The Mirror Legacy

Chapter 621: The Fei Family Today (II)

Li Qinghong, now a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, commanded authority, leaving Fei Tongyu too intimidated to protest. He bowed deeply and led the way. As they landed on the snow-covered peak, their gaze fell upon a hall with its roof sealed shut—a peculiar sight.@@@@

Having stayed with the Fei Family for a few years in the past, Li Qinghong was familiar with their traditions. Typically, their courtyards were left open to admire the moon and snow. Finding the hall sealed piqued her curiosity, and she cast a questioning glance. Fei Tongyu quickly explained, "That was where my younger brother lived during his life. He never cared for moonlit nights and had the hall roofed over intentionally."

"During his life?" Li Qinghong's expression shifted, and she pressed him further. "What do you mean? What happened to your brother, Fei Tongxiao?"

Fei Tongyu lowered his head, his face flushed with shame as he maintained a deferential posture. He replied, "He failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. He has since merged into the cold wind and snow, and is gone."

"Fei Tongxiao... is dead?" Li Qinghong paused, genuinely stunned. She had not expected that this man, with his steadfast ambition, would have risked and lost his life in attempting the Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough. The sudden realization of the passing of an old acquaintance left her at a loss for words.

Tears welled in Fei Tongyu's eyes as he murmured, "It happened a few years ago..."

Li Qinghong fell silent. The two continued their walk, eventually arriving at Fei Wangbai's grave. The gravestone, overgrown with purple moss, appeared especially forlorn amidst the snow.

Recalling the teacher-student relationship they had once shared, Li Qinghong offered a brief moment of prayer at the grave before they proceeded further up the snowy mountain. Cresting the ridge, a familiar pavilion came into view.

Years ago, she had practiced spear techniques in that very pavilion. Fei Tongxiao would visit her there every day, climbing up the mountainside each time. Decades had passed, yet the small pavilion remained intact.

Fei Tongyu led her inside. Two potted plum blossoms stood by the door, well-tended and covered in white frost. The door, freshly painted white, shone cleanly, while the stone steps, polished smooth, gleamed under the frost that had built up over time from lack of visitors.

They sat at a stone table in the courtyard. As soon as Fei Tongyu sat down, he began to weep, the years of hardship etched plainly into his weary demeanor. In a hoarse voice, he said, "My younger brother... he passed away three years ago. Before he died, he left me a letter to give to you. I was instructed by Qingyi not to send anyone to deliver it until you arrived."

He retrieved a small letter, barely the size of a palm, from his storage pouch. Li Qinghong lowered her almond-shaped eyes to examine it. On its surface, a few simple lines were written, "Senior Sister, Tongxiao was foolish and could not achieve success. In my youth, I rashly disturbed you, but I am grateful I did not hinder your cultivation. Yet, Senior Sister, for forty-eight winters among the pines and snow of this cold mountain, my heart has been as firm as these hills, unwavering."

Fei Tongxiao had once studied alongside her as disciples of Fei Wangbai, but they all knew it was merely a political arrangement between the two families. Fei Wangbai had imparted little of real value to any of them, and after leaving his tutelage, they had gone their separate ways, never speaking of it again.

That word—Senior Sister—was one she had not heard in decades.

She had only walked a short distance when she found Li Xijun waiting for her at the mountaintop. Seeing his aunt arrive, he stepped forward and spoke softly, "Most of the family matters have been settled. I have also extracted Li Wushao's spirituality and entrusted it to Yuexiang. For the next few years, the household will need both you and Yuexiang to keep a close watch."

Hearing this, Li Qinghong immediately understood his intentions. As expected, Li Xijun added, "I will be entering seclusion to prepare for breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm."

Li Qinghong asked, "Have you prepared the necessary elixirs?"

Li Xijun smiled faintly and pulled a white jade bottle from his robe. "The Essence Gathering Pill. Brother Ming gave me the one he had."

Only then did Li Qinghong breathe a sigh of relief. In a low voice, she muttered, "At least he still has some sense of decency."

Li Xijun laughed heartily, clearly in good spirits. After a brief hesitation, he spoke softly, "If... I fail, I hope you can show some leniency to Ximing. In the family, Chengliao is capable and resourceful, and as for Chenghuai... while he does not have his father's talent, he is still quite promising. Please treat them both well."

He rambled on, repeating himself in various ways. Li Qinghong listened intently before finally saying, "Enough, enough! Do not talk about such inauspicious things!"

Li Xijun chuckled, clasping his hands together and bowing deeply. Li Qinghong glanced at the rain clouds above, performed a quick calculation with her fingers, and thought to herself, I wonder when this rain will finally clear. Will winter be delayed this year?

She then said, "Since you are preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, it is better to go to Mount Yuting. The pines and snow there create a setting that is perfectly symbolic."

Li Xijun, having already considered this, frowned slightly. "But the spiritual energy there is not dense enough..."

"Here," Li Qinghong said.

She patted her storage pouch, and a green jade bottle floated out. Speaking gently, she said, "This is the Foundation Establishment Realm spirit item known as Yuwa Spirit Liquid. The ancestor brought it back. While I was in the Eastern Sea, I learned a technique to vaporize it, which will enhance the spiritual energy in the area for a few years—just enough to aid your breakthrough."

Li Xijun immediately understood that this was originally meant for Li Ximing, but recognizing the urgency of his own situation, he didn't argue. Bowing respectfully, he said, "Then I will trouble you for this, Aunt."