Chapter 191: News of Settling Down

The continuous spring rain, deeply nourishing, caused thousands of acres of fertile fields to sprout lush green shoots. Farmers in straw cloaks straightened up from their fields, their faces filled with worry as they watched the army hurrying back.

“Our boy joined the army,” one muttered, “I wonder if he’s been injured...”

The farmer had received news of a great victory in the west a few days prior, with no reported casualties. He had also heard that several units were beheaded for debauchery and misconduct, but he wasn’t overly worried, thinking to himself:

“I've taught that boy for over a decade, he wouldn’t do something like that!”

Muddy earth was churned by cartwheels. Gleaming armor clanged in the rain, producing a metallic ringing. Crystalline raindrops struck the sharp long spears, splitting in two, then rolled down, eventually landing on Xu Gongming's eyebrows.

Xu Gongming gazed at the dark carriage ahead, carefully reflecting on his conduct throughout the journey. Only when he confirmed he had lived up to Old Master Xu’s teachings did he relax. He then saw someone approaching on horseback from the front, and through the light rain, he could vaguely make out a flag fluttering behind them.

“Riding a horse in the rain...” Xu Gongming mused. “It seems there’s an urgent message!”

Xu Gongming braced himself and quickly stepped forward. He observed that the rider had reached the third stage of Fetal Breathing cultivation. The rider reined in his horse before the carriage, dismounted gracefully, and with both hands, presented a bamboo tube, saying in a deep voice:

“A letter from Huaqianshan!”

Xu Gongming took the tube, stepped onto the carriage, and shook off the rainwater. He then saw Li Pingyi push aside the curtain and emerge, take the bamboo tube, and bend to go back inside.

“The first branch of the minor sect...”

Xu Gongming glanced enviously at Li Pingyi. The Li Yesheng branch had always been the main family’s most trusted confidants. They were highly respected among all other branches and prominent clans, and always regarded themselves as central to the main lineage. They did not associate with ordinary minor sects or other branches, holding themselves a notch above even the Li Qiuyang branch. Naturally, this made them a source of envy for him.

“It's regrettable,” he mused, “that if only a few elders had not been so useless when Duke Xuanxuan, who cared for my Xu family the most, was managing the household, we wouldn't be in this situation today...”

Xu Gongming jumped down from the carriage, looked at the rider, and smiled:

“May I know your name?”

“Tian Zhongqing,” the youth replied politely, lifting his damp eyebrows.

“Ah, a son of the Tian clan.”

Xu Gongming offered a slight smile, and promptly ended the conversation. He carefully remembered Old Master Xu’s instruction not to associate with prominent clans, and remained silent.

“Young Master, a letter from Huaqianshan.”

Li Pingyi removed the cloth cover from the wooden tube and approached Li Yuanxiu. Li Yuanxiu withdrew his gaze from a wooden slip he was reading and said in a low voice:

“Huaqianshan? What could they possibly want?”

He took the wooden slip, slapped off the wax seal, and Li Yuanxiu pulled out a piece of white cloth. He read it carefully; only one sentence was written on it:

“Secret: A letter from the An family’s informant states that An Zheyan, while drunk, let slip that An Jingming has broken through to the eighth stage of Qi Condensation.”

“The eighth stage of Qi Condensation?!”

Li Yuanxiu stared blankly, then raised his head in disbelief, murmuring:

“How is that possible! An Jingming... he's only twenty-three or twenty-four, isn't he? Could he really break through to Foundation Establishment by the age of thirty?! What incredible talent!”

Li Pingyi was speechless, unable to respond. Li Yuanxiu frowned, pondering for a moment, then said in a deep voice:

“Have the messenger come in.”

Li Pingyi nodded and left. A short while later, he led in a person. The person had removed his straw cloak; his close-fitting robes were slightly damp. He respectfully clasped his fists and replied:

“Tian Zhongqing greets the Young Master.”

“Tian Zhongqing...”

Li Yuanxiu found the name familiar but couldn’t quite place it at the moment, so he merely said softly:

“Which generation are you from?”

Tian Zhongqing, seeing Li Yuanxiu for the first time, showed no timidity. He looked up and smiled:

“Tian Yun, the wife of Duke Xiangping, is my father's aunt, and thus my grand-aunt.”

“Oh.”

Li Yuanxiu noted that the young man, seventeen or eighteen years old, had already reached the third stage of Fetal Breathing cultivation. He also observed his composed demeanor and dignified bearing. He therefore made a mental note of him, and nodded, saying:

“Take this letter to the military’s rear headquarters and hand it to my father.”

“Understood.”

Tian Zhongqing took the wooden slip, placed it into a cloth pouch. As there was no wax seal, he had to secure it with two layers of cloth. He briskly dismounted from the carriage, mounted his horse, and rode west along the military formation.

“That person is the eldest grandson of Old Master Tian, the leader of the Tian clan’s younger generation,” Li Pingyi interjected. Li Yuanxiu nodded, saying:

“Not bad at all.”

Gently rolling up the wooden slip in his hand, Li Yuanxiu mused to himself:

“No wonder the surrounding families are reluctant to allow many non-clan members to cultivate immortality within their ranks. How can one family compare to many families’ children? With more people, there will always be more geniuses. If non-clan members become the foremost grand cultivators in the family, it’s hard to say what the family name will truly be! Fortunately, our family possesses the Dharma Mirror Talisman Seed, which can enhance cultivation speed, ensuring that the talent of each generation is not too poor. Only then dare we use it with peace of mind...”

Reining in his thoughts, Li Yuanxiu gently picked up the wooden slip from the table and whispered:

“With An Jingming’s talent... yet An Zheyan is so careless and unrefined in his actions. How can he possibly live long?”

After a moment of careful thought, Li Yuanxiu felt a strong sense of unease. He put down the wooden slip in his hand and said in a deep voice:

“No, I must go find Father myself!”

With that, he donned his straw cloak, and quickly dismounted the carriage to find Li Xuanxuan.

Li Tongya slowly opened his eyes. After waiting for a few breaths, the carriage door was gently tapped. He exhaled a wisp of white vapor, and softly said:

“Come in and speak!”

Li Xuanxuan pushed the door open and entered. The rain outside the carriage was growing heavier, yet not a single drop had touched him. Li Xuanxuan, now approaching forty, had seen much of the white hair at his temples vanish after his breakthrough to Qi Condensation. He now looked to be in his early thirties, his expression grave. Behind him followed Li Yuanxiu, who was slightly damp with rain.

“Uncle,” Li Xuanxuan began, “An Jingming has already broken through to the eighth stage of Qi Condensation.”

Li Xuanxuan looked up at Li Tongya, his expression serious, and continued:

“This matter is of great importance; I came to report it as soon as I received the news.”

Li Tongya’s eyebrows shot up, a feeling of shock gripping his heart. He had anticipated An Jingming’s rapid cultivation speed, but never imagined it would reach such a point. He said in a deep voice:

“An Jingming isn’t even thirty yet, is he?!”

“Twenty-three or twenty-four.”

Li Tongya calculated the time. The last time he had seen An Jingming was seven or eight years prior. At that time, the youth was fifteen years old and at the third stage of Qi Condensation. Now, he had reached the eighth stage of Qi Condensation. Li Tongya murmured:

“At most, one stage a year...”

Li Tongya’s disbelief grew. Normally, a cultivator who can even reach Qi Condensation takes more than five years to break through a single stage. Three to five years is considered quick; if one’s talent isn’t exceptional, it can take seven or eight years... An Jingming had actually broken through five stages within seven years! Two of these were late-stage Qi Condensation, which required profound accumulation. He was on the verge of catching up to Li Tongya himself!

It was crucial to remember that if Li Tongya had not received the Heavy Sea Long Whale Talisman, his current cultivation would, at most, be the seventh stage of Qi Condensation. He would even be a stage lower than An Jingming.

Li Xuanxuan, seated below, had only recently broken through to Qi Condensation himself. Having cultivated for some time, he understood the difficulty of practice. Seeing Li Tongya silent, he felt a profound unease in his heart, and whispered:

“Huazhong Mountain’s earth veins are shallow and its spiritual veins are poor, even inferior to Huaqianshan, let alone Qingchifeng. I’ve heard that even sect disciples who consume rare treasures and bathe in spirit liquid only advance one stage every two or three years! How can one possibly achieve a stage per year?”

Li Xuanxuan paused at this point, then gritted his teeth and said:

“I’ve heard whispers in the market, rumors of immortal cultivators reincarnating to resume their cultivation, leading to incredibly swift progress. Could this person be... some reincarnated immortal or deity...”

“Impossible,” Li Tongya stated.

Li Tongya, though equally stunned, shook his head and said in a deep voice:

“If he were a mighty cultivator at or above the Golden Core stage, reincarnating and cultivating again, we would have been swept away long ago. How could the Yu family still be cavorting about here?”