Chapter 158: Yuanqing Bestows the Talisman

Lu Jiangxian sat at the foot of the mountain, watching the moon-white stone imps bounce around in front of him. These imps, transformed by him, diligently worked inside the mirror. The faint blue halos above their heads cast wavering shadows on the ground. Most of the buildings within the mirror world had already been repaired, making the view much more pleasing.

Lu Jiangxian’s life inside the mirror was uneventful, even somewhat boring, consisting mainly of studying witchcraft and observing the Li family’s affairs outside. Life itself often oscillated between helplessness and boredom.

“Now that my witchcraft has made some progress, these past few years haven’t been in vain.”

He had not only developed some curse spells but also blessings and tracking techniques. However, these were of little use to a spirit confined within a mirror.

Lu Jiangxian, however, increasingly sensed the connection between the Mountain Yue witchcraft and the Spirit Mirror. As his understanding of witchcraft deepened, many Spirit Mirrors that previously required complex operations to control now responded more readily to his will. He could even perform many actions through the Spirit Mirror that were impossible before.

His divine consciousness flew out from the mirror’s body. The stone door rumbled open. Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanling led several children inside. A refreshing incense fragrance filled the air, but the children showed no reaction. Their five senses had all been sealed by spiritual power, and they held their elders’ hands, afraid to speak.

Li Yuanjiao’s vision was dark, he couldn't hear, and when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. He instinctively tightened his grip on his father Li Xuanxuan’s hand. He felt someone pat his shoulder and immediately knelt down as his father had instructed, feeling something soft and smooth, like a kneeling cushion, beneath his knees.

Li Tongya had been waiting in the stone chamber, silently staring at the Spirit Mirror on the stone platform. All four children knelt. He lowered his gaze to Li Qinghong and, without objection, respectfully declared:

“The Li Clan of Lijing, humbly presenting pure wine, humble provisions, and sacrificial offerings for the Cold Food Festival, has four sons. We respectfully request the Profound Bright Marvelous Law to guide their destiny, calm their spirits, and lead them in Taoist cultivation. Should they succeed, it is fortunate; should they not, it is acceptable. Their achievements shall be judged in due time, their faith unwavering. Upon completion, their bodies shall return to the Great Yin.”

Lu Jiangxian’s divine consciousness stirred, and an invisible, colorless, transparent ripple swept across the children. White, almost transparent, auroras appeared above each child’s head.

On the far left was the eldest brother, Li Yuanxiu. He possessed a spiritual aperture and decent talent; though not comparable to Li Xuanfeng of the previous generation, he was better than Li Xuanxuan. The white aura above his head was six inches long.

The white aura indicated the individual’s compatibility with the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed. A person with a one-foot white aura, even without a spiritual aperture, could cultivate as if they had one upon ingesting a talisman seed. If they already possessed a spiritual aperture, their cultivation speed would double. Li Yuanxiu’s white aura was about six inches long, meaning his cultivation speed would increase by 60% after ingesting a talisman seed.

In the middle were Li Yuanjiao and Li Yuanyun, one dressed in black and the other in white. Li Yuanjiao possessed a spiritual aperture, and his aptitude appeared even better than Li Yuanxiu’s; his white aura was seven inches, which was quite good.

Li Yuanyun, however, had no spiritual aperture, though his white aura was also seven inches. Lu Jiangxian sighed slightly and excluded him.

The last child, Li Qinghong, made Lu Jiangxian’s eyes light up. This child possessed a spiritual aperture, with talent comparable to Li Yuanxiu, but the white aura above her head was a full nine inches long! It shone brightly, like a faint pillar of light.

“Li Yuanxiu would have been a good choice, but judging by the future scenarios deduced by the Great Evolution Heavenly Profound Scroll for Liu Changdie decades from now, there's no trace of Li Yuanxiu in the Li family... Investments carry risks, one must be cautious...”

After pondering for a moment, Lu Jiangxian, like an old farmer sowing seeds in early spring, contemplated which seed would yield the greatest harvest the following year. The Spirit Mirror body floated up from the stone platform, emitting a faint white light.

“Although Li Tongya only wants one talisman seed to be bestowed upon the Yuan generation, fearing a shortage in a few years, he doesn't know I have three more hidden in the mirror. This matter isn't up to him. I want both Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong!”

The twelve ancient characters on the Spirit Mirror lit up one by one, making Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan's eyelids twitch slightly. They had a persistent feeling that a surge of boiling white moonlight would erupt from the mirror's surface. Lu Jiangxian concentrated his spiritual power and expelled two Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds.

“Hereby, Li clan disciples, renounce passions, cease transgression, and sever evil roots. Bestow upon them the Profound Bright Marvelous Law, enabling them to establish their spiritual path, ascend from the mundane to the sacred, from beginning to end. First, through precepts and rites, then truly ascend. Bestow upon them one volume of the ‘Lunar Breathing and Wheel Nurturing Scripture’ and one tracking technique.”

Two white orbs leaped from the mirror’s surface, which was like water. They were round and dazzling, shimmering with white light that bathed the courtyard in a pure glow. The children, with their five senses sealed, did not notice, but Li Tongya watched, slightly stunned.

The two Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds landed one after another on Li Yuanjiao’s and Li Qinghong’s Ascending Yang Palace (glabella). However, because neither had practiced the guiding method, they did not descend along the body’s meridians to the Qi Sea acupoint. Instead, they remained quietly hidden in the Ascending Yang Palace, waiting for the children to perform the guiding method before integrating into the Qi Sea acupoint.

Li Yuanjiao merely felt a coolness between his eyebrows, as if something had shone into him. Li Qinghong also furrowed her brow slightly. Both their foreheads faintly glowed, revealing a bright moon pattern that flickered a few times before disappearing.

Li Xuanxuan was also stunned, having not expected the Spirit Mirror to choose Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong instead of Li Yuanxiu. He turned his head to look at Li Tongya and whispered:

“This...!”

“Take the children out first.”

Li Tongya shook his head and instructed Li Xuanling to take the four children away. Only then did Li Xuanxuan hastily say:

“This... how can we deal with this...? As the eldest brother and possessing a spiritual aperture, the family is ultimately meant to be handed over to Li Yuanxiu! How can we possibly keep this from him?”

“No need to hide it... Yuanxiu is generous and gentle; he wouldn't do anything to envy his siblings.”

Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan exited the stone chamber together, but Li Tongya’s face still bore a look of concern. He said gravely:

“I'm not worried about Yuanxiu.”

“Yuanxiu is generous, but future generations may not all be like him. There are only one or two talisman seeds each generation... Those who receive a seed will inevitably become proud. In this world, people do not suffer from scarcity but from inequality. In the long run, if we cannot manage the household properly, it may lead to unrest.”

Li Xuanxuan also fell silent. The two stood on the mountaintop for a while as a biting north wind blew against their faces. Li Tongya murmured:

“From now on, any direct descendant of our main lineage who possesses a spiritual aperture or receives a talisman seed shall be informed about the Spirit Mirror... In the future, we will also administer the Profound Scenery Spirit Oath to prevent information leakage.”

“The more people who know, the greater the risk of exposure... Uncle also knows that the Profound Scenery Spirit Oath is not without loopholes.”

Li Xuanxuan respectfully added. Li Tongya shook his head and replied:

“We can only take one step at a time for now. At the very least, we must ensure the next generation doesn't inherit the hidden danger of division. Systems need to be improved generation by generation; there's no method that, once established, guarantees eternal peace.”

Lixia Commandery.

The Tangjin Gate forces had long since withdrawn. The blood and corpses in the commandery city had already been scavenged clean, leaving only scattered traces of human activity and white bones strewn everywhere.

The empty commandery city wailed in the wind, as if silently weeping. The bodies throughout the city had decomposed and been consumed by wild beasts. For over a year, there had been no travelers on the Lixia Road, and wild grass was gradually creeping over it.

The sky above Lixia Commandery was cloudless for thousands of miles. From the south, a figure flew like a meteor.

The person had five or six medicine pouches tied to their waist and a long sword on their back. Their face was weathered, and a faint saber scar marked their left cheek. Gazing at the empty city below, they sighed sorrowfully and muttered softly:

“Twenty years... Qingchi Sect finally agreed to let me return... It seems my clan uncle also evaded the sect's probing.”

“It is time for my Xiao family to rise up.”

Passing through the empty commandery city, Mount Guanyun appeared before him. He felt both joy and sorrow: joy at escaping the clutches of Qingchi Sect and returning to his familiar home, but sorrow that he still had to return his junior martial brother's belongings. He shook his head and murmured:

“Now, how am I to face Jing'er's family...?”

(End of Chapter)