Chapter 189: 逼退

Li Tongya cupped his hands and respectfully said, "Our Foundation Establishment cultivator received orders from the sect to go out and eliminate demons, and thus is not currently at home..."

Li Tongya had heard about the Southern Border demon king refining pills from the White Banyan Fox. Although Veleyar often resided on Mount Wu and was unaware of outside affairs, Li Tongya still took precautions. He only stated that his cultivator was out eliminating demons, without mentioning the Southern Border. Hearing this, Veleyar frowned. The Yue people were not accustomed to beating around the bush and directly asked, "What is your elder's cultivation level?!"

Just as Li Tongya was about to answer, a person descended beside him on the wind. Dressed in white, with a distinguished and unconstrained demeanor, it was none other than Fei Wangbai, the head of the Fei family.

"Fellow Daoists," Fei Wangbai said, cupping his fist. A bright white long spear was strapped to his back. Li Tongya naturally responded respectfully. Seeing that it was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Veleyar also returned the greeting properly. Fei Wangbai raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What... is someone daring to provoke even the clan of the Sword Immortal?" Clearly, he had seen the two from a distance and guessed that Veleyar was likely coming to cause trouble, so he came forward to save face. Hearing the words "Sword Immortal," Veleyar frowned, feeling a little uneasy.

"Not at all, Senior Veleyar merely wished to meet the Sword Immortal," Li Tongya replied gently. Hearing this, Veleyar inexplicably felt a sense of relief. Fei Wangbai, on the other hand, let out a hearty laugh and said playfully, "Within the sect's thirty-six peaks, and among the five commanderies of the Yue Kingdom outside, who wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of the Sword Immortal? Fellow Daoist certainly has great prestige; could it be that you saw the Li family had no one guarding them and intended to bully those under Sword Immortal Qingsui?"

Fei Wangbai's flattery sounded much more convincing than if Li Tongya had said it himself, immediately startling Veleyar. Although he had been confined to Mount Wu by Duanmu Kui for many years and had little experience with worldly affairs, he was still a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "Fellow Daoist, don't try to intimidate me. We mountain Yue people don't bother with such formalities. If we want something and can win, we seize it; if not, we run. Now, that so-called Sword Immortal is not here. Must you force me, a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, to yield? Isn't that going too far..." Though his words were still stiff, his tone had softened considerably. Veleyar began to backtrack in his mind, thinking, "These are just a few plots of land. If he wants them, let him have them. As a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator, I gain nothing from this desolate land. Previously, it was just a matter of feeling wronged and wanting to argue a point."

Just as Veleyar looked up, preparing to formulate some softer words, two streaks of light flew over from east to west. A middle-aged man covered in pouches and an old man in a gray robe landed beside Li Tongya. The middle-aged man cupped his hands, glanced at Veleyar, and smiled, "Brother Tongya, it seems I haven't arrived too late."

"Greetings, Seniors," Li Tongya said with a light chuckle, cupping his hands. This middle-aged man was indeed Xiao Yuansi. He then turned to look at the old man, noticing his face bore a strong resemblance to Xiao Yongling, and knowing he was also from the Xiao family, he respectfully asked, "And this is?"

"Xiao Chuchou of the Xiao family," the old man replied gently, smiling as he gazed at Veleyar. Veleyar's spiritual sense swept over them, and he saw that one was an early Foundation Establishment cultivator and the other a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. A sense of crisis immediately gripped him. These three combined could certainly keep him here. Feeling a surge of panic, he then heard Xiao Yuansi speak, "I wonder, Fellow Daoist..."

Veleyar's expression changed. He plastered a wide smile across his face and said cheerily, "I am Veleyar, formerly of Mount Wu. Now that I've settled here, I was thinking of being neighbors in the future, so I came to meet Brother Tongya and witness the might of the Sword Immortal..."

"Oh," Fei Wangbai chuckled softly, not exposing him. Li Tongya, for his part, cupped his hands and replied, "With our families living side by side from now on, Senior Veleyar is welcome to visit my Lijing Mountain anytime..."

"Of course... of course..." Veleyar quickly conceded, chuckling for a moment before hastily bidding farewell and fleeing. Fei Wangbai then greeted the two Xiao family members. Seeing that they seemed to have something to discuss, he tactfully excused himself, saying, "I still have important matters at home, so I won't trouble Brother Tongya further."

"Senior, take care. Tongya will visit you in a few days," Li Tongya replied. Although Li Tongya had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, he was already one of the strongest cultivators below that level in the lake region. Fei Wangbai, intending to foster good relations, addressed him as an equal, but Li Tongya still called him "Senior." The two maintained their respective forms of address, which amused Xiao Yuansi.

"Many thanks to both Seniors for coming to our aid..." Li Tongya thanked them and descended into the palace with them. Servants immediately brought tea. Xiao Chuchou, with his full head of white hair, took a sip of tea and softly said, "Given the current relationship between our two families, I will be frank: we didn't come entirely for your sake."

"Decades ago, I was traveling among various states with a person from the Buddhist Sect when I discovered a precious herb in the mountains within the Yue territory. It was guarded by a mid-Foundation Establishment demonic beast. At that time, I was only at early Foundation Establishment, and Mount Wu was still active, so I feared disturbing its inhabitants. Thus, I noted its location and left in disappointment. Now that Mount Wu no longer exists, I brought Yuansi along, intending to retrieve that herb."

"So that's how it is," Li Tongya mused.

Xiao Chuchou held a high seniority in the Xiao family. While he spoke, Xiao Yuansi listened respectfully and did not dare to interrupt. Li Tongya offered a word of agreement, and then Xiao Chuchou chuckled, "I had long heard of your extraordinary demeanor, and it is indeed true."

"Speaking of which, I should also thank your Li family. Had it not been for the Su Yuan Pill the Sword Immortal acquired for my family, my son might not have been able to achieve a breakthrough."

Li Tongya humbly acknowledged this, chatted briefly with Xiao Chuchou, and then, voicing a doubt in his heart, asked in a low voice, "May I ask, Senior, these people from the Buddhist faith..."

"Hmm." Xiao Chuchou slowly took a sip of tea and replied, "You are still young, and few in your family have traveled far. Our Yue Kingdom is in the south and is controlled by our Daoist sect. The Great Xu to the north is also similar. If you cross the northernmost Long River and reach the states of Yan and Zhao, that is the territory of the Buddhist faith."

"The world is vast; it's not solely the domain of our Golden Core Daoist sect. The Buddhist faith also has its cultivation methods, each with its own merits and drawbacks compared to our Daoist school... but..." Xiao Chuchou shook his head, a trace of fear flashing in his expression. He gritted his teeth and said, "When you encounter people of the Buddhist faith, it's best to simply give perfunctory answers and avoid spending too much time with them. Those with weak willpower can have their minds ensnared after just one encounter, falling into many illusions of 'is it I or is it not I?'"

"Between heaven and earth, there are minor paths like witchcraft and incantations, as well as grand paths like Purple Mansion Golden Core and blood-devouring cultivation. You can practice any of these paths according to your heart's choice. But if you enter the Buddhist faith, then you will no longer be free to choose."

Li Tongya felt a slight chill in his heart upon hearing this. Fortunately, the Buddhist faith was in the far north, so he didn't need to consider it for now. He respectfully said, "Thank you, Senior, for clarifying my doubts."

Xiao Chuchou nodded and chatted with him for a few moments. Seeing the time pass, he and Xiao Yuansi mounted the wind and departed, heading first to seek out the precious herb to prevent anyone from getting there before them. Li Tongya naturally rode the wind to see them off beyond the boundary.

Xiao Chuchou flew for a while, seemingly still lost in the events of his youth. Xiao Yuansi raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, and whispered, "Ancestor, about this precious herb..."

"The precious herb is secondary," Xiao Chuchou replied. He shook his head and answered, "The precious herb does exist, but it's merely a cover-up. I know of several ruins, most likely left by people from Mount Wu in the past, which have restrictions. Now that Mount Wu has fallen, we can explore them thoroughly. If we can find even a chapter or half a page of that book, my family will benefit immensely."

Xiao Yuansi nodded gently, his heart also filled with anticipation for the book bestowed by the immortal. He opened his mouth and murmured, " 'Answering the Beggar Boy's Questions Under the Mulberry Tree'... that's an immortal scripture, it must be at least seventh or eighth grade."

"Don't hold too much hope," Xiao Chuchou said softly. He whispered, "If traces of this book had been found on Mount Wu, those dozens of Purple Mansion cultivators would have already been fighting among themselves. Duanmu Kui's early deeds are too ancient; perhaps the immortal bestowing a book was just him trying to glorify himself."

As the two flew on the wind, Xiao Yuansi wondered, "So Duanmu Kui ultimately failed... Is Golden Core cultivation really that difficult? For hundreds of years, how many Purple Mansion cultivators have there been, yet not a single one succeeded..."

"Golden Core..." Xiao Chuchou chuckled and replied, "Forging a Golden Nature grants a lifespan of a thousand years. As long as they are not discovered by those who control Yin, Golden Core cultivators can persist in the human world even after death by virtue of their Golden Nature. With immortal-like abilities, how incredibly noble! Naturally, it's not something achieved simply by saying so."