"Fate is bound to me; I cannot bow and serve others, lest I endanger the Family Head. Please do not take offense!"

Li Yuanping heard this for the first time, and his eyes lit up at once. He memorized the words, replied with a restrained "I dare not," and said:

"The Green Ruler Sword is the ancestral treasure of our Li Family, both a magic artifact and a ritual instrument. This matter is weighty; I must report it to the clan so my elders may decide. I must ask you to wait."

"Good, good, it should be so!"

Wang Xun nodded twice in quick succession. Li Yuanping stepped out, whispered a few words to Li Wen at the door, explaining the details and instructing him to deliver the message to the mountain.

Watching that honest man leave, Li Yuanping returned to the hall, his mind turning swiftly:

"This man is very well-informed, each sentence a secret from some common sect. Since this rare opportunity has come, I ought to glean as much as possible—this is the family lore of a Perfected Lord, worth more than gold."

He had yet to speak when Wang Xun blurted eagerly:

"Your noble family passes down the Sword Dao, bears the Li surname, and dwells by Wangyue Lake—is it, perchance, the clan of Donghua Perfected Person from the old Moonlight Origin Mansion?"

Li Yuanping found the name unfamiliar, and simply replied:

"It is not. Our legacy comes from Ancestor Mutian, who was merely a Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator. The ancestry is untraceable now; I've never heard any Perfected Person's true name."

Wang Xun nodded and smiled:

"The Perfected Person's mortal surname was Li, his name Jiangqun, sword Dao reaching divine comprehension. He is well-known even in Yinghua County. Back then, he was a great cultivator upon Wangyue Marsh."

"So he was an Immortal Mansion Descendant."

On this topic, the Li Family's direct lineages had privately speculated as much, but there was no proof, and the karma bound to Li Jiangqun was too immense. The Li Family, being but a small noble family, avoided danger as best as they could, never daring to become embroiled.

At once, the topic shifted, probing the stance of this practice of nourishing qi and tempering character, saying with a smile:

"I have heard the North has fallen to the Huji Buddhist practitioners' domain. I did not expect a peer of our way to remain."

"Well…"

Wang Xun paused, then explained:

"Though the Huji have moved south and the Buddhist path is ascendant, the North still holds many cave heavens and blessed lands that remain secluded. There are even small principalities untouched by Buddhist rule…and besides…"

He smiled awkwardly and answered:

"Our path of nourishing qi and character warred with your Zifu Golden Core Path a thousand years ago; though in the last century we've often joined forces under threat, we can hardly be called peers…"

"I see! I have spoken out of turn."

Li Yuanping chuckled, suddenly enlightened. Though he was quite curious about this so-called practice of nourishing qi and character, he dared not pry into another's lineage. After all, the young gentleman before him was inexperienced, not foolish—some idle words would suffice.

Wang Xun saw Li Yuanping apologize and felt somewhat guilty. He hurriedly added:

"The Dao is neither good nor evil, it lies in men's deeds. I am no judge of Daoist lineages. Just last year I visited Xiuyue Sect to seek the sword from Elder Shangyuan, and we conversed most agreeably…"

"Shangyuan Perfected Person."

Li Yuanping spoke the name he'd heard only in rumors, and replied:

"The Perfected Person is truly a Sword Immortal second only to the Golden Core—his sword intent must be peerless."

"Indeed formidable."

Wang Xun sighed, and for the first time a solemn look crossed his features as he answered:

"His sword is truly astonishing. On one side, ethereal and transcendent, it severs evil and dispels demons; on the other, it is cold as snow on a lofty sky, ice piercing to the bone. Even my family's Perfected Lord has never seen such dual sword intents united."

————

At this moment, Li Wen received his orders, rose quietly on the wind, and above, the mountain courtyard lay still. The black-robed Li Yuanjiao stood motionless in the court, his face somber and unmoving.

Xiao Chuluan clasped his arm quietly, speaking no word, her face showing worry; now she too had broken through in qi cultivation, her cultivation technique brimming with vitality, able to heal wounds and expel poison.

"Brother."

Li Qinghong's face was also grave, gripping her spear in silence. After a long while, she finally spoke:

"So it is said, but leaving younger brother Ping alone at the foot of the mountain pains me greatly."

"There's no helping it…"

Li Yuanjiao bit his lip, lowered his brows, and said:

"After all… now we can't afford the luxury of youthful sentiment. At Great-uncle's shrine, I swore an oath: neither of us can come to harm."

"Hand me that spear!"

Li Qinghong murmured her assent. Li Yuanjiao was slightly taken aback, but nonetheless took out a Jade Box from his storage bag and whispered:

"I made up my mind before I came and brought it along. Great-uncle said this spear is ferocious and untamed, hard to control, it harms vitality and shortens lifespan. When he received it, he never used it, and if not for Qi Cultivating Peak, it would never have passed to you."

"But should true calamity strike, giving this spear to you may grant another chance at escape…"

He offered up the Jade Box; Li Qinghong hurriedly took it, and just then the courtyard door creaked open. Several clan members of other surnames, both qi cultivators and guest elders, arrived in haste, greeted them in unison, and entered the yard.

After exchanging salutations, Li Qinghong gently opened the Jade Box to see a spear resting within.

This spear was entirely silver-white. The head measured seven inches, its tip square-edged and flattened like buckwheat. The shaft stretched six feet, ornate with swirling patterns and flowing dharma light. The color was uniform, hard to distinguish without close inspection.

As soon as the box was opened, it seemed to unleash years of pent-up wrath, a burst of glittering white lightning erupting forth, leaping from the box. Li Qinghong snatched it with one hand.

"Ha!"

Delicate violet radiance spun in her apricot eyes. Li Qinghong let out a muffled call, her face alight with joy. With a twist of her wrist, the spear gradually became docile, lines of purple lightning curling gently in her pale, rosy palm.

"Its name?"

The spear bore no inscription, the maker having left it anonymous. Only by accepting the spear would its name be known. Li Yuanjiao had wondered for years; now, seeing Li Qinghong tame the spear, he asked eagerly.