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Li Hong unintentionally squeezed, but his grip was incredibly strong! The little girl's shoulder bone creaked under the pressure, causing her to shed tears on the spot. However, this girl had a very stubborn personality; not only did she not cry out in pain, but she also raised her head and silently stared at Li Hong with evident hostility in her eyes.
Li Hongxiu had been practicing the Soul Searching Technique for quite some time without using it even once, but at that moment, he unexpectedly discovered another special function of the Soul Searching Technique. The technique suddenly activated on its own, and a faint familiar soul fluctuation emerged from the depths of the little girl's consciousness. Looking again at the uniquely shaped Silver Hairpin in his hand, Li Hong was certain.
The little girl was the reincarnation of Ling Xiangzi!
Years ago, during the invasion of the Demon Sect, Ling Xiangzi was forced to use the Nine Separation Technique in a moment of desperation, instantly burning her entire essence and soul to gain a tenfold or even hundredfold increase in power before disappearing from existence. It was said that after using the Nine Separation Technique, one's soul would scatter, making reincarnation impossible. Yet right before his eyes, Li Hong felt that familiar faint soul fluctuation from Ling Xiangzi.
Something unexpected must have happened.
Seeing the little girl crying from pain, Li Hong realized he had gripped too hard and quickly released her. He spoke gently to ask, "Little girl, where did you get this Silver Hairpin?" When the little girl remained silent, Li Hong turned to Lin Ying and said seriously, "Actually, I am not an outsider. Ling Xiangzi is my Master Uncle, and Chu Xi has a marriage contract with me. I can be considered a son-in-law of the Lin family. Brother Lin—no, actually I should call you Uncle—could you please ask this little girl where she got the Silver Hairpin?"
Upon hearing that Li Hong had a marriage contract with Chu Xi, Lin Ying's face lit up. He had been worried that this "Chu Hong" would be impatient with his request, but if they were on the same side, that was another matter. Lin Ying immediately referred to Li Hong as son-in-law and briefly explained the little girl's background.
The little girl's name was Lin Xiao; she belonged to a branch of Lin Ying's cousins and was no longer considered a direct descendant but still an important branch of the Lin family. Lin Xiao's father had passed away early, and she lived with her widowed mother. However, her grandfather—Lin Ying's cousin—held this little girl in high regard. In fact, ever since Chu Xi's matter came to light, Lin Ying had imposed strict rules that no one in the family could look down on girls; they must be treated equally and well cared for.
It could be said that Lin Xiao benefited from Chu Xi's influence; she had lived a life free from worries about food and clothing since childhood and could always show her face in front of family elders. Therefore, this time Lin Ying also included her among those chosen for selection by the "immortal." As for the Silver Hairpin, Lin Ying wasn't very clear about its origins; he only mentioned that Lin Xiao had been seen wearing it around her neck since she was very young and later pinned it up in her hair as she grew older. At this point, Lin Ying urged Lin Xiao to quickly answer the questions posed by "the immortal son-in-law."
The little girl showed a hint of displeasure on her face. Fearing that it might provoke her rebellious spirit, Li Hong quickly said softly, "This Silver Hairpin resembles an heirloom of a deceased friend of mine. I lost my composure earlier due to surprise; little girl, I apologize for my rudeness."
His few words made Lin Xiao's wariness dissipate. She looked at Li Hong and softly replied, "My mother said I was born holding this Silver Hairpin in my hand. It's strange; as I grew older, the Silver Hairpin seemed to grow with me too. My mother knew it had origins and instructed me never to part with it. When I was younger and didn't understand things well, I wore it around my neck; later on, when my hair grew longer, I started pinning it up." At this point, she looked at Li Hong earnestly and said, "This thing clearly came with me from birth; how could it be your deceased friend's heirloom?"
Li Hong found it difficult to explain about Ling Xiangzi and felt uncomfortable lying to such a young child.
Lin Ying was perceptive and noticed that Li Hong had something unspeakable on his mind; he then ordered someone to take these young people away. Everyone left obediently except for Lin Xiao, who kept looking back longingly at the Silver Hairpin in Li Hong's hand.
The Silver Hairpin was half a foot long and resembled a flat silver leaf at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, it appeared more like a willow leaf knife—very thin with edges that were sharp despite not being honed. The handle resembled a leaf stem with a small protruding end at its tip.
Li Hong felt increasingly certain that the item in question was Ling Xiangzi's famed artifact, the White Reed. However, he distinctly remembered that after the great battle, the White Reed had vanished without a trace, and he had never heard of an artifact reincarnating with its owner.
The White Reed was a Superior Spirit Artifact, and the Silver Hairpin before him bore a striking resemblance to it, but it only emitted a faint Fire Spirit fluctuation, hardly qualifying as an artifact at all. This left Li Hong feeling puzzled.
Nonetheless, there was no doubt that Lin Xiao was the reincarnation of Ling Xiangzi. Perhaps there was some hidden connection that allowed the White Reed to reincarnate alongside her.
Li Hong placed the superficial White Reed into his Cosmic Bag and immediately made a decision. He turned to Lin Ying and said, "Bring those children back up here. This time I will examine them closely. As for Lin Xiao, she has potential; I am prepared to take her as my disciple."
Lin Ying was overjoyed and hurriedly ordered someone to bring the young boys and girls back.
After a thorough investigation, Li Hong was genuinely surprised. No wonder Wei Ming said that the Cultivation Family formed half of the foundation of the Nine Major Sects. Among the fifteen children, not counting Lin Xiao, three others possessed Fire Spirit attributes. Although they were not as pure as Lin Xiao's, they were fully qualified to practice the Li Fire Scripture.
Li Hong immediately decided to take them all with him. He gave them three days to say goodbye to their families before sending them off. Only Lin Xiao remained; Li Hong instructed her to stay behind, gently stroking her hair while observing her face, which bore a striking resemblance to Chu Xi's, along with a faint familiar aura deep within her soul. He sighed for quite some time.
Ling Xiangzi had never been kind to him in life; he never expected that after her reincarnation, he would become her master. The thought was quite poignant. If he ever ascended to the celestial realm, he would definitely tell Chu Xi about this so she wouldn't have to feel burdened by her master's death anymore.
Seeing Lin Xiao gazing at him eagerly, Li Hong smiled and said, "When we return to the Mountain Gate, we will hold an official apprenticeship ceremony. But from now on, you must call me Master. From this moment on, your Dao name will be Chongxiao, and you will have an elder brother above you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master," Lin Xiao replied cheerfully, her bright black eyes shining like crescent moons—innocent and pure.
This made Li Hong feel a wave of nostalgia. She looked so much like Chu Xi when she was young. When he first met her at twelve years old—just three years older than Lin Xiao now—she was also mischievous and innocent...
Suddenly, he heard Lin Xiao ask, "Master, what about my Silver Hairpin? Aren't you going to give it back to me?"
Li Hong couldn't help but chuckle; this girl had been clinging to him all this time, and he thought it was admiration for her master—turns out she was worried about her precious Silver Hairpin!
"That is not a Silver Hairpin, but a magical artifact. Once we return to Mountain Gate, Master will refine it, and you will immediately see its power. I'm afraid you might lose it, so I'll keep it for you for now," Li Hong explained patiently.
"Oh," Lin Xiao said, relieved to learn about the Silver Hairpin's whereabouts. He quickly bid farewell to Li Hong, saying, "I only have three days; I need to hurry and tell my mother to pack."
"Go ahead," Li Hong smiled.
As night deepened, most of the lights in the Lin Family Mansion were extinguished, but a small courtyard still glowed with a dim light.
A figure was cast on the window paper, tall and graceful, with neatly trimmed hair at the temples, exuding an indescribable elegance yet also conveying a profound sense of solitude.
This courtyard had been the residence of Chu Xi in the past. When Lin Ying suggested accommodating Consort X, Li Hong requested Chu Xi's room. Although this was somewhat against etiquette, Lin Ying was eager to please this "immortal son-in-law" and readily agreed with a beaming smile.
The small courtyard had been kept clean over the years, maintaining the same appearance as when Chu Xi left. Everything was in its place and spotless; if Chu Xi returned, there would be no need for tidying up.
Li Hong's fingers brushed over various items: the Four Treasures of the Study, books, the Dressing Box... Everything was exquisite, revealing that even as a child, Chu Xi had exceptional taste.
That night, Li Hong did not rest. He gazed at everything in the room and looked up at the vast sky, missing Chu Xi who was far away in the depths of Azure Void. Many people and events flashed through his mind. It felt like just yesterday, but Li Hong knew that forty years had passed; by worldly standards, he was nearing his sixties.
In the following three days, Li Hong remained busy.
With his cultivation at Yu Ying Period, Li Hong could not claim to be the best in the Cultivation World, but he undoubtedly ranked among the top five. He possessed a Spell Pen and talisman paper. He ordered everyone to stay away from this courtyard and began drawing special High-Level Spirit Talismans.
He created five high-level True Fire Thunder Shields, four high-level Phantom Shadow Talismans, and one Expand Earth to Measure talisman. Even with his Yu Ying Period cultivation, he expended nearly half of his Awareness. After meditating to recover, Li Hong called for Lin Ying, and they began exploring various locations within Lin Family Mansion.
Ultimately, they chose a secret chamber beneath the Rockery in the back garden.
The Lin family, as a Cultivation Family, harbors many secrets, one of which is the hidden chamber behind the garden's rockery. Its original purpose was to store the gold and silver jewelry accumulated over the years. Li Hong moved the gold and silver jewelry to a corner and began to set up.
The back garden is spacious, with a massive rockery made of Taihu stones at its center. Li Hong chose this location for its openness. In the center of the hidden chamber, he arranged the Expand Earth to Measure talisman, setting up five True Fire Thunder Shields at the corners and top of the chamber, while placing four Phantom Shadow Talismans around the rockery to completely conceal any traces or aura of the hidden chamber. The basic setup was now complete.
The Expand Earth to Measure talisman can enlarge space, allowing this small hidden chamber to increase its area tenfold. Even with dozens of boxes of gold and silver jewelry in the corner, it could still accommodate five or six hundred people. This is the remarkable utility of the High-Level Spirit Talisman Expand Earth to Measure. With the True Fire Thunder Shields set up at the corners and top of the chamber, anyone who dares to attack upon discovering this hidden chamber would surely suffer greatly.
Li Hong's current power has surpassed the Late Stage of Nascent Soul, making him dozens of times purer than an average Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. Moreover, a significant advantage of High-Level Spirit Talismans is that once activated, they can draw upon the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth to replenish their own requirements, exponentially increasing their power. Therefore, even if Yandao Demon Lord were to come personally, he might not be able to break through the five True Fire Thunder Shields drawn by Li Hong himself. Any ordinary Demon Sect minion that dares to attack would be struck down by layers of Samadhi True Fire combined with Nine Heavens Thunder. The prerequisite is that they must see through the Phantom Shadow Talismans arranged on the rockery by Li Hong.
The Phantom Shadow Talismans are also quite marvelous; they can conceal all spiritual energy fluctuations and auras. The Phantom Shadow Talismans placed on the rockery completely cover up the thunderfire aura emitted by the True Fire Thunder Shields, making the rockery appear as an unremarkable structure. As long as no one disturbs the hidden chamber, everything remains as usual.
After setting everything up, Li Hong taught Lin Ying how to enter and exit the rockery hidden chamber and informed him about recent movements from the Demon Sect aiming to flatten Cultivation Families.
Lin Ying was greatly alarmed and nearly terrified upon hearing this.
Li Hong said, "The Lin family isn't well-known in the Cultivation World; your existence is only known to our Nine Li Sect and Nine Purple Peak lineage. Logically speaking, the Demon Sect shouldn't cause you trouble. However, you should remain vigilant during this time. Make some arrangements in advance; evacuate some clan members to the countryside. If the Demon Sect really comes knocking, don't panic. Handle it well and send your clan members into the back garden's rockery hidden chamber. Even if a Demon Sect monster discovers it, that hidden chamber can hold out for at least a year and a half. Remember to prepare some food and water inside."
With each statement from Li Hong, Lin Ying nodded in agreement without daring to say much more and hurried off to make arrangements.
Three days later, Li Hong set off with Lin Xiao and three other children from the Lin family.
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