An Zhiyan bowed and, lifting his robe, knelt down, and said with a hateful voice,
"My three sons and one daughter, along with many wives and brothers, were all slaughtered by the Yu Family. The family fell into the hands of traitors, and all were enslaved. The hatred in my heart is like the water of the vast sea, unable to be suppressed."
"The nobility, not holding grudges, is willing to shelter Zhiyan, this bereaved dog. I am endlessly grateful and am willing to offer the An Family's legacy to serve as your claw and fang, to toil for the rest of my life."
An Zhiyan paused for a mont, finally made up his mind, and then continued,
"If Zhiyan has the fortune to return to Huazhong Mountain in my lifeti, I am willing to offer the An Family's entire territory as repaynt..."
After speaking, he perford a spell, and a point of Spirit Light surged from his brow, clearly making a Xuanjing Spirit Oath. Li Xuanxuan was delighted inside, but with a sad face, he helped him up, saying deeply,
"Why do you have to do this, senior! The Yu Family is both your enemy and mine, helping each other is only right."
An Zhiyan stood up to sit down and, after hesitating for a few monts, shook his head and said in a low voice,
"My family's ancestors also had their heyday. The forebear was once an Outer Sect disciple of the Immortal Mansion. At that ti, the Immortal Mansion dominated the world, and Wu, Yue, and Xu San countries were all under its protection. The Moonlight Origin Mansion laid down the rules separating immortals from mortals, the Immortal Sects and Immortal Sect doors were all restricted, practicing in seclusion and unlike the current mingling of immortals and mortals... My ancestor then cultivated alone in the mountains."
"Later, as the Immortal Mansion withdrew from the world, the Three Sects and Seven Doors joined the world, dividing Yue Country. The earliest Noble Families even claid kingship and marquis titles. My ancestor was already dead by then, and the descendants spread out here, eventually branching out to form their own clans. If you really look into it, the Yu, Ji, and Lu Families are all related to the older generations of the An Clan, only the Wan Family ca from the east."
Li Xuanxuan listened carefully, and was startled by this news, and thinking about the way the families were undercutting each other, he silently nodded his head and said in a low voice,
"It really is... a cause for reflection."
"Relatives of eight hundred years have now beco strangers to one another. Truly, which family in Yue Country is not a descendant of the Noble Families that migrated from the north to the south? Except for the people of Shanyue, who probably all co from the sa source."
An Zhiyan agreed with a word, then continued,
"The Cultivation Technique passed down in my family was originally called 'White-haired Courtyard Bowing Scripture,' an ancient thod that could be practiced from the Fetal Breathing Realm to the Zifu, using the Qi of Courtyard Dust for cultivation. As tis changed, this Qi beca unobtainable, leaving only a copy of the Secret Technique that can only be cultivated to Foundation Establishnt, called 'Courtyard Guarding Mantra,' rated Second Grade, using the Qi of Cold Armor under the courtyard for cultivation."
Li Xuanxuan, hearing this technique's na, knew it was from ancient tis. Ancient thods were famously exquisite, and feeling excited, he asked,
"Since it has been modified into a Secret Technique, it's probably not perfect. I wonder what shortcomings this technique has?"
An Zhiyan nodded, respectfully acknowledging, and explained,
"The wondrous aspect of this technique is that it allows the practitioner to condense the Six Wheels faster, achieving Qi Cultivation through the Fetal Breathing Realm. However, after reaching Qi Cultivation, the speed slows down considerably, and the lifespan is also shorter, but it is more powerful when using jade-based Magic Artifacts."
"As for the Cold Armor Qi needed for this technique, we have a technique for gathering it. We imrse copper and iron armor into a specially crafted Jade Well to soak with rainwater; it takes three months to get a strand, and ten strands to make a portion. It is considered easily harvestable among nature's Spiritual Energy, but since the Cold Armor Qi was obtained with the ancient thod, it has no other use now and can't sell for many Spirit Stones."
"Is it so miraculous?!"
Li Xuanxuan, upon hearing this, had many ideas in his mind, overflowed with joy, and asked,
"Doesn't this an that people with lesser talents are given almost a hundred more years of cultivation ti? That's indeed a fine thing."
"That's right."
An Zhiyan paused, then answered,
"There is another key point. Those who practice 'Courtyard Guarding Mantra' will weaken greatly if they encounter soone practicing 'White-haired Courtyard Bowing Scripture.' Even if their Cultivation Level is much higher, they might not be able to defeat them. Fortunately, that thod can no longer be cultivated to completion."
"Excellent, excellent!"
Li Xuanxuan nodded repeatedly, and An Zhiyan continued,
"There's also the Vein Searching Technique, called 'Ground Courtyard Listening.' Let
go down and find a Jade Slip to write it down for the Family Head!"
"Thank you for the trouble, senior."
Li Xuanxuan pondered for a mont, sensed sothing amiss, and said in a low voice,
"But one thing I still don't understand is why, if the 'Courtyard Bowing Guarding Scripture' is so easily cultivated by Qi Cultivators, only two mbers of the An family, a senior father and son, achieved Qi Cultivation back then, while the rest wandered within the Fetal Breathing Realm…"
An Zhiyan heaved a deep sigh, his hands clasped together in an awkward gesture, and replied:
"Having gone through so many events, I've co to realize that I was both stingy and lacking in vision… It was only my father and I who practiced this cultivation technique. I fobbed off the rest of our branch families with other cultivation thods."
"I see!"
Li Xuanxuan sipped his tea and inquired about the details of that day atop Huazhong Mountain. An Zhiyan answered each question, bowing his hands and saying:
"Afraid of carrying sothing that might aid the enemy, I destroyed the inheritance jade slip when I left the An family. I will go down now and transcribe the technique from mory."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he hurriedly excused himself. Watching An Zhiyan leave, Li Xuanfeng, who had remained silent throughout, finally raised an eyebrow and ordered:
"Uncle Donghe is still up the mountain. Have him go down and keep an eye on this man."
Li Xiewen nodded and took his leave. Li Xuanxuan sighed softly and murmured:
"My uncle once told
about this man; An Zhiyan was a greedy and miserly person. But it seems he has undergone a complete transformation in the face of such calamity!"
After a mont of contemplation, he continued:
"The An family's ancestors were originally Outer Sect disciples of the Immortal Mansion. This cultivation technique is likely a specialized one given to Outer Sect disciples, allowing it to be passed on without restriction. It seems the An family's ancestors must have held so status."
Li Xuanfeng nodded in agreent, but still not fully reassured, he waved his hand dismissively and spoke in a lower tone:
"You can never truly know a person's heart. Although he has made the Xuanjing Spirit Oath, we should not rely on him too heavily. He is not discreet; let him be tasked with exorcising demons and farming. When the family has things to do, we can use him as a henchman, but he need not know more than necessary."
"I understand,"
Li Xuanxuan replied as he set down his tea bowl:
"Let's observe him for a period of ti before discussing anything further."
After chatting for a while, Li Xiewen brought up a few jade slips. Li Xuanfeng took a look, and after reading through them, including the 'Courtyard Bowing Guarding Scripture', the 'Earth Courtyard Listening and Inspection', and the 'White-haired Courtyard Bowing Scripture' which could not be practiced, he saw several First Grade Fetal Breathing and Qi Cultivation thods. Having read each one, Li Xuanfeng repeatedly nodded his head, exclaiming:
"The An family's ancestors indeed had profound connections. These techniques are truly mystical. 'The White-haired Courtyard Bowing Scripture' cannot be practiced, and it's unknown which grade it falls under, but 'Courtyard Bowing Guarding Scripture' has its own unique features. Among Second Grade techniques, it stands out, especially with its effect of advancing to Qi Cultivation even faster, which is very useful!"
Li Xuanxuan laughed heartily and nodded in agreent:
"Not only is it useful for clansn with poor talent, but now with Qi Cultivators at the Late Stage to keep order, other surnad cultivators can also benefit from this technique. We don't need them for their combat power; just having more Qi Cultivators ans more hands for wind-driven tasks, making everything more convenient."
"Xuanxuan is right,"
Li Xuanfeng agreed, handing over the 'Earth Courtyard Listening and Inspection' and spoke softly:
"Ever since the An family was attacked, and our manpower was withdrawn, we've lacked soone to scout for mineral veins. The Green Crow Mine has been out of operation for quite so ti. I'm giving this spell to Xuanxuan; you should find a new team to start mining again."
Li Xuanxuan took the jade slip, watched as Li Xuanfeng bowed his hands, preparing to leave for cultivation. With a playful smile, he teased:
"Who knows how An Zhiyan managed to father a genius like An Jingming. I was thinking of arranging more wives and concubines for him to see if he can produce another one. If he could produce another, wouldn't that be a huge gain?"
Li Xuanfeng laughed, knowing that Li Xuanxuan was just joking around. He left the courtyard to head up the mountain, leaving Li Xuanxuan in the yard drinking his tea. He pulled out a piece of yellow paper, sketched a talisman, and took so ti before storing away the talisman ink and talisman paper, then instructed:
"Let An Zhiyan select so won. Though the man may not be much to look at, he is at least a Qi Cultivator. Let's see if there are any Spirit Aperture females willing to marry him."
Li Xiewen nodded in agreent. Li Xuanxuan shook his head slightly. The arrival of An Zhiyan had brought considerable benefits to the Li family, yet he still had a sense of regret, murmuring softly:
"If our two families could have joined forces back then and arranged for An Jingming to marry a Li family girl, we wouldn't have seen so many tragedies unfold."
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