Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1225 Yin Run
"In Western Shu, Qingji Fang led troops to attack Longdi. It is said that... a great immortal has appeared, and there is more than one."

"The Zhao Kingdom has dispatched Zhu Kui from the Northern Immortal Sect, and Wei Xuanyin... has also made a move!"

Amidst the rolling sandstorms across the vast desert, the young man in crimson robes stood atop a golden array base, gazing thoughtfully northwards.

"What a grand display! Even Wei Xuanyin has made a move. They're really planning a major conflict!"

A cold smile appeared on his face:

"Could it be that seeing Yang Ruiyi's successive victories in the east and the recapture of Jianghuai, he couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to achieve some merit himself?"

According to Li Jiangqian, Qingji Fang and Yang Ruiyi may appear to be of similar status, but in reality they are two different kinds of people, and even their circumstances are quite different:

'Yang Ruiyi may not be a hero, but he at least deserves the description of being tolerant and magnanimous, generous without being harsh… Qingji Fang is far inferior to him in this respect!'

The Song Dynasty is undoubtedly the legitimate successor. Even if the Taiyi True Lord has a high level of cultivation, he is still just a junior. His methods in this regard are significantly different from those of the Underworld. The current state of Western Shu looks more and more like a small country that is content with its corner of the world.

"It's a good thing in the end... The more intense the fighting in Longdi, the greater the damage to Xishu. When the war ends, everyone will be injured and less powerful when they come to the lake."

Li Jiangqian pondered for a moment and said:
"Is there any news from Qu Si Mountain?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Weizeng shook his head, and Li Jiangqian could only sigh and say:
"Keep a close eye on the situation."

He immediately ordered someone to go to Jin Yu to inquire about the situation in the north. Then, he rode the wind across the desert, crossed the lake, and headed north. Soon, the scenery changed, and a majestic mountain appeared.

It is indeed the Mountain of Hammer Knives!
Li Jiangqian descended into the mountains first, feigning to use his supernatural powers to sense things, and said:
"Is General Situ here? Changli has come to pay a visit!"

At his call, a young man quickly emerged from the mountain, bowed deeply, and said:
"Reporting to the Master! My master has gone into seclusion long ago..."

"Oh?"

Li Jiangqian casually swept his golden eyes around and said indifferently:

"Who are you? Is General Situ in seclusion?"

"My name is Situ Xu. In response to your question, my general has indeed been in seclusion for quite some time..."

Li Jiangqian feigned inquiry, but in reality, his spiritual sense had already connected with Cha You and poured down, allowing him to see the majestic mountain before him clearly.

The cave was completely empty; there was no Situ Huo at all!

'He's not here... he might not even be in Jiangnan!'

He flicked his sleeves and rode the wind away, while calmly calculating in his mind:
Whether it was a scheme or not, at this point, it's highly likely that Situ Huo will not return.

Since that was the case, Li Jiang's path to the Great Void naturally continued eastward, crossing the dense network of rivers beneath his feet, and the immortal mountain quickly magnified before his eyes:
'Du Xiandao!'

Indeed, the person he was looking for was none other than the Ye Hui Immortal—Bai Ziyu!

Although Bai Ziyu was not a particularly famous figure and did not do anything earth-shattering in the North-South conflict, this was because this master secretly planned to take advantage of the situation to switch sides, so he naturally did not exert his full strength...

Although Li Jiangqian understood that Ye Hui was only pursuing his own path, it was precisely because Ye Hui cared only about his path that there was no room for continued antagonism between the two families:
"Whether it's the lightning or the flames in his hands, or even those spells, none of them are ordinary. I've also heard that he possesses spiritual treasures. If we can get his full assistance, we're actually not much worse than Situ Huo."

The mountain gate of Duxiandao is not particularly conspicuous in the Jianghuai region. In fact, apart from the two mountains of Tangdao and Xiaoshi, there is no natural defense in Jianghuai. After years of war, the area is desolate and barren.

Li Jiangqian descended amidst the flames, only to find a figure already waiting there, clad in armor and shrouded in purple robes. The figure bowed slightly to Li Jiangqian and respectfully said:
"Greetings, Your Highness... The Master is already waiting inside."

Li Jiangqian scanned it with his spiritual sense and knew that what was in front of him was just a kind of divinely condensed guard. It was just that the "Captain" was good at this, so it looked very agile. So he smiled calmly:

"Did the real person know I was coming?"

The guard respectfully replied:

"When the lord saw that the troops from Western Shu were moving in Longdi, he knew that His Highness would come, so he specially ordered me to wait here."

Li Jiangqian secretly praised it in his heart. As he casually stepped into the mountain, he saw that the Taoist temple was small and sparsely populated. There were hardly any people on the whole mountain. Apart from some servants sweeping and cleaning, there were only one or two stewards.

"His Highness is here!"

A very young man with bright, lively eyes stepped out of the main hall, his face full of smiles. He approached as if they were very close and said softly:
“I have been busy gathering qi these days, and I was afraid that Fellow Daoist Zhaojing would not like me, so I have delayed going to the lake. Instead, Your Highness has to come to see me. I have been very negligent.”

"You're too kind!"

Li Jiangqian looked him up and down for a moment and then smiled:

"Why is there no one around...? Perhaps we're missing disciples..."

Ye Hui shook his head slightly and said quite naturally:
"I'm not afraid Your Highness will laugh at me... In the past, all this trouble with the Immortal Path was to find a way for the younger generation, but later it was nothing more than to gain power and plot against the world... Now that Gong Xiao has gone to the Song court and I have joined the Immortal Ceremonies Department, there is no need to go through all this trouble with the Immortal Path. Just find one or two people to serve me."

“Fellow Daoist Gong Xiao…I remember him.”

Li Jiangqian smiled, a glint of something unusual flashing in his eyes. Ye Hui, however, said nothing more, leading him to sit down in the hall, and quietly said:

"I now understand why Your Highness has come."

His eyes were fixed intently on Li Jiangqian.

'readily. '

For someone as calculating as Ye Hui, Li Jiangqian didn't need to say a word; the other party would understand what he needed most at that moment… Since this Ye Hui himself didn't say a word more, Li Jiangqian no longer concealed himself and smiled:

"In that case, fellow Daoist, please name your price."

His golden eyes shone brightly, yet appeared quite cold.

"I want the real person to go all out... not a fraction less!"

Ye Hui stood up, hands behind his back, deep in thought, a confident glint in his eyes, and said softly:
"Your Highness need not worry about that. As long as you can meet my conditions, I, Bai, will certainly not disappoint you... to put it bluntly..."

He smiled and said:
"If we were to get serious, in the current Song Kingdom, apart from the King of Wei, there is no one with the Three Divine Powers who would be worthy of my attention."

Li Jiangqian hadn't expected him to be so confident, and his opinion of him rose slightly. He said:
"If that's the case... then what does the real person need?"

"crunch..."

The doors of the main hall slammed shut, the array separating the inside from the outside activating. Li Jiangqian immediately became alert, while Ye Hui's smile gradually faded, and he said softly:

"I, Bai, am trying to refine a Xuan Dan, but I'm missing this one bit of spiritual energy. I've searched the whole world but haven't found it. After much thought, I've realized that this item is located in the 'Taiyin' region, so I'm afraid I can only seek it out from noble families."

"Oh?"

Li Jiangqian was wary, but outwardly he simply shook his head slowly.
"Why do you say such a thing, Senior Ye Hui?"

Bai Ziyu looked at him with a smile and said softly:
“Wangyue Lake is the former site of the Yuan Mansion, and the Fox Lord has countless connections with the Yuan Mansion. Whether the nobleman possessed it himself, obtained it from the Fox Lord, or even acquired it incidentally while searching for Taiyin spiritual objects for the Prince of Wei, I only want this wisp of spiritual energy... I ask for nothing else!”

Seeing Li Jiangqian shake his head, Ye Hui's brows furrowed slightly, and he said:
“Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to be so wary of me. From the time when Fellow Daoist Zhaojing took over the karma of Xuan Yue, to the endless wars between the North and South, I have always had this thought: the nobles are not my enemies, nor will they be.”

Li Jiangqian shook his head and chuckled:
"I don't know what kind of spiritual energy... has made you search so hard, senior."

Ye Hui personally filled his cup with tea and said:

"It can't possibly be the [Moonlight Essence] - I'm not that arrogant. This kind of intercalary Moon Qi is common in the world, but it's rare in recent times. There were traces of it a few years ago, but if you want to find something like this, it won't just fall from the sky."

He said quietly:
“It’s called… [Yin Run Yi Qi].”

"【Yin Run Yi Qi】?"

Li Jiangqian's gaze shifted slightly, and for a moment it shone with a strange light.

There's no other reason than that this energy is a crucial ingredient in the [Azure-Rank Leak-Free Pill] that Li Ximing obtained from the Pure Dao Sect!

The young man was already suspicious, and upon hearing this, a premonition that everything was connected surged into his heart, causing a slight tremor in his soul:

'That's right... those three pill formulas were retrieved by Chunyi Dao himself. Is it possible... that Ye Hui obtained information from Chunyi Dao?'

'No... It's almost impossible for the two sides to be on the same page. If the intention was to test each other, why give out three pill formulas... Besides... Ye Hui has no need to go to such lengths to test them...'

He remained calm at first, suppressing his doubts, and frowned as he said:
"【Yin Run Yi Qi】?"

Ye Hui was also observing his expression, so he nodded and replied:

"This item is both rare and common. I've heard it's released when the [Qingyin Mother Medicine] is distributed. In fact, the amount produced each time is not small... In ancient times, this item wasn't considered precious, and many lineages preserved it. It's just that nowadays, [Qingyin Mother Medicine] is scarce, so it's not commonly seen."

Li Jiangqian listened to how it came about, secretly memorized it, and, wary of any schemes, sipped his tea in silence.

Ye Hui said quietly:
"I think that the King of Wei's injuries must have healed earlier than those of ordinary cultivators. This is not just my guess, but a consensus in the world. The Li family, which has the support of the fox clan, may not be able to produce the Taiyin Moon Essence, but they must have plenty of Taiyin spiritual items."

In fact, both sides were intelligent people. Li Jiangqian also understood that his father would eventually emerge from seclusion, either because of a problem with his cultivation level or a problem with the timing. The fact that his family had no shortage of Taiyin spiritual objects could not be kept secret.
'It's just a matter of how far this "existence" has gone... Actually, with the "Chanxuan Cilin Chufa," even his own sister could easily make him a pot of it to drink as tea...'

He gave a bitter smile and shook his head, saying:
"Since you've put it this way, I'll be frank with you. The problem isn't there. First, I don't know if this thing even exists; I'd have to ask. Second... this isn't really about this precious spiritual energy, but about troubling others and doing them a favor..."

Li Jiangqian's expression was solemn, his eyes complex, causing Ye Hui to slightly frown. In fact, he didn't need to say anything more; just this little bit was enough for the master to seem to be deep in thought:
'It really is difficult to ask for help...'

Ye Hui was experienced; how could he not know what Li Jiangqian meant?
'The item isn't in the Li family's hands, and its value isn't important. The value of getting the Li family to open a deal with the fox clan likely already exceeds the [Yin Run Yi Qi] itself... Due to various reasons, he can't tell me this explicitly...'

Of course, Ye Hui didn't know the truth of the matter either, but in his view, the truth or falsehood was not important at all. The most direct way for him to obtain the [Yin Run Yi Qi] was through the Li family. Apart from this aristocratic family on the lake, which other family would dare to say that they definitely possessed a certain Taiyin spiritual energy? If Li Jiangqian insisted that such a thing existed, then what difference would there be between the fake and the real?

His expression showed neither displeasure nor doubt. Instead, he pondered for a long time before saying:
"In that case... when will Your Highness give me an answer?"

Li Jiangqian, however, did not intend to agree hastily. After a slight hesitation, she said softly:
"I must first report this matter to my elders before I can search for its whereabouts. This will take more than a year or two, and there's a storm brewing in the west..."

Li Jiangqian was certainly shrewd with his tongue, always trying to gain the upper hand first. Ye Hui, however, was not like Chen Yin; this man remained calm and composed, smiling as he said:

"There's no rush. I'll do my best to handle things in the west."

As for how much effort we should put in… that depends on our sincerity, right?

Both sides were cunning individuals, and they had guessed each other's intentions perfectly. Li Jiangqian smiled and said:

"Even if this doesn't work out, my family will do our best to compensate the real person!"

Ye Hui nodded listlessly, but Li Jiangqian stood up, looked at him with obvious interest, and said:

"But I also have something to ask you, senior."

"Ok?"

Ye Hui's biggest fear was that he couldn't control the other party. As soon as he said this, his eyes lit up. He saw Li Jiangqian flick his sleeve, and a token was lying in his hand!
This object has a deep blue color, a unique material, and is extremely beautiful. It has five mysterious runes on it, and a golden spot in the center shines brightly. It is obviously not an ordinary object.

Li Jiangqian smiled and glanced at him, then said softly:
"Back then, my senior entrusted this item, along with half of the [Yun Du Dao Entry Manual], to my father, but he still hasn't explained it to me!"

"As expected..."

Ye Hui finally smiled, and even felt a little emotional. This master had been waiting here for so long, originally waiting for Li Shi to come and ask him about this important matter. Unexpectedly, Li Zhouwei was seriously injured, which made the matter drag on and on!

'If it weren't for the pressure from Western Shu, Li Zhouwei might have recovered from his injuries and come personally to put pressure on me!'

In any case, Li Jiangqian was easier to deal with than Li Zhouwei, so he naturally agreed, smiling and shaking his head, saying:
“King Wei knows my intentions. This item is the key to the Chuyi Heaven! Back then, when the cultivators were fighting, I entered the Chuyi Heaven using this item… Whether it's the Wuguan legacy or the Douxuan treasure, it's all within it!”