Chapter 98: Wishes (Two-in-one)

Li Tongya looked at the clan soldier who had come to report and thought to himself:

"Nine times out of ten, it has to do with the Ji family. This Lu family of Tiaoyun and my Li family of Lijing sandwich the Ji family from east to west. I'm afraid they want my family to provide support."

Just as Li Tongya was thinking, an old man was brought into the courtyard. He was draped in a white robe, with crane-like hair and a youthful face, holding a jade ruyi in his hand. Seeing the two of them, he beamed and cupped his hands, smiling:

"Under the rule of Qingchi, Lu Sisi of the Lu family of Tiaoyun, greets the two of you."

"Li Tongya of the Li family of Lijing."

Li Tongya also cupped his hands. Sweeping his spiritual sense over him, he found this person had roughly the cultivation of the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining. The jade ruyi in his hand glowed brightly and was quite extraordinary; it should be much better than the Embryonic Breath realm sword at Li Tongya's waist.

"Please."

Li Tongya and Lu Sisi entered the courtyard and sat down. Li Xuanling and the others retreated. Taking the tea handed over by a servant, Li Tongya said:

"I wonder why the senior has come this time..."

"Oh."

Lu Sisi's gray-white eyebrows twitched, the corners of his mouth holding a smile, and he said in a low voice:

"I am here to congratulate you, little friend Tongya."

"What joy is there to celebrate?"

Li Tongya frowned, not knowing what this person was up to.

"The Shanyue have raided many places, and dozens of families have been raided, with six even being annihilated. But when I came up this Lijing Mountain, apart from a few mortals with sorrowful expressions along the way, I saw no plain clothes or sounds of grief. It shows your clan has suffered no great losses. Isn't that worth celebrating?"

Lu Sisi finished speaking with a smile, but Li Tongya felt extremely annoyed. He frowned and said, "Senior, please speak plainly."

Lu Sisi drank some tea, stopped wasting words, nodded, and said, "The Ji family occupies Huaqian Mountain, and my Lu family wants to take it back. My Lu family wants the mountain, and we will compensate your family with spirit stones and property in full. Since it can resolve the enemy at our backs, it can also avenge my Lu family's grudge."

"Oh?"

Li Tongya responded lightly, but felt little in his heart, and asked in return:

"What grudge does your family have with the Ji family?"

"Little friend, you don't know. My Lu family once sent a Qi Refining cultivator to support, but he died on Huaqian Mountain..."

Looking at Lu Sisi's embarrassed face, Li Tongya said, "How many Qi Refining cultivators does the Ji family have, and what is their background? Has the senior probed their bottom line?"

Lu Sisi nodded and explained:

"The Ji family now has two Qi Refining cultivators. The Clan Head, Ji Dengqi, is in the middle stage of Qi Refining, likely around the fifth or sixth level. Another Ji family disciple only reached Qi Refining in the last few years. As for the background... it is rumored that the Ji family has a daughter serving beside a big shot in the Tangjin Gate."

Li Tongya smiled lightly, shook his head helplessly, and answered, "Since Senior Lu knows this, you should know that the Ji family cannot be touched."

Lu Sisi chuckled, put down the teacup in his hand, and smiled, "Since I could come to find you, little friend, I naturally have already gathered the news!"

Lowering his voice by a few degrees, Lu Sisi said softly, "I have a brother-in-law who is a guest elder in the Tangjin Gate. Three years ago, he said that the Tangjin Gate had already recalled many garrisons along the Wangyue Lake coast. If my guess is correct, the Tangjin Gate must have had some turmoil..."

"Oh?"

Li Tongya finally became a bit interested and pressed, "What does the Qingchi Sect say?"

"Naturally, they have issued orders."

Lu Sisi took out a handwritten order with the word "Qingchi" endorsed on the back. It contained dozens of words, generally meaning that the boundary line between the Qingchi Sect and the Tangjin Gate had moved thousands of miles north, and the entire east bank of Wangyue Lake belonged to the Qingchi Sect.

"This is an edict issued by the prefecture just a few days ago. When I saw this edict and went back, I calculated the days. If my guess is correct..."

"That middle-stage Early Zifu cultivator of the Tangjin Gate has exhausted his lifespan and must have already passed away, leaving only one early-stage Early Zifu cultivator to hold the fort!"

Li Tongya paused, his expression showing a hint of shock. He immediately questioned, "Such a major event as the fall of a Early Zifu cultivator must have been carefully hidden by the Tangjin Gate. How is it that the Qingchi Sect is so clear about it now?"

The reason the Three Sects and Seven Gates were high and mighty was that they all had one or more Early Zifu inheritances. The Three Sects were said to have more than three, while the Seven Gates had one or two, plus a Early Zifu cultivator guarding the sect.

Now that the Tangjin Gate's middle-stage Early Zifu cultivator had passed away, while it wouldn't lead to the sect's annihilation, a significant shrinkage in power was inevitable.

"How would we know about the friction between Early Zifu cultivators?"

Lu Sisi shook his head and asked in return, "I won't waste words. Is your Li family going to do this job or not?"

Li Tongya closed his eyes and pondered. Now that the Li family lacked inheritance and spirit items, this was truly a huge temptation, and eliminating the Ji family would also remove a major threat.

Out of caution, Li Tongya confirmed again and again: "The big shot the Ji family clings to is rumored to be the Young Master of the Tangjin Gate. What does he have to do with the fallen Early Zifu cultivator?"

"He is the grandson of that Early Zifu cultivator! Now, I'm afraid that branch will struggle to maintain its own power. I don't know what kind of bloody turmoil will be stirred up, and they won't have the energy to manage this small Ji family anymore."

"Good."

Li Tongya nodded and gritted his teeth, "I have a few conditions."

"Please speak, little friend Tongya."

"First, if the Ji family's cultivation techniques and secret manuals fall into our hands, my Li family must copy them all, and it will not be counted as part of the spirit items compensating us."

Lu Sisi nodded without hesitation and said in a low voice:

"Agreed."

"Second, I will act as a loose cultivator on Wangyue Lake, not as my Li family of Lijing. If the enemy far exceeds our strength, I will retreat immediately. If I kill someone, all spoils of war belong to me."

Lu Sisi was stunned, gave a bitter laugh, and said with some envy, "Little friend, you are truly cautious. If my Lu family's juniors had six-tenths of your ability, I wouldn't have to worry about matters after I'm gone..."

Watching Li Tongya smile without a word, Lu Sisi answered, "Agreed. The property on Huaqian Mountain will be split in half. My Lu family will convert all spirit springs and spirit fields into spirit stones or treasures at a 30% ratio to compensate your family."

Li Tongya drank some tea and said in a low voice:

"I want you to swear the Xuanjing Spirit Oath!"

Lu Sisi nodded again without hesitation and said in a deep voice, "That is only proper."

The two swore with secret methods. Feeling a mark lightly branded on his Xuanjing Wheel, Li Tongya asked, "Time?"

"Three days later, I will come here and go to Huaqian Mountain with you, fellow Daoist!"

Li Tongya nodded and sent Lu Sisi away. Returning to the courtyard and looking at Li Xuansuan, who was deep in thought below, he said softly:

"I still have a Jade Bud Pill in my storage bag that Xiangping obtained from killing someone. I will now go into seclusion to break through to the third level of Qi Refining, which will give me a few more points of certainty."

Li Xuansuan stood up, cupped his hands, and said respectfully:

"Uncle, please go into seclusion with peace of mind. Leave the family to me."

————

Li Chijing looked at the beast herd surging from the mountain below. His cultivation aura was majestic, his white clothes rustling in the evening wind. The people beside him cast looks of awe.

"Is this the 'Green Spike Sword' Li Chijing?"

"Isn't it? Look at his aura; I'm afraid he's only a step away from Foundation Establishment."

Li Chijing knew his own situation. He was far more than just a step away; he was suppressing the true essence in his body almost every moment, not letting it liquefy spontaneously.

As long as he had a thought, the six wheels formed by his Embryonic Breath cultivation would immediately liquefy, gathering his cultivation to condense the foundation of the Great Dao in his Qi Sea point, breaking through to Foundation Establishment immediately.

"Can't drag it out anymore... The people sent by the sect have urged me three times."

Li Chijing muttered to himself. A handsome white-clad man beside him patted him on the shoulder and said softly:

"Junior Brother is now at the peak of Qi Refining, right?"

Li Chijing sighed lightly in his heart, turned his head to look at the white-clad man beside him with a calm expression, and answered:

"That's right. Is Senior Brother Chi here to urge me to establish my foundation?"

The white-clad man called Senior Brother Chi was slightly stunned, nodded, and said, "The sect has this intention. The pill for breaking through the realm has already been prepared for you. Junior Brother can go into seclusion to break through at any time."

Li Chijing nodded and answered with a beaming smile:

"The sect is truly thoughtful. Chijing is deeply grateful!"

Senior Brother Chi's expression changed slightly, and he answered with some embarrassment:

"This is natural, but I wonder how much certainty Junior Brother has?"

Li Chijing put on a difficult look and said in a low voice:

"I'm afraid, less than 80%."

"80%?!"

Senior Brother Chi frowned. This probability was terrifyingly high compared to others, but he knew how many heavenly treasures Li Chijing had been fed. Now, with only 80%, he was puzzled and thought to himself: "I'm afraid I can't save this Suiyuan Pill..."

Senior Brother Chi sighed lightly, took out a jade bottle from his brocade pouch, and smiled:

"I still have a Suiyuan Pill here. You take it first."

Li Chijing nodded with a grateful face, took the jade bottle, and said loudly:

"Many thanks, Senior Brother!"

Senior Brother Chi resisted the pain in his heart, maintained the smile on his face, and said warmly: "Once you are ready, go into seclusion and break through!"

Only then did Li Chijing nod vigorously and walk slowly down the mountain. As he brushed past Senior Brother Chi, a cold sentence drifted into his ears.

"Li Chijing, Foundation Establishment can only succeed, not fail. You wouldn't want to know the consequences."

Li Chijing's figure paused slightly. He looked up at the gentle smile on Senior Brother Chi's face, laughed, shook his head, and went down the mountain.

Senior Brother Chi looked coldly at Li Chijing's departing figure and muttered to himself:

"What are a few pills? He's just a dying man. Giving them is fine, but the Ancestor's Infant Origin Pill must absolutely not be lost."

————

Li Chijing went down the mountain, pondered for a few breaths, entered a small pavilion at the foot of the mountain, and walked slowly up the yellowish pear-wood stairs. A youth who had passed out drunk on a brownish-red square table came into view.

"Deng Qiuzhi!"

Li Chijing grabbed him. The Moon-Flower Autumn Origin in his hand gathered rapidly, condensing a bowl of clear lake water, which he poured straight onto his face.

The lake water made Deng Qiuzhi dizzy. It flowed down his hair and evaporated into spiritual energy as soon as it hit the ground. This spell was performed with such ease that one could see the caster's cultivation was superb.

Deng Qiuzhi woke up with a start, looked up at Li Chijing, shook his head with sleepy eyes, and giggled: "Jing-ge! You came early today?"

Li Chijing sat down lightly, rummaged through the wine pot on the table, finally gathered a cup of wine, sipped it, and said in a deep voice: "I will break through to Foundation Establishment tomorrow."

Deng Qiuzhi was stunned, looked up with tears in his eyes, and choked: "Jing-ge! Have you thought it through?"

Li Chijing nodded and smiled: "Isn't it just being eaten?"

Deng Qiuzhi was stunned, raised his cup silently, but found there was no wine left, so he had to mutter: "You are still the open-minded one."

Li Chijing gave a low laugh and answered: "We've studied it clearly these past few years. I am the main ingredient, and you are the auxiliary material. I don't know what kind of divine medicine we can refine."

Finishing the wine in his cup, Li Chijing turned and left the pavilion, leaving behind only the dazed Deng Qiuzhi and a sentence floating in the air.

"This wine isn't strong enough."

Leaving the small pavilion, Li Chijing headed straight for a cave dwelling in the mountains and knocked lightly on the stone door. Before long, someone came to open it.

"Jing-er..."

The person who came was his Senior Brother Xiao Yuansi, who was still holding a few medicinal herbs in his hand. Seeing Li Chijing, his face was full of guilt, and he called out softly.

"Why doesn't Senior Brother invite me in?"

Li Chijing asked with a grin. Xiao Yuansi hurriedly stepped aside to invite him in, served tea at the stone table, and stared blankly at Li Chijing.

"Senior Brother's cultivation has also reached the peak of Qi Refining. I wonder how much certainty you have for Foundation Establishment?"

Xiao Yuansi shook his head upon hearing this and answered:

"I am not as good as you. Now I only have 30% or 40% certainty. I still need to accumulate for a few more years."

Li Chijing nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and finally got to the point.

"I have come this time to entrust Senior Brother with a few things."

"Jing-er, speak..."

Li Chijing took out the jade bottle and explained: "This is the Suiyuan Pill that Zhiyun gave me. Please, Senior Brother, take it home for me."

Xiao Yuansi nodded and asked hesitantly:

"Then you..."

"I don't need this thing."

Li Chijing shook his head, smiled confidently, and took out several items from his storage bag, explaining them one by one: "Over the years, I have accumulated some merit and exchanged it for alchemy inheritance. I heard that Xuanfeng is good at archery and my brother also uses bow techniques, so I exchanged for this secret technique. The rest were exchanged for spirit stones, just over a hundred. Plus, I've drawn some talismans over the years. Please, Senior Brother, take them back together."

Xiao Yuansi naturally knew Li Chijing's intention. His eyes were already glistening, and he said sadly: "Jing-er, my Green Spike Peak has failed you!"

Li Chijing was stunned, shook his head, and smiled: "Senior Brother, why be like this? My cultivation was all bestowed by Green Spike. Now that I am returning it to the sect, what is wrong with that? Senior Brother, don't let people gossip."

"No matter what the sect is like, the Xiao family and Green Spike Peak have done many things for me and the Li family. Chijing and the Li family of Lijing will remember it in their hearts!"

After speaking, Li Chijing stood up, bowed respectfully three times and kowtowed nine times to the north, where Si Yuanbai was trapped in the prison tower, then bowed respectfully to Xiao Yuansi. Tears finally appeared in the corners of his eyes, and he said earnestly:

"Senior Brother, from now on, I entrust my family to you!"

Xiao Yuansi stood up solemnly and answered seriously:

"Jing-er, as long as I, Xiao Yuansi, do not die, the Li family will never lose its inheritance!"

Li Chijing wiped the corners of his eyes, hugged Xiao Yuansi with a smile, but heard his Senior Brother lower his head slightly and say softly:

"Do you have any other wishes?"

Li Chijing laughed and said coldly: "My wishes in this life are fulfilled. If there really is any wish, it is for that Early Zifu Ancestor who uses us to refine medicine to fail his Golden Core breakthrough, exhaust his lifespan, and die!"

How do you all feel about this two-chapter-in-one feeling? ^ ===== CHAPTER 99 =====