Chapter 818: Deng Family

Yuan Hu'e stood frozen for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Zhou Baiyun, who was standing nearby, was still caught up in his own forceful words. He hesitated, secretly thinking this was an excellent opportunity to impress Yuan Hu'e. If Li Zhouwei hadn't revealed his identity earlier, potentially causing trouble for his elder brother, he would have already spoken up in support. As it was, he could only glance at Yuan Hu'e's face, noticing the old man's beard trembling. He then mumbled:

"So... so it's you, Senior... My apologies! What I said before was ridiculous; I actually discussed your elders..."

His bravado completely deflated, he continued awkwardly and fearfully:

"This humble old man was blind... When Senior Xuanfeng was stationed on this island years ago... I admired him immensely and often sought his guidance. I secretly held immense gratitude in my heart. I never expected you to arrive today. It's one thing that I failed to greet you properly, but to not recognize you in person is a great sin... a great sin..."

His swift change in attitude stunned Zhou Baiyun. Yet, he understood the old man's words perfectly, and a chill ran down his spine:

'Good heavens... Li Xuanfeng's surname is Li, Li Xizhi's surname is also Li, they are from the same family! This Li Zhouwei is from the Wangyue Immortal Clan!'

Only then did he realize something was wrong, secretly cursing his misfortune. The old man, however, turned to him and cursed:

"You, Zhou! With such a guest arriving, you didn't bother to inquire properly but hastily sent someone to ask, claiming some fierce person had come... I will punish you!"

'Huh?'

Zhou Baiyun broke out in a cold sweat. The Li family's current power was too much even for the Yuan family, let alone a mere rogue cultivator like him. Li Xuanfeng's reputation in this area was formidable; several people had even learned to use a bow like him. Zhou Baiyun, however, dared not say anything more and could only stand there like a mute.

Li Zhouwei watched as the old man framed the situation as "not recognizing him in person" and pushed Zhou Baiyun forward. He remained silent, exerting pressure. Yuan Hu'e, after much rambling, seeing that Li Zhouwei did not respond, could only sigh deeply and tremblingly say:

"Alas!"

Yuan Hu'e had always respected and feared Li Xuanfeng, harboring no intention of offending him. However, being an overseas cultivator promoted by the Ning family, his identity was sensitive, and he could only follow the Yuan family's dictates.

As soon as he heard that Yuan Hudu and Yuan Huyuan were wavering, he knew trouble was coming.

It turned out that Yuan Chengzhao from the clan was also unreliable. What was once a good relationship between the two families—with the bond of senior and junior brothers at the top and close family ties at the bottom, even considering intermarriage—resulted in the two elders and one junior betraying Yuan Chengdun, leading to this irreparable situation.

Now, with Yuan Hudu's old injuries recurring, leading to his sudden death, and Yuan Zibin managing the family—a perverse and arrogant man—it was clear that over three generations, the entire Yuan family had rotted to its core. This also meant Yuan Hu'e had offended a Purple Mansion-level force. Now that they had come knocking, Yuan Hu'e's heart was bleeding. He murmured:

"The younger generation in the family is ignorant..."

The grievances between the Li and Yuan families were not something that could be resolved with a few words. Li Zhouwei deemed himself neither qualified nor inclined to resolve them on behalf of his elders. He waved his hand and replied:

"Island Master Taie, there's no need to say so much. I'm just passing by and will leave once I've exchanged for some spiritual items here."

He pointed to the jade box on the table. Yuan Hu'e, now much more submissive, looked at it, took out its contents, estimated its value, and, with a shudder in his heart, whispered:

"Reporting to you, Senior, Taie Island currently has a white-skinned fan called the White Yin Fan. It's a rare magical artifact of the profound Qi path, capable of stirring up black and yellow energies. It was originally consigned here for sale by the peak master of Qingchi and should be worth the exchange."

Li Zhouwei finally heard something interesting. Magical artifacts of the profound Qi path were rare, and the black flame he cultivated with his Jiazi Po refining spear technique was precisely of the profound Qi path, making such an item suitable for him. He said:

"Which peak master is this, and what does he require?"

Yuan Hu'e wiped some sweat and replied:

"It's the former peak master of Jie Peak, also a cultivator at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His surname is Deng, given name Yuzhi. He is over a hundred years old and cultivates in this area, so he consigned the item here for sale..."

He glanced at Zhou Baiyun, who, as if granted amnesty, quickly went out to invite the person. Li Zhouwei, however, felt a sense of certainty and secretly nodded:

'So it's someone from the Deng family.'

Yuan Hu'e, however, looked at the table and immediately took a liking to the long staff. After examining it for a few moments, he hesitated, wary of using something from the Changxiao Sect for himself, and said:

"As for this staff, this old man can arrange to keep it on the island for sale."

He rummaged in his sleeve for a moment, took out a bright, pure white luminous pearl, and tentatively asked:

"This is a protective spiritual shield, a light Xuan light-blessing pure Qi item suitable for all paths. Perhaps you could take it and use it first, while the staff is sold on the island. Once sold, we can compare values, with any excess being given to you and any deficit compensated, then we can negotiate further at the lake..."

Li Zhouwei only took a glance and knew the old man wanted to use it. After all, its life-preserving properties were quite useful for old cultivators, but he feared the Changxiao Sect's methods and wanted to keep it to have someone inspect it first. Light Xuan light-blessing items were generally versatile for all paths, but protective light-shielding artifacts were usually expensive. If this item was offered so easily for exchange, it likely didn't offer much protective power. However, the staff was useless to him, and he didn't want to run around various markets. So, he pushed the wooden staff towards Yuan Hu'e and took the white luminous pearl.

"Please take a look, Senior... This is a catalog of the island's cherished items."

Yuan Hu'e took the wooden staff and examined it twice with great fondness, but he was clearly uncomfortable in Li Zhouwei's presence. He quickly excused himself, claiming he needed to investigate and inquire about something, and left immediately.

Li Zhouwei then took the catalog and began to read. Soon after, he heard Zhou Baiyun's voice respectfully say:

"Please come in, Senior!"

A middle-aged man then approached. His hair was streaked with gray, he was extremely thin, with a deer-like head and rat-like eyes, yet his expression was relatively calm. His small eyes swept around, and upon seeing Li Zhouwei, he bowed slightly and sighed:

"Family Head Li... It's good to finally meet you. I am Deng Yuzhi, from the Deng clan of Simin..."

The Deng clan was a small family, and though they had a Foundation Establishment cultivator holding them down, they had been forced by the Chi family to practice a special cultivation method that led to madness and death in every generation. Later, when Chi Wei perished, Chi Zhiyun intervened to ease their plight, and the Deng family improved. Deng clan disciples no longer practiced that technique, and Deng Yuzhi was considered the last to do so.

The Deng family had a long-standing friendship with the Li family. Deng Yuzhi's elder brother, Deng Qiuzhi, was rumored to be a close friend of the Sword Immortal Li Chijing. Years ago, Li Zhouwei had sent letters to Li Quantao through the Deng family. Although they didn't communicate frequently, their relationship was solid. Li Zhouwei rose and invited him to sit.

Despite his unappealing appearance, Deng Yuzhi was very graceful. He took out a jade pot and jade cups, poured tea, and smiled:

"Congratulations, Family Head."

Li Zhouwei nodded slightly and replied:

"Greetings, Senior. Is your family doing better now?"

Deng Yuzhi revealed a rather ungraceful smile and replied:

"It's been good for a hundred years... With Chi Wei's death, we already breathed a sigh of relief. And with Ning Hejing and Chi Zhiyan, who harbored extreme malice towards my family, also gone, things became even more relaxed. A few days ago, Chi Zhiyun perished, and there was much mourning in our household..."

Li Zhouwei frowned and asked:

"Chi Zhiyun perished? Does your esteemed clan have any... plans concerning the Chi family?"

Deng Yuzhi replied:

"When the Chi family head was killed, I originally took up my sword, wanting to seize the opportunity to slaughter their entire family, old and young, from top to bottom. But my children stopped me midway..."

"Perhaps it's because I've been constantly traveling between Yishan and Qingchi, with no time to discipline them. They don't acknowledge the generations of slaughter suffered by our ancestors. Chi Wei died over a hundred years ago, and who cares about some branch of uncles and cousins who died a hundred years ago? They just think I'm cruel and fear that my impulsiveness will bring disaster upon them, and that Chi Buzhi will come back and settle scores with them."

He sipped his tea and said softly:

"When I was twenty or thirty, my elder brother was harmed, and I hated for over a hundred years. I felt that my Deng family had been devoured for generations, and this blood feud was etched into our bones. If one day the great revenge were to be avenged, every single person in my Deng family would be eager to fight with their lives... Later, when I returned home, it seemed no one in the Deng family knew about it. Even if they knew, they didn't feel hatred, only that Chi Zhiyun had saved them, and for a hundred years, they didn't have to be 'devoured'."

He pursed his lips, his unsightly hare-lips trembling, and replied:

"This appearance of mine is the consequence of my father cultivating a strange technique. My face is very ugly. A hundred years later, when I returned home, they found my heart ugly too, believing I wanted to bring endless trouble to the family in revenge for my own ugliness. Little did they know I could change my appearance now; I just deliberately choose to remember."

"I went back three times, circled around a dozen times, and then found it meaningless. It seemed I didn't hate so much anymore. From then on, I left Simin and came here."

The man's tone was very flat. He only asked:

"And your esteemed clan? Your clan contributed greatly to the Chi family's downfall. Are there still ordinary Chi family members who have not yet died out, and are you considering wiping out the Chi family for revenge?"

Li Zhouwei remained silent. Deng Yuzhi continued:

"This matter is hard to explain. Your family lost a Sword Immortal, while mine lost an unknown, insignificant Qi Refining practitioner. It seems your family's vendetta is more worthy of hatred, yet wasn't it still a family member who was harmed? Because it was a Sword Immortal, it's easier to hate. As for those without names, no one cares if they are harmed... Who truly cares?"

"It's just that he was my elder brother, so I harbor more hatred."

He laughed self-deprecatingly, his hare-lips pressed tightly together. From his sleeve, he took out a brocade and jade box and replied:

"Years ago, when I visited the Li family, I met both Senior Li Tongya and Fellow Daoist Li Xuanling. It's rare to encounter an old acquaintance, so allow me a few more words... I heard you're looking for the White Yin Fan... and it's also rare to find a buyer as suitable as you."

He placed the box on the table and gently opened it. Inside lay a pure white, small ivory fan, only the length of a forearm, smooth and delicate. Its handle was crafted from pure black, dark, and dull wu iron.

With just one glance, Li Zhouwei recognized it as a very fine magical artifact. He was immediately interested, nodded slightly, and asked:

"May I ask about the artifact's origins? And what do you, fellow Daoist, require?"

Deng Yuzhi smiled and replied:

"This artifact is one of those my ancestor obtained while accompanying King Liang. When King Liang perished in the water, my ancestor crossed the river southwards, preserving these spiritual treasures. Later, his unworthy descendants squandered most of them. This particular artifact came into my possession; it was originally meant to be returned to the clan, but I was greatly disappointed... and hastily departed. I never expected Heaven to pity my arduous first half of life and, by chance, grant me a new son."

His gaze became softer, making his face appear less wretched. Clearly, he was very fond of this new child:

"Magical artifacts of the profound Qi path are not suitable for me. I'm also preparing to acquire property for my son in the Hetian Sea area. He cultivates Kan Water, and profound Qi transforming into Kan and departing from Li makes it even less suitable. So, I plan to find a way for my descendant to preserve his life, and that's why I've taken an interest in your gourd."

"The Fu Water path is very suitable, both for me and for my young son."

Li Zhouwei had heard that the Deng family's cultivation method was a rare one that used two types of Qi simultaneously: Night Moon Ling Qi and Falling Rain Chenxin. The former was Taiyin, and the latter was Fu Water, making it very suitable. He slowly shook his head and replied:

"That's a pity. Firstly, this gourd still bears the mark left by the Changxiao Sect. If left to your descendants, it could lead to endless troubles. Secondly, it is, after all, someone else's item, and there's a risk of it being recognized eventually."

Zhou Baiyun had clearly not explained the full implications; these middlemen always revealed half and hid half to facilitate a transaction. Deng Yuzhi felt a slight chill in his heart upon hearing this. He smiled faintly with a hint of gratitude and replied:

"Thank you, fellow Daoist... That's one thing. The items in your storage pouch are also what I need to establish formations, but without the gourd, it wouldn't be a good exchange."

He also didn't mention the several magical artifacts from the Tangjin Sect; not only were their quality slightly inferior, but they clearly weren't suitable for the Deng father and son.

Li Zhouwei nodded thoughtfully. He was very much attracted to the White Yin Fan and wouldn't miss it. In comparison, the Fu Water gourd was much less appealing... Furthermore, since its inner contents weren't dissipated, its value was naturally diminished. He said:

"I am extremely pleased with the White Yin Fan. I don't think you, Senior, are in a hurry for a day or two. I need to go far to meet another senior and will pass through many places. It would be best if I could process the gourd along the way, perhaps modify its appearance, and have a high-level cultivator remove its marks, so it's completely clean."

Deng Yuzhi nodded slightly. Li Zhouwei then replied:

"The owner of this item is surnamed Zhuang, one of those involved in the ambush. If it can be thoroughly dealt with, it will be more reassuring."

After a few pleasantries, Deng Yuzhi still seemed doubtful. He stood up and left. Just then, Li Zhouwei encountered Zhou Baiyun entering and asked:

"Do you know about Liehai? Are there any maps for sale in the market?"

Liehai was likely a newly established Dragon-affiliated marine pasturage. Zhou Baiyun shook his head, looking bewildered. Li Zhouwei could only recall Dongfang Heyun's words that Liehai was east of Jiaohai, beyond the Hetian Sea, in the outer sea territory. So, he said:

"Then get me a map of Jiaohai."

Zhou Baiyun hastily went down. Li Zhouwei stayed in the pavilion, reading a secret technique for a while. Then, the man respectfully handed something to him. Li Zhouwei smiled and said:

"Gongsun Baiyun... Your elder brother serves under the Baiye Duxian Dao. How could he bear to let you be a rogue cultivator in this Hetian Sea?"

The man immediately became fearful. After all, he wasn't completely ignorant of affairs within the sea; Wangyue Lake had once clashed with the Baiye Duxian Dao! He could only bow and say:

"My elder brother achieved the immortal foundation long ago and spent years of savings to help me, his foolish and incompetent younger brother, reach Foundation Establishment. However, he didn't want two birds to perch on one branch, fearing that if something happened, both brothers would perish together."

"He said that while the inner sea is prosperous, it's very dangerous. One is the Sun Dao Lineage, the other is the Duxian Xuanshan; he forbade me from going there and also from using the surname Gongsun myself. Yet, he sends resources overseas every year... Until the day I can establish a family and sect, he will not rest assured."