Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

"Thank goodness! It was disciples from the Green Pond Sect who arrived. If it had been cultivators from Xiuyue Sect, they wouldn't tolerate any filth in their eyes. They wouldn't have given you a chance to explain and would have cut you down with a single sword. Not only would you and I have lost our lives, but I fear even our great king would have been beheaded!"

"Tsk."

Yuan Huzhong sighed in relief and said:

"If we really were unlucky, what could we do? The sect members eradicate demons and then leave. Poor these five thousand people, you and I would be dead, only to be divided among the demon hordes!"

As Li Xizhi rose into the air, his mood became slightly gloomy. Although he knew that such things were common in South River, it was still the first time he had witnessed it first-hand. After listening to Yuan Huzhong's words, he truly felt powerless.

'Still better than overseas... after all, it was once governed by the Immortal Mansion. Whether it's the Immortal Sect's wariness or some remaining sense of justice, they dare not act so brazenly, and even the Demon Sect must disguise itself... Not to mention, some Taoist lineages are quite decent.'

Li Xizhi laughed at himself. If he had been in Yuan Huzhong's shoes, he probably would have resorted to the same methods, and his initial impulse to kill seemed laughable.

Li Xizhi was still under great pressure from his own situation and the Li Family. He was not in the mood for empathy and quickly put these thoughts out of his mind. Flying through the Quanwu area, the jade pendant at his waist suddenly began to heat up, emitting a warm white glow.

"Hmm?"

Li Xizhi was overjoyed and thought to himself:

"There must be family brothers or elders nearby!"

...

Li Xijun and the others had been wandering in the Quanwu Mountain range for some time and had obtained several Spiritual Objects. Led by Kongheng, they encountered no Foundation Establishment demons but just roamed through the mountains and forests.

Li Xuanxuan and another were forming spells, probing the Earth Veins, and gradually picked up some clues. After investigating beside a deep pool for a while, Li Xijun said:

"Uncle, according to the descriptions and spells in the 'Cold Snow Collection', there should be a spirit water in this pool."

Li Xuanxuan, still clutching a bundle of mountain fruits, picked and chose before handing over a plum, and nodded slightly. After calculating with her spell, she spoke softly:

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait some time. These Water Veins run deep, and the water cannot be retrieved in a short period."

Li Xijun casually placed it in his chest. The two of them formed spells and began to draw out the power together, with one resting while the other maintained the effort, alternating like this for five or six days. Suddenly, a golden light descended from the sky far away.

As the golden light touched down, it transformed into a man dressed in a golden Feather Clothing, wielding a golden ring in his hand, a practitioner of the Foundation Establishment Cultivation with considerable presence. His arrival alone caused the others to grimace as if scraped by knives.

This man glanced at the pool without showing any emotion, seeming to have come for the spirit water.

With a golden ring in his hand and a rather handsome face, his clothing's distinctive features were apparent, adorned with gold hooks and rings, and the pattern on his Feather Clothing was clearly that of the Tang Jin Sect.

"We pay our respects to the elder..."

This cultivator from the Tang Jin Sect had an arrogant demeanor and a trace of excitement. He glanced at the three people and spoke with affected laziness:

"Where are you three from? The spirit water here belongs to the Tang Jin Sect now."

Li Xuanxuan and Li Xijun exchanged a glance while Kongheng frowned deeply and said sternly:

"We arrived first..."

Before Kongheng could finish, Li Xijun quickly interrupted him, speaking politely:

"We are from the Li Clan of the Green Pond. Since the elder desires it, we will leave it for you. We shall depart and seek elsewhere."

"Not quite."

The man's smile was mocking, his tone spiteful as he said:

"I want you to extract the spirit water for me before you leave."

Li Xuanxuan looked at his face, feeling a wave of familiarity, and then realized they had met this arrogant young man from the Tang Jin Sect many years before when they had asked Kong Yu to help move a mountain and encountered him on the way.

"Situ Mo!"

Situ Mo was known for his nasty temper, having berated Kong Yu harshly, using him as a joke for the noble families for quite some time. Li Xuanxuan came to know the reason for this mockery; at the time, he was merely at the Qi Cultivating Peak, but now he had already entered Foundation Establishment.

'This kind of person... relies solely on his family background after all!'

Li Xuanxuan cursed inwardly, and Situ Mo watched him with a teasing gaze full of undeniable disdain. Li Xuanxuan quickly realized:

"Trouble! He has recognized me... It seems we've been implicated by our association with the Kong Clan of Xuan Yue... What kind of vendetta does this Situ Mo have against the Kong Clan to harbor such deep hatred!"

As expected, after Li Xijun amiably responded, Situ Mo sneered twice and said in a low voice:

"I recognize the nobility… Our elders also once harvested Qi in the territory of the Noble Families! They lured a Demon Sparrow, creating turmoil for a long time. At that time, your elders were still mortals, perhaps they even prostrated themselves."

Li Xijun had initially thought of him as just a profligate, but after hearing these words, he immediately realized the newcomer bore ill intent, and could even be an enemy. The polite smile disappeared completely from his face, and his expression turned cold.

Beside himself with anger, Li Xuanxuan was even more puzzled:

"This young man… Where does such deep hatred come from? It's unlikely to be because of the Xuan Yue Sect..."

He couldn't comprehend where Situ Mo's deep resentment came from, and the man's words were especially malicious and unpleasant to hear, stirring such fury in him that even his face showed no good expression.

Situ Mo eyed Li Xuanxuan with a cold gaze and said in a low voice:

"That day in the wilderness, if I had known that you, this detestable old thing, were a member of the Li family, I should have killed you... you..."

He gritted his teeth and said venomously:

"The An Family and the Lu Family plotted with the tiger, only to be exterminated by your Li Clan in the end, which is indeed pleasing to hear. The good deeds you did in the past caused my mother to despair and take her own life… Finally, the day has come for your family to experience the suffering of my maternal clan!!"

Li Xijun was stunned upon hearing this, and Kongheng's eyes widened in shock. Li Xuanxuan's head thundered as if struck by lightning, scenes flashing by, until they stopped on a face that had worried Li Xiangping and Li Tongya immensely in the past...

"Ji Dengqi!"

Li Xuanxuan exclaimed in shock:

"You... You are the son of that woman from the Ji Family!"

"Haha! Exactly…"

He was only halfway through speaking when Li Xijun, who had already reacted, yanked vigorously at Kongheng's sleeve, jumped into the air and pulled out a streak of blood light, speeding away. Even Situ Mo was momentarily startled and said angrily:

"Truly the spawn of Li Tongya! As cunning as a snake!"

Kongheng and Li Xuanxuan were so greatly taken aback that they were still in shock, only now coming to their senses. Kongheng was just about to take flight with Li Xuanxuan when he saw a golden light rising on the side, separating heaven and earth, enveloping them both.

Situ Mo looked at Li Xijun's retreating back with a sneer and said:

"Did you think I was just talking nonsense?"

In the distance, Li Xijun riding the blood light just managed to penetrate the Formation, when a Golden Sword that had been waiting for a long time flew towards him, piercing through his chest ruthlessly and pinning him to the ground.

As the blood light suddenly appeared, the young man fell down with a thud, and Li Xuanxuan, feeling chills all over, saw a blood-stained plum rolling out from the boy's embrace. Round and plump, it bounced twice.

"The youngster did run fast, but being struck by the 'Dingling Edge,' he dies a step earlier!"

A trace of satisfaction appeared on Situ Mo's face as he turned to look at the two people, saying coldly:

"You old thing do have some experience. My mother was Ji Dengyu! The Family Head of the Ji Family Ji Dengqi was indeed my great uncle! Lu Sisi and An Zhiyan slaughtered my Ji Family, thinking my father was killed, yet they didn't know that my mother was already pregnant with me..."

"I thought you would return the same way you came, never expecting you to wander around, and even come to the Quanwu Mountain Range. It took me a good effort to find you, making sure you didn't escape!"

His face showed a cruel and ferocious expression, along with the particular satisfaction of taking revenge, as he burst into laughter and said coldly:

"I knew the Li family was ruthless, and Li Tongya was at the Sword Dao Foundation Establishment, so my mother dared not speak of these matters, entrusting me to others' care… Now that I have achieved my Immortal Foundation, it's time to settle these years of hatred properly!"

Li Xuanxuan's heart shook violently, his mind racing, and his eyes became bloodshot as he said through clenched teeth, trying to conceal:

"When the Ji Family was destroyed, both mountains were taken over by the An Family and the Lu Family, having nothing to do with my family!"

"Having nothing to do with it?"

Situ Mo sneered triumphantly, in no hurry to argue, and said with hatred:

"The one we planted beside Lu Yuanlu was a loudmouth, who also secretly envied Li Tongya. He had already spilled everything! Who do you think you could deceive?"

'So it was that fool! So it was that fool!'

Li Xuanxuan felt cold inside, struggling to catch his breath as if there were flames burning inside his chest, his mind consumed with thoughts of Li Xijun outside, his facial wounds faintly starting to split open again, revealing the golden elixir within.

The elder momentarily bled from seven orifices, and blood also surged from six wounds, leaving him staring wide-eyed and unable to speak.

Yet a hand rested on his shoulder, emitting a gentle golden light that quickly brought his emotions under control, and his wounds began to slowly close. Kongheng bowed his head slightly and said gently:

"The Elder has applied Immortal Law, do not get angry. With this young monk here... there is no need to worry."