Qingyang City, the Liu residence's main hall.
Only a handful of people were in the main hall, and Liu Xiang was among them. Their seating arrangement was entirely different from before: the single seat at the head of the hall had been replaced by two, occupied by Liu Huabai and Xiao Yan, while the First Elder, Liu Xincheng, and the others sat in chairs along the sides. Though they were seated a little farther away, the elders were still all smiles, their hearts full of joy. Liu Xiang stood behind the First Elder, gazing at Xiao Yan with admiration and deep gratitude filling his eyes. Liu Huabai first smiled at Xiao Yan, then rose before everyone, stepped forward, and faced him. The moment he stood, the Liu Clan elders and the others seated below also rose, turning to face Xiao Yan alongside Liu Xiang and Liu Huabai. Suddenly, Liu Huabai dropped to one knee, cupped his fists, dipped his head, and bowed to Xiao Yan. The First Elder, Liu Xiang, and the others below knelt in unison just as he had, and called out together with him:
"Thank you for your great kindness, Senior. We juniors swear to follow you unto death in this life and look to you for guidance in all things. We hope you will agree!"
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. So Liu Huabai not only wants to thank me, but also wants to follow me. He really has worked his abacus well. Xiao Yan smiled inwardly, then stood without committing himself either way and asked Liu Huabai:
"I'd like to take a look at your clan's library. Is that all right?"
Xiao Yan wanted to visit the Liu Clan's library mainly to look up the names of the medicinal herbs he had obtained in the Ancient Desolate Forest, which even he could not identify. That was why he asked, but Liu Huabai heard something else entirely. In Liu Huabai's eyes, Xiao Yan was proving his intentions through his actions, and this left the long-enthroned clan head thrilled. After all, with a super expert of formidable strength backing the Liu Clan, even the established experts of the southwestern region would probably have to weigh things carefully before making a move against him. Thus, he agreed without hesitation and led the way ahead of Xiao Yan. This time, Xiao Yan did his part as a guest; rather than going ahead of his own accord, he let Liu Huabai guide him. That gave Liu Huabai considerable face as clan head, leaving him delighted. He smiled all the way, looking thoroughly satisfied. Still, he was clever enough to remember the super expert behind him, so he did not dare neglect Xiao Yan in the slightest. He behaved as he should, not daring to make anything too obvious, and Xiao Yan nodded slightly. One who kept joy and anger from showing on his face and his thoughts hidden from others-with such depth and temperament, he could be the head of a clan, a titan of his region, and lead his clan to the hegemony of the strong! Only such a person could be of help to Xiao Yan and be worthy of Xiao Yan's help!
Neither spoke along the way. Xiao Yan's expression was indifferent and as calm as an ancient well, though a faint trace of anticipation showed in his eyes. Liu Huabai, meanwhile, did not dare voice how he felt. At last, they finished the dull, long walk along the garden path and arrived before the Liu Clan's library.
The Liu Clan's library was no different from those of other clans. A bamboo grove surrounded it on all sides, enclosing the ancient-looking building before Xiao Yan in layer upon layer. In the shadows, several people who could be considered experts in Qingyang City stood guard in secret. Layer upon layer of seemingly immensely powerful energy restrictions surrounded the library, sealing it off so tightly that not even the wind could pass through. Because of those restrictions, Xiao Yan could not truly see the Liu Clan's foundation, the place upon which the clan rested. He did not try too hard to look, though. After all, he was on someone else's turf, and he had to give them some face.
Xiao Yan stopped before the building, and two black-robed elders appeared and undid the restrictions. Liu Huabai, the clan head, became somewhat displeased with the actions of these library guardians. Turning partly aside where Xiao Yan could not see him, he shot the elders a fierce glare. They shrank back, averted their eyes, and stopped meeting his gaze. Only now did Liu Huabai truly possess the authority and dignity due to him as the Liu Clan's head.
Liu Huabai turned to Xiao Yan, his expression changing in an instant from blazing anger to bright spring sunshine. The library guardians rolled their eyes and cursed inwardly, but there was nothing they could do. After all, he was now the true clan head in name, and even the First Elder, who had opposed him in the past, had sided with him. Now he had even built a bridge to the expert at his side. What could library guardians like them do but sigh? Such was fate! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west!
Once the restrictions opened, Xiao Yan finally saw the library's true appearance.
It was a building over thirty meters tall, ancient and unadorned, with nothing about it that drew attention. Yet Xiao Yan's eyes fixed at once on three great characters of golden glazed brilliance hanging high at the top. Their strokes danced like dragons and phoenixes, iron paintings and silver hooks, yet they looked perfectly ordinary: Library.
Xiao Yan stared intently at the three characters, deep suspicion appearing in his eyes. He could not shake the feeling that something within them stirred even his heart. It seemed the Liu Clan of Qingyang City had been no ordinary clan in the past!
Xiao Yan drew back the foot he had been about to place through the library doors, nearly causing Liu Huabai, who was following close behind, to bump into him. Liu Huabai frowned slightly at Xiao Yan, his eyes full of confusion. What was this lord planning to do?
Xiao Yan stepped back several paces, stopping only when he could see the plaque without looking up. He studied it, his eyes full of questions, then turned to Liu Huabai, who had retreated several paces alongside him, and asked:
"Clan Head Liu, how long has this library plaque been hanging here?"
Liu Huabai's expression froze slightly. He stepped back just to ask how long that old plaque has been hanging there? Still, Xiao Yan was a senior, and though Liu Huabai grumbled a little inwardly, he answered him honestly:
"This plaque has been at the library for a very long time. It seems to have been here seven or eight hundred years ago, though it wasn't hanging here then. It stood beside the path here instead. As for why, I don't know." As he spoke, Liu Huabai pointed to a black stone stele nearby, carved with the characters for "library."
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. His inspection had revealed that there was clearly something within the plaque. Presumably, an ancestor of the Liu Clan had left it for his descendants to comprehend the Great Dao. Unfortunately, those descendants had been ignorant, and with no senior to explain it to them, they had remained completely unaware. They had treated it as an ordinary plaque and hung it up. Had Xiao Yan not discovered it now, such a treasure would probably have remained covered in dust. They had a great treasure, yet no one knew it. No wonder the Liu Clan had ultimately lost to the Wu Clan.
As Xiao Yan listened to Liu Huabai, he could not help shaking and lowering his head slightly. He sighed, looked at Liu Huabai with a trace of pity in his eyes, and said:
"Alas... no wonder your Liu Clan has fallen into such decline. It truly is sad!"
Liu Huabai and the library guardians exchanged glances, all frowning slightly. Each saw a trace of confusion in the others' eyes. They then turned their puzzled gazes to Xiao Yan, who had already anticipated this. Xiao Yan could only purse his lips helplessly. Seeing their curious looks, he paused and said:
"If I'm not mistaken, the characters on this plaque were written by an ancestor of your Liu Clan, who condensed the essence of his lifetime's cultivation into them. He left them for his descendants to study, to increase their cultivation and comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth. Unfortunately, your Liu Clan descendants were ignorant and failed to make use of it, leaving this treasure to gather dust and serve as nothing more than an ordinary plaque on the library. Come to think of it, this truly is a great loss for your Liu Clan!" Xiao Yan sighed softly and shook his head. With a somewhat sorrowful tone, he glanced at Liu Huabai and the library guardians, then said no more.
Liu Huabai and the others' expressions instantly became a colorful sight. They exchanged glances, then looked up at the plaque hanging high above, at the three characters whose strokes danced like dragons and phoenixes, exuding extraordinary majesty: Library.
The library had always been the place the clan valued most, guarded by countless clan experts. Yet while guarding it, they had also kept many opportunities outside. Perhaps they could have learned the plaque's secret many years ago, but unfortunately, it was only today that they learned of this great gift from their ancestor.
Liu Huabai moved, appearing in an instant before the plaque, which now seemed to overflow with majesty and glow with vigorous life. He reached out and took it down from the library, then landed on the ground and struck the stone stele bearing the three characters with his palm, blasting it into a cloud of stone dust. He sent the plaque in his hand, which radiated waves of golden light, flying into the ground where the stele had stood. He then walked up to it, and only now did he discover that the ground before the plaque was made of an incomparably hard slab of bluestone. Once the surrounding dust was cleared away, it proved to be a bluestone meditation cushion. Liu Huabai sighed softly and looked at Xiao Yan. Seeing him nod, he plopped down on the cushion, pressed his palm against the plaque, and immersed himself in cultivation.
Boom!
Not long after Liu Huabai immersed his entire mind in cultivation, a fierce, domineering fluctuation of Dou Qi erupted from him. He had actually used the plaque's power to break through at this very moment! And that was not all: his strength had leaped from Eight-Star Dou Zong to Early-Stage Dou Zun. Xiao Yan's eyes brightened slightly, but he did nothing, simply waiting quietly to the side. Seeing this, the library guardians stopped the Dou Qi that had been circulating slowly within them. Their gazes gradually grew calmer as they continued watching Liu Huabai strive to cultivate with the plaque's help.
Time passed slowly. A quarter of an hour later, Liu Huabai finally emerged from cultivation. He looked excitedly at the plaque, then turned to Xiao Yan, his face full of gratitude. As though recalling something, he hurried over to Xiao Yan and said gratefully:
"Thank you, Senior Xiao Yan, for helping my Liu Clan recover our ancestor's great gift. I, Liu Huabai, express my deepest gratitude to you on behalf of the entire clan. I hope you will agree: if this plaque is of any help to you, please accept it as my gift of thanks, no matter what!"
Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, and even the Liu Clan's library guardians' expressions changed slightly. Xiao Yan could understand exactly why Liu Huabai had done this, but the guardians could not. If the Liu Clan kept the plaque their ancestor had left all to themselves, there would be no question of their dominating Qingyang City in the future. But if they gave part of their ancestor's legacy to an outsider, wouldn't the Liu Clan advance much more slowly over the next hundred years? This was something the guardians could not accept. Just as they were about to object, however, an aged voice suddenly rang out. Its owner was none other than the First Elder, Liu Xincheng, who said loudly:
"On behalf of all the Liu Clan elders, I support the clan head's decision!"
At these words, everyone fell silent.
(Your editor was a little slow with this chapter. Sorry about that. I'll be faster next time, but I'm still asking for recommendation votes! Please!)