Chapter 737

After the two of them, Ting Lan and the other, finished speaking, Li Ximing fell slightly silent. Neither of them cared whether it was Fu En or Kong Haiying in the mountains; in any case, following the arrangements of those few, the situation with Xuan Yue was already crystal clear. "Ting Lan sees it clearly. The Ziyan Sect is currently in a period of weakness, and taking over Xuan Yue's territory would only be an overextension of their borders. Attracting someone close to the Zifu instead is the best strategy, and it is exactly what Ting Lan has long been plotting..."

Ting Lan smiled charmingly. The Ziyan Sect merely intervened with a wave of their hands, and with just a few empty words, they snatched away the Xuan Yue mountain gate for nothing. Li Ximing even had to thank her for it.

Li Ximing also understood this in his heart. Since this Ziyan Sect True Person had come personally to persuade him, it seemed like a suggestion, but did he, Li Ximing, really have much room to refuse? As a True Person of the Qingsong Taiyang lineage, she had taken the initiative to mediate this matter herself. It looked harmonious, but the face she was giving him was not small. Su Mian, who had been either echoing or nodding in agreement the whole time, was practically flattering her to the heavens; their stance was extremely obvious.

Not to mention the interests of the Li family, the Ziyan Sect wanted to support the interests of True Person Zhu Gong. If Li Ximing had any objections, he would not only be slapping her in the face but also blocking the Ziyan Sect's path. The Xuanmiao Temple, which wanted to smooth things over, would also be dissatisfied, and Ye Huai would be laughing out loud! "There aren't many spiritual objects left in the Xuan Yue gate. Even how much my family takes and how much Ye Huai takes is a matter of ambiguity. Kong Haiying is not in the mountains either. In this game, Ye Huai is the one who suffers the most; it is very likely he only agreed under pressure..."

One must know that when Ting Lan mentioned the Du Xian Dao just now, she only threw out the line, "I've already given him enough face!" It was clear she didn't think much of the Du Xian Dao.

"My family occupies the name of a righteous family in Jiangnan, and with the Xiao family watching from the side, we have left a retreat for Qingchi. Ting Lan gives some face, but if it were Ye Huai... even if his cultivation were higher, I'm afraid he wouldn't have much to say."

Since the Ziyan Sect wanted the Xuan Yue mountain gate and also had to give Ye Huai an explanation, Fu En could not be saved. Li Ximing could only say:

"This matter is easy to discuss, but how does the Jianmen in the east intend to express its stance?"

Xuan Yue, after all, bordered the Jianmen. Although the Jianmen had long since taken the land of Xianhu and Su Mian had even chased after them to apologize, this matter still required the Jianmen to state its position. Li Ximing's question was not unexpected, and Ting Lan said:

"No matter. True Person Ling Mei has already spoken; she will no longer intervene in the affairs of Xuan Yue."

Li Ximing was instantly speechless. He sipped his tea and said, "Moving the Zifu Great Array is troublesome; I must still trouble the True Person."

Ting Lan knew he had agreed, but she still lowered her head in thought.

The removal of the Great Array that Li Ximing spoke of required her, Ting Lan, to take it away from within the Grand Void. But others did not know the details of this game of dividing Xuan Yue, and it looked as if she, Ting Lan, was taking advantage of the chaos to remove the Xuan Yue Great Array.

Li Ximing had no attainments in arrays, so this request was considered reasonable. Ting Lan pondered to herself:

"Fine... those in the Grand Void are all watching the show. Thinking about it from beginning to end, it is understandable."

She nodded, and the matter was settled. Li Ximing took out the secret formula for the Xuan Yue array disk and handed it over along with the jade pendant. Ting Lan said:

"Since that is the case, Can Can Zhaojing will arrange it first. Within these few months, the matter will show signs. Once this matter is concluded, I will go to the lake to rearrange the Great Array."

It was not convenient to mention alchemy in front of Su Mian, so she didn't say a word about it, only speaking of setting up the array. The old True Person on the side listened with a smile and opened his mouth to say:

"With this matter settled, I can also go into seclusion. There were many affairs that were delayed because of the Xuan Yue matter."

The spring rain was still pattering down. The three of them drank tea and chatted, which was quite pleasant. Su Mian lifted his chin and said, "I have a good friend who cultivates in the Yan Kingdom. I did hear some interesting news, saying that the various Di tribes in the northern desert have become increasingly fierce in recent years. They have already merged into several large tribes, controlling one hundred thousand archers, and even have Zifu cultivators."

Ting Lan did not show much surprise, only saying, "The Zhao Emperor has lost his decorum and cannot even leave his own palace, let alone have much control over his northern homeland. A hundred years have passed; it is not a surprise that chaos has arisen."

"I have a good friend who is troubled by the inability to gather a breath of Qi and needs the struggle of national destiny. A few months ago, he heard this news and was overjoyed, so he went there immediately. I heard that there are still many ruins appearing, and he suspects there are people with destiny."

Li Ximing sipped his tea silently.

"It's just that you all have good friends... I have only just become a True Person and haven't even left Jiangnan many times."

The two of them didn't know his thoughts. Su Mian brought up this topic not without reason and immediately continued:

"Since there are people with destiny, have you, fellow Daoist, been to see them? Could it be the reincarnation of a True Person from the Holy Land?"

He was naturally referring to Zi Pei, and it seemed there was some probing intent. True Person Ting Lan, however, was very straightforward and smiled:

"How could it be possible to run to that place for no reason and become a pawn for others? The old senior is overthinking it! Moreover, my Ziyan Sect still has a Zifu peak elder. Although his whereabouts are uncertain, he also went to take a look. If it were him, he would have been brought back long ago."

Her tone was fluent and natural, without a hint of hesitation in her words, as if that missing Zifu peak cultivator of the Ziyan Sect was indeed as the Ziyan Sect emphasized—uncertain in his whereabouts, yet occasionally returning to the sect for seclusion.

Ting Lan's words sounded as if she had just seen him herself. True Person Su Mian nodded repeatedly. Ting Lan continued:

"After all, the old senior is getting on in years and is also arranging his own affairs, busy running around, almost never seen... This matter ultimately still falls on us juniors..."

True Person Su Mian hurriedly said, "I once cultivated in the East Sea and also met the senior near the various Yi tribes. We talked for a few sentences and I received his guidance, benefiting greatly and feeling inexplicably grateful. If there is an opportunity one day to encounter the senior returning to the sect, I ask Ting Lan to call me over to pay my respects."

True Person Ting Lan did not change her expression, only nodding in agreement. Not long after, she took her leave with Li Ximing. Su Mian saw them all the way out of the Xuanmiao Temple, leaving only the lingering spring rain in the courtyard.

After the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, Su Mian broke through the Grand Void and returned, his face thoughtful. He sat down on the meditation cushion and muttered:

"If Senior Wen truly returns to the sect often, as long as he hears the news of my establishing the sect, Senior Wen will definitely speak clearly. Ting Lan cannot possibly not know about the matter of the various Yi tribes... This shows that Ting Lan has not seen him for at least sixteen or seventeen years."

"Whether he has fallen or gone missing... as long as he is not here, using the 【Qi Stone Demon Fetus】 will be more reassuring."

Li Ximing left the Xuanmiao territory and stepped into the Grand Void. Ting Lan also shuttled along beside him, clearly having stayed behind for an extra step on purpose. The woman smiled: "The alchemy... I will have to trouble you later."

Li Ximing waved his hand and replied:

"True Person, please do not say such things. Ting Lan still took the time out of her busy schedule to resolve my family's affairs; Can Can Zhaojing is especially grateful."

Flattering words were easy to say and didn't cost any spirit stones. Li Ximing flattered her a couple of times, and Ting Lan then asked:

"It's just that since this array uses Xuan Yue's, helping to modify it is fine, but I should give some reward to Can Can Zhaojing."

The alchemy matter had already been discussed. As long as more than three pills were produced, the rest would be Li Ximing's. Li Ximing actually had a good chance of exceeding three pills and could also invite a Zifu array master, so he wouldn't lose out in any case. However, he still sighed:

"I am a bit afraid to accept the fellow Daoist's things first. If the alchemy is not successful, it would truly be a loss of face... and I would be too embarrassed to see the fellow Daoist."

Ting Lan was clearly repulsed by this possibility. Fortunately, she didn't believe Li Ximing could waste such a portion of Yuan Water for nothing. She smiled reluctantly and replied:

"The fellow Daoist must agree with me first. I happen to be looking for it while I am out during this period, otherwise, if the time is delayed, it will also make the fellow Daoist wait in vain."

Li Ximing could see that Ting Lan was a cultivator who liked to keep arrangements organized and proper, so he could only say:

"It is hard for me to decide for a moment, but I am still missing a high-quality, suitable Mingyang magic tool as a spiritual embryo. It is best if it is an ancient magic tool. Does the fellow Daoist have any arrangements?"

"Oh?"

Ting Lan pondered slightly and nodded:

"That is not much. I will pick out a few magic tools collected within the Ziyan Sect and bring them for Can Can Zhaojing to choose. As for ancient magic tools... I will still need to ask carefully."

This request was truly too small, but Li Ximing had his own plans in mind. He wasn't just asking the Ting Lan before him to look; he was also prepared to write to Qingchi, ask the Jianmen again, and even intended to have Cui Jueyin write a letter back.

The reason he made things so complicated was not just to have enough magic tools to choose from. Li Ximing had seen so many Zifu cultivators that he already had secret vigilance in his heart:

"I want a Mingyang magic tool to refine a spiritual embryo. If there is an ancient Mingyang magic tool, it would be best... and this thing will be my Zifu spiritual tool in the future. How can I let people easily know its form and effect? Even if it is from the Foundation Establishment period, it won't do. I should put out enough smoke to confuse people, so they don't easily know which magic tool I specifically used to form the spiritual embryo."

He pondered in his heart and asked again:

"【Baishan Hidden Liu Liu Lingzhen】 is certainly good, but when the fellow Daoist is relocating and rebuilding... can you try your best to build it into a different spirit array? The power can be similar, or even slightly weaker; I only ask that it be as different as possible."

After all, the 【Baishan Hidden Liu Liu Lingzhen】 was a thing of the Xuan Yue gate. If it were taken out and placed completely intact on Pingya Continent, who among those coming and going wouldn't see it clearly? Not to mention so many Xuan Yue gate members; looking at the Great Array on the continent, what would they think in their hearts?

A bad reputation was one thing, but the second was that it was too dangerous. There was no need to think about it; the Xuan Yue lineage would inevitably wander everywhere in the future. The Li family had a copy in their own hands, and Ye Huai, Zhu Gong, Su Mian, and even Ting Lan all had more or less mastery of it. If there were any core records about the array, wouldn't it harm his own family? Li Ximing didn't want to be the second Fei family.

"Oh?"

If Li Ximing's previous conditions were very small, this latter request was a bit difficult. Ting Lan hesitated:

"The Zifu Great Array... every array point is carefully studied and laid out bit by bit. If one wants to change a little, many places in the entire Great Array will have to be changed accordingly. Combining it with the terrain to change it, the energy spent would be too much..."

Li Ximing smiled: "Refining this pill will take five or six years. The fellow Daoist can just happen to repair the array. I don't ask for it to be brand new, at least it should look completely different on the surface, and it is enough to have changes in a few key places..."

He changed the subject and sighed:

"After all, the Xuan Yue lineage is flowing out. When the True Person's fellow Daoists come over, perhaps I will still have to eagerly send the Xuan Yue cultivators back... These people are all very familiar with the 【Baishan Hidden Liu Liu Lingzhen】. My family doesn't want to leave any future troubles!"

When he said this, it dragged Zhu Gong into it. Ting Lan paused. She indeed felt that Li Ximing had given enough face from beginning to end and left it to her to arrange, so she said: "Fine... then leave it to me. I will make time to change it in these years."

The two of them agreed and parted ways. Li Ximing broke through the Grand Void and flew for a while until he reached his own territory. He appeared on Zhijing Mountain. There was no rain on the lake, and Zhijing Mountain was always bright and beautiful, with flying flowers all over the ground.

As usual, he first took out the 【Xuanwen Bottle】 from the Earth Sha to refine it. The fire Sha in this bottle had already accumulated to a certain point, and the difficulty of refining it was increasing. However, once the 【Gufeng Fire-Drawing】 was activated, it was easily refined.

To this day, the fire Sha in this bottle could no longer be touched by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only Zifu cultivators who could control supernatural powers could continue to refine it. Li Ximing estimated that after another ten years of refining, even cultivators without fire-attribute supernatural powers wouldn't be able to refine it. However, he had 【Gufeng Fire-Drawing】, so both the speed and difficulty of refining were extraordinary, making it an easy matter.

Li Ximing lifted his sleeve to look. Crimson patterns like rising flames began to manifest on the bottle. It was just that after refining it over and over, it was still at the Foundation Establishment level of power and couldn't deal with the Zifu.

"Although the material of the Xuanwen Bottle is amazing, there is still no sign of it being refined to the extreme. What increases is always power, not mystery... The gap between Foundation Establishment and Zifu is too large. Sometimes it's not about whether you can hit or hurt, but whether you can hit... Once a magic tool is taken out, the other party escapes into the Grand Void, so what is there to fight?"

However, with the Xuanwen Bottle in his own hands, Li Ximing was not afraid. He only hoped that every time he picked it up, it would be a touch that couldn't be refined to the end. He threw the small bottle back into the Earth Fire Sha and appeared on the mountaintop.

All around, the ground was covered in white flowers, and the tables and chairs were empty. The Zhijing flowers didn't dare to fall where Li Ximing often sat, only surrounding the area in a circle. The tea on the stone table hadn't been finished yet.

He raised his eyebrows and saw a Yuting Guard waiting at the foot of the steps, wearing white armor. He was stationed on Zhijing Mountain and surnamed Dou. Strictly speaking, he was a distant cousin. This person's father, Dou Yi, was his own father's confidant at the time.

The Dou clan had been withering in recent years. When Li Zhouwei put him here, it was also out of affection and help. Li Ximing only asked: "What is the matter?"

The Dou Guard had been on duty for a year and had long since had some psychological preparation for his elusive nature. He was still startled and hurriedly bowed, replying:

"Reporting to the True Person, the Young Master came once and said there was an important matter to report."

"Go and report it!"

Li Ximing sat down and took out the pill formula for the 【Tianyi Spitting Essence Pill】 to read carefully. Li Jiangqian soon came up, holding a letter in his hand, and said respectfully:

"Reporting to the True Person, a letter from Qingchi."

Li Ximing nodded and took it. Every time he went out, Li Jiangqian almost had to come to report every time, so he was quite familiar with him. He respectfully reported the family affairs one by one.

Li Jiangqian's way of managing the family was clearly different from Li Zhouwei's. Li Zhouwei would sort out the family affairs properly but wouldn't disturb him often, while this child spent more time on the mountain, accurately describing the family affairs and progress in a concise and fast manner. Li Ximing listened casually and could always have a general understanding of the family affairs, and many things would be specifically asked for his participation.

After all, Li Zhouwei was already the Bai Bai Qilin of the Li family, one of the few people in the entire Li family who could discuss with Li Ximing. There was no need to say more, and Li Jiangqian, as a junior, hoped to become familiar in front of Li Ximing, the True Person, to strengthen his own right to speak. Li Ximing saw this clearly and allowed him to come up the mountain every time.