Chapter 202: Li Yuanping

Lu Jiangxian withdrew his gaze from the myriad forms of life at the foot of the mountain. His consciousness settled back into the tome, landing beside the white jade-like stone table. A gentle breeze rustled his robes as he slowly sat down, letting out a soft sigh, a hint of sorrow clouding his expression.

"Four pairs of fathers and sons, three families plotting harm, generations entangled... This is the way of the world: mutual fear forcing people to hurt each other, culminating in a blood feud, leaving every family in mourning."

"Immortals fighting to the death, major sects committing massacres, human elixirs, blood sacrifices, consumption... aristocratic families preying on each other, and the common people simply offering their necks to the slaughter."

Lu Jiangxian's heart was filled with doubts as he quietly murmured:

"What was the true outcome of the ancient Immortal-Demon conflict... that it left the world in such a state?"

Lu Jiangxian pulled his thoughts back, shifting his attention to a more pressing concern.

"My seven emotions and six desires are growing increasingly faint..."

Having lost his physical body, Lu Jiangxian found the first decade or so manageable. An inertial force still propelled him, allowing for emotional fluctuations. Moreover, those decades were spent in a semi-conscious state, so these issues hadn't become severe yet.

In recent decades, Lu Jiangxian had been awake more and asleep less, dedicating himself to the study of witchcraft. As a result, fewer and fewer things could stir his emotions, and he grew increasingly dispassionate. It was precisely this emotional anomaly that allowed him to remain in the tome for decades, day after day, coldly observing the changes that befell the various families.

Truth be told, Lu Jiangxian could have intervened to save Li Yuanxiu, but he refrained due to numerous considerations.

"The tome has an extraordinary origin, and there's a past life of unknown cultivation. Yet, it has fallen to its current state, so the enemy's power must be even more terrifying. Since talismanic energy allows for deduction, the enemy's abilities are surely not inferior. I cannot allow even the slightest exposure..."

A faint, soft silver light glowed and swirled in Lu Jiangxian's hand. This was a portion of the power of deduction he had obtained from Liu Changdie years ago. Lu Jiangxian had spent three years using it to deduce the risk of his own exposure, and he finally obtained some information.

"The essence of Taiyin Profound Light is extremely pure moonlight, originating from the Taiyin. If I use Taiyin Profound Light to kill an enemy, there's almost no risk of being traced. However, using witchcraft against an enemy is far more dangerous; the greater its power, the more likely it is to attract unwanted scrutiny."

"If I were to personally appear outside the tome, the heavens and earth would change color, thunder would roar, and it would alert all the immortals across the ten directions..."

Lu Jiangxian pondered, concluding that the safest method was to quietly remain within the tome, waiting for the Li family to rise and fall through generations, and for the power accumulated by the talisman seeds to grow ever stronger.

"I originally thought that sects would accumulate talisman seeds faster than families... but after seeing the Tangjin Gate of the Qingchi Sect, I realized it was no better. It was merely a family wearing the guise of a sect..."

Spiritual apertures being linked to bloodlines almost predestined intermarriage within sects. This ultimately led to tangled bloodlines and the domination of one or a few families. While initial accumulation might be faster, it lacked the inherent stability of a family where all bloodlines originated from a single source. When the general situation declined, sects were prone to fragmenting into numerous surnames, leading to leaked information.

As Lu Jiangxian's lifespan was almost limitless, he naturally preferred a steady approach. Even if it meant a slight disadvantage in speed, he was unwilling to take even the slightest risk of exposure.

"Now that I think about it, decades ago, not knowing the origin of the tome, I revealed too much in front of the Li family... Li Mutian watched me for over a decade and probably discerned some clues. Fortunately, the old man has passed away."

Lu Jiangxian extended his translucent hand and gently waved it in the air. Three round, white pellets appeared, emitting a faint glow, looking quite mystical.

"Once Li Tongya breaks through to Foundation Establishment, I will manifest these three talisman seeds. Li Tongya is cautious and thoughtful; without much explanation, he will naturally connect his cultivation breakthrough with the increase in talisman seeds, which will also reduce any suspicion."

Lijing Town.

"Where is Xiu'er?"

Beneath layers of curtains, calming incense burned. A woman in luxurious attire slowly raised an eyebrow, her elegant and dignified brow slightly furrowed, as she stared directly at the person below her.

"I asked you, where is Xiu'er?"

The person below, dressed in a gray robe and a mandarin jacket, trembled slightly. He raised his eyes for a quick glance, then quickly lowered his head, answering tremblingly:

"Mistress," the person stammered, "Master sent the young master out some days ago... saying it was for an important task..."

The woman sat upright, her abdomen swollen, clearly close to giving birth. She cast a cold glance at the kneeling person below and, with a cold laugh, whispered:

"Do you take me for blind and deaf? I haven't managed affairs for a few months; do you really think I'm so easily deceived? No matter where Xiu'er goes, he would at least report to me. How could he just leave without a word!"

This woman, possessing a noble and dignified demeanor, was Li Xuanxuan's legal wife and Li Yuanxiu's mother. Currently pregnant, she hadn't left the back courtyard. Everyone had intended to keep things from her, but the pervasive sounds of weeping and Li Yuanxiu's absence for dozens of days, without even a greeting, could not be concealed.

Seeing the servant remain silent, an ominous premonition arose in her heart. A woman capable of raising a child like Li Yuanxiu was inherently intelligent and clever. Just by observing the expressions of the servants and relatives, she had already pieced together most of the truth. Immediately growing anxious, she said coldly:

"Speak."

Pressed for answers, the person was dripping with cold sweat, his legs trembling, as he finally replied:

"The young master was assassinated... he is dead."

The woman gasped slightly. She had considered that something might have happened, but not anything so definitive and tragic. She let out a muffled groan as a pain flared in her abdomen, agitated by the news. Gritting her teeth, she said:

"Ugh... Where is Li Xuanxuan! How could he be such a father... I entrusted a child like mine to him, and this is what happened... Li Xuanxuan! Li Xuanxuan!"

"The Family Head, he..."

The servant lowered his head, only to see the woman in front of him collapse weakly. He instantly panicked and cried out:

"Mistress! Mistress..."

"Waaah—"

The Li family's white mourning silks had been hanging for months, still fluttering from the eaves. At last, a cry rang out in the courtyard. Li Xuanxuan held his wife's hand, using his spiritual power to stabilize her breath. The midwife emerged, carrying a thin, weak child, and congratulated him:

"Congratulations, Master, it's a boy."

Li Xuanxuan took the child and examined him. He was thin and tiny, his brow wrinkled, and he let out a weak, dry cry before softly closing his mouth and falling motionless. If not for the faint fluttering of his nostrils and the spiritual presence Li Xuanxuan could sense, he would have almost believed the child had no breath.

"You've suffered much," Li Xuanxuan softly comforted his wife. Having just lost his eldest son and now gaining another, old tears streamed down his face for a moment. His heart was filled with a myriad of unspeakable emotions. He held the child and watched for a while, his countless unspoken words transforming into a soft sigh, as he whispered:

"I have lived a mediocre life for most of my days, and only now do I understand that in this human world, there is nothing else to ask for but peace!"

Reaching out, he gently stroked the child's wet hair. He showed the child to his wife, then said gently:

"Let's call him Yuanping, Li Yuanping."