Chapter 150: Beginning the Search (Patreon)

Water poured down onto the streets, coalescing into puddles and small streams. It was the third day of almost nonstop rain for Moonlake City. The few people who had even bothered leaving their homes were walked past each other with hurried steps. Most merchants hadn’t even bothered putting up their stands today and the few who had were hurriedly packing up now that the rain was worsening.

Liu Wei reached up and pulled his cloak’s hood deeper over his face as he strode down the uncharacteristically quiet streets. The rain didn’t bother him much, of course. If fact, it made moving around the city without drawing attention a lot easier.

He was, after all, not here socialize in the prince’s palace; he had a search to conduct. The flame cultivator who had killed Yifei Xia had to have come from somewhere outside of the sect, but he had no earthly idea from where. Moonlake was the best place to start looking for rumors he could think off, so he’d come here first.

Liu Wei made his way past the markets and into the upper district where he stopped before the gate of a moderate but elegant estate and walked up to the sole guard slouched against the wall next to it.

“Ugh, this damned weather… How can I help you?”

The young man seemed, understandably, in a sour mood.

“Greetings, young man. I’d like to speak to your patriarch, if possible.”

“The patriarch is not available right now, unless you have an appointment.”

Liu Wei shook his head.

“I do not.”

“Then please come back… wait… may I ask who you are?”

Through the curtain of rain, a hint of recognition reflected in the man’s eyes. Liu Wei chuckled.

“Liu Wei. I am an acquaintance of your patriarch.”

“Wait… that Liu Wei? E-elder Liu Wei? Of the Lunar Peaks Sect?”

“Well… the latter part is complicated not, but for simplicity’s sake: Yes. That Liu Wei.”

“I-I apologize for my discourtesy, honored cultivator!”

The man stood up straight before immediately pivoting into a deep bow.

“No offense taken. I am trying not to draw attention, after all.”

Besides, he wasn’t even allowed to display any emblem of the sect right now. That was one of the conditions that came with banishment, even if his was only temporary.

“Please follow me inside! I am sure the patriarch will gladly meet you!”

“Thank you.”

Just like on his last visit, Liu Wei was brought into the main building of the estate, where his cloak was taken off of him and he was brought into the reception room. He dried off the water that had seeped through the cloak with a burst of heat and adjusted his plain white robes before sitting down.

After a while, a middle-aged man entered the room. He was tall and well-built and Liu Wei’s soul sense revealed him to be an accomplished body cultivator. Those looks conflicted with the look of unease on his face, as he approached Liu Wei. He bowed deeply before he spoke.

“Honored Elder Wei, we are grateful to be graced by your presence. The patriarch is happy to meet you, but much to my regret he cannot come out to greet you right now. If you would deign so, could you follow me to his room instead?”

Liu Wei rose from his seat.

“Of course! Please lead the way.”

The two walked down a hallway and up two flights of stairs to the uppermost floor of the pagoda.

“If I may ask, is your patriarch unwell?”

The man nodded, his expression looking pained.

“His health has worsened badly over the past months.”

“I understand. My condolences.”

Niung Li, the Li Family’s long-time patriarch was well over two hundred years old, an age incredibly difficult to reach as a body cultivator, like he was. He’d been a frail old man the last time Liu Wei had come here already, and that had been about six years ago.

“This is the room.”

The man opened the door to let Liu Wei enter, before following him inside.

“Honored Elder Wei! I am glad to see you again.”

Niung Li’s voice was quiet and brittle, little more than a whisper, having lost most of the weight it carried even on his last visit here. The Li Family’s patriarch laying on his bed, having pulled himself up against the wall a little so he could try to face Liu Wei.

He’d grown even thinner and the furrows in his sunken face even deeper than the last time they had met. Only a small spark of the fierce glimmer remained in his otherwise dim eyes.

“I regretted not being able to bow properly the last time we met. Now I can’t even stand to greet my benefactor.”

His laughter was little more than a rasp exhalation.

“There is no need to fret over it. I need to thank you for even receiving me.”

“How could I ever leave an ally like you waiting? Please, do tell what I owe your visit to.”

Liu Wei took a deep breath before he began to lay out his situation in detail. From the murder over the accusation, their investigation up to the trial and his banishment.

“So you’d like us to help you look for a fire cultivator, yes?”

“Exactly. There shouldn’t be too many of that level running around this region.”

“I understand. We’ll naturally be glad to help you as much as we can.”

He gestured to the man who had brough Liu Wei to his room.

“This is Wen Li, my grandson. He has been running the family in my stead and will take over as patriarch after me. He has already shown great promise, I’m sure he will not disappoint you.”

Wen Li bowed again.

“I am honored to be entrusted with a matter of such importance!”

“How long will you stay?”, Niung Li asked.

“I plan on traveling to the surrounding cities as contact my allies there as well. Then I’ll return here, I have some things I can attend to while waiting for clues to pursue and planning my next steps.”

“I understand. Please do us the honor of staying here as our guest while you’re here.”

“I will gladly accept your hospitality.”

“Thank you. Wen, please get to work preparing Elder Wei’s accommodations. And organize a meeting of our leadership. We’ll need to coordinate the investigation with them.”

“I’ll get to work right away.”

He bowed one more time before heading out of the room.

“Elder Wei, if I could take another moment of your time…”

“Naturally. What troubles you?”

“You see… Wen is not of my blood. He was adopted into the family, because my son could not bear children after a mistake he made in his cultivation.”

Liu Wei nodded. That wasn’t an unheard-of problem for body cultivators. Their cultivation involved continued manipulation of their body using Qi, to improve their physical abilities. If they were careless, especially in areas sensitive to change, problems like this could be quick to develop and impossible to reverse.

“I love him dearly and I could not ask for a better grandson. He is diligent, capable and honorable just like his father was. The Li Family could not hope for a more worthy man to take over as its next patriarch.”

The old man sighed silently.

“Unfortunately, some members of our family’s leadership do not see it that way. I have regretfully neglected to quell those sentiments and secure his position while I had the chance. I fear that they may openly resist him after I’m gone, which could damage our family greatly.”

Niung Li shifted around uncomfortably, seemingly cautious of what he was saying.

“I regret having to ask this of you, but if you come to find my grandson worthy of taking over, please consider helping him out. I’m not asking you to solve my family’s problems for me, but if you could just display that you support him, that alone would help us a lot.”

Liu Wei took the old man’s hand in his own.

“Patriarch Li. Your family and you yourself have been my loyal allies for over a century and have aided me greatly whenever I needed you. If you believe your grandson to be worthy, I am fully confident in your assessment and will naturally help him, should the need arise. You need not worry about that.”

Niung Li took a deep breath.

“Thank you, Elder Wei. That helps alleviate one of the last troubles that I have.”

“You should rest for now. Do call me again, I’d love to have some more idle chatter.”

“I greatly look forward to that, Elder Wei.”

Liu Wei left the old man behind in his room and returned to the ground floor. Wen Li was already waiting for him and offered him a cup of tea to wait until his accommodation was finished. He gladly accepted while relaying his plans for the next day to him. There was much to do, but he’d spend the rest of the day here, lest he arrive at the next city at nighttime.