Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1248 Qiu Yu
Baiye is the Immortal Path.

The mountains and forests were shrouded in darkness, and the moonlight in the Taoist temple was dim, making it appear extremely dim. The Taoist priest stood in the courtyard, gazing at the pitch-black mountains, without uttering a word.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound was finally heard.

"Bai Ziyu, this ginseng... you've been stuck for far too long."

These words flowed like water through the courtyard, and only then could one vaguely see another person in the mountains and forests, their figure like ripples on water, faintly clinging to the shade of the trees, yet with a faint white frost appearing on their face.

Upon hearing this, the young Taoist turned around and said:

"It's just a matter of time. Even if Changxiao is unwilling to give it to me, I still have other ways to get it. As for whether it's a few decades earlier or later, it doesn't really make much difference."

His eyes were indifferent:
“For people like us, each supernatural power only has one or two chances to fail. Although it is difficult to reach the Purple Realm, it is not the most difficult for me. There is only one [Crimson Head Mystic Soul]. Once I fail, even if I have the ability to reach the Purple Realm, I will not have the chance to touch the threshold of immortality again.”

"Even if he had given it to me back then, I would most likely still be a triple supernatural being. I would never try it unless I was 90% sure."

Upon hearing his words, the immortal figure beneath the tree slowly emerged, dressed in white robes with snow-like patterns embroidered on the sleeves. Her beauty was exquisite, like that of a celestial being, yet her brows held a resolute, icy air of nobility. Her lips parted slightly:
"Don't cross the Purple Cross lightly. I won't even discuss whether you can succeed on your first try, or whether you can find a second [Crimson Head Mystic Soul]. The capital is in such a desolate state now; you need to think this through carefully, otherwise... you might regret it later..."

The young-looking man turned his head and smiled:

"Zhang Ruoning, I think you're the one who regrets it."

The woman glanced at him, showing no anger, and said softly:
“My mother took the [Magpie God Cold Essence] to give birth to me. I was born to cultivate ‘Cold Qi’. If Guo Shentong hadn’t delayed me for so many years, I would have cultivated much faster. You say you regret it? Cold Qi is the assistant of the Three Yin, so it’s never too late for me to regret it.”

Ye Hui, showing little interest, wiped the smile from his face and simply said:
“You have the Jinyi Daotong behind you, so you have the right to choose.”

A shadow crossed the woman's stunning face as she whispered:
“You’re overthinking it. The world is so vast, and even a True Lord would make many moves in his spare time. Behind every successful plan, there are countless useless pieces. Tian Que is one, and so am I—otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to find you today.”

"Find me."

Ye Hui turned his head, looked at her quietly, and said:
"What brings you here, Fellow Daoist Tianwan?"

Tianwan whispered:

"You're helping the Li family, but what kind of spiritual object are you after?"

Upon hearing this, a smile quickly spread across the young man's face. He looked at the woman before him with a completely different gaze, seemingly surprised that she had guessed this. He sat down on the stone bench and laughed:
“Fellow Daoist Tianwan, why do you say that? Li and I are colleagues, and it is only right that I do my best to help. Why should we talk about compensation?”

Tian Wan, lacking interest, said indifferently:
"I know a little about you, Ye Hui. I won't say more. Just tell me, is it the Yin energy?"

Only now did a hint of pity appear in Ye Hui's eyes, and he said softly:

"So Jin Yi really doesn't care about you... he really uses you and then discards you... back when you came out of the cave to seek refuge with Guo Shentong, you probably hadn't read any profound Taoist scriptures at all... Zhang Ruoning! You, surnamed Zhang, have to ask a rogue cultivator like me about this kind of thing!"

A look of surprise gradually appeared in his eyes:
"You've managed to cultivate to this level... you're truly gifted!"

"If I really had some kind of background, I wouldn't still be unable to find Guo Shentong today."

Tian Wan remained calm, letting him speak until the young master stopped teasing and smiled:
"What do you want now? You don't think that with your current status, you can command a share of the Yin energy on the lake, do you?"

Tian Wan's expression remained unchanged as she said:

"What I plan is none of your concern. Besides, as long as the benefits are substantial enough, what can't I obtain? If I were to bring you a copy of [Heavenly Apricot Rain], do you think the Li family would exchange it or not?"

Ye Hui shrugged and said:

"What does it have to do with me?"

Tian Wan let out a breath and said:

“I have a vague feeling that during this seclusion, I will achieve ‘Hangdang Man’ and have the Five Laws in my body. The next thing to do is to run around for gold.”

Her tone was calm, but only now did a hint of seriousness appear in Ye Hui's eyes. He lowered his head, sipped his tea, and Tian Wan said softly:
“I have focused on cultivating the Tao all my life and rarely paid attention to worldly affairs. I have committed very few killings in the Purple Mansion. Guo Shentong cultivates the Fire and kills people at the drop of a hat. I had the opportunity to advise him, but others who interfered with my lineage, I killed without hesitation... I have come to this point without knowing the truth.”

“I have no lineage or bloodline to protect. If you are willing to help me on this final journey, I will also lend a hand with your last supernatural power. If I were to put aside my pride, I could still say a word or two to Tian Que and Tian Huo.”

Ye Hui seemed surprised by her rapid progress in cultivation, and also by her sudden decision to cultivate 'Cold Qi'. He murmured:

"For the sake of our past friendship, if I really get the item, I will let you know."

"Thank you, fellow Taoist."

The woman before him spoke softly, turned, and stepped into the void. She paused abruptly, then whispered:
“We people…only after dedicating ourselves to the greater good did we see what the greater good really looked like. Whether it’s Changxiao or me, we inevitably bumped into things and got hurt. Now that you have connections, you should cherish them.”

After she finished speaking, her words vanished like a gust of snow in the mountains. Ye Hui, having received the promise, showed no joy, but instead leaned lazily against the table, appearing somewhat lost in thought.

Time flies like an arrow... and it seems that the time for our group to seek the Way is almost here.

Ye Hui was younger, and the "Capital Guard" also had some methods to prolong life. He thought he could see the path to enlightenment of his peers and take advantage of it. But as that day slowly approached, he became uneasy.

He sat still in the mountains for a while, until the sun rose. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he took a step out, passing through the great formation. He raised his eyebrows and looked towards the south.

A golden-white hue was faintly rising on the southern horizon.

Ye Hui's eyes widened in surprise. He calculated with his fingers, pondering several times, before finally sensing that the vast emptiness was crimson, and an apricot-red light stopped before the great formation. He said:

"Senior Ye Hui! What a coincidence, Chang Li has come to pay a visit!"

These words immediately made the young-looking man stand up, his emotions changing drastically.

Li Jiangqian!
What else could His Highness be here for? Wangyue Lake still owes him a wisp of spiritual energy; he should be avoiding him like the plague and wouldn't come looking for him at all!

His mind was quick; he understood that as long as the other party was willing to come, his matter was almost certainly settled. So, using his supernatural powers, he rose to his feet, his face beaming with joy, and said:

"Your Highness!"

Sure enough, a young man descended from the void. His golden eyes shone brightly, and his arrogant and domineering aura was evident in his brows, which made him appear even more mature. In comparison, Ye Hui, who always maintained the appearance of a boy, looked much younger!
Li Jiangqian nodded slightly, his gaze also falling on the south, looking at the scenery that filled the sky and earth, his brows furrowed.

The Purple Mansion is highly sensitive to the imagery of heaven and earth, and often represents major changes in the political landscape. How could he not pay attention? Ye Hui, suppressing his inner joy, frowned and said:
"The sky and earth changed color, golden energy soared into the sky, and autumn rain fell everywhere, affecting a very wide area. According to my calculations, although it did not cover tens of thousands of miles like the Yuan Cultivator Zhenren did back then, it still covered several thousand miles. The rain was drizzling and unstoppable."

Such a magnificent phenomenon could not possibly be due to someone breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm, Li Jiangqian wondered.

"I wonder which sect's master this is... It seems there aren't any particularly famous Jinde Grand Masters in the South China Sea..."

"Indeed, there are no great cultivators."

Ye Hui's expression was solemn, and there was something strange in his eyes. He said:

“I know some cultivators from the South China Sea. There are some Golden Virtue cultivators, but to have such a grand aura, one would probably need to be a Grand True Person. But I have never heard of anyone who has broken through to the Purple Realm, so how could they have perished so hastily?”

Li Jiangqian remained silent for a moment, his eyes filled with even deeper thought.

He had also done some calculations himself. Although his calculation skills were far inferior to Li Quewan's, they were better than Ye Hui's. After all, the talisman Qi [Greedy Gu Xuan Li] had the effect of capturing shadows and had some sensitivity. After reading the description of the weather, it was found to be somewhat similar to the [Heavenly Mustache Golden Scripture] recorded in the clan's records!

This was quite unusual. Although the [Heavenly Mustache Golden Scripture] had already spread during the extermination of the Tangjin family, the first person that came to his mind whenever this method was mentioned was:

Situ Huo!
He had noticed this person's unusual behavior long ago. Given Li Jiangqian's caution, he had made a special trip to Tangdao Mountain before coming here, and had already discovered that Situ Huo was still not in the mountain.

'This cultivation technique used to be Jin Yu's exclusive method, and only a handful of people had access to it. Either this old man traded it outside and gave it to some rogue cultivator, or it's quite possible that he was the one who caused the commotion... It couldn't possibly be Chang Yun!'

The young man pondered with some skepticism:

'He's been missing for years. Ever since he traded things with my family, he's vanished without a trace. He didn't even appear in the great battle in Western Shu, and he hasn't returned since. What's even stranger is that there haven't been any orders from the palace, or even a mention of him.'

This could actually be explained by a breakthrough through seclusion, but whether this person was actually in the mountains could not be hidden from the Li family, much less from the underworld!

'Logically speaking, even if the Yang family feared such a powerful figure, they would never allow him to perish so easily, and they offered no guidance on martial arts training, as if they had completely ignored him…'

He keenly realized that the situation was far from simple:

'If it's Situ Huo… then that's very likely the real reason the Yang family took in such a notorious rogue cultivator!'

He suppressed his doubts, and Ye Hui, who was standing beside him, also seemed to be deep in thought. He gestured for Li Jiangqian to proceed. Li Jiangqian, his face full of eagerness, landed without saying a word, first bowing deeply, and then smiled:

"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist, in protecting my elders!"

Ye Hui dodged to the side and said:

"Your Highness is welcome."

Li Jiangqian looked him up and down, quite surprised, and sighed:
“I saw that the senior was seriously injured that day, but I never expected that in just a few years, he would be completely healed without any abnormality.”

Ye Hui shook his head and said:

"I still have some injuries... I broke the spell, which is far beyond what I could have recovered from in the last few years, but it didn't damage my physical body, and I don't look too different."

Li Jiangqian took his seat, appearing quite composed. He shook his head and said:
“I understand what you need, senior, and you are also aware of my great-uncle's reputation. I went to request this item as soon as I returned, and now I have finally obtained it… but…”

"I see!"

Both sides were intelligent men, and Ye Hui, of course, knew what he wanted. He raised his head, pointed to the brightly shining stars in the sky, and said solemnly:
"I swear on the opportunity of my enlightenment that if the [Chuyi Heaven] opens, I will do my utmost to assist the nobles, protect their children, and strive for the greatest benefit!"

Most seekers of the Dao are wary of such prophecies, especially since Ye Hui swore an oath to the brightly shining Xiuwu Star in the sky. Although this star will not bring any calamities to the Zifu, once an oath is made, it is not impossible for Ye Hui to hinder the fragile balance of seeking the Dao!
'Unless, by then the Song Dynasty had already fallen…'

Li Jiangqian was much relieved. He reached into his sleeve, took out the white jade porcelain bottle, slowly revealed it, and smiled:

"I only have one question for you, senior."

Ye Hui's heart leaped into his throat, and he laughed:
"please say."

Li Jiangqian smiled and said:
"I only ask one question, and I want to hear the truth—who went to great lengths to invite you here, fellow Daoist?"

Ye Hui pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:

"He is a great figure who has passed through the Purple Realm! His name and lineage cannot be mentioned. He can chat and laugh with the direct descendants of Luo Xia. Although his lineage has declined, in terms of bloodline, I have never seen anyone who can compare to him!"

He was very cunning, emphasizing bloodline to keep the other party guessing his identity. The young man in front of him smiled and said softly:

Has my father seen him?

Ye Hui was slightly startled, shook his head and sighed:

How would I know that?

He refused to say anything more, but Li Jiangqian seemed to have a sudden realization and thoughtfully handed it over.

'That means it's possible to meet...someone whose stance is at least very close to Luoxia Mountain, unable to directly contact my family, and can only communicate through Ye Hui as an intermediary.'

Ye Hui accepted it with both hands. Even someone as composed as him couldn't help but tremble slightly at this moment. He scanned it with his spiritual sense and indeed saw a clear and moist white color, as ethereal as the mist in the mountains.

'Born from the Yin, with a leap month and a gentle breeze, its aura is like the chilling Yin, drifting like snowflakes under the bright moon—truly the [Yin-Leaping Yi Qi]! Good! Got it! Now I can go ask Zhi Xuan for that [Crimson-Headed Mysterious Soul]…'

Even though he seemed indifferent when facing Tian Wan, his decades of efforts had come to nothing time and time again. He had been trying to find a way out of the situation where he had to offend the Li family, and he had finally come to this point. Now he truly had the opportunity to seek the Dao, and his heart was filled with complex emotions.

'Thank goodness! Thank goodness for Zhaojing... otherwise... there would be no possibility of easing the situation!'

He stood up, his expression extremely complex, a mixture of truth and falsehood, and sighed:
"This kindness... Ye Hui will remember it. If I can attain the Great Dao, I will surely repay it!"

Li Jiangqian also stood up and smiled:

"Then congratulations, senior! When the [Chuyi Heaven] opens, with our two great masters standing in the void, everything will surely be perfect!"

The boy laughed heartily:
"I accept your good words!"