Chapter 1284: Pine Snow Asks The Wall (I)

The passage was very brief. It mentioned no transfers at the beginning and offered no explanation afterward. It merely inserted this short account at the end of the letter, making it feel abrupt and without context.

Yet it was precisely this description of heavy snowfall that made Li Jiangqian hold the letter in silence for a long time. Meeting the old elder's gaze, he said softly, "Yi Mountain City has snowed."

Yi Mountain City lay along the southern border. Let alone snow, it usually basked in summer all year round, and even frost was rare. Li Xuanxuan was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized what it meant. His expression shifted as he replied, "So it is Fairy Ning..."

If it were another family, it would have been difficult to grasp the meaning at once. However, after Daoist Master Yuansu of the Ning Family died and entrusted his orphan to Li Xuanfeng, and with the Ning Family having once tied their entire family to Li Xuanfeng, the Li Family knew many secrets. They immediately guessed that Autumn Lake Fairy Ning Wan, who was in seclusion at Yi Mountain City, was attempting to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm.

She was not only the fairy who once presided over Moon Lake Peak and the earliest direct superior of Moongaze Lake, but also someone the Li Family had known since their most humble days. She was acquainted with Sword Immortal Li Chejing and the Celestial Moon Sword Li Tongya. She cultivated Cold Essence, a Dao lineage close to Li Xijun's, whose phenomena were pine resin and heavy snow.

"No wonder they hurriedly recalled him. No wonder it was said to be a momentous matter. This truly is an event that could change the heavens..."

Yet a phenomenon was still only a phenomenon. Whether success or failure, a heavy snowfall was inevitable. When Li Ximing succeeded, the skies over Moongaze Lake had cleared, and the Azure Pond Sect still believed he had perished. Li Xuanxuan murmured for a while, then shook his head and said, "I only hope that the spirit of Daoist Master Yuansu blesses her, and that the fairy must succeed."

After all, Li Jiangqian was of the younger generation. By the time he had come of age, Ning Wan was already in seclusion. The family history did not mention her separately either, so he was unfamiliar with the Autumn Lake Fairy and fell silently into thought.

The elder's eyes were filled with emotion as he shook his head and said, "Back then, when second uncle and Wan Yuankai drove a carriage out of the lake and first stepped beyond Moongaze Lake, they encountered Senior Xiao Yongling and learned of the Autumn Lake Fairy's great reputation from him. At that time, she was already at the eighth stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm and was the foremost beauty of the Azure Pond Sect. If she can now achieve the Purple Mansion Realm, it will be a fine tale indeed."

Li Jiangqian thought for a moment and asked, "In your view, old elder, how likely are Fairy Ning’s chances of achieving the Purple Mansion Realm?"

Li Xuanxuan pondered for a moment and said, "I believe the chances are very high. It is said that her cultivation method was personally chosen by Daoist Master Yuansu, and the resources she received were the accumulated spiritual assets of Daoist Master Yuansu's entire life. There was even a portion of a Cold Essence Purple Mansion Realm spirit item."

Although Li Xuanxuan was only in the Qi Cultivation Realm, his brothers and juniors were all exceptional figures. The old man knew many things and was extremely shrewd as he explained quietly, "Yuansu is one of the three Yuans of the Azure Pond Sect. Even when compared to Yuanxiu and Yuanwu, he is different still. His standing should be on par with Chi Wei. They were all close friends of the Origin Mansion heirs. If the Dao lineage had not been severed, it would truly be hard to say who would have been in charge of the Azure Pond Sect all these years.

"How many benefits did Chi Wei, Zipei, and that one from the Golden Feather Sect gain back then? So how could Daoist Master Yuansu have received any less? His mount in those days was a Three-Eyed Mount Tiao Beast. If not for the emergence of a ruthless figure like Situ Tang who feared neither heaven nor earth, that spirit beast would be a Purple Mansion Realm high cultivator today.

"If you sold our entire Li Family, could you even afford one eye of that spirit beast? Do you think he only had that single Xinyou Pristine Marsh Seal in his possession? Could he really have lacked other fine items?

"Seen this way, Fairy Ning breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm may not be absolutely certain, but there is at least a seventy to eighty percent chance."

Li Jiangqian truly felt his horizons broadened. He nodded inwardly as he replied, "It seems it is most likely a good thing."

Li Xuanxuan nodded and said, "This old man will not speak too absolutely, but it is indeed a good thing. That person is already advanced in years, and all cultivators know this would be an earth shaking event. If the one backing us in the future is Fairy Ning..."

Although Yuanxiu was the youngest among the three Yuans, his lifespan was nearly at its end, and he himself was not easy to deal with. He had long harbored the intention of drawing the Li Family into the Azure Pond Sect. If Ning Wan were to preside over the Azure Pond Sect, matters would become far easier.

Li Jiangqian understood clearly and replied, "It is likely already too late to head to Yi Mountain City now since Li Quantao rushed back in such haste. This matter is worth careful thought."

Li Xuanxuan replied, "Back then, Ning Heyuan died in the north, and a spirit artifact was lost. To this day, there has been no news of the Xinyou Pristine Marsh Seal. That is a spirit treasure, an ancient spirit artifact. That individual already bore the greatest suspicion, so naturally there are matters for him to ponder."

After the two finished their discussion, both felt it to be good news and put the letter away. Li Xuanxuan said, "I do not know how you have arranged matters in Jiangbei. This idle old man has heard some news. Wu State has produced a sword cultivator of great renown, surnamed Xu."

Although Li Jiangqian dealt with countless affairs daily, his Foundation Establishment Realm clarity allowed him to organize his thoughts at once. As he drew out a letter from the documents on the desk, he said, "What you say is correct. I have also received news. First, the Northern Sea Sword Immortal Huifu has achieved the Purple Mansion Realm and established a sect at the Plume Shedding Grounds, known as the Northern Prefecture Sword Dao."

He paused, then said with great seriousness, "The key point is that this individual is not only a sword immortal, but also a Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Master of the Supreme Yang Dao."

Li Xuanxuan was startled and nodded silently. Although Jiangnan claimed to be of the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, there were not many cultivators of the Supreme Yang Dao, and there were no Daoist Masters of the Supreme Yang Dao at all. The extent of its power was unknown. Only the Supreme Yin Dao had formed a pure and established line.

Li Jiangqian continued, "The other matter concerns this Daoist Xu. He killed cultivators of Mount Changhuai and fled far to the southern border. This can be considered a first in the present age."

Mount Changhuai had an unmatched authority within Wu State. Anyone who could kill its cultivators and still escape was certainly no ordinary figure. Li Jiangqian shook his head as he said, "With the great figure approaching, such matters will naturally increase. There are two or three others as well, but none are as extreme as this Daoist Xu. He is also highly skilled in sword arts, with exceptionally strong combat ability."

Li Xuanxuan replied slowly, "That is indeed the case. Although the immortal presence of that great figure is stationed in Jiangbei, there are many cultivators on both banks. If chaos breaks out, it will be a major problem. Do not forget the precedent of Xu Xiao."

"This junior has taken your guidance to heart."

Li Jiangqian understood that the mention of Daoist Xu was meant as a warning. He nodded in acknowledgment and then escorted the elder back.

————

Yi Mountain City.

Yi Mountain City was the foremost city of the southern border. It stood upon Mount Lingqiu at the boundary of the Azure Pond Sect. Beyond this city, stretching southward, lay endless forests. The overall direction of the southern border was inclined toward the southwest, while slightly to the east along the coast lay Northern Dan Island and the Ten Thousand Mile Stone Pond.

If one continued southwest, crossing dense forest after forest and passing the ruins of ancient South Yue, reaching the Shahuang[1] Kingdom, the Pyu Kingdoms[2], and even the farther lands of Meng Kingdom[3] and Shendu[4], all of it would fall within the countless demon ridges deep in the southern border.

Although human settlements were widely distributed, the traditional extent of the Xia peoples[5] reached only as far as Yi Mountain City. Everyone beyond that were considered barbarians. Even the former Chu State had long been scorned by the Central Plain, and those beyond the city walls were merely barbarians among barbarians, unworthy even of disdain.

This mighty city that straddled the boundary between the civilized and the barbarian had long been recorded in the ancient texts of the Southern Fire Heavenly Mansion. When the Southern Fire Heavenly Mansion first forged this city, flames filled the skies. It was only after the spiritual ores of Mount Lingqiu were fully excavated that the fire clouds gradually vanished. Even so, this place remained rich in spiritual energy and, backed by the southern border, was rarely affected by the spiritual auras of other regions.

Yet this ancient city, which had not seen snow for hundreds of years, was now blanketed in white. Snow piled thick enough to bury a person filled the city, packing every street solid. Many cultivators stood atop rooftops protruding from the snow, gazing at the vast white sky.

What a heavy snowfall.

1. Shahuang (沙黄) means Yellow Sand. In the real world, it refers to the ancient kingdom/culture of south-central Vietnam. ☜

2. In real life, the Pyu city-states were a group of city-states that existed from about the 2nd century BCE to the mid-11th century in present-day Upper Myanmar. ☜

3. Meng Kingdom (孟国) This is referring to Bangladesh. ☜

4. Shendu (身毒) refers to India, it is how ancient China called India. It is the transliteration of Sindhu (The ancient Sanskrit name for the Indus River, a major river in Asia.). ☜

5. Xia people here refers to the Chinese people. ☜