Atop Qing Sui Peak, there sat a pavilion of cloud windows and mist, a small pavilion carved with moon and trimmed with clouds. The gentle morning light flowed over the pavilion, casting a golden hue all around.
Li Chijin, sitting on a bluestone slab in front of the pavilion, slowly exhaled a clear breath and looked towards the boundless sea of clouds before him. His handsome brows quirked as he thought to himself,
"This Yujing Wheel has finally been cultivated!"
"The spell of my family has such an impressive origin. What's cultivated is not the ordinary Yujing Mana, but rather the Moonlight Yujing. It's not only solid in Mana but also far superior to ordinary spells."
He stood up, straightened his blue robe, stepped into the pavilion, and took down a sword that shimmered with cold light from the wall. With a flick of his wrist, he danced out a pattern with the sword.
"The Mysterious Water Sword Technique that my senior brother gave me has also been somewhat mastered. Although a Third Grade spell needs at least the Qi Cultivation Stage to be mastered, fortunately, the technique itself is not difficult and is very easy to learn."
"I wonder if my father's health is still good, and whether my brothers have managed to cultivate the Zhouxing Wheel? I've heard that the Tang Jin Sect to the west has been restless lately, and with thousands of miles bordering both families, I wonder if the Li Family has been affected."
With these worries in mind, Li Chijin lost interest in practicing with the sword. He lay sprawled over the desk, flipping through the Jade Slip carelessly, his thoughts already running to the Li Family miles away.
"Junior brother!"
Then came a cheerful shout from outside the pavilion. A man with thick eyebrows and large eyes walked in, the senior brother Xiao Yuansi himself, who looked at Li Chijin by the desk and said with a smile,
"Junior brother, guess what good news I bring!"
"Senior brother, please don't joke around,"
Li Chijin said with a wry smile, shaking his head and carefully putting away the Jade Slip, preparing himself to listen attentively.
"Our master has sent me on an errand to Li Xia County!"
Xiao Yuansi raised an eyebrow and then asked,
"Do you have any family messages to send?"
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you, senior brother! You're too kind!"
Li Chijin immediately became excited, giving thanks repeatedly, and reached for brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to start writing right away.
Xiao Yuansi laughed softly and said,
"Take your time writing, just give it to me tonight."
————
As the sky lightened, Li Xiangping awoke slowly from his meditation, pondering,
"My Qi Sea is already brimming. In another half a year, I can attempt to condense the Zhouxing Wheel."
Counting the time, he, Li Xiangping, had been stuck on this Zhouxing Wheel for nearly four years. The slow pace of cultivation was exasperating. Jing'er probably had already begun attempting to break through to the Yujing Wheel by now.
Walking out the door, Tian Yun was basking in the sun at the threshold. As Li Xiangping approached, she tried to rise.
"Eh, take it easy, take it easy,"
Seeing this, Li Xiangping waved his hands and supported Tian Yun's arm, saying gently,
"You're pregnant now, so be very careful, and do not injure your fetal Qi!"
Tian Yun responded with a gentle smile, looking into Li Xiangping's eyes as she spoke softly,
"Ever since getting pregnant, I've felt rather unwell."
Yawning, she spoke with a touch of concern,
"It's said that Qiuyang has made rapid progress in cultivation. I often worry that if our child doesn't possess a Spirit Aperture, it might lead to weakness in our Li Family a hundred years from now."
Li Xiangping was taken aback by her words and affectionately patted her head, laughing heartily and saying,
"Don't worry, our child will have a Spirit Aperture just like everyone else. I will take care of the family matters, so there's no need for you to worry."
"As for Li Qiuyang, he has simply achieved the Xuanjing Wheel earlier than others. There is no need to be overly concerned about it."
Tian Yun leaned gently into her husband Li Xiangping's embrace, murmuring:
"As long as you know what you're doing."
While they were sharing an intimate moment, Liu Linfeng rushed into the front courtyard in a hurry. Seeing the scene, he abruptly halted, his face turning red as he became uncertain whether to move forward or retreat.
Tian Yun gave a light smile, allowing herself to be helped away by the Ren Clan while Li Xiangping looked at Liu Linfeng with some surprise and asked with a smile:
"Uncle, what matter has you so flustered?"
"One of the Liu Family kids under me went out to the Lidao Entrance, followed the ancient Lijing road for several dozen li and happened to see a hunter who was very alert. Upon seeing our people, he ran, and my kid didn't dare to chase after him. He just noted the location and came back to report it."
Liu Linfeng said breathlessly and in a hurry to Li Xiangping.
Li Xiangping furrowed his brow, about to speak when another figure burst through the door in a hurry. They fixed their gaze and saw that it was Li Yesheng.
Li Yesheng's face was also flushed, panting heavily as if he had run hurriedly from one end of the village to the other. Without daring to catch his breath for even a moment, he blurted out:
"Family Head! Someone came to report from Lidao Entrance, an Immortal claiming to be a Cultivator of Green Pond under the Wan Family has come to visit."
"This is bad! Most likely it's someone who followed that kid here!"
Liu Linfeng slapped his thigh and, full of regret, slapped himself in the face.
Li Xiangping rubbed his temples and let out a long sigh, speaking in a deep voice:
"Let's not panic, the visitor is also from Green Pond and is unlikely to strike right away."
Glancing at the crowd that had gathered around, Li Xiangping called out:
"Where is my second brother?"
"The Immortal Master went up the mountain early in the morning and hasn't come down yet."
"Uncle, you go up the mountain and inform the second brother of the situation. Tell him to stay in the back mountain and not to come down. Yesheng, come with me to the Lidao Entrance."
Liu Linfeng responded with an 'okay' and quickly headed to the mountain.
Li Xiangping, accompanied by Li Yesheng and a few villagers from Lijing Village, rushed along the country path toward Lidao Entrance.
Upon arriving at Lidao Entrance, they ran into Xu Wenshan's clerk. As they walked, Li Yesheng asked the man:
"What did he say?"
"That Immortal Master is quite calm, sitting in the courtyard not saying a word, just closing his eyes and regulating his breath."
The man responded calmly.
They hadn't finished speaking when Li Xiangping and the others had already reached the door. Li Xiangping straightened his clothes and stepped forward, looking towards the person sitting in the chief seat.
The boy looked very young, around his teens, with delicate features and dressed in a pale moon-white robe. At that moment, he also opened his eyes to look at Li Xiangping.
"From Green Pond territory, Li Xiangping."
Li Xiangping had not yet reached the Yujing Wheel nor awakened his Spiritual Sense, so he could not fathom the boy's true strength and humbly clasped his hands in greeting.
To his surprise, the boy seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing this, quickly stood up, and said with much respect:
"From Green Pond territory, Wan Family's Wan Yuankai, I pay my respects to the Family Head of the Li Family."
"I dare not accept this. I am merely a low-level Cultivator of the Li Family; the Family Head is our father."
Li Xiangping repeatedly waved his hand, seeing the boy's humility and feeling a weight lift from his heart, a smile beginning to form.
"Some days ago, our father heard that he who was in charge of Qing Sui Peak had dispatched people to guard west of the old Lixia road, and he was overjoyed. So he sent a low-level Cultivator westward to investigate, hoping to make acquaintances with esteemed friends. I happened to encounter people from your village, so I came uninvited, please forgive me."
Wan Yuankai, on the other hand, was very excited and apologized politely, saying with a light smile:
"My father insisted I bring a congratulatory gift."