Li Jiman had arrived at Lijing Town on horseback, but he returned to Wutu City lying flat in a carriage. Those carrying out the punishment in the Li clan's Clan Rectory were Embryonic Breathing cultivators; even with cultivation of his own, it availed him nothing, and he was beaten until his skin split and his flesh tore all the same.
The stern, unsmiling elders of the Clan Rectory conferred for a while before handing down the verdict of "negligence of duty and indulging a prominent surname." This was not merely giving Li Jiman seventy strokes of the rod as they flipped him back and forth, but delivering a resounding slap across his face as well.
Naturally, the Tian family had also rushed to the Clan Rectory. Tian Zhongqing stepped forward to apologize repeatedly. Though Li Jiman chuckled and brushed it aside on the surface, a chill ran down Tian Zhongqing's spine.
Meanwhile, although neither the Clan Rectory nor Li Yuanping's central hall had issued any directives regarding their family, cold sweat still soaked their backs.
As the Tian family head at the eye of the storm, Tian Zhongqing felt a breath catch in his throat. The joy of advancing to Qi Refinement vanished completely. He drove his carriage back to Eastern Shanyue through the night, smashing an entire courtyard of porcelain in his rage, yet he still had to hold back his uncle Tian Youdao to keep him from slapping Tian Rong to death.
"Get out of my sight! You vile beast!"
With Tian Youdao's thunderous roar, Tian Rong slunk away, clutching his heavily swollen cheek. Only then did Tian Zhongqing release the old man's hand. In truth, he had not wanted to hold Tian Youdao back at all; striking him dead with a single palm would have been neat and clean...
Yet that slap had merely made Tian Rong stagger. Tian Zhongqing knew that his uncle still doted on his only son, so he played along to finish the act, saying in a heavy voice, "Uncle... what are we to do now?"
Tian Youdao was an old hand of the Li family as well. Having risen from Embryonic Breathing to Qi Refinement, his seniority in the clan was immense. Hearing this, he let out a long breath and muttered gloomily, "Li Jiman is narrow-minded and was already resentful toward our family. Now that this has happened, it is a deep feud in all but name..."
Both uncle and nephew were now in Qi Refinement, making their family the largest external-surname force under the Li clan. They had always treaded with utmost caution. Who could have foreseen that while Tian Zhongqing was in secluded cultivation and Tian Youdao was away, Tian Rong would slip out and brew such a disastrous mess?
Tian Zhongqing sighed and said softly, "Orders were clearly given; how could he have slipped out? Now Li Jiman has the backing of many Shanyue nobles... If any shifts occur in the future..."
Tian Youdao sat down in the high seat. Already past seventy, he had seen much of the world. Stroking his beard as he calculated silently, he mused, "There is something fishy about this matter. I will go ask the clan head and lay everything bare. Whatever the clan decides to do, we will simply cooperate!"
Tian Youdao was Li Xuanfeng's maternal uncle after all; possessing great seniority in the family, he had the standing to say such things. Seeing this, Tian Zhongqing could not help but inwardly sigh with emotion: *In the entire clan, only Uncle has the standing to speak like that...*
"Zhongqing!"
Tian Youdao called out softly. Tian Zhongqing quickly raised his head, and uncle and nephew exchanged a look. Tian Youdao's face was solemn as he said gravely, "Speaking of this... our family's present influence might seem to come from both of us successively breaking through to Qi Refinement, from the frequent spirit apertures appearing in the Tian clan, and from standing as pillars who earned the main family's trust to keep the Shanyue in check. But Zhongqing..."
He looked at his nephew and said quietly, "You must understand that our family's prestige and authority rest solely upon me alone!"
Tian Zhongqing nodded heavily. Having been settled with his own household and career for many years, with numerous children of his own, he had matured considerably. He muttered, "The Ren and Dou families are tied to the eldest branch, and now that they have Young Master Ximing, they follow them eagerly. The Liu family has declined, and the Xu family is wholly devoted to being pure loyalists in the military, leaning neither east nor west, so they have nothing to worry about. But our Tian family..."
Tian Youdao was Li Xuanfeng's maternal uncle, and the Tian family had always aligned themselves behind the third branch. Yet Li Xuanfeng had gone south to garrison Yishan City and had no heirs to his name, leaving the Tian family without a pillar to lean on. Li Xuanfeng was nominally stationed at Yishan City, but how many who went there ever returned? Though no one spoke of it openly, everyone assumed he would never come back. While the other prominent surnames felt little about it, the Tian family was drumming with anxiety.
"Indeed," Tian Youdao shook his head and replied. "My only fear is that if an accident befalls me one day, the Tian family will be carved apart by others, just like the Liu family."
Tian Zhongqing hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Uncle, what do you think of... the Eldest Young Master?"
Among the Li clan's Xi generation, Li Xicheng was the eldest, hence known as the Eldest Young Master. Li Xizhi was the third, while Li Ximing and Li Xijun were the seventh and eighth respectively; the remaining daughter and three sons were all mortals, sent down the mountain and left aside.
Li Xicheng was currently governing in the Shanyue lands, making him the only young master of the Li family to go down the mountain to administer affairs. He belonged to the second branch—the lineage of Li Tongya. Having had considerable contact with him, Tian Zhongqing possessed some understanding of him, and explained, "The Eldest Young Master possesses extraordinary magnanimity, generous and amiable. If our Tian family offers a daughter as his wife or concubine, and I devote myself to befriending him and leaning toward the second branch, we might find ourselves a great tree to shelter under. The second branch once suffered a temporary decline and has no maternal clan to support them, making them an ideal choice!"
Tian Youdao took a sip of tea and replied, "Go and give it a try. Build good relations first. From what I see, he has more than enough magnanimity but lacks toughness, making him easy to attach ourselves to. If we can win his trust, several generations will be free of worry."
***
Within the great hall flanked by numerous guards, Li Yuanping sat cross-legged in a brocade robe. The prayer mat beneath him gave off ribbons of white light, aiding his concentration and shielding him from disturbance.
"Clan Head! A letter from the western road."
A clan soldier stepping up from below called out softly. Seeing Li Yuanping cultivating in the hall, he did not dare step forward for the moment.
It was rare for Li Yuanping to find some leisure recently, giving him time to spare for cultivation. Though the gains were negligible, it was better than nothing.
"Bring it up."
Li Yuanping exhaled a breath and reached out to take the letter. Using a specific incantation to unseal the secret missive, he unfolded it and read:
"Donghe has reached the western desert, a place called the Guyan Great Desert. Both attendants are respectful and unharmed. There are numerous passes here, and we are staying as guests at Guyan Temple under the governance of the Jinyu Sect. With the three of us joining forces, we can gather the qi and return within seven years."
"Good!"
Seeing that a way had opened in the west to gather the Golden Yang Huangyuan, Li Yuanping was overjoyed. Glancing at the small letter in his hand, he asked in wonder, "Where did this come from?"
"Reporting to the Clan Head," the clan soldier answered, "it was carried here by an itinerant trader of miscellaneous qi traveling the road."
Li Yuanping nodded in understanding. Taking up brush and ink, he wrote a large "Good," added several words of encouragement and thanks, sealed it with his personal seal, and tossed it into Dou Yi's hands.
"Reward him with some spirit rice and let him carry this back."
Communication in this world was originally not so cumbersome. Leaving antiquity aside, it was said that even a thousand years ago there were things like voice-transmission talismans. But somehow, later on, such talismans either lost their efficacy or grew prohibitively expensive, and few people used them anymore.
Pulling back his thoughts, Li Yuanping turned his attention back to clan affairs.
*The Shanyue will be easy enough to handle.*
Ever since Li Yuanjiao mentioned the matter a few days ago and discussed it in detail with him before returning to the mountain to cultivate, Li Yuanping had devoted his mind to how to resolve both issues. Li Yuanping had long been dissatisfied with the Shanyue lands and had quietly made arrangements, but the various younger generation members of the clan gave him a terrible headache.
*If we really do as Brother suggested... where else can we find such a place...?*
Li Yuanping tidied the letters on the desk and took out intelligence on the neighboring families.
The Yu family had made no moves recently. Yu Mugao was burying his head in purging and ordering his clan, executing a batch one day and exiling another the next. Although his brothers had the advantage of numbers, they were no match for him and were slaughtered day after day like sheep.
"He truly dares to slaughter..."
Li Yuanping looked at the roster, pursing his lips. Yu Mugao was killing to his heart's content, but the hidden perils left behind were numerous. He shook his head and turned his thoughts toward the various families on the eastern shore.
There were over a dozen families scattered across the eastern shore. Though most were petty clans of Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement cultivators, their situation was rather tangled, entangled with many factions, so few dared to touch them.
Both the northern and eastern shores of Lake Wangyue had once been the territory of the Tangjin Gate. The families on the eastern shore were inextricably linked with the Tangjin Gate; even though the Tangjin Gate was now weak and had lost this territory, lingering ties of sentiment remained. That was the first point.
Second, the families on the eastern shore held several mineral veins, spirit springs, and other precious sites, all secretly controlled by vassals of the Xiao family to the west. Members of the Xiao family were stationed there under the title of guest elders to maintain the status quo and reap profits.
This should never have been permitted, but the Qingchi Sect turned a blind eye. Desiring to keep the region fractured into scattered pieces, the Xiao family maintained this arrangement year after year.
What was more, Lake Wangyue bordered the Xiao family, and the buffer zone between them was maintained by these various families. To the north, it bordered the Tangjin Gate; to the south, it adjoined the Li and Ding families. With various powers vying within it, it was a highly sensitive area.
It was precisely this convergence of factors that had stubbornly kept the eastern shore families afloat without major upheaval for a century. When the Jiang family flourished, they paid tribute to the Jiangs; when the Yu family reigned supreme, they paid tribute to the Yus. Now that the Yu family had declined and a tripartite balance stood on the lake, each went seeking a backer of its own.
"Back when the market collapsed and the Yu family declined, our family also had the opportunity to accept tribute from a few of those clans. But we lacked manpower back then, wishing only to bide our time and conceal our strength rather than meddle, and so we missed the chance."
Li Yuanping pondered for a while, feeling a sudden surge of interest, thinking to himself:
*As it happens, our family's expenses are tight now. If we can intervene... we could gain tribute on one hand, and cultivate some subordinate forces on the eastern shore on the other...*
As Li Yuanping was weighing the feasibility of this, he called down to Dou Yi, "Go to the Clan Rectory and fetch me a dossier on the eastern shore families."
Dou Yi nodded hastily and hurried down. Unexpectedly, another person came running up from below, saying respectfully, "Reporting to the Clan Head! A cultivator from the road requests an audience!"
"A cultivator from the road?"
Li Yuanping paused slightly. Knowing that anyone whose arrival was reported straight to the hall was unlikely to be simple, he asked, "What is his cultivation? Does he have a request to make?"
The clan soldier beneath the steps opened his mouth and answered, "According to Guest Elder An, he is likely not a cultivator of the Violet Palace or Golden Core paths. He wears a Daoist robe with patterned cuffs and has the appearance of a youth, but his aura is said to far exceed Foundation Establishment. As for his business, he insists on seeing only you, the Clan Head, before speaking."
Back in the day, An Zheyan had seen both Yu Xiaogui and Li Tongya, so he could roughly gauge the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Saying that this aura far exceeded Foundation Establishment naturally made Li Yuanping turn grave.
"Not a cultivator of the Violet Palace or Golden Core paths?! And he wants to see me?"
Li Yuanping froze for an instant before saying in a low voice, "Go warn Brother Jiao and tell... no need to call him over. Have him watch from the mountain... and keep Guest Elder An and the others ready to suppress any disturbance... just in case this person suddenly turns violent."
Li Yuanping looked grim. He had always hated unexpected trouble the most, especially since—even if the guest had arrived politely and in accordance with etiquette—a cultivation far beyond Foundation Establishment was something the Li family could never withstand if things went awry.
"Damn it!"
He vented his displeasure with a harsh curse, then exhaled a long breath and whispered, "Invite him to wait in the side hall."
"Yes!"
Dou Yi and the others ducked their heads and retreated. Only then did Li Yuanping sit back down in the high seat, thinking secretly:
*Judging by his attire, he isn't a Buddhist cultivator, but it's hard to say whether it's an illusion... Perhaps he's a demonic cultivator... Our family has never encountered Jiangnan demonic cultivators; we've only heard that their appearance is indistinguishable from ordinary people, so we probably wouldn't recognize one anyway.*
He walked a few steps down the stairs. After all, with a visitor of the Foundation Establishment level paying a call, only he in the Li family currently held enough weight, without the risk of causing an irreplaceable loss should the visitor suddenly strike him dead.
*Now is not the time to show weakness. If he grows suspicious, it will only make things worse. I might as well go meet him.*
Li Yuanping walked to the front of the hall and proceeded with light, floating steps. Just as he reached the corridor, he saw the honest and simple-looking Li Wen catching up silently, clutching a human-head-sized golden melon mace in each hand.
Looking at his mountain-like figure, Li Yuanping truly felt a bit more secure. He chuckled and said, "What a sturdy fellow!"
"Heh heh."
Li Wen gave a muffled chuckle. Arriving before the side hall, Li Yuanping said softly, "No need to follow me inside. Just wait out here."
After all, the gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement was immense. According to An Zheyan's description, Li Wen going up against him would be settled with a single palm, and having him inside would only make their family seem timid.
Seeing Li Wen blankly nod in consent, Li Yuanping pushed the door open and entered.
The side courtyard was plain and unadorned, furnished only with several wooden desks. Beside a small desk to the side sat a youth wearing a Daoist cap, with an ordinary face and a sword resting across his knees—which looked to be made of peach wood.
He appeared no older than twenty, draped in an ordinary Daoist robe with gold patterns embroidered on the cuffs, of a style that belonged to who knew where. The peach-wood sword was similarly dull and ordinary, not looking like any sort of treasure.
*A twenty-year-old Foundation Establishment?*
Li Yuanping had already convinced himself that this person had concealed his appearance with illusion arts, becoming all the more vigilant.
"The Li clan welcomes Senior's honorable presence. May I ask how to address Senior?"
Li Yuanping took a step forward, displaying a warm smile as he inquired softly, neither servile nor overbearing.
"Greetings, Clan Head! I am Wang Xun, hailing from Yinghua Commandery in the State of Zhao! Clan Head is too polite!"
Unexpectedly, the cultivator had a huge reaction, leaping up from the desk in an instant. The peach-wood sword on his lap flipped a somersault in midair and hovered weightlessly, yet Wang Xun seemed oblivious to it as he replied with courteous modesty.
Seeing the man's answer and tone, Li Yuanping relaxed slightly. Tracing the peach-wood sword with an imperceptible sweep of his eyes, he smiled and said, "So it is a guest from the State of Zhao! I am Li Yuanping. Forgive my lack of proper welcome."
"I dare not presume."
Seeing that Li Yuanping did not take the high seat but instead sat down to the side, clearly showing him respect, Wang Xun's stiff demeanor relaxed, and he took a seat as well.
Seeing that the youth's reactions did not seem feigned in the slightest, the burden in Li Yuanping's heart eased by another fraction. Growing more at ease, he said warmly, "Serve tea!"
Attendants brought the tea up, set it before the two, and hurriedly retreated. Li Yuanping smiled. Looking at the youth's bashful, shy manner, he still did not dare let his guard down, asking gently, "May I ask where Senior hails from? Is there something you wish to entrust to us? If it lies within my family's ability, we will certainly see it done for Senior."
This youth likely did not travel among worldly mortals often, having rattled off an introduction without revealing his clan or sect lineage. Li Yuanping asked about his background precisely to see if he came from some great sect or clan so that he could react accordingly.
Thus, smiling pleasantly as he asked, he picked up the jade pot to pour tea for him.
The youth paused, then nodded repeatedly, assuming Li Yuanping was asking about his family genealogy. He hurriedly answered, "I hail from the Yinghua Wang family. I am the great-great-grandson of True Monarch Xiaojin, and the son of Real Person Yingyuan..."
*Splash...*
It was as though Li Yuanping had been struck across the face out of nowhere. His head buzzed, and his steady hands jerked violently. The words shocked his mind completely blank, spilling several splashes of tea across the desk.
*True Monarch Xiaojin! A Golden Core cultivator!*
Dully raising his head, he stammered in disbelief, "Senior... says you are... the great-great-grandson of a True Monarch, and the son of a Real Person?!"
Chapter 333