Chapter 25: Fruit

“Fruit?”

Li Xiangping looked up, gazing doubtfully at the cross-legged Li Qiuyang.

“It was…”

Li Qiuyang appeared somewhat uneasy, his hands tightly clutching the corners of his clothes. After several nights of cultivation, he had condensed a single wisp of Spiritual Embryonic Breath, but he felt his progress did not match the manual. Fearing he had deviated from the correct method, he had hurriedly brought the technique to ask Li Xiangping.

Upon hearing about Li Qiuyang's cultivation speed, Li Xiangping was so startled that he fetched the *Green Essence Wheel-Nurturing Method* and studied it repeatedly, pondering over it several times.

After a full tea-drinking period had passed, Li Xiangping finally looked up and asked if he had eaten anything strange.

After thinking carefully, Li Qiuyang suddenly remembered a major event and hurriedly replied

“A few years ago, several companions insisted on a test of courage and agreed to climb the back mountain. In the end, I was the only one who made it up. I lost sight of my companions on the way and became lost without realizing it.”

“As I was walking, I saw a small, emerald-green tree with six or seven bright red fruits hanging from it. The fruits were glowing red and looked incredibly delicious.”

“I truly couldn't resist; possessed by a sudden impulse, I plucked one and ate it. I wandered down the mountain in a daze and slept for three days after returning. My father was so worried he sent many people to check on me.”

Listening to Li Qiuyang's story, Li Xiangping was rendered speechless. He patted Li Qiuyang on the shoulder and spoke

“Looking at it now, it seems that in just over a year, you will be able to condense a Profound Landscape Wheel.”

Seeing the look of hope on Li Qiuyang's face, Li Xiangping continued

“However, there is another urgent matter.”

Li Qiuyang froze for a moment and looked up at Li Xiangping.

“Lead us up the mountain to search for that spiritual root.”

————

Li Tongya returned to the Lijing courtyard. Just as he stepped over the stone stairs in front of the gate, he saw Liu Rouxuan sitting obediently in the courtyard, chin resting in her hands, blankly counting the fruit seedlings in the spiritual field for amusement.

Seeing Li Tongya entering from the gate, Liu Rouxuan sprang up from the stone stool. She lowered her eyes and looked at Li Tongya, speaking timidly

“Immortal Master.”

“There is no need for such formality.”

Li Tongya waved his hand, his gaze quickly brushing past Liu Rouxuan's lovely features as he smiled and said

“I am only six or seven years older than you; just call me Tongya.”

Seeing that Li Tongya seemed easy to talk to, Liu Rouxuan relaxed considerably. After a moment's thought, she spoke

“Brother Tongya.”

Li Tongya nodded, rose from the room, and took a wooden slip from a wooden rack. He said to Liu Rouxuan

“This is the manual for the Embryonic Breath Realm, called the *Green Essence Wheel-Nurturing Method*. Memorize it here in the courtyard first, and remember never to spread it externally.”

“Yes!”

Liu Rouxuan responded with pleasant surprise, receiving the wooden slip with both hands and holding it carefully against her chest.

“Someone will bring meals every day at the Hour of the Dragon and the Hour of the Monkey. If you need anything, you can tell that person to bring it.”

Li Tongya took a teapot, speaking as he poured the tea. He poured two small cups and continued

“I am not often in this courtyard, but I will come at the Hour of the Dragon and the Hour of the Monkey to bestow spiritual rain upon this field. If you have any questions regarding your cultivation, feel free to ask.”

Seeing Liu Rouxuan nodding repeatedly, Li Tongya smiled and asked softly

“Have your household items and clothing been delivered?”

“They have already arrived,” Liu Rouxuan replied.

“Then settle into the eastern room. Practice hard in your daily training; do not go out until you have reached the Profound Landscape Realm. Have you studied before?” Li Tongya suddenly asked.

“I studied a little when I was small and know a few characters.”

“Then I won't have to teach you everything one by one. Read through it once, and if you have questions, come ask me.”

Liu Rouxuan complied repeatedly, clutching the wooden slip and reading it word by word.

Watching Liu Rouxuan bow her head to read the *Green Essence Wheel-Nurturing Method*, Li Tongya sipped his tea, thinking idly

“Now that this child has come to Lijing Village, she is a stranger to the land and confined to this courtyard. There is no need to worry about the cultivation method leaking out these next few years.”

Just as he was thinking this, a loud laugh rang out as someone pushed open the door to the small courtyard.

“Third Brother, why are you here?”

Li Tongya spoke with some surprise, only to see Li Qiuyang following behind Li Xiangping with an anxious expression.

When Li Xiangping mentioned the matter of the spiritual root, Li Tongya was naturally astonished. He kept a closer eye on Li Qiuyang in his heart. After the two of them conferred, they took Li Yesheng and several strong men from the village up the back mountain.

The season had entered late autumn; the back mountain was desolate and withered, with leaves falling everywhere. The wild beasts were fat and sturdy, hibernating in preparation for winter.

With the abundant resources and vibrant life of the reed marshes, the people of Lijing Village had never been particularly interested in the back mountain. Since the fish and meat were provided by the marshes, why bother risking their lives against wild beasts in the deep mountains?

Thus, for generations, the people of Lijing Village only used the mountain forests at the foot of the back mountain to gather firewood, using brushwood or June Snow wood for cooking. These small woods grew quickly and were easy to gather; they only went up the mountain to fell timber when building houses.

Consequently, the paths on the back mountain were overgrown with thorns and vines. Since Li Qiuyang could not remember the approximate route, several villagers used machetes to clear the way, with Li Xiangping and Li Tongya following behind.

“Second Brother, I have a question.”

Li Xiangping held Li Qiuyang's hand and turned to look at Li Tongya.

“What is it?”

“You said Si Yuanbai drew a boundary for our family, and beyond that boundary is someone else's land. Before our Li family rose to power, that family would only need to send a single Embryonic Breath practitioner here. Who would dare disobey?”

“Then why, after our Li family has cultivated here for two hundred years, has not a single cultivator been willing to come? Do they truly look down on us mortals?”

Li Tongya rubbed his chin and spoke with a solemn expression

“I have pondered this as well. Based on what Si Yuanbai said, this place originally had no spiritual energy for hundreds of years. Therefore, there were no resources for cultivation, so no cultivators were willing to waste their time here.”

“Secondly, the Great Li Mountain is right here. The mountain range stretches endlessly; how many monsters and ghosts are in those mountains? It is nowhere near as comfortable as the prefectural city.”

Li Xiangping nodded in agreement, his expression somewhat grim as he whispered to Li Tongya

“Brother, there is an even worse possibility.”

“Although the Qingchi Sect is said to be incredibly powerful, they only occupy a quarter of the State of Yue. Are there no strong enemies in the surrounding areas? I fear our Li family might be right on the edge of the Qingchi Sect's sphere of influence!”

“When two villages fight over water, naturally no one wants to plant crops on the border; it is the same principle. According to Xu Wenshan, to the south is the State of Wu. There is constant friction between Wu and Yue, so the relationships between the immortal sects behind them are likely not much better!”

Li Tongya felt a chill in his heart, his expression also turning grim. He said

“That was an oversight. Tomorrow, I will send people to investigate the surroundings of the Guli Road thoroughly. Clarifying our Li family's situation is the priority.”

“I only hope our Li family is not just some crop the Qingchi Sect happened to plant on their border.”

Li Xiangping gave a bitter smile, only to hear Li Yesheng leading several sweating villagers calling out from ahead.

“Immortal Master! A huge snake!”