Chapter 781: Purple Smoke's Good News

A misty purple aura surrounded them as an ancient longboat hung suspended in the air. The lake below reflected a vast expanse of purple. From the boat, a girl in a pink dress gazed into the distance. With a round face and small, charming ears, she was precisely Li Queyi, the second daughter of the Jiangque generation.

As Li Queyi stood on the boat, younger girls clustered around their elder sister. It was clear they hadn't qualified for entry, and they appeared dejected, hanging their heads and reluctant to speak.

Feeling the longboat flying beneath her feet, Li Queyi's heart grew even more anxious.

They were returning from the Purple Mist Blessed Land, escorted personally by the Purple Mist Sect's spirit boat, which was quite a display of prestige. However, the significance of this spirit boat was profound; whether it landed on the lake or on the land was a matter of considerable importance. With the Li family's Zifu cultivator currently missing, they could not afford any loss of prestige.

While Li Queyi was feeling anxious, another slightly aloof girl stood beside her. She looked only eleven or twelve; though her features hadn't fully matured, one could discern her delicate beauty. Holding her head high, her face beaming with satisfaction, she quietly remarked to her companion: "So this is the Purple Mist Blessed Land... what an amazing treasure! The so-called cultivation places for immortalesses and goddesses are nothing more than this!"

Li Queyi glanced at her, then continued to look forward with some unease. It wasn't until the spirit boat landed firmly on the land, close to the ground, and she saw the Purple Mist Sect cultivators disembark on their own without demanding a welcoming party, that she finally let out a sigh of relief, then humbly followed behind them.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists!"

Immediately following, an elder dressed in dark blue robes came forward to greet them. The leading young cultivator from the Purple Mist Sect did not recognize him, and although slightly puzzled why a Foundation Establishment cultivator hadn't been sent to greet them, he still welcomed the elder with a smile, saying enthusiastically:

"Congratulations, Senior! Our sect has accepted two disciples from your esteemed family; this is truly a joyous occasion."

The elder was slightly surprised but then also smiled. The group of children was quickly led forward and dispersed like flowing water, leaving two girls standing before the hall, one older and one younger. The elder one was already seventeen or eighteen, while the younger one was just over ten.

The girl in the pink dress was naturally Li Queyi. Li Xuanxuan was not particularly surprised; after all, Li Queyi was a genius among the Que-generation girls, second only to her elder sister Li Quewan, and her family had sent her with high hopes. So he nodded with a smile.

The other girl, however, was a surprise. She was actually the youngest daughter from a more distant branch of the paternal lineage, dressed in white and possessing a somewhat reserved aura. Li Xuanxuan had met all these children; this girl was named Li Quexi. As she had been brought in from outside the main landmass, her generational name had been added later and did not follow the naming conventions of the four main branches.

"Excellent!"

Li Xuanxuan was quite pleasantly surprised. But the Purple Mist Sect cultivator opposite him paused slightly; someone had clearly recognized him, not expecting Li Xuanxuan to personally greet them. It wasn't appropriate to address him by any usual title, so after hesitating for a few breaths, the cultivator could only usher Lingyanzi forward.

This elder was very old. In the past, he had been harmed by the Changxiao Sect and had fled all the way; his life had been saved by Li Tongya, which led him to visit the Li family. He was now also the one to whom they paid respects as a master. Li Xuanxuan bowed and said:

"Senior... I hope you've been well since we last met!"

Lingyanzi's hair and beard were completely white. He clutched a wooden staff in his hand, his eyes holding complex emotions as he silently nodded.

Lingyanzi had met all the Li family members of the Xuan generation. In their youth, Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanling had even jested and conversed with him. He had then barely escaped death, resting on Mount Lijing. The mature adults were steady and grave, while the youths were spirited and full of vigor; these memories were vivid. Now, raising his brows, he saw only a shriveled, emaciated old man before him.

"You are... Xuanxuan... the elder brother, aren't you...?" Lingyanzi mumbled.

Li Xuanxuan nodded gently and replied: "Senior still remembers; of those on the mountain that day, only I remain."

"Remember? Barely escaping death... how could I not remember?"

Lingyanzi's voice was very weathered. Both felt the other was both strange and familiar. Their words of greeting were not quite greetings, nor were they truly warm or cold, but carried an undertone of fear.

Two people who had merely survived the ravages of time, fearing that the other might dredge up some painful, needle-sharp memory, fell into such a silence. Li Zhouluo, who was following behind, quickly stepped forward and respectfully said:

"Seniors, please take your time to talk. I will take care of things here."

Li Xuanxuan also had something to say to Lingyanzi, so the two elders stepped into the hall. Li Quewan and Li Jiangxia also arrived, riding the wind. After briefly settling the Purple Mist Sect disciples, the kind Foundation Establishment Purple Mist cultivator smiled and said:

"I am Wen Wu, cultivating at Shepherd's Seat Peak. This time, I specifically took on this mission to meet the family head, and it's for a particular reason..."

With one hand behind his back, he casually strolled and chatted with Li Zhouluo and the others, listening to the rare male cultivator from the Purple Mist Sect chuckle as he said:

"This matter is quite interesting. Originally, a disciple from your esteemed family came to Purple Qi Peak to apprentice. Although Li Queyi from your family is older and has already absorbed qi, she absorbed the Jade True Qi, a cultivation method that is common in our sect and not considered 'deviant.' Thus, she gained Lingyanzi's appreciation."

"Unexpectedly, after Li Queyi was settled, my master, Qianlizi, the Peak Master of Shepherd's Seat Peak, also arrived within the sect. She immediately took a liking to Quexi and then sought the sect master's approval to accept her as a disciple."

The man appeared radiant. His eyes seemed to practice some kind of ocular technique, with light flowing, and a hint of joy in his gaze as he softly said:

"This is truly a wonderful match... As her senior disciple, I naturally had to make a trip to the landmass. Firstly, to personally inform the family head and fulfill proper etiquette. Secondly, to meet her family and explain everything thoroughly."

Li Zhouluo instantly realized the situation. He secretly nodded to himself and smiled, saying:

"This is excellent news. Since Senior has this intention, I will personally take Senior to meet them on the landmass right away."

Shepherd's Seat Peak was clearly incomparable to Purple Qi Peak, where Lingyanzi's lineage had nearly been severed multiple times. Qianlizi was also a well-known Foundation Establishment cultivator, famed as the "Glazed Treasure Vase." Even this senior disciple possessed cultivation at the late Foundation Establishment stage, which spoke volumes!

Moreover, despite the initial disarray, Li Zhouluo had clearly observed that Lingyanzi, despite being a peak master and an elder within the sect, was a step slower than Wen Wu. Furthermore, the various Purple Mist cultivators deferred to Wen Wu, indicating that this senior disciple clearly held a considerably high status.

"I wonder if this was specifically instructed by the True Person..." Li Zhouluo thought. "In any case, having another child join the sect is ultimately a good thing..."

Li Zhouluo, receiving such rare good news these past few days, felt a sense of relief and comfort. Beside him, elder sister Li Quewan, holding Li Queyi with one hand and Li Quexi with the other, was thinking more pragmatically:

"From what I've seen, Lingyanzi's disciples... each one either has shallow cultivation or has stagnated," she mused. "Perhaps the old man chose Queyi because of her high talent and because she has already started qi cultivation... If it were a cultivator who had just entered the Embryonic Breathing stage, this old man would likely die of old age before they could even reach Foundation Establishment."

"Given how strong Shepherd's Seat Peak is and how weak Purple Qi Peak is now, Lingyanzi won't have much time to provide protection. The lives and treatment of these two younger sisters... will likely be worlds apart..."