Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 189 - 175: Yuanxiu’s Sacrifice Ceremony

"Report!"

A clan soldier hurried into the courtyard and entered the back hall, where he announced his presence with a call, then quickly knelt down.

"Come in."

A young voice came from within the hall, clear and rising in pitch, conveying the easygoingness typical of that age.

The clan soldier entered the back hall and presented a small letter into the hands of the approaching Li Pingyi, saying solemnly:

"There's a report from Jingyang Town."

After reading the small letter, Li Yuanxiu murmured:

"The fourth son of the Tian Clan and a male member of the Liu Clan had a dispute on the streets of Jingyang Town, and fists flew, knocking out three of the Liu man's teeth... Upon learning of this, the Liu Clan was indignant, and they've petitioned my aunt overnight for justice."

Li Yuanxiu pinched the small letter, somewhat amused and annoyed, shaking his head. Since Li Tongya's wife was from the Liu Clan, they also held a position in the various towns. Although the Tian Clan had no influential backing, several members of the Tian family held real power. The endless disputes between the two families had escalated to the point that the complaint reached Liu Rouxuan.

"Really, he makes a mountain out of a molehill; such trivial matters he cannot handle, and he rushes to report it."

"Shall we intercept the messenger?"

Li Pingyi asked, to which Li Yuanxiu waved his hand and said softly:

"No need."

Seeing the Liu family's steward in a slightly worse light, Li Yuanxiu could have intercepted the messenger but didn't, out of respect for his elders.

Soon after, another clan soldier entered the courtyard. Li Yuanxiu didn't lift his head and asked:

"What was my aunt's response?"

The clan soldier was taken aback, not expecting Li Yuanxiu to already know the purpose of his report. The long speech that reached his mouth was swallowed down, and he replied succinctly:

"The person from the Liu Clan delivered the message, but the senior suppressed the letter without a word..."

Li Yuanxiu nodded slightly, pondered the letter in front of him for a moment, then lifted his brush and wrote a character for "read", pressing down firmly, and continued to write:

"Assign the Tian family's son to the Green Crow Mine for three years."

Seeing that Liu Rouxuan received the letter and chose not to carpet the clan members involved but rather to silently suppress it, Li Yuanxiu realized that his aunt was somewhat displeased with the Tian family's actions and refrained from taking action, considering the old affection she held for his third aunt Tian Yun. Knowing the elder's attitude, he mildly punished the Tian family and then said to Li Pingyi seated below:

"Summons a younger clan member, give that Liu family's steward a warning. How dare he bring such shameful trifles before an elder? He knows no sense of proportion!"

"Yes!"

Li Pingyi responded in a low voice, suddenly perking up his ears. Li Yuanxiu also sensed something amiss and raised his head to look outside the courtyard.

"Clang, clang..."

The sound of weapons clashing against the ground echoed, as all the clan soldiers outside the courtyard bowed their heads and knelt, placing their weapons on the ground. Through the wide-open gate, a robust figure emerged like the wind, with a calm gaze and eyebrows reaching up to the forehead, adding a touch of unruliness.

The man had a gold bow adorned with patterns slung over his back and carried an alarmingly large bird with a pointed beak that was still squeaking. The man entered the courtyard on his own, smiling as he looked towards Li Yuanxiu at the head.

The clan soldiers in the back hall, all seasoned guardians of the house, naturally recognized the man and immediately knelt on the ground, laying down their weapons respectfully.

Although Li Pingyi didn't recognize the man before him, the sight of the signature golden bow shocked him. He followed suit and knelt, greeting respectfully:

"Welcome, clan uncle!"

Li Yuanxiu set aside the brush in his hand, quickly stepped forward, and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Yuanxiu greets my cousin uncle..."

"Hahaha."

Li Xuanfeng tossed the two demon creatures onto the ground with a thud, laughed heartily, and took a careful look at Li Yuanxiu's appearance, saying with a smile,

"Not seeing you for a few years, you have grown into an adult. Xuanling told me you were an introverted person, but I see you as handsome and smart, both inside and out. Not bad, not bad!"

Li Yuanxiu smiled softly and replied,

"The family still relies on the support of several elders. Xiu'er's little cleverness isn't enough to stand out, just enough to manage the various family affairs."

Li Xuanfeng waved his hand and pointed at the two hyenas on the ground, explaining,

"The sacrifice is approaching; I caught these two demon creatures and have sealed their cultivation levels. You make preparations for the sacrifice. Your second uncle and your father are in closed-door cultivation and most likely won't be able to appear; you'll arrange the seating. The affairs of the family are in your hands now."

"Your son understands."

Li Yuanxiu nodded solemnly. Li Xuanfeng then smiled, asked him about his progress in cultivation level, and seeing no confusion about his cultivation, took off on the wind and left.

Li Pingyi enviously watched Li Xuanfeng departing in the distance, whispering,

"With Uncle's return from seclusion, the family's sacrificial affairs are settled."

"Indeed."

Li Yuanxiu's face showed a trace of joy. He said softly,

"Summon several clan elders of the family, as the matter of the sacrifice still requires consulting the elderly. By the end of the year, we should be able to perform the sacrifice."

-------------

Winter snow arrived on schedule, the banks of the lake tightly frozen over, and each household at the foot of the mountain lit lamps according to tradition. Little boys and girls worshiped under the moon, frolicking before the lights, their laughter drifting far and wide.

After consulting with the clan elders of his family, Li Yuanxiu had everything ready for the sacrifice. The market on the streets was bustling, and people craned their necks looking at the two large hyena demon creatures locked on the stone altar, whispering amongst themselves.

Lu Jiangxian's divine sense emerged from the Mirror, looking at the lively scene below the mountain. Pale golden incense flowed out like strands of golden silk twirling and dancing, all settling upon his mirror's surface.

"Time flies like an arrow, three to five years pass in the blink of an eye... Is this the seed of immortality?"

Lu Jiangxian had stayed on the mountain for nearly fifty years, watching Li Tongya go from an ordinary person to a Qi Cultivator, watching Li Xuanxuan grow from a naive child into the head of a family, witnessing the old pass away and the birth of new children—truly an experience laden with many thoughts.

There was no unusual speed of time flow within the Mirror. In the past decade or so, Lu Jiangxian had earnestly focused on researching witchcraft inside the Mirror, his study of the art growing more profound by the day, his crafted sorceries and spells now capable of easily killing Qi Cultivators.

"Here it comes."

In the center of Lijing Town, the crowd prostrated upon the stone altar, the sacrificial blade piercing into the brains of the two hyena demon creatures. Copious blood and essence qi rose up, merging with the pervasive incense, flowing out and infusing into the mirror's surface.

"Here lies the Li Clan of Lijing, piously presenting fine liquor and abundant delicacies, cold food, and livestock as offerings, maintaining the incense year after year... Offering smoke to the deities in worship, using blood for sacrificial blessings, serving the gods to bring good fortune."

Lu Jiangxian stood atop the mountain within the realm of the Mirror, with strands of grey talisman qi appearing in his hands, observing the transformation of the talisman qi, and after deliberating for a moment, he picked up the jade pot from the tabletop, dividing half of the talisman qi, keeping it aside for detailed study later.

His divine sense circled around the younger generation of the Li family below. Lu Jiangxian thought to himself,

"This talisman qi is precious indeed, but to me, it's simply a resource without cost. If it's given too frequently, it seems to lose its value, lacking solemnity."

Looking down at the people below, Lu Jiangxian pondered,

"From now on, grant only one or two strands of talisman qi to each generation, striving for quality over quantity. The surplus talisman qi could be condensed into talisman pills or stockpiled."

"As for the sacrifice today... each person can only receive one strand of talisman qi. If I grant the talisman now, it will only be the Qi Cultivation-level Grey Talisman, which is not a great loss in the next few years. Once Li Tongya reaches Foundation Establishment, and I get a demon creature of that level, then I'll grant the Foundation Establishment White Talisman to the younger generation of the Li family."

Having made up his mind, Lu Jiangxian activated the Dharma Mirror, condensing the talisman qi in his hand into talisman pills. Inside the mountain's stone chamber, the cyan-grey colored Mirror glowed brightly and silently floated up, releasing six intricately-patterned talisman pills.