Chapter 53: The Formation of Meichi Mountain

When Li Chijing woke, the light before his eyes was dim and flickering. Beneath him lay a soft bedstead, and his senior sister, Yuan Tuan, was gently applying ointment to his back. The sensation at the wound was cool and comfortable, and the pain had largely subsided.

"Ugh..."

He struggled to lift his head. Seeing the room filled with medicinal jars and sutra books, he knew he was in Senior Brother Xiao Yuansi's pavilion. He asked in a somewhat raspy voice

"Where is Senior Brother?"

"He went to Yuanwu Peak."

Yuan Tuan gave a soft response, her hair cascading down like a waterfall, the dark tips brushing lightly against his neck.

"You are only at the Fetal Breath stage and cannot tolerate those healing pills. I used spells to treat your wounds and applied this ointment; you will be better by tomorrow."

Li Chijing, however, was still preoccupied with Xiao Yuansi, and asked somewhat urgently

"Did Senior Brother go to Yuanwu Peak alone?"

"Master is with him."

Yuan Tuan smiled and explained

"Even if that Deng Qiuzhi is a scion of a great clan, he cannot bully our Qingsui Peak like this."

"There is something wrong with that man," Li Chijing said, lowering his head in a sullen tone.

"The Deng family members are all temperamental and fickle; there is no need to pay him any mind."

Yuan Tuan tidied up the ointment and spoke softly again

"The Deng family's cultivation technique was originally missing a vital element, called the Night Moon Frost Qi. Later, generation after generation of Deng ancestors worked to modify and practice it. Over the last hundred years, it has finally become trainable, but it left behind a side effect on the mind. Once mastered, practitioners tend to be moody, acting entirely on whim."

Li Chijing froze for a moment and inquired

"What grade is this technique? Why must the Deng family insist on practicing it?"

"Fifth grade," Yuan Tuan replied indifferently. Seeing the look of shock on Li Chijing's face, she smiled. "I was quite surprised when I heard the news back then. Not counting the secret legacies of the Upper Sect, even the most famous technique of the Qingchi Sect, the Yuanqing Rain-Governing Art, is only fourth grade. To think a vassal clan possesses a technique one grade higher."

As she placed the ointment back on the shelf, Yuan Tuan continued

"I heard that their technique originated from the Yuehua Yuan Mansion of the Upper Sect. Hundreds of years ago, the Yuehua Yuan Mansion frequently bestowed this Night Moon Frost Qi. Our Qingchi Sect has a similar technique called the 'Moon Lake Autumn Reflection Art,' also fifth grade. However, because that immortal mansion withdrew from the world, it also lost a vital element, and no one has been able to master it since."

"I know," Li Chijing nodded in reply. "Senior Brother told me. The missing element in this technique is called the Taiyin Moon Essence. I only heard that someone on Moon Lake Peak obtained it by chance."

"At Moon Lake," Yuan Tuan replied softly, her face showing a hint of envy. "All five strands of Taiyin Moon Essence obtained by the three sects and seven gates over the last few hundred years came from Moon Lake—whether from the remains of predecessors, residual formations in immortal caves, or inherited secret realms..."

Li Chijing stared blankly at the pillow before him. His heart gave a sudden jolt, and a suspicion nearly escaped his lips, but he swallowed it back down.

"Senior Sister, I want to go home for a while."

"Hmm?"

"My brothers wrote in their letters that Father's health has been declining these past few years. Junior Brother... wants to see him a few more times."

Yuan Tuan looked down in surprise. After a few moments of thought, she replied

"In a few months, I must go to the Mushroom Forest Plain to collect offerings. Mount Dali is to the west of the Mushroom Forest Plain, so the trip back and forth should be convenient."

"Alright, thank you, Senior Sister~"

Li Chijing thanked her with a smile and lay down, lost in silent thought.

————

Li Xuanxuan had cultivated through the night. In the early morning, he performed a spiritual rain and left the courtyard. As he walked along the stone path, villagers carrying hoes greeted him with smiles, calling him "Little Immortal Master."

It had been over ten years since the Li family found the mirror. As the new generation of labor in the various villages grew up, the people gradually became accustomed to the Li family's rule. The villagers feared Li Xiangping, respected Li Tongya, and felt close to Li Xuanxuan, whom they had watched grow up since childhood.

Almost no young person remembered Li Mutian, who lived tucked away in the mountains, except for a few managers who occasionally went up the mountain to report to him and held deep reverence for him. Only the elders, gathered under eaves discussing old stories, would remember this veteran.

After walking for a while, Li Xuanxuan pushed open the courtyard gate and saw a large lacquer-wood platform, half as tall as a person, set up in the yard like a large bed. Scattered atop it were stalks and withered rice leaves, with several small nests fashioned from specially shaved wood shavings and soil. It looked quite interesting.

"Aunt," he said with a smile, cupping his hands toward Liu Ruxuan, who was standing by the platform observing it closely. "Why are my two uncles not on the mountain?"

"Your middle uncle obtained the Bright Spirit Powder and took the family's Snake Essence Pill to go into seclusion to break through to the fifth level of the Fetal Breath stage, the Jade Capital Wheel. He should be emerging soon."

Liu Ruxuan gave a light laugh, set down the few spiritual rice leaves in her hand, and patted Li Xuanxuan's head. She explained

"The spiritual fields in several villages are being utilized, so your uncle thought to head to the neighboring Meichi Mountain to scout for more spiritual fields."

"I see!"

Li Xuanxuan nodded and was about to speak when he heard a soft knock on the courtyard gate. A voice called from outside

"Is my clan brother in the courtyard? The Young Clan Leader has some instructions."

Li Xuanxuan hurried to open the door. Seeing Li Qiuyang and Li Yesheng outside, he asked repeatedly

"Has something happened?"

"We'll talk as we walk."

Li Qiuyang took his hand, apologized to Liu Ruxuan, and followed Li Yesheng hurriedly up the mountain.

"The Young Clan Leader spotted something unusual on Meichi Mountain and sent Uncle Yesheng to call us. We heard there is a formation on that mountain."

"A formation?!"

Li Xuanxuan froze, asking in astonishment

"Meichi Mountain has always been desolate. That formation must be hundreds of years old, right?"

"Isn't it?" Li Qiuyang nodded and whispered, "Hopefully it's some immortal's cave dwelling that can bring our family some treasures."

Li Xuanxuan was only eight or nine years old and found it difficult to keep up with the two young men. Frowning, he cast a Divine Speed spell, slapping a white light from his palm onto his leg to easily match their pace. He then continued

"But we must be careful of traps! The Master said that nothing ever falls from the sky for free."

After walking for a while and climbing the mountain for about an hour, they saw Li Xiangping sitting on a large bluestone, regulating his breath. Seeing the three of them approach, he smiled.

"Watch this."

With that, he stood up, took down the grayish-blue longbow from his back, stepped onto the bluestone, notched an arrow, and drew the brilliant white bowstring, squinting as he aimed at a small slope not far away.

*Swish!*

A streak of white light shot from his hand, seemingly about to strike the slope, but ripples suddenly appeared in the air. The arrow seemed to hit something and fell to the ground with a *clink*.

"What a fast arrow," Li Qiuyang remarked first, before staring at the slope in contemplation.

"This bow is a magical tool; I call it the Azure Crow Bow," Li Xiangping said with a chuckle, his expression turning serious. "There should be an illusion formation beneath that slope, and perhaps a spiritual formation dedicated to defense."

***

*Cultivation Grades: 1–9. Other: Divided by realms.*

*Note: Previously, it started from the lowest, Grade 9, but it felt uncomfortable, so I have modified it slightly. The two rogue cultivation techniques held by the Li family are Grade 1 and Grade 2 respectively.*

*I realized it was an oversight not to include the realms in the memory notes; I will try to indicate which level of the Fetal Breath stage it is in the future.*

*Ugh, Monday is just too busy. There will be another chapter later.*

*(End of Chapter)*