A Jade Court Guard hurried away. Chen Mufeng's expression was grim. Li Chengliao took a sip of tea and asked, "Chiliarch, what happened?"
Chen Mufeng turned around and said respectfully, "Replying to Young Master, it is just a minor matter... Allow me..."
Li Chengliao smiled, set out a cup of tea for him, and said softly, "There are no small matters; they are all family affairs."
Chen Mufeng's face shifted slightly, and he hurriedly explained, "It is just that Miss Liu... has a childhood sweetheart, a young master of a local family in town surnamed Xu. They have some family holdings... His ancestors once held the post of town supervisor. The Liu family originally intended to use Miss Liu to latch onto that branch. Who would have thought that the Patriarch took notice of her, so they immediately changed their minds... which stirred up some trouble..."
"Oh?"
Li Chengliao chuckled in sudden realization and joked lightly, "It seems I have become the playboy in popular storybooks who steals another man's bride!"
Chen Mufeng felt embarrassed and lowered his voice. "Just now, the residence sent two men to invite Miss Liu... but that man beat them back out. Although both had cultivation, they were no match for him."
At those words, Li Chengliao's smile vanished in an instant. He stared at the middle-aged man before him and said softly, "On my Li family's territory, where my Zhong branch holds sway, we sent people to invite her, yet she dared to have them beaten out? What does he take my family for!"
"Whether she marries or not, no one ever forced her. It is just a matter of a single word; why make things so awkward and disgraceful!"
Chen Mufeng fell silent, bowing his head. "This subordinate has already dispatched the Jade Court Guard..."
"Wait."
Li Chengliao frowned. "It was not easy for me to come down the mountain. Do not blow this up. Several of my clan uncles dislike such disturbances, and we must not draw their attention. It would be most unsightly."
Chen Mufeng nodded repeatedly. Li Chengliao said, "Call two Jade Court Guards. I will go and see for myself."
He smoothed his brocade robes, and Chen Mufeng accompanied him down, remarking, "This Young Master Xu is strange as well. In the past, he was mute and trapped at the second layer of Embryonic Breathing for years. Only in recent months did he break through and begin to speak. Everyone praises him for a late resurgence born of long accumulation..."
...
The Liu Family Compound.
Although the Liu family had been in decline for many years, they had once seen glory. While the courtyard was dim and aged, it covered a vast area. Built of grey brick and stone, it featured an exquisitely carved stone table in the center, beside which stood a woman leaning against it, her face filled with anxiety.
She had a lovely face and a cool, aloof temperament, yet her delicate brows were lightly furrowed with distress. On the other side stood a strapping youth—handsome, dashing, and radiating astonishing blood qi.
"Wulang... you were too reckless... The Li family's influence is immense and deeply entrenched, with prodigies cultivating inside the sect and alliances with immortal clans. How could you offend them like this?"
"When they came to the door, I could have just made an excuse to deflect them. By beating those two out, haven't you blown this out of proportion!"
Xu Wulang folded his arms, shook his head, and sneered, "You don't understand. How many times can an excuse work? As long as that Eldest Young Master still covets you, he will keep sending people to pester you in the end, and the Liu family won't pass up a chance to latch onto high branches either. It must be blown up so he knows to retreat in the face of difficulty!"
"The Li family cares about face and enforces strict rules. My only fear is that it isn't big enough!"
Liu Lingzhen gently shook her head and whispered, "You haven't stepped out of your courtyard for years, and you were mute before. You don't know the Li family's might..."
"Rest assured!"
Xu Wulang laughed heartily, declaring proudly, "I have already broken through to Qi Refinement! The Great Dao lies right before me!"
"What?!"
Liu Lingzhen lost her composure, both astonished and delighted. "It's only been a few years! You've broken through again?!"
She paused, then added with regret, "If only it weren't two years late. You are already twenty-five, and the Xu family gave that portion of heaven-and-earth spirit qi to your eldest brother..."
"It doesn't matter."
Xu Wulang raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, "I wouldn't stoop to want that thing anyway! A mere portion of Dongquan limpid qi? I used something far better."
"It's just that I broke through too quickly, so I cannot reveal it to others yet. Although I have secret arts to conceal it, there is no guarantee the Li family doesn't have some ocular technique to see through it. Wait a few more years..."
He shifted the topic, sneering, "I'm just waiting for those running dogs to come knocking. If they dare lay a hand on us in broad daylight, what good will it do Li Chengliao even if he is the Eldest Young Master? The people of the Clan Rectory are watching like hawks and can report straight to Mount Qingdu—he'll have plenty of trouble!"
Hearing his words, Liu Lingzhen calmed down significantly and said softly, "I only fear the Clan Rectory will shield him..."
"Hahaha."
Xu Wulang said with absolute certainty, "I examined the records over the past few days. The Clan Rectory has always promoted people based on impeaching the powerful... If there is any fault, they will certainly hold those in authority accountable first."
He sneered, "As long as we keep our footing, even the Jade Court Guard can do nothing to us! Higher up, the immortal sect is watching to uphold justice; they will never let us suffer!"
Liu Lingzhen nodded naively, listening to her beloved. Xu Wulang's spiritual sense stirred, and he said in a low voice, "Someone is coming!"
Sure enough, a flattering voice of a Liu clan elder drifted in from outside. The courtyard gate was knocked upon abruptly, followed by two creaks as Liu Lingzhen's mother called from outside, "Zhen'er! Open the gate, quickly!"
Liu Lingzhen paled at once, pulling at Xu Wulang to make him leave. Xu Wulang remained motionless, saying coldly, "It's too late. I doubt he can see through my cultivation anyway. Let him in!"
Mother Liu, however, had no intention of waiting for her to open the door; with a creak, she pushed it open and entered. Leading the way was a young man clad in light-colored dharma robes with a spear slung across his back. His gaze swept over the two before he waved a hand.
The middle-aged man behind him was surprisingly at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. With just a push of his hands, he shoved the crowd of Liu clan elders and uncles outside. The doors slammed shut with a thud. The youth's brow carried a distinct aura of gallantry as he simply said, "Li Chengliao of the Li family greets fellow daoist."
Liu Lingzhen felt as if she had plummeted into an icy cavern. Xu Wulang was also shaken for a moment, not expecting Li Chengliao to come in person. Forcing himself to stay composed, he said, "Xu Xiao of the Xu clan greets Young Master."
Li Chengliao saw the glances passing between the two and understood at once. With his smile undiminished, he said softly, "Young Master Xu truly has a fine bearing. The Xu clan is a prominent surname, and at last, a heroic figure has emerged."
Li Chengliao's words left Xu Xiao unable to use a single one of the prepared speeches brimming in his mind, while Liu Lingzhen was trapped in a dilemma. While Xu Xiao was stunned for a few moments, Li Chengliao had already continued:
"Earlier, it was the Liu family who submitted Miss Liu's name—truly a muddled thing to do! Those two servants even took money from the Liu family and rushed to invite the young lady over. Fortunately, Young Master Xu stepped in to stop them, or a terrible misunderstanding would have nearly occurred!"
He said with pleasant geniality, "This incident was due to lax discipline in my residence. We have allocated a cultivating quota on the peak to compensate the Xu family and Miss Liu, and someone has already been dispatched with it. I have come personally to offer our apologies. I hope the young lady will not take offense at an unintentional lapse from our residence."
Setting aside Xu Xiao's reaction, Liu Lingzhen froze for two full breaths before delight surfaced on her face. She looked at him with great favor, bowed in thanks, and Xu Xiao could only bow his head in echoing agreement, while Liu Lingzhen beamed with undisguised joy.
Li Chengliao cast a peculiar glance at him, then turned and left decisively. A crowd of Liu clan elders and kin swarmed forward, trying to detain him with tearful appeals.
These men had been playboys when the Liu family was in power, and now that they had grown old and taken the helm, they ran things into an even worse mess. Li Chengliao stepped out of the courtyard, brushed off the weeping and pleading Liu family members, and walked away with Chen Mufeng.
As soon as Li Chengliao left, Chen Mufeng seemed to have many words bottled up inside. Only after they arrived in the main hall did the middle-aged man lean close to his ear and whisper, "That Xu Wulang... truly is at the third layer of Embryonic Breathing."
Li Chengliao's smile disappeared as well, replaced by a look of puzzlement. He murmured softly, "Setting aside how thoroughly rotten the Liu family is, Liu Lingzhen truly is an empty fool, rotten inside. Fortunately, no betrothal was settled, or trouble would have arisen sooner or later."
"As for Xu Xiao... his sudden rise is quite peculiar."
Li Chengliao pondered for a moment and asked, "Tell me everything about this Xu Wulang, from start to finish, in detail!"
Chen Mufeng also understood the gravity of the situation and hurriedly replied, "This person is twenty-five years old this year. Born mute, he never left his courtyard gates. Up until age twenty-one, he remained at only the second layer of Embryonic Breathing. It was only a few years ago that he suddenly began to speak. His personality changed drastically, his cultivation broke through, and though he kept it hidden, we only recently discovered that he had already reached the third layer."
Li Chengliao calculated mentally and asked in confusion, "Could it be that this person encountered some sort of opportunity?"
Doubt arose in his heart. He turned and asked, "I remember that the Patriarch of the Liu family... is a miscellaneous qi cultivator, is he not?"
"Indeed he is."
Hearing his reply, Li Chengliao clasped his hands behind his back and said thoughtfully, "Send someone to summon him. Bribe him with a few spiritual items and have him test this Xu Wulang."
Chen Mufeng was slightly taken aback. Feeling that Li Chengliao was being excessively cautious, he did not entirely agree, but given Li Chengliao's noble status, he still nodded, excused himself, and set about handling it. That left Li Chengliao standing alone in the hall, looking at the tea that had long grown cold in the wind.
"I would like to see if some monstrous entity is up to mischief."
...
The Liu Family Courtyard.
The Li family had barely departed when Liu Lingzhen said delightedly, "He has none of the arrogance of a noble clan! He's truly a good person!"
*A good person?*
Xu Xiao sighed inwardly. Li Chengliao's response had completely defied his expectations. He thought bitterly:
*What a brilliant trick of turning enemies into friends! No wonder the Li family can blot out the sky with one hand over the lake, monopolizing the spirit fields, extorting and levying ruthlessly, wringing out every single grain of spirit rice, and using connections to monopolize quotas so only their noble clan disciples can enter the immortal sects to cultivate... securing their position as a great clan even more firmly!*
*That young master may be polite on the surface, but who knows if he harbors a grudge? It seems I cannot linger here for long. Better to leave early and roam the world. Once I form an immortal foundation and master divine abilities, returning to overthrow this hegemon won't be too late...*
He whispered, "Zhen'er, once you break through to Qi Refinement, let us venture out into the world together!"
This had originally been something Liu Lingzhen and he yearned for, but at this moment, hesitation showed on the woman's face, and she murmured, "B-But now he has already given me a spot to cultivate on the mountain... The demonic disaster is raging outside. Isn't it nice to draw a stipend in a safe place like this? The Li family is quite good too... They never kill people to draw blood qi."
Xu Xiao sneered, transmitting his voice with dharmic power:
"A behemoth like that—just think about it, and you'll know there must be shady, shameful deeds under the surface! Li Ximing can refine so many pills without his cultivation falling behind in the slightest. Who's to say he isn't relying on demonic arts and blood qi... secretly slaughtering people behind the immortal sect's back? How good could they possibly be? If the immortal sect finds out, they certainly won't let him off easy!"
Liu Lingzhen thought it over carefully and felt it made a lot of sense. She looked at him with admiration. Xu Xiao continued, "When you and I either roam the world or enter an immortal sect, both returning as Violet Palace masters to replace them, wouldn't that be wonderful? When the time comes, never mind this paltry stipend—the entire south bank will belong to us."
He brimmed with such fierce confidence that Liu Lingzhen was thoroughly enchanted. By comparison, the Li family young master's earlier politeness and reluctance to stir up trouble seemed inferior. She giggled and nodded vigorously.
Xu Xiao paused, still feeling that things were somewhat difficult. Li Chengliao's behavior had been too unexpected. He could only turn his palm, produce a medicinal pill, and whisper, "Go into seclusion to break through right now. Ingest this pill. We won't wait for Qi Refinement—once you reach Yujing, you and I will set out."
Liu Lingzhen grew excited at once, then asked curiously, "Where did you get this from, though... Don't go stealing from your family..."
"Don't worry," Xu Xiao said softly.
Having seen Liu Lingzhen into the rear courtyard, Xu Xiao took a step, intending to leave. Since news of his breakthrough to Qi Refinement was still kept secret and could not be revealed, he did not ride the wind away. Yet just as he walked out the door, he saw an old man standing before him with a ferocious look on his face.
"Patriarch Liu."
Xu Xiao looked down on him in his heart, but for Liu Lingzhen's sake, he still greeted him. Unexpectedly, the old patriarch cursed the moment he came up:
"What a motherless, wretched knave, seducing a daughter of my family!"
A look of ferocity suddenly surged across Xu Xiao's face. He said viciously, "I gave you an ounce of respect as an old bastard for your daughter's sake, so don't you fail to appreciate my kindness!"
Old Man Liu had been waiting for this. Immediately, he slapped a palm toward him, muttering curses under his breath. Xu Xiao caught the old man's arm with one hand, gripping it like an iron vise. Unable to pull his arm back, the old man reached with his other hand to draw the precious sword at his waist.
Xu Xiao sneered. His other hand clamped onto the sword as swiftly as thunder. With a wrench and a shove, he opened his lips and spat out a jet of pitch-black flame.
Old Man Liu felt a sharp pain in his chest and hurriedly whipped out two talismans, but both were incinerated clean before the flame. He felt his entire body go limp, as if his cultivation was about to be burned dry.
He gasped and wheezed, on the verge of losing his breath. Xu Xiao, however, did not intend to make a scene; with a light inhale, he sucked the flame back into his belly and said coldly, "If you dare cause trouble again... I will see to it that you die a miserable death."
With a flip of his hand, a small black talisman appeared in his palm, and he slapped it onto Old Man Liu's chest, warning, "If you dare reveal anything about me, the moment you open your mouth, this fire will burn you to cinders!"
"H-Hah! A dem... demonic cultivator!"
Old Man Liu had never seen the wider world. Seeing only how pitch-black, sinister, and bizarre the technique was, he was scared out of his wits, crying out that he was a demonic cultivator. Under the other's vicious glare, he shut his mouth and collapsed limp to the ground.
Xu Xiao sneered and strode away. Old Man Liu shrank back, scrambled up, spat with venomous malice, and quietly crept into the rear courtyard. He fell to his knees with a thud, whimpering and not daring to speak.
A Jade Court Guard landed in the courtyard as well, looking quite similar to Chen Mufeng. His eyes were wide with shock as he muttered, "Just one move... with just one move..."
Not to mention Old Man Liu, even as a cultivator of the second layer of Qi Refinement, he had felt a profound sense of threat from that black flame. He gasped in dismay, "Could he be some reincarnated figure, or perhaps received an immortal's legacy?! I, Chen, have never seen such a genius!"
Just as the guard surnamed Chen finished speaking, he saw a silhouette leaning against the rear courtyard doorway. It was Xu Xiao, who had turned back. Pitch-black flames burned fiercely in the youth's hand, and he stared at him with chilling malice:
"Centurion Chen... why must you poke your nose into other people's business?..."
Chapter 422