Chapter 371

The stream of light emerged from Xianyou Peak, weaving through the wind. Li Yuanjiao bid farewell to the Xiao family, picked up Li Ximing, and drifted home.

The long wind broke through the air. The young man stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a Daoist robe with a medicine pouch at his waist, looking down at the mountains beneath him. Li Yuanjiao in front was in a black robe, quietly riding the wind, and said in a deep voice:

"【Golden Sun Jinyang Huangyuan】 only gathered one portion. Xijun has already decided to take 【Cold Pine Snow Qi】."

"I have wronged my younger brother."

Li Ximing's robes fluttered. He nodded gently, stroking the jade bead 【Qingxuan】 in his hand. The corners of his mouth drooped, as if hiding many worries, and he had no expression.

Li Yuanjiao was a man prone to suspicion. With one expression from Li Ximing, he had already turned it over several times in his heart. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable and unsure of his thoughts, he flew silently.

The two were silent all the way until Lijing Mountain appeared beneath their feet.

Li Ximing had been away for several years, and looking at the mountain beneath his feet, he still felt quite familiar. Waiting for the two to enter the cave dwelling, Li Yuanjiao handed the jade box containing 【Golden Sun Jinyang Huangyuan】 and the elixir to him:

"Obtain the 【Golden Hall Jinyang Huangyuan Technique】 from your father."

Li Ximing nodded and agreed, saying respectfully:

"Ximing will certainly not fail the trust!"

He retreated slowly. Li Yuanjiao still sat blankly in the head seat, his brows fiercely knitted together. After a long while, he let out a breath, his expression softened, and he muttered:

"Grown up... all grown up... Even in front of his own family, he doesn't show his joy or anger. I can't see his thoughts, I can't see his calculations. How can I hand over the Li family to you!"

"When he was young, I felt Ximing was approachable and Xijun was cold, but now that they are grown, they are both indifferent... On the contrary, Xijun has more human warmth."

Regarding the affairs of the Xiyue generation, Li Yuanjiao had chatted with Li Yuanping many times:

If it were about character, Li Xijun was the most outstanding. Although Li Ximing was also good, he was always inexplicably rigid, had no outstanding performance, and sometimes was even a bit dull.

If it weren't for Li Ximing having the highest talent, having talent in alchemy, and coming from the Bo branch, the two really had thought about handing the Li family to Li Xijun.

It was just that the two discussed it back and forth, and seeing that the two brothers had a good relationship, and Li Ximing was a gentle character who was willing to listen to advice, supporting each other, they still decided on Li Ximing.

Now seeing him like this, thinking that he had been away for several years and was no longer close to his family, Li Yuanjiao took off his black robe, feeling only tired, and looked into the small well in the cave dwelling:

The clear, rippling water reflected a pair of fierce eyes. The distance between the brows was too short, looking like a face that would devour people. Li Yuanjiao squinted and looked for a while, then suddenly thought to himself:

'When I was young, Father liked me the least. I suppose he also saw this look and felt fearful in his heart!'

He looked at it indifferently, sat cross-legged, and practiced on his own.

Li Ximing went down the mountain. He walked silently for a while. The spiritual energy on Lijing Mountain was far inferior to Xianyou Peak. Calculating his age, he was already sixteen.

'Fifth level of Qi Condensation. After taking the elixir, it will be the sixth level. Spending two or three years to break through, and he will be a Qi-Refining cultivator at eighteen.'

Xiao Yuansi was a Qi-Refining cultivator at twenty, but he spent a full sixty years before breaking through. Why was it so slow after Qi Refining? Li Ximing understood clearly in his heart:

'Nothing more than the Xiao family wanting him to refine pills...'

Xiao family ancestor Senior Xiao Chuting was also a Foundation Establishment alchemist in those years, with him standing in front, but Xiao Yuansi was still dragged down to such a state. It was just that Xiao Yuansi was a gentle gentleman, so he actually refined them honestly.

'Then what about me? I am the only one in the family. If the alchemy fire is lit, driven by profit, even if the family cares about me, there won't be much left for my own cultivation... Moreover...'

He had just broken through to the Yujing wheel and could light the alchemy fire to refine pills, and the letter from home came right after. Li Ximing did not want to be suspicious, but his heart finally turned cold.

Walking slowly for a while, he saw someone waiting ahead, standing with a sword in his arms, looking like a man with sword-like brows and starry eyes. Naturally, it was Li Xijun.

Li Xijun had already taken the elixir and condensed the sixth wheel of Qi Condensation, so his strength was a notch higher than Li Ximing's. He came up with the sword in his arms and said in a low voice:

"Elder brother has rarely returned home, why are you so worried?"

Li Ximing looked at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly took the golden-patterned jade box from his storage bag and handed it to him, saying as if relieved:

"You take it!"

"【Golden Sun Jinyang Huangyuan】?!"

Li Xijun was stunned, unable to speak for several breaths, and then cursed:

"Li Ximing! What madness are you talking about!"

Li Ximing looked much more relaxed and replied:

"I have thought about it a lot. The family needs a supply of pills. I will eventually have to spend time on alchemy. Since that is the case, wouldn't it be a waste of this fourth-grade technique?"

"It would be better to let you have this opportunity, and I will use a technique one level lower. From now on, I will focus on alchemy, and suppressing the family will be left to you."

He paused and continued:

"I have seen many alchemists in the clan, and they are often misled by the path of alchemy. Foundation Establishment is always a rare thing. It would be better to be like my grandfather, specializing in drawing talismans, and no longer hoping to break through to Foundation Establishment..."

Li Xijun sneered and replied:

"You are indeed good at comparing!"

He was furious:

"My grandfather had no hope of advancing, so he specialized in drawing talismans! You are good, clearly having more talent than any of us, yet you talk about specializing in alchemy!"

"Can a Qi-Refining alchemist and a Foundation Establishment alchemist be the same!"

Li Xijun gritted his teeth and said bluntly:

"You are just afraid! Li Ximing! The family has placed so many hopes on you, thinking you are a figure like Senior Xiao Chuting, but you are hesitant and still thinking of a way out for yourself!"

Li Ximing was slightly stunned by his roar, his face flushed slightly, and he retorted:

"Yes, I am thinking of a way out, so what? Everything is on me, everything is expected of me. You stand and talk without back pain. Do you really think everyone is a figure like Senior Xiao Chuting? Cultivating rapidly on one side, and being proficient in alchemy on the other. Where in the world is there such a good thing!"

"I am only afraid that if I practice alchemy on one side, I will lose my cultivation on the other. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, life and death will vanish, and I will have wasted this excellent spiritual energy in vain! Even being a Qi-Refining alchemist will be impossible."

Li Xijun let out a breath, stuffed the 【Golden Sun Jinyang Huangyuan】 back into his arms, and said in a deep voice:

"Good! Then you will come up the mountain with me, explain this matter in person, and let the family head decide!"

Li Ximing sat down dejectedly, holding the jade box, and finally stopped talking. Li Xijun also let out a breath, sat down slowly beside him, and said warmly:

"Elder brother, don't worry so much..."

"How can I not worry!"

Li Ximing stroked the jade box on his knees, his voice light, and said in a low voice:

"High ancestor became a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a mortal in twenty years. The three public ancestors were all heroes. Every time I read the clan history, I feel like they were gods, hard to believe."

"When I was young, I always heard the elders discuss that you are the most like the ancestors, calm and composed, thoughtful, unchanging in face, and killing without moving your heart."

Li Ximing raised his head and replied:

"I also learned a calm and composed look, but in the end, it was like drawing a tiger but ending up with a dog. You are confident, and I am a fox pretending to be a tiger..."

He said in a low voice:

"When I was ten, Father asked me to kill, so I killed. I knew clearly what kind of look Father wanted me to have, but privately I was trembling and couldn't speak, not daring to show it."

"Later I went to the Xiao family. Several times when I went down the mountain, I was also misled by many wine and colors, and Master Xiao urged me many times... I thought I was a Li family member and wouldn't be tempted, but..."

Li Ximing said sullenly:

"Actually, what I fear is the Clan Justice Court, fearing that I will implicate Father's reputation. With the elders of the family above, I am naturally well-behaved. If I could do it silently, I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation either."

His expression appeared somewhat lost and panicked.

Li Xijun was stunned, his expression changed drastically, and he finally couldn't help but interrupt, asking eagerly:

"You... you broke your primordial yang?! That is the Xiao family! That is the Xiao family! The elders were on guard against everything, calculating everything, and you actually..."

"Did you leave any offspring?!"

Li Ximing shook his head silently, already having tear stains, and replied:

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Li Xijun stood up abruptly, his expression complex, holding his sleeve and not knowing what to say. He flicked it hard and said coldly:

"You don't know?! No wonder... no wonder!..."

Li Ximing raised his head abruptly, as if he had been kicked by someone, and said eagerly:

"Xijun! I... I am... no, listen to me."

He scratched on the ground twice, stood up, lost his composure for a moment, and argued nonsensically:

"I have chatted with brother Cheng many times. I am different from you. Many of the words I said to Father were taught to me by Mother and the First Lady. I am not a talent to revive the Li family... no... not that either..."

Looking at the silent Li Xijun before him, Li Ximing felt both regret and fear, thinking secretly:

'Alas, confession is good! It saves me from having to pretend like this all the time...'

"You!"

Li Xijun looked at his expression and suddenly remembered the night they talked about clan affairs on the mountain. Thinking back carefully, he found that the other party always cleverly followed what he said, always being close as brothers, and he never noticed.

"No wonder you tried so hard to drink. I thought it was your first time drinking and you couldn't handle it. It turns out you were seeking to get drunk quickly to avoid showing your true colors."

"I shouldn't have sent you to the Xiao family!"

Looking at Li Xijun's expression, Li Ximing suddenly relaxed and calmed down. He waved his hands repeatedly, the 【Qingxuan】 on his wrist clanging, and said gently and calmly:

"Xijun... not everyone has your style."

Li Xijun closed his eyes and said nothing, appearing somewhat cold. After a long while, he said:

"Don't quibble. Come up the mountain with me, report this matter one by one, and ask the clan to decide."

"Good."

Li Ximing spat out a word, but his face was hit hard by a punch, his eyes seeing stars. His clothes and crown were torn to pieces with a clatter, his hair disheveled, looking very miserable.

The jade crown shattered on the ground, rolling around with the medicine pouch and storage bag, leaving only a thin white inner garment hanging on his body.

Li Ximing relaxed a bit, touched his nose, and it was full of blood. He only heard Li Xijun say coldly:

"Strip him of his clothes and crown, and wait for punishment!"

"Hum..."

The golden bowstring trembled slightly. The middle-aged man's large hand held the long bow full of mysterious runes, his long arms hanging down.

The eagle beast in the distance struggled in the pool of blood, its internal organs already shattered. The two people behind him surrounded him flatteringly, fawning:

"General is worthy of being 【Jin Geng Gang String】. This arrow was truly brilliant like a golden rainbow, arriving in an instant..."

These two were both from the Ning family and were arranged by Ning Hejing. Li Xuanfeng listened silently. Below, the cultivators dragged the monster over, and he said in a hoarse voice:

"It's just the flattery of those who like to cause trouble, no need to mention it again."

The two people's flattery hit a horse's leg, so they had to laugh and change the subject, looking at the eagle egg sent up by the people below:

"Congratulations, General! This Foundation Establishment monster actually produced offspring!"

Li Xuanfeng took it casually, rode the wind, carried the bow on his back, took out the jade tablet from his storage bag, entered the city, and calculated secretly:

Just as he landed on the city wall, everyone surrounded him, and the sound of "General" rose one after another. Li Xuanfeng revealed a little smile, dealt with everyone for a few words, and a woman drifted onto the city wall.

This woman was wearing the green clothes of a sect disciple, with golden patterns embroidered on her sleeves. She should be a figure like a peak master. Her brows were curved, her eyes were gentle, and she looked only twenty or so.

A group of clan cultivators were frightened into silence and scattered in a swarm. Li Xuanfeng bowed and asked:

"I don't know which peak master is in front of me. I am Li Xuanfeng."

The woman said gently:

"Ning Wan of Yuehu Peak, I have met the General."

Ning Wan was now a middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, having refined 【Pine Forest Shuo Wind】 and achieved the immortal foundation 【Entering Clear Listening】. Walking between them, she carried a pine fragrance, clear and bitter.

Standing in the moonlight, she looked refined.

Li Xuanfeng only lowered his head. Ning Wan said gently:

"I have been waiting for a long time. I didn't expect the General to be so loyal to his duty. Please, General, bathe and change your clothes. My True Person summons you."

Li Xuanfeng was slightly stunned, his expression solemn, and he was suspicious in his heart, thinking secretly:

'True Person Element... what is this for?'

He nodded and retreated, changed his clothes, put the bow into his storage bag, and then left the cave dwelling. Ning Wan was still waiting outside the courtyard, holding a string of jade beads, playing with them gently.

Seeing Li Xuanfeng leave the cave dwelling, she nodded her head slightly and flew up together. Suddenly she asked:

"When did your clan move to Wangyue Lake? The great battle in those years was on the South Bank, killing all living things. I suppose it was within three hundred years."

Ning Wan's topic had no source. Hearing it, Li Xuanfeng was stunned and replied:

"According to my clan's verification, it should be after that great battle three hundred years ago. The spiritual energy on the South Bank has been cut off for more than two hundred years, and no one has ever been willing to visit, so we have been mortals for three hundred years."

"Oh."

Ning Wan smiled softly, her willow brows curved, and she said in a low voice:

"Where are there mortals with three generations of Foundation Establishment and spiritual apertures everywhere? Fellow Daoist is joking. If you use such words to deal with a True Person, I fear you will suffer."

These words, although gentle as the wind, exploded like thunder in his ears. Li Xuanfeng raised his head abruptly, meeting Ning Wan's gentle, black-and-white, clear eyes directly.

Before Ning Wan achieved Foundation Establishment, she was famous as the first beauty of Qingchi, "Fairy Qiuhu". These eyes were truly beautiful, but Li Xuanfeng had no mood to care at all:

'She is reminding me? Why? My family has no connection with her, why should she help me?'

'What does Element mean... is it to find out my family's roots?!'

The transition plot is almost done. Hearing everyone's feedback that it is flat, some plots will not be dragged out and written slowly. I will leave them to Li Ximing's side story and grab the conflict points directly.

(End of chapter)