Chapter 127: Purple Mansion's Deduction

The "jiao," a type of flood dragon, is capable of leading fish in flight, diving into abysses, lurking in pools, and riding clouds and mist. It is also an excellent symbol. Li Xuanxuan stroked the beard on his chin, nodding with a smile. Holding the newborn, he looked it over, observing its wrinkled body and disheveled hair matted to its forehead, before carefully placing it back in the crib.

He now had three sons and two daughters. His legitimate son, Li Yuanxiu, was already three years old, and his other older children were already five. Muyalu was born into a family of hereditary shamans from the Shanyue tribe, and children born from her had a high probability of possessing spiritual apertures, which made this child even more highly valued.

"Today brings double happiness, which is a good thing. Have Xie Wen send some provisions down the mountain and tell everyone to celebrate together." Li Xuanxuan gave the orders and stayed by Muyalu's bedside for a while. Once the woman was asleep, someone from the mountain works came to call for him, the family head. He could only pull up the covers for her and, with his hands behind his back, headed up the mountain.

Though the family had numerous mundane affairs, he never slacked off. He often went to Li Tongya to learn talismancy and privately studied day and night. Having studied talismancy since he was seven, he had broken through to the fifth layer of Fetal Breath a few years ago and could finally draw talismans himself. With Li Tongya's insights into talismancy, he found it quite manageable and had been happily busy these days.

The festive celebrations down the mountain continued lively for several days. The Lu family left a few attendants and then withdrew their people. The construction work on the mountain also proceeded smoothly as scheduled. With many people coming and going on the mountain these days, Li Tongya was worried about the Magical Mirror in the backyard, so he moved from the Meichi Mountain cave dwelling to the backyard to cultivate.

Li Jingting sat behind a gauze curtain, pen in hand, head tilted in thought. Her long hair was coiled up, and from time to time, she wrote on a piece of cloth in her hand, murmuring:

"In July, a marriage alliance with the Lu clan was formed; the seventeenth son's second daughter of the Lu family married the eldest legitimate son of the Middle Branch. The eldest branch's daughter, Mu Lu, gave birth to a son, named Jiao."

As she wrote this, Li Jingting paused her pen slightly and made a small note beside it: "Some say: 'Mu Jiaoman of the Dongshanyue Mu Lu clan is related to Ganixi, the former leader of Shanyue.' This may be known, but I personally believe it to be a false rumor."

To compile this family history, Li Jingting had previously inquired with Ah Huila for information. Ah Huila had mentioned a rumor that Mu Jiaoman and Ganixi had some cousin-like relationship. She herself didn't believe it, musing: "Ganixi was a prominent figure, a hero of sorts, and Mu Jiaoman was too different from him. There seemed to be no kinship between them. However, Muyalu and Mu Jiaoman were siblings. Since this matter concerned the direct lineage's bloodline, even if it was a rumor, it had to be recorded."

Dipping her brush into the inkstone beside her, Li Jingting recalled that she hadn't yet met the child. She thought about going down the mountain to see him later. Then, she calculated the days and realized her marriage to Chen Donghe was also approaching.

While Li Jingting continued writing the family history behind the gauze curtain, Li Xuanfeng stood in the courtyard, which was still adorned with red silk. The air still carried the scent of firecrackers, which, mixed with the crisp morning breeze, was quite refreshing. At the head of the courtyard, Li Tongya held a jade slip, gazing silently at its faint patterns for more than ten breaths, then softly spoke: "Annals of Linghai Commandery: Two Centuries of Wonders?"

"Precisely." Li Xuanfeng nodded, cupped his hands in greeting. The long arrows at his waist rattled crisply in their quiver, and the man-sized black longbow on his back was particularly striking. He said in a deep voice: "Senior Xiao Yongling once said that this item must be delivered to you! Your humble nephew dared not look at it privately, so I brought it directly to you without opening it."

Li Tongya closed his eyes and read for a while. He gently placed the jade slip on the table and said gently: "Linghai Commandery is south of Lixia Commandery and is one of the five commanderies under the governance of the Azure Pond Sect. This 'Annals of Linghai Commandery: Two Centuries of Wonders' mainly introduces several prominent families of Linghai Commandery. Among them, the foremost is the Yu family of Linghai. The Yu family has a son named Yu Yuxie, a rare genius who practiced a cultivation method called the 'Jade True Qi Circulation Art,' and he perished in the Southern Border."

Li Tongya accurately extracted the key information from the complex and voluminous content of the jade slip. When he mentioned "perished in the Southern Border," he slightly frowned, as if some uncomfortable thought had occurred to him. He stopped speaking and handed the jade slip to Li Xuanfeng, motioning for him to read it too.

Li Xuanfeng quickly took it, closed his eyes, and pondered for a long while. He quickly read through the contents of the jade slip, also showed a thoughtful expression, and replied: "This 'Annals of Linghai Commandery: Two Centuries of Wonders' indeed records major events across the entire Yue Kingdom for nearly two hundred years. Your humble nephew has also noticed some anomalies."

"Several of these Seven Sects and these immortal clans all experienced changes at the Violet Palace realm. It is understandable that the Lingyu Sect was annihilated within days of their Violet Palace realm practitioner's death. However, the other families are quite strange. The Chen family, located within the Golden Feather Sect's territory, had their ancestor break through to the Violet Palace realm, immediately seizing eight towns to declare independence. Not only did the Golden Feather Sect not pursue the matter, they even sent congratulatory gifts! And then there's the Changxiao Sect; their sect master, True Person Changxiao, arrived from the sea, saying he wanted to establish a lineage, and immediately, a sect offered him several towns." He paused, then looked up with some surprise, murmuring: "It seems, it seems overly hasty!"

"Without reaching the Violet Palace realm, one is ultimately just a plaything for these high and mighty grand cultivators!" Li Tongya sighed lightly. Having experienced decades of changes and witnessed several transactions and conspiracies among Violet Palace realm cultivators, he already had some conjectures about the intentions of these grand cultivators. "Sects and territories, disciples and commoners, have always been mere bargaining chips in their hands. Violet Palace realm cultivators have long lifespans and are accustomed to the cruelties of the world. Only fellow Violet Palace realm cultivators are truly acknowledged by them."

"Furthermore," Li Tongya thought for a few breaths, then said in a deep voice, "apart from the battle that exterminated Li Jiangqun, the successor of the Immortal Manor, I have never heard of any Violet Palace realm cultivators perishing in battle. They usually only die when their lifespan ends. It is likely that ordinary Violet Palace realm cultivators cannot truly harm each other. This explains the scene with the Chen family's ancestor. After all, if the Golden Feather Sect had moved against the Chen family, and that Chen family Violet Palace realm cultivator fled into the world on the wind, would Golden Feather Sect disciples ever be able to leave their mountain again in the future?"

Li Xuanfeng listened carefully, nodding repeatedly. Then he heard Li Tongya murmur: "Since Xiao Chuting has become a Violet Palace realm cultivator, and Xiao Yongling handed these 'Annals of Linghai Commandery: Two Centuries of Wonders' to us, I'm afraid it's hinting at something..." After speaking, he put away the jade slip and shook his head, saying: "In any case, strengthening ourselves is the most important thing right now. The family still has too few Qi Refinement cultivators. If our territory expands significantly, we might not be able to control it."

Li Xuanfeng respectfully nodded and replied: "Currently, the highest-ranking Fetal Breath cultivator in our family is merely Brother Xuanxuan, at the fifth layer of Fetal Breath. Reaching Qi Refinement still requires many years of accumulation; it's not that easy."

Li Tongya's progress had been slow these days. His cultivation had advanced too quickly in previous years, and now, he dared not take pills to boost his cultivation. Thus, he remained at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, without any significant progress. Hearing this, he also shook his head and said gently: "This is something that cannot be rushed."

"Your humble nephew has another matter to report." Li Xuanfeng lowered his head and began: "We are in this remote borderland, often losing contact with the commandery, and many pieces of news reach us late. Why not acquire some properties in the commandery and send a few clan disciples to manage them? This would broaden their horizons and also prevent these individuals from idling within the clan and stirring up unnecessary trouble."

"Good point." Li Tongya nodded upon hearing this and smiled: "You've considered it thoroughly."

Li Xuanfeng scratched his head, chuckled, and explained: "This way, if the Xiao family has any unhurried news, they can entrust it to our disciples in the commandery to bring back home, preventing delays or making them run an extra trip. Secondly, with the collapse of the Moon Lake Market, the talismans and ores produced by our family still need a place for circulation. Talismans are one thing, but the Shanyue tribe does not refine metal or stone, preferring to use spiritual wood for crafting. These raw ores, however, are very cheap in Shanyue territory and can only be sold at Guanyun Peak. With clan disciples overseeing things, we can also be informed when the Guanyun Peak market opens."

Li Tongya also found this quite reasonable, so he called for someone to fetch Li Xuanxuan. Li Xuanfeng, thinking of his desire to often visit that young woman in the commandery, felt a slight pang of guilt. After exchanging a few more words, he bade farewell to Li Tongya and went to guard the mine.