Li Tongya returned to Lijing Mountain, where Li Xuanfeng was coming to et him, carrying a longbow on his back and frowning at a jade slip. Upon seeing Li Tongya, he hurriedly put away the jade slip and said respectfully,
"Uncle has returned... How is Qinghong?"
"She has already been placed with the Fei Clan."
Li Tongya sized him up for a mont, then smiled and said,
"Fifth Layer of Qi Training; you are just over thirty years old, and you have made quick progress, but you still need more refinent."
"Yes."
Li Xuanfeng nodded in agreent, then heard Li Tongya instruct,
"Yu Mujian was only starting his Qi Cultivation at your age. You have been blessed with the addition of a Talisman Seed and are surrounded by Talisman Qi, allowing you to reach such a cultivation level... Though you can't compare with the prodigy An Jingming, you are indeed among the top in the Lake region."
"An Jingming was truly exceptional, feared by friend and foe alike. Not to ntion the Yu Family, even the Ding Family feared him, hoping for his death. Previously, with him drawing attention, few noticed you, but now that An Jingming is dead, you need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of this."
Li Xuanfeng nodded again, replying,
"I understand, uncle."
After speaking, he let out a wry smile, then whispered to Li Tongya,
"Do you still rember that 'Spirit Eye Clear Pupil Technique'? It was brought back by Senior Xiao. It's a rare Pupil Technique, and despite studying it for several years, I have made little progress. According to the text, washing one's eyes with a certain spirit water would be greatly beneficial. This spirit water is called Qingyuan Spiritual Water, sothing unheard of. We must keep an eye out for it."
"Hmm."
Seeing Li Tongya's response, Li Xuanfeng looked up, a hint of hesitation in his voice as he said,
"Uncle... Are you preparing for Foundation Establishnt?"
"Indeed."
Li Tongya nodded, causing Li Xuanfeng to change color slightly, his expression full of worry. Noticing this, Li Tongya said quietly,
"I will be entering seclusion today to attempt the breakthrough. Keep an eye on the younger generation, and don't venture out recklessly. The Fei Clan is causing trouble for the Yu Family, and Yu Mugao will not be able to free his hands for a while. It's best to keep a low profile."
After a pause, Li Tongya continued,
"It will be two to three years at the shortest, five years at the longest. If I succeed in the breakthrough, I will erge; if ten years pass and I do not, it ans my body and Tao have perished. You will break in to retrieve my remains."
Li Xuanfeng could not bear to hear this; he hung his head low. After Li Tongya had given his instructions, he intended to head straight to his cave mansion, but a thought struck him, and he detoured to the graveyard on the mountain.
The various-sized steles stood tall; the earliest few bore pale green moss marks, while the newest ones were bright and shiny. Li Tongya walked among them and stopped in front of Li Xiangping's cenotaph.
He watched quietly for a while before slapping his brocade pouch and taking out a brown eyeball bead. He gently placed it in front of Li Xiangping's tomb. He opened his mouth but could not find the words to speak.
His gaze swept across the tombs, and as Li Tongya walked past each stone monunt, he noticed a small vacant spot. It was lower than Li Mutian's and was wedged between Li Changhu and Li Xiangping, standing out conspicuously.
Li Tongya looked down at the vacant space before him. Always ticulous, he asured his own height to ensure the spot was more than sufficient to accommodate him. Only then did he laugh heartily and rode the wind toward the cave mansion on ichi Mountain.
————
Wangyue Lake, within the An Family's territory.
There weren't any significant mountains on the southern shore of Wangyue Lake; Huazhong Mountain was gently sloped and covered with lush forests. The blood that the Yu Family had spilled on the mountain had been washed away by a heavy rain, and then ticulously cleaned up by An Zheyu's n, though blackish-red bloodstains still lingered in the crevices of the rocks.
Huazhong Mountain had originally been the mountain gate of the Ji Family, overrun by the Wan Family, then passed to the Lu Family, and later ended up in the hands of the An Family. Counting the ti, there had been four bloodbaths in the span of several decades, and countless heads had fallen, enriching the growth of the trees on Huazhong Mountain.
Scores of miles to the south of Huazhong Mountain stood a small orchard, enclosed with a bamboo fence, with a few kumquats hanging from the fruit trees, appearing like a farr's abode. Beside the orchard, a few small houses had been built into the hillside.
An Zhiyan lay on the bed, dazed and confused, not knowing what to do next. Fearing discovery by the Yu Family, he had hidden in the woods for several days, not daring to ride the wind or disguise himself, and had walked to this place.
The family was relatively hospitable; they had lost a son many years before, who had died at their own hostead, impaled by a tree branch through the neck. Consequently, they had a spare guestroom, which they offered to An Zhiyan.
"The Li Family..."
An Zhiyan was unaware of the current state of affairs on Huazhong Mountain, but he had learned from these people that An Zheyu had beco the Family Head, leaving him feeling empty inside as he mused to himself,
"That little bastard... he must have beco the Yu Family's lapdog..."
An Zhiyan still did not know the fate of An Jingming's corpse, but he already had a bad feeling. Wiping away his tears, he sighed softly and muttered,
"Even if I can't let it go... it's ti to leave and have a look at the Li Family."
At this thought, a ferocious look gradually ca over An Zhiyan's face as he thought to himself,
"But this couple... must not be left behind!"
An Zhiyan ford a hand seal, summoning a flicker of talisman fire to his hand, and slowly stood up. The house was primarily made of wood, so a single talisman fire could easily cover all traces.
"Knock, knock!"
The sound of knocking ca from the door. An Zhiyan, puzzled, arched an eyebrow and took a step forward. As he opened the door, the wife of the household stood timidly before him, holding a bowl of chicken soup, and said in a low voice,
"Here in this remote and desolate place, we see a visitor only once in many years. If the guest is not accustod to eating wild vegetables... my husband has slaughtered this duck and simred it for several hours, inviting the guest to have a taste."
An Zhiyan was inexpressibly shaken by her words. Accustod to delicacies, he had forced himself to eat with the family in recent days, barely touching his food, which the couple had noticed and worried about.
"Th-thank you,"
An Zhiyan dumbly accepted the soup. It was as if he had been slapped as he lowered his head and hesitantly took a sip. The woman had likely cooked duck soup only a handful of tis; the taste was bland with a faint hint of earthiness. The insipid taste of the soup travelled around on his tongue, then down into his stomach.
If soone had dared to serve him such soup a few years back, he would have had their hands cut off without hesitation. Yet now, An Zhiyan swallowed it down, cursing to himself,
"Damn, this is disgusting."
However, tears welled up in his eyes as he beca overwheld with emotion, and he sniffled, tears streaming down, while the corners of his mouth curled upward as he called out,
"Delicious! Truly delicious!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than An Zhiyan burst into loud sobs, his hefty body rolling on the ground. The woman beside him took a step back in fright, spilling so of the soup on herself. She looked at An Zhiyan on the ground, then carefully sipped the soup from her arm behind covered hands.
"I've truly made a grave mistake..."
As those ridiculous past actions rushed to his mind, An Zhiyan sat on the ground crying for a while, then spat out a mouthful of stale blood, which instantly made his complexion much better. Ignoring the screams of the frightened woman, An Zhiyan tossed her two pieces of gold and flew away to the north on the wind.
The woman was left standing bewildered in the courtyard, while her husband hurried in from outside. The two of them stared dumbfounded at the gold pieces, and after a mont of stupefaction, the man picked up a hoe and exclaid,
"What are you gawking at? Bury it imdiately!"
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