Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

Chapter 439 364 Breaking Through_2

Zhang Mutong only managed to persevere for a few dozen breaths longer than the Qi Cultivation Demon Cultivator, injuring two or three people in his death throes before being dismembered into pieces, struck by fire and thunder, and soon afterward, he perished completely.

Everyone settled down, and only then did Li Yuanjiao and his sister return with the wind. Li Yuanjiao had a solemn expression and empty hands.

This Qiu Ji was incredibly resolute, escaping and offering various secret techniques along the way, from his viscera to his limbs and sensory organs. Although Li Siblings had the "River Rapids Step", which was more adept at leaping and dodging, he managed to carve out a path of survival with great difficulty.

As they got farther from the Li Family, the two feared an ambush and dared not pursue any further, silently returning on the wind.

"My lord..."

All the cultivators had sustained injuries of varying degrees, with Li Xuanxuan and Tian Zhongqing being the most seriously wounded. The former, supported by a monkey, still had a passable complexion. In contrast, the latter simply held Tian Youdao's corpse, his head lowered as tears fell.

Xu Gongming had long since passed out, half of his face reduced to white bone, creating a frightful sight. Having been injured, Qiu Ji had his magic artifact take a hit for him; thus, apart from his ruined visage, he wasn't gravely injured.

Among the guest elders, Li Qilang and An Zhiyan were least injured and were tending to others on site. Xu Gongming was unconscious, and Lady Dou cradled the increasingly frail Li Xuanxuan, resembling a daughter with her father.

"Elder Tian has fallen!"

Each person meditated and healed their wounds while Xiao Guiluan came forward with soft words to break the news.

Uncle Tian Youdao lay sprawled on the ground like spread-out mud. Li Yuanjiao tightened the Foundation Establishment Talisman in his sleeve without looking at Tian Zhongqing's expression. He had Li Qinghong go up to console, while he stood holding his sword.

After half an hour, as the sky darkened slightly, Li Qilang had already gathered two storage bags and handed them to Li Yuanjiao. The people came forward to console Tian Zhongqing before leaving him alone in solitude.

Kongheng, holding his Zen Staff quietly walked forward, the bronze rings clinking. Li Yuanjiao, filled with mixed feelings and suspicion, let his eyelids droop and simply said,

"Thank you, Venerable Monk, for your assistance."

Kongheng shook his head subtly, approached Tian Youdao's limp body, and silently chanted twice, seemingly performing a ritual for his afterlife. Tian Zhongqing suddenly looked up and let out a cry, cursing,

"You bald donkey... harbinger of death! Get away from me!"

Unruffled, Kongheng stepped back a few paces, turned towards Li Yuanjiao, and spoke warmly,

"This monk will be cultivating on a small island by the lake. If the clan needs anything, feel free to seek me out there."

With that, he departed with the wind, leaving the remaining people silent for a moment before they all took their leave. The red sunset mingled with the blood on the ground as Li Qinghong gently consoled them. Tian Zhongqing also stood up holding Tian Youdao and apologized to Li Yuanjiao before departing on the wind.

Only the core members of the Li Family remained in the woods. Li Yuanjiao stood alone, and Li Xuanxuan coughed twice, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said,

"There's no mistake in making a choice with careful consideration."

Li Yuanjiao nodded slightly, clutching the green-and-white Green Ruler Sword in his hand, and replied,

"I understand, father. As I wield this sword, I must prioritize the interests of the clan, and I should rightly bear the blame and resentment."

...

Tian Youdao was Tian Yun's brother and the uncle of Li Xuanfeng and Li Jingtian. As an elder with high seniority in the Li Family, it was rare for him to break through in Qi Cultivation, yet in the end, he perished at the hands of devil cultivators.

The funeral was held simply. Aside from the direct lineage of the Li Family and the members of the Tian Family, the other guests didn't show much sorrow, with some even feeling fortunate.

The battle had left behind two devil cultivators, one of them at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, yielding rich benefits. All the Qi Cultivators looked up eagerly, their hearts agitated, with no thoughts of mourning.

In Lijing Town, Central Hall.

The Central Hall was the place where the Family Head Li Yuanping managed affairs and the hub of the Li Family's secular power. When it was first built, it had some style, but now after years of use, there were signs of wear on the stone steps.

The Li Family had been accused of indulging in vanity and pleasure. Li Yuanping had never bothered to refurbish it, just making do. However, it was Li Yuanjiao who presided over the hall that day, clad in white, with two storage bags placed before him.

Ordinary Qi Cultivators usually carried about ten spirit stones, and their total worth amounted to thirty or forty stones. Yet from these two devil cultivators alone, forty-six spirit stones were confiscated, a sum that would strain the Li Family's liquid assets to produce.

Of the eleven cultivators who participated in the battle, aside from the five relatives from the direct lineage, the remaining five included Xu Gongming and Tian Zhongqing, both at the Initial Stage of Qi Cultivation, who were seriously injured and had exerted much effort, each receiving three stones. Li Qilang got two.

The old monkey and Shamo Li, at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, received four stones each. An Zhiyan, at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, received six. Ten stones were allocated as compensation for Tian Youdao, leaving eighteen stones for the public fund.

The few external guest elders joyfully stepped forward to collect their share, repeatedly expressing thanks. Xu Gongming, despite his disfigured face, didn't show signs of despair. Wearing a mask to cover it, he grinned.

When Tian Zhongqing stepped forward to receive the sizable payment of thirteen spirit stones, Li Yuanjiao took out a few more elixirs to supplement it, speaking softly,

"Uncle has passed away. Is this compensation to be received by his only son, Tian Rong?"

Tian Zhongqing had already adjusted and replied respectfully,

"Returning to the old master, Tian Rong has always taken pleasure in tormenting the maids. He was also drinking during the mourning period, so drunk he was unconscious. He was stealthily stabbed to death with a hairpin by several maids during the third watch of the night. I'm afraid this consolation will have to be undertaken by his direct grandson with a Spiritual Aperture Seed, Tian Ling."

"Oh."

None of the guest elders and outsiders were surprised, their expressions full of profound implications.

As the only son of Tian Youdao, Tian Rong was not a man of the times. He was in conflict with many families, and even the Shanyue king, Li Ji's slave, wished he could tear his skin and eat his flesh. It was purely because of Tian Youdao's deep parental love that he was spared at all.

Now that Tian Youdao had died only half a month after his son's death, it was due to the good karma Tian Youdao had accumulated in his lifetime. As for the unseemly nature of the death or whose hand it was, even Tian Zhongqing himself couldn't be bothered to care.

Li Yuanjiao stroked his beard and sighed,

"My uncle was not involved in clan affairs, leaving behind this orphan. Well, send him to the mountain to cultivate, and from now on, the main vein will take on all his cultivation provisions, too."

"Yes!"

Tian Zhongqing bowed his head in acknowledgement. The outsider guest elders all withdrew, and low cheers could be heard as they pulled each other towards the town's tavern.

Li Qinghong, who stood by, understood clearly. Li Yuanjiao's move was both compensation and a test, and deep down, he felt some unhappiness. He spoke up,

"We still need to inform Aunt Jingtian on the western side."

"Someone has already been sent."

Li Yuanjiao replied. He put aside the Dharma Mirror filled with resentment and cultivation techniques on the desk and picked up the magical hammer and the glazed pearl, both of which were Inferior Grade magical artifacts for Qi Cultivators. The former was nothing special and could be sold off.

"However, this Red Glazed Pearl is not a bad magical treasure. The Talisman Script inside is quite profound, able to release Dharma Light to protect the body. It would be good for the younger generation to use."

With a twist of his wrist, the pearl emitted streaks of red light, and a power that weakened and dissolved continuously flowed. Li Yuanjiao estimated its strength; it could already weaken most spells cast by early-stage Qi Cultivators.

"Why not just call it..."

Li Yuanjiao was pondering, but Li Qinghong, fearing he would come up with a name like Red Light Pearl or Red Glazed Pearl, hurriedly smiled and suggested,

"The glaze of the whole pearl is made from 'rouge glaze,' and inside it is attached with various talisman scripts, like the sunset glow on the horizon. Why not call it 'Sunset Red Glaze'?"

Li Yuanjiao paused for a moment, and after pondering, he nodded in agreement and answered,

"Good, send it to Xijun."

The rest were mostly Spiritual Objects and Fetal Breathing Magical Instruments, presumably looted from somewhere. Put together, they would be worth about a dozen Spirit Stones. Li Yuanjiao, who had just sold a batch of Spiritual Objects and Magical Instruments from the treasury, directly replenished the stock.

After adding up the Spirit Stones he had on him, he finally gathered a total of one hundred and twenty. He handed them to Li Qinghong, heaving a sigh of relief,

"Sorry to trouble you, sister, with a trip to the Yuan Family."

Li Qinghong nodded. Li Yuanjiao hesitated for a moment, then took out a greyish Immortal Mirror and handed it to her solemnly, followed by a Foundation Establishment Talisman. He said,

"I fear Zhang Huaide and Qiu Ji may plot something sinister and lay an ambush on the road. It would be best to ask you to take the Dharma Mirror just in case."

Watching Li Qinghong ride the wind away gracefully, Li Yuanjiao finally let out a long sigh of relief. Counting the days, he took out a Jade Sprout Pill and murmured,

"Begin the retreat to break through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation immediately!"

So he rode the wind back to Wutu Mountain, where he saw Xiao Guiluan standing in the courtyard with a radiant smile, looking up with raised eyebrows. Li Yuanjiao felt puzzled, not expecting her to blink her phoenix eyes and laugh,

"Time to think of another name!"

The couple had been in harmony for many years, already having many tacit understandings. Seeing Xiao Guiluan caressing her abdomen, he suddenly realized.

"What!?"

Li Yuanjiao was startled and overjoyed. He had had a son when he was still a Fetal Breathing Cultivator, and after both husband and wife advanced to become Qi Cultivators, the chances of having another child became even smaller, so they didn't entertain such thoughts, merely treating the matter as a domestic pleasure.

Never did he expect Xiao Guiluan to be pregnant with another child. He laughed heartily, hugged his wife and kissed her twice, responding,

"Not sure if it will be a baby boy playing with tiles or a baby girl playing with a jade pendant, this child is quite late in coming."

After a tender moment between husband and wife, Li Yuanjiao's mood lifted, and he proceeded to his secluded retreat to break through.