Li Ximing stood in the fading sunlight as well. He shifted the brocade box from his left hand to his right, weighing it twice. It felt hard to hold, yet he did not want to put it away in his sleeve. Lowering his gaze, he said, "How is it in Jiangbei? How could it be in Jiangbei?"

His pale golden-white Daoist robe fluttered in the dimming light, looking somewhat subdued. He turned the thought over in his mind and murmured, "What if it has succeeded?"

The two watched for a while. Li Zhouwei turned slightly, looking toward Shanji Prefecture. Everything at Grace Covenant Gate lay dim, and Purple Smoke Gate was equally silent. No cultivators rose into the air, nor did anyone come traveling west.

The sky darkened quickly. The two descended silently back to the table as a cold wind swept across the river. Li Ximing set down the brocade box first. He exchanged a glance with Li Zhouwei and simply sipped his tea.

Back then, three from the Kong Family had broken through. After all the twists and turns, only Kong Tingyun remained. Many had guessed she was in seclusion in the Eastern Sea, while some even suspected she cultivated under Xuanyi. There had been no news for a long time. Now, the truth was clear.

Now, Li Ximing could only let out a breath and said, "It is indeed in Jiangbei..."

Li Zhouwei stared at the brocade box on the table without speaking. Yet his unspoken thoughts were already a reminder to Li Ximing.

Daoist Master Zhaojing set down his cup with some irritation. "We have already drawn too close."

There had been a time when Li Ximing had hoped Kong Tingyun would break through in time, become a Daoist Master, and stabilize the Profound Peak Gate. Yet after struggling on for so many years, the Profound Peak Gate had finally collapsed, feeding several families. To speak bluntly, although the Li Family had taken responsibility for protecting the Kong bloodline, they had taken their share as well. Leaving other things aside, even the formations across the island had belonged to the Kong Family.

Old acquaintances had faded, and everything had changed... Kong Tingyun was not naive. How could this be explained cleanly?

Seeing Li Zhouwei staring at the brocade box, Li Ximing’s earlier joy vanished. The box now felt like a burning coal in his hands, leaving him in a difficult position.

Zhugong's matter... at such a critical moment...

Li Zhouwei glanced at him and poured him tea, speaking softly, "The location is in Jiangbei. Neither you nor I can go. Tinglan and Zhugong cannot go either. The exact situation is unclear. In your judgment, how confident is she?"

Li Ximing shook his head and said with a sigh, "Not low... That old man Changxi is calculating. If he was willing to sacrifice Kong Haiying and leave a backup plan in Jiangbei, then he must have thought it through."

Li Zhouwei said in a low voice, "As for Daoist Master Zhugong..."

Seeing Li Ximing's bitter expression as he shook his head in silence, he said in a heavier tone, "We have no choice but to save her!"

Li Ximing's heart tightened as he steadied himself. Li Zhouwei said with a grave expression, "If Kong Tingyun succeeds, the situation will not be simple. Back then, it was indeed the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators who sat together to divide the Profound Peak Gate, but the one who took the blame was Yehui!

"As long as the truth does not come out, the Daoist Master can still be seen as having been ambushed while protecting the Kong Family and forced to flee to the Eastern Sea. At least it still looks acceptable. We should ask about the formation and consult Tinglan in all matters. To speak bluntly, compared to Kong Tingyun, we still cannot afford to offend the Supreme Yang Dao lineage.

"Tinglan and Houfu stand behind Zhugong. No one is blind. The Profound Peak Gate lineage has already been carved up by the Supreme Yang Dao lineage. Everything is clear to see, and they will surely count it as belonging to her... If not for this phenomenon, refusing to lend blood would not be a major issue, and Tinglan could understand. But at this moment, refusing would only make things more sensitive.

"Our family has always been close with the Kong Family. That alone invites suspicion. Daoist Master Zhugong might even think we have changed sides and would prefer her to die sooner."

Li Zhouwei's golden eyes were reflected in the tea, appearing deep and distant. "In truth, if Kong Tingyun died, then so be it. It might even be better. But Purple Mansion Realm cultivators are tenacious. She will not die so easily. At most, she will lose her body and flee back to the Eastern Sea. And when that happens, her hatred for our family will send chills down the spine."

Li Ximing let out a muffled sigh and said, "We have already reached this point!"

Li Zhouwei rotated his teacup, his expression somewhat heavy. "I fear that when Kong Tingyun comes out of seclusion, with both her gate and family destroyed, the hatred in her heart will be immeasurable. The Supreme Yang Dao lineage cannot be provoked, but targeting Zhugong would be simple. If conflict breaks out, we will be in a difficult position."

Li Ximing thought for a moment and replied, "In my view, we cannot stay out of this matter. The only thing we can do is to ease tensions and delay the escalation between the two sides. That is also what Tinglan and Houfu hope to see..."

His expression gradually calmed as he continued softly, "We must preserve Kong Guxi and Kong Xiaxiang. Only words coming from them will carry weight."

Li Zhouwei nodded slightly and replied, "I will leave this matter to your judgment, granduncle."

He flicked his finger, scattering the tea from the cup and leaving the jade cup empty. Then he turned his hand over, revealing fingertips as white as jade, faintly resembling polished white stone.

With a thought, a slit opened on his fingertip as if it had grown a mouth, exposing a glimpse of pale bone. After a few breaths, a drop of faint golden-red blood seeped out. The moment the blood left his body, it formed into a perfectly round bead like a pill, hard as stone. It fell into the jade cup with a crisp sound, rolled twice, and came to a stop.

The radiance of Bright Yang divine ability rose and surged into it, dyeing the jade cup gold and white. All the divine ability mana was sealed within. Upon closer inspection, it already resembled a fine treasure.

Li Ximing sighed repeatedly and asked in concern, "Did it cause any harm?"

Li Zhouwei smiled and shook his head. No change could be seen on his face as he said, "It is only a drop of blood. With a [Qilin Radiance Illumination Pill] to replenish it, it will recover in time. Back then, the Dragon Clan demanded blood essence, which was far more important. But they had brought Purple Mansion Realm spirit items to compensate. Now, one or two pills will suffice."

Li Ximing felt somewhat embarrassed. He pushed the brocade box toward him and took out a few pills for him to recover, saying, "I always hoped not to burden you, but given the situation, there is no avoiding it..."

"You jest, granduncle." Li Zhouwei shook his head. He took out a jade box and pushed it over together with the brocade box as he said, "This contains the [Qilin Radiant Yang Scripture], gifted by Daoist Master Tianhuo, obtained by the Golden Feather Sect from the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven. It is also known in the Supreme Yang Dao lineage as the [Qilin Radiance Refining Method]. It is of no use to me. You may take it."

With that, he indicated both items. Li Ximing was momentarily stunned and hesitated to speak.

Li Zhouwei simply stood with a smile and revealed the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] as he said, "This cannot compare to a spirit artifact."

Li Ximing could not help but laugh. He opened the jade box and saw a golden scroll inside, its four corners adorned with patterns like woven gold. It was covered in a dense, profound script.

The moment he touched it, the texture felt fine and supple, and he could not take his eyes off it as he said in surprise, "This is truly a fine treasure!"

Li Zhouwei did not understand the Dao of alchemy and was unaware of the value of the [Qilin Radiant Yang Scripture]. Li Ximing only skimmed it briefly, yet instantly grasped its worth.

The author of the [Qilin Radiant Yang Scripture] was named Cui'e. It was unclear which era he came from, but his innate ability was extraordinary and his mastery of alchemy astonishing. He cultivated the [Bright Yang] Dao lineage and wielded profound alchemical techniques.

This work contained his lifelong insights, recording three alchemical methods in total: [Qilin Radiance Illumination], [Auspicious Descent and Wing Resonance], and [Emptiness Co-Form].

Among them, [Qilin Radiance Illumination] as well as [Auspicious Descent and Wing Resonance] were both exceptionally advanced. The former used the generative authority of Bright Yang to assist in pill refinement, detailing six types of Bright Yang pills and three Radiant Fire pills! It covered pills for healing, cultivation, nourishment, and even escape.

The other method, [Auspicious Descent and Wing Resonance], used the hierarchical principles of Bright Yang to refine pills. In essence, it was somewhat similar to the [Feather-Embracing Heart-Joining Pill] Li Ximing had once refined for Huoyang at the Radiant Slumber Hall in Zhuluo Kingdom.

However, this scripture spanned hundreds of thousands of words, far more complex than the improvised derivations Li Ximing had made using the Heaven's Will method. It aimed to produce truly refined spirit pills worthy of recognition, rather than something merely sufficient to deceive the demonic creature Poluoduo.

As for Emptiness Co-Form, it went a step further. It resembled a simplified Bright Yang version of the [Heaven's Will Single-Intent Method]. Li Ximing only glanced at it. If he had not previously obtained the [Heaven's Will Single-Intent Method], it would have been extremely valuable. Now, however, its usefulness was limited.