Chapter 35: Departure

Once the Snake-Dragon Fruit had completely dissolved in the furnace, melting into a streak of crimson medicinal liquid floating atop the pill-fire, Xiao Yuansi took out several auxiliary herbs and tossed them into the furnace one by one.

Finally, he used the pill-fire to continuously refine the mixture. After about an hour, the mountain mist dissipated and the dew evaporated completely, at which point eight pale-red spiritual pills were spat out from the mouth of the furnace.

With a flick of his fingers to perform a hand seal, the eight pills instantly flew up and landed in his glowing white palm. He took out eight small white jade bottles and distributed the pills into them one by one. He kept two bottles for himself and handed the rest to Li Xiangping and the other, explaining

"These Snake-Essence Pills must also be stored in jade bottles. Keep them carefully and only remove the wooden stopper when you are ready to consume them. If they are not stored tightly, the medicinal potency will gradually dissipate, resulting in the wasted loss of a pill."

"If they are sealed properly, these pills can be preserved for about twenty years, so there is no need to worry."

Li Xiangping and the other naturally complied and accepted them with care. Only then did Li Tongya exchange a glance with Li Xiangping, take out three bottles of Snake-Essence Pills, and speak

"We request that the Immortal Teacher take these three bottles of spiritual pills to my younger brother, so that he may cultivate diligently."

"Indeed, your Li family is one of gratitude. Yuansi will certainly deliver them."

Xiao Yuansi nodded approvingly, collected the three jade bottles, cupped his hands, and said with deep emotion

"The Li family has only ascended to immortality for a few years; your foundation is still somewhat shallow. The clan's arts of alchemy, formations, and smithing must have successors. You must also absorb more individuals with spiritual apertures into the clan, lest you vanish within a few generations... In this Lixia Dao and the Ancient Li Dao, there are no dominant cultivation clans, so the Li family must seize this opportunity."

"In this Lixia County, countless families have risen abruptly over the hundreds of years, only to vanish in a few generations. As a prominent family in the county, our Xiao family has watched many banquets rise and fall, many towers built and destroyed. The Li family must strive even harder..."

Xiao Yuansi's words came from the heart, moving Li Tongya so much that he let out a long sigh.

"The Immortal Teacher speaks the truth. We two brothers started from nothing, and now there are only twenty or thirty Li descendants, with the branch Ye family barely numbering two or three hundred. Jing'er is practicing alone in the sect, yet we cannot provide him with much in the way of cultivation resources."

Seeing Li Tongya's endless sighing, Xiao Yuansi frowned slightly and said softly

"My entire cultivation in the Dao of Alchemy was passed down from within my sect, and I have made a Profound Vision Spiritual Oath; thus, the recipe for the Snake-Essence Pill cannot be passed on. You might try searching the marketplaces; perhaps you will find something."

Hearing this, Li Xiangping, who had been waiting by his side for a long time, hurriedly inquired

"May I ask the Immortal Teacher, this Profound Vision Spiritual Oath..."

Xiao Yuansi paused for a moment before explaining

"Within clans and sects, this Profound Vision Spiritual Oath is used to secretly pass down cultivation methods. The practitioner uses the Profound Vision Wheel as their oath. The oath is moved by the heart; should one violate it, their Profound Vision Wheel will shatter, and their entire cultivation will pour out like flowing water, reverting them to a mortal in an instant. Furthermore, their essence and spirit will wither, and they shall die as a consequence of the oath."

"This Profound Vision Spiritual Oath could be of great use for inheritance. I wonder, what would be its price..."

Li Tongya hurriedly interjected, but Xiao Yuansi waved his hand to cut him off

"It is merely a trivial little trick that anyone can learn. I shall write it down for you."

He took up paper and brush, and with a few strokes of the brush, he finished it within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. He reminded them softly

"However, one thing must be noted: this spiritual oath is not the manifest Heavenly Dao that perceives all things. It is useful for keeping techniques or secrets confidential, but it is of little use in preventing someone from harboring ill intentions."

"After all, even the Heavenly Dao struggles to distinguish between human good and evil; how could a mere spiritual oath understand such things?"

"Thank you for the guidance, Immortal Teacher! Our Li family will remember this kindness!"

The two quickly expressed their thanks. The heavy stone that had long been weighing on Li Xiangping's heart finally dropped, and his mood lightened significantly. He thought to himself

"With this Profound Vision Spiritual Oath, the final link has been filled. Once those two children have mastered the Profound Vision Wheel and made their oaths, I can use them with peace of mind."

Xiao Yuansi took the reply handed to him by Li Xiangping, packed the pill furnace, summoned his flying shuttle, and smiled lightly

"My junior brother has decent cultivation talent, and while his bone structure is only average, his talent in the way of the sword is extraordinary. You all need not worry."

"Friends, may we meet again if fate allows!"

With that, he mounted the flying shuttle and soared into the sky amidst the two men's thanks.

Once Xiao Yuansi was far away, Li Xiangping carefully hid the remaining three bottles of pills in his robes and smiled at Li Tongya

"Jing'er truly has a wonderful senior brother."

Li Tongya nodded. While memorizing the Profound Vision Spiritual Oath, he handed the jade slip to Li Xiangping, signaling him to take a look.

Li Xiangping hurriedly took the jade slip and gently unfurled it. Looking at the dense, tiny characters on the slip, he suddenly froze. After struggling to read a few dozen words, he whispered in stunned silence

"You call this 'not difficult'?"

***

Li Xuanxuan was absent-minded during class, staring blankly at Han Wenxu, who was speaking eloquently on the platform.

Han Wenxu was nearly fifty years old, with white hair gradually creeping into his temples. In his twenties, he had been an apprentice in a pharmacy in the county; in a fit of rage, he had killed someone and was forced to flee into these Great Li Mountains to hide. For over twenty years, he had treated the villagers' illnesses and taught the children, living a life that could be considered quite fulfilling.

Looking at the children reading earnestly below, a smile appeared on Han Wenxu's face. He had no children of his own in his life, but he had raised the children of the Li family; these children who grew up in his academy were no different from his own kin.

"Hmm? Mist is rising?"

Looking at the thin layer of mist beneath his feet, Han Wenxu thought uneasily

"Why is the mist rising at this time..."

Below the platform, the somewhat drowsy Li Xuanxuan's eyes were very sharp. He suddenly jolted awake and tugged at the sleeve of Li Xiewen, who was also nodding off beside him, whispering

"Brother Wen! Look out the window."

Li Xiewen hurriedly looked over and saw layers of grey mist emerging outside the window. He felt uneasy and whispered back

"Brother, what is happening?"

"This mist is too strange. My elders are right at the mountain peak. Let us tell the Teacher and go up the mountain together to inform them."

Li Xuanxuan was not yet six years old, but his speech already carried the bearing of an eight or nine-year-old child. His small eyebrows furrowed as he spoke solemnly.

As Li Xuanxuan was speaking, he saw his great-uncle, Liu Linfeng, enter the classroom and whisper something to Han Wenxu. Han Wenxu nodded quickly and announced

"Children, pack up your clothes and bedding. There will be a three-day holiday starting today."

The two exchanged a glance and hurried to pack the belongings amidst the children's cheers.

Liu Linfeng had notified Han Wenxu and was sitting on the steps in front of the house waiting for the children. Feeling a sudden itch in his mouth, he reached for the pipe in his bosom.

As he looked up, he faintly discovered a figure peeking through the mist, crouching in the woods and watching stealthily.

Liu Linfeng was so startled that he jumped up from the ground, and his precious pipe snapped at the mouth against the floor. Before he could even feel the pain, he shouted tremblingly

"Who is there!!"

(End of Chapter)