Chapter 224: Aged Courtly Path Sutra

Chapter 224: Aged Courtly Path Sutra

An Zheyan cupped his fist and lifted the hem of his robe before falling onto his knees, his expression one of sorrow. His voice was full of resentment when he spoke.

"My three sons and a daughter, along with numerous wives, concubines, and brothers, have all been slaughtered by the Yu Family... The An Family has fallen into the hands of traitors and has been enslaved. The hatred in my heart is as deep as the waters of the boundless sea, impossible to contain. Despite past grievances, your family has agreed to shelter me, An Zheyan, a dog who has lost his home... I am deeply grateful and willing to offer the legacy of the An Family to serve as your claws and teeth, toiling for you for the rest of my life."

An Zheyan paused as he finally made up his mind.

"If I live to see the day when I can return to Mount Huazhong, I am willing to offer the entire territory of the An Family as repayment!"

As he finished speaking, he performed a hand seal. Almost immediately, a point of light appeared on his forehead, indicating that he had just taken a Profound Scenery Spiritual Oath.

Li Xuanxuan was overjoyed, yet his face had feigned sorrow as he helped him up, saying solemnly, "Why must you resort to this, Senior..? The Yu Family is our common enemy, it is only right that we help each other!"

An Zheyan got up and sat down, hesitating for a moment before shaking his head and whispering, "My ancestors were also once glorious... Our forefather was an outer disciple of the immortal mansion. At that time, the Wu, Yue, and Xu States were all under the Moonlight Origin Mansion's protection. The immortal mansion established a rule to separate the immortals from mortals, constraining all immortal sects to secluded cultivation, unlike the current mingling of immortals and mortals. My ancestor cultivated alone in the mountains back then.

"Later, as the immortal mansion withdrew from the world, the three sects and seven gates emerged into society—dividing the Yue State. The earliest clans declared themselves kings and marquises. My ancestor had already died of old age, and his descendants spread out here, eventually splitting the family and forming their own clans. If we were to discuss kinship, the Yu, Ji, and Lu families all share ancestry with the An Family... with only the WAn Family coming from the east."

Li Xuanxuan listened intently, also surprised by this news. Thinking about the rivalry between these families, he nodded silently.

"That is truly... remarkable," he said quietly.

"Eight hundred years of kinship has turned us into strangers. When you think about it, which family in Yue State is not descended from prominent clans that migrated from the north to the south? Except for Mount Yue, probably all have a common origin."

An Zheyan let out a small sigh before continuing.

"Our family's cultivation technique was originally an ancient technique recorded in the Aged Courtly Path Sutra. It could be practiced by immortal cultivators from the Embryonic Breathing Realm to the Purple Mansion Realm, as long as they had the Courtly Red Dust Qi for cultivation. Over generations, this qi became unattainable, leaving only a secondary method that could only reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. It's called Guardian of the Courtly Path, a Grade Two technique using the Courtly Frost Armor Qi for cultivation."

Listening to the name of this technique, Li Xuanxuan immediately recognized it as an ancient technique. Ancient techniques often bore mystical-sounding names, and this one was no exception. He felt intrigued right away.

"Uncle Donghe is still on the mountain... have him go down and watch this man."

Li Xiewen nodded and took his leave while Li Xuanxuan sighed softly, saying, "Second Uncle once told me about this man... An Zheyan was originally a greedy and miserly person, but he has undergone a transformation through this great disaster!"

After a brief moment of contemplation, he continued, "The An Family's ancestor was originally an outer disciple of the immortal mansion. This technique might well be a special one imparted to outer disciples by the immortal mansion, and being able to pass down the technique unrestrictedly suggests that the An Family's ancestor must have held some status."

Li Xuanfeng nodded but was still unconvinced and skeptical. He waved his hand dismissively and said in a low voice, "Appearances can be deceiving... Although this man has taken the Profound Scenery Spiritual Oath, we cannot place too much trust in him. He has loose lips. Just let him exterminate demons and tend to the fields... When there's something to be done at home, let him be a handyman. There's no need to let him know more than necessary."

"I know," Li Xuanxuan nodded in agreement as he put down his tea bowl. "Let's observe him for a while before discussing further," he added after a short pause.

The two of them talked for a while before Li Xiewen came up holding several jade slips. Li Xuanfeng took them and examined them. Apart from the Guardian of the Courtly Path, Earthly Court Detection Technique, and the unpracticable Aged Courtly Path Sutra, there were several Grade One techniques for the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Cultivation Realms.

He read through all of them, nodding continuously and excitedly, then exclaimed, "The An Family's ancestors indeed had profound connections; these techniques are truly amazing! It's a pity that the Aged Courtly Path Sutra can no longer be cultivated... It's unclear what grade it belongs to. However, the Guardian Rite of the Courtly Path is quite unique and stands out even among Grade Two techniques, especially with its effect of hastening advancement to the Qi Cultivation Realm. It's certainly very useful!"

Li Xuanxuan laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "It's not just for use with the less talented disciples within the family... Nowadays, with cultivators in the late stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm to suppress them, those external cultivators can also benefit from this technique. We're not looking for combat power; having more Qi Cultivators means we would have more people that are capable of flying, which makes everything more convenient!"

"You're right, Brother Xuan," Li Xuanfeng agreed with a small smile. He then passed over the Earthly Court Detection Technique, his voice soft as he spoke.

"Since the An Family was attacked, our personnel have been withdrawn, and we have lacked people to survey ore veins. The ebony mine has been idle for a long time... You should keep technique and choose new personnel to restart the mining."

Li Xuanxuan took the jade slip, and seeing that Li Xuanfeng was ready to leave to continue his cultivation, he smiled slightly, teasing, "It's a wonder how An Zheyan could have fathered a genius like An Jingming. Maybe we should arrange more wives and concubines for him... perhaps he could produce another genius. Wouldn't that be great for us?"

Li Xuanfeng laughed heartily, knowing that Li Xuanxuan was just joking. He left for the mountain, leaving Li Xuanxuan in the courtyard to drink some tea.

Li Xuanxuan pulled out a piece of yellow paper and began drawing a talisman. It took him a while before he finally put away the ink and paper and instructed, "Let An Zheyan choose a few women. He may look a little dumb, but he's still a Qi Cultivator... Let's see if any women with spiritual orifices are willing to marry him."

Li Xiewen nodded in agreement while Li Xuanxuan shook his head. An Zheyan's arrival had indeed profited the Li Family greatly, yet he still harbored some regrets.

"If only our families had joined hands back then, allowing An Jingming to marry a girl from our Li Family... Had that been the case, we wouldn't have had to face so many tragedies today," he murmured softly to himself.