Chapter 747: A Cup of Tea Dividing Mountains

Xuanmiao Abbey.

The spring rain continued to fall softly and profusely. Several disciples within the abbey were busy treading the wind and gathering qi, navigating with light like swimming fish through the spring rain. The pale green light in their hands continuously absorbed and converged, forming streams of energy.

The middle-aged lay practitioner had a slightly square face and simple attire. Holding his robe and wearing wooden clogs, he walked along the stone steps. His movements were like those of an ordinary person without cultivation. Arriving at the courtyard entrance, he pushed the door open and invited with a smile:

"Zhaojing, please come in!"

A True Lord, clad in a white robe with gold patterns, entered through the doorway. His appearance was upright and proper, and although he looked very young, his gaze held no ferocity. His plain, calm glance made the disciples on either side simultaneously lower their heads.

Li Ximing followed him up the steps and replied:

"Such spring rain is rare. I see your abbey's disciples are all busy gathering qi. It seems they look forward to this day every year. No wonder I haven't seen Qiuxin."

Sumian merely smiled as he greeted him, saying:

"Qiuxin left a while ago. After all, the matters in the East Sea are quite troublesome, and he needs to be stationed there constantly. As for the spring rain, we gather it every year, but it's never enough. Sometimes, I even have to personally refine it using my divine abilities."

He chuckled and continued:

"Your clan has many cultivators, Fellow Daoist. If you are willing, could you help me collect some from the lake as well?"

'That old man certainly doesn't miss a trick.'

Li Ximing smiled:

"No problem. As long as I can see the Qi Gathering Incantation, my clan's cultivators can also gather qi and exchange it for some spiritual items at your abbey."

"I'll send it to your clan shortly." Sumian was surprisingly fearless, not at all worried about the Qi Gathering Incantation being leaked. Li Ximing was not intimidated either. While his Li clan might be lacking in many things, they certainly had an abundance of cultivators, many of whom were idle. It wouldn't hurt to have them engage in a small sideline business.

After speaking, Li Ximing sighed inwardly, then added:

"It's only been a few days, and formations have already been erected on the late Senior Changxi's relic mountain! That old True Lord is truly swift and efficient... It seems this spiritual mountain is quite useful!"

Sumian smiled but said nothing. Together, they entered the courtyard. There, they saw a woman in a yellow satin robe, sipping tea, with a hint of blue at the corners of her eyes. It was none other than True Lord Tinglan of Ziyan. Li Ximing was not surprised. He greeted her and took his seat directly.

Li Ximing had received a message from Sumian earlier that morning about discussing the matter of the Xuanyue Mountain Gate. He knew then that Sumian wouldn't be the only one at Xuanmiao Abbey; at least one of Tinglan or Lingmei would be present, and perhaps even Ye Hui himself.

Taking the cup, Li Ximing did not beat around the bush and asked:

"What is your proposal, Fellow Daoist Sumian?"

Sumian nodded with a smile and replied:

"This matter should have been dealt with a long time ago, but it was postponed for several months to save some face for Xuanyue. Now that Tinglan is visiting and brought it up with me, I invited you here."

Li Ximing smiled:

"Has Fellow Daoist Ye Hui been here yet?"

Sumian hesitated slightly, and Tinglan took over, replying:

"He visited once, clarified the conditions, and then we invited you."

She gave him another look and said gently:

"It's better to resolve enmities than to perpetuate them. We are all Purple Mansion cultivators. The cultivators below us play with good and bad 'toys,' and when you observe them, you all have your intentions, primarily to save face. Why create real enmity? It's fine to play a game of chess, but there's no need to truly ignite the flames of conflict."

Regardless of whether the Li clan and the Duxian Dao truly had enmity, Tinglan was helping her own side resolve this matter. It was quite possible she had orchestrated the entire process. Li Ximing naturally understood her good intentions, and the face of this True Lord of Ziyan still needed to be respected. He then said earnestly:

"Fellow Daoist Tinglan is absolutely right. Senior Ye Hui and I have exchanged blows once or twice, and we've engaged in some gambits across Jiangnan and Jiangbei, but it never truly reached the point of enmity. This matter should be easy to handle."

Sumian's influence was clearly not as great as Tinglan's, but the old True Lord didn't mind in the slightest. For Sumian, it would be a success as long as he could persuade these two constantly clashing individuals to back down and avoid dragging him into their conflict. The old True Lord asked:

"I heard you went to investigate, did you discover anything?"

Li Ximing nodded and said:

"I asked a True Lord to divine it. The guest elder in the sect was Fu En, and the one who died earlier was Kong Haiying. True Lord Changxi tampered with the soul lamp, so it wasn't his long ago. As for Kong Tingyun... I don't know where she achieved her breakthrough."

Hearing that he had consulted a True Lord, Sumian couldn't help but sip his tea. Tinglan, however, smiled:

"That makes things simple then. I have a friend named Zhugong who cultivates in the World Umbilicus region, and she's interested in settling here. This way, the matter will be resolved."

Sumian raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Tinglan, if your friend takes this place, won't she fear Kong Tingyun returning for revenge should she successfully achieve a breakthrough?"

"Just listen to me." Tinglan blinked. This True Lord, hailing from Qidi, possessed a beauty that differed somewhat from the poised elegance of Jiangnan. She chuckled:

"I will make it clear to Ye Hui that Zhaojing is willing to cede Xuanyue, allowing him to enter the mountain gate to investigate himself. However, after he has searched and plundered, and taken whatever mountains he wishes, the mountain gate must be returned to me."

"At that time, when Ye Hui brings people to attack the mountain, Zhaojing will resist a few times, then withdraw the Hundred Mountains Spirit Concealment Formation, feign defeat and injury, and retreat, ceding the mountain gate to him. We will also leave some spiritual items. Once Ye Hui has collected and investigated everything, I will then have my friend come to take the mountain, and Ye Hui can simply relinquish it."

She extended her hand, pressing down each finger one by one:

"For you, Wangyue, having gained the formations, the Xuanyue Dao lineage, and the hearts of the people, isn't that better than holding onto a piece of land and waiting for others to covet and resent it? Even if one in ten thousand successfully achieves a breakthrough, Zhaojing will have a perfectly justifiable explanation... and will even have shown kindness!"

"As for Duxian, he would have seized spiritual items and cultivation methods, moved the mountains he desired, and dealt with his arch-enemy. Even though he wouldn't gain Shanjie and Xuanyue themselves, it would still be enough to save face for him! As for finding Kong Tingyun, that would be his concern. At this point, would he still be afraid of offending Xuanyue?"

She slowly took a sip of tea and said earnestly:

"And for Ye Hui... what makes Xuanyue valuable are the clusters of spiritual mountains within its gate, not its geographical location itself. If he were to truly 'consume' this place, controlling such a vast territory across a river, it would be difficult to manage from end to end, not to mention being overly high-profile, which might not necessarily be a good thing."

"As for True Lord Zhugong, she would have honorably obtained this mountain from an enemy, without having to bear Xuanyue's resentment. On the contrary, she could show kindness by accepting and heavily employing Xuanyue cultivators... By first establishing bonds of gratitude and kinship, even if someone truly broke through and returned, what more could they say? There might even be an opportunity to turn enemies into friends!"

"And for me and Old True Lord Qi... we won't have to worry about your affairs anymore."

After she finished speaking, she had also finished her cup of tea, and the entire game of chess had been played out. Every Purple Mansion cultivator had received their share. The courtyard fell silent for a moment. Sumian was somewhat dazed as he listened, and he sighed:

"I've long heard that the righteous path is skilled in stratagems, and that Purple Mansion cultivators across the lands gain advantage and avoid risks imperceptibly... It truly is so! This move by the True Lord truly leaves this old man in awe!"

Sumian began flattering her, but Tinglan shook her head, a complex trace of lingering fear in her expression, and smiled:

"Old True Lord, you exaggerate. I've merely observed more Purple Mansion gambits in recent years. Not to mention compared to Chuting Qiushui or Yuanxiu Changxiao... even compared to Tianyuan Chiwei's methods... these are just minor tricks!"