Chapter 62: Notification

"There's no such thing as peace and happiness every year in this world! Life and death, prosperity and decline, can happen in an instant; I'm not afraid. I only worry if my children and grandchildren can bear great responsibility."Li Xiangping gave a wry smile, stopped discussing the topic, and brought out a piece of silk fabric and an ink brush, asking Li Chijing to write down the sword manual.

"This sword manual only describes one sword technique, and it's called..."Li Chijing tilted his head in thought, an arc of moon-white sword energy appearing in his mind. He then said:"Let's call it 'Moon Crescent Sword Arc'."

With that, he picked up the brush and freely wrote on several pieces of silk fabric, detailing the cultivation routes, the distribution of spiritual power on the sword, and the techniques for drawing the sword. Only then did he put down his brush, satisfied.

"Once you go to the Immortal Sect, I will transcribe it onto bamboo slips."Li Xiangping carefully put away the pieces of silk, as if they were priceless treasures, and said with a smile.

Looking at the sky, another hour had passed. Li Chijing taught Li Xiangping some key points of talismancy. He then spent the night talking with Li Mutian and nourished the elder's body with some spiritual elixirs. Finally, he set off for Licuan Pass.

****

After sitting on the Cloud Skiff of Rosy Clouds for a quarter of an hour, Li Chijing was still preoccupied with matters back home. His senior sister, Yuan Tuan, noticed his distraction and whispered:"How is the old man's health?"

Only then did Li Chijing remember that he had returned home under the pretense of visiting his family. He quietly tightened his grip on the slender jade bottle at his waist and replied dully:"He can still eat. I've helped him regulate his body; he should be able to hold on for a few more years."

Yuan Tuan sighed softly, assuming Li Chijing was feeling down, and consoled him:"Even cultivators cannot escape birth, old age, sickness, and death, let alone mortals. It's best if they suffer less pain."

Li Chijing chatted half-heartedly, but in his mind, he was carefully considering how to explain the origin of the Grand Yin Lunar Essence to Siyuan Bai.

"Not to mention that the 'Golden Autumn in the Lake' needs to be requested from within the sect; simply lending out the 'Moon Lake Reflecting Autumn Art' requires Master's permission. Practicing this technique privately is absolutely out of the question; I still need to inform Master first."

Thinking of this, Li Chijing smiled at Yuan Tuan and gently asked:"Senior Sister, is Master on Azure Sprout Peak?"

"Oh, I received a message from the peak. Master returned to Azure Sprout Peak yesterday. He heard you were bullied, so he threw twelve Rain Gathering Talismans at Yuanwu Peak, almost flooding it." Yuan Tuan let out a chuckle, her reply tinged with amusement.

"Huh?"Li Chijing was momentarily stunned, a wave of emotion rising within him.

"In the end, disciples from the surrounding peaks all rushed over to watch the commotion. It was only when the Yuanwu Peak Master personally apologized that the thick cloud layers dissipated."

"Master really went to a lot of trouble." Li Chijing gave a wry smile. He didn't feel wronged himself; it was Deng Qiuzhi who had suffered a considerable loss at his hands. The Deng family was a prominent aristocratic clan, and Li Chijing was truly afraid of offending them too severely.

The Cloud Skiff of Rosy Clouds was very fast. After they chatted for a while, the entrance to the Azure Pool Sect appeared before their eyes. Yuan Tuan dropped Li Chijing off at Azure Sprout Peak and piloted the skiff towards the main peak.

Li Chijing landed and walked along the mountain path for a while. He saw his senior brother, Xiao Yuansi, who was refining pills against the morning glow and had just bottled them. Upon seeing Li Chijing, his eyes lit up, and he smiled:

"Your Senior Brother certainly got revenge for you; I gave that Deng Qiuzhi a good beating.""Thank you, Senior Brother!"Li Chijing chuckled, lightly stepped up the stone stairs, and approached, whispering:"What kind of pills are you refining, Senior Brother?"

"Just tinkering with some things, trying out some new ideas of my own." Xiao Yuansi shook his head, touched the still-warm alchemy furnace, smiled, and then said seriously:"Master is at the peak. You should go see him quickly."

"I was just about to." Li Chijing nodded, took out ten spirit stones from his storage pouch, and smiled:"I had forgotten that my family still owed you ten spirit stones, Senior Brother. Now I can finally pay them back."

Xiao Yuansi waved his hand dismissively, casually took the spirit stones from Li Chijing's hand, tossed them into his storage pouch, and then lowered his head to read his alchemy book.

Li Chijing bowed and took his leave. He lightly trod along the path for a while, and from a distance, he saw a small pavilion shrouded in light white mist.

As he reached the platform at the peak, he saw a person dressed in green robes, appearing to be in their thirties or forties, with a handsome face and a gentle smile. A gleaming white sword hung at their waist, and they stood gracefully and unassumingly in the pavilion.

Li Chijing swiftly ascended the stairs. He respectfully cupped his hands and smiled, saying:"Master!"

Siyuan Bai's eyes held a gentle smile as he softly said:"Deng Qiuzhi personally came to my Azure Sprout Peak to apologize to you, but he found no one. I heard you went home to see your father."

Thinking of Li Mutian, Siyuan Bai's expression became slightly odd as he looked down at Li Chijing. To his surprise, Li Chijing bowed his head and knelt down with a thud.

"Master, please forgive me! Your disciple deceived Senior Sister and Senior Brother; I returned to Moon Gaze Lake for another important matter!"

Siyuan Bai's expression changed instantly. He quickly helped Li Chijing up and said sternly:"What is this about? Get up quickly and speak."

Li Chijing lowered his head and, with some trepidation, began:"Before the New Year, Jing'er received a letter from home, saying that a senior's immortal cave had been discovered. After much struggle and countless hardships, they finally broke through the formation's gate, only to find the cave thoroughly cleaned out, with only a single green jade bottle left behind."

"My family examined the green jade bottle, and inside, there was a portion of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, as white as frost and flowing like water."

Siyuan Bai frowned and said in a deep voice:"As white as frost and flowing like water?""Frost from snow? North wind from pine forests? No... It couldn't possibly be..." Siyuan Bai shook his head, then suddenly his eyes widened, and he exclaimed:"Grand Yin Lunar Essence?!"

Li Chijing nodded heavily and said in a deep voice:"Your disciple searched in the Scripture Repository for a long time, feeling it was incredible. So, I found an excuse to return home and investigate. It truly was the Grand Yin Lunar Essence!"

"Bring it, let me see!"Li Chijing quickly presented the slender green jade bottle. Siyuan Bai took it, nodded, and said in a deep voice:"This green jade bottle is indeed a style from a hundred years ago."

After closing his eyes and sensing for a moment, Siyuan Bai suddenly opened them wide, exclaiming in surprise:"It truly is Grand Yin Lunar Essence! You handled this well."

Siyuan Bai carefully compared it for a while, then looked down at Li Chijing and gently said:"This Grand Yin Lunar Essence is exceptionally precious. You need to think carefully about how to handle it."

"I will leave it entirely to Master's decision!" Li Chijing respectfully cupped his hands and replied.

"You're a clever child." Siyuan Bai chuckled, patted Li Chijing's head, and then said seriously:"Your cultivation has reached the peak of the Embryonic Respiration stage. If you wish to cultivate the 'Moon Lake Reflecting Autumn Art,' this Grand Yin Lunar Essence absolutely must not be reported to the sect. Only your Senior Sister can go borrow the technique manual, and I will then seek an allocation of 'Golden Autumn in the Lake.' First, complete the cultivation of this technique—make sure the 'rice is cooked'—and then report it to the sect."

"Once the news leaks, even if a few old ancestors within the sect refrain from intervening due to appearances, the people of Moon Lake Peak will exhaust every means to obtain this Grand Yin Lunar Essence from you."

Siyuan Bai's eyes were filled with worry, unsure what he was concerned about, and he whispered:"The Azure Pool Sect has lost this lineage for three hundred years. They have waited too long..."

Hearing Siyuan Bai's words, Li Chijing felt a pang of guilt, gritting his teeth, assenting with his mouth while his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Both Li Xiangping and Li Chijing were naturally suspicious and astute individuals. Li Chijing had left home at a young age and was extremely wary of everything around him. Now, looking at the gentle expression on Siyuan Bai's face, he felt deeply moved, and finally let down his guard towards Azure Sprout Peak and all his fellow disciples.

"Thank you, Master!"