Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 247 - 228: Golden Rattan Fruit

Li Tongya flicked his sleeve, a hint of melancholy passing over his face. The north wind rustled through the forest, the sound of their voices still echoing. The Qi Cultivator gave a gentle cupped-fist salute and replied:

"What a pity."

Li Tongya nodded and asked:

"May I ask your honored name?"

The man returned the salute slightly, smiling as he said:

"Xiao Jiuqing."

As the two were speaking, a sudden gust descended ahead. The newcomer had long eyes, draped in a snow-white fox fur cloak, a Dharma Sword hanging at his waist. Though he appeared just over forty, his features still bore a middle-aged charm. Dissolving his spell, he greeted them with a cupped-fist salute and said:

"It's been years, yet Brother Tongya remains as distinguished as ever!"

Li Tongya laughed heartily, returning the salute and replied:

"Brother Yongling, you are the same as well!"

The newcomer was indeed Xiao Yongling, whose cultivation was at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, evidently long tempered. He beamed and said:

"Brother Tongya improves at lightning speed; I am left to feel rather humbled."

Gesturing to Xiao Jiuqing, who was waiting respectfully at the side, Xiao Yongling said:

"Jiuqing, it has been many years since I last saw Brother Tongya. I must have a proper catch-up with him. You go and receive the others; I will personally attend to Brother Tongya."

Xiao Jiuqing excused himself at once. Li Tongya and Xiao Yongling rose by riding the wind, chuckling. Li Tongya commented:

"That Xiao Jiuqing is also quite a talent."

Thus he recounted what had happened earlier in detail. Xiao Yongling listened with an amused air, quite pleased, and teased:

"So my words that day have finally come true."

Li Tongya shook his head with a rueful smile, Xiao Yongling half-smiling, continued:

"Only, Brother Tongya is so low-key, when you reached Foundation Establishment, you never even sent out invitations or held a ceremony. I was thinking of sending a little gift or two, but it seems there was no opportunity!"

The two exchanged a smile. After chatting a while longer, they landed together atop a small peak amidst the mountains. There sat a middle-aged man at a jade table, reading a Pill Scripture in his hand. As Xiao Yongling alighted, he said with a smile:

"Uncle, look who has come."

The middle-aged man looked up in surprise. On seeing the two, he quickly set aside the Pill Scripture and cupped his hands, saying:

"So it is Taoist Fellow Tongya."

"Greetings, senior!"

This was none other than Li Chijin's senior brother, Xiao Yuansi. The two sat down and were served tea. At once, Li Tongya had an idea in his heart. After some small talk, he became serious and said:

"There is a matter that troubles me, senior. For the Perfected Person's Dharma Assembly, I went to no small effort to seek out a Precious Medicine, wishing to present it as tribute, but I do not recognize its qualities nor the nature of its Spirit Root. I fear making a fool of myself; may I trouble you, Taoist Fellow, for your appraisal?"

"Please."

Xiao Yuansi answered, and Xiao Yongling leaned in with interest. Li Tongya fished the jade box out from his Storage Bag, used his mana to lift out the Precious Medicine. It was a golden, lustrous spiritual object; the skin was delicate, seeming to break at a touch, a glowing aura gently rippling across it, making it quite enchanting.

Xiao Yuansi studied it closely for a while, then took out several Jade Slips and compared them before replying:

"From what I can tell, this should be the Golden Cane Fruit. It can enhance cultivation and stabilize essence; among Foundation Establishment items, it is considered above average. It fears exposure to sun or flames. In Yue Country it is rare, this is my first time seeing one as well."

As he spoke, his left hand held the fruit, and with his right he flicked out a wisp of spellfire. As soon as the fire came within a foot, the fruit shuddered, split open like a mouth, and let out a shrill, clamorous wailing.

Xiao Yuansi nodded gently, snuffed out the flame, and said:

"It is indeed the Golden Cane Fruit, no doubt."

"The Pill Scriptures state: 'Bring fire near, and it will wail ceaselessly, even spewing curses; thus its origin is known. If some years older, it will sprout legs and flee. If consumed at that stage, even a Zifu monk will benefit.'"

The two listened intently, both faces showing surprise. Xiao Yuansi smiled and said:

"Right now, the fruit only cries. Were it old enough to walk and act, even Zifu Monks would be greatly tempted."

Xiao Yuansi had long since extinguished the flame, yet the Golden Cane Fruit was still not pacified, noisily babbling on. Xiao Yuansi wore a strange expression and quietly commanded:

"Be silent!"

But the Golden Cane Fruit paid him no mind, squawking away. Xiao Yuansi couldn't help but laugh, saying:

"My Immortal Foundation is 'Red Pill Ginseng'; it allows me to hear the words of plants and trees."

Smiling, he pinched a hand seal. Instantly, Li Tongya's ears cleared, and he heard the fruit exclaim:

"Damn your mother, grandpa here was hanging nicely on the vine, that brute just had to pluck me..."

Li Tongya was utterly astonished. After listening a while, he realized the fruit only repeated those lines over and over. Resigned, he took out the jade box, forcibly shoved the struggling Golden Cane Fruit inside, and slammed the lid. There was a loud "You grandma's leg!" before all fell silent. The two Xiao uncles and nephew burst out laughing. Li Tongya shook his head helplessly, and Xiao Yuansi said:

"This thing can speak a few breaths after picking. A few more breaths and it's dead, though it keeps babbling the same two or three sentences. It's rather bizarre."

Li Tongya nodded slightly, then asked in a low voice about what most concerned him:

"How much is it worth?"

Xiao Yuansi paused a moment and replied:

"Ordinary Precious Medicines go for two to three hundred Spirit Stones. This is upper-middle grade, about two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. If someone desperately needs it, you could get another ten or so above that."

With that, he glanced at Li Tongya and said in a low voice:

"If you were to offer this as a congratulatory gift, it might not be considered precious by the Perfected Person, but it's certainly full of sincerity." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Li Tongya nodded, deeply relieved, and quietly asked:

"As for the Yu Family matter, any progress, Senior?"

Xiao Yuansi nodded slightly and answered:

"I have already presented 'River Rapids Step'. The Patriarch is most pleased, but as for taking action against the Yu Family, there is still deliberation. You will likely be summoned to consult before or after the Dharma Assembly. Please await news, Tongya."

Li Tongya hurriedly offered his thanks. Xiao Yuansi shifted his seat to avoid formality, then took out another Jade Slip, its Dharma Light flickering—it was the 'Feather Breaker Spear'. Li Tongya received it carefully. The three chatted as they waited, until at last the spiritual energy above the Xiao Family residence intertwined with the earth vein; clouds billowed, forming a lotus. Xiao Yuansi smiled and said:

"Brother Tongya, come with me."

————

Ascending the jade steps, they saw the Xiao Family had placed formations at the summit, drawing in clouds and veil-like mists—just like the Immortal Realm. The main hall at the peak was cast from gold and jade, with delicately arranged tables—seventeen high seats in total, causing Li Tongya to frown slightly and ponder to himself:

"Three Sects and Seven Doors... and seven other families—are they loose cultivators or foreign cultivators?"

The seventeen high seats were still unoccupied; the Zifu forces were truly imposing. On the tables sat spiritual wine and fruit, and the jade bottles and bowls shimmered with Dharma Light—clearly not mundane items.

Below the dais was a circle of lower tables arranged in a ring, set with luminous white jade utensils. Li Tongya studied them for a while. Xiao Yongling, striding upon mist, came over, smiling:

"Foundation Establishment cultivators are given the highest places—they are considered nobility."

Li Tongya's temperament could never endure this. He quickly waved his hand and said in a low voice:

"Absolutely not!"

He sighed softly, cupped his hands and said:

"Brother Yongling, are you roasting me on a fire? Spare me this—remove the seat, and let me just find a spot at the lowest place."