Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1386 The Coffin is Lowered
After Li Xuanxuan passed away, his belongings were collected and taken into the mountains. Following the custom of cultivators, he took the three clothes he usually wore and put them into the coffin when announcing the death. The coffin was chosen by his beloved playboy. It didn't need to be anything special; according to his wishes, trees were felled on the back mountain of Meichi River, and willow planks were used.

There was an old man by the lake named Li Shuya, who was originally preparing medicine and taking care of Li Xuanxuan. Later, he got too old and fell ill on his sickbed, forcing the immortal to show himself. Only then did everyone remember that he was the elder brother of the dignified Su Yun Zhenren. He had been envied in his early years and had changed his name to stay in front of this ancestor.

Because of this real person, the old man lived a few more years before passing away on his sickbed. Before his death, he had asked the old man to accompany him in his burial. Li Xuanxuan arranged for his clothes to be returned to his hometown, and he was buried there long ago. So the land had been prepared long ago, waiting for today.

The old man was highly respected, and when the news reached the lakeside, almost all the Li family members hoped to come to the lake to pay their respects. People from all walks of life also came to visit. After all, he was a prominent immortal, and his door was always bustling with people, whether it was a happy occasion or a funeral.

When Li Suining arrived at the hall, countless people were already standing on both sides, and there was low weeping everywhere. Thick smoke filled the air. A young man stood in front of the hall, his expression solemn but his eyes filled with despair.

Li Suining recognized him; he was the only child of the uncle lineage still carrying on the family line on the lake. His name was Li Qinggong, and he had cultivated the extremely difficult Hengzhu. He had been in seclusion in the mountains for the past few years, and now that his cultivation had been successful and his elders had passed away, he was finally able to go out.

Li Suining had little memory of Li Qinggong—he wasn't mediocre, but he was far too young, and even when Mingyang attained enlightenment, he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage…

'A Foundation Establishment cultivator… if their character and virtue are good, there's not much use for them on the lake; if they are corrupt, there's no space for them to corrupt on the lake either. They are truly as silent as water.'

He turned his head and found Li Zhouming standing under the fluttering white paper coins, dumbfounded. His white clothes made him look rather ordinary. It was Li Suihuan and Li Jiangzong who were busy with the personnel changes around them.

He was momentarily dazed before he saw a man kneeling before the main hall, as strong as an ox, lying on the steps, crying his heart out.

Li Zhouda.

Behind him followed two women, also weeping and dressed in mourning clothes, each supporting her. Li Suining now recognized them:
'They are Uncle Zhou's two granddaughters, Li Yuyao and Li Yujia. Their uncle calls them by their childhood names, Ying'er and Qiu'er...'

Behind him, Xia Shouyu wiped away her tears and helped another old man kneeling on the ground. It should be Li Zhoufang. Li Suining didn't have time to look closely, as the man kneeling on the ground had already started crying.

"My lord! My lord... Zhou Da has not yet had the chance to repay your kindness... and now there is no chance!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, he pulled Ying'er, who was behind him, closer and wept, saying:
"Back then, I was in the middle stage of Qi Refining, hazy and ignorant, still drinking and fighting on the shore. It was the old man who guided me..."

Qiu'er, tears streaming down her face, grabbed his hand and tried to pull him back, but Li Zhouda pulled her away. The man, overcome with emotion, blushed and said in a hoarse voice:

"It was the old master who instructed me to go into the mountains to report and obtain my late father's belongings... Otherwise, I would probably have died in the cave long ago, and there would be no Li Zhouda today!"

Behind him, Ying'er listened with tears streaming down her face, nodding to comfort her father. Li Suining moved his lips slightly but remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. He saw a middle-aged man in white robes lower his head and stare at the ground.

Li Suining sighed—in his previous life, he had been by Li Xuanxuan's side, so naturally he hadn't attended the subsequent funeral arrangements. Now, he had hoped to make up for some of his regrets, but unexpectedly, he had overheard some glimpses of the past:

"That's true... Uncle Zhou Da has always been carefree and impulsive, especially back then. Regarding the inheritance dispute, if no one hadn't advised him, how could he have known to immediately come to the mountain to beg for offerings after breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining?"

He raised his head and waited a moment. A crowd surged forward, and a young man rushed forward, kneeling on one knee before Li Zhouming.
"grown ups!"

Wherever Li Zhouming went, he was always the most conspicuous one. But now, dressed in white, he looked lost and dejected, almost blending into the wailing in the background. He stood there blankly until this sound roused him, and he said as if in a dream:
"Ok?"

The subordinate said:

"Miss is back."

Li Zhouming raised his head, intending to call for someone to settle him down, but his gaze swept across the crowd and fell upon Li Queyi kneeling and weeping at the front. He paused, then murmured:

"Which lady?"

The subordinate paused, then whispered:

"The Peak Master of Muzu Peak, Miss Que Xi."

Li Zhouming turned his head and saw the woman he hadn't seen for many years standing in the distance amidst the sea of ​​people.

In fact, not only him, but very few members of the Li family had seen Li Quexi. Since the blessed land was sealed off, this woman had been in seclusion and had never gone out, like a complete stranger.

The girl from back then has now fully blossomed into a beautiful young woman, her features clear and elegant. She stands quietly in the distance, leaving those who look over speechless.

After a brief silence, Li Minggong stepped forward first and said politely:

"Que Xi has arrived..."

In fact, compared to Li Queyi, Li Quexi was more like a member of the Li family, and more like Li Minggong standing in the courtyard. However, compared to the dignified demeanor of a middle-aged woman, her temperament was more aloof. Faced with Li Minggong's politeness, she was momentarily flustered, bowed, and silently nodded before stepping forward.

Li Queyi got up to greet her, and she didn't say much, but made way for him, saying:
"younger sister…"

Besides her, no one else stepped forward, all watching her cautiously. Only Li Zhouda moved slightly. This man probably wanted to say something sarcastic, but he was stopped by the coffin lying in the courtyard. Such a violent man didn't say a word, his lips tightly pursed.

Li Quexi bowed silently before the coffin, and only then did those gazes slowly shift away from her. The cries, sometimes near, sometimes far, grew louder again, and the air was filled with the strong scent of incense. After an unknown amount of time, a calm voice was finally heard.

"Let's move the coffin."

"As commanded..."

The real person, dressed in white, stood silently to the side, seemingly not looking closely at anything, his gaze fixed solely on the coffin before him. Li Zhouming received the order and relayed it, causing a surge of people to move about.

"Raise the coffin and begin the funeral procession!"

The sounds of chanting, recitation, and music continued incessantly. A group of descendants on both sides surrounded the white-clad figures moving forward, and white flowers scattered down, sweeping in all directions in the cold wind.

This ritual was extremely complicated. Even this last step took until late at night. Various funeral items were burned in the fire, and the burial was to be carried out at the appropriate time. A group of people had to stand by and offer sacrifices and chant incantations.

Li Ximing personally handled everything, and standing in the dim night, after a brief respite, he waited for a while before seeing the woman approach. She bowed deeply and kowtowed, saying:
"Meet the real person!"

Li Ximing turned his head slightly.

To be honest, Li Ximing didn't like her. Even though Li Quexi hadn't done anything wrong in terms of etiquette over the years, the sense of estrangement from not returning to the lake for so many years was real.

He certainly understood Tinglan's implicit meaning and was willing to cooperate, even grateful for her arrangements. However, what truly disappointed him was that the woman before him seemed to have only a vague understanding of the unspoken agreement, and even some misunderstandings:

"She's been in seclusion for too long... and left the lake too early. There are some things Tinglan dared not teach us, and we shouldn't say them, nor should we blame her. But she's isolated from the world; it's one thing to not understand deeper meanings, but how can she not even distinguish right from wrong!"

However, when the woman knelt down in front of him, for some reason, the man felt a familiar sense of bewilderment and confusion. This chilling aura made him silent for a moment, and the words of rebuke stuck in his throat.

At that moment, amidst the weeping and murmured incantations filling the courtyard, the immortal slowly turned his head to look at the flame dancing in the darkness and closed his eyes.

Li Xuanxuan's old face reappeared before his eyes, and this Zhaojing Zhenren suddenly understood the old man's tolerance—his unusual tolerance towards the alchemist who had committed a heinous crime, towards that idle and dissolute junior, and towards the group of noisy and gossipy old people.

'Because they made mistakes in the past, and have come this far, we hope they can change, and have the opportunity to change.'

The immortal opened his eyes, his divine light shining brightly in the darkness. He didn't ask about the past, but said calmly:

"I beg for supernatural powers."

"Yes…"

Li Quexi raised her head somewhat uneasily, her profile appearing flickering in the firelight. Everything outside seemed to separate her from the two people talking, far removed from the hustle and bustle. She said:
"Master Tinglan has prepared a secret technique for me, and I have already mastered three stages. Now, I am taking this opportunity to return to the lake, also to... say goodbye..."

Li Ximing said quietly:
"How sure are you?"

Li Quexi lowered her brows:
"It was... the True Man... who prepared a dose of Female Water Spiritual Essence for me, carefully blended with Purple Qi. I estimate that if I were to consume this, I would achieve about 30-40% of the desired effect."

"good."

Of the two girls from the Li family who went to the Purple Qi Blessed Land, Li Quexi was chosen for a reason. Her talent was extraordinary, and her heart was set on the Dao. Li Ximing glanced at her and said softly:
"The 'Treasure Bottle' method, which involves the transformation of female water, is the way of connecting purple qi with the female essence. However, mere female water is rather weak."

He flipped his hand and took out a purple bottle, saying:
“Take this item back and consume it together to break through. Then tell True Person Tinglan… I will send this treasure you used to the blessed land to compensate her.”

But the woman kneeling on the ground did not reach out to take it; instead, she lowered her head and wept:

"I am young and ignorant. I was only six years old when I left home. I thought that to enter the sect and cultivate, I had to earn everything myself. If I relied on my family, it would be shameful and obsequious. I always thought that one day I would have achieved supernatural powers and no one would dare to look down on me. Then I could repay them. Moreover... no one would dare to say anything against me..."

The woman paused, then choked up and said:
“Before Master went into seclusion, I also asked about this matter. She and the True Person discussed it for a long time and said, ‘It’s not too late to repay the favor after you have achieved supernatural powers. If the mortal world disturbs your mind, then you don’t need to worry too much.’”

Upon hearing this, Li Ximing showed no surprise, but remained calm and composed.

"Later, my master passed away, and I was about to reach the Purple Mansion realm. A few days ago, I went into seclusion to meditate and cultivate. I had the idea of ​​breaking through, but my heart was too restless to sit still. The two True Immortals were either healing their injuries or breaking through, so I could not inquire about their progress..."

"It was a message from the old master that made Que Xi feel alarmed and ashamed... I... came here without permission!"

She bent over deeply and wept:

“I understand now… It was my turn to visit the family. Today, I am not here to ask for treasures, but simply to express my feelings and ask for a clear conscience!”

Upon hearing these words, Li Ximing's emotions became more complex. He placed the jade bottle in her arms, wiped away her tears, and spoke softly, almost as a murmur:

"Tinglan is doing this for your own good. If you can truly sever all ties and attachments, it would be better if you didn't come to the lake, so as to avoid getting involved in karma."

These words made Li Quexi suddenly raise her head. She stared in shock at the face of this person, but only received a cold and indifferent calm. It was as if the barrier between the two of them and the outside world had shattered in that instant, and she heard a cold voice.

"Take your things and go back to your blessed land."

Her face turned deathly pale. She slowly stood up, holding the purple jade bottle, and turned around in a daze, looking at the gazes that had gathered around her. Two lines of clear tears streamed down Li Quexi's face.

She turned her back, wiped away her tears, shook off Li Queyi's hand that hurriedly reached for her, rose with the wind, turned into a speck of gray light, and disappeared into the horizon.

A moment of peace descended upon the courtyard.

Li Minggong, who had been watching closely, couldn't possibly have been concealed by supernatural powers. He felt everything had changed too quickly, leaving him no chance to intervene or dissuade her. His face paled, and he hesitated, wanting to speak but ultimately daring not to pursue her. He could only kneel down and urgently say:

“Master! Xi’er grew up by the lake and only entered the continent at the age of six. Upon entering the continent, she went to the blessed land... It’s not that she is ignorant, it’s just that…”

"All right."

Li Ximing stared expressionlessly at the flames in the courtyard. With just two words, he silenced everyone in the courtyard. Li Jiangzong even turned around, pressed down on the uneasy Li Zhoufang, and lowered his head without saying a word.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at the flames before him. He watched as the flames danced and burned away the piled-up paper banners and strings of money, burning until they were a deep red before gradually dimming and turning into piled-up black ash.

Then all around became completely dark. Li Suining lowered his head. In this oppressive atmosphere, endless memories and illusions played out before his eyes, causing him great pain. All the clansmen standing around him silently lowered their heads. Even the True Man of Mingyang Divine Power deliberately suppressed the radiance on his body.

'My lord...may you rest in peace...'

The numerous cultivators guarding the outside entered in a grand procession. The leader of the procession, overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere, broke out in a cold sweat. He raised his hand, wiped his forehead, and whispered:
"grown ups…"

A gentle evening breeze stirred, raising a few slivers of charcoal-red light amidst the ashes. A few drifting, shimmering sparks vanished into the darkness. Li Zhouming, who had been silently watching from the side, finally stepped forward, followed by a sob that echoed through the night:

"Buried—adding earth—"