Chapter 209: White Hair Knocks at the Courtroom

An Zheyin cupped his hands, then swept his robe aside and knelt down, speaking in a voice filled with hatred: "My three sons, one daughter, along with my many wives, concubines, and brothers, were all massacred by the Yu family. My clan fell into the hands of traitors, and my entire family was enslaved. The hatred in my heart is like the vast ocean, impossible to suppress. Your esteemed clan has overlooked past grievances and is willing to take in Zheyin, this lost dog. I am eternally grateful and wish to offer the An family's heritage, serving as your loyal servant for the rest of my life."

An Zheyin paused, then, having made up his mind, continued: "If I can return to Mount Huashan in my lifetime, I am willing to offer the entire An family territory as repayment..."

After speaking, he formed a hand seal, and a spiritual glow pulsed from his brow, clearly indicating he had sworn the Profound View Spirit Oath. Li Xuanxuan was overjoyed, yet with a sorrowful expression, he helped him up and said gravely, "Senior, there's no need for this! The Yu family is our shared nemesis; mutual assistance is only natural."

An Zheyin stood up and took a seat. After a few moments of hesitation, he shook his head and quietly began to explain: "My ancestors also had a glorious past. Our progenitor was originally an outer disciple of the Immortal Mansion. At that time, the Immortal Mansion governed the world, and the three states of Wu, Yue, and Xu were all under its protection. The Moonlit Yuan Mansion established the rule of separation between immortals and mortals, constraining all immortal sects and gates to cultivate in seclusion—unlike the current situation where immortals and mortals live side-by-side. My ancestor then cultivated alone in the mountains."

"Later, when the Immortal Mansion withdrew from the world, the three sects and seven gates entered the mortal realm one after another, dividing the state of Yue among themselves. The earliest aristocratic families also became kings and marquises. By then, my ancestor had already died of old age, and his descendants had spread out here. Eventually, they split into separate families, each forming a clan. Strictly speaking, the Yu, Ji, and Lu families all share ancestral ties with the An clan; only the Wan family came from the east."

Li Xuanxuan listened attentively, surprised by the news. He thought about how these families constantly vied with each other, then nodded silently and murmured, "It is... quite striking."

"Relatives from eight hundred years ago have long become strangers. Honestly, which family in Yue isn't a descendant of aristocratic families who migrated south from the north? Except for the Shan Yue, all others probably share a common ancestry."

An Zheyin assented and continued: "The cultivation method passed down in my family was originally called the 'White Hair Knocking on the Court Sutra.' It is an ancient method, allowing cultivation from the Fetal Breath realm to the Purple Mansion realm, requiring the mortal energy of the court. Later, with the changes of generations, this energy could no longer be gathered. Only a copied secret method remained, which can only be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage. It is now called the 'Court Sentinel Art,' its rank has dropped to second-grade, and it uses the Cold Armor Qi from beneath the court for cultivation."

Li Xuanxuan, recognizing the art's name as an ancient cultivation method—ancient methods always renowned for their profoundness—felt his heart stir and asked, "Since it was revised into a secret method, it's probably not entirely perfect. Are there any flaws or deficiencies in this cultivation method?"

An Zheyin nodded respectfully and elaborated: "The miraculous aspect of this art is its ability to help cultivators condense the Six Wheels more quickly, achieving Qi Cultivation through the Fetal Breath realm. However, after reaching Qi Cultivation, the speed of progress decreases significantly, and lifespan also decreases slightly. But its spiritual power resonates with jade artifacts, increasing the power of jade ritual tools by a fraction."

"As for the Cold Armor Qi from beneath the court, required by this cultivation method, we have a Qi Gathering Art. It involves submerging heavy bronze and iron armor into a specially made jade well and soaking it with rainwater. One wisp can be obtained in three months, and ten wisps make one portion. Among the spiritual energies of heaven and earth, it is considered relatively easy to obtain. However, the Cold Armor Qi from beneath the court is obtained through an ancient method and currently has no other uses, so it cannot be sold for many spirit stones."

"So miraculous?!" Hearing this, Li Xuanxuan, already filled with many ideas, was overjoyed and asked, "Doesn't this essentially grant those with poor talent nearly a hundred more years of cultivation time? It is indeed quite a good thing."

"Precisely," An Zheyin paused and replied. "There's another important point: if a practitioner of the 'Court Sentinel Art' encounters someone who cultivates the 'White Hair Knocking on the Court Sutra,' their power will be greatly diminished. They might not be able to defeat them, even if their cultivation is much higher. Fortunately, this method can no longer be successfully cultivated."

"Excellent, excellent!" Li Xuanxuan nodded repeatedly. An Zheyin continued, "There's also a vein-searching technique called 'Listening to the Earth's Court.' I will go down and find a jade slip to transcribe it for the family head as well!"

"I appreciate your trouble, senior." Li Xuanxuan pondered for a moment, then, noticing something amiss, quietly asked, "There's just one thing I don't understand. If the 'Court Sentinel Art' makes it easy to achieve Qi Cultivation, why was it that back then, only you, senior, and your son achieved Qi Cultivation in the An family, while everyone else lingered in the Fetal Breath realm...?"

An Zheyin sighed deeply, cupped his hands awkwardly, and replied, "After experiencing so many things, I finally realize I was a stingy person with no broad vision. Only my son and I practiced this cultivation method; for members of other branch families, I merely gave them other cultivation methods as a pretense."

"I see!" Li Xuanxuan drank his tea and asked about the details of what happened on Mount Huashan that day. An Zheyin answered each question, then cupped his hands and said, "Your subordinate feared carrying it might benefit the enemy, so I destroyed the heritage jade slip when I left the An family. I will now go and transcribe the cultivation method from memory."

After speaking, he quickly left. Watching An Zheyin withdraw, Li Xuanfeng, who had remained silent throughout, then raised an eyebrow and instructed, "Uncle Donghe is still up on the mountain. Have him go down and keep an eye on this person."

Li Xiewen nodded and excused himself. Li Xuanxuan sighed lightly and murmured, "My uncle once told me about this person. An Zheyin was originally a greedy and stingy individual, but facing this great disaster, he has truly undergone a transformation!"

After speaking, he pondered for a moment and then said, "The An family's ancestor was originally an outer disciple of the Immortal Mansion. This cultivation method was probably a specialized one given by the Immortal Mansion to its outer disciples. The ability to pass down the cultivation method without restrictions suggests that the An family's ancestor likely held some status."

Li Xuanfeng nodded, then, with a hint of unease, waved his hand and said quietly, "One cannot judge a book by its cover. Although this person has sworn the Profound View Spirit Oath, we cannot rely on him too heavily. He is not discreet with his words. Just let him slay demons and farm. When the family needs something done, let him act as a henchman, but he doesn't need to know about anything extra."

"I understand," Li Xuanxuan said, setting down his teacup. "Let's observe him for a while before discussing anything else."

The two chatted for a while. Li Xiewen then came up, carrying several jade slips. Li Xuanfeng took them and glanced through them. Besides the 'Court Sentinel Art,' 'Listening to the Earth's Court,' and the uncultivable 'White Hair Knocking on the Court Sutra,' there were also several first-grade Fetal Breath and Qi Cultivation methods. After reading them one by one, Li Xuanfeng nodded repeatedly and said, "The An family's ancestors indeed had a profound origin. This cultivation method can be called profound. The 'White Hair Knocking on the Court Sutra' cannot be cultivated, so its grade is unknown. But the 'Court Sentinel Art' is unique and outstanding among second-grade methods, especially its effect of accelerating advancement to Qi Cultivation—that's extremely useful!"

Li Xuanxuan laughed heartily and nodded, "It's not just for disciples in the clan with poor talent. Now that we have late Qi Cultivation realm cultivators to oversee, even external cultivators can use this method. We don't necessarily need them for combat strength; a few more Qi Cultivation realm cultivators simply mean a few more hands capable of wind-riding, which makes everything more convenient."

"Xuan Ge is right," Li Xuanfeng assented. He handed over 'Listening to the Earth's Court' and said quietly, "Since the An family was attacked, their personnel withdrew, and there was no one to survey the mineral veins. The Azure-crow mine has been out of operation for a long time. Hand this art to Xuan Ge, and let's find other people to mine it."

Li Xuanxuan took the jade slip. Seeing Li Xuanfeng cup his hands, preparing to withdraw for cultivation, he smiled faintly and quipped playfully, "I don't know how An Zheyin managed to produce a genius like An Jingming. I'm actually thinking of arranging more wives and concubines for him, to see if he can produce another one. If he could, wouldn't we make a huge profit?"

Li Xuanfeng laughed heartily, knowing that Li Xuanxuan's words were merely a jest. He left the courtyard and headed up the mountain, leaving Li Xuanxuan to drink tea in the courtyard. Li Xuanxuan took out a piece of yellow paper and began to draw talismans. After a while, he put away the talisman ink and paper and instructed, "Have An Zheyin choose more women. Although this person is a bit dull in appearance, he is still, after all, a Qi Cultivation realm cultivator. See if any Spirit Aperture maidens are willing to marry him."

Li Xiewen nodded in agreement. Li Xuanxuan shook his head; An Zheyin's arrival had brought considerable benefit to the Li family. Yet, a hint of regret still arose in his heart as he murmured, "If the two families had joined forces back then and let An Jingming marry a Li family daughter, where would all this tragedy be today?"