Schemes

The Yu family, Milin Commandery. "Reporting to the Family Head, Lord Munian says there has been no movement from the Li family. He has been waiting nearby for over half a day now... and was wondering, wondering if he might withdraw first..." Seated at the head of the hall, Yu Xiaogui wore an ashen expression. He crumpled the small letter in his hand into a ball and cursed in a fury, "The useless bastard!" The attendant delivering the report instantly began trembling with terror, pressing his head flat against the floor, not daring to look up. Yu Xiaogui gritted his teeth and said venomously, "I told him to follow the plan, yet he had to be so terrified of dying! He took a whole set of magical artifacts with him, went around killing people recklessly, and is now dallying on Li family territory! Does he think the people of the Li family are as stupid as he is?" "It took so much effort to set this trap, and now it is riddled with flaws! Li Yuanjiao and Li Yuanping are hardly fools!" Seated below, Yu Mugao remained dressed in an elegant white robe, bearing himself with poise and effortless ease. Lightly fluttering his folding fan, he said unhurriedly, "Calm your anger, Father. Our family has long rotted to its roots; how many among us aren't fools? Messing things up is only par for the course. If he had actually succeeded, that would have truly astonished me." Having managed the clan for many years, Yu Mugao knew better than anyone what caliber of people his kinsmen were. He had long since passed from outrage to disappointment, and from disappointment to indifference. Without batting an eye, he said in a low voice, "The world speaks of the Li family's rapid rise and attributes it to Li Mutian attaining Foundation Establishment as an itinerant cultivator, Li Chijing becoming a sword immortal, or the profound prudence of Li Tongya—claiming all three were indispensable." Yu Mugao marked off names on the roster on his desk, finding not a single person fit for use, and continued, "In my view, the Li family's greatest strength lies neither in the sword dao nor in Li Tongya or Li Chijing. Rather, across three generations of the Li family, there has not been a single wastrel." Hearing his eldest son's words, Yu Xiaogui sighed. Even as a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, he felt a sense of powerlessness, and he replied, "It's all useless..." Yu Mugao set down his brush and said, "Not entirely useless." "The Li family hasn't made a single move!" Yu Xiaogui frowned, his voice sinking. "If Li Tongya were truly injured, how could the Li family possibly pass up the [Tianyi Pure Element]? Your calculations have failed." "No." Yu Mugao chuckled and stood up, smiling. "It is precisely because something is wrong with Li Tongya that they passed up the [Tianyi Pure Element]!" "Li Tongya is cautious, not cowardly. If he truly decapitated Maha and retreated unscathed, he would never ignore news of a heavenly-and-earthly spiritual water like the [Tianyi Pure Element]. The moment Bi Huaxuan was rescued by the Li family, Li Tongya would have flown over with his sword!" He glanced at the contemplative Yu Xiaogui and continued softly, "It is on Li family territory, after all. Even if it were a trap, it would be utterly laughable. Li Tongya is a Foundation Establishment cultivator—why would he fear stepping onto his own ground?!" "Indeed." Yu Xiaogui nodded in sudden realization. Yu Mugao continued, "This probe of mine was never meant to successfully lure him out. Even trash has its uses. It appears Li Tongya is either gravely injured or not in the Li family at all!" "Then right now... do we attack the Li family? But the Li family still enjoys the Xiao family's protection. We cannot afford to offend a Purple Mansion immortal clan; at most, we could only reclaim Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting..." Having grown completely compliant to his eldest son's judgment, Yu Xiaogui hastily asked. "No. We shall use the old grievance over the market as a pretext to attack the Fei family." Yu Mugao straightened his sleeves, radiating an air of ambition and vigor as he replied, "Li Tongya might simply have not returned home yet. With an immortal clan backing them, striking the Li family would at best yield Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting. It is better to look north—the Fei family possesses five peaks and sixteen towns!" "The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Array has been raised for so long now; Fei Wangbai is either away or attempting a breakthrough. Giving them a strike can only do good!" The corners of his mouth curved up, and snapping his folding fan shut, he smiled cheerfully. "What's more..." "I am eight or nine tenths certain that Fei Wangbai is dead." *** Lijing Town. Li Yuanping had waited anxiously in the courtyard for half a day before seeing his elder brother, Li Yuanjiao, descend in a daze. He rushed forward, gripping Li Yuanjiao's arms and staring into his eyes, asking urgently, "Brother! How was it?!" Only then did Li Yuanjiao seem to wake from a dream. Looking at his younger brother with shock and unease, he replied, "I went and saw. It is indeed a trap... only..." Li Yuanping understood at once. He wheeled around and barked at the clan soldiers standing nearby, "Leave! All of you, out!" Dou Yi quickly ushered everyone out and followed behind them, shutting the courtyard gates tight. The isolating array enclosing the yard activated automatically. A sheen of cold sweat coated Li Yuanjiao's forehead before he finally spoke in a raspy voice: "Fei Wangbai is dead!" "Fei Wangbai... the Foundation Establishment cultivator Fei Wangbai?!" Li Yuanping stared blankly at him. Li Yuanjiao's voice was hurried and dry as he continued, "A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, dead without a sound upon his own immortal mountain! To keep the news from leaking, Fei Tongyu had no choice but to activate the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Array. The inside of the Fei family is in utter chaos." "We do not know whether the Yu family is aware. But with our ancestor severely wounded and Fei Wangbai dead, the Yu family is effectively the only clan on the lake with Foundation Establishment combat power..." His pupils dilated slightly, his grayish-black eyes fixed upon his brother as he murmured, "The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Array has been running continuously for months not to defend against the outside, but to trap those within. Fei Tongyu knew there must be Yu family spies within his clan, so he had to deploy the grand array to cut off all communication between inside and out..." A chill ran down Li Yuanping's spine. Taking up the thread, he whispered, "Indeed... With their own Foundation Establishment cultivator gone, the Fei family likely dares not seek out the Foundation Establishment cultivators Fei Wangbai once associated with... Nor did they dare inform our family. Fei Tongyu is terrified! No wonder I sent people to inquire three times in succession, and the Fei family didn't offer a single reply!" When Fei Wangbai was alive, he could call those Foundation Establishment cultivators brothers, but the moment he died, those cultivators would hardly smile and play nice with mere ants. Even if they agreed to help out of past friendship, once they stepped inside the array, whether the Fei family would still belong to the Fei clan would become an open question. Li Yuanjiao had steadied his composure and said gravely, "Yu Mugao is cunning and full of schemes..." At the mention of Yu Mugao, a trace of deep-seated hatred flashed across Li Yuanjiao's eyes. The tragic state of his elder brother Li Yuanxiu back then remained vivid in his mind, and he had to take a deep breath to suppress his emotions. "The affair regarding the [Tianyi Pure Element] was most likely orchestrated by the Yu family purely to test Ancestor. Yu Mugao is deceitful and venomous; even we find him difficult to deal with. Fei Tongyu's stalling tactic will certainly not fool him." "Furthermore, with Yu Muxian in the sect, the Yu family is one step ahead in understanding the broader situation. Fei Wangbai's death cannot be kept secret! For all we know, after this probe, the Yu family may already have dispatched troops toward Hanyun Peak!" Li Yuanping paused, suddenly recalling something, and spoke up, "A month ago, Ning Heyuan appeared at Yuting Peak. Perhaps it is connected to Fei Wangbai's death! Only..." He pondered for a breath and added, "The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Array has been active for several months; the timing does not match." Li Yuanjiao shook his head, brushing the clutter of thoughts aside, and instructed, "Never mind that for now. I will go up the mountain to ask Ancestor. You keep a close watch on the Fei family!" With that, he hurriedly pushed open the door, left the courtyard, and rode the wind away. Only then did Dou Yi outside dare to enter. He found Li Yuanping seated at the front, deep in thought. After a few breaths, Li Yuanping said: "Send someone out onto the lake to take up station on an islet near the northern shore. The moment there is any change in the Fei family's grand array, report back to me immediately." "Understood." Dou Yi scurried off. Li Yuanping could not help coughing twice. In his mind's eye surfaced those sinister, brooding eyes from Yu Mugao's portrait, and he whispered softly: "Yu Mugao... is truly our family's greatest foe..."