sbdcsierra Chapter 469 379: Each Gains Their Own Benefit (Part 2)
Chapter 469 379: Each Gains Their Own Benefit (Part 2)
He glanced at the sky, then rode the wind out of the cave mansion, activating the Mysterious Pattern Small Bottle, clouds and mist rising as he headed toward Xuan Yue Sect.
...
Li Family.
Li Yuanjiao had been away for some time, yet news of his breakthrough had already spread throughout the Six Mountains, bringing joy and excitement to the cultivators. Several guest elders finally felt relieved, feeling more at ease.
Li Tongya had not appeared for over a decade, and the outer clans and guest elders grew increasingly puzzled by the day, yet Li Tongya's reputation was simply too overwhelming—none dared to ask.
After all, Li Qiuyang and Chen Donghe had both been single-handedly raised by Li Tongya, An Zhiyan too had been firmly suppressed by him. Those tranquil eyes had once swept over each person; even after a decade, the memory lingered deep within every outer member and guest elder, unshakable.
With Li Yuanjiao's overnight breakthrough, everyone felt all the more secure. Several families sent congratulatory gifts, concealing their jealousy and resentment—at least outwardly, it was all smiles and felicitations.
In the worn Central Hall, Li Yuanping was carefully tallying up the income, marking a round on a small letter atop the desk. Beside him, Li Qinghong stood with spear in hand—having already taken the Talisman Pill, her aura showed she was at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.
Li Yuanping was flipping through the illustrated records in his hand, explaining with painstaking detail, while Li Qinghong stood to the side, listening attentively.
"With this year's new regulations in place, our family's surplus is seventeen or eighteen spirit stones less."
Among the Li Family's lands, Shanyue Wutu Prefecture produced the most—seventy Fetal Breathing cultivators busy at work, bringing in twenty spirit stones yearly. After paying seven to eight hundred catties of spirit rice as salary, there was still a surplus of fourteen spirit stones.
Next comes Huazhong Prefecture, yielding sixteen spirit stones; after accounting for six to seven hundred catties of spirit rice in salaries, about ten are left.
The rest—Lijing, Huaqian, Jade Court—are all barren lands, bringing in only seven or eight at best. Luckily, they require fewer staff, so after paying salaries, only a surplus of two or three spirit stones each remains, a total of just eight combined.
"Annual profit is only thirty-two spirit stones—one hundred and sixty in five years…"
Fortunately, with possession of each peak's token, the family could openly send people to stealthily gather qi at the fringes of Da Li Mountain, rotating shifts each month—adding another seven spirit stones each year.
"If gathering qi is included, that's a total of one hundred and ninety-five; just a dozen or so short of what's required for tribute."
Li Yuanping nodded. This gap, averaged out per year, meant only a deficit of three or four spirit stones; though most of the talismans that his father, Li Xuanxuan, made were being handed out as rewards, it would still be fairly easy to fill the gap.
"Still, with the new system in place, our hold over our own territory has doubled at the very least, and we have more than ten times more hands at our command—our grasp over the surrounding families and East Bank has grown much…"
Distributing benefits stabilized the cultivator corps and won over hearts—these were all within Li Yuanping's expectations. Now he only thought of how to squeeze out yet more profit; at this moment, someone had already ascended the steps.
"Seventh Uncle, Ximing is about to break through to the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation."
Li Xijun gave a slight bow as he reported. Li Yuanping simply nodded leisurely, saying nothing. Instead, he smiled at him and whispered:
"Jun'er still hasn't married?"
Li Xijun was now twenty-one. Breaking through Qi Cultivation early had left his features very youthful; he was still at the First Layer of Qi Refinement, but the talent gap after foundation-building breakthroughs had become more apparent—naturally, he'd been left behind by Li Ximing.
Li Xijun dutifully reported every bit of good news, hoping to thaw the rift between father and son, but hadn't expected Li Yuanping to be utterly unconcerned. Instead, the question turned back to him, and he could only answer:
"I've met the young ladies from the An Clan… but no feelings arose."
Li Yuanping sighed, not asking who felt nothing, only softly said:
"Do as you see fit… but leave behind an heir, at least."
Li Xijun gently shook his head:
"Elder Brother has many sons. The main line has already produced an heir. As for me, I'll let fate decide; with my primordial yang unbroken, employing some secret techniques has its advantages."
Li Yuanping chatted with him a few more words, watched him ride the wind back to Qingdu Mountain, either cultivating or practicing swordplay, and could not help but shake his head:
"This child is fine in all respects… Mingrui is cautious, diligent, and never slackened his Sword Dao for a day or night. It's just that his affections run too thin; pride fills his heart, and few can earn his regard…"
Next to him, Li Qinghong pressed her lips together:
"It's still my fault. When Jun'er was young, Brother Yun's family was in dire straits. This child has a sharp mind and has seen too many people who are haughty now and deferential later, two-faced—no wonder he's a little cold-hearted."
"When he grew a bit older, he became strikingly handsome with innate Spirit Apertures. His childhood experiences let him see through people's little schemes at a glance, so his arrogance is inevitable. As for how he is now… it's already not bad."
Li Yuanping looked at Li Qinghong, then stared directly into her apricot eyes. Suddenly, he let out two muffled laughs, voice hoarse:
"Truly aunt and nephew—Jun'er is just like you."
Li Qinghong was briefly stunned, but then saw that Li Yuanping's face had grown pale, showing an ugly smile as he rasped:
"Who never marries for life? Who sacrifices lifespan to seek the Dao? Outstanding beauty, innate Spirit Apertures, sharp mind, and prideful—aren't you precisely Li Qinghong?!"
...
Dongli Mountain, Eastern Fire Cave Heaven.
Eastern Fire Cave Heaven, as Dongli's Dao venue, was roughly the size of a prefecture. Immortal Mountains towered, but now the pavilions and immortal platforms were all shattered beyond recognition, with all sorts of spiritual fires flowing everywhere, dense black smoke swirling.
Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er followed Yuan Tuan down upon a small hill; Qing Sui Peak was weak, so the peak left to Yuan Tuan was low and small—at a glance, there didn't seem to be anything good.
Li Xizhi strode into the little courtyard on the hill, Yuan Tuan remaining on the deer's back, her voice gentle:
"Go search as you wish. Bring anything for Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment back to the peak. Zifu Level or above goes to the main peak. Pill scripts, cultivation techniques, and secret arts must be backed up with the sect; do not spread them recklessly or harbor selfish thoughts—there's a great formation watching."
To her, anything truly beneficial would naturally only be among those dozen mountains at the core of the cave heaven. Yuan Tuan, having no patron in the sect, would hardly ever get inside; she simply gave up so as not to get embroiled and make enemies.
In the courtyard, toppled bookshelves covered the ground. All manner of spiritual objects were scattered everywhere, spiritual mechanisms stirring—a sparkling, beautiful sight. Yuan Tuan scanned with her spiritual sense, beckoned, and a clutch of fractured crystals leapt up from the ground. She sighed regretfully:
"Such fine 'Crying Blood Stones'… what a shame… Chu Yi truly wasted heaven's treasures, forcibly pulling down this cave heaven and destroying at least thirty percent of its spiritual objects…"
Inside the courtyard, Li Xizhi took a few steps forward, rummaging through a collapsed medicine cabinet to find several piles of prescriptions. On close inspection, a few bold characters were clearly written atop:
"Threefold Boundary-Breaking Pill… annotated by Cui Nixiang."
Dongli Sect was fond of recording things with spiritual cloth, which wasn't easily damaged. He swept them all up with his spiritual sense and continued flipping, finding another prescription:
"Life-Extending Elixir, Second Solution, annotated by Cui Er."
There were two recipes for this spirit pill, one each for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment. Li Xizhi rejoiced inwardly:
"My precious Ming'er at home is a Pill Master—armed with this script, it will surely help the family!"
Beside him, Yang Xiao'er leaned over, holding a stack of small letters, exclaiming with sudden understanding:
"Elder Brother! This Dongli Sect Cui Clan indeed migrated from the north, with undeniable ties to the Ancient Wei—no wonder all their insignia are Fiery Sun and Separation Fire…"
Li Xizhi immediately recalled that the 'Golden Hall Bright Yuan Art' in his family was authored by Cui Mu of Ancient Wei, and his heart stirred. He thought to himself:
"Could our family's destiny be hidden in this cave heaven? If I could find the Zifu Chapter of Golden Hall Bright Yuan Art here, wouldn't that reopen the path for Ming—my younger brother?!"
His heart leapt for a moment, then he fell quietly worried again. The Three Sects and Seven Doors had long since carved up this cave heaven cleanly—how could there be any chance to fish in troubled waters? If he so much as flew away from this peak, a flock of his own sect's spells would likely blast him to death…
So he could not help but mutter aloud:
"I wonder if there are any Fifth or Sixth Grade cultivation techniques in this cave heaven? Getting even one would be a tremendous merit."
At his side, Yuan Tuan shook her head slightly, speaking softly:
"Don't even think about it. Aside from that 'Separation Fire Spear' Chu Yi, who else could even open the Dongli Collection?"
The two both agreed, and after finishing the search of the main courtyard at the mountaintop, they received their Master Yuan Tuan's command to go down the mountain to scavenge.
Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er both answered and left. Yuan Tuan frowned slightly:
'Yang Tianya claims Li Mutian really existed… could there actually have been a Foundation Establishment cultivator Li Mutian who joined Yang Tianya's army, only to die so obscurely!… yet the clan knows nothing… clearly the records mention only three Foundation Establishment cultivators…'
'Ning Hemian married Li Xuanfeng. What was Yuansu Perfected Person really thinking… Whose pawn is the Li Family, in the end?!'
Yuan Tuan felt the situation before her grow ever more baffling. In the mountain, Yang Xiao'er's voice rang out, calling elder brother over and over, her tone passionate and joyful, while Yuan Tuan's gaze dropped low.
She looked gently at Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er. Those who had once called her 'senior brother' had long ago left the sect, never to return. Yuan Tuan's eyes reddened slightly; she thought to herself:
"No matter how the pieces fall outside, for now, I'll do my best to keep the children on the peak safe."