Li Gewen watched Wang Yun leave with great displeasure, knowing that this disallowed matter had already caused them deep embarrassment.
"I will find you some proper work to do." As Li Gewen watched Wang Yun leave without looking back, he suddenly realized that a matter trivial to him might seem like a monumental affair in the eyes of these commoner disciples.
Li Gewen used his sword flight to soar to Red Leaf Peak and requested an audience with Sect Master Yi Lüchuan.
"My nephew, three years without seeing you and you've changed quite a bit. When did you return?"
"I've been back for over half a month."
"Back for so long and you didn't even send word? Renmei is always mentioning you in my ear," Yi Lüchuan said with a joke.
Li Gewen felt quite embarrassed. "After three years of traveling, I've sorted out these feelings. We grew up together as childhood sweethearts, but to Renmei, this is simply a brother's affection for a sister."
Yi Renmei was practicing her swordplay by the pool on Red Leaf Peak at the time. Seeing Li Gewen fly straight into the Red Leaf Peak council hall, she had followed in wild joy, only to overhear Li Gewen's heartfelt words. She never expected that after a fight, the outcome would remain entirely unchanged. In the past, whenever she threw a tantrum, Li Gewen would soften. Yet this time, even though she had injured him, Li Gewen was still determined to play the heartbreaker.
"Do you really only want to be my brother?" Yi Renmei asked sorrowfully.
"Haven't you always called me older brother?"
"I said the 'Ge' of Li Gewen, not the 'ge' of older brother! You told me to wait for you, and I waited three years, and this is the answer you give me?"
"I'm sorry, Renmei."
"Every day on the mountain, I looked to the stars and the moon, longing for you, and what I get in return is a single 'I'm sorry.' Didn't you tell me back then that you would convince Aunt Lan? In the end, Aunt Lan convinced you instead."
"I think Mother was right. Right now, our careers should take precedence; we shouldn't discuss marriage so early."
"Fine, career takes precedence. Don't you just want to revive the Li Family? Is that something that can be accomplished overnight?"
"I don't want to revive the Li Family. I want to change course and revive the Peak of Yunxiao."
Yi Renmei gave a bitter laugh and glanced aside at Yi Lüchuan. "You surely don't want to become the Sect Master, do you?"
"Reviving the Peak of Yunxiao doesn't necessarily mean one has to be the Sect Master. I think Uncle Lüchuan is doing a rather fine job."
"Then what do you propose to do?" Yi Xieyun had not yet approached, but crackling bolts of electricity were already visible right before their eyes.
Li Gewen sized up Yi Xieyun, feeling only that the thunder energy throughout his body was even more intense than it had been three years ago. The formidable lightning energy gave him a fearful sense of oppression. Was this a Son of God? Innate thunder energy really was, as the pugilist world whispered, the final flash of brilliance for the Peak of Yunxiao. *No, I must borrow his power to transform the Peak of Yunxiao,* Li Gewen thought, a myriad of wild ideas racing through his mind.
"I came here specifically to find you and ask for your help," Li Gewen said.
"How polite. Failure to form a marriage alliance doesn't mean the two families cannot remain close. We are old family friends, and helping one another is only right."
"Merfolk live near Mirror Sea Lake. Have you ever heard of them?"
"You surely don't want to ask my brother to step in and help the Li Family exterminate the merfolk down to the last, do you?" Yi Renmei asked.
"Our ancestors never intended any such extermination. After the civil war between the Lishan Sword Sect and the Myriad Clans Sect three hundred years ago, the Lishan Sword Sect prospered for a long time. When their merfolk clan fled to Mirror Sea Lake, it was with our ancestors' permission, and collateral descendants of the Li Family have lived there ever since. Recently, intelligence reports have arrived that numerous external cultivators are gathering around Mirror Sea Lake, and I've heard the current imperial court is obsessed with the art of immortality. I fear for their safety."
"Could the rumors in the pugilist world be true—that the blood of the merfolk can be used to cultivate immortality?" Yi Renmei asked.
"Your Li Family certainly loves creating trouble for others," Yi Lüchuan couldn't help complaining. "Calling them monsters was you; refusing to exterminate them was you; and now wanting to make peace and shake hands is also you. You always stir up so much trouble—how do you expect our Yi Family to come and clean up your mess?"
"Didn't I come over here to wholeheartedly assist and become a top general under the command of the future sixth Sect Master?" Li Gewen produced a scroll and handed it to Yi Lüchuan.
"The Thunderous Roar Sword Cultivation Formula." Yi Lüchuan was somewhat pleasantly surprised. "Your grandfather and I wore our tongues out arguing, and he wouldn't budge an inch, yet today you've delivered it right to our doorstep. Why?"
"Surrender."
Everyone exchanged a knowing smile.
"Very well, I accept your sincerity. We will stick to what I originally promised the old man: trade it for the two lost volumes of scriptures you misplaced. Whatever else you want, just name it. After all, the Thunderous Roar Sword Cultivation Formula is no ordinary Cultivation Formula."
"Since Uncle Lüchuan is so generous, I'll make a bold demand."
"I've always wanted you lions of the Li Family to open your mouths." Yi Lüchuan glanced at the other two, looking as though the long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived and what he had wished for in his heart was about to be realized.
"I want the Cloud Token."
After a brief moment of delight, the three of them were astonished. They realized that when Li Gewen spoke of reviving the Peak of Yunxiao, he was not merely paying lip service.
"The Cloud Token is a crucial token, representing authority as well. It allows you to establish your own faction, and it is also a Dharma Treasure. A single set of the Thunderous Roar Sword Cultivation Formula is not enough."
"The Myriad Swords Manual of Heroes records a total of one hundred and eight Sword Techniques. Pick whichever ones you like."
"Can you truly make decisions on your own authority?"
Li Gewen raised a hand, and a sword materialized in his grasp. Yi Lüchuan recognized it as the Crimson Feather Sword, the last fully-spirited divine sword of the Li Family and the personal blade of Li Chengji.
"Surely you don't feel you're getting the short end of the stick? You've held the Cloud Token in your hands studying it for fifty or sixty years without making head or tail of it. You might as well let your nephew take over—after all, our Li Family ancestors served as Sect Masters of the Peak of Yunxiao for several terms."
Yi Lüchuan felt his eyelid twitch suddenly.
"Rest assured, I have no interest in the position of Sect Master. I simply want the Peak of Yunxiao to rise again. With the Cloud Token, I will have greater freedom, authority, and even capability. Big Brother Xieyun possesses innate divine power; even if I were to cultivate for another fifty years, I might still not catch up to him, not to mention he is already in the Eighth Realm while I am merely in the Sixth."
"Your desire for the Peak of Yunxiao to rise surpasses even mine," Yi Xieyun said coldly.
"Because the Li Family has no road left to return on, but the Yi Family still does, isn't that so?"
"Second Uncle, since Brother Ge wants to help, just give it to him," Yi Renmei said.
"The Peak of Yunxiao has regulations: anyone holding the Cloud Token must possess at least the cultivation of the Eighth Realm. You are only in the Sixth Realm—how will you command respect? The Peak of Yunxiao does not consist solely of our two families; there are also the Sheng Family and the Wu Family."
"The Wu Family need not be considered," Yi Xieyun said.
"But that Sheng Tianjing is a genuine Seventh Realm cultivator with extraordinary talent. He has asked me for the Cloud Token before as well. How can I show favoritism?"
"There are a total of seven Cloud Tokens. Hasn't the Yi Family managed to collect all of them by now?" Li Gewen asked calmly.
"Where is it that easy? Merely buying back the Cloud Tokens cost the Yi Family a bleeding fortune. We only have three in our possession—one with Xieyun and one with Third Sister. That means I only have one at my disposal, which is not enough to satisfy both of your families simultaneously."
"Very well, if that's the case, we'll wait until Second Uncle handles Tianjing before we speak further. I heard the Yi Family once housed a Cultivation Formula called Bloodline Tracking; just give me that to take back and pass the time."
Yi Lüchuan signaled for Yi Renmei to escort Li Gewen out.
"These two families are cut from the exact same cloth. Either they completely ignore the plight of the Peak of Yunxiao, or they both open their lions' mouths wide. It's truly exhausting."
"As long as the fish wants to take the bait, that's all that matters; it's not like there's no way. Haven't we already tracked down the whereabouts of one of the Cloud Tokens? Once we retrieve it, won't we have just enough to divide between the two families?"
Yi Lüchuan nodded slightly.
"When did Sheng Tianjing want the Cloud Token, and what does he want it for? He surely isn't trying to revive the Peak of Yunxiao as well, is he?" Yi Xieyun pressed.
"He lacks that kind of vision. He simply wants to take it and study it to pass the time. However, his older sister asked for the Cloud Token back then as well, also claiming she wanted to revive the Peak of Yunxiao. Before she even got her hands on the token, she ran into a scandal involving ties with demons and ended up cutting her own throat."
"That is somewhat regrettable. Elder Sister Sheng was an extraordinary figure. Thinking back, it's always her admonishing words that echo in our ears."
Yi Lüchuan pondered for a moment. "The Li Family has suffered consecutive burglaries; I'm afraid someone has set their sights on this Myriad Swords Manual of Heroes."
"When did this happen?"
"More than half a year ago. For a thief to break into the world's number one Immortal Sect is hardly good news. Since the Li Family has already sensed the danger, let's give them an opportunity and let them have Luzhu Peak back first. I am thoroughly sick of that Lei Yunshen."
"Yet if we do that, the Li Family will take root on Luzhu Peak once more. Won't the strife among the great families start all over again?"
"The problem right now, however, is that relying solely on our Yi Family makes it impossible to sustain the massive framework of the Peak of Yunxiao. Supported by the God of Runes, our Yi Family has held power over the Peak of Yunxiao for fifty years, yet the situation hasn't changed in the slightest—it even shows signs of worsening. Every so often, a portion of our disciples inexplicably vanish, and whether they are alive or dead remains entirely inconclusive to this day."