On Moon Mountain, Guan Xingzhou, head of the Plum-Breaking Sect, was sitting in ditation beneath a plum tree. Suddenly he opened his eyes, and with a twist of his fingers the yellowing plums snapped cleanly from the branches. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he gathered them into the bamboo basket at his side. In the blink of an eye, the basket was already half full.
Sorting through the plums, he saw that about seventy percent were cleanly separated, but the rest were still clumped together, several fruits joined by the sa twig. That left him unsatisfied. Compared to last year, his progress had not been great.
It was to be expected. The Foundation Establishnt stage had three levels: early, middle, and late. Each one could trap a cultivator for life. But he had already reached the late stage, and he was still young, not yet sixty. How could he not aim for the Golden Core?
His thoughts drifted to Liu Xiaolou, the son-in-law who had left just two days earlier. He wondered if Liu Xiaolou could really persuade the Su family to take that crucial step and agree to rena iling. Shaking his head in secret, he thought it was probably wishful thinking to expect a re son-in-law to move such a matter. Still, his wife had said it was worth a try. If they did nothing, when would their daughter’s marriage ever be settled?
Looking at the basket brimming with plums, he sighed again. Their own mountain was covered with plum trees. That should be the place called iling (Plum Ridge). Over at the real iling, not a single plum tree grew. How could the na make sense?
If one day iling really did change its na, he would rena Moon Mountain as Plum Mountain. Then the Tiger Mountain Moon-Plucking Sect would no longer be at odds with them, and both sides could live in peace. After decades of fighting back and forth, he had truly had enough.
While he was lost in thought, a disciple ca to report that Liu Xiaolou, the Su family’s son-in-law, had co to pay his respects. Guan Xingzhou rose and went to the guest hall to receive him.
After they exchanged greetings, he asked the purpose of the visit. Liu Xiaolou said, “These past two days I spoke with my uncle about the matter. Just as Sect Master Guan said, the Su family finds it difficult. My words carry little weight, and I could not persuade them.”
Guan Xingzhou let out a silent sigh but forced a smile. “You’ve done your part, son-in-law. My whole sect is grateful for the effort. As for that Brother Tan, you needn’t worry. We will treat him well. After three to five months, once the Second Master no longer concerns himself with the matter, we’ll let him go down the mountain.”
Three months had now beco three to five?
Liu Xiaolou said, “I had planned to try again once my father-in-law returned, but I feared the delay. So I went to Danxia Mountain in person to speak with Elder Cai…”
Guan Xingzhou’s spirit lifted. “And what did Elder Cai say?”
“He didn’t give a clear answer. He only said he would think it over carefully before making a decision.”
Guan Xingzhou pressed, “He can’t go on thinking forever. If there’s any way our sect can be of help, just say the word.”
Liu Xiaolou said, “In my view, it all cos down to so proper arrangents. If we pool so spirit stones together, we may be able to push this matter forward.”
Elder Cai had long resided in Danxia Cave-Heaven. He had no use for spirit stones in his own cultivation, but rewarding disciples with them was an ordinary practice.
Liu Xiaolou had already thought it through. The amount could not be too large; it had to be just right. Otherwise Guan Xingzhou would feel uneasy, and trouble could co of it later. The best sum would be one that Liu Xiaolou himself could part with without pain, and one Elder Cai would quietly accept without making it public. The number was hard to judge, so he would have to test it in the mont.
“I was thinking the total should co to around fifty…”
Seeing Guan Xingzhou’s face change slightly, he imdiately lowered the figure. “Of course, your sect could not be expected to cover the whole amount. I will contribute twenty myself…”
Watching closely, he saw Guan Xingzhou still hesitate, so he went on, “As for the remaining thirty, I was planning for three sects to share the burden, ten stones each. What do you think?”
Only then did Guan Xingzhou’s smile return. “It troubles to let you spend so much, son-in-law. My heart is uneasy.”
Liu Xiaolou said, “You flatter , Sect Master Guan. I’m only doing it to save a friend. But I should make one thing clear first. The stones are only a way to open the door. Whether the matter truly succeeds does not depend on them. Elder Cai would hardly care about such a small offering.”
“Of course,” Guan Xingzhou imdiately said.
Liu Xiaolou went on, “But all I can do is try my best to persuade Elder Cai to step forward. Whether it succeeds or not will still depend on my father-in-law and my uncle. That ans you, Sect Master Guan, along with Sect Master Liang of iling and Sect Master Jin of Tiger Mountain, will all need to put in effort.”
Guan Xingzhou looked troubled. “By rights, this is a matter for all three sects. But the truth is, our sects have never gotten along. And this ti the plan is to force iling to change its na first. Senior Sister Jin of Tiger Mountain is easier to deal with, but Sect Master Liang of iling … I fear…”
Liu Xiaolou sighed. “It’s only a na, yet it’s caused no end of strife…”
Guan Xingzhou spoke up at once. “I can’t speak for the others, but if iling changes its na, Moon Mountain will change its na as well.”
Liu Xiaolou praised him. “Sect Master Guan, your sense of greater duty is truly admirable.”
After leaving the mountain, with the ten spirit stones Guan Xingzhou had given him tucked in his robe, Liu Xiaolou suddenly felt lighter in spirit. Halfway down the road, a thought struck him. After a long mont of reflection, he changed direction and headed straight for Tiger Mountain.
At the wedding ceremony earlier that year, and again at the Danxia Sect’s millennium celebration last month, Liu Xiaolou had seen Sect Master Jin of the Tiger Mountain Moon-Plucking Sect. Though she was already past seventy, she looked no more than forty.
For cultivators, once they reached the Foundation Establishnt stage, the signs of aging slowed dramatically, most noticeably among won. Many female cultivators, though well into middle age, still looked youthful. If they had reach Foundation Establishnt at an early age, the effect was even more striking. Follow current novᴇls on N()velFire
Take Fifth Lady and Ninth Lady, for example. Both reached Foundation Establishnt around the age of twenty. With such astonishing talent, they enjoyed one great benefit: even in their forties or fifties they still looked about twenty. By the ti they reached their seventies or eighties, they appeared no older than thirty. Even past a hundred, they would never look older than forty.
Sect Master Jin had advanced rapidly in her youth, reaching Foundation Establishnt before the age of forty, and so her appearance remained well preserved. To this day, she looked like a woman in her early forties.
But to Liu Xiaolou, she felt like a naked blade drawn from its sheath. No matter how he stood near her, he could not feel at ease.
Sect Master Jin made no attempt to hide her disdain for him. The two tis they had t before, Liu Xiaolou had read her feelings plainly and so dared not provoke her. But today was different. He had co prepared to face her scorn.
“Son-in-law, why aren’t you up on Shenwu Mountain attending to Fifth Lady? What brings you here to Tiger Mountain?” Sect Master Jin didn’t even allow him inside, but blocked him at the mountain gate.
If she wouldn’t let him in, so be it. It was only a matter of a few words anyway. Liu Xiaolou had no interest in picking apart her barbs. Having married into the Su family, he was well aware that contempt ca with the role, and he had long since accepted it. So he went straight to the point.
“Sect Master Guan of the Plum-Breaking Sect discussed sothing with . He hopes the three sects can set aside old grudges and let the past rest. We plan to begin with the mountain nas. I will persuade Elder Cai to take the lead in renaming Plum Ridge. Sect Master Guan will give up the na of Mount Yue. I ca today to ask whether your sect would be willing to change the na of Tiger Mountain as well. That way, none of us will be held back by the weight of old nas.”
Sect Master Jin blinked in surprise. “So Guan Xingzhou is ready to yield?”
Liu Xiaolou sighed. “Sect Master Jin, please take a broader view. Each of us giving a little ground is not weakness. It’s so we can go further together. How is that about yielding?”
Sect Master Jin let out a cold laugh. After a mont’s thought, she asked, “And Elder Cai is willing to take the lead in this?”
Liu Xiaolou said, “I’ve already spoken with him once. There’s a strong chance. Of course, it will require so spirit stones. I’ll put in twenty myself, and each of your three sects can contribute ten. Whether it succeeds in the end, I cannot promise. But I will do everything I can to make it happen. What I ask is simply this, are you willing?”
“And what makes you think you can persuade Elder Cai?”
“I’m sorry, Sect Master Jin. So things I can’t explain. But within five days Elder Cai will give his answer. If not, I’ll return every stone exactly as it was.”
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