The early autumn morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the air in Lixi Village carried a damp, cold chill. The clamor of the previous night had vanished, leaving only desolation throughout the village; even the rooster’s crow sounded somewhat hoarse.
At the village entrance, a heavy footstep suddenly sounded on the winding mountain path, breaking the death-like silence.
Everyone looked towards the sound, only to see a white-haired old farmer walking with a stagger. His clothes were tattered, his arms covered in dried blood. In his left hand, he struggled to drag a headless corpse, while in his right hand, a hoe covered in blood and filth bore a broken human head.
"It’s that assassin!"
A sharp-eyed refugee recognized the clothing on the corpse and immediately felt a chill run down his spine, retreating in terror. The killer who had escaped only last night had become a dead object in this old man's hands this morning; the Li family's methods were truly terrifying.
The refugees, who had been huddled by the roadside gnawing on dry rations, scattered in fear, forcibly clearing a path in the middle of the road. The middle-aged leader looked at the twenty or so people remaining beside him and lamented inwardly:
"We killed their leader; now we are truly in a bind. Forget about staying, we won't even be able to leave."
Old Uncle Xu’s face was pale, his eyes dull. He paid no heed to the fearful gazes around him, focused only on dragging the corpse forward.
By the time he reached the Li family courtyard at the end of the village, a tenant had already run ahead to report. The courtyard gates were thrown open, and Li Gengye, looking exhausted, waited at the entrance with a group of family members.
"Old Uncle Xu, you are..."
"That remnant of the Yuan clan... I killed him. The corpse and head are both here; call Liu Yunfeng and Tian Shoushan to identify him."
Old Uncle Xu hunched over, his hands and feet ice cold. He dropped the corpse to the ground and collapsed, panting heavily.
Li Tongyan hurriedly brought tea from the inner room and handed it to Old Uncle Xu, but the old man’s hands trembled so much he could not hold the bowl. Li Tongyan had to feed it to him sip by sip.
Before long, Liu Yunfeng and Tian Shoushan arrived together with the eldest son of the Xu family. Old Uncle Xu recounted the entire sequence of events in front of everyone. After several confirmations, it was verified that this man was indeed the remnant of the Yuan clan.
"Old Uncle Xu, my brother's great vengeance has been fulfilled, the Li family is endlessly grateful..." Li Tongyan said, his eyes reddening, but Old Uncle Xu waved his hand with difficulty and spoke through tears:
"You need not thank me. I received kindness from Changhe, so I killed this man for him. I will certainly not use this favor to seek wealth from your Li family. This old man doesn't have many years left to live. If you have the heart to thank me, wait until that child is born, and bring him for me to see."
Having said that, he struggled to his feet. Ignoring the Li family's attempts to make him stay, he supported himself on his eldest son and left.
The Li family held the funeral for several days; white banners and mourning garb filled the courtyard. Li Changhe had been kind and righteous in life, so sounds of weeping were heard from every household. With affairs being busy, Li Tongyan’s preparation to condense the Mystic Light Wheel was delayed again and again. It was not until two months after Li Changhe’s burial that he stabilized his state of mind, condensed the Mystic Light Wheel, and officially stepped into the gateway of cultivation.
————
Two years later.
Clear morning sunlight cast shadows from a few sparse trees in the courtyard, dappling the ground with dappled light. Under the trees sat a handsome youth, cross-legged and fully absorbed in breathing exercises.
After a while, he exhaled a long breath of turbid air, retracted his technique, and looked into the courtyard with a smile.
He saw a boy of about two years old, holding a few wildflowers, running bouncing and hopping towards the backyard, laughing happily and babbling:
"Uncle... hug..."
Li Chixi smiled and reached out to gently scoop the child up, holding him high and rubbing the top of the child's head, asking eagerly:
"Has Che'er been good today?"
"Hug..." The child ignored him, giggling and wriggling in Li Chixi's hands.
"Che'er! Come out quickly!"
Madam Lin, however, did not dare enter the backyard, only calling out in a low voice from the courtyard gate.
Li Chixi put the child on the ground and watched with a smile as he bounced into his mother's arms. He spoke softly:
"This Roaming Wheel is truly difficult to cultivate. It took a full year and a half, but it is finally about to be done!"
"Chixi, you are so insatiable!"
Li Yunping stood up behind him and scolded him with a laugh:
"We have only just cultivated the Light-Bearing Wheel of the second layer of Embryonic Breathing; we haven't even touched the edge of the third layer, the Roaming Wheel, yet you complain that cultivation is too slow and wasting your time!"
Li Chixi gave a hey-hey laugh and did not answer, continuing on his own:
"Tonight I can begin condensing the Roaming Wheel, to show you all what it means for mana to flow and roam without ceasing."
"You kid."
Li Yunping laughed heartily. Seeing Li Gengye walk into the backyard with his hands behind his back, he lowered his head and called out:
"Father."
Li Gengye had changed quite a bit in these two years. His hair was grizzled, his wrinkles deep, and he always wore a stern face, rarely smiling. He looked more than ten years older.
"This child Xuance is truly naughty!"
Seeing his grandson Li Xuance, a smile finally appeared on Li Gengye's face. After Li Changhe died, the old man had lost his appetite and felt weary all day. The birth of this posthumous child undoubtedly injected new life into him, allowing him to rally once more.
As soon as Li Xuance was born, Li Gengye got up from his bed, gathered the Li family, and asked Li Yunping to select three phrases from the Art of Reception to serve as the order for the Li family's future generations.
Li Yunping carefully considered for a few days and selected three sentences from the book. They were:
"Mystic Scenery, Abyss Clear; Sun and Moon, Bearing Light. Roaming the Crimson Palace, Then Speaking to the Green Mystic. Jade Flower Reflecting Images, Only Seeing the Spirit's Beginning."
The sons of Li Tongyan, Li Yunping, and the others took their names from "Mystic Scenery"; boys took the character 'Mystic' (Xuan), and girls took 'Scenery' (Jing), and so on.
Li Gengye also asked Madam Lin. Lin Ping'er thought for a night and chose the character 'Che' (Clear), which became the name of Li Changhe's posthumous son: Li Xuance.
"It is just that Father spoils him too much."
Li Tongyan smiled and shook his head, placing the wooden slip in his hand