Seeing Mu Yalu in such a state gave Li Jingtian quite a shock. Realizing she had caused a misunderstanding, she quickly held Li Yuanjiao in one arm while supporting Mu Yalu with the other, repeating anxiously, "Madam, you've misunderstood! You've completely misunderstood!"
Mu Yalu froze for a breath, her agitation steadying slightly. Naturally quick-witted, Li Jingtian promptly placed Li Yuanjiao back into Mu Yalu's arms to show she harbored no ill intentions, then supported her and apologized, "It was my clumsy phrasing that caused Madam to misunderstand. The clan elders tasked me with compiling our family history, so the background and lineage of every young master must be verified one by one. Even if Jianixi truly hailed from a branch of the Mulu clan, the Li family would never stoop so low as to hold that debt against our own junior!"
Mu Yalu remained half-convinced and half-doubting. Out of fierce love for her son, she would never allow such a stain to touch her Yuanjiao, so she continued to insist that Jianixi had been born a slave and had nothing whatsoever to do with the Mulu clan. Li Jingtian had no choice but to shift the subject to polite small talk, asking whether she found daily life comfortable. As they chatted for a while, Mu Yalu gradually relaxed.
Dismissing the attendants, Li Jingtian looked at Mu Yalu, whose expression had steadily settled. She hesitated for a moment, glanced at the woman's plain clothes, and whispered, "My eldest brother is devoted entirely to the family, so he inevitably overlooks some things. If you and your son face any difficulties in the days ahead, please send someone up the mountain to find me."
Mu Yalu was stunned, then nodded quickly and whispered her thanks. She watched Li Jingtian lead her people out of the courtyard before carrying Li Yuanjiao into the room. Kissing the infant's cheek, she thought to herself, *No matter what, I must never admit to such things. Xuanxuan is stubborn; if suspicions take root in him, he will inevitably hold a grudge against the child. After all, Jianixi indirectly hounded the previous family head, Li Xiangping, to death, and his son Li Xuanfeng possesses such high cultivation—I cannot take any risks.*
*This Li Jingtian is kind-hearted and certainly won't let such rumors spread. As long as word doesn't reach the First Madam, this matter can be considered settled.*
Laying little Yuanjiao on the bed, Mu Yalu looked at him with a soft smile. As gentle moonlight poured down, she began to whisper prayers for the child according to ancient witchcraft.
***
Having left the courtyard, Li Jingtian gave a quiet instruction to the clan soldier beside her: "Send someone to warn Ahui La to keep his mouth shut tight. If these rumors make their way up the mountain, no one will be able to protect him!"
The soldier acknowledged the order and hurried off. Li Jingtian walked up the mountain along the stone-paved path. Noticing bright lanterns and voices floating out of a courtyard, she asked the guard at the entrance, "Who is inside?"
"In reply to Young Mistress, we hear Master Chen broke through Yujing today. The Clan Head was delighted and kept him in the courtyard to talk."
"Oh?"
Li Jingtian nodded, slightly surprised. Chen Donghe was two years younger than Li Xuanxuan; this breakthrough brought him to the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing. While that paled before Li Xuanfeng, it was considered outstanding among the neighboring clans.
Shaking her head, Li Jingtian turned to leave, but abruptly froze in her tracks. A figure stood directly before her, blocking her path entirely. The man carried a pitch-black longbow on his back and a quiver at his waist—none other than Li Xuanfeng.
"Brother."
Looking at her twin brother, Li Jingtian wore a complicated expression. Because Li Xuanfeng had broken through to Qi Refinement, his features looked even more youthful than hers, making him appear like a younger brother instead.
Ever since he took up cultivation at the age of seven, Li Xuanfeng had spent most of his time cultivating in the cave dwelling at Meichi Mountain, and later spent months on end lurking in the mountains hunting yaoguai. The siblings had rarely seen each other.
"Why do you always avoid me?" Li Xuanfeng frowned, studying her expression closely. Sensing something was amiss, he regarded her warily and asked in a low, brooding voice, "Are you hiding something from me?"
Li Jingtian let out a soft sigh and smiled. "In another two months, I will be marrying Donghe."
"What?!"
Li Xuanfeng froze. Within an instant, he pieced the entire sequence of events together in his mind, finally understanding why no one had ever notified him or even mentioned a word. His aura flared violently, and he exclaimed in alarm, "Are you willing?!? Is Brother Xuan using you to win over Chen Donghe?!"
Knowing her twin brother's fierce and ruthless nature, Li Jingtian feared what drastic action he might take, and quickly laughed. "Brother! If I weren't willing, who in this family would dare order me around? Don't go imagining things!"
Only then did Li Xuanfeng settle down. He cast a doubtful glance at her and gritted his teeth. "Truly?"
"Truly!"
"Regardless, the man stole my sister away without a peep—I still have to thrash him once to vent my anger!"
With that, he turned and marched into the room. A chaotic clatter of clanging immediately broke out inside. Li Jingtian burst into a laugh, much of her lingering worry dispelled, and she walked briskly toward the side courtyard.
***
Lu Sisi rode the wind to Mount Lijing. Channeling dharma power into his eyes, he was met with a dazzling brilliance of golden light. His heart jolted, and he muttered under his breath, "What a brilliant formation."
A wave of envy washed over him as he thought, *A formation like this must have cost an exorbitant sum. It likely employs the White Feather Purple Catalpa Flags from back then. But where did Li Tongya find such an exceptional formation master? Truly wealthy and imposing...*
Stirring his dharma power, he transmitted his voice: "I, Lu Sisi of the Tiaoyun Lu family, have come to pay a visit to Fellow Daoist Li Tongya. I ask Fellow Daoist to open the grand array."
Before long, the Sun Dial Profound Light Formation parted to reveal an opening wide enough for a person. Dressed in white robes, Li Tongya stood waiting for him on the mountain.
"Brother Tongya."
Lu Sisi cupped his hands. Li Tongya quickly ushered him into the courtyard, yet could not hide his astonishment. Looking at the man before him who seemed utterly transformed, he asked with mixed emotions, "Senior Lu! How did you end up like this?!"
Lu Sisi's long snow-white hair was no longer lustrous and pristine like snow, but tinged with a lifeless, dull gray. The wrinkles on his face had deepened, his eyes were sunken and dim, and his left hand trembled from time to time. He offered a bitter smile.
"Times are hard! I have made a fool of myself before Brother Tongya!"
Over the past two years, Lu Sisi had rushed about day and night without a moment's rest, scouring the Xunlin Plain to the east. He had personally paid visits to every cultivator he had crossed paths with in his youth, desperate to find a way out for the Lu family. A man nearly two hundred years old had repeatedly swallowed his pride to flatter young cultivators who were younger than his own grandsons. Having endured endless humiliation, he had aged more in these two years than in the previous two decades.
"Alas."
Li Tongya shook his head, knowing the man before him likely had only a few years left to live. Sitting in the host's seat, he asked gently, "What guidance does Old Senior have for me?"
Though touched with sorrow, Li Tongya had no intention of softening his stance. Once Lu Sisi died, the Lu family could forget about their share of the ore mine, and Mount Huaqian would almost certainly fall into the Li family's hands as well.
"I dare not claim to give guidance, I dare not!" Lu Sisi waved his hands repeatedly and asked, "Does Brother Li remember the Lake Wangyue market?"
"Naturally!"
Lake Wangyue had been reduced to ruins after that battle, yet the prohibitive grand array still operated over the Lake Central Islet, powerful enough to make even Foundation Establishment cultivators yield three paces.
These clans all coveted the islet for its abundant spiritual energy, yet none possessed a treasure like the Lightning-Smiting Formation-Breaking Wedge to crack the array. Left with no way to counter the thunder and fire of the prohibitive grand array, and with all valuable treasures in the market already stripped bare by those Foundation Establishment cultivators, the place held little appeal. Thus, it had been left abandoned at the center of the lake, neglected by all.
"A few days ago, I passed by the center of the lake and saw a massive vessel packed full of mortals, salvaging items on the Lake Central Islet!"
"Mortals?"
Doubts instantly arose in Li Tongya's mind. Lu Sisi did not dare keep him in suspense and explained, "Those rogue cultivators went into the commandery and tricked a crowd of mortals with promises of wealth and immortal cultivation. They loaded them onto large boats, ferried them to the edge of the islet, and made them scramble ashore to scavenge items from the Lake Central Islet."
"The prohibitive grand array originally sacrificed its stability and integrity in exchange for raw power, leaving countless flaws within it. If you throw one or two thousand mortals at the array, one of them manages to tumble through into the formation and fetch spiritual items from the ruins. Since the prohibitive grand array guards against those outside rather than inside, they can carry the goods straight back out."
Li Tongya fell silent for a breath upon hearing this, then asked, "What does Senior mean to do?"
Lu Sisi slapped his thigh and offered a flattering smile. "How can we let them keep doing such a thing?!"
Chapter 129