The night wind brushed against his face as Li Xinnian stood alone beneath the starry night.
Before him, the thousand-plus members of the Blue Moon Immortal Sect were bustling with major construction work.
His voice, amplified by techniques, resounded through the clouds, where the Spiritual power of a Void Refining cultivator from the Blue Moon Immortal Sect lingered.
"Clan Head Li!"
A voice rang out in the night sky, but Li Xinnian acted as if he had not heard it.
In the next moment, clouds descended from the heavens.
Li Chuyuan and a middle-aged man in gray robes—possessed of a heroic and extraordinary bearing—appeared before him.
"Greetings, Elder Duanmu."
Li Xinnian called out, a faint smile still maintaining its place on his face.
But he also knew that ever since the events at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, the alliance made years ago with the Eternal Immortal Sect had fractured.
For the Blue Moon Immortal Sect to enter the Azure Cloud Prefecture, they had to pass through Westfall Prefecture.
Li Xinnian didn't even need to think twice to know who had let them in—it was undoubtedly linked to this Duanmu Qi.
The Blue Moon Immortal Sect treated the Azure Cloud Prefecture as a delectable prize, but was this Duanmu Qi—soon to become the Sect Master of the Immortal Sect—any different?
"Clan Head Li, please, do not be impulsive..."
Before Duanmu Qi's voice could even fade away.
Li Xinnian glanced toward the interior of the Blue Moon Immortal Sect.
He noticed that the auras of the two Void Refining cultivators inside had fallen silent the moment Duanmu Qi appeared. He interrupted Duanmu Qi, smiling.
"I did not expect the affairs of the Azure Cloud Prefecture to disturb Elder Duanmu. Since you are already here, Elder, why not join me for some tea while we wait?"
"This..."
Duanmu Qi was stunned for a moment. Seeing that Li Xinnian clearly had no intention of discussing other matters, he watched as Li Xinnian's Storage Ring flashed.
A table, chairs, and tea set instantly appeared on the ground. Frowning and unsure of what game Li Xinnian was playing, Duanmu Qi took a seat.
Li Chuyuan was struck with astonishment.
As the one with the lowest seniority present, he should have been the one to light the fire and brew the tea, yet Li Xinnian had taken it upon himself to do so.
Li Xinnian's movements were slow and gentle. To be drinking tea with Duanmu Qi right outside the Blue Moon Immortal Sect in the midst of this long night felt incredibly strange.
The tea leaves were 8th Rank Spiritual Tea. As soon as they steeped in the hot water, a mist of spiritual energy rose up, refreshing the mind and spirit.
Li Xinnian spoke,
"Elder Duanmu, please do not take offense. Your noble sect surely possesses superior spiritual tea. But things have been difficult for my Azure Cloud Prefecture.
During the two hundred years of heavy snow in the past, let alone planting spiritual tea, even reclaiming spiritual fields was excruciatingly hard.
This 8th Rank Spiritual Tea is the best thing we have been able to grow after more than a century of rest and recovery."
"You speak too humbly, Clan Head Li." Smelling the fragrance of the tea, Duanmu Qi felt a sense of tranquility involuntarily settle over his heart.
Li Xinnian served the tea. Duanmu Qi had just taken a sip when Li Xinnian spoke,
"Elder Duanmu, you might not be aware, but when this spiritual tea was first harvested, the elders of my family were overjoyed for quite some time."
"Oh?"
Duanmu Qi was slightly stunned.
8th Rank Spiritual Tea could elevate a person's spiritual energy and soothe the mind.
For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was indeed a treasure. But for the Li Clan, such a thing should be nothing more than ordinary.
Li Xinnian continued,
"Sigh, year after year... when have the people of the Azure Cloud ever enjoyed such fortune?
My family elders say they have fought wars their entire lives. They repelled the Wu tribe, only to suffer unforeseen calamities.
Peace was hard-won, yet there are still so many who harbor ill intentions.
They spent their whole lives striving for the harmony that the Azure Cloud Prefecture enjoys today.
The fact that we could grow this spiritual tea serves as an omen that the Azure Cloud Prefecture can finally know tranquility, that their lifelong efforts were not in vain."
"I was fortunate enough to participate in some of those great wars myself.
I fought against the various major Immortal Clans of the former Duravia Trade Prefecture, and I fought against the Zhao Clan.
Now, the burden of this family has fallen upon my shoulders. I imagine that you, Elder Duanmu, will soon have to shoulder such a heavy burden as well."
Hearing this, Duanmu Qi's heart grew slightly heavy.
He could sense a distinct air of world-weariness and the vicissitudes of life emanating from Li Xinnian.
This man was no more than three hundred and thirty-eight years old, yet he possessed such an air of steady composure that Duanmu Qi was forced to treat him with serious regard.
Li Xinnian smiled.
"By the time I became Clan Head, the heavy snows had already arrived.
In order to end that heavy snow, we dared to battle against the Hidden Immortal Clans.
My Clan's Old Ancestor dared to ascend to the Heavenly Palace to slay the Crown Princess.
From top to bottom, everyone in the Azure Cloud Prefecture was willing to put their lives on the line.
To be honest, I did not understand it at the time; I simply followed because my elders told me to do so."
"Later, I understood."
Li Xinnian raised his head slightly and lifted his tea cup.
Duanmu Qi involuntarily straightened his posture. Although Li Xinnian was still young in years, at this moment—for reasons he could not explain—Duanmu Qi felt a sense of solemn respect rising within him.
"After the heavy snows, every blade of grass and every tree in the Azure Cloud Prefecture contains my blood, sweat, and tears.
Here, I have countless kinsmen and friends with whom I have shared wine and laughter.
The common people of the Azure Cloud Prefecture revere my Li Clan as Immortals."
"Before I knew it, the Azure Cloud Prefecture had become like my own flesh and blood—and how can one bear to sever their own flesh and blood?"
"We people of the Azure Cloud... are like a tree."