The aunt and nephew exchanged a glance, seeming to reach some unspoken agreement, and quickly moved on from the topic. Li Xijun simply said, “In any case... I’ll look into this matter properly.”
Li Qinghong then explained what the Cui Family of Chongzhou had said. After a moment of hesitation, she recounted her conversation with Chi Buzi. Li Xijun broke into a cold sweat just listening, not daring to speak rashly, and replied, “The Cui Family said the Ning Family might have it, then I’ll write a letter to the southern border to inquire.”
The aunt and nephew discussed for a while. Then Li Xijun began writing, one hand pressed to his sleeve, and said warmly, “Yuexiang...”
He had wanted to bring up his younger sister Yuexiang’s marriage, but when he saw his aunt smiling at him, he suddenly remembered his own status was still unsettled, and stopped, a bit embarrassed.
Li Qinghong removed her jade armor and gently placed it on the table. She took a white outer robe from her storage pouch and draped it over herself, it blended seamlessly with her snow-white inner garments. She said, “My cultivation has progressed. I no longer have need for this spirit armor, it's time to return it to the family.”
Li Xijun nodded and put it away. Li Qinghong thought for a moment, then asked, “By the way... does the heir have any armor? If the chance arises, I’d like to craft a set for him.”
“Armor...” Li Xijun fell silent for a moment, then said softly, “Aunt... our family does have some spirit ores, even ones suitable for Foundation Establishment Realm. But I still think we should use them to forge a spirit armor or feathered robe for you instead.”
“For me?” Li Qinghong frowned slightly, but then saw Li Xijun smile and say, “He’s still just cultivating within the family now. In the future, he’ll be managing the family and its affairs. With his bold personality, he’ll have no trouble obtaining whatever fine items he wants. Aunt, you should think of yourself for once.”
.bg-ssp-10081{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} Li Xijun brushed his hand over the storage pouch at his waist and retrieved several items. The first being a piece of gleaming, silvery refined iron. He said, “This is Nishui Cold Essence. Our family’s iron mine has been in operation for decades. The cold iron extracted was refined repeatedly, and the most refined essence has been preserved here. It has been refined over two hundred times, producing this Foundation Establishment Realm material.”
Next was a thin golden sheet, which Li Xijun explained, “This, Aunt, you know already. It’s Altar Goldstone. It was obtained alongside the Earth-View Bloodstone that can heal and save lives. Also Foundation Establishment Realm, though not very large in size...”
This was originally meant to forge a dharma artifact for Li Ximing. But after acquiring the Sun Seeker Ring, it seemed he already had one. Yet as Green Pine Temple’s name became increasingly controversial, no one dared to use it...
Li Ximing was single-minded in his cultivation and cared little for dharma artifacts, so with chaos looming, they decided to take it out early for crafting.
The final item was a pale-blue, head-sized ore. It was a Heyu Emerald, barely Foundation Establishment Realm, but abundant in quantity. It was taken from the Yu Family’s treasury.
He handed all these items to Li Qinghong and simply said, “Aunt, please use these to forge yourself spirit armor or a feathered robe.”
Li Qinghong was briefly surprised but then nodded and accepted them, saying gently, “The Azure Pond Sect will surely conscript Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators to the north. I’ll lead the group myself, having a set of spirit armor will be safer.”
She paused and added softly, “Among the many markets, we don’t really know any trustworthy artifact smiths. In times like these, with constant unrest, who’s to say they won’t take our materials and vanish? I can’t bring myself to trust them.”
Having spent a long time in the Eastern Sea, Li Qinghong’s way of thinking had taken on the region’s pragmatism, she always considered the worst outcome first. She simply said, “Let’s wait a bit, Xizhi may be returning soon. Better to let him handle these things.”
“You’re right, Aunt,” replied Li Xijun.
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