Chapter 294: Out of the Cave

"Fate..." Li Li Yuanjiao muttered to himself. Li Li Tongya sheathed the Mount Qingchi Sword and said solemnly: "Li Yuanjiao... from now on, you must look after the family. If I don't return, you must be humble for a while. With the Xiao family's support, it is no big deal to cede Mount Huazhong Mountain and Mount Yuting Mountain."

Li Li Yuanjiao felt the sky was dark and the earth was cracking, and said hoarsely: "Old Ancestor... the clan, the clan cannot be without you!"

Li Li Tongya shook his head slowly and said gently:

"Li Xuanling is mostly doomed, and Li Xuanfeng is hard to return from the Southern Frontier. Your father will just manage this market, don't come back and join in the fun..."

"You, Li Yuanyuan, and Brother Yuanping are all children who can hold the family. You must be cautious... Li Qinghong is still in seclusion and doesn't need to be invited. She acts too urgently and seeks immortality, so she is harmed by seeking immortality. I hope you tell her to act cautiously!"

Seeing Li Li Yuanjiao listening carefully, Li Li Tongya nodded and exhorted: "After this matter subsides, there should be many peaceful days. The Yu family's Old Ancestor was killed earlier, the market was destroyed, and Yu Yu Muxian has many connections in the sect, but he stood by and didn't even say a word. It seems he is not a person who loves the clan and won't offend the Xiao family, so don't worry."

"Yes... Jiao'er remembers."

Li Li Yuanjiao's eyes were shining, and he hurriedly asked:

"May I ask Old Ancestor, how is the Mount Qingchi Sect?"

Mentioning this name, Li Li Tongya's expression was complex, and he said softly: "The Mount Qingchi Sect has occupied Jiangnan for hundreds of years. Its background is much deeper than what you and I see. Interests are intertwined, and suppression and slaughter are familiar. It is not something that can be defeated in one generation. Yuan Hu's words are not bad. We must climb onto the Mount Qingchi's desk, not fall into the Mount Qingchi's bowl."

"It's just that my generation and Mount Qingchi have a sea of blood and deep hatred, and I can no longer compromise with them. After I leave, you must send disciples into the sect, even if it is to be a dog for others, to be resources

Li Li Yuanjiao shed tears as he listened and nodded silently. Li Li Tongya pulled him by the hand, his gray-white hair fluttering gently in the wind, and the old man said:

"Just remember, do not perform blood sacrifices, do not slaughter the people, and do not let evil desires lead you into crooked paths..."

Beside them, Li Brother Yuanping's eyes were already red, unable to control himself. Li Li Tongya took his thin arm, and magic light appeared in his palm, smoothing away the blue and purple bruises on his arm. He said with some guilt:

"If our family had any superior precious medicine to mend your root bones, you wouldn't have to suffer like this..."

"Wuu..."

Li Brother Yuanping could no longer hold back and began to cry hoarsely. Li Li Yuanjiao also gritted his teeth and pressed his lips together, standing there while holding back his tears. Li Li Tongya stared into his eyes and said softly:

"If Li Yuanyun is not promising, you need not accommodate him. If he dares to engage in evil paths like killing and blood sacrifice to seek apertures, kill him if you must."

Li Li Yuanjiao nodded, a flash of understanding crossing his brow. His grand-uncle had never left the mountain, yet there was nothing happening below that he did not know. Li Brother Yuanping stifled his sobs and looked up, his pale face flushed with excitement, and he said solemnly:

"Don't worry, Grand-uncle. As long as Brother Jiao and I are here, no trouble will come to the family!"

Li Li Tongya nodded approvingly, stood up, took a step, and laughed loudly: "Do not be too pessimistic. Although my journey is perilous, there is still a chance of survival."

Straightening the storage bag at his waist, Li Li Tongya took out a pale green jade box and handed it solemnly to Li Li Yuanjiao. Li Li Yuanjiao received it with both hands, and then heard Li Li Tongya instruct: "This is the inheritance of a Sword Immortal, called the 'Moon Palace Sword Canon', a fifth-grade sword technique."

"A Sword Immortal's inheritance?!"

Both brothers were shocked. Li Li Yuanjiao's legs went weak, and he held the jade box with both hands as if afraid it might melt. He bowed respectfully and said in a deep voice: "Li Yuanjiao accepts the order!"

Li Li Yuanjiao understood that by handing this inheritance to him, Li Li Tongya was passing the burden of the Li family onto him. He felt anxious and uneasy, then saw Li Li Tongya point at the jade box and flick his finger, pulling out two jade slips—one pale purple, one pure white—and said:

"The pale purple one is the 'Moon Palace Sword Canon', and the pure white one is my sixty years of sword path insights annotated for this canon, called the 'Jiazi Sword Canon True Interpretation'. Keep them safe and do not take them outside the mountain."

Li Li Yuanjiao nodded repeatedly. Li Li Tongya continued: "This jade box is also no ordinary object; it contains space and can store Early Zifu treasures."

Without further ado, he took out most of the items from his storage bag, leaving only a few elixirs for healing and recovering Qi, and nodded: "I am leaving now."

Li Li Yuanjiao and his brother hurriedly stood up, bowed together, and said respectfully: "Respectfully sending off the ancestor!"

A clear breeze blew past. The two brothers straightened their backs, but Li Li Tongya's figure was already gone from the courtyard. Li Li Yuanjiao hurriedly collected the items on the table, wiped the corners of his eyes, and rushed back to the desk. He picked up a pen and said in a deep voice: "Write a letter to notify Father immediately! If anything happens to the ancestor, our family must keep a lower profile in the market!"

At the summit of Mount Mount Lijing.

The two brothers were busy making arrangements, while Li Li Tongya rode the wind down from the summit, but he did not leave immediately.

Li Li Tongya concealed his presence and walked down the stone steps, wandering until he reached the cemetery in the mountain. The surroundings were full of morning dew, the moss on the stones was green, and the mist was thick, making it quite pleasant.

He wiped the tombstones of his brothers one by one, then fetched a piece of bluestone. Using his finger as a sword, he carved a stone tablet within a few breaths. Li Li Tongya placed the tablet in the reserved empty spot, and sword light surged from his fingertips, gently outlining and decorating the patterns on the stone.

The tablets for his brothers had all been erected by Li Li Tongya. He had intended to carve his own as well, but after thinking carefully, he eventually waved his hand and dismissed the sword light, mocking himself: "Erecting a tombstone for oneself is an unlucky affair; better leave it for future generations to judge."

He then rode the wind and drifted away toward the north.

————

On the banks of the Great River.

An old man held a tangled fishing net, quietly untangling it on a large rock. Li Li Xuanling had already headed north several days ago, and he was not afraid that Li Li Xuanling would secretly escape, so he just silently pulled at his net on the shore.

"The serpent-dragon leaves the cave."

A person walked slowly toward him from below, dressed in coarse clothing and carrying a white jade-colored fishing rod on his shoulder. He stopped beside the old man and said gently:

"Senior Si, it is time for us to go as well!"

The old man only looked at him without answering his words, instead laughing: "Chang Yun'an... Xiao Xiao Xianyou is indeed calculating; he prepared everything for you long ago, even timing it perfectly. It makes one have to marvel!"

Xiao Xiao Chuting looked at him deeply, remained silent, and just sat down to wait. The old man sighed: "If Xiao Xiao Xianyou had not been harmed by Chi Wei, he would have been a Jin Dan seed."

"Senior is joking."

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao Chuting finally spoke and said softly: "I heard your sect produced a 'Golden Melting Cave', which is quite strange. Why did you decide to meddle in the orthodoxy of the Central Plains?"

"Nothing of the sort, just a disciple with a different surname."

The Si-surnamed Early Zifu cultivator shook his head and said nonchalantly:

"A little fellow in the sect just happened to cultivate it. The Dao insights of the 'Golden Melting Cave' are all lost; even if he succeeded, he is merely a Early Zifu early-stage cultivator with a broken path. Fellow Daoist need not worry."

Before long, rays of colorful light appeared on the shore. The various Early Zifu cultivators revealed themselves one by one, some graceful and immortal, others with sharp eyes and rippling magic light. A total of seven rays of light landed. Only then did the old man stand up shakily and say softly: "Since everyone has arrived, let us go together!"