Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1226 Decision
The fame of [Chuyi Tian] is widespread. Ye Hui's spiritual weapons, treasures, and even supernatural powers all come from [Chuyi Tian]. He only obtained one of the inheritances from it, which was enough for him to stand out among the heroes in the Purple Mansion.

'Supernatural powers inherited, spiritual artifacts, and spiritual objects.'

These three items were obtained by a genius, almost enough to cultivate a founding patriarch at the Purple Mansion level. However, although Ye Hui possessed considerable supernatural abilities and a considerable number of spiritual artifacts and treasures, his fundamental flaws remained. The key issue lay in the last spiritual item:

The spiritual item obtained from [Chuyi Heaven]... was merely the [Shaohui Duling] that helped me break through to the Purple Mansion realm...

His lineage was indeed profound and excellent, but it had long since disappeared. Although it seemed extremely prestigious, the various spiritual items he possessed were not as easy to find as those from common lineages today. Most of them were held by powerful forces or geniuses who also came from cave heavens, and exchanging them was by no means a simple matter.

Even though Ye Hui used his schemes to defect from the north to the south, he still had to bow down to various powers time and time again for a certain spiritual energy or spiritual object. More importantly, this kind of bowing down was also a luxury in a sense—in most cases, they simply didn't care about him or pay him any attention.

He could say he was used to this kind of life and wasn't afraid of the Li family's exorbitant demands; what he feared was that he didn't have what the Li family wanted at all!

Seeing that Li Jiangqian was interested in Chuyitian, he realized that his previous judgment was correct, so he straightened his expression and said:

"If you are interested in [Chuyi Heaven], we can discuss it."

Li Jiangqian glanced at the person in front of him, put down his cup, and said:

"I wonder what the origin of [Chuyi Tian] is?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the 'Four Secrets of the Southern Countryside' as well."

Ye Hui pondered for a moment and said:
"Going back from [Chuyi Heaven], we can trace it back to the [Xuanxian Township] of Douxuan [Qingmei Immortal Lord], which is the earliest lineage of [Southern Four Secrets]. This immortal lord was the pinnacle of Douxuan alchemy and artifacts, leaving behind countless treasures. Douxuan Mountain in [Chuyi Heaven] is the place where disciples select and place spiritual artifacts."

Li Jiangqian nodded and said:
"Whether it's the senior or Changxiao, the spiritual treasures and artifacts they possess are all of the highest quality, as has long been known throughout the world... However..."

His attention was still focused on something else, and he said softly:
"Is the Wuguan legacy truly real?"

Ye Hui took a sip of tea and said:

"good."

Li Jiangqian's expression changed slightly, and he asked:

"Is He also a figure from the Douxuan realm?"

Unexpectedly, the person in front of me hesitated.

"Hard to say."

A complex expression flickered in Ye Hui's eyes as he softly said:
"I have been to that grotto-heaven and thus gained some insights. Legend has it that back then, Wu Guan went to the East Sea and asked this immortal lord to forge a magic weapon. To express his gratitude, he left a ray of pure light for the immortal lord, intending to help him promote a disciple of the Douxuan sect. However, the immortal lord's subordinates were mediocre, so he used this object to build this Douxuan Triple Mountain, and from then on, he was favored by the legacy."

"As for whether he is or is not a person of Douxuan."

Ye Hui shook his head and said:

"I tend to think that He was a Taoist practitioner who attained enlightenment."

Li Jiangqian already understood the situation and was somewhat intrigued. He asked:

"How many people will enter? What are the conditions—can the Purple Mansion be entered?"

This last question is undoubtedly the most crucial. The Li family members possess talisman seeds that can connect with immortal artifacts to investigate the netherworld, giving them a significant advantage in such places. Their Foundation Establishment abilities are limited, so if their own True Person could enter, who knows how many benefits they would gain!

Ye Hui understood his meaning, his expression shifted slightly, and he said:

"Back then, [Chuyi Heaven] was a place for cultivators of the Douxuan realm to come and go. Entering this cave heaven... in essence, it didn't require much effort. As long as the time came, the Purple Mansion would search for them, and ancient immortals who cultivated the Douxuan path could enter."

"Cultivating one's inner peace and tranquility?"

"good."

Li Jiangqian frowned:
"How did you get in back then, senior?"

Ye Hui seemed to recall something, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, and said:

"There's a clever trick here. Ancient cultivators are all alive and well. Since that's the case, as long as we find someone with the destiny to cultivate the Purple Gold Path, we can cover it up and still get them in. We can even bring them in with us."

"I see."

Li Jiangqian quickly understood the methods used by those cultivators back then, and fell into deep thought. Ye Hui continued:
"Of course... as long as you have this token in my hand, and with my personal assistance, there's no need to find any destined individuals. Sending in three or four people at will wouldn't be a problem..."

His eyes flickered slightly as he said:
"Moreover, holding this token allows one to sense the Xuan Tao Grand Array when leaving the cave and secretly exit. I guess... Chang Xiao and the others back then must have also relied on this method to get out."

"As for the Purple Mansion... Everyone says that you can't enter that cave heaven. But in my opinion, strictly speaking, you can enter it."

Li Jiangqian's expression shifted, and he listened quietly. Ye Hui then said:
"【Chuyitian】was originally intended as a place for younger generations to cultivate. In the eyes of these ancient people, the Purple Mansion was merely a little bit mysterious. There was no reason why one could not enter the Purple Mansion. In fact, it is rumored that during the Wei Dynasty, there were Purple Mansion cultivators from the Douxuan lineage who entered it."

"Later, some contemporary Purple Mansion cultivators also tried to enter using this token. The Wuzhu Sect tried it, and earlier, the Pang family of the East Sea also tried it..."

He said quietly:
"But... no one has come out. Both of these Purple Mansions have perished. The Pang family even suffered a period of displacement and eventually ended up under the tutelage of the Pure One Sect, where they were only able to find protection through their old connections."

Li Jiangqian's expression turned serious, and he nodded thoughtfully. Ye Hui, on the other hand, gave a cold smile and said:
"It's not surprising, really. If Chuzhou and Yizhou were truly a safe treasure trove, why haven't any of the northern officials sent anyone here all these years? They probably didn't want what they could get, and what they wanted, they couldn't get."

His words trailed off abruptly, clearly indicating he had some suspicions. Li Jiangqian felt a slight sense of apprehension, pondered for a long time, and then asked:
"I wonder when it will open..."

Ye Hui shrugged and replied:
"That's hard to estimate. The changes are unpredictable; it can happen a few years earlier or later. When I attained supernatural powers, the Chu Yi was activated once. Now, if I calculate it, it will be at least another ten or twenty years..."

Li Jiangqian pondered for a moment, then nodded to himself:

'Although this is troublesome and dangerous, the timing isn't bad. Whether it's Suihuan or Jiangchun, this is a good time to try. By then, Father will at least be a Great True Person, and with the White Qilin possessing the Four Divine Powers, who would dare utter a sound if he stood before the entrance to that grotto-heaven?'

He narrowed his eyes slightly:
Even if the timing isn't right, we can still send in people like Ding Weizeng and Gongsun Baifan. After all, the returns far outweigh the investment. If these people can bring back one or two spiritual treasures, they'll have made a fortune.

So he put down the cup and said with a smile:

"In that case, I would like to trouble you to keep an eye on my family for me. If there is any news, please come to the lake and let me know."

Seeing that there was still no progress on the [Yin Run Yi Qi], Ye Hui's heart sank. Just as he was about to say more, he saw the prince touch his sleeve, and his expression changed instantly.

Something happened to Chen Yin!

Li Jiangqian gave Chen Yin a jade talisman, and now the talisman has been activated. However, the shock only lasted for a moment before his gaze suddenly changed, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Ye Hui, standing to the side, was no ordinary man either. He frowned and said:

"Is there something going on at the lake? Would you like me to come with you?"

Li Jiangqian shook his head solemnly, his hands behind his back twitching slightly, and suddenly said:

"Senior, are you skilled in divination?"

Ye Hui understood and looked up, saying:

"please say."

"This junior would like to know if there is any fighting in Yuyang."

Li Jiangqian made this judgment because his younger sister's jade talisman did not react!

This made him hesitate for a moment as he lifted his foot; his first reaction was actually suspicion:

'Could it be that Chen Yin is trying to trick me?'

The thought flashed through his mind for a moment, but Li Jiangqian quickly dismissed it based on his assessment of Chen Yin's stance, and another guess formed in his mind:
'Did Chen Yin sense something? Or... has something happened to the Chen family?'

When it comes to noticing something amiss, his younger sister is certainly no less capable than Chen Yin. How come this old man who repaired the mansion's water system knew about it, while Li Quewan, who is skilled in divination, did not?
That means Western Shu is making moves in the south.

He vaguely had an answer in his heart, and Ye Hui also had an epiphany, saying:

"It's not difficult."

He cultivated the art of "Capital Guard," observing mountains and guarding waters. While he might find it difficult to discern truth from falsehood, assessing whether a place had been attacked was truly within his grasp. He paused only slightly, then purple water began to flow in his hand, and he said crisply and decisively:
"Your Highness guessed correctly."

A hint of surprise flashed in the man's eyes, and he said in a low voice:
"The timing is good. The masters of Jianghuai have to deal with the north and cannot move around freely. Several masters have gone into seclusion one after another, and even the general has resigned from his post to cultivate in seclusion. Now that the Song Dynasty is recuperating, there are indeed not many people available."

"I reckon that right now, the only ones who can get there to support Fellow Daoist Chen Yin are Ning Wan and the two True Persons from the Purple Smoke Sect in the capital."

After all, the vacancies created by the deaths of Liu Bai and Xian Yao and the serious injury to the King of Wei are real, and the territory gained by Jianghuai is quite large, requiring just as many supernatural powers to be deployed!

More importantly, Li Jiangqian understood that Chen Yin was actually on his lake. Tinglan had ostensibly volunteered to replace Liu Bai in guarding Jinghai, but in reality, she was using this excuse to go to the South China Sea to help her family refine the array plate. The only one who could actually go was Ning Wan!

'Qingji Fang... often says he's reckless and arrogant, but at least he knows how to cut off the source of the problem... In this way, even if something happens to the Chen family, Chen Yin will have nowhere to complain and will also be accused of dereliction of duty.'

Li Jiangqian sneered inwardly and said aloud:
"Does the senior know how many supernatural beings have clashed in Yuyang?"

Ye Hui shook his head and sighed:
"Your Highness thinks too highly of me. This is a conflict between two nations, with their fates intertwined. I was able to foresee the war because, firstly, I have a duty to use my supernatural powers, and secondly, the matter has already spread and many people know about it... it just hasn't reached the Jianghuai region yet."

In that instant, the choices facing Li Jiangqian became blurred.

Will Chen Yin leave or not... and me... should I go back or not?

This is a troublesome matter. Logically speaking, Yuyang has the Purple Mansion Formation, so Western Shu would not spare the opportunity to attack Yuyang while conquering the north. However, the enemy's commander is Qing Jifang. If he goes crazy, he might do something like this!

Even if it's just a little harassment, it will most likely force Chen Yin to leave... and it will also divert the Song Dynasty's attention to the south... which isn't bad for Qingji.

'If that's the case, could there be an ambush on Wangyue Lake, waiting for Chen Yin to leave before launching an attack?'

Li Jiangqian pondered for a moment, and already had his answer:

'impossible.'

"Firstly, Xi Shu Teng won't make a move. Secondly, if Chen Yin is alerted, he'll come to Zhijing Mountain to find me immediately. His movements will surely alert my younger sister, who will also use the Cha You technique to observe the enemy's situation. If there's an ambush outside the lake, her warning jade talisman will definitely be lit by now."

'Since it's not lit, Wangyue Lake must be safe.'

His golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, and Ye Hui said quietly:

"Would you like me to go with you? Whether it's to suppress the rebellion on the lake or to aid the Chen family..."

Clearly, this person had already guessed Chen Yin's location, and logically, Li Jiangqian should indeed go and help the Chen family.

The young man in the crimson robe narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head, saying:
"There's no need to trouble you, senior."

He already had a rough estimate in mind:
'Given Chen Yin's ambition, he will definitely go back. Including Ning Wan, there are actually two other True Immortals: Qing Hu and Fu Chi, who have occupied the former territory of Changxiao Sect!'

The Grand Master of Western Shu is clearly in the north. If Western Shu wants the Chen family to pay a price, these four Grand Masters can protect the Chen family if we rush over now. However, if they are just sending people to harass and probe, the Chen family members will be fine with the protection of the Purple Mansion Formation, but the other party will be difficult to capture!
He knew that if he moved too slowly, he would be intercepted by us…

The Immortal Path was far from Yuyang. Without the ability to travel through the void, and without the ability to proactively control the situation, Li Jiangqian naturally refused to do something that would likely result in a fruitless raid and allow the enemy to seize control of the situation.
'I have less and less free time each day; how can I afford to waste it?'

The Western Shu forces have already reached Longdi. Several Grand Masters are fighting. Will they win or lose? How many days can they wait? Indeed, if the Western Shu wins, they will inevitably continue their northward offensive, and it may even become a stalemate. They may have a few months or even a year and a half to catch their breath. But what if the Western Shu suffers a major defeat?
"Since Wei Xuanyin has made his move, the chances of Western Shu winning are extremely slim. Situ Huo's disappearance is bad enough; there's no room for error."

Once the Northern Expedition of Western Shu ended hastily, where could the Qingji forces, who came with high hopes but returned disappointed, turn their attention?

"If Wei Xuan really goes all out, with the likes of Tuoba Qiye providing support, the worst-case scenario is that the three great masters of Western Shu will suffer repeated defeats against them. I also had a solid battle in Yuyang, which injured me and delayed things. That would put things in trouble on the lake."

His gaze was calm; he simply took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and said:
"Please keep this safe, senior. If anything changes, I will use this talisman to contact you. When you come to the lake, I will be sure to receive a reward that will satisfy you."

So he leaped up, stepped on the fire and flew into the void, heading east without any hesitation.

Ye Hui watched his retreating figure, a thoughtful expression on his face. His bright eyes lowered as he looked at the jade cup, a change in their color, and he sighed inwardly:
'Wei Xuanyin… what a pity. If he had been born during the era of Qingxuan's rise to power, he might have had a chance to achieve great things. But now… everyone is struggling to survive!'