Chapter 49: Great Boat

Spiritual energy was gradually recovering at the northern foot of Mount Dali, and with it, the number of monsters increased. Li Tongya had only been gone for two months when a bear demon arrived at Li Daokou. Fortunately, its cultivation was no higher than the Profound Landscape Realm. Li Xiangping was only one step away from breaking through to the Azure Essence Realm; he organized the village men, fired several streaks of golden light from his bow, and resolved the threat.

On one hand, he had to organize manpower to drag the demon to the Wan family to be resold to Wan Xiaohua; on the other, he had to plan the reconstruction of the streets destroyed by the monster. Li Xiangping was so overwhelmed with work that he did not return to Mount Lijing for several days.

His mother, Lady Liu, tended to little Xuanfeng and Jingtian in the main courtyard alongside Lady Tian and Lady Ren. Li Xuanxuan, having mastered the Profound Landscape Realm, had joyfully descended the mountain a few days ago with his third uncle to hunt demons, leaving Li Mutian alone in the back courtyard.

The old man could not stay idle. He had crafted a set of furniture himself and placed it outside the room where the stone platform stood. On ordinary days, he would guard the doorway, watching the biting spring breeze swirl through the courtyard.

Li Mutian was nearly seventy years old. The injuries sustained in his youth still caused him intermittent pain. In farming families, people age rapidly; his hair and beard were now completely white, and his energy was far from what it once was. Even as he sat in the courtyard, he remained preoccupied with his two children who had left home and the various affairs of the household.

"Xiangping and Tongya are both reliable and can bring prosperity to our Li family. It is just that Jing'er is ten thousand miles away in that Immortal Sect; I know not the depths of its waters, nor does he have anyone to assist him. I wonder how he is faring now."

The old man stroked his snowy white beard, turned to look at the mirror on the stone platform, and muttered to himself

"Prosperity for one is prosperity for all; loss for one is loss for all."

————

The Guanyun Peak of the Xiao family was shrouded in mist. Pale white fog concealed the small courtyards so thoroughly that it was said even spiritual sense could not penetrate them. After walking for a while behind a Xiao family servant, Li Tongya and Wan Yuankai saw the summit open into a flat expanse.

"Estimating the walking distance, this Guanyun Peak isn't much higher than Mount Lijing," Li Tongya mused to himself. He saw a large courtyard situated on the summit, where a crowd of about thirty or forty people stood. They were all dressed in exquisite, colorful silks, discussing things in low tones. Everyone was standing, except for one elderly man who sat at the head of the group, calmly reading a book with lowered eyes.

"That elder is the Xiao family ancestor, Xiao Chuting. He is a genuine Foundation Establishment senior!"

Hearing Wan Yuankai's low whisper, Li Tongya quickly averted his gaze, fearing he might accidentally offend the man.

"Senior Xiao is quite legendary. Over a hundred years ago, the Xiao family was merely at the bottom of the prefecture. To make matters worse, the clan leader, who was at the peak of the Qi Refinement stage, died at the hands of a monster while traveling. Senior Xiao took command in the midst of the crisis and turned the tide. Relying on his extraordinary alchemy skills, he single-handedly sustained the Xiao family, and not long after, he refined an Immortal Foundation, elevating the Xiao family to the status of a Great Clan."

As Wan Yuankai explained in a low voice while observing the crowd, his eyes suddenly lit up. He stepped forward a few paces and said respectfully

"Brother Lu! It has been a long time. How have you been lately?"

The man was wearing a slate-blue silk cloak. He had a broad forehead and should have had an honest appearance, but his face was filled with arrogance. He frowned and looked at Wan Yuankai, saying

"Hmm, so it is Brother Yuankai."

Wan Yuankai froze for a moment, letting out a few awkward laughs. Seeing the gray silk pouch hanging from the man's waist, he was struck with surprise and thought

"Is the Lu family so wealthy now? To be able to equip him with a storage bag, could it be..."

Wan Yuankai's expression changed instantly, and he asked in a startled voice

"Fellow Daoist, have you already broken through to the Qi Refinement stage?"

"Indeed. My family possesses a small amount of Clear Spiritual Qi."

The man nodded slightly and cast a casual glance at the surrounding crowd. Seeing the eyes turning toward them, he raised his chin slightly.

"Congratulations to you, Fellow Daoist."

Wan Yuankai's face turned somewhat pale as he offered a low congratulation.

"Such a noble family now has two Qi Refinement cultivators."

After chatting with the cultivator surnamed Lu for a few more sentences, Wan Yuankai returned with a sour expression, seeing that the other man was being dismissive.

Li Tongya knew of the Lu family; they resided in the territory of the Wan family that they had passed on the road. Wan Yuankai had once mentioned that the Lu family also had a Qi Refinement cultivator, speaking of it with much envy.

"How has the Lu family produced another Qi Refinement cultivator!"

Wan Yuankai complained to Li Tongya, smiling bitterly.

"That Lu Pingyuan once visited my Wan family and provided some resources to help us resist the Ji family. At that time, he was only at the Jade Capital Realm, yet now he has already reached Qi Refinement!"

"This 'small amount of Clear Spiritual Qi'..."

"A fine way to put it! It is nothing more than using the common spiritual qi found in the mountains to refine. With seven or eight years of diligent breathing, one can achieve it. It can only be called common stock; eight out of ten Qi Refinement cultivators use this small Clear Spiritual Qi!"

Wan Yuankai's words were full of disdain, as if he were venting all the grievance he had just suffered, though his heart was clearly dying of envy.

As the two were talking in low voices, they saw a brilliant glow of sunset clouds slowly rising in the east. The surrounding cultivators all looked up, discussing in small groups.

"What a grand spectacle."

"Is that the Rosy Cloud Ship?"

The glow in the east slowly approached, revealing its true form: a cloud ship draped in golden light, with a pair of cloud-like wings on its sides. It tore through layers of mist and docked at the summit within a few breaths.

"We welcome the Immortal Sect Envoy!"

The cultivators on the summit bowed in salutation; even Xiao Chuting stood up to receive them.

Several streaks of cyan light drifted down from the Rosy Cloud Ship and landed on the summit, revealing a woman dressed in a cyan-jade long dress and a navy-blue cloak. She wore a veil, making her features indistinct, and was followed by several Immortal Sect laborers dressed in plain cyan clothing.

Xiao Chuting stepped forward and smiled.

"Greetings, Envoy."

"Senior, there is no need for such formality!"

The fairy's voice was clear, melodious, and gentle, instantly conveying a sense of nobility.

"Then this old man shall not delay you. These are the Xiao family's tributes for this year."

Xiao Chuting chuckled softly and waved his hand. The Xiao family members below immediately began carrying items toward the front courtyard. Bags of spiritual rice were piled in the courtyard, appearing to weigh several thousand catties, along with over a dozen chests of various spiritual items, all of which were opened for inspection.

"Five thousand catties of Purple Jade Spiritual Rice are all here. Various spiritual items for the prefecture have been provided according to the usual quota. The Fairy may inspect them at her leisure."

"There is no need. I trust the Xiao family's credibility," Ning Wan said softly, shaking her head.

Xiao Chuting cupped his hands, and the people below immediately began transporting the spiritual items and rice onto the ship. A standard storage bag naturally could not hold five or six thousand catties of goods, which was why the Rosy Cloud Ship had been dispatched.

The other families below hurried to follow, handing their tributes to the Immortal Sect laborers and announcing their names one by one.

"The Wu family of Southern Prefecture..."

"The Lu family of Tiaoyun..."

...

"The Wan family of Huaqian..."

"The Li family of Lijing..."

Wan Yuankai and Li Tongya stepped forward together to hand over their tribute to the laborer. The Li family's tribute this year consisted of ten White Essence Fruits and two hundred catties of spiritual rice. Looking at the remaining ninety catties of rice and five White Essence Fruits, Li Tongya felt a sharp pang of heartache, only to suddenly hear a clear, melodious voice ring in his ear

"Are you from the Li family of Lijing?"

(End of Chapter)