Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 205 - 191 An Family’s News
The spring rain was gentle and nourishing; thousands of acres of good farmland sprouted green shoots. Farmers, in their straw raincoats, straightened up from the fields, looking worriedly at the troops hurrying back in a rush.
"My boy joined the army, I don't know if he's been hurt..."
A few days ago, that farmer had received news of a great victory to the west, with no serious casualties. He heard that several soldiers had been beheaded for indulging in excessive pleasure, but he wasn't too concerned, reasoning to himself:
"I've taught that boy for over a decade; he surely wouldn't do such a thing!"
Muddy ground was churned by the passing wheels; armor, flashing coldly in the rain, clashed with a clang. Pristine raindrops split in two on the edge of a sharp long blade, rolled off, and dropped onto Xu Gongming's eyebrows.
Xu Gongming looked ahead at the dark outline of the carriage, reflecting carefully on his conduct throughout the journey, making sure he hadn't let down old Master Xu's teachings. Only then did he relax. He noticed a man riding towards him through the drizzle, a flag waving behind him in the haze.
"Riding in the rain... It must be urgent news!"
Xu Gongming perked up and quickened his pace. He saw that the man had reached the third layer of Fetal Breathing cultivation. The rider pulled up in front of the carriage, dismounted hurriedly, and handed over a bamboo tube, saying in a deep voice:
"A letter from Huaqian Mountain!"
Xu Gongming took it, stepped onto the carriage frame with a push, shook off the rain, and saw Li Pingyi emerge from behind the curtain. Taking the bamboo tube, he bowed and retreated back inside.
"The main branch of the small clan..."
Enviously, Xu Gongming glanced at Li Pingyi. Li Yesheng's line was always the main family's favorite, held in high regard among the various branches and prominent surnames, arrogantly considering themselves confidants of the main branch and not associating with ordinary minor clans and branches; they were even more esteemed than Li Qiuyang's line. Of course, such prestige was beyond Xu Gongming's envy.
"If only the most caring of our Xu Family, Master Xuanxuan, had capable elders during his stewardship... otherwise, we wouldn't be in this situation today..."
Xu Gongming jumped down from the carriage, looked towards the man who came on horseback, and asked with a smile:
"May I ask your name, sir?"
"Tian Zhongqing."
The young man lifted his wet eyebrows, politely answering.
"So you are a son of the Tian Clan."
Xu Gongming smiled faintly, tactfully ending the conversation. He remembered old Master Xu's instruction not to make connections with prominent surnames and kept his mouth shut.
————
"Young Master, a letter from Huaqian Mountain."
Li Pingyi removed the cloth cover from the bamboo tube and went to Li Yuanxiu's side. Li Yuanxiu looked up from the Wooden Slip and whispered:
"Huaqian Mountain? What could possibly be the matter with Huaqian Mountain..."
Taking the Wooden Slip, he clenched his hand and broke the wax seal, pulling out a piece of white cloth. He read carefully. The message contained only one sentence:
"Urgent. A spy from the An Family has written, An Zhiyan let slip while drunk that An Jingming has broken through to the eighth layer of Qi Cultivation."
"The eighth layer of Qi Cultivation?!"
Li Yuanxiu was stunned, lifting his head in disbelief and murmuring:
"How is that possible! An Jingming... he's just twenty-three or twenty-four, right? Could he really break through to Foundation Establishment by thirty?! What kind of talent is this!"
Li Pingyi was speechless, struggling to find a reply. Li Yuanxiu furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, then said in a serious tone:
"Bring the messenger in."
Li Pingyi nodded and went out. Shortly after, he led a man inside who had removed his straw raincoat. The man's tight-fitting robe slightly damp, he bowed respectfully and greeted:
"Tian Zhongqing pays respects to the Young Master."
"Tian Zhongqing..."
Li Yuanxiu felt the name sounded familiar but couldn't quite remember, so he softly asked:
"Which generation of your family are you from?"
Tian Zhongqing, meeting Li Yuanxiu for the first time but not shy, raised his head and said with a smile:
"Tian Yun, the wife of Xiangping, is my father's aunt and my great-aunt."
"Oh."
Upon seeing that he was seventeen or eighteen years old, with a cultivation level of the Third Layer of Fetal Breathing and a calm demeanor, full of poise, Li Yuanxiu took note of him and nodded, saying,
"Take this letter to the military's rear accounts and hand it to my father."
"Yes."
Tian Zhongqing took the Wooden Slip, wrapped it in a cloth bag since there was no wax seal, and hurriedly climbed down from the carriage, mounting his horse and heading west through the army formation.
"This person is the eldest grandson of the Tian Clan's old master, the leader of the younger generation of Tian Clan."
Li Pingyi stepped forward to remind him, and Li Yuanxiu nodded, replying,
"Not bad."
Gently rolling up the Wooden Slip in his hand, Li Yuanxiu pondered,
"No wonder the nearby families do not freely allow outsiders to engage in Immortal Cultivation. How can one family compare to many? With more people, there are always a few more talents, and eventually, if an outsider becomes the leading Great Cultivator in the clan, it will be hard to say what the family name will be!"
"Fortunately, our family has the Laws Inspect Talisman Seed that can enhance the speed of cultivation, ensuring that generation after generation do not have too poor talent, allowing us to be confident in employing them..."
Gathering his thoughts, Li Yuanxiu took the Wooden Slip from the desk and murmured,
"With a talent like An Jingming... An Zhiyan is an impulsive and careless man, how can he expect to live a long life?"
After careful consideration, Li Yuanxiu felt quite uneasy. He put the Wooden Slip down and said in a deep voice,
"No, I should go find my father myself!"
With that, he donned a straw poncho and quickly stepped out of the carriage in search of Li Xuanxuan.
————
Li Tongya slowly opened his eyes, waited several breaths, and the door of the carriage was gently knocked. He exhaled a wisp of white breath and softly said,
"Come in and talk!"
Li Xuanxuan pushed the door open and entered. The rain outside was getting heavier, but his body was not wet at all. Li Xuanxuan, who was almost forty, had fewer white hairs at his temples after making a breakthrough in Qi Cultivation and looked just over thirty. His expression was serious as he was followed by Li Yuanxiu, slightly wet from the rain.
"Uncle, An Jingming has broken through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation."
Li Xuanxuan looked up at Li Tongya with a serious expression and added,
"This matter is of great importance, so I came to report as soon as I received the news."
Li Tongya arched his eyebrows, shocked. He had estimated An Jingming's cultivation speed but never expected it to have progressed to such an extent. He said in a serious tone,
"An Jingming isn't even thirty, right?"
"Twenty-three or so."
Li Tongya calculated the time; the last time he saw An Jingming was seven or eight years ago when the boy was fifteen years old, with a cultivation level of the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation. But now, he had reached the Eighth Layer. Li Tongya whispered,
"So, it's one layer per year..."
The more Li Tongya thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. Normally, cultivators who can cultivate Qi take more than five years to break through a single layer, and three to five years is already quick. If talent is not exceptional, it might even take seven or eight years... yet An Jingming had broken through five layers in seven years, two of which were during the demanding late stages of Qi Cultivation. He was on the verge of catching up with Li Tongya!
Li Tongya knew that if he hadn't been given the Deep Sea Long Whale Script, his cultivation level would only be at the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation at most, or even less than An Jingming.
Li Xuanxuan, seated below Li Tongya, had also just broken through Qi Cultivation and knew the difficulty of such a process. Seeing Li Tongya silent and uneasy, he said in a low voice,
"Huazhong Mountain is known for its thin Earth Veins and poor Spirit Veins, even inferior to Huaqian Mountain, let alone Green Pond Peak. I've heard that Sect Disciples who consume natural treasures and bathe in Spiritual Liquid only advance one layer every two or three years! Where could there be a foundation for advancing one layer per year?"
Li Xuanxuan paused, then clenched his teeth and said,
"I've overheard idle chatter in the market that some Immortal Cultivators reincarnate to cultivate again, hence their rapid progress. Could this person be... the reincarnation of some immortal or deity..."
"Impossible."
Li Tongya was also shaken, shaking his head as he insisted,
"If he were a reincarnated being of Golden Core level or above, we would have been swept away by him long ago. The Yu Family wouldn't be able to jump about like they do now!"
