Candlelight flickered gently within the main hall. Li Yuanxiu stood turned slightly to the side at the place of highest honor. Below knelt a Shanyue envoy draped in animal bones and jade stones, his head pressed tightly against the floor as he spoke respectfully:
"This humble one greets the Young Clan Head. My Great King holds dear the bond between our two families, constantly inquires after the good health of his aunt and uncle, and strictly abides by our two houses' alliance. He has sent many yields from our territories. At present, the position of Queen remains vacant, and my Great King still hopes to take a daughter of the Li clan as his bride..."
Li Yuanxiu stepped forward, descending two steps from the dais. The clan soldiers on either side instantly fixed their eyes in unison upon this Shanyue man. Standing below the steps, Chen Donghe also quietly grew watchful, ready in case the envoy turned violent.
"My Li family is situated in the east, and we have only heard that rebellion erupted among the Shanyue, leaving not a single collateral descendant of Mu Jiaoman alive. You have come from afar, envoy—might you dispel my confusion?"
Li Yuanxiu did not answer the man's overtures, seizing instead upon the details of the Shanyue upheaval. This left the Shanyue envoy stammering, drenched in cold sweat. Although Qimu, the current Great King of the Shanyue, claimed to have slaughtered his brothers under Mu Jiaoman's own orders, such an excuse was met with doubts even within the Shanyue domain, let alone when used to answer Li Yuanxiu. The envoy could only reply in a trembling voice:
"There was... turmoil... and the late king's offspring perished, but successions to the throne are inevitable... It was not my Great King's deliberate doing! The Great King went out of his way to protect the Mother Consort, which is also a merit!"
The "Mother Consort" naturally referred to the Li clan daughter married off years ago. Although Mu Jiaoman had paid deference to the Li family by staying in her quarters, he had acted with extreme caution and never had an heir with her. Her status within the palace was quite exceptional; during the turmoil, every faction had dispatched guards to protect her as their first order of business.
Li Yuanxiu did not reply upon hearing this. Watching the Shanyue envoy tremble before him, he weighed the matter in his mind, thinking:
*Before Shamoli breaks through to Qi Refinement, our priority must be placating Qimu. We cannot let him grow suspicious, seek help elsewhere, and stir up trouble. Everything should continue as before to put his mind at ease.*
*Tribute and trade are easy enough to handle—merely a matter of issuing orders. But if a daughter of our clan is married off to him, won't she become a widow in just a few years? There are plenty of girls from the lesser branches right now, but several clan uncles and elders will inevitably raise a clamor.*
Unaware of his inner thoughts, the Shanyue envoy assumed Li Yuanxiu was furious. He shook like chaff in a sieve, sweating so profusely that a small puddle formed on the stone slabs beneath him. Only then did Li Yuanxiu break the silence, speaking softly:
"If the Shanyue wish to renew the marital ties between our two houses, my Li family agrees. As for tribute and trade, we shall follow the old precedents—no changes are needed."
"Many thanks, Great King! Many thanks, Great King!"
As if granted an imperial pardon, the envoy kowtowed heavily several times, carelessly crying out "Great King." Yet unexpectedly, Li Yuanxiu raised a hand and said with a faint smile:
"However, our clan does not have many daughters at present, and they hold no small status within the family. How can they be married off so lightly? My father is currently in closed-door cultivation, and I, as the Young Clan Head, am not quite as accommodating as he is. There is one more condition for the Shanyue to wed into our house."
"Great King, please speak!"
The envoy pressed eagerly. Only then did Li Yuanxiu say with a smile:
"When a daughter of my clan marries to the west, how could she lack an estate to display her dignity? West of Eastern Shanyue lie various villages. Have Qimu strike westward and conquer a few villages as a congratulatory gift for our clan's daughter."
"Th-this..."
The Shanyue envoy had never expected Li Yuanxiu to pull such a move, and he was dumbfounded. An estate held little real meaning for a married-off daughter with no actual authority; it would amount to nothing more than additional revenue from land taxes for her expenses. He could only answer:
"Could the estate be chosen from one or two villages within Eastern Shanyue? My Great King would not be stingy with that. With our borders in turmoil, I fear it is not suitable to recklessly mobilize troops..."
Li Yuanxiu furrowed his brows. Before the man could finish, he cut him off with an aggressive glare:
"Is this the sincerity of your Great King?!"
The Shanyue were weak, forced to survive at the mercy of the Li family. The envoy naturally had no spine; intimidated by Li Yuanxiu's outburst, he pounded his head like a pestle, begging for mercy over and over, and hastily cried:
"This humble one shall report back to the Great King immediately! There will be a reply within a few days... Please, Young Clan Head, spare me!"
"Withdraw."
Li Yuanxiu waved his hand. The envoy scuttled away in haste. Then, a clan soldier led another man forward. Though similarly attired in Shanyue garments, this man cupped his fists, knelt down, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Young Clan Head!"
"What news did my elder clan sister send back?"
Li Yuanxiu looked up to ask. The Shanyue man retrieved a thick bundle of silk cloth from his breast, respectfully replying:
"The Dowager Consort has recorded all of Qimu's deployments during his rise, as well as the stations and distributions of the Qi Refinement Shanyue across the realm. Everything is in this booklet."
Below, Li Pingyi stepped forward to receive it. Li Yuanxiu nodded with a smile and said softly:
"Go back and tell my clan sister to continue playing her role as the Mother Consort for now. Within a few years, we will find a way to reunite her with her family."
"Understood."
The man gave thanks and withdrew. Li Yuanxiu took the folded silk cloth from Li Pingyi, who had stepped up, and spread it out to read for a while. He murmured under his breath:
"Three at the early stage of Qi Refinement, one at the mid stage, all of them mixed-qi cultivators. The Shanyue are truly far too weak. No wonder Qimu pacified the country in one breath and didn't even dare to wait before coming to pledge allegiance."
While Li Yuanxiu read, Li Yuanjiao had already been standing in the courtyard. He glanced at the Shanyue messenger, and once the man had stepped outside the courtyard, he spoke up:
"Brother, though our clan sister is only from a lesser branch, she is certainly no pushover. Mu Jiaoman was so wary of her while alive, yet after his death she was able to swiftly gain support from various factions, gather intelligence in such detail, and plant someone in the merchant caravan to return. That is truly no small feat."
"Mhm."
Li Yuanxiu nodded, answering while continuing to read the letter in his hands:
"Back then, when a daughter of a lesser branch was chosen to head west, she was carefully selected, and the retinue she brought along was loyal. Once she returns, we must record a merit for her line."
The Li family's daughter marrying into the west was naturally nothing like Mu Yalu coming over alone back then; that clan daughter was not only able to return each year to visit her family, but had also brought along many loyal attendants.
Listening to his elder brother finish, Li Yuanjiao nodded in agreement, then said:
"Brother, Shamoli has already broken through to the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing and has been persuaded by me to return to closed-door cultivation. Those spirit fruits have also been delivered to him. Having passed the difficult hurdle of the Yujing Wheel, and with spiritual items to assist him, he should be able to attempt a breakthrough to Qi Refinement within two years."
"Good."
Li Yuanxiu gave a slight nod, pondered for a few breaths, and said softly:
"I will also go up the mountain in person to speak of it, so the family can prepare that portion of mixed qi."
Li Yuanjiao chuckled softly and replied:
"I listened from outside for a bit. Brother's plan is truly excellent. By pressuring the new Shanyue king, regardless of whether he takes one or two towns to the west, in the end it will all belong to our Li family."
Li Yuanxiu's face, quite similar to Li Yuanjiao's, curled into a smile. Compared to Li Yuanjiao's sharp brows and eyes, his expression carried an air of easy nonchalance. Glancing down at his younger brother, he replied:
"You and I both know the family's schemes; this is merely adding another link. Since Mount Wu is sealed off, the Shanyue villages to the west have surely lost their backing. Judging from the reports sent back, Qimu likely harbors ambitions to expand westward anyway; I am merely giving him an excuse.
"Once he annexes a few more villages on our behalf, draining his people's wealth, exhausting his troops, and committing more slaughter, it will be all the more justified for Shamoli to replace him."
"Brother truly considers every detail," Li Yuanjiao praised with a smile.
Li Yuanxiu waved his hand and replied:
"It is merely a convenient move by the by. It will not have a huge impact on the overall situation, only make our later calculations smoother."
"As for the clan daughter to be married off, whom does Brother intend to send?"
Li Yuanjiao asked. Only then did Li Yuanxiu look up from the letter before him, saying softly:
"We send no one."
Li Yuanjiao paused briefly, immediately grasping his elder brother's meaning, and said in a low voice:
"I know Brother cares deeply for our clansmen, but is this safe?"
"Oh?"
Li Yuanxiu nodded with a smile and answered:
"We go into town and use wealth to find a reliable household willing to offer a daughter, train the girl a bit, and send her over. Never mind whether Qimu can detect it; even if he realizes something is amiss, he will have to hold his nose and accept it. Would he dare say a word? Once Eastern Shanyue is under our control, we will bring her back, and she can even be granted the status of a branch family member. Naturally, plenty of people will jump at the chance."
Li Yuanjiao lowered his gaze slightly. His affection for his clansmen differed from Li Yuanxiu's: it depended entirely on personal sentiment rather than bloodline. In his heart, he leaned toward sending a real clan daughter to placate Qimu, unwilling to risk even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of startling the snake. But since Li Yuanxiu had said as much, he could only nod and say solemnly:
"As long as Brother is confident."
Li Yuanxiu looked at him, noticing that he held a different view. Setting down what he held, he said gently:
"Qimu asks for a daughter of a lesser branch. The people of the lesser branches primarily consist of five lines, branched out since great-grandfather's time. Several of the elders possess very high seniority; though they rarely speak on ordinary days, we must still be mindful of them.
"These people are very closely related to us by blood and serve as capable assistants in governing the family. Several clan elders can even speak freely before Father and Granduncle. If we truly marry off a clan daughter for nothing, the clan elders and clan uncles at home will have strong objections... Harmony within the family is of paramount importance."
Li Yuanjiao curled his lip and replied:
"Who cares what they think? They are merely a bunch of mortals."
"Jiao'er!"
Li Yuanxiu shook his head and said gravely:
"The reason a family can stay tightly bound together lies, first, in the orderly transmission of cultivation methods and secrets, and second, in mutual respect and humility between high and low, honoring the old and cherishing the young. Once these two pillars collapse, all that remains is ceaseless, bloody strife and a fractured, disordered clan. Even if later generations were ever so brilliant, it would all be useless.
"Later generations follow the examples set before them. What you do today, everyone remembers in their hearts. Don't look down on those clan elders just because they nag on ordinary days, seeking some advantages for their children and grandchildren—they still understand right from wrong on major issues, restraining their descendants so they dare not do anything to ruin the family. The existence of the Clan Rectory owes a part of its success to them."
Li Yuanxiu stared into his younger brother's eyes and explained:
"If these elders encounter their own children doing something that disgraces the family name, they will even lean on their walking sticks and personally go to the Clan Rectory to report them. They understand how vital the family ethos is, and deep down, they truly want what is best for the family.
"What is more, for the sake of the family, Uncle Qiuyang and several cultivators from the lesser branches have all worked diligently and conscientiously. If you marry off their child like this today, only to slaughter Qimu tomorrow, it will chill their hearts."
Li Yuanjiao opened his mouth, never having imagined Li Yuanxiu had thought so far ahead. His opinion of those nagging clan elders shifted greatly, and he nodded, saying in a low voice:
"Little Brother has been taught a valuable lesson!"
Li Yuanxiu nodded approvingly and continued:
"In the past, the main branch had no capable cultivators, so it was only natural to be guarded against the lesser branches and collateral lines. Today, the main branch flourishes, and Granduncle's swordsmanship is unrivaled across the lake. These lesser branches and collateral lines are our capable aids in managing the clan. What we must do is win them over and treat them generously, regarding them as our own people."
Li Yuanjiao nodded in agreement, and the two brothers exchanged smiles. After Li Yuanxiu asked after his well-being, he finally smiled and said:
"I have broken through to the second layer of Embryonic Breathing."
"Truly?"
Li Yuanxiu had begun cultivating earlier than Li Yuanjiao, while Li Yuanjiao had used his talisman seed to rapidly break through the Xuanjing Wheel, and a few months earlier had broken through to the second layer of Embryonic Breathing, the Chengming Wheel. Li Yuanxiu had broken through a few months later, which was still a fairly decent speed.
"You rascal, how could something like this be faked?"
Seeing Li Yuanjiao grinning, Li Yuanxiu calculated the time, then said with some difficulty:
"With each passing day, the date of the ancestral sacrifice draws nearer. Several elders are in seclusion attempting breakthroughs, and the sacrificial offerings have yet to be settled. I have already made arrangements on my end, but I fear that if the elders do not exit seclusion soon, they will miss the time."
---
The cave dwelling on Meichi Peak had three stone chambers. Li Tongya, Li Xuanxuan, and Li Xuanfeng were each in seclusion, while Li Xuanling was focusing his mind in cultivation within the central hall. After sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat on the floor throughout the night, the cave dwelling's front door shook slightly. Two clan soldiers stepped aside at the sound, and a woman dressed in white robes walked in. Dignified of countenance, she looked at him with a smile.
"Husband."
Lu Wanrong was now at the third layer of Embryonic Breathing, possessing strength considered fairly good among cultivators of outside surnames. Coming forward with a smile, she held a woven bamboo food box and set it on the stone table. Seeing this, Li Xuanling said gently:
"Having the servants bring it up would have been enough; there was no need to trouble you to make the trip."
For cultivators in the Embryonic Breathing realm, vitality and blood surged vigorously during the first four layers, and their appetites grew ever larger. Once they broke through the particularly crucial Yujing Wheel, transcending mortal bounds, their appetite shrank sharply all at once. Once they broke through to Qi Refinement and became qi-eaters blessed with spirit-like longevity, they could live on wind and dew, needing only to drink a bit of pure water; if they did consume food, they ate only spirit meat and spirit rice, as mortal sustenance tended to hinder cultivation progress.
Li Xuanling was at the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing, only a step or two away from Qi Refinement. He naturally still needed food, taking a meal once every one or two days. Now that the family was well-off, he naturally ate no mortal grain, but rather spirit rice and demonic beast meat.
Lu Wanrong opened the food box and took out two tiers. One container held pristine white, steamed spirit rice, while the other held several tender red slices of demonic beast meat.
Li Xuanling took the jade chopsticks from his wife's hands and finished the food before him slowly and thoroughly. Lu Wanrong handed him tea to drink before saying in a low voice:
"Yuanyun hasn't come down the mountain for more than a year. My heart is constantly worried. That child keeps quiet, but his pride is actually very high. Having suffered such a blow, he still refuses to confide in us..."
Li Xuanling froze slightly, his expression helpless and tinged with a faint trace of guilt as he said raspy-voiced:
"How could I not know as well!"
Chapter 172