Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 223 - 207 The Shanyue Cometh

"In the third month of spring, the Yu Family hid a spell within a treasure bead and placed it inside the Green Crow. It was dug up by a servant and presented to the young master Cultivator. At that time, thunder fire emerged, houses collapsed, and the Cultivator passed away."

Li Yuanyun had grown up quite a bit, his black hair now tied up, appearing like a young man. He looked up at the half-charred wooden slip, feeling a surge of sourness in his eyes, and continued writing:

"There were many cries of sorrow among the common folk, every household dressed in mourning garments, thus realizing the viciousness and venom of the Yu Family's young master."

Li Jingtian was pregnant, leaning wearily on the table with her eyes half-closed. Chen Donghe had already returned to the mountains to take care of his wife. Under the setting sun, he took two oranges and began to peel them, the pale golden sunset casting pieces of golden light on the white robe of the middle-aged man. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Aunt, please have a look."

Li Yuanyun presented the finished writing, and Li Jingtian glanced at it, softly saying:

"All right."

Li Yuanyun took it back, checked it twice, and then finally put down his pen. He picked up the half-charred wooden slip and examined it. The characters on it were scorched black, leaving only sporadic strokes. He carefully turned it over, and there were a few complete characters on the side, which were part of a signature.

"... gifted to brother Yun"

Li Yuanyun was still looking at the wooden slip in his hands when Li Jingtian took an orange from Chen Donghe and said in a low voice:

"Yun'er, given the current situation, our family lacks a Steward. You'll need to come down from the mountain to handle some affairs..."

Li Jingtian's words were straightforward. Li Yuanyun knew that Li Jingtian was asking if he intended to take on the role of Family Head. He shook his head and replied:

"Nephew has no such thoughts. Firstly, nephew doesn't like managing affairs, and secondly, there's older cousin Jiao. He possesses the Spirit Aperture, which makes him more suitable than me."

"After all, mortals are too frail in front of Cultivators. Having a mortal manage Cultivators at the Fetal Breathing Level of Qi Cultivation might undermine our family's dignity."

Li Yuanyun voiced his concerns, and only then did Li Jingtian nod slightly, softly answering:

"That's also true."

She looked at Li Yuanyun, who was reading with his head down, and continued:

"It's just that you're also at the age... Staying in the mountains all year round, you probably won't find a girl to your liking..."

Having said that, she turned her head towards Chen Donghe, who was quietly peeling oranges, and asked:

"Are there suitable-aged Spiritual Aperture Seeds down the mountain?"

Chen Donghe looked up, thought for a moment, and answered warmly:

"There hasn't been any. The younger ones haven't grown up yet."

Li Jingtian pondered for a few moments, then had no choice but to let it be, leaning against the desk and closing her eyes tiredly. Li Yuanyun and Chen Donghe quieted down, and for a moment, the courtyard was bathed in golden sunset light, with only her even breathing.

————

"Family Head."

Li Xiewen, with a white cloth still tied around his forehead, cupped his hands towards Li Xuanxuan beside him and said in a low voice:

"People from the Shanyue Sect have arrived."

"Oh."

Li Xuanxuan raised his eyebrows, his appearance still that of a man in his thirties, but he looked significantly wearier, seemingly aged more than before. He pondered for a moment and asked:

"How are the descendants left by Shamo Li in the Li Family?"

Li Xuanxuan and Li Xiewen had worked together for a long time. Although there had been a period when they weren't managing the family affairs, they were well-versed in the routine. Li Xiewen, having prepared before coming up the mountain, promptly replied without hesitation:

"The children are all not older than three to five years, indistinguishable at this age, studying together in the clan's school for the young."

"I understand, let them come up."

Li Xiewen obeyed and withdrew, and Li Xuanxuan sat back down, ground the ink, and spread out the talisman paper to start drawing a talisman.

Li Xuanxuan was now handling affairs on the mountain, and the journey up and down involved some walking, plus passing through the Day Ritual Xuan Guang Great Formation, which was quite troublesome. After he finished the talisman in front of him and waited for the time it took an incense stick to burn, Li Xiewen led the person into the courtyard.

The second talisman Li Xuanxuan was working on was not yet complete, the bright red tip of his brush tracing on the pale yellow talisman paper. The envoy didn't dare to make a sound and knelt trembling on the ground for a moment. Li Xuanxuan then raised his brush and let out a sigh of relief, nodding with satisfaction.

The success rate of Li Xuanxuan's talisman drawing was two or three out of ten, and having succeeded twice in a row was quite rare. He silently mused,

"Ever since I broke through Qi Cultivation and cultivated the 'Cave Spring Che Spirit Art', this cultivation technique has harmonized particularly well with the talisman technique, making the drawing of talismans increasingly smoother!"

Only then did he look up at the envoy, noticing his white clothes with a layer of hemp garment over them. Li Xuanxuan spoke softly,

"Why has the envoy come?"

"The Shanyue king has heard of the young master's tragic death and is deeply grieved. He has sent me, his servant, to offer tribute, presenting three hundred and sixty slaves to accompany the young master in death..."

Now that the Shanyue had become vassals, the envoy no longer dared to call Shamo Li 'Our Great King', instead referring to him as the Shanyue king, and further described himself as a servant, presenting a very humble stance. Li Xuanxuan frowned upon hearing this and said in a deep voice,

"My family does not practice the custom of sacrifice burials. Send those slaves back."

"Yes."

The envoy, finding himself in disfavor, hurriedly kowtowed, prostrating himself on the ground. Li Xuanxuan raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Is there anything else?"

The envoy, drenched in sweat, with his white clothes clinging to his rough, copper-colored skin, answered,

"The Shanyue king has recently set his kingdom's affairs in order, and stability has returned to his people's lives. Yet, he finds himself without a son or daughter by his side, lonely and alone. As his four sons and one daughter are still in the east, he thought...he thought...to bring a son back home..."

Kneeling at the lower seat, the envoy trembled, while Li Xuanxuan said nothing, just quietly staring at him, contemplating,

"Shamo Li should not have noticed the problem with that cultivation technique yet, he is just thinking about whether he can take a few of these hostages back to raise."

Raising his head, Li Xuanxuan said softly,

"Then bring the princess back."

The envoy below hesitated slightly; Shamo Li cared not for his daughter but wanted to take back a few male heirs. He dared not say more and, feeling as though he had been pardoned, rose to his feet, repeatedly saying,

"Thank you, Great King!"

"Mhm."

Li Xuanxuan acknowledged him with a grunt, and the man hurriedly left. Li Xiewen stepped forward and handed Li Xuanxuan a piece of cloth.

"The various spiritual objects offered by the Eastern Shanyue are all recorded here, mostly things of the Fetal Breathing Level."

Li Xuanxuan took it, looked it over, estimated its value for a moment, and sneered quietly,

"Though the items seem numerous, all together, they won't exceed three spirit stones. According to our information, Shamo Li is not having an easy time either."

Down below, Li Xiewen nodded, while Li Xuanxuan pulled out another piece of talisman paper and began to trace with a vermilion brush, secretly thinking,

"Shamo Li won't notice the side effects of this cultivation technique in a short while, but once he has been married for over a decade, he'll surely see that something is amiss. It will be then when he becomes desperate to find a son."

In front of Li Xuanxuan's eyes, the image of Shamo Li wielding a great hammer, thunderbolts flashing around him, appeared. He felt a touch of worry and thought deeply,

"If my uncle fails to break through, then we should eliminate this man. 'Purple Thunder Secret Essence Technique' is a profound cultivation technique after all. Even though this man has ingested impure Qi, he should not be underestimated. The Shanyue have a population of several hundred thousand, which could cause trouble at a critical moment."