With a muffled "hum," the patterns on the metal plate lit up one by one. When they were all shimmering, the moon bead rose into the air and began to spin.
In the eyes of the guards at the six gates, a gentle breeze first blew through the yamen, a breeze that was cool and lingered for a long time; then, a mist rose from the tents where the patrol officers were located.
At first, the guards thought they were seeing things, since it was the middle of the afternoon and there was no way it could be foggy. But they soon realized that they were not mistaken, because the tent was already hidden in the fog, and a group of guests were sitting cross-legged outside the tent, forming a circle. This made the guards breathe a sigh of relief.
When the mist rose, the people inside the tent knew they had succeeded. They exchanged smiles and closed their eyes to begin their cultivation.
"They succeeded!" Qin Qiong exclaimed in surprise from the upper floor of the detention center.
Over the course of ten days, they knew what Qin Mu and the others were doing, and thus kept a close eye on them.
“That’s right, all the spiritual energy has gathered over there,” Guo Xiaoke nodded.
The formation absorbs spiritual energy like a whirlpool in water, causing the surrounding water to flow towards it. However, other places find it more difficult to absorb spiritual energy because the spiritual energy is much more active than usual.
In the past, when cultivating, spiritual energy in the air was sluggish and required focused guidance to be absorbed; but now, the spiritual energy is very active and flows towards the center of the vortex; just like the vortex, once it reaches the center, it becomes calm and allows the cultivator to absorb it.
Qin Qiong and the others didn't go. Firstly, they wanted to protect them, and secondly, even with abundant spiritual energy, it wouldn't significantly increase their strength, as their muscles and blood had already reached a certain level of saturation. Going there would consume a lot of spiritual energy and might also affect their son.
Guo Xiaoke said with some envy, "Duke Yi, my son is coming from our hometown. You must have Huai Dao take care of them!"
"Of course, of course," Qin Qiong agreed with a smile. Since it was his own son doing the work, and he'd also gain favor, why not? Besides, it was a matter of pride for others to envy his son.
The two of them watched from upstairs. Such a scene of spiritual energy turning into mist was quite rare, and the commotion was rather loud. The movement of spiritual energy could probably be felt within a mile radius. Fortunately, the area around the Six Doors was mostly populated by ordinary people or martial artists. Martial artists were not as sensitive to spiritual energy and did not usually absorb spiritual energy for cultivation, so it did not have much of an impact on them.
The gathering of spiritual energy lasted for an exceptionally long time, but fortunately, Qin Qiong delivered messages to their homes. However, it was precisely because of Qin Qiong's messages that the Six Doors became lively again that night.
The first to arrive was Li Shentong, who brought his two sons. Although he seemed calm, Qin Qiong still noticed the worry in his eyes.
"Please come in, Prince Li!" Upon receiving the news, Qin Qiong naturally wanted to personally greet him.
"The Prince is just worried about your daughter!" Guo Xiaoke said with a smile. It was common knowledge in Chang'an that Li Shentong doted on his daughter, so Guo Xiaoke wasn't afraid of saying the wrong thing.
"How can we not come and see? She's a young woman; what if someone bullies her?" a young man in his twenties muttered.
With a "smack!", another middle-aged man, about the same age as Qin Qiong, slapped the young man on the head, glared at him, and said, "If you can't speak, then don't speak!"
"You two are too kind!" Li Shentong lightly slapped his forehead and said with a wry smile. Although he had many sons, he had always been somewhat indulgent and neglectful of disciplining his younger ones, so they were not exactly presentable.
"Hehe, when will the Duke of Jiaodong return to the capital?" Qin Qiong asked with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting to the middle-aged man. This was a way of changing the subject, since it was someone else's child, and he couldn't say anything about it.
The middle-aged man was Li Daoyan, the eldest son of Li Shentong, while the young man was Li Xiaoyi, the sixth son of Li Shentong. Li Daoyan was thirty-three years old and Li Xiaoyi was twenty-two. They were both famous people in Chang'an, and Qin Qiong naturally knew them all.
Li Shentong felt a sense of closeness to Qin Qiong, after all, they would be in-laws in the future, and Qin Qiong had a very good reputation. Coupled with Qin Mu's outstanding performance, Li Shentong had already accepted him as a son-in-law. He had come to see his daughter today because Qin Qiong had sent a message that Changning was cultivating at the Six Doors, the duration of which was unknown, so he shouldn't worry.
Parents always worry about their children, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't. After all, they didn't see it with their own eyes, and cultivation itself is dangerous. How could Li Shentong not come and take a look?
Before Qin Qiong could even enter the Six Doors, Li Jing arrived, looking utterly helpless, following behind a woman dressed in red.
"Qin Shubao! Where is my son?" The woman in red asked directly upon meeting him.
"Miss Hong, your son is inside." Qin Qiong didn't seem to mind being addressed by name and replied casually. The two knew each other not only because of Li Jing, but also because they had met before in the martial world. Although they had no grudges, they weren't exactly on the same path. However, they still respected each other.
"Uncle, please don't be offended. It's just that brat hasn't come home for three days," Li Jing said apologetically.
"It's alright, Mr. Wei, please come in." Qin Qiong nodded.
Li Jing then greeted Li Shentong and his son, as well as Guo Xiaoke, before entering the Six Doors together.
It was destined to be an extraordinary night. The group stopped a hundred meters away from the tent, looking at the misty area with some surprise. Their faces then lit up with joy. Their son (daughter) was inside, and he must have gained a lot.
"I had heard Erlang say that he had found a good elder brother, but I didn't believe it. Today I know that my son did not lie to me." The woman in red was Li Jing's wife, known in the martial arts world as the Blood-Clad Woman, Hong Fu Nu.
“Doesn’t winning the award mean I’ll give you money every month as a token of my respect? Why don’t you believe me?” Li Jing both loved and felt helpless about his straightforward wife.
"If it weren't for this personality, I doubt I would have followed you back then." Li Jing thought again to himself, recalling this question he had asked himself countless times. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs," so this is a question that will never have an answer.
"These children are actually closer to us than we are," Qin Qiong said with a smile. When you're with Hong Fu Nu, the wisest thing to do is not to talk to her or follow her lead.
"This is a good thing! After all, foreign enemies have always existed, and the more united the country is, the better," Li Shentong exclaimed.
“These past two years have been too peaceful!” Li Jing said, stroking his beard as his eyes gleamed.
"Yes! It's too peaceful. The Liang army in Shuofang is hiding and not moving, and the wolf tribes beyond the Great Wall haven't made any big moves either. The Northwest and the Northeast are both so peaceful." Qin Qiong's expression suddenly became serious. Logically speaking, Li Shimin had just ascended the throne, and there should have been many forces taking the opportunity to cause trouble, but instead, everything was calm and peaceful.
Of course, minor frictions never stopped, but for them, that was peace.
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