Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 57: Return
The Rosy Cloud Boat was extremely fast as it flew over the lush Mushroom Forest Plain for an hour before swiftly arriving at a mountain peak shrouded in clouds and mist, where a flying pavilion and flowing dan were located.
Li Chijin followed Yuan Tuan down from the Rosy Cloud Boat and saw a large group of cultivators in white robes and blue garments respectfully bowing and saying in unison:
"Welcome, envoy from the Immortal Sect!"
"No need for such formalities."
Yuan Tuan replied with a soft smile, walked down a few steps along the stone stairs, where a middle-aged man in a long robe was waiting. Upon seeing Li Chijin, he greeted respectfully:
"I’ve seen the disciple from the Immortal Sect. I’m Yuan Huyuan from the Yuan Family of Mushroom Forest Plain."
"Wangyue Lake, Li Family, Li Chijin."
As the Yuan Family and the Li Family were not from the same district, when introducing themselves they usually stated their place rather than the mountain name to prevent confusion, and after exchanging greetings, he saw Yuan Tuan nod slightly:
"This is my clan brother, Yuan Huyuan. I have already instructed him."
"Thank you, Senior Sister!"
Li Chijin clasped his fists in thanks, boarded the Flying Shuttle of the man from the Yuan Family, bid farewell to his senior sister, and headed west.
After flying for a while, Li Chijin noticed that the man remained silent, so he smiled and started a conversation.
"Elder, Senior Sister calls you clan brother, but you look as if..."
"As if I’m old enough to be her father, yes?"
Yuan Huyuan burst into laughter, declaring loudly:
"Qi Cultivators live long lives and age slowly in appearance. My clan sister entered Qi Cultivation at the age of eighteen and since then has hardly aged. She looks no more than in her early twenties today. I, with my modest talents, only started cultivating Qi in the last few years, so naturally, I look middle-aged."
"I see!"
Li Chijin silently marveled and couldn’t help asking:
"So it seems that the appearance of a Qi Cultivator can be quite deceiving, especially if they are young?"
"Not necessarily. Although Qi Cultivators can live up to two hundred years, it’s not that they don’t age at all, just much slower. A forty-year-old cultivator with the appearance of a twenty-year-old is quite normal. Often it’s the elderly cultivators that you need to be wary of, usually those who have cultivated for over a hundred years but dare not break through to Foundation Establishment, just hanging on at the peak of Qi Cultivation."
Seeing Li Chijin deep in thought, Yuan Huyuan smiled slightly and said:
"Judging people by their appearances is not advisable. I learned this the hard way in my youth and almost lost my life because of it."
The cool morning wind made Li Chijin’s clothes flutter, and Yuan Huyuan’s Flying Shuttle was much slower compared to Si Yuanbai’s back in the day. The two casually chatted about trifles in the Immortal Cultivation World, and after about two hours, they finally saw the glittering Wangyue Lake.
Li Chijin directed Yuan Huyuan to stop at the Lichuan Entrance beside the lake, and then smiled as he bade farewell.
"On the third day, at the hour of yin, I will wait for you here."
With those words, Yuan Huyuan launched the Flying Shuttle into the sky and departed.
Li Chijin activated his wind-riding spell, floating towards the Lichuan Entrance, and from a distance, he saw a six- or seven-year-old child crouching at the entrance of the village with a quiver of arrows by his feet, holding a black arrowhead in his left hand and carefully sharpening it on a whetstone.
As Li Chijin approached, the child stood up calmly and respectfully said:
"Immortal Master, this area belongs to the Li Family of Lijing under the governance of Green Pond. A few miles to the east is the ancient Lidao."
Li Chijin chuckled softly, took a close look at his features, and asked with a smile:
"What is your relationship with Chen Erniu?"
"He’s my father!"
The child’s eyes lit up, and he bowed repeatedly, saying respectfully:
"My name is Chen Donghe, I’ll go call my father right away."
Li Chijin waved his hand, floating gently, and vanished from the stone-paved road.
The Chen Family.
Chen Erniu, wrapped in his thick fur coat, leisurely sipped his tea, while the teacher Han Wenxu at his side also lightly tasted his tea, looking at Chen Erniu with a smile and saying:
"Old Chen, you’re a curious one. Among the Chen Family’s five sons, their names either relate to rivers or lakes. The Chen Family is now quite prominent, yet you enjoy a fisherman’s simplicity."
Chen Erniu laughed without saying a word, but then he heard the courtyard door creak open, and a young man dressed in a white feathered robe, with green boots on his feet and an imposing air about him, slowly entered the courtyard. He first made a slight bow with his hands and said to Han Wenxu:
"Sir, it has been a long time since we last met."
Then he cast a brief glance at Chen Erniu and said softly:
"Uncle Chen, you seem to have grown more prosperous since I last saw you."
Chen Erniu was stunned for a moment, his gaze lingering on Li Chijin’s face for a few breaths before exclaiming:
"Li Chi... Immortal Master!"
"Jing’er!"
All four brothers of the Li family had studied under Han Wenxu, so naturally he called them with more affection. Realizing he might have misspoken, he immediately lowered his head and stayed silent. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Li Chijin waved his hand and said with a smile:
"Take me to see my brothers."
"The young clan leader... should be on Lijing Mountain at this moment, as for the Immortal Master... it is said that he has recently been on Meichi Mountain."
————
Li Xiangping was practicing his cultivation in the front courtyard when he heard a quick succession of footsteps on the stone steps. He frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Yesheng?"
"Hahahahaha."
But what followed was a burst of familiar laughter. A dashing young man with a noble stance stepped in from outside the door, a three-foot Green Peak sword on his waist, its pale-white tassel swaying by his side, the epitome of elegance.
"I returned to the village, only to find that my family had already moved up the mountain, so I asked Brother Yesheng to guide me through the formation and up the mountain."
After speaking, he shook his head with a smile and said:
"Tch, the Misty Maze Array."
"Jing’er?!"
Li Xiangping blinked, asking in astonishment:
"You, weren’t you cultivating within the sect?!"
"Hahaha, I was about to have a breakthrough in Qi Cultivation, so I took leave from the sect to visit home."
"I’ll go call Father!"
Li Mutian rushed into the front courtyard, and after sitting down and chatting for a while, Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan also hurried back.
"My dear nephew!"
Li Xuanxuan hadn’t seen Li Chijin for several years and was naturally very affectionate, hugging him over and over again, while Li Tongya also looked at his brother with a smile.
The reunion was naturally an emotional one. Their mother from the Liu Clan was so happy she shed tears of joy. The family prepared a feast and introduced Li Chijin to Li Qiuyang and Liu Rouxuan among several new members. They brought out snake gall wine that had been stored for years and drank until late into the night before stopping.
After seeing off Li Qiuyang and others, the members of the Li family set up a tea table in the backyard, their eyes all clear. The snake gall wine contained Spiritual Energy but was not intoxicating, and everyone had their own concerns, so none drank much.
After listening to his brothers talk about the changes in the family over the past few years, Li Chijin was deeply moved. He took a sip of the clear tea in front of him and said in a serious tone:
"This time I have returned, Jing’er indeed has important matters, otherwise I wouldn’t have rushed back while on the verge of a breakthrough in Qi Cultivation."
Narrowing his eyes and looking at the Stone Platform inside the room, Li Chijin said in a low voice:
"Let’s talk inside."
They entered the room, and Li Chijin remained silent, standing quietly and gazing at the tempting moonlight shining through the skylight.
Watching the moonlight gather on the Mirror and condense into pale white moonlight, flowing around the Dharma Mirror, Li Chijin performed a spell and began to discern carefully.
Feeling the Fetal Breathing of the Six Wheels’ Lingchu Wheel in his Shengyang Mansion growing restless, his Mana circulation quickening by quite a bit, Li Chijin withdrew his hand in a daze. Despite having verified what he suspected, his face still showed disbelief as he slowly spoke out:
"Taiyin Moonlight?!"
