Chapter 1662: Rainbow Mist (II)
Chapter 1662: Rainbow Mist (II)
Li Ximing looked at him in confusion, only to see Li Zhouwei studying the ivory blade intently.
Li Zhouwei asked uncertainly, "Could this... Could this be a spirit item of [Treasure Earth]?"
Almost everyone who saw the [Silken Bond Blade] would praise its quality, yet Li Ximing had never paid much attention to it. After all, it was ultimately only a spirit embryo.
But Li Zhouwei looked up and continued, "I have heard that the manifestation of [Treasure Earth] is known as the [Sorrowful Elephant]. Wherever it slumbers, the land swells into hills known as [Treasure-Gate Hills]. Within fifty kilometers, whenever men and women marry, if no rain falls among the hills, pregnancies cannot be brought to term. Women labor with swollen bellies yet remain unable to give birth even after an entire day... In ancient times, it was also a great demonic beast."
He lowered his gaze and said, "This should be the ivory of some demonic creature from a collateral species of the [Sorrowful Elephant], something akin to a peacock. It is strange, though... Why would such a fine treasure be used to make a spirit embryo?"
Hearing how bizarre this demonic creature was, Li Ximing felt faintly uneasy and replied, "Ultimately, these are secrets belonging to another Dao lineage, so there is no need to delve into them. If you have the time, simply pass it along to Jiao Zhongzi."
Only then did Li Zhouwei rise and agree to the matter. He departed upon a stream of Radiant Light to change his clothes and bathe.
Li Ximing remained standing silently within the pavilion. After a long while, he finally let out a deep sigh and sat down cross-legged where he stood.
An unknown amount of time passed before the golden-eyed young man appeared silently at the foot of the stairs. He crossed the corridor where white mist drifted through the air and ascended step by step toward the profound chamber at the highest point of the [Upper Firmament Pavilion].
The black wooden slips still rested snugly within the groove of the stone platform. As his hand gently brushed across them, pale silver iridescence rippled outward like waves upon water.
Yet the silver words that coalesced were not [Imperial Book of Radiance-Slaying for Myriad Chariots], but entirely different words.
[Rainbow Mist Cloud-Riding Footwork].
However, the large silver words flickered for only an instant before dispersing. One art after another emerged in a vast, cascading procession from top to bottom.
[Radiant Rosy Cloudfall Art], [Seven-Colored Cloud Seal], [Winged Radiance Escape Spell], [Grand Cloud Mystical Art]...
The countless Heavenly Glow Dao arts streamed past his eyes, yet not one stirred the slightest interest in him. Instead, his gaze slowly lowered.
He remained silent as the face of his granduncle, Li Ximing, suddenly surfaced in his mind. His granduncle must have discovered it even earlier than he had, yet he had remained perfectly composed, behaving as though nothing were amiss.
They are all arts. There is no Dao lineage.
Not a single one.
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Unison Sea. Xia Mountain.
Multicolored clouds drifted ethereally among the mountains, while Heavenly Glow shone in brilliant splendor. At the summit, auspicious lights intertwined as a streak of rosy radiance sped in from afar and descended upon the peak. It paused only briefly before rising once more and continuing straight ahead.
At the foot of the mountain, groups of demons wandered about. A Daoist nun dressed in coarse hemp robes was striding upon the wind when she saw a streak of black light speeding toward the mountain. It stopped above the sea but refused to set foot upon the mountain, remaining at a distance as it transformed into a middle-aged man.
As the man revealed himself, the Daoist nun raised her head and gave him a lingering glance before saying coolly, "So, the Daoist Master has come!"
The middle-aged man appeared somewhat awkward. He looked down at her and replied, "I am on my way to the Peacock Sea. Since I was passing through Unison Sea, I thought I would come and see my younger sister."
"You are too courteous, Daoist Master." The Daoist nun replied casually, her expression remaining cold. "Now that you have seen me, is there anything you wish to instruct me to do?"
A complicated look crossed the middle-aged man's face as he replied, "Xiao'er, I understand the pain in your heart, but we are family, after all. I have not seen you in decades... Must you treat me this way?"
This Daoist nun was none other than Yang Xiao'er! The man standing opposite her was none other than Yang Ruiyi, the Yang Family Daoist Master whom Li Zhouwei had met in Simin Prefecture!
At Yang Ruiyi's words, Yang Xiao'er's cold expression finally softened somewhat, though she remained silent. Yang Ruiyi then took a tiny miniature pavilion from his sleeve.
The pavilion had nine corners, with one table and four chairs within. He tossed it lightly into the air, and a veil of pitch-black light immediately descended, drawing the two of them inside, where they stood facing one another.
Yang Ruiyi let out a deep sigh and turned to the side, clasping his hands behind his back as he said, "Whether you believe me or not... Regarding what happened to you... I never imagined it would end as it has today. When father arranged the matter back then, he never expected it would ultimately become part of Bright Yang's grand design..."
Yang Xiao'er remained silent. Yang Ruiyi frowned, his voice growing somewhat urgent as he said quietly, "The fox tribe was hardly worth mentioning. Even for us, let alone Judge Tang, dealing with them would have been no great matter. Why would we have gone to such elaborate lengths? I..."
The Daoist nun before him cut him off and said flatly, "It seems the matter with Li Jiangliang did not require much effort either."
Yang Ruiyi faltered slightly before replying, "Just hear me out..."
He raised his brows and said, "The matter with Jiangliang came about only after the broader situation between the north and south had been settled. We needed the White Qilin, while the Li Family also needed a token of our alliance. That was why the arrangement was made... It was a decision made at a higher level, and cannot be compared with father's arrangements at all..."
A trace of melancholy entered his expression as he said, "Father had only a handful of children. You were born with poor aptitude and no spiritual orifice, so he went to great lengths to obtain [Taiqing Spiritual Palace Treasure Essence] to open one for you... But its power was limited and could never allow you to attain a divine ability... Father only wanted you to live a safe and peaceful life..."
Yang Ruiyi's expression dimmed. "Later, when descendants of the Ning's Li bloodline emerged, father happened to be in charge. He had always shared ties of friendship with Ning's Li lineage, and after seeing that Li Xizhi was a good man, he sent you into the mountains to see whether a marriage might come of it... He never expected you to fall in love at first sight... Father was very pleased at the time and said it was a bond of fate between our two families...
"After all... They were descendants of the Ning's Li lineage. What harm could there be in preserving one or two of their branches?"
Yang Xiao'er gradually began to show emotion, but she remained silent as her elder brother sighed. "At the time, no one had given Bright Yang any thought whatsoever!"
After letting out this sigh, he suddenly raised his head and said, "You must understand that the White Qilin descended only after Chenghuai was born. Had I known this would happen, I never would have... I never would have allowed him to bear the surname Li!"
Yang Xiao'er replied calmly, "Well said, elder brother. However, whether it was me or my child, those above never cared. It was precisely because they did not care that all these complications arose."
She took a step forward, a trace of sorrow appearing on her unadorned face. "I am no fool, so there is no need for you to make excuses for father... Father... I suppose I shall still call him that...
"He had a favorable impression of my husband because of his friendship with Ning's Li lineage, and merely wanted to use the Yang Family bloodline to preserve one or two branches of Ning's Li descendants. But there were deeper concerns behind it as well... What were they? The two grotto heavens of Anhuai and Wanling, were they not?"
Yang Ruiyi lowered his head slightly as his younger sister continued softly, "In the end, father acted out of personal sentiment. He merely wanted to preserve a little of the bloodline against some future need.
“He never wanted my husband to accomplish anything great or distinguish himself, lest he draw the attention of others and incur the displeasure of those above, leaving no one able to protect him. What father hoped for most was that he would remain mediocre, or die while attempting a breakthrough after passing on his bloodline.
"But how could anyone of the Ning's Li bloodline be ordinary? A Sword Immortal had only recently emerged from among them, and that Sword Immortal was even my husband's senior within the sect... The grotto heavens of Anhuai and Wanling were bound to open sooner or later. As a descendant of Ning's Li, who could say what opportunities might await him within?
"And so, without drawing any attention, you directed him down a dead-end path, hoping he would go no further than a modest level of attainment. You even deliberately sent him away when those two grotto heavens opened, ensuring that he had no chance whatsoever of coming into contact with them... How cautious of you..."
She smiled gently, her sorrow now tinged with pride. "But my husband is no ordinary man. Even after being set upon the dead-end path of Rainbow Mist, his Dao conduct continues to deepen with each passing day. Now that father sees his progress, he has begun to feel afraid again, has he not..."
Yang Xiao'er raised her brows and looked the Daoist Master directly in the eyes. "Elder Brother, am I right?"