The Mirror Legacy

Chapter 1631: True Nature (I)

Although the old man asked the question, he did not look at him. Instead, he picked up the other cup of tea that had already been poured on the table, gestured for Li Zhouluo to take it, and invited him to sit before speaking.

Li Zhouluo had already been at a loss for words, so the pause gave him a chance to gather his thoughts. Taking the opportunity, he rose, accepted the teacup, sat down beside the old man once more, and said with a sigh, "I don't know either. When I went to Simin Prefecture, a senior came to see me. He told me to address him... to address him as granduncle... His name was Yang Ruiyi."

Li Xuanxuan's expression grew slightly more reserved as he considered the name. Yang Ruiyi... of the Rui generation... That would make him from the same generation as Yang Xiao'er's siblings...

Outwardly, he nodded in apparent understanding, smiled, and asked, "What manner of great cultivator is he? Strange that I've never encountered him before."

Li Zhouluo looked somewhat uncertain as he replied, "I couldn't tell... There was something about his mystics that reminded me of my father's [Untraceable Presence]. Even standing right before me, he had no trace of an aura at all, just like an ordinary mortal..."

Li Xuanxuan sighed inwardly as he listened to Li Zhuolao speak. "He spoke to me about a few matters and explained the situation in the north. If our clan still wants the territory of the Wilderness, we should seize it as soon as possible. After all, the Profound Peak Gate is watching from nearby... If our clan doesn't take it, someone else will move in to guard it."

Li Xuanxuan set down his teacup and asked solemnly, "If the Yang Family is taking charge of the affairs of Yue State, what will become of the various sects and factions?"

Li Zhouluo shook his head. "You'd have to ask Jiangliang about that. He's held in extremely high regard by that lord,and knows those matters well. I may have some family ties through marriage, but I can't really be counted among those in his inner circle.

"I only heard one thing..."

Li Xuanxuan raised an eyebrow and listened as the younger man continued, "Not long ago, that granduncle visited both Snow Ji Gate and Wanyu Gate. In fact, he went more than once, making arrangements for many matters. At the very least, those two gates... should come through this unharmed."

The old man looked surprised as he said, "Snow Ji Gate has remained closed to the outside world for many years. It actually has ties with the Yang Family?"

Li Zhouluo's expression turned solemn as he answered, "I'm not sure myself, but I've heard that Snow Ji Gate's former master was Daoist Master Guanyu. It seems... he had close ties with the Yang Family."

"Oh?" Li Xuanxuan pondered for a while before raising his brows hesitantly and asking, "And Yuanqin[1]... how is he? Does he have any chance of returning?"

Li Zhouluo had clearly made inquiries well in advance and had long prepared what he wanted to say. He answered naturally, "None of the Azure Pond Sect's cultivators were overlooked. Their registries and soul lamps were all handed over by Si Tongyi, and are now recorded in the hands of the [Immortal Administration Bureau]. Our elder is listed among them as well. It's just that he has yet to emerge from seclusion, and is still confined within Mount Azure Pond."

Li Xuanxuan had expected as much. Raising his brows, he asked, "Do you know what arrangements have been made for Li Quantao in Simin?"

Li Zhouluo was momentarily taken aback, not expecting the old man to change the subject so abruptly. He simply replied, "I've met him! Perhaps because both the Si Family and Jiangliang recommended him, he's held in very high regard. He even met that lord in person. I heard they spoke privately in the main hall for a long time, and the territory he was granted is among the very best!"

Li Xuanxuan sighed inwardly. He asked no further questions, instead chatting with him for quite some time about his cultivation and daily life before he finally said with a sigh, "You... since you have ties of kinship with the Yang Family, and they've already approached you, what do you intend to do now?"

The question prompted Li Zhouluo to hurriedly rise to his feet as he answered in a low voice, "I have no divided loyalties... It's just that granduncle said a certain senior wished to protect the branch of the family that married into the Yang Family... That's why I was granted lands in Simin. But I have no desire to remain with the Yang Family for long, so I hurried back."

A trace of melancholy appeared between his brows as he continued, "The lake is where my own family lies. No matter what, the Yang Family is only my grandmother's family. I may wish to grow closer to them, but I could never truly treat them as my own. In the end, they are still different. How could I live in Simin Prefecture as a guest?"

Li Xuanxuan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Sometimes these things are beyond anyone's control. Stay at the lake and continue your cultivation for now. Watch how things unfold before making any decisions."

Li Zhouluo nodded solemnly and gave a respectful bow. Just as he was about to withdraw from the pavilion, Li Xuanxuan suddenly asked, "Linhai Prefecture... Was it a breakthrough, or a fall?"

"My lord, it was a breakthrough... It was Lingu Lanying!"

With that reply, the younger man carefully closed the door behind him and quietly withdrew.

Only then did streams of heavenly light descend, revealing a man in white-golden Daoist robes seated at the opposite side of the room, as though he had been there all along. Beside him stood another man clad in black and gold. They were none other than the two Daoist Masters of the lake.

"Ming'er..."

Li Xuanxuan rose to his feet as Li Ximing said thoughtfully, "Granting him lands in Simin... The Yang Family intends to keep him there under their command."

"Indeed..." The old man frowned, his expression filled with concern as he said, "It's not just Zhouluo. Quantao has also been entrusted with important responsibilities. Yuanqin has hidden himself well and has yet to emerge from seclusion, but he likely won't be able to avoid it forever. The people in the south are watching very closely."

Li Zhouwei paced about the hall, his mind filled with doubts. Raising his brows, he said, "So it was Lingu Lanying... The Old Sword Immortal had anticipated this all along! It seems there's no need for anyone else to worry about the Lin Family."

Li Ximing nodded thoughtfully, and silence settled over the hall. Li Zhouwei then raised his brows and said quietly, "So Que Liyu really did head south under orders..."

The two of them looked toward him, only to find the golden-eyed youth wearing a distant expression. "Even if he is one of the Three Dao Armors and the reincarnation of the Metallic Essence of True Monarch Tianwu, he probably still isn't qualified to attain Fruition simply by cultivating step by step. Since everyone under heaven wants this to come to pass as soon as possible, it's only natural that they all want to lend him a hand.”

He murmured, "Divine profundity shines within, while fierce majesty radiates without. Rectify one's nature and restrain desire. Boundless in both benevolence and might. Slay demons and monsters. Uphold the martial path and preserve the truth..."

But then, he raised his brows and said, "Rectify one's nature and restrain desire? If the Great Desire Dao didn't head south, what would there even be to rectify or restrain? The Underworld's judiciary and Lord Yang wouldn't need to concern themselves with this at all. The north would naturally provide him with every opportunity to 'rectify his nature and restrain desire!'"

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Mount Quanwu.

Mount Quanwu formed the northern barrier of Simin Prefecture, the largest prefecture in the heartland of Yue State. Though its forests teemed with demonic creatures, it had long served as the backyard of immortal cultivators. Fortunately, the Azure Pond Sect, the force that had exploited Mount Quanwu most ruthlessly over the past several decades, had fallen into decline for a time, allowing the demonic creatures of the mountain to recover to some degree.

But now, the once lush forests of Mount Quanwu were shrouded in a dull gray radiance, drained of all color. Sheets of Karmic Fire circled overhead, casting down countless streaks of black light.

Awooo...

Cries of anguish echoed throughout the mountains. The demon generals that had once struggled to survive in these forests had clearly become nothing more than meat on the Buddhist cultivators' chopping block. One brilliant radiance after another descended through the Karmic Fire, subduing them one by one.

Crack...

The foothills lay under a dim, oppressive gloom. A gigantic crow huddled within the radiance, folding its wings before transforming into a dark-faced man.

Panic was written all over his face as he called out in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Yuan? Fellow Daoist Yuan!"

An old man hurried over from the side. His mana was turbid, marking him as nothing more than a cultivator of various unrefined qi. Age had taken a heavy toll on him, and anxiety filled his eyes as he asked, "This... The heavens have truly changed!"

The demonic creature's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth. "Aren't you, Yuan Huzhong, one of the Yuan Family? How could something this big happen without a single warning?! How are we supposed to get out of this now?!"

"The Yuan Family? What Yuan Family... Sigh!"

At the mention of the Yuan Family, the old man, Yuan Huzhong, raised his brows but dared not say more. Looking down at the countless lights scattered across the mountains below, fear filled his face. "The Buddhist cultivators have come... There are a full twenty thousand of them spread throughout the mountains. There's nowhere to hide!"

"Then save your own life!" The demonic creature cursed, yet did not dare take flight on the wind. Instead, he snarled, "At least you're not a demonic creature, so you won't draw much attention. Slip out through the mountain trails, and you'll have a good chance of surviving!"

The old man merely shook his head.

1. Li Xuanfeng's son. ☜