novelraw Chapter 298 - 273 Five Years
Chapter 298 - 273 Five Years
Li Xuanfeng was then transferred to the Southern Border. Li Tongya’s wife, Liu Rouxuan, only hung on for a few months before she died on the mountain. Li Tongya stayed by her side until the end; Liu Rouxuan, with tears in her eyes, struggled to utter a sentence before she passed:
"My husband still has over two hundred years of lifespan left. I hope you will remarry. After my death, there is no need to favor the Liu Clan unduly, lest kindness leads to disaster."
Li Tongya sat quietly by her bed, saying a few gentle words. Liu Rouxuan was already devoid of life. Their son, Li Xuanling, cried bitterly in front of the bed. Li Yuanyun from the Eastern Shanyue and Li Qinghong from the Jade Court Mountain also rushed back to the mountain, silently shedding tears below the bed.
The face of Liu Rouxuan no longer held the pretty tenderness of the days when she asked Li Tongya in the courtyard, "Do you fancy me?" Before her death, her eyes were lifeless, her lips stiff, her face etched with deep wrinkles, only her thin hands tightly held onto Li Tongya’s, not letting go even in death.
The entire Li Clan of Lijing mourned, draped in white silk everywhere. The Liu Clan was even more panic-stricken. For decades, the Liu Clan had not produced any talents, and the courtyard was filled with pleasure-seeking wastrels, all fixated on indulgence.
Now, with the death of Liu Rouxuan, the whole Liu Clan was both shocked and fearful, with cries of "The matriarch is gone," "The ancestral matriarch is gone," echoing all around. When Liu Rouxuan’s last words spread down the mountain, the people panicked even more, to the point of voicing complaints.
Li Tongya then buried Liu Rouxuan and looked over the gathered Li descendants who had rushed back to the mountain. He unbuckled the Dharma Sword, Jiao Carved Pillar—with Dharma Light flowing around it—from his waist and said warmly:
"I will be going into seclusion for cultivation from now. It may be years or even decades before I exit seclusion. This Dharma Sword will just be gathering dust with me; it’s better to put it in your hands."
"Yuanyun!"
Li Yuanyun, upon hearing this, hastily lifted his head, stepped forward, and took the Dharma Sword with both hands. Li Tongya softly said:
"You have the highest talent in Sword Dao among all the young disciples. You take this Dharma Sword and use it first."
Li Yuanyun never expected that Li Tongya would give the sword to him instead of his own son, Li Xuanling, and was deeply moved. He was about to decline when Li Tongya simply waved his hand and pushed him back to his original place, continuing:
"You are now the eldest brother. Take good care of your younger siblings, and do not disappoint me."
He turned his head to look at Li Xuanxuan and after some contemplation, took a Storage Bag from his waist and tossed it into his hands, saying:
"The tributes that the Noble Families must pay, I have checked them, and they are far beyond what the Li Family can afford now. Next year, we must pay the tribute for the past five years. This bag contains some Magic Artifacts and Spiritual Objects I have collected over the years; you can take them to the market to sell, to fill this gap."
Li Xuanxuan respectfully acknowledged, and Li Tongya continued:
"This is ultimately not a solution. I once played a casual game of chess in the Guanyun Peak market. There is a small shop that wants to join the Li Family. Go there immediately, sort out the affairs, and carve out a way for our family to earn Spirit Stones."
"Over the years, you have refined many Talismans. Take them all to sell. Since you have no interest in cultivation, you should stay there and focus on drawing Talismans and cultivating from now on. Leave the family affairs to the younger generation."
Li Xuanxuan showed no dissatisfaction, merely nodding in agreement. Li Tongya then instructed Li Xuanling:
"Help your elder brother when you can, aside from your cultivation."
Watching everyone nodding in agreement, Li Tongya stood up straight and said warmly:
"Endeavor in your cultivation, and take good care of the clan members."
"Yes!"
The crowd at the lower seats answered in unison. Before the echo died away, Li Tongya’s figure had already vanished. Li Xuanling wiped his tears and exchanged a look with Li Xuanxuan. Without any hesitation, they immediately rode the wind towards Guanyun Peak.
The few people of Yuanyun’s generation gathered together, encouraging each other for a bit, and then descended the mountain. The lights on Lijing Mountain flickered brightly and dimly. The brilliant dawn rose from the horizon, sweeping over the various areas of the Li Clan’s territory. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the houses at the foot of the mountain. A new day arrived on schedule.
————
Eastern Shanyue.
The Eastern Shanyue had many mountains and few fields, not an ideal place to nurture people. Though there were plenty of small mountains and veins, Li Yuanyun circled the region for months, from west to east, examining one Earth Vein after another. Eventually, he found a decent small mountain.
"Wutu Mountain."
Li Yuanjiao rode the wind upward, gently circled a spot on the hand-held map, calculated the distance by foot, observed the earth vein and spirit mechanism, nodded slowly, and descended back to the foot of the mountain.
Standing at the foot of the mountain was a woman of noble bearing, her phoenix eyes gleaming with vitality. Clothed in soft, beautiful robes, she held the hand of a boy who appeared to be about five or six years old, cute and smart-looking, peering around curiously. As soon as Li Yuanjiao landed, the boy immediately began to bounce around and exclaimed:
"Dad! This mountain looks just like a bird!"
This boy was Li Yuanjiao’s legitimate son, named Li Xizhi, now just over four years old, obedient and cute, very much loved by both of his parents.
"Hahaha."
Li Yuanjiao laughed heartily, and beside him, Xiao Guiluan spoke in a gentle voice:
"How is it?"
"The earth vein and spirit mechanism are sufficiently abundant, on par with Lijing Mountain. Within the Eastern Shanyue region, it is indeed one of the best," Li Yuanjiao responded, and then added:
"According to the old records of surveying spiritual fields, the spiritual field on Wutu Mountain is fertile and intact, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better boundary within the region of Eastern Shanyue."
"Then let’s settle here..."
Xiao Guiluan’s brows revealed a faint worry as she spoke softly:
"The tributes to the noble families are too heavy; our family suffers losses year after year, and we can’t delay any longer."
Li Yuanjiao fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Indeed."
Five years had passed in the blink of an eye. During these years, the situation above the lake had been relatively calm. The Yu Family had loosened its tributes and control over the families on the East Bank and had withdrawn back to Secret Forest County without causing any further disturbance. The Li Family silently strengthened its hold on Huazhong Mountain and Jade Court Mountain, enjoying a period of peace.
In these five years, Li Qinghong and Li Yuanjiao had succeeded in their Qi cultivation breakthroughs one after another. The members of Yuan generation mostly had offspring as well. Li Yuanjiao’s several half-brothers’ progenies had all reached the age of seven. Their talents were not satisfying; even those with spirit apertures didn’t show much promise, which made Li Yuanjiao shake his head in disappointment.
Li Xuanxuan was often away in the market district and had not returned home, leaving Li Yuanjiao with no choice but to reluctantly take over the family affairs and temporarily act as the family head.
As Xiao Guiluan held Li Xizhi in her arms, Li Yuanjiao took to the skies once more. The two exchanged a look, and Xiao Guiluan replied:
"Actually, there’s something I need to inform my husband about. I’ve talked with the people from Yu Mountain; they want to create magic artifacts and should be able to use the ore from our Green Crow Mine. If the amount is sufficient, a premium of ten to twenty percent is not a problem."
Li Yuanjiao’s eyes lit up instantly, and he joyfully said:
"Good! If this deal goes through, we can replenish another portion and avoid tapping into the clan’s reserves to make up our share."
Since the Yu Family’s decline over the lake, a tripartite balance of power had emerged. The most significant trouble for the Li Family had become the tribute to Green Pond Sect. The tribute demanded by the noble families was more than ten times what it was during Qi cultivation and far exceeded the Li Family’s income at that time.
Luckily, Li Tongya, unlike Yu Yufeng and others of the Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivators, never demanded provisions. Otherwise, even if Li Yuanjiao sold the entire Li Family assets, he could not afford their upkeep. Nonetheless, Li Yuanjiao still worried about the family’s deficit every day. Now, hearing about Xiao Guiluan’s way to earn spirit stones, he couldn’t help but praise her repeatedly.
Watching Xiao Guiluan smile without saying a word, Li Yuanjiao suddenly paused, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and said:
"That Xiao Xian from the Xiao Family of Yu Mountain, it’s him, right?"
"Heh."
Xiao Guiluan, who had managed the family with Li Yuanjiao for five years, harmoniously playing the roles of husband and wife, now chuckled softly. Her phoenix eyes blinked lightly as she spoke warmly:
"The old drunkard cares not for the wine itself! That Xiao Xian runs to our Lijing Town every month simply to find an excuse to see Qingxiao. Now that his branch has sent him to discuss this matter, it’s surely made the young man ecstatic."