Xiao Guiluan inquired in detail while Li Yuanjiao listened in silence from above, reaching his own conclusions as well. When Xiao Guiluan heard that the Xiao family had failed to intercept the group of demonic cultivators and had arrived to find nothing, she let out a sigh of relief.
Li Yuanjiao raised an eyebrow and said in a heavy voice, "Were you worried this was Xiao Guitu's doing on purpose?"
It was no wonder the couple grew suspicious. Li Yuanjiao's brother-in-law was exceptionally capable and intensely ambitious, having long harbored designs to turn the Li family further into vassals.
It was only later—perhaps on Xiao Chuting's orders—that Xiao Guitu somehow dropped the notion. The matter had gradually gone quiet, allowing Li Yuanjiao to relax his guard.
Now, fearing that Xiao Guitu's schemes were stirring once more, he asked this question. The moment the words were spoken, the faces of several people present changed.
To one side, Li Xijun looked pensive. His sword-straight brows relaxed, and cupping his hands, he said, "I also suspect this is Xiao Guitu's scheme: baiting our family to intervene so as to give others a pretext. Once that precedent is set, should turmoil ever arise within our family in the future, the Xiao family could step in by the same precedent."
His direct explanation laid their suspicions out bare in the open, catching both Xiao Guiluan and Li Qingxiao off guard.
"My brother would not stoop to this," Xiao Guiluan shook her head. After pondering carefully for a few breaths, she explained, "My brother takes pride in himself and has always favored the righteous, open path. Even if he wished to tighten control over our family, he would not employ such underhanded means. What is more..."
She paused before continuing, "If it were a deliberate ploy, he would certainly have laid an ambush at Yushan, waiting for the demonic cultivators to slaughter Yushan before pretending to arrive late to wipe them out. That would achieve two goals with one stroke, rather than showing cruelty to his own kin and leniency to outsiders, which would only alienate people's hearts."
Li Yuanjiao had merely harbored suspicions; upon thinking it through, he also realized something was amiss, so he said, "Quite right. The Xiao family has just suffered a loss and urgently needs to project strength so as not to be eyed hungrily by a pack of wolves. This is hardly the time to plot against our family. Xiao Guitu would not go so far."
Li Xijun nodded gently, his expression unruffled as he replied, "Then I overthought it."
Seeing his composure, Li Xuanxuan could not help but glance sideways at him, wondering whether Li Xijun had voiced it aloud on purpose. Beside them, Xiao Guiluan was already speaking:
"There is no need to worry. Since it was not my brother's deliberate scheme, there is much room to maneuver."
She took Li Qingxiao's hand and said gently, "My father holds high seniority and some influence within the clan, and his eldest son manages clan affairs. His words carry weight, yet he happens to be greedy and petty-minded.
"Take some spirit stones and send someone to Xianyou Peak. Butter him up with polite words and bribe him with a handsome sum to first settle the confirmation of Yushan's leadership on the peak."
Beside them, Li Yuanping had already produced a storage bag and counted out over seventy spirit stones, saying warmly, "Sister, the family savings are here. Take them and put them to use first."
Tears fell from Li Qingxiao's eyes as she accepted them with trembling hands. Before she could speak, Xiao Guiluan continued, "Even if my brother has no such intention, this precedent must not be set. I still have two close friends from my unmarried days within the clan who wield some influence in the Xiazhong and Dongshan branches. I will write a personal letter asking them to lend you a few Xiao family cultivators to keep up appearances."
"Good... good..."
Li Qingxiao stowed the spirit stones away. As Xiao Guiluan fetched brush and ink to write, Li Yuanjiao stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "I also have a Foundation Establishment talisman here. Keep it for your protection; it can deter petty scoundrels."
He was her elder brother after all, not given to overly emotional words. Thrusting the talisman into her hands, he warned her of the precautions when using it. Li Qingxiao nodded, watching as Xiao Guiluan handed the letter to her. Li Yuanjiao spoke again:
"The family will dispatch a merchant caravan to Yushan. As the situation develops, consult with us often."
"Thank you... thank you, Brother. Qingxiao has no way to repay this..."
Deeply moved, Li Qingxiao acquiesced and accepted it all. Lowering her brows, she bowed her head, replying in her capacity as head of the Yushan branch:
"The kindness shown by the family, the Yushan lineage accepts in full. Once Yushan is stabilized, every debt shall be repaid in turn."
With no one in charge at Yushan, every moment she remained away brought added danger. Thus, without further words, she took her leave on her flying shuttle.
"I haven't heard of any cultivators of note in the Yushan branch. With these measures, it should be enough to deal with ordinary people."
Seeing that Li Qingxiao had departed, Xiao Guiluan said no more on the matter, leaving only a tactful remark as she murmured softly, "This wife will make a trip back to the Xiao family. For one, my clan is in trouble, and I cannot stand idly by; for another, I can see my brother's attitude toward Yushan."
"Thank you for your trouble!"
Blessed with such a wife, Li Yuanjiao was touched and naturally agreed. Xiao Guiluan smiled gently and departed on the wind.
Once she had gone, Li Yuanping shook his head with regret and remarked, "Xiao Xian and Xiao Jiuqing were decent men. What a pity."
Back then, he had shared a brief acquaintance with Xiao Xian; though it had remained on the surface, Xiao Xian had felt thoroughly dependable.
Li Yuanjiao had other thoughts, however, and said in a low voice, "I fear Perfected Master Chuting is still nowhere to be found!"
Li Qinghong had been listening all along and was just pondering this matter. She chimed in, "Brother speaks truly. If Xiao Chuting were at Xianyou Peak, how could he permit demonic cultivators to openly slaughter and pillage Yushan? Xiao Guitu's claim that the Perfected Master has returned was nothing more than an attempt to reassure people."
Li Yuanjiao sighed, worrying for a breath over the Xiao family's plight before turning his mind to other concerns: "How can the likes of us intervene in the gambits of the Violet Palace above? My only fear is that these demonic cultivators are troublesome to deal with. If they head toward Lake Wangyue, chaos might break out in our household."
He looked around. Those remaining were all core direct descendants, and they were within their own array formation, so he spoke boldly:
"Our clan's Immortal Mirror possesses the ability to discern Heaven and Earth, and Great Yin Lunar Essence wields tremendous might. However, the Immortal Mirror holds an exalted status; using it constantly for surveillance might be irreverent, so we must stay vigilant ourselves.
"The demonic cultivators from Xunlin Plain are scattering in all directions. Devote yourselves to cultivation as usual and rarely step outside the great array."
With her spear slung behind her, Li Qinghong nodded. Sweeping her spiritual sense over him, she said softly, "Brother has reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement!"
Li Qinghong's natural talent was originally superior to Li Yuanjiao's, but because Li Yuanjiao had obtained that [Qi Circulation Spirit Swallowing], his cultivation speed had instantly doubled, surpassing Li Qinghong's.
Li Qinghong was currently only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, while Li Yuanjiao had already reached the seventh. Having received his talisman register at twenty, he was now thirty-seven or thirty-eight—nearly one layer every two years, an astonishing pace.
"Indeed," Li Yuanjiao answered, noticing her envious expression. "Do not be so downcast. In a real fight, I might not even be your match. The Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method is peerlessly fierce, archaic, and mysterious. When you wield Duruo, it truly breaks evil and dispels calamities."
Li Qinghong already harbored doubts in her heart. Her expression turned slightly strange. First waving the juniors away, she pulled Li Yuanjiao aside and said in a low voice, "Brother! Over the years I have cultivated this art, I have found it increasingly extraordinary. It came with an art of unknown grade, a lightning talisman, and a lightning incantation, each remarkable in its own right."
She stowed her spear and sat down, whispering, "Back then when Ning Heyuan of Qingchi fought me, he was a direct disciple of Qingchi, and the Siyuan Qian Light in his hands was a Qingchi secret art, yet it barely managed to immobilize my lightning talisman.
"Though my cultivation was a notch higher than his, giving me the upper hand, it still demonstrated the power of that lightning talisman. A pity it is intertwined with the Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method and cannot be cultivated on its own."
Li Qinghong's eyes were filled with doubt as she continued, "Grandfather said that nine times out of ten, good things in this world turn sour, so I secretly fear it."
Li Yuanjiao nodded silently and replied, "This art was given in gratitude when Granduncle rescued a Ziyan Gate cultivator back then... It does not necessarily have any issues.
"That cultivator said he obtained it from an ancient sect and had never practiced it himself. He was an unreliable fellow, so perhaps he had no idea of its true worth either.
"At any rate, I will write back to Xizhi and have him inquire within the sect."
After conferring for a while, the two went their separate ways.
***
Meanwhile, Xiao Guiluan flew off on the wind, traveling through the air for two full days.
After all, demonic cultivators were running rampant nowadays and the roads were unsafe. She detoured by way of Xunlin Plain, passing properly and respectfully through the more than a dozen immortal peaks of the Yuan family before finally looping around to Xianyou Peak, taking a massive detour.
White mourning cloth hung everywhere on Xianyou Peak, saddening Xiao Guiluan as she looked upon it. She visited several old acquaintances; the playmates of her youth had now become masters of minor peaks, and many were no longer close to her.
After all, the Xiao family was far too vast, tangled in countless competing interests and splintered into various factions. Some old friends had pledged loyalty to particular factions and dared not speak much with her for fear of being implicated.
Xiao Guitu was now the cultivator in charge of the Xiao family affairs, and Xiao Guiluan's status had risen accordingly. Where once she would have waited a long time for word to be passed up, now she merely gave her name before ascending the main peak.
Clad in golden armor, Xiao Guitu was toying with a pair of jade rings as he sat in the seat of honor inside the main hall of the summit. Xiao Guiluan stepped across the jade flagstones, bowed low, and only then dared take the opportunity to scrutinize her brother.
Xiao Guitu looked much more somber, his cultivation now at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement. His face, which once wore smiles, had grown impassive. Yet upon seeing his sister after many years apart, a slight smile still surfaced as he said warmly, "It is rare to see you come home."
His words left Xiao Guiluan tongue-tied. Xiao Guitu walked down a couple of steps and sat by an angled stone on the dais. Only then did Xiao Guiluan notice that his golden armor was riddled with tiny, dense holes, looking as if it could no longer be used.
Dismantling the armor on his own, Xiao Guitu murmured, "What a coincidence. Perfected Master Bu Zi just left, and here you come."
"The Qingchi Sect? Perfected Master Bu Zi?"
Xiao Guiluan was seized by sudden horror. Xiao Guitu tossed an arm plate from his elbow, letting it clatter loudly against the floor as he answered:
"Indeed.
"The Ancestor has not returned, so naturally he could act as insolently as he pleased."
Xiao Guiluan could only stare blankly at him, her mind racing. She could not comprehend why Xiao Guitu was suddenly straying from all convention, or why he was speaking to her so bluntly. Ignoring her expression, Xiao Guitu continued:
"The Li family must have realized it as well. For something like this to happen at Yushan shows that the Ancestor is not on the peak at all. If a Violet Palace master were presiding, how would they dare pass through the Yushan road?
"Right now, the Yuan family, the Chen family, and the twenty-eight vassal families subordinate to my Xiao family are all in unrest. Every one of them has sent emissaries to make inquiries, claiming to ask after casualties and offer condolences, but everyone knows what they are thinking deep down."
Xiao Guiluan bowed as she listened. Xiao Guitu looked exhausted as he said in a heavy voice:
"The Perfected Master is merely trapped somewhere in the East Sea. Zhang Tianyuan cannot kill him."
He stared blankly at Xiao Guiluan for a moment, as though coming to some firm resolve. Stepping down slowly, he spoke with earnest sincerity:
"My Xiao family believes we have helped your family no small amount over the years. The Perfected Master raised your clan from humble obscurity, and Ancestor Yuansi took personal care of your affairs in every detail. Whether behind the Li family stand the demons of Mount Dali or some Violet Palace Perfected Master, please go to the East Sea to lend a helping hand."
*The Li family has a Violet Palace master behind them?!*
Xiao Guiluan was shaken to the core. The image of the Li family members worrying that Xiao Guitu would seize this chance to stir up trouble flashed in her mind—they looked nothing like people with a Violet Palace master backing them! Assuming Xiao Guitu had misunderstood, she hurriedly said, "Brother! The Li family is destitute from top to bottom; they can barely even manage Foundation Establishment, so how could they have a Violet Palace cultivator protecting them... This... this—"
Xiao Guitu shook his head and said in a low voice, "Just relay my words to Li Yuanjiao."
Xiao Guiluan choked back her words, gritted her teeth, and agreed. Only then did Xiao Guitu add, "I am also aware of the matter with Yushan. Do not worry; nothing will go wrong."
Xiao Guiluan felt that her brother had surely misunderstood something, making him so remarkably accommodating. She let out a breath and submissively withdrew.
Xiao Guitu watched her departing silhouette, sitting silently on the jade steps and staring off into space.
Did the Li family have a Violet Palace cultivator behind them?
To Xiao Guitu's mind, it was set in stone: there was definitely at least one Violet Palace master behind the Li family, and no ordinary one at that!
Back then, Xiao Guitu had always felt that leaving a ravenous wolf like the Li family at their side was ill-advised. Watching the Li family conquer the Shanyue, annex the two mountains, and seeing Li Tongya display such astonishing swordsmanship, he had tossed and turned at night, unable to set his mind at ease.
Yet after the affair with Wrathful Mahā, Xiao Chuting had used Li Tongya's immunity to the divine ability to intimidate the gathered Violet Palace masters. Once back home, he too had grown suspicious; coupled with how the demons of Mount Dali fiercely defended the northern-slope families, he immediately formed a theory.
When Xiao Guitu had plotted to vassalize the Li family under the pretext of marriage, before anything could come of it, he was summoned up the mountain by Xiao Chuting. Once Xiao Chuting shared all his suspicions, Xiao Guitu finally understood:
"No wonder... No wonder the Li family could rise so rapidly within a few decades, emerging victorious with ease amidst the rivalries of all the clans. No wonder Li Tongya and Li Chijing, starting from nothing, could both reach Foundation Establishment!"
So the Li family was the hidden move of some Violet Palace master! The Li family's series of triumphs was blatantly the arrangement of some profound and mysterious lifebound divine ability—or perhaps the Li family was originally the rare descendant line of a Violet Palace lineage, hidden amongst the common wilderness, which was why each and every one of them was a prodigy!
Li Mutian was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet no trace of such a person could be found throughout Wu, Yue, or Jiangnan. That was blatantly the handiwork of a Violet Palace master. When Xiao Guitu thought about it further, only two parties had ever inflicted real losses on the Li family:
Mount Wu killed Li Xiangping, and Qingchi killed Li Chijing.
Both pointed directly to two Perfected Masters at the peak of the Violet Palace attempting to break through to the Golden Core! It was unmistakably Violet Palace Perfected Masters trading pieces and interfering in each other's affairs!
Calculating it thus, the silhouette of the Violet Palace master behind the Li family took shape:
Adept in fate and divination, lurking behind the scenes of some sect, nursing a grudge against the Qingchi Sect, and at least in the late Violet Palace stage.
Because the Violet Palace master behind the Li family refused to show their hand, the Xiao family did not dare publicize or expose it either. They simply gave the Li family every convenience in the market and quietly supported them behind the scenes.
Now with Xiao Chuting trapped, Xiao Guitu had nowhere to turn for aid. Remembering that Xiao Chuting and the Li family's Violet Palace backer had quietly coordinated—one borrowing intimidation, the other concealing traces—he had no choice but to take a desperate gamble and seek help from the Li family.
"I only hope I haven't provoked that Perfected Master... Guiluan is plainspoken and honest, so it should be fine..."
Xiao Guitu truly could not set his mind at ease. Xiao Chuting had been missing for over two full years, and he had only heard from Bu Zi's lips that he was trapped by Zhang Tianyuan. The green-robed Perfected Master had gloated over the misfortune, which meant Xiao Chuting's plight was likely grim.
"Our family has broken away from Qingchi; our very survival rests entirely upon you!"
Chapter 351