Two young men with placid expressions stood beside Tang Wei.
Yet Li Guanqi clearly sensed that the instant they laid eyes on him, their inner calm shattered completely!
These two youths were undoubtedly Tang Ru’s elder brothers.
One of them possessed a gentle demeanor, exuding the refined poise of an elegant gentleman and scholar; he was likely Tang Ru’s eldest brother, Tang Yongwen.
The other, with a flicker of sinister malice in the depths of his eyes, was likely Tang Yan.
Behind the three of them stood the Tang family’s clan elders.
A faint smile curled at the corners of Tang Wei’s mouth as he looked upon the youth before him. He stepped forward briskly and let out a hearty laugh. “Hahaha! What wind has blown the Sword Venerable to our doorstep?”
“Come, come! Please, after you!”
As he spoke, a hundred-foot breach tore open in the domain space behind him. The crowd split into two flanks to welcome Li Guanqi inside.
The white-haired elders all looked toward Li Guanqi with a trace of dread in their eyes.
A man’s name was like a tree’s shadow!
The Yanluo Sword... those few words alone were enough to strike terror into factions both great and small.
To say nothing of Li Guanqi arriving in person on their threshold.
Li Guanqi’s gaze drifted casually over Tang Yongwen and Tang Yan.
Tang Yongwen’s heart lurched violently!
He had maintained a smile while looking at Li Guanqi, his gaze full of respect without any brazen scrutiny.
Yet that tranquil glance alone sent a chill straight to his bones!
That inexplicable, looming pressure... was simply suffocating.
*He truly is no ordinary man! Such an aura of effortless composure, and those eyes!!*
Tang Yan, by contrast, stared at Li Guanqi with open indifference, even when Li Guanqi’s gaze swept over him.
In his mind, if not for Li Guanqi during that test back then, he would have won long ago!
He laid all the blame squarely on Li Guanqi’s shoulders.
Still, he was not completely foolish; he knew better than to cross Li Guanqi at a moment like this.
Li Guanqi cupped his fists in greeting toward the man before him and smiled. “Forgive me, Uncle Tang, for arriving unannounced.”
Tang Wei felt immense gratification at those words. Li Guanqi’s fame was at its zenith, and his strength was overwhelmingly formidable.
For him to still carry himself as a junior and address him this way was giving Tang Wei tremendous face.
Raising a hand, Li Guanqi slashed a beam of sword light into the edge of the domain.
And this sword strike... was none other than Demon Shadow Slash!
Li Guanqi smiled. “On my first visit, I brought no proper gift to offer. Let this sword style remain for the Tang family’s juniors.”
Tang Wei’s heart jolted, and the clan elders behind him were thoroughly shaken!
“Th-this is at least a Heaven-rank sword technique!!”
“Hiss... this... this meeting gift... is truly an astounding display of generosity!”
Tang Wei looked deeply at the violet lightning sword hovering in midair, then turned sideways with an outstretched arm and smiled.
“You are far too polite, young friend. What need is there for such formalities given your bond with my son?”
“Come inside, we’ll talk. What kind of sense does it make to linger here at the entrance?”
Li Guanqi smiled and nodded, walking shoulder to shoulder with Tang Wei at the very front as they entered the domain.
As the two passed by, Tang Yongwen and Tang Yan could only lower their heads and step aside to the flank.
The Tang family’s domain could only be described as magnificent and opulent...
They were truly wealthy...
The ground was paved entirely with massive slabs of spirit stone, carved with intricate, lavish patterns.
The pavilions and towers were adorned almost entirely with glazed gold tiles, and every pillar had been quarried whole from a spiritual vein.
Moreover, the domain was filled with formations of every description, alongside bustling crowds.
Tang Wei smiled. “The Tang family rarely entertains outsiders. If our hospitality falls short, I hope you won’t hold it against me, young friend.”
With a faint smile, Li Guanqi said softly, “To be received personally by Uncle Tang is already an honor. How could I speak of falling short?”
The two exchanged a smile, each harboring his own thoughts.
Tang Wei had been genuinely surprised by Li Guanqi’s arrival, yet the moment he received word, he chose to bring out all the clan’s prominent elders to greet him.
The reason was simple: the present Li Guanqi... was not someone their Tang family could afford to provoke lightly!
Even Tang Wei had to admit that his own strength lagged far behind this young man’s!
Tang Wei raised a hand and announced, “The other elders may attend to their duties.”
At his command, the many elders bowed to Li Guanqi one after another before taking their leave.
Li Guanqi returned the bow with cupped fists, then followed Tang Wei to the study in his private courtyard.
The two sat across from each other. Tang Wei lit sandalwood incense and brewed a pot of spiritual tea.
The room was utterly quiet. Li Guanqi sat cross-legged on the floor in no hurry, waiting until the man handed over a teacup before hearing him speak.
“What brings you here on this visit, young friend?”
Li Guanqi let out a soft laugh. “Uncle Tang is truly direct and candid.”
The man smiled faintly, lifting his teacup. “At our level, do you think there’s any point in beating around the bush?”
Li Guanqi gave it a thought and realized there was truth in that. He spoke frankly:
“Uncle Tang surely knows well of my friendship with Tang Ru.”
“While Tang Yongwen possesses shrewd calculation, he lacks the grandeur and sincerity needed to conduct business.”
“Tang Yan is narrow-minded. Though he has ruthless means, when it comes to business... he falls far short.”
Tang Wei slowly set down his teacup, looking at Li Guanqi with a tranquil gaze.
“I am well aware of all this. What are you getting at?”
“Are you hoping to abduct Tang Ru into your Guanyun Pavilion?”
The man’s eyes seemed capable of seeing right through Li Guanqi, his gaze sharpening involuntarily.
Guanyun Pavilion might have operated with great discretion, but to a man like Tang Wei, its emergence could never remain hidden!
Treasure Pavilion possessed its own intelligence network as well.
Li Guanqi had no intention of hiding it either. Twirling his teacup, he stated plainly, “I want Tang Ru to come help me.”
“Presently, Guanyun Pavilion lacks for nothing—except someone capable of commanding a commercial empire.”
“Furthermore... with me there, Tang Ru will have free rein to pursue everything he wants, giving full play to his talents.”
Li Guanqi paused briefly. Tang Wei’s expression did not waver in the slightest; clearly, these words alone were not enough to sway him.
“Most importantly... Tang Ru’s cultivation talent should not be buried like this.”
“If he follows me, I will grant him more time to cultivate. All he needs to do is command the overall situation.”
“Because at Guanyun, he won’t have to tread carefully around anyone, and his subordinates will answer solely to his command!”
Tang Wei’s body froze almost imperceptibly, a sharp gleam flashing across his eyes.
Evidently, Li Guanqi’s words had struck home!!
Indeed... of his three sons, only his youngest son, Tang Ru, was fit for great undertakings!
Or rather... only Tang Ru was qualified to inherit all that he had built; neither Tang Yongwen nor Tang Yan could measure up.
Yet he also knew that many clan elders currently backed Tang Yongwen and Tang Yan, making every step Tang Ru took extraordinarily difficult.
He could not even command basic compliance from those below, and his cultivation progress had stalled for a long time.
Chapter 732