Chapter 328: Five Years Since My Death

March quietly passed. Li Qinghong, clad in jade armor, arrived gracefully, riding the wind. She still looked to be in her early twenties. The long spear in her hand was sharp, and her jade armor, shimmering piece by piece with intricate patterns, was a Nascent Breath-level magical artifact.

Armor-type magical artifacts are expensive, their rarity only slightly less than that of alchemy furnaces. This particular set was discovered when Jade Court Mountain was conquered. Li Tongya sent it to Li Qinghong, who then passed it to Li Yuanping. Li Yuanping, however, refused to keep it and had Li Xicheng carry it back to Li Qinghong at Jade Court Mountain. Poor Li Xicheng was left running back and forth, completely out of breath.

Taking two steps into the main hall, Li Yuanping, seated at the head, looked up. The woman before him was vibrant and heroic, standing with her spear, her jade armor particularly striking. He quickly rose to his feet and smiled, saying:

"Sister Hong."

Li Qinghong smiled sweetly, stepped forward, and with a purple light flickering in her eyes, scrutinized Li Yuanping for a moment before saying briskly:

"Your cultivation is almost being caught up by Xizhi!"

Li Yuanping chuckled softly. Li Ximing, standing beside him, stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Ximing greets Auntie!"

"Our alchemist is here."

This made Li Ximing smile shyly. Li Yuanping, seeing that Li Qinghong's cultivation was refined and that she had been at Qi Condensation Level 5 for some time, sighed:

"Your cultivation speed, and Jiaolong's, are truly astonishing. Back then, Yu Mujian, achieving Qi Condensation before age thirty, was considered to have excellent talent. Yet you and Jiaolong are both under thirty, one at Qi Condensation Level 5 and the other at Qi Condensation Level 6. It's truly amazing."

Li Qinghong chuckled twice and said solemnly:

"An Jingming is still in his twenties and already at Qi Condensation Level 8. We can't really compare to that."

Li Yuanping nodded and recounted recent events. Li Qinghong listened carefully, pondered for a while, and then spoke:

"I stayed at the Fei family for a while and am familiar with the Fei Tongyu and Fei Tongxiao brothers."

A purple light swirled in her eyes, and she said softly:

"Fei Tongyu is handsome and refined, easygoing, but lacks decisiveness. He can go with the flow but cannot survive in adversity. Fei Tongxiao is bold and courageous, yet he adheres to his principles and will not betray our family's kindness."

Li Yuanping rarely heard news of these two and valued it like a treasure, listening and taking notes. Then he saw Li Qinghong smile and say:

"If any Fei family members truly enter a sect, these two would certainly be indecisive about becoming enemies with our family. At most, they would be indecisive and try to play both sides. There's no need to worry!"

The two chatted for a while, and recalling the day's events, both felt a sense of sorrow. Li Yuanjiao and Li Xuanxuan were just entering from the front of the hall; Li Xuanxuan had just returned from the market and was in a hurry. He was over fifty, his temples gray, and he rarely smiled. Several juniors quickly went up to greet him. All four had specifically changed into white robes. They exchanged glances, and Li Yuanjiao said:

"To the mountain."

The Eyebrow Ruler Peak cave dwelling was discovered by Li Xiangping years ago; he and Li Tongya had broken into it using the Lunar Profound Light. It had been renovated many times since then. The bluestone was smooth, the array patterns intricate, and two stone lions stood majestically.

The four stood on the platform in front of the cave dwelling. Li Yuanjiao formed a hand seal and cast a spell, but the cave dwelling's door did not budge. He paused, slightly stunned, and frowned, saying:

"It's sealed from the inside."

Seeing this, the three looked at Li Qinghong. She practiced spear techniques and had cultivated a thunder-type cultivation method, excelling at destruction. Li Yuanping cupped his hands and said:

"Begging your assistance, Elder Sister."

Upon hearing this, Li Qinghong stepped forward with her spear, silently apologizing in her heart. Then she wielded her spear, accumulating power and pressing it against the stone door. Thunder surged from the spear, flowing continuously and gathering at its tip.

"Hah!"

Li Qinghong used the leverage of her stance, swung her spear, and turned to strike down. A dense purple light emerged from the spear tip, transforming into the shape of a flood dragon, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, and smashed onto the stone door. This was precisely the "Roaming Dragon's Returning Shadow" technique, given by the Fei family five years ago. It excelled at breaking formations and destroying enemies, and Li Qinghong, having practiced it for years, had already mastered its basics, making it perfectly suited for this situation.

"Boom!"

The formation on the stone door, originally a grand array primarily for concealing presence and gathering spiritual energy, flared brightly then shattered with a crash. Li Yuanjiao and Li Xuanxuan, standing by, were already prepared. They pressed both hands against the wall, dispersing the residual shockwaves and protecting the stone door itself with their spiritual power.

Until the last wisp of purple lightning vanished, Li Yuanjiao let out a long breath and slowly pushed open the stone door.

"Whoosh—"

From the cave dwelling's entrance, a cold north wind swept across their faces, spreading out and dissipating towards the sky. The three carefully stepped onto the steps and entered together.

On the stone bed, a white-robed young man rested his chin on his hand, a sword on his lap, his eyes tightly closed, and his black hair spread out. The floor was covered with a deep blue puddle, and dew glistened on the stone table in front of the door.

The four stared blankly at the young man on the bed. After bowing together, they watched as the white-robed young man suddenly transformed into a deep blue spiritual liquid, scattering coral, colored glaze, mica, and profound rock across the floor.

Li Yuanjiao stepped forward and saw ink marks on the stone table, carved three fen deep. The handwriting was bold and vigorous, like dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, with powerful, distinct strokes:

"I have been dead for five years. My eyes have turned into colored glaze; they can be placed in a box and buried on my behalf. My bones and flesh have transformed into mica and profound rock. I hope future generations will cast them into a mountain stream so that artisans may collect them and use them as foundations or beams."

"My internal organs have turned into deep blue water; it can be poured into great rivers and streams, allowing me to witness the world's scenery. The rest has transformed into coral and talc, scattered throughout the mountains and forests. They may be used in medicine, for painting, or for women's makeup."

"Li Tongya, a descendant of the Li family, last words."

Inside the room, all four were silent, their expressions varied. Li Xuanxuan merely stroked the stone table with his hand. Li Yuanjiao took out a jade box, picked up the two pieces of colored glaze, and carefully placed them inside. He then took the Azure Ruler Sword from the bed and held it against his chest. Turning to Li Qinghong, he said:

"Little Sister, please collect this profound rock and mica, and gather the spiritual water. Then find a mountain stream and a great river. I will first escort Uncle-Grandpa to the ancestral hall."

Li Qinghong, head bowed, knelt before the bed, lost in thought. After a few breaths, she said:

"Alright."

She took out a jade box, picked up the black, white, and translucent spiritual materials scattered on the floor one by one. Then she cast a spell to gather the deep blue spiritual water into a single sphere, holding it in her hand as she rode the wind and departed.

Gracefully, she departed from Lijing Mountain. Li Qinghong flew silently for a while, searching all around, until she finally found a mountain stream. The mountain spring tinkled, orchids grew everywhere, and a mortal village was not far away, which seemed to align with Li Tongya's wishes. So she took the mica and profound rock from the jade box and submerged them one by one into the spring water.

After completing all this, Li Qinghong then sat down nearby, resting her chin in her hand and gazing intently.

"Wuwu... wuwu..."

She paused, slightly stunned. Her eyes red, she looked around, only then seeing a fox with crimson fur sitting by the stream, sobbing loudly. Li Qinghong paused slightly, cautiously stood up, and said respectfully:

"Junior Li Qinghong greets Senior!"

"Damn it." The fox grumbled curses, looked up at Li Qinghong, and spat out a spiritual herb with a *splutter*. It cursed:

"Li Tongya sealed the mark I left on him, and it wasn't until just now that I realized this fellow had died. I even went into the mountains in vain to find medicine for him! What a waste!"

While cursing aloud, the fox's head drooped. It listlessly glanced at her, picked up a piece of mica from the river, threw the spiritual herb back into its mouth, and called out:

"I was originally looking for Li Tongya, but stumbled upon you burying him. I just stopped by to take a look on the way."

Then it soared on a demonic wind, vanishing into the distance like a black gust, heading deep into Great Li Mountain.

Li Qinghong paused in place, slowly bowed in the direction it had departed, then rode the wind to find a great river.

The quiet mountain stream regained its tranquility. Dew dripped *drip-drip*, and the stream water gurgled and swirled. After a long while, a figure slowly emerged from the void. This person was clad in white robes, their loose garments adorned with a green jade ornament at the collar. Their face was indistinct, a sword swayed loosely at their waist, and they stood with their hands behind their back. He lowered his head and looked at the mica and profound rock in the stream. His white cloth shoe lifted, and he gently kicked, sending the small stone tumbling and rolling into the stream.

"Li Tongya."