up his mind, and gave the orders.

————

Picking up the talisman brush, Li Xuansuan drew a talisman on the talisman paper in one go. He had been practicing for over ten years, and his success rate in talisman making was finally enough to break even, adding another business to the family.

The sunlight outside the window slanted in, bathing Li Yuanyuan in a golden glow. The boy was now four or five years old. Having just finished his studies, he stood quietly in the sunlight, looking at his father.

Li Xuansuan raised his head, looked at the child, and smiled:

"What is it?"

"Father, you haven't been to see Jiao'er for a month."

Hearing this, Li Xuansuan was slightly taken aback. He frowned and asked suspiciously in a low voice:

"Who taught you to say that?"

"No one."

Li Yuanyuan pursed his lips, seemingly a bit afraid of such a serious Li Xuansuan, but he still stubbornly held his head high and looked at him.

"Fine."

Li Xuansuan withdrew his gaze, nodded, picked him up, and headed out the door, feeling a slight sense of emotion in his heart.

Li Xiangping had died within the Shanyue territory. Although the Li family did not know the specific details, they knew that Mu Jiaoman and the Wushan faction were likely involved. However, for the sake of maintaining stability, they had no choice but to let the person go.

But Mu Yalu was Mu Jiaoman's cousin. Although Li Xuansuan didn't say it out loud, he felt some resentment in his heart, which carried over to Li Yuanjiao, leading to complex emotions that were hard to describe. Now, hearing the child say this, he thought to himself:

"No matter what, for the sake of maintaining the family's stability a hundred years from now, I cannot be too partial."

Seeing that they had reached the courtyard, Li Xuansuan gently set Li Yuanyuan down. The child cheered and went inside to find his brother Jiao. Before long, he heard Mu Yalu's smiling voice:

"Xiu'er is here, sit here!"

Li Xuansuan laughed and entered the courtyard as well. He saw Mu Yalu startled for a moment, then she quickly said:

"The Patriarch is here."

Li Yuanjiao held a wooden toy in his hand, looked up at him, and called out crisply:

"Father!"

"Hmm."

Li Xuansuan nodded toward Mu Yalu and sat to one side, watching the two children play back and forth. The sunlight at the foot of the mountain was even brighter. Li Yuanjiao smiled at Li Xuansuan, the golden sunlight spilling onto his face, making Li Yuanjiao's eyes appear slightly brown.

"Jiao'er, come here."

Li Xuansuan's voice trembled slightly. Mu Yalu, to the side, looked up sharply, her face filled with worry. When Li Yuanjiao walked over, not understanding why, Li Xuansuan held his face up to look, only to find that in the shadow, there was no trace of brown left at all.

Exhaling a breath, Li Xuansuan slowly stood up, his gaze drifting, and said softly:

"There are still important matters to handle on the mountain, I will leave first."

Having said that, he stood up and left, leaving the two brothers, Li Yuanjiao and Li Yuanyuan, playing in the courtyard. Mu Yalu watched his departing figure, sitting in the corner without saying a word. ===== CHAPTER 141 =====