In the end, Gong Chenying never spoke of her own affairs, merely sharing a silent, smiling gaze with Li Yan.
When Zhao Min came over with a cheerful smile to pull Gong Chenying away, a warmth instantly surged through Li Yan's heart, diluting the gloom and pressure that had just been weighing on his chest. He had sensed a change in Zhao Min recently. Though this matter wasn't something that could be resolved overnight, it was an excellent start.
The sun grew hotter as the days passed, and soon it was the seventh month. Li Yan had been home for over a month. Although his eldest and fourth sisters had long since returned to their marital homes, Gong Chenying and Zhao Min had taken over the kitchen. They reveled in it, enthusiastically devising new dishes each day. At first, the family's faces turned as yellow as bitter coptis from their cooking, but eventually, the food became palatable. Aunt Chang and Xiao Yu gradually became mere spectators. The two women were far more intelligent than ordinary people; grasping one concept and applying it to others was second nature for cultivators. After half a month, their culinary skills in some dishes had actually surpassed those of Aunt Chang and Xiao Yu.
As Gong Chenying and Zhao Min's repertoire expanded, they began to feel dissatisfied with the ingredients available at home, wanting to create even more delicious meals. One night, the two women actually ventured into the mountains and returned with two adult "Mountain-Crashing Boars." When Li Yan first saw them, he was startled. It wasn't because he was frightened by the ferocity of the two beasts; although Mountain-Crashing Boars were exceptionally fierce, they didn't even qualify as first-tier demonic beasts. At best, they were just vicious beasts with undeveloped intelligence. For either of the two women, dispatching them would have been a trivial matter, accomplished with a mere wave of the hand. But for ordinary mortals, a single adult Mountain-Crashing Boar required at least four or five strong young hunters, who would have to carefully lay multiple traps and wait for a long time before having any chance of a successful capture. For the two women to so brazenly bring back two live, thousand-jin adult Mountain-Crashing Boars with murderous light gleaming in their eyes—how could it be anything but shocking?
Terrified, Li Yan hurriedly sent the two Mountain-Crashing Boars back into the mountains while no one was looking, which greatly displeased the two women. However, they also realized that bringing back two such vicious beasts had been highly inappropriate.
Seeing their unhappy expressions, Li Yan felt helpless. The next day, he had no choice but to feign a request to Uncle Guoxin, asking to go on a hunt in the mountains to catch some demonic beasts. His actions sent a wave of worry and fear through Aunt Chang, who didn't want him to enter the mountains. Only after Li Yan swore to the heavens how much martial arts he had learned and then, in front of Aunt Chang and the villagers, seemingly strained to lift a giant, nearly thousand-jin stone from the threshing ground did Aunt Chang's worry turn to joy. She felt her family had produced a martial arts champion. Li Yan's performance further convinced the villagers of his formidable martial prowess.
Once in the mountains, Li Yan appropriately demonstrated some techniques of a martial world master, killing several weaker vicious beasts. Li Guoxin nodded repeatedly, even entertaining the thought of passing the village chief position to Li Yan. After some consideration, he knew it was impossible and had to suppress the idea.
When the hunting party emerged from the mountains, their harvest was several times more bountiful than any previous expedition, bringing smiles to the faces of the welcoming villagers. As they listened to the others describe how ferocious Li Yan had been in the mountains, their admiration for this young man from the army grew even stronger. They felt that only someone like Li Yan was worthy of being a valiant general under the Marshal.
Gong Chenying and Zhao Min finally got their hands on the demonic beast meat they had craved for days. After a careful discussion, the two women claimed the cuts of meat and organs they believed would best showcase their culinary skills, and then dove headfirst into the kitchen.
The days trickled by like a gentle stream, flowing slowly into the distance. On this day, as Li Yan was in his room, pondering a Jade Slip, his expression suddenly shifted. He looked up towards the distance, and in the next moment, he vanished from the room. At the same time, in another room of the Li household, Xiao Yu was holding a piece of embroidery, carefully explaining it to Gong Chenying and Zhao Min. She failed to notice that at the exact instant Li Yan disappeared, both women's brows furrowed. An imperceptible wisp of Divine Sense quietly extended from each of them before they returned to normal a moment later, continuing to ask Xiao Yu questions.
Outside the mountain village, atop a peak, Li Yan stared coldly at two black-robed figures. "What is it?" he asked, his expression impassive. A chilling aura emanated from him. The two before him were the same two Bloodleaf Sect cultivators he had met a month ago. Although he recognized them, he had already given them what they wanted. He had no desire to be disturbed during his time at home. If these two didn't know what was good for them and, having tasted benefits once, were thinking of getting more, he wouldn't mind striking them down directly.
Today, while he was engrossed in studying the art of puppetry, these two had sent him a direct voice transmission, which had greatly annoyed him.
Xu Shi and Wang Wuyi felt waves of bone-chilling cold wash over them, and they couldn't help but tremble inwardly. Although their cultivation levels were not high, the more one lived in a small sect, the more cautious and prudent one's actions became. If it weren't for an urgent matter today, they wouldn't have dared to privately transmit their voices to this Upper Sect cultivator, even if it meant death.
"Greetings... greetings, Senior. We only came to report a matter to Senior because we received a message from our sect," Xu Shi hurriedly said, his voice trembling slightly under the pressure emanating from Li Yan.
"The Bloodleaf Sect? Have the other two families attacked your sect?" Li Yan said coldly.
"No... no, no. Today, the two of us received a message brought by someone sent by our Ancestor. He delivered two Jade Slips, saying they were sent successively by your esteemed sect. So, so, we had no choice but to disturb Senior's peaceful cultivation," Xu Shi took a deep breath and quickly finished his explanation in one go.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Wuyi hurriedly presented two Jade Slips, which were emitting a faint white glow.
Hearing this, Li Yan's brow relaxed slightly. He didn't immediately take the Jade Slips but looked at the two and asked casually.
"The Malevolent Spirit Sect? What's in the Jade Slips?"
"This... this junior does not know. The Ancestor stated that these Jade Slips were to be presented directly to Senior. How would we dare to inspect them?" Hearing this, the two were startled, and cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. Xu Shi hastily replied, and he was telling the truth.
After hearing this, Li Yan raised a hand. With a gentle beckon, the two glowing white Jade Slips shot up from Wang Wuyi's hands with a "swoosh" and flew swiftly toward him. In a flash of white light, they were caught in his grasp.
As the Jade Slips entered his hand, Li Yan immediately felt a very familiar restrictive force. It was a type of restriction commonly used by the Malevolent Spirit Sect to prevent outsiders from prying into messages. Seeing this, Li Yan was certain they were sect Jade Slips. He directed his Divine Sense toward one of them, directly breaking through the outer restriction and penetrating within. The moment his Divine Sense entered, a powerful and majestic voice transmitted from the Jade Slip into his mind. It was the voice of Sect Master Yan Longzi. "All disciples undertaking trials outside their respective peaks are to return to the sect within half a month of receiving this order and await instructions."
Li Yan's heart stirred. He once again broke through the restriction on the other Jade Slip with his Divine Sense. A voice also emerged from it, but this time it was Wei Zhongran's. "By order of the Sect Master, all disciples outside their peaks are to return to the sect within half a month of receiving this order and await instructions. This applies to the disciples of Little Bamboo Peak as well. After the three of you receive this order, Chenying and Min'er may return first. As for the matter you mentioned, Li Yan, about seeking materials to refine your Natal Magical Treasure, I have already explained it to the Sect Master on your behalf. You are exempt from this order. You may decide your course of action for yourself."
In just a few words, Li Yan understood everything. An ill premonition rose in his heart. The two Jade Slips were clearly sent one after the other, and their contents made Li Yan feel a storm was brewing. The matter within must be a secret, as neither Jade Slip revealed any details. The more it was like this, the stranger it felt.
Li Yan put away the two Jade Slips with a stoic expression and looked at the two men still waiting respectfully to the side. He gave a slight nod, and with a flicker of his body, he blurred and vanished.
Only a long while after Li Yan disappeared did Xu Shi and Wang Wuyi let out a long sigh of relief. The pressure Li Yan exuded was too immense. The two couldn't help but exchange a glance and a bitter smile before sitting down cross-legged on the mountaintop again.
That night, in Li Yan's room, Gong Chenying and Zhao Min stared at the two Jade Slips on the table, both silent.
"Something major must have happened in the sect for them to call all of us back. I had planned to stay home for two to three months, but it seems that's no longer possible," Li Yan said faintly, his gaze turning to the two women. They had been silent ever since they read the Jade Slips.
"For all disciples on trials to be recalled... something like this hasn't happened for at least a hundred years. Could it be related to the other three sects?" Gong Chenying's delicate brows knitted together. She had originally planned to accompany Li Yan to find artifact-refining materials. After all, Li Yan had just reached Foundation Establishment, and being alone outside was extremely dangerous. She, on the other hand, was already at the Pseudo-Core Realm and had much more experience in the martial world. Having an extra helper would be a good way to reduce the danger. But now, with the Sect Master's order, she had to return no matter what. Naturally, she wanted Li Yan to return with her and then find another opportunity to go out.
"Sister Ying, you should go with him to find the materials. When I get back, I'll go to Master about this. I'm sure if Master speaks up, the Sect Master will make an exception," Zhao Min said softly after some thought. She was going to return anyway. Especially in the past month, her state of mind seemed to have undergone a cleansing, and the bottleneck in her Qiongqi Purgatory Art cultivation seemed to have loosened again. She even felt she could attempt to break through to the Pseudo-Core Realm. Even without the Sect Master's order, she had been planning to return to the sect soon. The Spirit Qi here was too thin, and many of the medicinal pills needed for cultivation were not available.
Gong Chenying's heart stirred at the suggestion, but Li Yan had already spoken. "That is not an option. Since Master already sent the second Jade Slip, and even Peak Master Li's Jade Slip wasn't sent to Senior Sister Min, but was relayed by Master to have you two return directly, it must mean the sect's affairs are extremely important. Little Bamboo Peak has few disciples to begin with. For me to remain outside is already a violation of the order. How can we have another person stay behind?" Li Yan shook his head as he spoke.
Li Yan looked at the moonlight outside the window and continued leisurely, "As for me, I will still go look for materials to forge my Natal Magical Treasure. I have a feeling that if I don't go this time, the cultivation world will only become more and more chaotic, and it will be even more dangerous to venture out." The sect's sudden order gave him a foreboding feeling, as if they were facing a great enemy, making him increasingly uneasy.
"Then... then you must be careful!" Seeing that Li Yan had made up his mind, Gong Chenying sighed softly in her heart. Cultivators often paid great attention to their own intuitions. Such feelings could provide a cultivator with a kind of guidance from the unseen, something she had also experienced, so she couldn't force the issue.
Zhao Min glanced at Li Yan and remained silent. For a moment, the room fell quiet.
Li Yan, however, smiled. "When you think about it, both of you started on the path of cultivation earlier than I did. Cultivation is inherently an act of defying the heavens and changing one's fate. I suppose these past four years, I've been walking safely under the sect's wing. Some things must be experienced to grow. Besides, I also want to see the world outside."
After staying at home for another six days, Li Yan finally announced his departure. Amidst the reluctant gazes of Uncle Chang and Aunt Chang, Li Yan promised to write letters frequently. He shared a hug with Li Wei, and then, he and the two women gracefully departed.
Li Guoxin watched the three receding figures and said to Uncle Chang, "From the day he joined the army, he was destined to be far from home. A great roc will eventually soar to the heavens. If he were to stay in the mountain village, I'm afraid he and those two young ladies would be destined never to be together. For him, this... should be a Great Fortune!"
Looking at the two black-robed cultivators before him, Li Yan took out a thick stack of letters and a single sheet of paper. "I don't care how you arrange it, but these letters must be sent out in the name of some official from the Imperial Dynasty, one every two or three months. Also, the identities of the three of us are written on this paper. The Bloodleaf Sect must arrange it properly. Do you understand?"
Xu Shi and Wang Wuyi nodded repeatedly. After receiving the letters, they tucked them away as carefully as if they had received a magical treasure.
Li Yan had found them as soon as he left the village and gave them his instructions, lest his family worry when they couldn't find out his identity. He also gave them the handwritten letters he had prepared over the past month. With this departure, he knew deep down that he didn't know when they would meet again, and a sense of helplessness and sorrow filled his heart.
Xu Shi and Wang Wuyi naturally nodded and agreed. They were very familiar with such requests. Besides, wasn't it just arranging the identities for three seniors? That was an extremely easy matter. If the emperor of the dynasty they were in knew about it, he would probably be scrambling to offer them tribute.
Seeing their respectful attitude, Li Yan nodded in satisfaction. Under the hopeful gazes of Xu Shi and Wang Wuyi, the three of them gracefully departed. Li Yan did not give them any more Spirit-Raising Pills. Although these Qi Condensation stage pills were of little value to him now, it would ignite their greed. If fate allowed it in the future, and if the two of them handled matters well, he would naturally give them some benefits.