The Yu Family's Reaction

"What? Mount Huazhong has fallen? Backed by the Li family, An Zheyan dared to turn around and bite the hand that fed him..." With a sharp snap, Yu Mugao crushed the ink brush in his hand to splinters. He raised his head, his gaze as dark and menacing as a venomous serpent as he glared at the cultivator kneeling on the steps. Uncontainable fury surged in his chest, yet he found it hard even to voice a curse. A cough escaped him, bringing the coppery taste of blood to his mouth. Looking down at the gathering of uncles, nephews, and brothers below—each nursing their own hidden motives—he did not even dare to spit it out. Forcing himself to swallow it back down, he pursed his lips and grated out: "Has the Li family... gone mad? Where did they get the nerve to use An Zheyan's banner to openly defy my Yu family?!" How could Yu Mugao fail to see the truth behind this? A single thought was all it took for him to realize that the Li family was pulling the strings, and the shock and fury in his heart were beyond measure. The Yu family had held hegemony over the lake for so many years, with a disciple inside the immortal sect serving as their backing. Which family on the lake dared to openly oppose them? Even though covert strife and underhanded assassination attempts never ceased beneath the surface, everyone maintained polite formalities in the light of day. Fei Wangbai hated the Yu family to the very bone in private, yet he still treated Yu Xiaogui with utmost deference in public. Moreover, the An family was a territory kept under the Yu family's control. Though they were still nominally the An family on the surface, they had long since been reduced to a vassal of the Yu family in secret—a fact well known to every clan across the lake. By flying An Zheyan's banner to storm Mount Huazhong, the Li family might not have declared outright war on the Yu family, but it was equivalent to delivering a ringing slap across the Yu family's face right in front of every clan on the eastern shore. How could Yu Mugao not be shocked and enraged? "What a Li family! Simply because we haven't had the hands to spare in recent years, you've grown bold enough to swallow the heavens!" Yu Mugao snarled in a low growl, putting on a show for the guest elders, uncles, and brothers below. Inwardly, however, alarm bells were ringing. He mused anxiously: *Li Tongya is by no means a reckless man! To act so aggressively, he must have something backing him... Could it be Li Chijing?* His complexion grew steadily darker. How could Yu Mugao not let his imagination run wild? Their ancestor had been bewitched by someone's spell and had vanished without a trace. And right at this juncture, the Li family abruptly cast aside their past low profile and launched a brazen assault on Mount Huazhong. A sliver of terror crept into his heart as he thought to himself: *Could it be... Sword Immortal Qingsui, Li Chijing, has returned?!* If that hypothesis held, then Yu Yufeng's whereabouts suddenly made sense. Not knowing how Li Chijing compared in strength to Yu Yufeng, Yu Mugao's mind was thrown into total disarray. He asked in a low voice: "Is there still no news of the Old Ancestor?" "None..." Seeing the person below offer a meek, hesitant reply, Yu Mugao straightened up with an air of exhaustion and asked in a low voice: "Is there any word on Yu Mujian?" "None either..." Yu Mugao let out a sigh and muttered, "Absurd... utter folly, every last one of them! Unreasonable to the extreme..." Yu Mujian had once claimed he wished to pursue the way of the sword and set off northward toward the Tangjin Sect. In the ten-plus years since his departure, he had only sent three letters back to Yu Mugao, all filled with pointless reassurances that there was no need to worry about him. Now, Yu Yufeng had gone south and disappeared, while Yu Xiaogui had yet to return. Powerless to turn the tide on his own, Yu Mugao could only send a letter of distress to Yu Muxian within the sect, hoping to see if he could persuade the Peak Master of Yuanwu Peak to lend a hand. In the past, Yu Mugao had never actively disturbed this younger brother of his; it had always been Yu Muxian sending frequent letters demanding cultivation resources. Nearly half of the Yu family's spiritual materials and spirit stones had been sent to Yu Muxian to bribe superiors and inferiors, cultivate connections, and advance his cultivation. Only because the crisis was now so dire had Yu Mugao finally been willing to write to him for aid. As he pulled his gaze back, the carved stone doors of the hall suddenly groaned open. A middle-aged man stepped lightly inside, his gray robes fluttering gently, his expression solemn and grave. Yu Mugao was instantly overjoyed. Stepping forward, he exclaimed in delight: "Father!" Yu Xiaogui gave a slight nod and flicked his sleeve. Behind him trailed another man—fair-faced with a long beard, holding a folding fan, bearing the unmistakable air of a decadent young master. With a warm smile, Yu Xiaogui introduced him: "This is my humble son, Yu Mugao." Yu Mugao had no choice but to swallow back the flood of urgent words in his throat and bowed respectfully. "Mugao pays his respects to Senior." The fair-faced cultivator waved a hand, the jade pendants on his waist chiming softly. His cultivation base was that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He replied in a low voice: "Wu Shaoyun of the Wu clan of Commandery South." "So you are of an established clan from Lixia Commandery!" Yu Mugao offered a perfunctory reply before hurriedly sending a voice transmission with his magic power, recounting everything that had transpired from start to finish. Yu Xiaogui was slightly displeased by his lack of decorum, but as the barrage of revelations struck him, his face changed subtly. Fortunately, he was a man of deep composure and managed to rein himself in. Suppressing his wrath, he said in a low voice: "Brother Wu, please wait here a moment. I will return shortly." Wu Shaoyun gave an ambiguous nod and sat down before the jade dais in the hall. The dense crowd dispersed, leaving Yu Xiaogui and Yu Mugao to make their way to the rear courtyard. Only then did Yu Xiaogui's expression darken drastically as he demanded in a heavy tone: "I was merely attending a dharma assembly at the Xiao family and visiting an old friend afterward! It has been a mere matter of days—how could things have turned out like this?!" Yu Mugao ground his teeth and whispered, "They precisely picked the moment Father was away from home to strike!" Seeing his eldest son's pale and haggard face, Yu Xiaogui knew these past few days had not been easy on him either. He suppressed the urge to reprimand him and asked: "What is the Li family plotting?!" "It may be that Sword Immortal Qingsui has returned from Nanjiang and laid a trap against the Old Ancestor..." Yu Mugao laid out his deductions, yet he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss. Just as he opened his mouth to counsel caution, Yu Xiaogui cut him off with a wave of his hand and said ruthlessly: "Perhaps they used some rare precious herb to trigger an opportunity for the Old Ancestor. The Old Ancestor possesses profound magic power, while Li Chijing is merely at early Foundation Establishment. There is no way Li Chijing could hold him; at most, he could stall him for a bit. The Old Ancestor has always been prudent; if the situation turns sour, he will flee immediately, so there is no need to worry. But this matter of Mount Huazhong cannot be let slide. If we act as though nothing happened, how will our family maintain its foothold on the lake from now on? No matter what, I must make a trip to Mount Huazhong!" Yu Mugao was taken aback. He could only nod, but then urged anxiously, "The Old Ancestor's disappearance is deeply suspicious right now. Your son fears... there might be an ambush at Mount Huazhong!" "They wouldn't dare touch me." Yu Xiaogui's expression turned chillingly cold as he answered: "Putting aside the fact that all eyes are watching that mountain, I am Muxian's father and a Foundation Establishment cultivator. No matter how turbulent things are within the sect, Li Chijing would never dare kill me. The same goes for what happened to the Old Ancestor. If a Clear Heart Talisman is brought down upon him, will Li Chijing care nothing for his own reputation?!" His train of thought derailed by Yu Xiaogui's swift deductions, Yu Mugao could only nod and say earnestly: "Father, I still feel there is something fishy about all this! On this trip, you must under no circumstances trade blows with Li Chijing! Once you have confirmed the news, return immediately, and we can make plans from there..." Yu Xiaogui gave a noncommittal nod, clearly not taking the warning to heart, and replied: "Since the Old Ancestor has yet to return, Li Chijing cannot possibly be at Mount Huazhong. In all likelihood, it is Li Tongya leading the men. This is a tremendous opportunity! He is merely a Qi Refinement cultivator, which gives us plenty of angles to exploit! We must make the Li family suffer a bitter loss over this!" Yu Mugao hesitated, wanting to speak further, but Yu Xiaogui had already hurried out of the hall and cupped his hands to Wu Shaoyun. To his surprise, Wu Shaoyun folded his fan and said with a chuckle: "Is Brother Yu heading for that Li family?" "Ind... indeed..." Yu Xiaogui was caught off guard. He watched as Wu Shaoyun tossed the folding fan into the air and caught it steadily, laughing: "The clamor from your subordinates below was quite loud—enough for an outsider like me to hear it clearly." It turned out that Yu Mugao's uncles and brothers had argued noisily as they withdrew, alerting Wu Shaoyun and giving him a rough idea of what had happened. Yu Xiaogui forced an awkward smile and nodded. Then he saw Wu Shaoyun slowly rise to his feet, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as he said in a deep voice: "I happen to be considering making the trip with Brother Yu! My clan has investigated an important matter for a full ten years, and we have finally uncovered some clues. I have a few questions of my own to ask that Lijing Li family!"