In front of the screen, Li Wei calmly sipped his tea.
Outside the Azure Cloud Pavilion, the Li family children had already achieved victory in this battle. They had lived up to the years of cultivation bestowed upon them by their elders, shining brightly in their fight against the geniuses!
Li Wei's expression was one of contentment.
[Among your fifth-generation descendants, five of them have dominated numerous geniuses in the grand battle at the Azure Cloud Martial Pavilion. Acquired trait: A Generation of Prodigies!]
[Their reputation has increased, and their presence when facing their peers is enhanced by 10%.]
At this moment, Li Dalong had already entered the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
Notification messages appeared one after another in the event log on the screen!
[Your descendant-in-law, Xu Cuihua, has emerged from seclusion!]
[Your descendant, Li Tianshuang, has emerged from the Swamp Forest!]
[Your descendant...]
He could even see that throughout the Azure Cloud region, towns were closing their gates.
One by one, the forces of the Azure Cloud region were mobilizing, advancing step by step from the edges of the region.
But he...
"Let's have some milk tea."
Li Wei grinned. As the straw touched his lips and he swallowed, his gaze turned cold. "Let's see who the real chess player is!" he thought.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wei switched the screen.
It was the Jun Prince's Mansion!
Li Kuangren had been brought back to the Jun Prince's Mansion. He had reunited with his wife and child.
Li Changsheng had already grown into a young man. He was bowing to his parents, inquiring about the astonishing feats Li Kuangren had accomplished at the Azure Cloud Martial Pavilion.
But Li Kuangren seemed absent-minded and said casually, "Nothing special."
"What do you mean, 'nothing special'?" Li Changsheng asked with anticipation. "Father, tell me more! I heard that legendary figure, Yan Xiao, was there. I've also heard that he's very strong, with no equal." He loved hearing stories about cultivators from the outside world. Unlike in the Jun Prince's Mansion, where he could only be a pampered young master, here he could hear tales of adventure and excitement.
He also had to be constantly wary of his eldest uncle's lineage, as they seemed to be involved in some troublesome power struggle for succession.
Before Li Kuangren could speak, Feng Mi slapped Li Changsheng on the head and scolded him angrily, "You brat! What legendary figure? Do you want your mother to marry someone else?"
"...I'm sorry, Mother!"
Li Changsheng also realized he had said something wrong. Rubbing his head, he said with aggrieved tone, "I just didn't think Father could possibly lose."
Li Kuangren was also amused. "Yan Xiao?" he said. "I vaguely remember him. After a few exchanges, he became a ghost under your Sixth Uncle's spear."
"What???"
Li Changsheng's eyes widened. He even had a servant bring fruits and tea. "Tell me more," he urged.
The family of three enjoyed a happy and harmonious time together.
From time to time, Li Kuangren furrowed his brow. He could sense that the competition he and his siblings had participated in at the Azure Cloud Martial Pavilion was just the first move in a larger game. His elders were playing a game in a realm he couldn't comprehend.
Meanwhile, under a large tree in the Jun Prince's Mansion, Feng Qingyang was playing a game of Go with Li Yaowen!
Beside them was Feng Qingyang's only son, Feng Chunlin, and a python, its body shrunk to about two meters long, staring at Feng Chunlin with drool dripping from its mouth.
"Why are you staring at me?" Feng Chunlin asked, feeling uncomfortable under its gaze.
"Love at first sight," the python replied.
"..."
The two players, facing each other across the Go board, had serious expressions.
Feng Qingyang placed his stone on the board with difficulty. "As expected of the Lord of Dawn," he said, "your moves are truly cunning. I never know when I might fall into your trap, just like how it took me so long to uncover the spies you had hidden within my Mansion. You wouldn't be planning to secretly kill my son so that Mi'er can take control of the Jun Prince's Mansion in the future, would you?"
"..."
Feng Chunlin, listening intently from the side, was instantly alarmed and felt like cursing.
"Father-in-law, you jest," Li Yaowen said with a smile. "We have family rules; I wouldn't do such a thing. Besides, once my family returns home, I have no interest in your position as Jun Prince."
Li Yaowen effortlessly placed her stone on the Go board, and seeing that he was losing the game completely, Feng Qingyang's lips twitched.
Feng Chunlin, who was watching, just breathed a sigh of relief when Li Yaowen continued, "However, I've heard that someone has been deliberately targeting my Changsheng. If this matter escalates, there's no telling what might happen, wouldn't you agree?"
"Father," Feng Chunlin interjected, "this child has urgent matters to attend to. I'll take my leave now."
Feng Chunlin's face darkened. He hurriedly bowed to Feng Qingyang and, under the reluctant gaze of the Thunder Flame Fury Python, headed outside, his pace quickening with each step.
Upon leaving the hall, he summoned a servant and barked, "Where are those useless children of mine? Find them and bring them here! I'll break their legs!"
Feng Qingyang glanced at his son and rolled his eyes.
He then had someone serve tea and said, "I've heard that your Li family has been preparing all these years. Your family estate holds a vast amount of natural treasures, protected by a powerful formation, I presume?"
"If that's the case, and if the Li family can enlist the help of Daoist Jiuyou and Daoist Tiangui, along with you and that mysterious person you summoned before, and that hidden weapon, I wonder if you can withstand the combined forces of the nine major factions?"
"My Jun Prince's Mansion can provide a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator."
With that said, Feng Qingyang's expression grew agitated. He saw that Li Yaowen remained unfazed, calmly sipping her tea. "Li Yaowen," he said, "you should have received the news by now. It's time for you to lead your family back home and resist. I will have my grandfather accompany you."
Li Yaowen suddenly smiled.
Her eyes, like a vast starry sea, stared intently at Feng Qingyang, sending shivers down his spine.
"Lord Feng," she said, "you don't really believe that my Li family would willingly become a mere tool for your Jun Prince's Mansion, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
Feng Qingyang narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What I mean is, our two families are actually a perfect match, Lord Feng."
Li Yaowen spoke calmly and confidently. "Lord Feng, you consider my Li family as pawns, as firewood for the fire, as mere tools."
"But in truth, my Li family also wants to experience what it's like to be a chess player."
---
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