Lady Dou was already in her forties, but after many years of cultivation and meticulous self-care, she still looked like a woman in her thirties. Her jade-like fingernails were tinted with balsam flower, giving her an air of dignity and elegance. As she stepped gracefully into the hall, Li Yuanping hurried down to welcome her, smiling.
“It is rare for you to visit, Mother.”
Lady Dou nodded slightly and took a seat to the side. Casting a sidelong glance at Dou Yi, who was trying his best to make himself inconspicuous, she said to Li Yuanping, “Managing a household is no easy task. Have you met with the people from the collateral branches yet?”
“Naturally, I have,” Li Yuanping replied. “Li Qiuyang was away, so I summoned Li Xiewen. He had just stepped out the door when you arrived, Mother.”
Lady Dou picked up her teacup. Hearing the name Li Xiewen, she sneered. “Back when Li Xiewen served under your father, he was utterly loyal, standing aloof above all the branches and never fraternizing with them. But the moment Li Pingyi died, that old fellow knew his avenue was cut off, so he immediately mingled closely with all the branches. Over these past few years, he has subtly become the spokesman for their interests… It seems Li Yesheng taught him well. What impressive skill at shedding his skin and playing both sides like a rat!”
Lady Dou was resolute in her methods and equally sharp-tongued, laying bare his conduct in just a couple of sentences. Li Yuanping naturally understood the nuances involved; he had deliberately summoned Li Xiewen earlier precisely to gauge the views of those clan uncles and elders among the collateral branches. He now responded:
“Li Xiewen did so many things in the past and offended plenty of people. Unwilling to pin his hopes on our lingering sentiment, he naturally had to switch sides. A man must always seek a way to survive…”
Lady Dou’s disposition was far harsher, however, and she merely said, “I simply cannot stand that old scoundrel.”
Mother and son exchanged a glance. Li Yuanping took a sip of tea and continued, “The Liu clan was originally on friendly terms with our collateral branches, but it was uprooted with the Dou clan taking the lead, and most of the family businesses ended up swallowed by the Dou clan. In the eyes of the collateral branches, the Dou clan’s rise infringed upon their interests, so they are deeply discontented. Li Xiewen’s words were barbed through and through, his insinuation quite plain.”
“Between the Ye and Li collateral branches, there are now over ten thousand people, and they have produced quite a few cultivators. With all the intertwined ties of kinship, it is truly difficult to handle. Mother, perhaps you ought to rein in the Dou clan a bit.”
Lady Dou stroked the jade cup in her hand and glared fiercely at Dou Yi, scaring him into ducking his head, not daring to speak. She replied:
“I have always kept them in check; otherwise, the Dou clan’s tails would have floated up to the heavens long ago. My only fear is that with your father away, this pack of clan elders might bully us—a mother and son left on our own.”
Li Yuanping let out a soft chuckle and said, “Elder Brother is still at Mount Wutu, and Old Ancestor is at Mount Lijing. Where would they find the nerve? They merely pushed him forward to beat the side-drums and probe us. Old Madam’s dying wish was for us not to shield the Liu clan; they cannot fathom what Old Ancestor thinks, so they dare not speak out of turn.”
He paused, then continued, “From what I gathered from Li Xiewen, the Chen clan gets along well with the collateral branches. That Chen Mufeng is Li Qiuyang’s disciple, has a childhood betrothal, and is an uncommon prodigy—the fourth layer of Embryonic Breathing at merely seventeen years old. Perhaps we can reassign him from Mount Huaqian to put him to use.”
Lady Dou nodded absentmindedly, then looked up in some confusion and asked, “The Chen clan… are they truly of peasant stock? Producing a Chen Donghe, who has already reached the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, was one thing, but now there is another, Chen Mufeng. Moreover, Chen Mufeng is not even in Chen Donghe’s direct lineage, yet relying on that ragged cultivation technique, he managed to cultivate all the way to the fourth layer of Embryonic Breathing in one go!”
Li Yuanping shook his head and answered, “I looked into it. The Chen family’s founding ancestor was named Chen Erniu, originally a tenant farmer of our family who fled here from Lichuankou back in the day. His background is completely clean; he was indeed an ordinary peasant. It is just that judging from his words and deeds recorded in the Clan History, he was a sharp-minded man…”
Lady Dou nodded. Studying Li Yuanping’s pale complexion, worry crept between her brows, and she said gently, “Ping’er, there is one matter that must be placed on the agenda.”
Li Yuanping frowned, looking at his mother in confusion. Lady Dou lowered her voice:
“Marry early and father an heir… This is not my idea alone. I wrote a letter to Guanyun Peak, and your father feels the same way.”
The death of Li Yuanxiu had been too profound and painful a lesson for Li Xuanxuan and his wife. Given Li Yuanping’s frail health, Lady Dou and Li Xuanxuan had begun making plans far in advance. Yet to her surprise, Li Yuanping froze upon hearing this, his expression turning somewhat grim as he retorted:
“Elder Brother only entered a betrothal at eighteen, yet I am barely twelve! Why such haste?!”
The words in Lady Dou’s heart were too harsh to voice, so she could only manage a placating smile. Seeing his mother’s expression, Li Yuanping understood at once. A trace of sorrow surfaced on his face, and he murmured:
“Are you afraid that with my meager talent and damaged constitution, I will die an early death…”
Hearing this, Lady Dou fell silent. She was of a stern temperament, unable to bring herself to speak gentle words of comfort. Mother and son exchanged a glance, and Li Yuanping reined in his emotions, answering:
“There are numerous family affairs to manage. I am already overwhelmed with handling the deficits and dealing with the external surnames. Let us put this off for later.”
Not wishing to press him too hard, Lady Dou quickly agreed. After sitting in the hall for a little while longer, she made an excuse to take her leave. Li Yuanping respectfully saw her out before returning glumly to his seat at the dais.
The hall was cold and quiet. The guards on both flanks stood motionless, while Dou Yi kept his head bowed down below, not daring to make a sound. Li Yuanping lifted his head, raised his jade cup, and looked into the clear, bright tea. Reflected upon it was a pale face devoid of any color, framed by grayish-red lips. He narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
Although Li Yuanping had striven diligently since childhood and held nightly conversations with Li Yuanjiao, making him far more sensible and mature than ordinary youths, he was ultimately only twelve or thirteen years old. To be born with a curtailed lifespan and a crippled constitution—how could he not harbor resentment? He usually put on a front of indifference, but now that Lady Dou had brought it up, and with no one close by, the bitter resentment in his heart could no longer be held back.
Setting down the jade cup, Li Yuanping looked at his slender wrists, delicate as a woman’s. A nameless fury welled within his chest, burning fiercely against his heart and lungs. He reached out with his tender fingers, pressing his thumb and index finger together to pinch his wrist with savage force.
Yet that skin was like the flesh of a corpse—pale and lifeless. Only after a long while did a faint flush appear, which swiftly turned purple and then black until the skin tore open. Blood welled forth, staining the desk crimson before him. Li Yuanping gave his hand a dark, sullen flick, and his emotions gradually settled.
Li Yuanping had heard that when he was born, Old Ancestor Li Tongya had divined his fate: deficient from birth, sluggish in cultivation, with a lifespan barely over half of an ordinary person’s. Counting the days, a quarter of it had already slipped away. He dared not waste any more time. Hurriedly wiping away the bloodstains on the desk, he took up the vermilion brush and wrote in silence:
“Respectfully presented… Ping has come of age and ought to take a wife and father offspring. I wonder if among the prominent surnames or the various towns there are any spirit aperture bearers suitable for a match? …If any are found, I ask Elder Brother to send word in reply…”
Folding the letter, Li Yuanping called out, “Someone, come!”
A figure hurried up from below and looked up at Li Yuanping. It was the young man from the Liu family. He had originally been pushed out of this messenger post by the Dou family and had been personally reinstated by Li Yuanping; his eyes were brimming with gratitude.
“Deliver this to Mount Wutu, to Elder Brother.”
Chapter 281