After becoming familiar with it for several months, Lu Jiangxian completely absorbed the power of the Jade Stone and had long been able to use the small illusion techniques recorded in the "Taiyin Breathing and Wheel Nourishing Scripture" to communicate with the members of the Li family.
However, he pondered that the timing wasn't ripe, so he never revealed his consciousness and lay still in the ancestral hall just like an inanimate object.
After all, the members of the Li family weren't fools; perhaps this mirror was of very high status, but he, Lu Jiangxian, was truly a novice in Immortal Cultivation.
If he were to speak now, not only would he have to fabricate a backstory, but he would also have to answer all the questions the Li family members had, unnecessarily exposing many flaws.
Fortunately, now his Divine Sense could easily envelop the entire Li family's residence; spending his days sleeping and waking up to observe everything like watching a TV drama series was quite pleasant.
Only occasionally, the auras flying overhead from the ancient Lidao would startle Lu Jiangxian awake, making him shiver as he felt those majestic or nimble auras, silently contracting his Divine Sense into a bundle.
Although the Li family had fancifully imagined Lu Jiangxian to be some sort of Immortal Artifact Law Mirror, he had an accurate assessment of his own combat capabilities—with the foundation laid by Fetal Breathing's second layer, Chengming Wheel, and reaching the sky's limit with Fetal Breathing's fourth layer, Qingyuan Wheel.
Comparing himself with those overpowering auras that even made Lu Jiangxian feel thorns at his back while shrinking inside the mirror, he still thought it was better to be more cautious, perhaps to survive for another hundred and eighty years before taking action.
"But why would there be refugees coming on ancient Lidao..." he muttered to himself, puzzled.
————
Li Changhu led a group of villagers holding torches, pitchforks, hoes, and other tools, standing at the entrance of the village confronting a group of ragged refugees.
Having just finished dealing with the wedding of Xiangping and Tian Yun, Li Changhu found time to cultivate, but then a Li family tenant rushed in to report that a group of refugees had arrived at the entrance of the village.
"Refugees?"
The most recent refugees Li Changhu had seen were more than three years ago; they were a Chen family that had crossed over from Meichi Mountain. In recent years, the climate had been favorable and Meichi River had been nurturing, and no families in its upper or lower reaches seemed to be struggling to survive.
"They claim to have come from the ancient Lidao," replied the tenant respectfully upon seeing Li Changhu, as if he had found a pillar of support.
"Impossible..."
After pondering for a few moments, Li Changhu waved his hand and stepped outside, saying,
"Father has already gone to bed, there's no need to trouble him. Call Uncle Tian and Uncle Ren, let's go have a look."
By the time Li Changhu arrived at the entrance of the village, Liu Linfeng, the steward of Lijing Village's other wealthy Liu family, was already waiting there with a bamboo water pipe in his mouth. Seeing Li Changhu, he smiled and said,
"Changhu has arrived."
"Uncle."
Li Changhu nodded in response. Liu Linfeng was indeed his mother Liu Linyun's biological brother. Years ago, when Li Mutian had eliminated the powerful Yuan family and divided their land, Liu Linfeng's father took a liking to this young man and, despite objections, had arranged for Liu Linyun to marry into the Li family, thus forming a marital alliance.
Li Changhu and Liu Linfeng shouted toward the refugees three times, and finally, the refugees pushed forward a middle-aged man. Despite his soot-covered face and tattered clothes, the man carried himself with a certain dignity.
This middle-aged man cupped his fists with a bitter smile, looking at the two men and said,
"I was in charge of a merchant caravan on the Jingxia route. The Wu Country recently captured Jingxia City, and the entire Jingxia route has become chaotic with warfare, completely unsafe. We were robbed on the way and escaped among the refugees. I was chosen by the people to speak on their behalf, hoping that you two could shelter us."
"This section of the ancient Lidao has been in disrepair for years, infested with wild beasts. Did you all really come this way?"
Liu Linfeng asked with a look of disbelief.
"Indeed, many people died, including all the elderly and children," responded the middle-aged man with a wry smile.
While the representatives of the two powerful households were inquiring about the others' backgrounds, Old Man Xu from the crowd, carrying a grass cricket cage in one hand and a hoe in the other, squinted his eyes and scrutinized the refugees.
He lived at the entrance of the village and had been awakened by the commotion of the refugees early in the morning. Hearing that Li Changhu was on his way, Old Man Xu hurriedly grabbed the grass cricket cage he had woven a few days earlier, intending to bring it as a gift for the unborn child in the belly of a woman from the Ren clan.
At that moment, he was captivated by a young man among the refugees. The youth was clad in ragged clothes, with a strip of beast skin wrapped around his waist, his eyes burning with a flame-like intensity as they fixated on Li Changhu and Liu Linfeng at the head of the assembly.
"Those eyes seem so familiar," old man Xu touched his pale beard but could not remember where he had seen them before.
"Everyone, listen to me!"
Liu Linfeng called for the refugees' attention, took a step forward, and shouted:
"I am the clan leader of the Liu family in our village. In Lijing Village, there are vast tracts of uncultivated farmland available for farming. If you are willing, my Liu family can supply everyone with this year's grain and tools. The land that you cultivate will be considered rented from my Liu family, and we will only collect thirty percent of the yield as rent."
As a junior, Li Changhu stood a half-step behind Liu Linfeng, making promises as well:
"My Li family will do the same."
The youth among the refugees, upon hearing this, suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Li Changhu's face, his eyes burning with that flame-like intensity for a few seconds before he dropped his head in apparent satisfaction.
Old man Xu, having exerted tremendous effort to push his way to the front of the crowd, scrutinized the refugees, but he could no longer spot the youth.
Turning his head to look, he saw the youth had already elbowed his way to the very front of the refugees, just a few steps away from where Li Changhu and Liu Linfeng stood.
The middle-aged man bowing next to them glanced at him and thought curiously:
"What sharp eyes. To have such a person among the refugees? After three months of living and eating together, I haven't even seen this person."
"You can drink, eat meat, marry, and have children in Lijing Village, but you must not steal, commit adultery..."
Liu Linfeng was instructing everyone when a strong sense of unease grew within old man Xu. He saw the youth propel himself forward and kneel before Liu Linfeng, weeping bitterly.
"My entire family was butchered; I was the only one to escape. After a thousand miles of hardship, I finally encountered you two noble men who took me in. I am eternally grateful! I would never dare to do those shameless acts here!"
He cried with such heartfelt sorrow that the refugees behind him were also reminded of their own sad tales, and they too began to weep loudly. The crying filled the air, and even Liu Linfeng couldn't help but be moved.
Old man Xu, however, was staring at the youth's ankles exposed as he knelt on the ground. The left foot, scarred and mottled, protruded from the tattered trouser leg, with a few black moles dotting the ankle joint.
A strong sense of familiarity surged in his mind. His face flushed as if he were drunk, staring warily at the young man.
Behind him, Li Changhu could no longer contain himself. He looked at the kneeling youth with pity, moving forward half a step and reaching down to help him up.
A thunderous explosion went off in old man Xu's mind, everything in front of him turned white, as if in a flash, he was taken back to an afternoon more than twenty years ago.
He, old Xu, was still a tenant at the Yuan family's place; the golden rice fields swayed in the autumn breeze. A woman came to the fields with her child, and he, bending over, spoke flatteringly:
"Looking at the moles on the child's ankle, he's sure to do great things!"
"Hold on!!"
Old man Xu straightened his back, which had been bent for more than twenty years, raised his head, and shouted with wide eyes.
"Hold on!"
Suddenly, he heard another voice not far away, echoing his own outcry.
It was the middle-aged man elected by the refugees, looking at the youth's face with a face full of shock, stopping him.
Before either man had finished speaking, the youth abruptly looked up, and Li Changhu, caught off guard, locked eyes with him.
Those eyes were fierce and sharp, like those of a wild animal.