Chapter 57: Return

The radiant cloud boat was incredibly fast. After flying for an hour over the lush, mushroom-filled plains, it soon landed on a mist-shrouded mountain peak adorned with flying pavilions and crimson eaves.

Li Chijing disembarked from the radiant cloud boat, following Yuan Tuan. He saw a large group of cultivators in white robes and green attire bowing respectfully. They chorused, "Welcome, Emissary from the Immortal Sect!"

"No need for such formality," Yuan Tuan said with a gentle smile. She descended a few steps down the stone staircase. A middle-aged man in a long robe was waiting at the bottom of the steps. Upon seeing Li Chijing, he respectfully greeted him, "Greetings, esteemed disciple of the Upper Sect. I am Yuan Huyuan of the Yuan family from Mushroom Forest Plain."

"Li Chijing, of the Li family from Moon-Gazing Lake," Li Chijing replied. The Yuan and Li families were not in the same county; when introducing themselves, it was customary to state the place name rather than the mountain name to avoid confusion. After Li Chijing greeted him, Yuan Tuan nodded slightly and said, "He is my clan brother, Yuan Huyuan. I have already given him instructions."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Li Chijing cupped his hands in a salute, stepped onto the Yuan family member's flying shuttle, and, bidding farewell to his Senior Sister, departed westward.

After flying for a while, Li Chijing noticed the man was silent. He smiled and struck up a conversation. "Senior, my Senior Sister calls you clan brother, but you look as if..."

"You mean I look old enough to be her father, right?" Yuan Huyuan chuckled heartily and said loudly, "Cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage have long lifespans, and their appearance ages slowly. My clan sister entered Qi Condensation at eighteen, and her appearance has barely changed since; she still looks only in her early twenties. My talent is dull; I only entered Qi Condensation the year before last, so it's natural for me to look middle-aged."

"I see!" Li Chijing muttered to himself, then couldn't help but ask, "It seems that the younger a Qi Condensation cultivator is, the less they should be underestimated?"

"Not necessarily. While Qi Condensation cultivators can live for two hundred years, their appearance doesn't remain unchanged for that entire duration; it just ages much more slowly. It's quite normal for a forty-year-old cultivator to look twenty. However, cultivators in their eighties or nineties are often not to be trifled with. They are usually old monsters who have cultivated for over a hundred years, yet dare not break through to Foundation Establishment, choosing instead to linger at the peak of Qi Condensation."

Seeing Li Chijing's thoughtful expression, Yuan Huyuan smiled faintly and said, "Judging people by appearance is never advisable. I learned that the hard way in my early years and nearly lost my life because of it."

The crisp morning wind rustled Li Chijing's robes. Yuan Huyuan's flying shuttle was much slower than Si Yuanbai's had been back then. The two casually chatted about recent trifles in the cultivation world, and it was about two hours before they finally saw the shimmering Moon-Gazing Lake.

Li Chijing directed Yuan Huyuan to stop at the entrance of Lichuan, by the lakeside. Then, he smiled and bid farewell. "At dawn on the third day, I will await you here, fellow Daoist." With that, Yuan Huyuan mounted his flying shuttle and ascended into the sky.

Li Chijing employed his Wind-Riding Technique and gracefully approached Lichuan entrance. From a distance, he saw a six or seven-year-old child squatting at the village head. A bundle of arrows lay by his feet, and in his left hand, he held a dark arrowhead, meticulously grinding it on a whetstone.

Seeing Li Chijing approach like a wisp of wind, the child unhurriedly stood up. He respectfully said, "Esteemed Immortal Master, this area belongs to the Li family of Lijing, under Qingchi's jurisdiction. A few miles to the east is the Ancient Lijing Path."

Li Chijing chuckled softly, examining the child's features. He smiled and asked, "What is your relation to Chen Erniu?"

"He is my father!" The child's eyes lit up immediately. He cupped his hands repeatedly and respectfully said, "My name is Chen Donghe. I'll go fetch my father now."

Li Chijing waved his hand, took a light step, and vanished from the stone-paved road.

The Chen family home. Chen Erniu, wrapped in a large fur jacket, was calmly sipping tea. Master Han Wenxu, sitting at the table, also lightly sipped his tea, watching Chen Erniu with a smile. "Old Chen," he chuckled, "you're an odd one. All five of your sons are named after rivers or lakes. The Chen family is quite prominent now, yet you name them as if you were still humble fishermen."

Chen Erniu simply smiled without speaking. Suddenly, the courtyard gate creaked open. A spirited young man, wearing a white feathered robe and green boots, slowly entered the courtyard. He first gave a slight bow towards Han Wenxu and said, "Master, long time no see."

Then he glanced at Chen Erniu and said softly, "Uncle Chen, you've certainly grown prosperous since we last met a few years ago."

Chen Erniu paused, his gaze lingering on Li Chijing's face for a few seconds. He then exclaimed, "Li Chi... Immortal Master!"

"Jing'er!" All four of the Li family brothers had studied under Han Wenxu, so it was natural for him to address Li Chijing intimately. However, feeling he had spoken out of turn, he immediately lowered his head and remained silent.

Li Chijing waved his hand and smiled. "Take me to see my brothers."

"The Young Patriarch... should be on Lijing Mountain right now. As for the Immortal Master... I heard he was recently on Meichi Mountain."

***

Li Xiangping was cultivating in the front courtyard. Suddenly, he heard a rapid succession of footsteps on the stone steps. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Ye Sheng?"

"Hahahahaha." Instead, a familiar laugh rang out, and a dashing, spirited young man stepped through the doorway. A three-foot-long 'Green Peak' sword hung at his waist, its pale white tassel swaying elegantly. "I returned to the village, only to find the family had already moved up the mountain. So I asked Brother Ye Sheng to lead me through the formation and up here."

He finished, shaking his head with a smile. "Tsk, a mist-shrouding illusion array."

"Jing'er?!" Li Xiangping blinked, asking in shock, "You... aren't you cultivating within the sect?!"

"Hahaha, I'm on the verge of breaking through Qi Condensation, so I requested leave from my sect to come home and visit."

"I'll go get Father!" Li Mutian hurried into the front courtyard. The three of them sat down and chatted for a while. Soon, Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan also rushed back.

Their reunion was naturally filled with excitement. Their mother, Madam Liu, was also overjoyed to the point of tears. A feast was prepared at home, and Li Chijing was introduced to new family members, including Li Qiuyang and Liu Rouxuan. They brought out snake gall wine that had been aged for several years, and they drank until late into the night before finally stopping.

After seeing off Li Qiuyang and the others, the Li family members set up a tea table in the backyard. Their eyes were clear; the snake gall wine contained spiritual energy and was not intoxicating. Since they all had matters on their minds, none of them drank much.

After listening to his brothers recount the family's changes over the past few years, Li Chijing was filled with emotion. He took a sip of the clear tea before him and solemnly said, "My return this time, Jing'er indeed has an urgent matter to attend to. Otherwise, I would not have hurried back when I'm on the verge of breaking through Qi Condensation."

He squinted, looking at the stone platform in the room. Li Chijing then said softly, "Let's go inside to talk."

The group entered the room. Li Chijing remained silent, gazing at the alluring moonlight filtering through the skylight, standing quietly.

Watching the moonlight slowly condense into pale white moon essence on the mirror and flow around the magical mirror, Li Chijing formed a hand seal and carefully began to discern its properties.

Feeling the sixth cycle of embryonic breath, the 'Spirit Genesis Wheel,' within his Sun-Ascension Palace stir restlessly and the flow of his spiritual power quicken slightly, Li Chijing slowly withdrew his hand in a daze. Even though his suspicion had been confirmed, he still spoke slowly, a look of disbelief on his face: "Lunar Moon Essence?!"