Chapter 501 396: Lady

Snow was falling thick and fast. That gentle "husband" sounded especially pleasant. Li Xuanfeng's gaze lingered upon her soft and lovely figure, and he responded with great courtesy:

"Rumian, was it the Perfected Person who called for me?"

Ning Rumian gave a short reply, shook her head, and answered:

"Someone from Cave Heaven has arrived. The Perfected Person has already returned to Green Pond Peak to greet them."

Ning Rumian had been married to him for five or six years. Back then, Li Xuanfeng could not refuse, and so wed her. In the blink of an eye, five or six years had passed. They had always treated each other with respect. Ning Rumian's heart was mostly focused on cultivation, and their life together was harmonious enough.

Li Xuanfeng slung his bow across his back and walked side by side with her. Ning Rumian was always polite to him; after all, they had shared the same bed for years. Naturally, it would be impossible for nothing at all to stir within their hearts, yet something still remained unresolved inside him.

Li Xuanfeng's hatred toward the Green Pond Sect was profound; the deaths of several close kin all had roots in Green Pond, and his wife and child had likewise perished in the dealings between Green Pond and Tangjin—those two sects.

Originally, seeing Chi Wei dead and the Green Pond Sect growing ever more dominated by outside Zifu Monks, he had secretly mustered his spirits. Yuansu also disdained the Chi Family. It seemed there was much potential, and thus he had been plotting in his heart.

Who could have guessed, just a few months ago, Yuansu summoned him: the Yuansu Perfected Person was about to leave Yi Shan City to see some Sui Guan Perfected Person, saying someone from Green Pond Cave Heaven had arrived.

'And as ill luck would have it, yet another Zifu descended from Green Pond Cave Heaven! What's this supposed to mean!'

It was said that the one who came from Green Pond Cave Heaven was already Late-Stage Zifu. Who could say how many more there might be within? This left him deeply dejected; for ten days in a row he had vented his anger slaughtering monsters atop the city walls, now treading upon snow in silence, not uttering a word as he wandered the ramparts.

Many thoughts flitted through his mind. Snow from the sky fell in a steady flurry. Beside him, Ning Rumian quietly followed. After a while, Li Xuanfeng finally decided to ask:

"Rumian, do you know the origins of this Cave Heaven...?"

Ning Rumian nodded, answering him courteously:

"My Ning Family knows a little. Husband, listen and keep it to yourself—do not speak of this outside."

Seeing Li Xuanfeng nod, Ning Rumian continued softly and gently:

"My father once accompanied a Perfected Person inside. Outsiders call it Green Pond Cave Heaven, but truly, that is not its name. The Cave Heaven is called [Lü Yu Heaven]. Very few have entered it, and there are hardly any people within."

She hesitated a little, as if pondering, then continued:

"As for the Perfected Lord who forged the Cave Heaven back then, who knows what he was thinking. This Cave Heaven has neither heaven nor earth, no sun nor moon, only endless azure water and waves. Strictly speaking... it does not actually belong to the Green Pond Sect."

"Oh?"

Li Xuanfeng was very surprised and asked:

"Then whose Magical Treasure is it?"

Ning Rumian forced a faint smile, and spoke softly:

"Whose? Perhaps it belonged to some Perfected Lord. In these chaotic times, a Golden Core cultivator is as long-lived as the heavens. Who's to say—perhaps he lingers in a hidden corner of the Cave Heaven, or has left to seclude himself outside the world... Whatever the case, Green Pond cannot truly control [Lü Yu Heaven]..."

"What's more, one simply cannot remain long within [Lü Yu Heaven]. Not to mention mortals—even Foundation Establishment Cultivators will be reduced to blood within a few days, while even Zifu Monks, if they spend a year or two inside, will lose their senses, their Divine Skills wither away, and become nothing but ordinary people."

Anxiety became more pronounced on Ning Rumian's face as she spoke softly:

"Occasionally, a Zifu within the sect will enter on orders and emerge again. My father once entered because his cultivation technique was special... yet inside, there were no people."

"And yet, it was from such a Cave Heaven that suddenly someone stepped forth, dressed in fine new robes, calling himself Sui Guan Perfected Person, with the surname Chi."

Li Xuanfeng thought deeply, a chill coursing up his spine. Ning Rumian said in a low voice:

"That Sui Guan Perfected Person—my elder cousin also met him. No one can say from which lineage or family he hails; he won't claim any ancestor's Taoist heritage. He says his surname is Chi—so be it. Would Chi Zhiyun dare utter a word of protest?"

Li Xuanfeng stared at her blankly:

"You mean to say..."

Her smile appeared hollow:

"Every move Green Pond makes is following the orders of beings from that Cave Heaven. I once thought they couldn't get out; turns out, they simply could not be bothered."

Ning Rumian said gloomily:

"Perhaps Cave Heaven is not Green Pond's possession; it is... Green Pond that belongs to Cave Heaven."

Li Xuanfeng opened his mouth, but Ning Rumian had already pulled him indoors, shutting the door tightly. The defensive Great Formation activated on its own. She helped him out of his clothes, and spoke softly:

"There is selfishness in secretly telling you these things as well..."

"Husband, lying in the same bed with you, I can sense a thing or two... Green Pond Sect is a despair-inducing behemoth, clinging to the Great Void... Don't hate it... don't hate it..."

Li Xuanfeng slumped onto the couch. Ning Rumian slipped into his arms, undoing her garments, tears glistening in her eyes:

"I know that you hate them as well... My Ning Family did not have any easy time of it in years past. If not for a Perfected Person's achievements, who knows what misery we'd have suffered by now."

"Does the Yang Family hate them? Does the Deng Family hate them? Does the Yu Family hate them? Back then, Green Pond had only Sixteen Peaks... now there are Thirty-Six Peaks. The later generations of these families are all proud to be part of Green Pond."

Ning Rumian watched his expression, guessed at his thoughts, and went on:

"The Deng Family has suffered so much, but it's only a few from the direct lineage who harbor hate in their hearts. Does Chi Zhiyun not know this? She simply does not care... Among those not of the direct line, who doesn't take pride in being a part of Green Pond? Who can truly represent the Deng Family?"

Li Xuanfeng gritted his teeth, held her close, watching as her lovely face flushed pink. Ning Rumian's eyes narrowed with emotion, meeting his gaze, and she said softly:

"Does Husband think that the children of Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er would still hate Green Pond for the sake of that distant Li Chijin, generations past? I do not know how you managed to hide things from the ancestors, but surely not everyone in the Li Family has such means..."

"Today it's the Yangs and the Yus; tomorrow, the Li Clan; if nothing else, then the Deng Family. With this scheme, Green Pond dissolves all blood feuds, turns foes into kin, and merges them into the sect..."