Xiao Yuansi

Xiao Yuansi

"Green Pool Sect's Green Spike Peak?"

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping immediately looked at each other. After hesitating for a few breaths, Li Tongya said:

"The Immortal Master from the sect must have come because of Jing Er."

Li Xiangping hurriedly rose and led the others down the mountain. Yet no sooner had they left the courtyard gate than they saw a cultivator in a moon-white robe, a string of Brocade Pouches hanging from his waist.

The cultivator was handsome and carried an otherworldly air. He stood quietly before the courtyard, smiling as he looked at them.

"Xiao Yuansi of Green Spike Peak greets you, fellow Daoists."

Xiao Yuansi lightly cupped his hands and spoke with a smile.

"Li Xiangping of the Li Clan pays respects to the envoy of the Green Pool Sect."

Li Xiangping did not dare put on airs. He hurriedly led the people behind him in a bow, but Xiao Yuansi slightly turned aside to avoid it and said with a smile:

"You are all my junior brother's family. There is no need for such ceremony. I came this time only in a personal capacity, not as any envoy of the immortal sect."

The group repeatedly agreed. Li Xiangping said respectfully, "Immortal Master, please come in."

Before a great cultivator of the Green Pool Sect, Li Tongya and the others were no different from mortals. Thus, when they addressed him as Immortal Master, it came from the bottom of their hearts.

Xiao Yuansi stepped into the courtyard, found a seat, and said softly, "I had accepted an important task from my Master's Sect and was passing through Li Xia County to slay a demon. My junior brother missed his family dearly, so I had him write a letter and brought it with me to Great Li Mountain."

"Recently, I had been chasing that demon back and forth, which delayed me for quite some time. Only yesterday did I finally kill it. I came uninvited, so I hope you will not take offense."

"Not at all, not at all. Immortal Master came from thousands of miles away to deliver a family letter. The Li Clan is beyond grateful!"

Li Xiangping replied respectfully. Seeing Xiao Yuansi hand over a blue-green bamboo tube as thick as a thumb, he quickly accepted it.

"You should read it first."

Xiao Yuansi accepted the tea offered by a servant, took a light sip, and said with a smile.

Li Xiangping and the others quickly nodded. Li Tongya gently rubbed away the wax seal on the bamboo tube with his thumb, tipped it into his palm, and revealed a curled pale-white letter. He hurriedly unfolded it and read.

"Jing bows his head. It has been over a year since I left home. I do not know whether Father and my brothers remain in good health. Jing Er is well in the immortal sect. I have now forged the Azure Origin Wheel, and Jade Capital lies in sight. I have also cultivated sword arts, and my cultivation has advanced greatly..."

"My Senior Brother, Xiao Yuansi, has reached the seventh level of Qi Refinement. He is most skilled in alchemy and is honest, kind, and gentle. If there are matters at home you cannot decide, you may seek his help. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask him. When I return, I will repay him with supplies from within the sect..."

"I have sent a Jade Slip with this letter. The sword manual recorded within is called the 'Profound Water Sword Manual.' The spells I have cultivated were all passed down by the sect and must not be spread outside. Only this Qi Refinement sword art was gifted by Senior Brother. I asked him about it, and it may be sent home. This sword art is not difficult, so the family may cultivate it for self-defense."

"I have heard that Tang Gold Gate has repeatedly stirred up trouble at the border. The family should bear with it for now. I have asked Senior Brother to speak with the Town Guardian cultivator of Li Xia County. If anything happens at home, simply use the Jade Seal to call for help..."

"I am quite at ease in the immortal sect, so do not worry. Cultivation here yields twice the result with half the effort, far better than Great Li Mountain. Has anything major happened at home? Is Xuan Xuan still obedient? Has anything... unusual occurred at home? Please write back."

After Li Xiangping finished reading the letter, a wave of sorrow rose in his heart, and his eyes reddened slightly. He cupped his hands toward Xiao Yuansi and said, "Forgive our lapse in manners. We have made Immortal Master wait long."

Xiao Yuansi smiled and waved his hand, placing a Jade Slip on the Red Wood table as he said:

"No need for ceremony. It is only human nature. This is what my junior brother asked me to bring as well."

Seeing Li Tongya step forward and put away the Jade Slip, Xiao Yuansi said softly:

"If there are any difficulties or doubts at home, feel free to bring them up."

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping exchanged a glance and spoke in unison:

"There are indeed some matters we are uncertain about. Immortal Master, please come with us."

They dismissed the attendants and followed the Stone Slab Road through the mountain courtyard all the way upward. Before long, they arrived at a lush, broad-canopied Banyan Tree. They gently went around it, and behind the Banyan Tree stood a small tree bearing five fruits.

"Oh?"

Xiao Yuansi lowered his eyes to look. With a pinch of his fingers, he formed a hand seal, and his hands immediately gleamed jade-white. Only then did he reach out to touch the fruit. After carefully examining the leaves for several breaths, he explained, "This Spirit Root is called the Snake Dragon Fruit. One plant should bear six fruits. Following the Spirit Root upward, the higher fruits ripen earlier. When the first fruit ripens, only after it is picked will the fruit below continue to mature."

"That is simply the nature of this Spirit Root. The interval between the first fruit and the next is about five years, so it may be considered to bear one fruit every five years. Judging from the condition of this first fruit, the previous fruit was picked more than four years ago. This one will soon ripen as well."

Xiao Yuansi parted the branches and leaves at the very bottom of the Snake Dragon Fruit plant and indeed saw a tiny, tender green fruit—the newly grown sixth fruit.

"What use does this fruit have?"

Li Tongya listened carefully before asking respectfully:

"There are more than ten such plants within our Green Pool Sect. Only after several centuries will one bear a golden fruit to nurture a new plant. These red Snake Dragon Fruits are mostly used to refine Snake Essence Pills, bestowed upon meritorious disciples in the Fetal Breath Realm and Qi Refinement Realm to increase the speed of nurturing the wheel and refining qi."

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping immediately looked at each other. The Li Clan was now utterly destitute—where could they find an alchemist? They had cultivated for so long, yet had never even taken a single medicinal pill.

Seeing their troubled expressions, Xiao Yuansi gave a soft laugh.

"If eaten raw, this fruit would likely only shorten the time one person needs to nurture the wheel and refine qi."

Then, seeing that both of them seemed to want to speak but held back, Xiao Yuansi suddenly understood and said:

"As for this fruit, I can refine a batch of pills for you first. With my current attainments in alchemy, this Snake Dragon Pill batch should yield around seven or eight pills. But according to the rules, I will give you six, and any extra will belong to me."

Li Tongya and the other naturally agreed again and again, thanking him in great delight. Xiao Yuansi nodded, tapped the Brocade Pouch at his waist, and a jade box immediately appeared in his right hand.

Xiao Yuansi gathered a strand of spiritual power in his hand and tapped the fruit where it joined the stem. He then caught it with spiritual power, and the Snake Dragon Fruit gently fell into the jade box.

"Apart from certain special herbs and Spirit Fruits, most must be stored in jade vessels so as not to damage their spirituality. They must also be harvested with spiritual power, lest the fruit be harmed."

As Xiao Yuansi picked the fruit, he explained in a gentle voice.

"Tomorrow, I will open the furnace and refine the pills!"

He lightly tapped the Brocade Pouch, and the jade box vanished from his hand, leaving Li Tongya and the other looking on with boundless envy.

"Are there any other important matters?"

After putting away the jade box, Xiao Yuansi asked with a smile.

"Many thanks, Immortal Master!"

Li Xiangping and Li Tongya first thanked him, then took a beast-hide scroll from Within the Sleeve and presented it to Xiao Yuansi with both hands.

Xiao Yuansi accepted the beast-hide scroll, untied the white cord binding it, and lightly spread it open with his right hand.

"Bewildering Mist Array?"