Rectifying Conduct

"Who are they? Were they all captured?" Li Yuanxiu stepped out of the courtyard and asked in a low voice. Li Pingyi replied, "We caught them red-handed. Aside from those with outside surnames, there are six with the surname Li. Five are descendants of the old ancestor's concubine-born brothers, and one... one is my uncle." Having said this, Li Pingyi was overwhelmed with shame, and deep fear gripped his heart. The "old ancestor" naturally referred to Li Mutian, and Li Pingyi's uncle was a brother of Li Xiewen—one of Li Yesheng's elder sons. While Li Yesheng had been alive, someone had kept them in line, and after his death, they had restrained themselves for a few years. But with Li Xiewen preoccupied by clan affairs, they had finally stirred up trouble. "I see." "Elder Brother, I'll come along!" Li Yuanjiao chimed in, following Li Yuanxiu down the mountain. Li Yuanxiu walked ahead, whispered a few words into Li Pingyi's ear, and after seeing him acknowledge and hurry off, let the guides lead them to the courtyard. A crowd had gathered outside. Clan soldiers surrounded the courtyard tightly. Li Xiewen stood before the gate with a grim expression, and when he saw Li Yuanxiu, he cupped his hands. "Greetings, Young Clan Head." "Uncle Wen, there is no need for formalities." Li Yuanxiu answered, stepping into the courtyard with him. The place was a total mess, the ground littered with melon rinds and fruit scraps so thick there was hardly anywhere to step. More than a dozen bare-chested men were pinned to the earth, while his clansman uncle, Li Qiuyang, stood off to the side with arms folded. "Greetings, Clan Uncle." "Young Clan Head!" With graying temples, Li Qiuyang cupped his hands in response, then withdrew into a corner without saying another word. Li Yuanxiu swept his gaze over the area. Expressions varied across the crowd: Li Xiewen was ashamed, Li Qiuyang remained calm, and the surrounding townsfolk looked on with a mix of indignation and fear. Packed closely together in a dark mass, all their eyes fixed sharply on Li Yuanxiu. Several of his concubine-born elder brothers, whom he had not seen since he was six years old, stared at him from low within the crowd like silent wolves. Li Yuanjiao, standing beside him, glared coldly back at them. Li Yuanxiu had seldom met with these elder brothers at the foot of the mountain. These three lacked spirit apertures, but were well-read and educated. They had not focused their struggles on Li Yuanxiu. All of them knew that Li Xuanxuan had merely tasked Li Yuanxiu with overseeing clan affairs so those below would not deceive him. Li Yuanxiu was an immortal cultivator and would ultimately remain on the mountain. Lijing had four towns, Mount Huaqian had three, and there were over a dozen scattered villages besides. Some towns were wealthy and regularly had contact with immortal cultivators; others were barren, yielding hardly a scrap of profit in years. The brothers guarded against one another, their eyes greedily fixed on particular positions. Withdrawing his gaze, Li Yuanxiu looked toward the men before him and said in a chilling voice, "Who ran this gambling den?!" The eyes of the pinned men drifted toward a single figure. That person stumbled forward on his knees—a cultivator with an outside surname, still lingering in the first layer of Embryonic Breathing, the Xuanjing Wheel, despite being in his thirties. Without a word, Li Yuanxiu stepped forward and drew his sword with thunderous speed. A grayish-black Xuanshui sword light surged brilliantly from the blade, sundering the man's head from his shoulders in a single stroke. The severed head tumbled across the ground, the throat vibrating as it still murmured: "Young Clan Head, spare me!" With a collective gasp, the crowd recoiled half a step. Li Yuanxiu sidestepped the spurting blood. The rest of the captured men were struck dumb, then broke into terrified wailing at the sight of his gruesome end. As they wailed and babbled in terror, Li Pingyi arrived leading men carrying a pot of boiling oil. Several clan soldiers exchanged glances, pinned down the thrashing men, and forced both of their hands flat out. "The sickness of gambling is a sickness of the hands," Li Yuanxiu said coldly. Li Pingyi and his men poured the scalding oil over the gamblers' hands. Blood blisters bulged and burst, and the men screamed for their parents in agony. Only then did Li Yuanxiu speak again: "Those who pulled down their breeches, step out!" Only then did Li Qiuyang, silent in the corner, raise his head. With a subtle flick of his finger, several burly men were jerked forward, stumbling ahead so violently that even the clan soldiers could not restrain them. Li Yuanxiu knew at once that Li Qiuyang had intervened, and shouted: "Pour again!" At once, the smell of roasted meat drifted through the air. It was clear those men's hands were ruined beyond saving. Li Yuanxiu turned to face the crowd and declared: "The Clan Rectory enforces the rules established by the old ancestor: no whoring, no gambling, no licentiousness! Neither the direct line of our main branch nor any lesser or collateral branch is permitted to violate them! Do not think that because you are at the foot of the mountain, no one watches over you, and that you can corrupt the conduct of the Li family!" Complete silence fell over the courtyard. Li Yuanxiu glanced at his concubine-born brothers and saw them lowering their heads, no longer daring to meet his gaze. Only then did he say in a low voice: "Have someone tend to their injuries." With that, he led his men out of the courtyard. The crowd parted on both sides, ducking their heads in cowering fear and not daring to look at him. Li Pingyi felt a secret thrill of satisfaction, stepping forward to say: "Young Clan Head, this will surely shut the mouths of those uncles and clan elders who keep whispering that you aren't decisive enough!" "Pay them no mind." Li Yuanxiu shook his head as he walked down the dim street in the gloom of night, replying, "Those people merely want to wrest control of the seven towns away from the primary house and Uncle Xiewen and transfer it to their own sons and nephews. It was nothing more than loose talk they concocted. Once this incident passes, they will only say I am too ruthless and unfit to manage the household. The struggle for power and profit is inherently a muddy puddle—you splash me, I splash you, and in the end, whoever wins gets the final say." Li Yuanxiu spoke casually, patting Li Yuanjiao's head as he added solemnly, "Our adversaries have never been these petty internal squabbles within the clan, but the Yu family, the An family, and all the covetous clans around us." Li Yuanjiao nodded, walking by his side. After pondering for a few moments, he said in a hushed tone, "Elder Brother, I fear those men will harbor a grudge against you. Why not send someone to kill them and make a clean sweep?" "They are kin, after all." Li Yuanxiu shook his head and said in a low voice, "Our family's population is already sparse. What trouble could a few mortals whose reputations stink to the high heavens possibly make? The Clan Rectory will keep an eye on them from below. There is no need for that." Li Yuanjiao could only nod, saying coldly, "It's just that those elder brothers of ours... the look in their eyes was truly terrifying." "As for them..." Li Yuanxiu sighed softly. Behind them, Li Pingyi tactfully fell half a step back, letting his gaze wander as though his mind had drifted off into the clouds. Li Yuanxiu glanced at him and answered, "They simply lack spirit apertures, but none of them are simple to deal with. Born of the same father, yet lacking spirit apertures, it is inevitable they would envy us. Still, they understand what truly matters. With them around, those with outside surnames won't be able to stir up any major waves." "Your younger brother understands." Li Yuanjiao nodded thoughtfully. Together, the two ascended the mountain, exchanging a smile as they looked out over the dim night shrouding the foot of the peaks. Li Yuanjiao's black robe fluttered in the night, complementing Li Yuanxiu's pure white cloak. Li Yuanjiao had felt little fatherly love while growing up, yet he had experienced deep affection from this elder brother. He said with a bright smile: "Elder Brother! You are so much better than Father!" Behind them, Li Pingyi wished he could clap both hands over his ears. Li Yuanxiu glared sternly at Li Yuanjiao and chided: "What kind of talk is that! Father carries the heaviest burden among all our elders. In his entire life, he has achieved little to take pride in, yet day after day he must act against his own nature. He is only thirty-four or five, yet his hair is already graying. It is unavoidable that there are things he overlooks. You must be understanding of Father." "Mm." Li Yuanjiao smiled and tugged at the corner of Yuanxiu's robe, saying with a grin, "Elder Brother, one day our Li family will surely defeat the Yu and An families through our hands! With our brotherly hearts united, we are far stronger than any Yu Mugao or Yu Mujian!" Li Yuanxiu let out a hearty laugh and patted his head, his eyes brimming with amusement and hope. Side by side under the moonlight, the two walked on in silence.