Chapter 210 – Five Sources, Nine Ancestors, Return to the True Self; Four Lotuses as One; Innate Shadow Blood - Part 3

A few days passed.

Li Yuan delivered his latest intelligence to Gu Xuejian, along with a few jars of a special brew not sold to the public, plus some fried peanuts and beef as snacks. She studied the reports through the night, then suddenly left again.

This time, word spread of an epic battle seen in the skies above a place called Readyfar County. Local merchants and workers from the Purejade Merchant Association claimed the clouds changed color, fierce winds raged, and across the heavens loomed massive, rootless vines glowing a glaring green which turned even the sunlight green.

At the same time, burning petals whirled chaotically in the high air, a height where no lotus should ever reach. In the end, what looked like falling stars crashed to earth, leaving deep craters in their wake.

Gu Xuejian was gone for a long while. In the dead of winter, during the twelfth lunar month...with snow piling high, she finally returned. It was just her and a single sword.

She wore white, her sword was light blue, and her eyes blazed like a midday sun. Snowflakes fell around her, but each one that landed hissed into white steam, drifting about in a veil of mist. In that moment, she looked like an otherworldly figure strolling out of a cloud bank.

“Wine.” That was the first and only word she spoke to Li Yuan on returning.

He could tell she was injured, but he didn’t ask. For the next few days, she focused on recovering. Perhaps it was Li Yuan’s casual, straightforward way of talking, or maybe just her overall contentment with her stay at the estate. Whatever the reason, on one snowy day she decided to visit the inner courtyard to see Li Yuan’s children.

“Ha! Ha!”

The seven-year-old Ping’an was in the covered walkway at the edge of the courtyard, practicing swings with a wooden sword. Since he was still a child, Li Yuan hadn’t taught him any real cultivation; his blood energy was too undeveloped.

Because Gu Xuejian spent so much time in the outer courtyards, Ping’an had never actually met her. He cast sidelong glances between swings until he finished his practice, then ran over and stood straight in front of her, chin high. “I am the world’s greatest swordsman! Who are you?”

Gu Xuejian had been ready with a casual reply, but froze mid-thought. Gazing down at the boy, she felt a strange, inexplicable sensation rise up within her. It grew stronger the closer she got, a feeling she’d only ever experienced around certain fellow disciples at the peak of sixth rank.

But this child wasn’t even a martial artist yet, let alone sixth rank. So where was that sense of shared origin coming from?

Frowning in curiosity, she rested her chin in her hand and studied the boy, her mind churning with questions she couldn’t quite name.

Li Yuan quickly stepped in. “Ping’an, behave.”

His son’s eyes lit up with sudden realization. “Ohhh~! I get it now, you’ve found me a new mother. Pops, so you really did bring home a stepmother this time!”

He blurted it out so clearly and quickly that Li Yuan didn’t have time to stop him.

In two quick strides, Li Yuan reached Ping’an, hoisted him up by the waist, and carried him off to dole out a father’s

one-on-one discipline

.

He couldn’t just let this pass, especially not in front of Gu Xuejian. Ping’an calling her

new mom

could offend her in any number of ways. Li Yuan also vaguely recalled a joke from long ago, when his goddaughter once teased that she’d gladly play the part of his

wife

or

stepmother

for the child. He felt exasperated just thinking about it.

Meanwhile, Ping’an, wedged under Li Yuan’s arm, wore the carefree smirk of someone who wasn’t the least bit afraid of punishment. His words dripped with scornful bravado, “Go ahead, spank me if you can! I’m different now, I won’t even cry once. If I do, I’m not the world’s greatest swordsman.”

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Li Yuan gave Gu Xuejian an apologetic look over his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive my son for being so rude. It’s clear I still haven’t disciplined him enough.”

Gu Xuejian stopped him. “Don’t punish him just yet. I’d like a closer look at this child.”

Li Yuan hesitated a moment, but set his son down.

She beckoned, and Ping’an trotted over, staring up at her curiously. For some reason, he felt an odd sense of closeness to this woman...almost comforting, though he had no idea why.

Taking Ping’an’s small hand, Gu Xuejian turned to Li Yuan. “I should be honest with you—I’m not merely Yan Mu’s senior in name. I’m actually a senior in the same sect. This boy may have a connection to the Holy Tree Temple. I’d like to test him.”

Li Yuan frowned, uncertain. “Test him for what?”

“I suspect he may have the shadow blood that belongs to our Holy Tree Temple lineage.”

Li Yuan glanced at the 0~1 over his son’s head. “That can’t be... He’s never practiced any cultivation.”

Gu Xuejian nodded. “That’s why I think it might be innate shadow blood.”

“Innate shadow blood?”

“It’s extremely rare, but not impossible. Some children blessed by heaven are born with latent shadow blood. At first, it doesn’t manifest. But if they later cultivate a technique perfectly suited to that bloodline, they can advance with remarkable speed. Conversely, they’ll find it almost impossible to progress with any other technique.

“If Ping’an truly does have our Holy Tree Temple’s innate shadow blood...” She trailed off with a look of stunned realization.

Li Yuan sounded doubtful. “Could you be mistaken?”

He already had some suspicions but didn’t want to believe them outright. Then he remembered that, around the time he conceived Ping’an with Xue Ning, the Return-Willow Technique in his body had manifested its own unusual variant of shadow blood, which inherently defied normal logic. Could it have been passed down genetically? After all, his daughter, Sheng'er, seemed to have inherited his ability to control birds. Maybe Ping’an had inherited that other piece of him.

“There’s no mistake,” Gu Xuejian said firmly, her excitement evident. “And so, I’d like to take Ping’an with me to the Holy Tree Temple and accept him as my personal disciple.”

Li Yuan hesitated. First, he’d always intended to teach his son himself. Now, someone else was stepping in.

Second, though he trusted Gu Xuejian more than most and knew she wasn’t malicious, Ping’an was still his child. How could he let him go off without more concrete information? Third, the Holy Tree Temple was far away. If Ping’an left, who knew when they might see each other again?

Sensing his concerns, Gu Xuejian offered, “Why not move your entire family to the Holy Tree Temple? If you wish, I can recommend you for the position of guest enforcer. If that doesn’t suit you, you could still settle in our stronghold. Either way, you’d be close by.”

Li Yuan paused, brow furrowed. “Guest enforcer? Senior Gu, who exactly are you?”

Still holding Ping’an’s hand, she smiled at the boy before replying, “I’m Gu Xuejian, deputy temple master of the Holy Tree Temple, third in overall authority. If you bring your household to our domain, you can rest assured I’ll look after you.”

Li Yuan shot to his feet and bowed. “This junior greets the deputy temple master.” Then he added, “I appreciate your generous offer, Deputy Gu, but relocating my entire household is no small matter. May I have some time to think it over?”

Gu Xuejian replied, “This outlying region won’t remain a safe haven for long. Take your time. In half a month, I’ll depart. If you decide you’re willing, come with me then.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

After giving it careful thought and discussing matters with Xue Ning and Yan Yu, Li Yuan decided against leaving for the moment.

Yan Yu’s black market ghost domain was fixed in place; it couldn’t simply be picked up and moved somewhere else. The only way to relocate it would be to merge it with another ghost domain near the Holy Tree Temple through a kind of

battle

, an idea that was far too risky.

Still, since Gu Xuejian had left that door open, Li Yuan didn’t want to shut it altogether. He persuaded Yan Mu to lead most of the people from the Ginger Tavern, Hundred Lotus Distillery, and the Purejade Merchant Association to the Dao Garden Paradise in Silkfloss Province, where the Holy Tree Temple was located.

Officially, they were going to open a branch and scout the place out. Unofficially, it gave Li Yuan a fallback if things went sour.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Time flew, and half a month slipped by.

When the day came for Gu Xuejian to leave, she was set on taking Li Ping’an with her. After Li Yuan and Yan Mu spoke at length with her, both sides agreed to wait another three months. Then, in half a year’s time, she would send someone, or perhaps come in person, to bring Ping’an to the Holy Tree Temple. Whether Li Yuan joined them or not, Ping’an would go.

They made it as far as the pass at Antelope Pass before parting ways. Li Yuan escorted her there, and she paused before riding off.

“Li Yuan,” she said quietly, “I know what you’re thinking. You want to live out your days quietly, far from the storms that are brewing. But I’m afraid those storms will soon hit the fringes first. Places like this won’t be safe for long. In the short term, maybe the next six months or so, you’ll likely be fine. After all, they’re waiting.”

She hesitated a moment, then continued, “They’re waiting for the black lotus to bloom.” Her bright eyes flickered. “Yan Mu may not know this, but I do. My Holy Tree Temple, along with the Mystic Gold Monastery, Sacred Fire Palace, Moon Reflection Tower, and Mountain Hall stand united. But the Red Lotus Cult has three allied factions of its own, hidden away all this time, recovering and growing. And now it seems they’re ready to emerge. Once they do, places like this on the very frontier will be the first they occupy because they need wide-open land.

“Surely you didn’t think the Red Lotus uprising was the only piece in play, without the backing of those three groups?”

“Three groups?” Li Yuan repeated, frowning.

She nodded. “Black Lotus, White Lotus, and Green Lotus. Together with the Red Lotus, the Four Lotuses were once a single entity. Red Lotus is pure destruction, Black Lotus brings poison, Green Lotus stands for killing intent, and White Lotus wields a captivating allure... They’re all terrifying in their own way.”

Li Yuan thought aloud, “But I’ve heard the Red Lotus Cult has allied with the undying husks. Shouldn’t that keep them tied down in the Jade Capital?”

“You may not have heard,” Gu Xuejian replied. “The emperor has moved the capital. And before he did...he poisoned every single one of his siblings. He’s lost his mind. A madman is capable of anything.”

Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed. “What drove him to such extremes?”

“He’s afraid. Afraid someone will support his siblings and replace him as emperor.”

“And the provincial governors and prefectural lords...they’re still following him?”

Gu Xuejian shrugged. “The land has been under the imperial family for centuries. They’re not going to accept anyone else so easily. And though the imperial clan has declined, it was once a fearsome power. Many generals and martial experts still practice the imperial family’s cultivation techniques...techniques now in the emperor’s hands.”

“Couldn’t they just kill him and take it by force?” Li Yuan asked.

“It isn’t so simple,” she replied. “The court’s network of loyalties and grudges is tangled beyond measure. Besides, the emperor isn’t as weak as people think.”

They fell silent for a moment.

Finally Li Yuan said, “I understand. Thank you, Deputy Gu. I’ll make my decision soon.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

At winter’s end, clad in white and sword at her side, Gu Xuejian departed on horseback from Antelope Pass.

Not daring to send any birds after her, Li Yuan watched her vanish into the distance, then turned and went home.

Compared to the Central Plains, migrating south seemed more appealing. But beyond Gemhill lay the wilderness, deep mountains, and the Sunset Rainforest overrun by demonic beasts.

Would that be any kind of escape route at all?