Chapter 662 486 Five Waters Formation_2

"Taoist Fellow Liu Changdie!"

Li Xuanxuan bowed with his hands clasped together in respect, while Liu Changdie's face was slightly pale as he said in a soft voice,

"I vaguely remember that your noble family once wanted to construct a Foundation Establishment Formation. However, at that time, my Taoist cultivation was too shallow to lay down such a Great Formation, so I hastily finished it without further ado. I wonder what the situation is today...?"

No sooner had Liu Changdie spoken than it became clear that he had made progress in the East Sea over the years. Back then, it was the Li Family who had tight finances and simply made promises that sounded good. Li Xuanxuan paused and looked at Li Xizhi.

Realizing what was happening, Liu Changdie sized up the young man dressed in Feather Clothing and saw him say amiably,

"I am Li Xizhi."

Li Xizhi...

A flash of recognition crossed Liu Changdie's mind. He had seen him in his previous life, but back then Li Xizhi practiced the "River Qi Decision," and his temperament was completely different from today's, making him unrecognizable for a moment.

He clasped his hands in return,

"Liu Changdie, a Loose Cultivator from Yue Country, has seen Taoist Fellow."

Liu Changdie was originally a contemporary of his father, but given Li Xizhi's status as a disciple of the Immortal Sect, and not knowing if his master was some Great Cultivator, it was not appropriate to presume overfamiliarity, so he respectfully addressed him as Taoist Fellow.

Li Xizhi asked softly,

"I wonder if Master has any ideas regarding the formation?"

Liu Changdie seemed to have a good strategy already in mind as he answered,

"Some years ago, I passed by this mountain and was invited by your family. I was the one who laid down the Green Ox River Formation here, so I am very familiar with this mountain and have come prepared."

Li Xizhi smiled and responded,

"It would still be best for Master to take another look. Over the years, several side peaks have emerged, and the Earth Vein has changed."

Stroking his beard, Liu Changdie nodded, and said,

"I am already aware, and it will not be a problem!"

"Good!"

Li Xizhi instantly regarded him more highly, without inquiring into the power of the formation or the methods of laying it down, and directly asked,

"How many Spirit Stones and Spiritual Objects does Master require for preparation?"

After estimating, Liu Changdie replied,

"Your noble family has greatly changed from the past. I do not intend to make do with an ordinary formation. I plan to set it with Spiritual Water, using five streams of Spiritual Water as the Main Vein, combining them with the Water Veins atop the mountains to construct the Foundation Establishment Great Formation. All in all, four hundred Spirit Stones will suffice!"

"Oh?"

Li Xizhi couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. He was well-informed; the Foundation Establishment Great Formation was not something that could be captured with just four hundred Spirit Stones, especially when first acquiring five streams of good-quality Spiritual Water, which would cost more than four hundred Spirit Stones alone. It seemed Liu Changdie intended to cover the costs himself.

Yet Li Xizhi did not give him the opportunity, saying,

"Master jests. How could I allow you to front the costs? My family will collect the Spiritual Water and Objects, and as for Spirit Stones, my family will supply a hundred pieces up front to Taoist Fellow. Should it be insufficient, Taoist Fellow can certainly speak up."

"This!"

Liu Changdie's expression changed abruptly, as he hastily said,

"This? What do you mean... My relationship with your noble family..."

Li Xizhi waved his hand with a serious demeanor, his eyes calm as he stared at Liu Changdie, saying softly,

"It is not easy for Uncle to get by on his own, and now my family can afford it, not out of helplessness. It should be my family who bears the expenses. I've heard that my father has a deep relationship with Uncle, and I'm sure he would not want Uncle to bear it like this."

Liu Changdie had braced himself for Li Xizhi to play hardball, but he was moved by his sincere words, and that familiar address of 'Uncle' from a past life made him unable to speak.

Liu Changdie agreed in a daze and after a moment of silence, he gently bowed, apparently bowing to the front but his respectful attitude seemed more like that of a loyal Guest Elder of many years, rather than a salute to Li Xizhi before him.

"I shall inspect the Earth Veins now!"

He said softly.

After speaking, Liu Changdie bowed lightly and slowly stepped back.

Li Xizhi watched him leave, feeling something amiss that he couldn't articulate, a sense of familiarity in his behavior that reminded him of old ministers like Chen Donghe and An Zhiyan.

The idea seemed preposterous, and he quickly dismissed it from his mind. After waiting for a moment, Li Qinghong descended into the hall riding the wind.

Aside from Li Xuanxuan, everyone in the hall quickly stood up. Li Qinghong had just settled the old man with the saddle nose into the lake. Looking around, she gestured for everyone to sit down and asked,

"What's the situation?"

Li Xuanxuan hurriedly recounted the recent events, and Li Qinghong nodded, her eyebrows raising slightly. She took out two gray-black jade bottles from her Storage Bag.

These two items were obtained from eradicating demons, hence they were not kept in jade bottles like ordinary objects from the sea, but in a stone bottle with rough carvings. She spoke softly,

"These are two types of spiritual water, one from Heshui called [Serpent Flow from the Distant Sea], and the other from the feminine waters called [Stone Center Water], two of the Five Waters."

As soon as her words fell, the previously silent Li Xuanxuan, whose voice was aged and robust, spoke up,

"There is another kind of spiritual water in the family, obtained by Jun and me during an excursion to the Helin Mountain Range, known as [Peilin Cold Water]. However, the books do not state which type of water it is."

He took out a jade bottle from his bosom, and Li Xizhi glanced at it briefly before handing it back,

"Heshui."

Li Xuanxuan expressed slight regret,

"Originally, we had obtained [Qingyuan Spiritual Water] in that mountain range as well. It's a pity that it was used for practicing the Pupil Technique and more than half has already been used, less than the requisite amount."

Three of the five types of spiritual water had been gathered, when Yang Xiao'er stepped forward lightly and finally spoke up softly,

"I possess another type of spiritual water. It was once gifted within the peak and, being very unique, I had no immediate use for it, so I carried it with me."

She took an object from the jade loop on her feather clothing, surprisingly, a silver-white jade bottle, and offered it, speaking gently,

"This is [White Feather Undescended], belonging to Mansion Water among the Five Waters. Mansion Water was known in ancient times as Weak Water and is now rare among the Five Waters… Its uses are also scantily recorded, hence it has always remained in my possession."

Li Xizhi paused for a moment, then took the white bottle from her hand and handed it to Li Xuanxuan, saying,

"I'll reimburse Xiao'er once back at the sect. It's fine for the family to keep it."

Li Xuanxuan merely expressed gratitude and accepted it, knowing well that the couple didn't really differentiate that clearly between their possessions; they were just comforting words. After calculating, they were still missing one type of spiritual water.

Li Qinghong handed all these items to Li Xuanxuan and said,

"Wait here. I will go to the markets and acquire another spiritual water."

Being someone who acted swiftly and decisively, she left without delay, rising on the wind and swiftly heading south.

The rest continued talking until Li Chengliao went down to prepare the sacrifices. Li Yuexiang raised her eyebrows as she listened for a while before someone approached from the lower seats.

This person, clad in a black robe with a somber expression, was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He floated close to the ground as if drifting, and when he reached her, he kneeled on one knee.

"Miss… the family has gathered some information and sent me to bring it to you."

Li Wushao offered a jade slip with both hands, which Li Yuexiang gently took and read closely.

"Yuan Fuyao, twenty-nine years old, early stage of Qi Cultivation, practices the Qingxuan method. It is unknown what sort of cultivation technique that is…"

She flipped through briefly, glossing over most of the content, but chuckled once before asking,

"Any childhood sweethearts?"

Li Wushao, with his head bowed, replied,

"I only heard from the people below that this person had past interactions with a girl from the Song Family, back when the Song Family still had Foundation Establishment Cultivators... The ties were broken as the Song Family declined over these past years."

"I understand."

Li Yuexiang casually acknowledged with a word, and Li Wushao continued,

"They say that Yuan Fuyao has been inquiring about the matter of the betrothal gifts from all quarters, yet all his attempts have hit our people, and he hasn't obtained any information,"

"Oh?"

Li Xuanxuan and Li Yuexiang exchanged glances; the elder, stroking his beard, showed a degree of indulgent understanding towards the younger generation, his voice aged,

"It's no surprise he is tempted; such immense wealth would indeed be a blessing for three generations if he alone could acquire it."

Li Xuanxuan looked around and continued,

"Lacking guidance since childhood and unaware of the changing situations, his conduct is still relatively upright. After all, he is a common man, and such behavior is not unexpected."

Despite saying this, his disappointment was visibly overflowing, and Li Xizhi, surprised, looked over and asked,

"What now? The Yuan Family wants to wed my sister? Which young talent?"

As Li Yuexiang began to explain everything, Li Xizhi listened intently for a while, propping one hand on the armrest and idly manipulating a rainbow light with the other, remarking playfully,

"I shall meet him then."

Li Xuanxuan knew he would say this and sighed while nodding. However, seeing Li Yuexiang's beaming expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.

As the eldest among them, he had been through many things. How could he not see the convenience of Li Wushao's arrival? He thought to himself,

"This child has such clever schemes, readily putting them to the test. But Xizhi cares about her; he won't let her be disappointed."