themonasnovels Chapter 429 360: Morning Glow Qi (Part 2)
Chapter 429 360: Morning Glow Qi (Part 2)
"So, you are the thunder cultivator from a Noble Family. I have heard of your name, young lady."
His Spiritual Sense brushed by in a polite manner, withdrawing instantly, then exclaimed in surprise:
"I never expected that you have already reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation! How many years has it been? You must be, what, barely thirty? This is..."
Li Qinghong had no intention to discuss these matters with him. Her public appearances were infrequent, so she assumed all his praise to be mere courtesy. She smiled and replied:
"May I ask, senior...?"
"Oh."
Yuan Huyuan finally collected himself, still bearing a face full of disbelief. He shook out his sleeve, producing a secret letter, and replied:
"A letter arrived at home, among them one from Xizhi. I have brought it specially for your honored family."
Yuan Huyuan, a Qi Cultivating Peak cultivator, had come in person. Naturally, it was not as simple as he made it sound; no doubt there were words he could not say outside the formation. Li Qinghong thanked him and accepted the letter, understanding implicitly.
So she first tucked the small letter into her sleeve, then smiled radiantly:
"Please, senior, come into the formation and have a seat."
"Very well!"
Yuan Huyuan did not stand on ceremony. Both of them descended together. Li Yuanping had already tidied up the great hall below, and when the two entered side by side, even spiritual tea was already served.
Yuan Huyuan first exchanged some pleasantries on trivial matters, then, only after a while, lowered his voice and got to the point:
"I wonder, how is Senior Tongya these days?"
Back when Yuan Huyuan first visited the Li Family, it was to escort Li Chijin home. At that time, his cultivation was already at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, while Li Tongya was but a minor Fetal Breathing cultivator. Foundation Establishment was revered—yet now he had to address Li Tongya as 'senior.'
Li Qinghong gave a light laugh and replied:
"It is unfortunate—our forefather is in secluded cultivation, I fear senior will be disappointed."
"Ah."
Yuan Huyuan gave her a deep, meaningful look, but did not linger on the topic, instead saying:
"Your Xizhi has been cultivating on Qing Sui Peak, and has made us all proud. He is now at the Sixth Layer of Fetal Breathing. The reason for my visit this time is to speak on behalf of Forefather Yuan Tuan:
You and I are both elders to Xizhi. Now that the child is about to break through to Qi Cultivation, has your esteemed family made any plans for him?"
Li Qinghong first feigned surprise, answering without hesitation:
"The cultivation techniques within the sect are naturally far superior to those of our humble Noble Family. Everything has already been arranged by the forefathers."
"Haha."
Yuan Huyuan let out two dry chuckles and replied:
"The forefathers certainly have Ximing's best interests in mind. A Fourth Grade 'Primordial Clearing Rain Controlling Technique' is, of course, guaranteed—only, we were hoping to try for a Fifth Grade."
"Among the Green Pond inheritances, the Fifth Grade 'Dark Floating Xi Yun Scripture' can only be cultivated by the Chi Family's direct lineage, while 'Strategic Celestial Discourse Scripture' is a secret never passed to outsiders..."
Yuan Huyuan spoke at length, pausing at last. With a smile, he said:
"There are, after all, many ancient methods. I wonder what your family's thoughts are on this."
Li Qinghong sipped her tea and gazed at Yuan Huyuan, thinking he might as well have written 'Taiyin Moonlight' on his face. Feeling helpless inside, she thought:
'Does he really take me for an easy mark? This is embarrassingly blatant.'
She parted her red lips and smiled:
"Our Li Family is as poor as can be; we leave all matters to the forefathers."
"Good, the young lady is perceptive."
Yuan Huyuan nodded as a matter of course, feeling somewhat abashed inside. Yuan Huyuan was already a century-old cultivator, always known for his magnanimity; his old face still held some weight among the families and should not have needed to stoop so low...
If not for his own ancestor Yuan Licheng's greed and relentless pressure, how could he have brought himself to do this? Now that he had spoken, he felt as though relieved, and said with a laugh:
"There is, however, one matter for which I must congratulate you."
Li Qinghong inclined her head attentively. Yuan Huyuan went on with his congratulations:
"Your Taoist fellow Li Xuanfeng has already established his Immortal Foundation atop Yi Shan City and perfected the 'Engraved Goldstone'!"
"What! Uncle Xuanfeng broke through to Foundation Establishment!"
Li Qinghong reacted at once; this time her smile was truly heartfelt. She exclaimed:
"Thank you for informing me, Senior Yuan!"
Yuan Huyuan nodded happily and said:
"Congratulations! Congratulations! Now your family is three generations of Foundation Establishment—a true sign of a great Noble Family!"
Yuan Huyuan naturally included Li Mutian in his count, though it was somewhat of a stretch, but auspicious words nonetheless. Li Qinghong smiled and thanked him. Then, amidst the gentle sound of falling snow, a black-clad youth entered the hall.
On this trip, Li Yuanjiao had escorted Li Ximing far away. Along the way, he did indeed run into a devil cultivator; however, that was only at the Fetal Breathing Peak. For a devil cultivator, the gap between Qi Cultivation and none was vast, so Li Yuanjiao killed him in one slap and brought back a storage bag.
Now, shaking off the snow from his body, he carried a bloodstained storage bag in one hand, breathing out hot air. He tossed the bag onto the table, shot Yuan Huyuan a glance, and asked:
"And this is?"
"Yuan Huyuan of the Yuan Family."
Yuan Huyuan answered. With introductions made, Li Qinghong explained the circumstances, and Li Yuanjiao nodded with a cheerful smile and said:
"Greetings, senior."
He had already made his guesses and was unsurprised. Yuan Huyuan continued:
"Senior Xuanfeng has also been favored by Yuansu Perfected Person and has become a general in Yi Shan City! He now counts among the Green Pond Sect's men—the times have changed."
The siblings exchanged a look; the Li Family had suffered at the hands of Zifu for so long that they no longer trusted any of the Green Pond Zifu, suspecting only ill would come of it. They forced a smile.
Yuan Huyuan, however, said in a mysterious tone:
"Perfected Yuansu has always been a loner and is not close with any Zifu within the sect; he has neither Immortal Peaks nor Noble Families under him. Your family would do well to seize this opportunity..."
Seeing the two siblings deep in thought, he finally laughed, clasped his hands in farewell, and said with a smile:
"My message is delivered—farewell!"
The two saw him out of the formation, still perplexed. Back in the hall, Li Yuanjiao finally spoke:
"They say Perfected Yuansu is 'Cave Spring Sound,' but that has nothing in common with 'Engraved Goldstone'... This Immortal Foundation will be useful only to the Tang Jin Sect..."
Li Qinghong then recalled something and said in a low voice:
"'Cave Spring Sound'? Our family has a cultivation technique called 'Cave Spring Sound'—it's the 'Cave Spring Che Spirit Art' cultivated by Uncle Xuanxuan, but it's only Third Grade...and only allows one to cultivate up to Foundation Establishment."
"If it's Green Pond Sect's cultivation technique, then even if it's the same Immortal Foundation, it definitely won't be limited to Third Grade."
The two deliberated but found no resolution, eventually deciding to let it go. Li Yuanjiao then took out a green jade bottle from the storage bag and smiled:
"Take a look at this."
Li Yuanjiao had not come all this way just to escort their junior; there was more to it.
Back in the day, when Li Xuanxuan found a devil cultivator's storage bag in the marketplace, it contained a bottle of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, but no one had ever identified its origin. Now, there was an opportunity to inquire with Xiao Yuansi.
Xiao Yuansi, well-versed in such matters, examined it and consulted several scrolls before determining its background.
Seeing Li Qinghong's questioning look, Li Yuanjiao explained:
"This item is a kind of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, comparable to a precious medicine, called the 'Earth Fiend Cold Spring.' It can dispel fire poison and add evil qi... It can be paired with many techniques—a fine spiritual water, indeed."
"Comparable to precious medicine?"
Li Qinghong instantly gripped the bottle more tightly.
Precious medicine was far more than just a common Foundation Establishment spiritual object. Spiritual objects like the 'Wanling Flower' could only be called Foundation Establishment objects, not precious medicine—the divide between the two was immense.
Foundation Establishment spiritual objects only benefit Foundation Establishment cultivators, whereas rare precious medicines have miraculous properties coveted even by Zifu.
The two put away the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, and then took out Li Xizhi's letter to read carefully.
After a dozen breaths, Li Yuanjiao silently put the letter away, while Li Qinghong, standing with spear in hand, swept it through with her Spiritual Sense, reading every word. She bit her silver teeth lightly and said gravely:
"A hundred and twenty spirit stones? Are they mad? What sort of nature's spiritual energy commands such a price?! This is just blatant extortion of our family!"
Despite her words, seeing her brother remain silent, Li Qinghong wondered at his thoughts and tentatively said:
"Still, we should gather it for Zhi'er..."
Li Yuanjiao quietly pocketed the sealed letter, gnashing his teeth, a shadow passing over his brow as he spoke grimly:
"Gather it... Even if we must sell the family's spiritual objects, we will gather it for Zhi'er!"
He paused, then asked gravely:
"How many spirit stones do we still have left in the family?"
Li Yuanping stepped forward and replied:
"Just over eighty."
Finishing, Li Yuanping hastened to add:
"The deadline for paying tribute draws near, brother! We have already given Qingxiao a sum of spirit stones. Now we are at our limit and cannot spend any more!"