After conferring for a time, the core lineage members decided to keep Li Tongya's passing a secret. They merely hung white silk upon the mountain, held a private sacrifice among themselves, and dispersed to their respective duties.
The core lineage had already known the news of Li Tongya's demise beforehand, and the three years of filial mourning had long been completed. What rose now was nothing more than a faint trace of sorrow, before they hastily threw themselves back into their duties.
Li Xuanxuan stayed at home for a few days. It was a rare occasion for him to see Li Yuanping every day. Smiling, he held Li Ximing and played with him for a moment before asking softly:
"Ming'er, how much of the alchemy texts have you read?"
"I can already summon alchemical fire!"
Li Ximing nodded obediently and brought his hands together, summoning a handful of pure white fire. Gentle as jade and cool as water, it leapt quietly between his palms.
Li Yuanping chuckled and took Li Ximing into his arms. Looking at the smiling Li Xuanxuan, he said softly:
"Father, it is rare for you to return home. Why not stay a while longer? As for the market, you can just leave it to other family members..."
"I cannot," Li Xuanxuan replied, his expression immediately turning solemn. "I am old and have long lost any drive to push ahead. Second Uncle saw this clearly, which was why he sent me to the market."
A flicker of shame appeared on his stern face, which rarely smiled on ordinary days. He said in a low voice:
"Your granduncle saw through me completely. I, Li Xuanxuan, am no great talent for managing a clan. At best, my abilities are merely those of a shopkeeper who maintains the status quo. In all my years running the family, I have delayed and mishandled many matters.
"It was only because our numbers were thin back then and my father died early. Several of my uncles always felt they owed me, so the authority of the clan was continually thrust onto my shoulders."
A hint of remorse surfaced on his face, and he said gently:
"Xuanling was actually far more capable than me. Second Uncle favored me, leaving Xuanling with no choice but to remain in obscurity. And even though my father died young like that, he still enjoyed the great renown of being beloved by the village elders and respected by all the households.
"And what about me... what about me...?"
Li Xuanxuan sighed in a daze, his voice weathered and aged. "A hundred years from now, how will the world remember me...?"
Li Yuanping had never seen his father like this before, and a pang of sorrow gripped his heart. Just as he was about to speak, Li Xuanxuan smiled faintly and continued:
"Fortunately, looking at the road I walked, the clan has grown vibrant and orderly. You are more capable than your father. Keep up the good work!"
With that, he smiled proudly, patted Li Ximing on the head, strode out of the courtyard, and rode the wind away.
Li Yuanping chuckled quietly and looked toward the lower end of the hall. Li Yuanjiao stepped into the hall at just the right moment, clearly having waited outside for a while so as not to interrupt their conversation. He took a seat to the side. Just then, a man stepped forward from below, bowed, and said:
"Patriarch, Shamoli, the chieftain of the Eastern Shanyue, has arrived alone leading a horse. He says he has broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement and wishes to cultivate on the mountain, no longer coveting authority and position."
"Shamoli?" Li Yuanping raised an eyebrow, glanced at Li Yuanjiao beside him, and said in a low voice, "If I recall, Shamoli has a son raised in our family... a branch descendant of our Li family named Li Jiman. A few years ago, he was sent to the Shanyue territory to govern a city."
"Indeed." Li Yuanjiao adjusted his teacup, having clearly considered the matter long ago.
Li Yuanping rummaged through the desk and retrieved a small missive, furrowing his brow as he read:
"The Clan Rectory's appraisal is 'respectful and courteous, bearing the demeanor of a virtuous gentleman.' In Elder Brother's view, what kind of person is he?"
Having cultivated in Eastern Shanyue for years, Li Yuanjiao was well-acquainted with these matters. Hearing this, he shook his head:
"He is respectful on the outside, but combative on the inside, far more restless than Shamoli. Fortunately, the aristocratic clans in Eastern Shanyue have grown powerful, so using him as a blade is not a bad idea."
"Oh."
Li Yuanping put away the small missive and took a sip of tea. Below, Dou Yi finally found an opening to speak, murmuring:
"Patriarch, Shamoli has subdued a demon steed at the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing, only a sliver shy of the one Jianixi rode back then. I hear it can tread on snow without leaving a trace, moving like a phantom."
"Oh?"
Li Yuanping looked up and exchanged a smiling glance with his elder brother. Li Yuanjiao asked gently:
"Is it a fine horse?"
"Naturally!" Dou Yi fawned shamelessly in reply.
Yet Li Yuanping shook his head and said:
"Whether it is a fine horse can only be known by taking it for a ride. A horse that is too fierce easily injures its master, while one that is too tame cannot travel a thousand li."
Dou Yi nodded without understanding, but Li Yuanjiao chuckled beside him and said:
"Then I leave it to you, Brother Ping."
"Worry not, Elder Brother."
Li Yuanping looked down at the letter in his hands and nodded firmly. In a solemn voice, he said:
"Bring him in!"
The man below acknowledged the command and withdrew. Before long, a man dressed in opulent robes and wearing a jade coronet walked in, bowing respectfully:
"Shamoli pays his respects to the Patriarch!"
This was none other than Shamoli, ruler of the Shanyue, now at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement. Although he cultivated miscellaneous qi, the profundity of his cultivation technique meant he was hardly inferior to ordinary upright-qi cultivators. Li Yuanping glanced at him and said mildly:
"Since you intend to relinquish your power and cultivate on the mountain, you shall accompany my elder brother to Mount Wutu. Are you willing?"
"It is more than this lowly one could ever ask for!"
Shamoli dropped to one knee and replied respectfully. Once this formality was concluded, Li Yuanjiao stood up and smiled:
"Then I shall return to the mountain first!"
"Very well!"
Li Yuanping nodded. Watching his elder brother Li Yuanjiao and Shamoli take their leave and depart, he waved to Li Ximing, who was crouching beside a small desk silently watching everyone, and smiled:
"Go change into riding attire."
Li Ximing's eyes immediately lit up. "Father, where are we going?"
Li Yuanping unfastened his cloak and said warmly:
"To test a horse!"
***
The weather over Lake Wangyue was usually mild, rarely seeing severe drought or flood across several decades. This year's rains arrived on schedule, falling in a steady drizzle. Midsummer had passed, and the evening breeze turned brisk and cool.
Li Yuanping had been in high spirits lately. Clad in riding gear, he galloped swiftly on horseback. His pale complexion had taken on an uncharacteristic flush, while Li Ximing nestled against his chest, giggling non-stop.
"Hyah!"
Tugging on the reins, he galloped along the road, leaving behind the convoy of carriages fluttering with black flags. Usually resting languidly on the soft divan at the head of the hall, he was now bursting with vigor, displaying a rare heroic aura as he laughed heartily.
The Li family was far wealthier now. The steed beneath Li Yuanping was a tribute from the Shanyue known as "Zhongsuo." It could tread on snow without a sound and moved like a phantom. Possessing a cultivation of the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing, it had been personally subdued by Shamoli and led to Mount Lijing as an offering.
Having acquired such a fine steed, Li Yuanping galloped with abandon, riding all the way from the outskirts of Lijing Town to the outskirts of Wutu City in Eastern Shanyue in a single breath. In his arms, Li Ximing was overjoyed, his black hair whipping in the wind as he asked in his childish voice:
"Dad! Where is this?!"
"Eastern Shanyue."
Li Yuanping's spirits soared. Suppressing a cough in his throat, he suddenly reined in the horse, raised his crop, and pointed toward the rolling mountain ranges to the north with a smile:
"North of these mountains lies Wutu. Legend has it that when Duke Xiangping led troops through here back then, he was a mere two li from Mu Jiaoman's army. Duke Xiangping had his men gag their mouths and reined in the horses, narrowly escaping disaster."
Li Ximing listened intently. Then Li Yuanping said gently:
"Down from this mountain lies the border town of Eastern Shanyue, Wutu City. It can be considered prosperous. Li Jiman has governed this city for ten years now."
"Li Jiman," Li Ximing pondered for a breath and answered. "Shamoli's son, the Shanyue crown prince... who is soon to inherit the Shanyue throne."
"Indeed."
Li Yuanping answered the boy in his arms while glancing left and right. Seeing rainwater rustling down from the leaves, he knew the Jade Court Guards and several guest elders were closely escorting them, and only then did he give the horse free rein along the path.
He rode leisurely. His ears twitched slightly, and he remarked with keen interest:
"Li Jiman is a clever man, but he is fond of war and slaughter—respectful on the surface, treacherous within."
The Zhongsuo steed snorted as it stepped onto a high slope, laying bare the panoramic view below the mountain: shrieks and roars rose and fell, accompanied by blood and gore strewn across the ground.
Below the mountain lay a plain, with the city walls of Wutu City visible in the distance. A group of emaciated Shanyue commoners tremblingly held hoes and pitchforks, surrounding a gray wolf that possessed a faint aura of cultivation and roared ceaselessly.
On a nearby knoll, flags fluttered over brown carriages, halberds stood in grim rows, and a host of soldiers stood by as spectators, laughing and bantering. Seated at the very head was a young man holding melon and fruit, roaring with laughter.
"That is Li Jiman!"
Li Yuanping murmured nonchalantly. Li Ximing knitted his brows in his arms and asked in a low voice:
"Dad, what is he doing?"
"Watching a show."
Li Yuanping spat out the two words coldly. Just then, one of the nobles below chuckled and flung a fruit, striking the wolf demon squarely on the head. Enraged, the wolf's savage nature flared, and with a howling snap of its jaws, it tore one of the men to shreds.
The peasant's frame was frail and small; in an instant, he was ripped into scattered remains across the earth, further stoking the wolf's ferocious howling.
The Shanyue nobles and Li Jiman on the knoll watched without blinking, erupting into a burst of loud laughter. As the corpse fell apart in a heap of entrails and gore, Li Ximing could not help but turn his head away, unable to bear the sight.
"Watch closely," Li Yuanping said, patting his shoulder gently. In a soft voice, he instructed:
"Burn this scene into your memory... only then will you realize what the pampered scoundrels beneath you can do behind your back if the laws and punishments are not strictly enforced."
Pausing slightly, he added:
"When their cultivation stalls and the path ahead is closed, when they tire of hunting dogs and fine horses, and grow weary of delicacies, yet sit upon authority and power far beyond mortal men, they will always conjure up new amusements."
Li Ximing nodded thoughtfully. Li Yuanping sneered coldly:
"Bring my bow!"
A nearby Jade Court Guard hastily offered a longbow. Sitting steady astride the Zhongsuo steed, Li Yuanping exhaled, drew the bowstring to his ear, and narrowed his eyes as he aimed at the crowd below the mountain. He said gently:
"Ming'er, watch closely."
Whizz—
The long arrow tore through the air. The runes etched upon it flared with blinding white light as it plunged like a falling star, striking straight down into the plain below.
Below, Li Jiman was holding out an arm, clutching a fruit. He felt little toward the scene before him and was merely going through the motions to humour the crowd. Beside him, Tian Rong stepped forward and grinned:
"Brother Man? How is it? Entertaining enough, isn't it?!"
"Quite entertaining!"
Li Jiman cast a sidelong glance at him with inward contempt. Breathing the air of the plains, he thought to himself:
*The Tian clan controls the court in Eastern Shanyue. With the old man about to step down, how could I settle for being a puppet like Shamoli?... Yet Tian Zhongqing is cautious and discreet. To grasp their leverage and trade benefits with the Tian clan, I must start with Tian Rong...*
He seemed to watch the cornered wolf fight on, but his mind was still turning on how to wrest political power in Eastern Shanyue into his own hands. Suddenly, a bright flash lit his vision as a beam of white light plummeted from the sky.
Bang!
The wolf demon was merely at the first layer of Embryonic Breathing; how could it withstand such an arrow? With a loud bang, it exploded into chunks of flesh, splattering blood across the earth. Beside him, Tian Rong, who had been grinning foolishly, felt as though he had been slapped across the face. He jumped up in fury and cursed:
"Presumptuous! Who dares disrupt this young master's amusement?!"
Li Jiman, however, had already stood up and raised his head. His vision at peak Embryonic Breathing allowed him to instantly discern the face of the man on the mountainside. For a moment, his mind went completely blank, his liver and gallbladder trembling in sheer terror.
"Li Yuanping..."
With a thud, he dropped to his knees and threw himself flat, his head pressed tightly to the earth. In an instant, terror and shock overwhelmed him; cold sweat soaked his chest and back, clammy and sticky, his eyes bulging red.
*The main family hates nothing more than slaughtering the common folk and deceiving superiors... I am finished!*
*Who set me up... Tian Zhongqing... Yes, it must be the Tian clan... Tian Zhongqing... Damn it! No wonder they called me out to the border to feast and drink. What a Tian Rong!*
The crowd of Shanyue nobles instantly sensed danger and fell to their knees one after another. Tian Rong stared blankly for several breaths, even tugging at several people on the ground, before belatedly dropping to his knees, utterly bewildered.
Halfway up the mountain, Li Yuanping sat in riding attire, cradling the delicate, jade-carved boy Li Ximing in his arms, his expression calm as he gazed down at them in silence.
"Dad... they are so scared of you! Are you going to kill them?"
The boy's crisp voice echoed across the hills, making the hair stand up on the necks of everyone below. Li Jiman squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could slice Tian Rong and the entire Tian clan into a thousand pieces.
Li Yuanping calmly held the reins, leaned near his eldest son's ear, and whispered:
"No.
"Li Jiman is a clever man, and the Tian clan and Tian Zhongqing are even cleverer."
Handing the magical bow back to a Jade Court Guard beside him, he paid no heed to the crowd kneeling with foreheads glued to the dirt. Holding Li Ximing, he whispered in a barely audible voice:
"Dad will now teach you how a clever person controls a flock of clever people."
"Okay!"
With a cold smile, he tugged the reins and turned the horse around. The Zhongsuo steed stepped lightly, its hooves making not a sound, slowly retreating into the dense forest from whence they came.
The Jade Court Guards cast icy glances down at the crowd below before vanishing after the Zhongsuo steed. Only after a dozen breaths had passed did Li Jiman dare raise his head from below and cry out:
"The Patriarch sees all with perfect clarity! Jiman is bathed in your grace, weeping with gratitude!"
Above, there was only the howling north wind and no reply. The hatred in Li Jiman's eyes nearly overflowed.
"The Tian clan... the Tian clan... I, Li Jiman, swear irreconcilable enmity against you all!"
He rose and glared venomously at Tian Rong, cursing:
"You brat, what an act you put on! You went through great lengths to trick me here to watch this show, didn't you?! No wonder! No wonder!"
Li Jiman was convinced that Tian Rong had acted under Tian Zhongqing's orders, intentionally luring him here to be seen by Li Yuanping. With a ringing scrape, he drew the sword at his waist and shouted:
"Scoundrel! How dare you deceive me!"
Tian Rong had a completely bewildered look, unable to fathom what had just occurred. Li Jiman's expression shifted violently, but he forcibly held back the urge to cut him down, kicking him squarely in the shoulder instead. The blow sent Tian Rong flying several feet away, rolling across the ground like a tumbling gourd as he cried out in pain.
"Get out!"
Watching Tian Rong flee in panic, Li Jiman's face turned grim. Unlike these Shanyue nobles, he carried Li blood and was under the jurisdiction of the Clan Rectory. Even if Li Yuanping did not punish him, people from the Clan Rectory would come to interrogate him before long...
Thinking of the troubles ahead, Li Jiman felt a chill seep into his heart:
*Damn it!*
Chapter 329