Chapter 18: Three Years

The Liu and Li families provided some dry rations, and the refugees curled up at the entrance of the village to eat. The middle-aged man leading them looked at the twenty-odd people beside him with worry, thinking to himself:

"Now I am truly in a difficult situation. Having killed their leader, let alone staying, I can't even leave."

The refugees were in a stir, looking up at the mountain road one after another. Someone shouted:

"There is someone on the road, look at that old man!"

They saw a gray-haired old farmer walking along the winding road. His clothes and arms were stained with blood. His left hand was dragging a bloody corpse with great effort, while his right hand carried a hoe from which hung a tattered, disheveled human head.

"It's that assassin!"

Those with sharp eyes recognized the clothing of the headless corpse and could not help but feel a chill down their spines. He had escaped in the night, and by morning, his head had been taken. They didn't know who this old man was, but the Li family truly had great power.

Seeing Old Man Xu approaching, the people on both sides hurriedly retreated, clearing a path.

Old Man Xu, however, had a pale face and vacant eyes as he walked, not even glancing at the people around him, walking on his own.

When he reached the Li family courtyard at the end of the village, tenants had already gone to report the news. Li Mutian, looking weary, led a group of family members to greet him at the door.

"Uncle Xu, this is..."

"That remnant of the Yuan family... I have killed him. The corpse is right here. Call Liu Linfeng and Tian Shoushui to identify him."

Old Man Xu hunched his back, his hands and feet cold. He put the corpse on the ground and sat down to catch his breath.

Li Tongya hurriedly brought tea from the inner room to Old Man Xu, but the old man's hands and feet were trembling, and he could not even hold the tea, only sipping it as Li Tongya held it to his lips.

Before long, Liu Linfeng and Tian Shoushui came along with Old Man Xu's eldest son. Old Man Xu told the whole story in front of everyone again. After several confirmations, this person was indeed the remnant of the Yuan family.

"Uncle Xu, Big Brother's great revenge has been avenged, the Li family is deeply grateful..." Li Tongya was saying with red eyes, but Old Man Xu waved his hand with effort and said with tears:

"You don't need to thank me. I received Changhu's kindness, so I killed this person for him. I will never use this favor to seek wealth from your Li family. I don't have many years left to live. If you want to thank me, just bring the child to see me when he is born."

After speaking, he stood up with effort, ignored the Li family's attempts to make him stay, and left the door, supported by Old Man Xu's eldest son.

The Li family's funeral lasted for several days, with white cloth hanging all over the courtyard. Li Changhu had been generous and righteous in his lifetime, so there was weeping in every household. With affairs so busy, Li Tongya's preparations for his breakthrough were pushed back again and again, until two months after Li Changhu was buried did he stabilize his state of mind, condense the Mysterious Scene Wheel, and step into the gate of immortality.

————

Two years later.

The bright morning sun shone on the sparse trees in the courtyard, casting fine, fragmented tree shadows all over. Beneath the trees sat a handsome young man, cross-legged, concentrating on breathing and exhaling.

Before long, he spat out a long breath of turbid air, finished his technique, and looked at the courtyard with a smile.

A two-year-old boy holding a few wild flowers came bouncing into the backyard, laughing happily, babbling:

"Uncle... hug..."

Li Chi smiled, reached out to pick the child up high, pressed his head against the child's little head, and asked eagerly:

"Want... hug..." The child ignored him, giggling and twisting in Li Chi's hands.

"Xuan'er! Come out quickly!"

Ren Shi woman did not dare to enter the backyard and shouted softly at the courtyard gate.

Putting the child on the ground and watching him bounce into his mother's arms with a smile, Li Chi said softly:

"This Zhou Xing Wheel is truly hard to cultivate. After a full year and a half, it is finally about to be completed!"

"Chi'er, you are truly ungrateful!"

Li Xiangping, standing behind him, stood up and scolded with a low laugh:

"We have only just cultivated the second layer of the Great Breath, the Clear Brightness Wheel, and haven't even touched the edge of the third layer, the Universal Movement Wheel, yet you complain that the cultivation is too slow and wasted your time!"

Li Chi laughed, did not answer him, and continued on his own:

"Tonight I can start condensing the Zhou Xing Wheel, so I can show you what it means to have magic power flowing and circulating without end."

"You child."

Li Xiangping laughed. Seeing Li Mutian walk into the backyard with his hands behind his back, he lowered his head and called out:

"Father."

"Xuanxuan is truly a naughty child!"

Seeing his grandson Li Xuanxuan, Li Mutian finally had a smile on his face. After Li Changhu died, the old man was always listless and sleepy. The birth of this posthumous child undoubtedly injected new life into the old man, and he cheered up again.

As soon as Li Xuanxuan was born, Li Mutian climbed out of bed, gathered the Li family, and had Li Xiangping find three lines of incantations from the "Guidance Technique" to serve as the order of generations for the Li family from then on.

"Mysterious Scene Origin Clarity, Clear Brightness Joyful Moon.

Circulation Wheel, Jade Capital Wheel.

Jade Capital Wheel, Great Completion Wheel."

The children of Li Tongya, Li Xiangping, and others were named from this "Xuanjing," with boys taking "Xuan" and girls taking "Jing," and so on.

Li Mutian asked the Ren woman again. Ren Pinger thought for a whole night and chose the character "Xuan," which became the name of Li Changhu's posthumous child: Li Xuanxuan.

"Father is truly too doting."

Li Tongya shook his head with a smile, put the wooden slip in his hand on the shelf, and replied.

"Nonsense!"

Li Mutian pretended to be angry, blew his beard and stared, and then said seriously:

"I want Yesheng to follow me and learn more."

"Li Yesheng?"

Li Tongya lowered his head and pondered for a few breaths, then said:

"That is also a good way. Li Yesheng is all alone and is especially close to our family. We have to cultivate techniques and breathe spiritual energy, so we have no time to manage those worldly chores. Since Li Yesheng is also of the Li family bloodline, he couldn't be more suitable."

"I can still live for another ten years, at least I can suppress him!"

Li Mutian's tone was firm, and he continued coldly:

"When the children and grandchildren grow up in ten years, how could it be his turn to have any ulterior motives!"

"To govern people, one must combine kindness with severity. When Li Yesheng gets married and has children, everything will be easy to handle." Li Xiangping said lightly.

"Exactly."

Li Chi took the wooden slip from the shelf, blew the dust off it, and said with a low laugh:

"Ten years of immortality cultivation, it really makes one look forward to it." ===== CHAPTER 19 =====