Chapter 63: The Sacrificial Law

After Li Li Tongya saw Li Li Chijing off, he saw Li Li Mutian walking out of the backyard with his hands behind his back. With a straight face and a somewhat hoarse voice, he said:

"Go and check on that mirror."

Tian Tian Shoushui had died the year before last, leaving behind a whole set of wooden toys prepared for his grandson, Li Li Xuanfeng. From wooden horses and carts to wooden bows, everything was there. Just as Li Li Xuanfeng was finally able to pick up the smallest pine wood doll, Tian Tian Shoushui had tripped while moving timber in a heavy snowstorm; he never recovered and died that very night.

Tian Tian Shoushui was buried by Li Li Mutian himself. He and Ren Ping'an had sat before the grave talking for an entire night. Perhaps it was because of the wind, cold, and heavy dew that night, but Li Li Mutian's voice had gradually become hoarse.

The three of them had set out to join the army in their youth, full of vigor. Tian Shoushui had been daring and aggressive; Li Mutian had been thoughtful and decisive; Ren Ping'an had been silent and reticent. Now, the daring and aggressive one had left behind a body full of injuries and passed away early; the thoughtful and decisive one had a house full of children and grandchildren, but his mind was gradually failing; the silent one was still watching over Jingyang Village for the Li family, and the annual land tax he turned in was never a cent short.

Stimulated by such grief, Li Li Mutian had aged significantly in the last few months. Fortunately, nourished by Li Li Chijing's spells and supplements, his complexion was no longer as withered, and his full head of white hair had become lustrous again. However, his demeanor remained weary, and his straight posture could not hide the slight sluggishness in his speech and movements.

Seeing the old man enter the front courtyard, Li Li Tongya hurriedly stepped forward to support Li Li Mutian, only to be sullenly shaken off. He cursed in a low voice:

"Your father told you to go to the backyard and take a look at that mirror!"

Li Li Tongya gave a sheepish smile and headed to the backyard. Only then did Li Li Mutian lean against the wall, slowly walk to the threshold of the inner door, and sit down against the doorframe. He reached out a withered, thin hand to pinch his own numb thigh, and gritted his teeth as he spoke:

"Damn it, I'm going to have to use a cane too."

The backyard.

Li Li Tongya looked at the magic mirror floating in the moonlight. Seeing the fleeting, shadow-like text flashing across the mirror's surface, he hurriedly projected his spiritual sense and slowly cast it into the mirror.

Lu Lu Jiangxian's spiritual sense stirred. He wrote out the cultivation technique he had carefully tailored and modified last night based on the requirements for the sacrificer in the "Sacrificial Essence and Yuan-Seizing Law," gave it a name, and projected it into the spiritual sense.

Suddenly, a massive amount of information flowed along the spiritual sense. Li Li Tongya's eyes were tightly shut, and a scroll of the technique slowly emerged in his mind.

"The Sacrificial Law"

This method requires a beast to be slaughtered as a sacrifice. By slaughtering the sacrifice amidst the incense of the entire clan, and offering the incense, soul, essence blood, and spiritual power to the magic mirror, one can obtain a strand of talismanic Qi. It is claimed that this talismanic Qi can: strengthen cultivation, lengthen the six senses, promote root bones, change aptitude, elevate quality, and mend deficiencies...

The "Sacrificial Law" was quite lengthy. Li Li Tongya closed his eyes and received it for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Only then did he open his eyes, his face full of shock. He fetched a knife, a pen, and blank wooden slips to carefully record it down. He wrote in one breath until dawn, then hurriedly went out to find Li Li Xiangping.

————

Li Li Xiangping was practicing breathing exercises in his cave dwelling on Mount Meichi Mountain. He had just entered the fourth layer of the Fetal Breath stage, the Qingyuan Wheel, and his cultivation speed had slowed down significantly. At the current rate, he feared it would take six or seven years before he could even attempt to impact the Yujing Wheel, not to mention that if the attempt failed, he would have to wait another six or seven years.

Yesterday, the Wan family had sent Wan Wan Yuankai to discuss the ambush of Ji Ji Dengqi. This young man had already broken through to the fifth layer of the Fetal Breath stage and achieved the Yujing Wheel.

"Looking at it this way, the Wan family already has two Jade Capital Wheel cultivators. Not to mention that the Wan family head, Wan Xiaohua, was already at the Jade Capital Wheel five years ago; by now, he may have broken through to the Spirit Origin Wheel and reached the peak of the Fetal Breath stage."

Li Li Xiangping narrowed his eyes, pondering in his heart:

"The three families are now each lying low. The Ji family is working hard to digest the land they seized, while the Wan family is silently accumulating strength and seeking help everywhere. My Li family is slowly growing to its proper size. By the time the Ji family finishes digesting the new land and the Wan family bares its fangs, my Li family will also have the strength to step onto the table. A battle between the three families is inevitable; I fear we must prepare early."

Just as Li Li Xiangping was calculating the situation, he saw his second brother, Li Li Tongya, walking outside his cave dwelling, holding a wooden slip in his hand. He smiled and said:

"Third brother, take a look at this."

Li Li Xiangping was puzzled. He took the wooden slip, untied the white cloth wrapped around it, and said softly:

"'The Sacrificial Law'?"

After reading it carefully for a while, the look of astonishment on Li Li Xiangping's face grew more intense. He asked back:

"The phrasing here is quite similar to the 'Induction Law,' and it uses the magic mirror as a medium again. Could it be that the magic mirror is bestowing the technique?"

Li Li Tongya nodded with a smile, stood up, took the copied "Moon-Gate Sword Arc" from the shelf, and began to read it carefully as well.

After reading for a while, Li Li Xiangping said in a deep voice:

"This technique states: 'A thousand people's incense and a Qi-Refining beast will yield one strand of gray talismanic Qi; ten thousand people's incense and a Foundation Establishment beast will yield one strand of white talismanic Qi...' This is a bit too difficult."

Li Li Tongya's smile faltered, and he replied somewhat awkwardly:

"Although it is very tempting, my family currently struggles to even achieve the lowest level of the sacrificial method."

Li Li Xiangping smiled, put away the wooden slip in his hand, waved his hand, and said:

"There is no rush. Qi-Refining beasts aren't something you just happen to run into. I have one more thing I want to discuss with you."

Thinking of this, Li Li Xiangping looked at Li Li Xuanxuan, who was sitting on a stone stool reading the sword technique, and said in a deep voice:

"I intend to train a group of clan soldiers among the four villages who are exempt from production to practice martial arts. One person for every five households, specializing in martial affairs and battle tactics, to prepare for emergencies."

Li Li Tongya nodded thoughtfully and said solemnly:

"Is it because the Wan family came to ask for help again? Has the situation become so critical?"

"Not just that."

Li Li Xiangping shook his head and replied:

"I am also worried about the East Shanyue in the west. The spiritual energy at the northern foot of Mount Mount Lijing is gradually recovering. No one can predict whether the East Shanyue in the west will reach out. Although the East Shanyue have not been seen in the mountains for the past few years, it is always good to be prepared and guard against them."

"True."

Li Li Tongya nodded and said in a deep voice:

"If we wait until the day the East Shanyue cross the border to organize the villagers, it will be too late. The East Shanyue have not only sorcerers but also tattooed East Shanyue warriors with cut hair; I fear they will be difficult to deal with."

Li Li Xiangping stood up, straightened his clothes, and smiled:

"Li Xuanxuan is young and cannot command respect. Although Ye Qiuyang has both age and prestige, he is not from the main lineage. I don't feel at ease handing this matter to anyone else; you must go and take a look yourself, second brother."

"Rest assured, leave this matter to me."

Li Li Tongya also smiled. The two left the cave dwelling and chatted as they returned to Mount Mount Lijing. They saw Liu Liu Rouxuan waiting at the courtyard gate early on, and she came up to meet them as soon as she saw them.

"Young Clan Leader."

Liu Liu Rouxuan bowed slightly, her expression filled with joy. She leaned gently toward Li Li Tongya and said with a smile:

"Husband, I am with child."

Li Li Tongya was overjoyed. He laughed twice, picked her up by the waist, and laughed loudly:

"Really?"

"Would there be any benefit in lying to you?"

Liu Liu Rouxuan's face turned red, and she said in a low voice.

Li Li Xiangping, who was on the side, also laughed and said softly:

"Congratulations, second brother." ===== CHAPTER 122 =====