Lu Wanrong hurried into the room and took a sheet of silk from the desk. The maid beside her hastily ground the ink, and dipping her brush into it, she began to write with feverish haste.
“Having heard that our Great-Ancestor has passed away, Wanrong is stricken with utmost dread and sorrow. With the pillar of our clan gone, it will be impossible to hold Mount Huaqian and Mount Tiaoyun. I implore you, Clan Brother, to lead our entire clan east toward the Xunlin Plain or into the commandery, yielding both mountains to the Li family. Depart at dawn without delay, and our family heritage may yet be preserved.
“If you hesitate or waver, catastrophe will fall upon us in an instant, and it will be too late for regrets!”
Her brush paused. Looking at the tear stains on the face of the maid who had accompanied her as part of her dowry, Lu Wanrong said in a trembling voice, “There are still ties of marriage between our two families right now. If my clan brother can offer humble words and hand over both mountains, perhaps our clan can still keep its dignity and preserve its livelihood. But if blood is spilled between our two families, it will mean the extermination of our entire clan…”
Setting down the brush, she swiftly rolled up the letter and strode out toward the courtyard. But just as she stepped outside, she nearly collided with someone, giving her such a fright that she stumbled, unable to speak.
The man was dressed in a robe of plain white, his hair neatly bound, standing quietly in the courtyard. The jade pendants at his waist clinked softly in the wind. His features were bright and clear, and he looked at her with a gentle gaze. It seemed he had already been standing before the courtyard for a long time.
“Husband,” Lu Wanrong called out, her voice tight.
Li Xuanling gave an acknowledging grunt, held out his hand, and said quietly, “Let me have a look.”
Handing the letter over, Lu Wanrong dropped to her knees with a thud and sobbed, “Husband! I beg of you, give the Lu family a way to live! My clan brothers and cousins are all idle pleasure-seekers. Once the entire clan moves to the commandery, they will never achieve anything and cannot pose any threat. Please, spare them…”
Having read the letter, Li Xuanling let out a soft sigh and said gently, “They may be a bunch of good-for-nothings today, but who can tell what tomorrow brings? Lu Sisi was at least someone of consequence, yet he sired a brood of worthless descendants. Who can guarantee that this worthless brood will not produce a peerless genius one day? There is simply no reason to let them off.”
Returning the letter to Lu Wanrong's hand, Li Xuanling took her by the hand and pulled her up, continuing, “Besides, knowing your clan brother's temperament, even if you point out a path of life to him, he would not know how to take it. He would only charge headlong into a dead end. How could anyone speak of giving him a way out?”
Lu Wanrong wept aloud, murmuring softly, “The Lu clan has grown arrogant and decadent by nature, knowing no restraint, bullying men and taking women, running rampant without fear. I gave up on them long ago. Yet I was born of the Lu family; that brand can never be erased. How can I just sit by and do nothing?”
Tears streaming down her face, she whispered, “I only thought… I only thought, if a blood feud forms between our two families and an entire clan is slaughtered, how will our children face themselves in the days to come? Husband, you must also think of our future…”
Li Xuanling paused slightly upon hearing this. He looked at her closely for a moment before saying, “I know what I am doing. Set your mind at ease.”
Watching Li Xuanling hurriedly leave the courtyard, Lu Wanrong wiped away her tears and set the letter down on the table. The maid at her side quickly asked, “Madam, should we still send the letter?”
“No need,” Lu Wanrong shook her head sorrowfully, murmuring in a low voice, “How could the legs of men and beasts ever outrun a flying Qi Refinement cultivator? There is no longer any point in sending this letter. Tell my younger clan brother to stay here for now; he must not go back.”
***
Having left the courtyard, Li Xuanling hurried up the mountain. After walking along the stone steps for a stretch, he saw Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya standing before the courtyard, discussing something.
“Brother Feng, didn't you head to the commandery to commission a dharma artifact?” Li Xuanling asked in confusion.
Li Xuanfeng shook his head slightly with a smile. “As I passed by the Lu family's territory, I saw the mountain above and below draped in white mourning robes. I suspected Lu Sisi had passed away, and thinking this was too good an opportunity to miss, I came straight back.”
Li Xuanling was both amused and exasperated. Shaking his head, he said, “They truly fear that others won't find out! Just what is that Lu Yuanlu thinking? The Lu family sent someone to inform Wanrong, and having received the news myself, I hurried up to report to Father.”
Li Tongya nodded slightly and said in a low voice, “Before the Yu family can react, we must swiftly deal with the Lu family. Once the Yu family steps in, complications will only multiply. Xuanxuan has already gone down to muster the clan soldiers. Let us go on ahead.”
Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanling answered in low voices. Li Xuanling went down the mountain to look for Li Xuanxuan, while Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya, both Qi Refinement cultivators, rode the wind into the sky, heading toward Mount Huaqian.
After flying merely a li, Li Xuanfeng hesitated for a breath before speaking: “The Lu family numbers over two thousand across their direct and branch lines, and their relations by marriage involve over ten thousand people. If this is not handled properly, it could prove troublesome!”
Li Tongya had also been deep in thought. Hearing this, he nodded. “Indeed, it is difficult. This is the first time our Li family is annexing another clan, and it will set a precedent for future generations. If we simply slaughter them all indiscriminately, not only would it squander their spirit aperture bloodlines, but they are our in-laws after all. The rumors would sound terrible, and it would draw the displeasure of neighboring families.
“In dealing with the Lu family, we must make it look proper and dignified while leaving no lingering troubles behind. It is truly a delicate matter.”
After flying for a while, Mount Huaqian appeared before their eyes. Below lay scattered huts and cottages, all draped in white cloth and silk, while atop the mountain echoed the sounds of feasting and music—a scene steeped in bitter irony.
The Lu family's original Mount Tiaoyun was steep, damp, and infested with mosquitoes. Ever since acquiring Mount Huaqian, the Lu family had moved their entire clan here, and most of their population now resided at the foot of Mount Huaqian.
The array on Mount Huaqian was rather ordinary. Li Tongya waited until specks of torchlight appeared on the far side of the mountain, knowing that Li Xuanxuan had arrived with the troops, before drawing his sword and slashing down at the mountain's defensive array.
*Clang!*
The array on Mount Huaqian surged to life at once, a shimmering glow enveloping the mountain. Down below, the banquet descended into instant chaos as the crowd looked up in alarm, just in time to hear a loud shout:
“Who dares invade my Lu family?!”
Lu Yuanlu rode the wind upward, his cheeks slightly flushed, looking as though he had been drinking. Upon seeing Li Tongya, he was both startled and furious, shouting, “Since the Li family and the Lu family are related by marriage, why have you come coveting my Mount Huaqian?!”
Li Tongya gave a cold chuckle, his blade never ceasing its motion. He said coldly, “Lu Sisi has only just passed away, yet an unfilial descendant like you holds singing and dancing feasts upon the mountain. How dare you speak of marriage ties? With the Lu family's current strength, you cannot hold both mountains. If you know what is good for you, open this array yourself, and your life may yet be spared.”
“What insolence!”
Furious, Lu Yuanlu's eyes turned crimson with rage. Drawing his sword, he charged forward. Li Tongya forced him back with a single strike, trading more than a dozen blows in a matter of breaths. The onslaught caused Lu Yuanlu's expression to shift slightly, and a hint of retreat sprouted in his heart.
“Fine swordplay, indeed!”
Though arrogant and conceited, Lu Yuanlu possessed genuine skill with a blade, on par with Yu Mujian. Yet his cultivation was vastly inferior. Within moments, he was forced back repeatedly, though he still stubbornly kept up his bluster.
Li Tongya remained silent. In merely dozens of exchanges, he flicked the sword from Lu Yuanlu's grasp and pressed forward upon the wind. Lu Yuanlu's expression twisted in horror. He opened his mouth to say something, but a brilliant burst of white light flared before his eyes, and Li Tongya took his head with a single stroke of his blade.
Chapter 143