Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 259 - 237: The Old Man by the Stream, the Fish in the Cave (Part 2)
Yu Yufeng had already ridden the wind and left. Yu Mugao, blood in his mouth, had his entire mana halted by a single move from Yu Yufeng. He tried two hand seals, but couldn't take to the air, cried out a few times in vain, and could only stop in his tracks.
"Ptui!"
Yu Mugao spat out all the fresh blood from his mouth, spraying red blood foam all over the ground. Turning back to look, he found he had already run to the bluestone platform beneath the hall. His hair was disheveled, his body covered in dust, his lapels stained with blood, and his bare feet stepped on the ground—where was there any trace of his once-elegant demeanor? 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Yet he paid no mind, standing foolishly in the open space, his heart endlessly confused. He gazed at the gloomy sky—dark night shrouded the horizon, swirling between the mountain peaks. Yu Mugao's heart felt utterly hollow, and so, barefoot, he simply stood there.
Only then did a crowd of uncles, elders, and brothers slowly catch up from behind, sounding like swarming hornets, putting on airs as they called out.
"Mugao! This is a day of great joy, how can you speak so!"
"The Ancestor is merciful, the Ancestor is merciful! Brother Mugao is unharmed!"
Yu Mugao's figure looked desolate; his heart surged with anger and urgency, yet he could only grit his teeth and force himself to endure. He let out a long sigh, tears streaming in two lines, looked to the sky and howled mournfully:
"This is not something mortals can withstand—what is there to be done! What is there to be done..."
The people behind were still noisy. He glared fiercely, suddenly drawing his sword from his waist with a clang and turning to face the Yu Family crowd like a tiger. Terrified, everyone fell silent and hurriedly hung their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. Yu Mugao's lips trembled; only after dozens of breaths did he throw his treasured sword down with a metallic crash, shouting angrily:
"Get out of my sight!"
The Yu Family's uncles and brothers immediately gathered up their robes, some riding the wind, some fleeing on foot, scattering like a whirlwind, leaving Yu Mugao standing dazed for a while, then covering his face and weeping:
"Muyuan... I've lost you. Who will I leave to manage this pack of fools now?"
────
Li Tongya and the other three landed atop a small hill. The Old Man of Southern Mountain took out twelve Formation Flags and several Jade Slips, distributing them one by one with a smile:
"Taojing and I will set formation flags at Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li. You two go to Zhen, Xun, Gen, and Dui. The methods and curse secrets are all within these Jade Slips."
Xiao Chuchou and Li Tongya both nodded in agreement, turned, and rode the wind aloft. Li Tongya read the Jade Slip for a moment, then used the spell within to determine the Zhen position and planted the formation flag. Xiao Chuchou also arrived on the wind; together, they performed the spell to anchor the flag. Xiao Chuchou shaped a seal with his hand, glanced sideways at Li Tongya, and asked quietly:
"Tongya, do you have questions?"
"Of course I do."
Li Tongya nodded and performed a spell, answering:
"With the Ancestor present, it's not proper for Tongya to speak up, but no matter how I think, I can't understand how Yu Yufeng, so steadfast in his seclusion, would come west."
Truthfully, Li Tongya had already guessed something, but spoke politely to draw out Xiao Chuchou's words. Xiao Chuchou laughed heartily and replied:
"The Divine Skills cultivated by a Perfected Person descend from the 'Streamside Elder.' In all Yue Country, even South River, ours alone possesses it. It is his Life Divine Skill, full of wonders: one of which is to stir greed and anger, creating alluring illusions to draw Yu Yufeng irresistibly here. He's harbored his obsession for years and is deeply affected. Unless someone powerful enough can stop him momentarily and slap him awake, he cannot break free on his own..."
Li Tongya felt a chill up his spine. Such power—to manipulate others at will—was only one aspect of this Divine Skill's effects. He sighed deeply and lamented:
"To us Foundation Establishment cultivators, aren't we like dogs and horses by the wall, or fish and shrimp in the cave—utterly insignificant..."
Xiao Chuchou gently shook his head and replied:
"This stirring of greed and anger, creating alluring illusions, is but the smallest use of that Divine Skill. For Yu Yufeng, it is his Heart Barrier obscuring his mind—his spirit muddied—so he fell easily into the snare. If used in ordinary situations, it only subtly influences people's inclinations or pushes one to rash actions, violating certain taboos."
Li Tongya nodded slightly, inwardly alarmed, his heart pounding and full of worry, reflecting:
"To guide inclinations... apart from those at Zifu, who could detect it? Who knows how many events, large and small, Xiao Chuting has been secretly manipulating these past ten-plus years?!"
A cluster of doubts arose in his heart as Li Tongya pondered:
"The Yu Family wasted twenty years meddling east among various clans—one crisis barely resolved before another arose. Fei Clan may have caused trouble repeatedly, but how much more clever could Fei Wangbai be than Yu Mugao? Yet every time, he manages to step aside unscathed..."
"Lu Sisi labored all his life, laying countless contingencies—within Ding, Li, and An families, even on Mushroom Forest Plain. Why is it that in one night he died, all these preparations were turned to dust, not a trace left? The three families seemed to have agreed to attack the Lu Family at the exact same time, disregarding all consequences..."
The hand hidden in Li Tongya's sleeve trembled slightly, even his expression contorted. He quickly lowered his head to hide his emotion. Really, all of this could only be attributed to Xiao Chuting's possible interference—it could be dismissed as Li Tongya's suspicious nature imagining things. But there was one deduction he couldn't ignore, one that convinced him Xiao Chuting had truly acted.
"Back then, when the An Family seized Lu Family's old stronghold, Tiaoyun Mountain, An Jingming gave it to the Ding Family without a thought, bringing Ding Xiding into Wangyue Lake..."
And where is Tiaoyun Mountain? Right at the junction of Wangyue Lake and Mushroom Forest Plain! With the Ding Family seated there, they block the An and Li Families from moving east along the ancient Lidao toward Mushroom Forest Plain and Li Xia County—closing the path to the Xiao Family's border.
The Ding Family were once the Yuan Family's gatekeepers for generations. There are many Foundation Establishment cultivators among the Yuans, including Yuan Tuan, who is Li Chijin's elder martial sister and currently the Peak Master of Qing Sui Peak, where the Li Family is about to send disciples to train! Unless the Li Family seized Tiaoyun Mountain first, they'd never risk a conflict with the Yuans over that worn-out mountain. From then on, the Xiao Family could rest easy, with no more border disputes with the Li Family...
"No wonder... no wonder my family was urged to send disciples to Green Pond Sect—so there was such a key to it all..."
The interconnected schemes made Li Tongya tremble with fear, utterly terrified, his mind momentarily blank...
"Looking even further back—Shanyue's invasion from the east, Ganixi's suicide, the utter ruin of the Wangyue Lake market—each event suspicious... Xiao Chuting... Xiao Chuting... what a Streamside Elder, what a Xiao Chuting!"
"Taoist fellow? Tongya, Taoist fellow?"
Xiao Chuchou called twice, snapping Li Tongya out of his daze. He quickly apologized, his voice rough:
"Tongya was marveling at the wonders of Zifu—so many Divine Skills entice the mind. I lost focus for a moment, I must apologize!"
Though Li Tongya spoke thus, his heart was suddenly enlightened and he thought to himself:
"That day, when I overran the Lu Family and learned of Ganixi's matter—that it was a Zifu sacrifice—my heart felt only darkness and gloom, shrouded on all sides, powerless before Zifu's manipulations. These years, though my cultivation has grown and I've avoided worldly affairs, feeling faintly free... I never imagined I was but a fish in the cave, so conceited for nothing!"
Even though Xiao Chuting may have aided his family in secret, Li Tongya still felt uneasy, and could only suppress these thoughts. Just then, Xiao Chuchou laughed and replied:
"Zifu is wondrous indeed! In antiquity it was called Refining the Spirit, meaning the forging and accomplishment of Divine Skills. It is renowned for its many mysteries!"
"Refining the Spirit..."
Li Tongya echoed softly, quickly regaining his composure, and asked with a smile:
"So such secrets exist!"
"Indeed."
Xiao Chuchou inserted the last hand seal into the formation flag, and together with Li Tongya completed this array node. Riding the wind, they flew to the next Gen position. Not wanting to miss a chance to learn more, Li Tongya rode the wind and continued smoothly:
"Senior, your experience is vast—how are the other realms named?"
"Oh,"
Xiao Chuting nodded slightly and replied:
"In ancient times, Fetal Breathing was known as 'Nourishing the Wheel,' Qi Cultivation as 'Qi Ingestion,' Zifu as 'Refining the Spirit,' and Golden Core as 'Seeking the True Nature.' Each term reflected the reality of cultivation more closely."
"Since the great strife between immortals and devils, we've not only developed many secret codes and terms for cultivation techniques to guard our Taoist Lineage, but the very names of realms have changed—growing ever more cryptic and obscure."
As the two conversed, the final node of the formation was completed. They flew back to the small hill, where the swordsman Chen Taojing and the Old Man of Southern Mountain were already waiting. The four concealed themselves, waiting in silence for Yu Yufeng's arrival.
