"Lijing Village, two hundred and twenty-nine households. Lichuan Pass, one hundred and one. Jingyang Village, two hundred and ninety-seven. Lidaokou, one hundred and fifty-eight. Seven hundred and eighty-five households in all — four thousand two hundred and eighty souls."
Li Yesheng stood in the courtyard of the Li family compound, reading aloud from the charcoal-inscribed bolt of cloth in his hands. Li Tongya and the other Li elders sat in a row inside the main hall.
"Four thousand two hundred and eighty people," Li Xiangping said quietly, leaning against the wooden table. "If we pick three able-bodied men from each household, surely one or two among them will bear spiritual apertures."
"The elders of the Ye clan came to call on Yesheng last night," Li Yesheng added with a bitter smile, glancing up at the men on the dais. "They wish to resume their ancestral surname."
"Ancestral surname?" Li Tongya looked up, puzzled.
Sensing the brothers' confusion, Li Mutian cleared his throat and explained, "In truth, the Ye clan was originally a branch lineage of our Li family. Long ago, they offended the main line, and the entire branch was expelled and forced to take the surname Ye."
"Now that our Li family has gained immortal fortune, of course the Ye clan comes crawling back, hoping to restore their original name," Li Mutian finished.
Li Yesheng nodded in understanding. He himself had only learned of this old story the night before, when the elder of the Ye clan had come to him weeping and wailing. Had the Li family not just received its immortal blessing, the old man's flattery would have convinced Li Yesheng that the man truly cherished his former main house.
"If any branch of the Ye clan produces a child with a spiritual aperture, that branch may resume the Li surname and be counted as a branch lineage of our family," Li Xiangping declared. He had listened to Li Mutian's explanation, and now he answered Li Yesheng so that the man could relay the decision to the Ye elder. Then, turning back to his father, he asked, "Father, about the headmen of these villages…"
"Chen Erniu is shrewd and capable, and he came as a refugee to Lichuan Pass. Send him there to manage things. Jingyang Village has the most people and the most wealth — it needs someone close to us. Let your Uncle Ren oversee it," Li Mutian said, lifting his cup of tea to sip. Then he continued, "Lidaokou lies hard against the Ancient Li Road, with many refugee settlers and the most complicated situation. Xu Wenshan is a sly one — send him with his pack of refugee brothers."
"Father has thought this through carefully." Li Xiangping nodded and returned his attention to the scroll on spirit-plant cultivation in his hands. "The most urgent matter is still to use the geomantic art from this scroll to survey the ley lines of the villages, so that we may locate the spirit fields and sow the spirit rice and White Origin Fruit as soon as possible."
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Li Chijing stood on the flying shuttle, watching the broad earth below him recede. Houses like ants, fine cities like toys — all of them faded into the distance. The ache of leaving home was cast from his mind in an instant, replaced by a soaring excitement.
"A true man should ride the wind and embrace the moon, sword in hand, roaming the world!"
After some two hours of flight, a towering range of mountains rose before Li Chijing's eyes. Pavilions and towers stretched endlessly among the peaks, presenting every sign of immortal grandeur.
Flocks of white cranes and other birds wove through the mountains. Si Yuanbai, who had been sitting in silent meditation until now, raised his hand and tossed out a token, waiting quietly.
"Martial Uncle Yuanbai has returned," a voice called out.
A white crane slowly alighted in front of Li Chijing, holding the token in its beak and speaking with curious intent. "And this boy?"
Li Chijing had never before seen a speaking immortal beast. So nervous he could barely speak, he stood mute. Si Yuanbai smiled and said, "A new disciple I've taken on at Azure Ear Peak."
"Congratulations, Martial Uncle." The crane offered its blessing. Then, with a gentle flap of its wings, a translucent curtain of light slowly opened a gap before the two of them.
Only then did Li Chijing notice that there was a nearly transparent great dome over the world, firmly sealing the gates of the Qingchi Sect and cutting off the spiritual energy within from that without.
Once he passed through the gates of the Qingchi Sect, Li Chijing's whole body was suddenly suffused with a sense of comfort.
"Such a high concentration of spiritual energy."
Seeing the astonishment on Li Chijing's face, Si Yuanbai said lightly with a smile, "This is the Qingchi Sect's Heaven-Origin One-Rune Spirit Array, marvelously ingenious. It seals the inside from the outside, so that the spiritual veins of Qingchi Mountain belong solely to the Qingchi Sect. By the power of the formation, so long as a Foundation Establishment cultivator holds the seat, even Purple Mansion cultivators would find it hard to break through."
"How wondrous." Li Chijing chimed in agreement, though in his heart he was thinking: *I wonder if I could learn this formation and set one up at the back of my family's mountain.*
Seeing Li Chijing's distracted look, Si Yuanbai took it for awe and continued, "The hundred arts of immortal cultivation — formations, elixirs, magical artifacts, talismans, beast-taming, ley-line surveying, and so on — are infinitely profound. It is best to choose one path to cultivate."
"Master, which of the hundred arts do you cultivate?" Li Chijing asked curiously.
"Azure Ear Peak has always been famed for its sword arts among the thirty-six peaks of Qingchi," Si Yuanbai replied, lifting his head with quiet pride.
"Oh, I see." Li Chijing nodded in sudden understanding, casting a glance at the precious sword at Si Yuanbai's waist.
"So… what I cultivate is the path of talismans."
Si Yuanbai looked at the dazed Li Chijing and continued, somewhat awkwardly, "Your martial grandfather died early, and I never managed to take up the sword immortal's art. But Azure Ear Peak needs to pay for itself in every way, so I had to learn some talisman craft first. And the more I studied it, the more skilled I became…"
"Oh, oh." Li Chijing nodded again and again, indicating that he understood perfectly.
"First, let me introduce you to your senior brothers and sisters." Si Yuanbai led Li Chijing winding among the peaks until they found the low, modest Azure Ear Peak. As they landed on its summit, a young man and a young woman walked toward them.
"You are the seventh disciple under my tutelage. This is your third senior brother, Xiao Yuansi — seventh layer of Qi Refining. And this is your fourth senior sister, Yuan Tuihuan — third layer of Qi Refining."
Li Chijing bowed respectfully to the two of them. Xiao Yuansi had thick brows and bright eyes, looking quite dashing and generous. He handed over a jade slip and said, "I happened to acquire this sword manual on my travels. I gift it to my junior brother as a token of our meeting."
Yuan Tuihuan offered a small smile and presented a jade pendant. "This pendant can calm the mind and steady the thoughts, a fine aid in entering meditative trance. I also give it to my junior brother."
Li Chijing naturally thanked them both, then asked curiously, "Are the other senior brothers and sisters in seclusion?"
Si Yuanbai gave a quiet laugh and answered, "Your eldest senior brother had peerless talent. Last year he achieved the great consummation of Qi Refining and went into seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment. He failed and perished, his dao extinguished."
The answer clearly took Li Chijing by surprise. He gave a low "Ah," his expression complicated as he looked at Si Yuanbai.
"As for your other senior brothers and sisters — some died at the hands of demonic beasts, some in battles over treasures, some to demonic invasion at bottlenecks. All are buried in the peak. You will come with me to pay your respects."
Seeing Li Chijing's stricken face, Si Yuanbai gave a cold laugh and said, "The path of immortal cultivation is the great path of contention! You must contend, and you must contend to win! Those who lose, die — what is there to pity?"
"You, Li Chijing, must contend. If you cannot win, your body perishes. Your Li family must contend. If they cannot win, the clan is annihilated. Azure Ear Peak must also contend. If we cannot win, our dao is severed. The world has always been the weak becoming the prey of the strong — what is the use in concealing it?"