Xiao Yongling

Xiao Yongling

The middle-aged steward's mind went blank at once. He dazedly raised his head, only to see two plainly dressed men in ordinary fur cloaks drinking together in the shop, while his own overbearing Clan Brother stood respectfully at their side.

"Fine eye, fellow Daoist!"

Wan Yuankai glanced at him, praised him, and said with a smile:

"Why not sit down and share a few drinks?"

"Just what I had in mind!"

The young man in luxurious robes sat down on the rickety wooden stool without a care. The chair immediately let out a series of creaks, as though it would fall apart at any moment, leaving the middle-aged steward utterly dumbfounded.

"I am Xiao Yongling of the Xiao Family in Li Xia County, Under the Governance of Green Pool. Greetings, fellow Daoists."

Xiao Yongling smiled courteously, accepted the wine bowl Li Tongya handed him and offered his thanks before speaking:

"May I ask who you two are?"

"Wan Yuankai of the Huaqian Wan Family, Under the Governance of Green Pool."

"Li Tongya of the Li Jing Li Family, Under the Governance of Green Pool."

Seeing how humble he was, the two immediately formed a favorable impression of him and responded politely.

Xiao Yongling's smile did not change upon hearing Huaqian Wan Family, but when he heard Li Jing Li Family, he was greatly startled and repeatedly asked:

"Could it be the Li Jing Li Family by Moon Gazing Lake?!"

"That is us. I never imagined that though my Li Clan has only just set foot upon the immortal path, with such a modest household and scant holdings, our name would reach a great aristocratic family such as yours."

Li Tongya was equally startled, privately recalling Xiao Yuansi. Wan Yuankai was even more embarrassed as he thought, It is only natural for a great aristocratic family like the Xiao Family to think little of my Wan Family. But the Li Clan has only entered the immortal path for a few years—how has word of them already reached the Xiao Family?

"Hahaha."

Xiao Yongling laughed a few times and explained politely:

"My Clan Uncle is Xiao Yuansi of Green Spike Peak. Both our families reside beneath Green Spike Peak, so naturally we have heard of one another."

"So that was it!"

Wan Yuankai's heart skipped a beat. Only then did he remember that the Li Clan had a disciple under the Green Pool Sect. His feelings immediately became a tangled mess, and he looked toward Xiao Yongling again before saying:

"Fellow Daoist has achieved Jade Capital at such a young age. Truly impressive cultivation."

Xiao Yongling froze, then answered awkwardly:

"Yongling is merely at Bearing Light Wheel. It is only because I am a direct descendant of the Xiao Family's main line that the elders bestowed a treasure upon me, allowing me to identify those with cultivation. That is how I recognized you two. It was not the Spiritual Sense of Jade Capital Wheel."

"I was too presumptuous!"

Wan Yuankai was embarrassed as well and repeatedly cupped his hands in apology.

Xiao Yongling did not mind. He waved his hand and spoke with a smug expression:

"You gentlemen are here to hand in your offerings, aren't you?"

"Indeed."

Li Tongya and Wan Yuankai exchanged a glance. Seeing Xiao Yongling's gossip-hungry expression, they found it amusing and put on looks of rapt attention.

"The region from Moon Gazing Lake to Li Xia County falls under Moon Lake Peak's jurisdiction. Moon Lake Peak now has only four disciples left. Do you two know which emissary has come?"

"We do not..."

"It is Autumn Lake Fairy Ning Wan!"

Xiao Yongling looked smug. Seeing the confusion on their faces, he paused and explained:

"Ning Wan refined Pine Forest North Wind and entered Qi Refinement. She is especially skilled in formations, and she broke through to Qi Refining Stage 8 at merely twenty-four. They say she is a peerless beauty. She has always ignored the affairs below, and if the other disciples of Moon Lake Peak had not all been too busy, she would never have taken on this task of collecting offerings."

Xiao Yongling explained at great length, then abruptly stopped. He looked at Wan Yuankai in confusion and asked, "Speaking of formations, does your Wan Family possess such a legacy? The name Huaqian Wan Family sounds rather familiar."

"Of course we do."

Wan Yuankai had been holding it in for a long while. At these words, his eyes immediately lit up, and he explained with some pride, "Several hundred years ago, my Wan Family produced a formation master named Wan Huaqian. Huaqian Mountain was named after him."

"I see..."

Xiao Yongling nodded and added:

"I have read the histories compiled by my family, and they mentioned Wan Huaqian. My family conjectures that he obtained the inheritance of a cultivator who fell in that great battle long ago."

Hearing something that interested him, Li Tongya feared that the man would turn the topic back to Ning Wan's beauty. He hurriedly asked:

"This great battle...?"

Xiao Yongling shook his head, pondered for a few breaths, and softly said, "My family's records of that battle are vague as well. We only heard that someone bore the banner of the superior sect Moonlight Origin Mansion and demanded that the Three Sects Ten Schools all obey his commands. In the end, the three sects rose in fury and attacked him together, and he died upon Moon Gazing Lake."

"How arrogant."

Wan Yuankai drew in a sharp breath, unable to help feeling a trace of awe toward that person.

"That battle was fought until rivers ran dry and the spiritual currents of the earth veins were utterly severed. The three sects lost fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators and dozens of Qi Refining cultivators. Even two lofty Purple Mansion cultivators died. Of the ten schools, only seven remained."

Li Tongya sighed with emotion as well, as though he could see before him the scene from three hundred years ago—mountains torn asunder and rivers flowing backward.

"They say Purple Mansion cultivators live five hundred years. After enduring who knew how much hardship to cultivate to Purple Mansion, why not enjoy life properly? Why insist on fighting others to the death?"

Wan Yuankai sighed, lamenting with some regret.

"Hahahaha, we minor cultivators can only hope to attain Qi Refinement in this lifetime. Naturally, we cannot understand those lofty Great Cultivators."

Xiao Yongling laughed, took a sip of Snowflake Wine, and picked up his chopsticks to look over the small dishes on the table. He then awkwardly set them down again, secretly thinking, Only the wine in this place is drinkable.

"Does Brother Xiao know what Pine Forest North Wind is?"

Knowing that his family's foundations were shallow, Li Tongya never let slip any chance to gather information. Picking up on Xiao Yongling's words, he asked.

"To advance from Embryonic Breath to Qi Refinement, one must draw in a breath of heaven and earth's spiritual qi. Pine Forest North Wind is one such breath. One must seek out pine and cypress forests amid frigid snowfields, wait for the north wind to blow, and collect it with a secret method. One wisp may be obtained in June; it takes five years atop snowy peaks to gather enough. If one must wait for snow every year, it may take more than ten years."

Xiao Yongling smiled faintly and explained.

"So that was it!"

After chatting for a few more exchanges, Xiao Yongling waved his hand and smiled. "It is getting late, so I shall not delay you two on your journey to Crown Cloud Peak. Let us part here. If you two ever travel to Li Xia County in the future, be sure to seek out Yongling. Then we can raise our cups and make merry again!"

"Certainly!"

Xiao Yongling smiled as he bid the two farewell, then left the shop with his entourage and headed east.

After walking only a few steps, Xiao Yongling wore a thoughtful expression. The middle-aged steward did not dare disturb him and could only follow behind him with his back bent, step for step.

The middle-aged steward was watching Xiao Yongling's expression when he heard someone behind him ask in a low voice, "Hasn't this young master always been known for being arrogant and domineering? Why was he so measured today, so humble and polite? Forget those two—even we were stunned."

"You stupid mule!"

The middle-aged steward stepped back and viciously slapped the man across the head. Then he leaned close and whispered into his ear:

"Do you mortals even count as people in this young master's eyes? Who would speak gently and politely to a dog?"