Chapter 1033: Grand Assembly of the Purple Mansion (I)
Moongaze Lake lay beneath a cloudless sky, its rippling waves reflecting the dark-blue pavilion that stood upon the water. A long causeway stretched to the island at the heart of the lake, where several stone lotus lanterns glimmered with shifting light.
The pavilion had eight corners, each painted with a rune in cinnabar, and it faced west toward Mount Xiping. A jade plaque inscribed with large characters hung above, Vermilion Bud Pavilion.
A woman in a light-red silk gown was seated within, silver ornaments gleaming at her neck, as she leafed through an ancient book. She was none other than Li Quewan.
Vermilion Bud Pavilion was Li Quewan's place of cultivation. She practiced the Whole Pill Dao, where progress was not determined by the abundance of spiritual energy but by observing the transformations of matter itself. Thus, Li Zhouwei had searched the lake for the site most suited to changes and built Vermilion Bud Pavilion for her.
In truth, the lake had little to do with the Whole Pill Dao. The pavilion's location had once been chosen as the site of a formation where White Lightning had been summoned to dispel the great forbidden formation over the island. Thus, it could only just barely be considered a place of transformation.
Originally, Mount Wu would have been the most suitable site, since it had once been the cultivation ground of Duanmu Kui, the Supreme Shaman. Unfortunately, Li Ximing had attained his divine ability there, transforming the entire mountain into a treasured land of Bright Yang, rendering it no longer the same.
The family still needs to rename Mount Wu, but I wonder how they will decide it, thought Li Quewan.
The attainment of the Purple Mansion Realm was a joyous occasion, yet Li Quewan's face carried a trace of worry. All the matters of the family were well in hand, but her personal affairs remained unsettled.
Her father, Li Baotuo, now lived happily on the island, spending his days with hunting dogs and fighting birds. But her elder brothers managed the shipping business, ferrying goods between the two shores.
Her brothers were skilled and, bolstered by her reputation, business naturally thrived. Yet their success obstructed another family's trade, and in their anger that rival accused them before the family chief, claiming they had exploited their influence for profit. That very night, her brothers had been summoned to Mount Qingdu.