"No, Kuangtu, you're not a coward, you're not."
Qingyu tightly embraced her husband, her eyes brimming with tears. She had known when Li Kuangtu went to the Wu Clan, and she hadn't stopped him. She had always been watching her little man grow up. Just like when Huang Xiujin left back then, and she shouldered the great responsibility of the Cloudsea Pavilion, she also watched Li Kuangtu gradually shoulder the great responsibility of the family.
Many people have all sorts of choices in their lives. They can take risks they shouldn't take, and if they make mistakes, they can start over.
But the leader of a region, the head of a clan, the head of a family.
They don't have the luxury of taking risks. They can only choose the widest, safest path, regardless of humiliation, the ridicule of the world, or the misunderstandings of others.
From dawn until the bright moon hung high in the sky.
Li Kuangtu finally rose from Qingyu's embrace. He acted as if nothing had happened, standing on the high wall, surveying his family.
He suddenly smiled at Qingyu, pointing to various places in the family compound.
"Sister Qingyu, there, that's where I used to play as a child, where you and Grandpa Huang kept me company. When I returned from the Thunderfire Demon Cave, it was still the same as always. The swing I played on as a child is still there."
"And there, after the great battle outside our town, the old village chief, on his deathbed, made me promise to cultivate more medicinal fields in Green Valley Town. The children of Green Valley Town also want to become stronger, to protect this land together. I did it. In the future, all the children will be able to eat the 'Bone Strengthening Pills' from the Alchemy Pavilion."
"I also want to make the Silver Iron Forest spread for hundreds, thousands of miles. I want our town to produce many powerful cultivators. I want all the forces affiliated with our family to be able to settle down and make their homes in Green Valley Town. I want my family to exist for all eternity."
"..."
Li Kuangtu opened his arms wide, as if nothing had happened yesterday. He spoke of his greatest aspirations, until after a long silence, he seemed to be painting the most beautiful blueprint in his heart.
Then he reached out his hand towards Qingyu, a slightly apologetic smile on his tear-stained face.
"Sister Qingyu, will you accompany this coward and walk this path together?"
On this night, Li Kuangtu stood before the bright moon, seemingly shielding the moon behind him from the encroaching darkness. His smile was incredibly beautiful.
Qingyu threw herself into Li Kuangtu's arms, her voice firm, "I do, I'm willing to walk this path with you, to face everything."
She remembered, When her husband was still a child, he had listened to the stories of their elders. He said his elders were doing great, great things, bigger than the sandcastles he built, and when he grew up, he wanted to become that kind of hero.
Her husband had said that he was not a coward, so he wanted to follow his older brother and leave the Li family together. In the Thunderfire Demon Cave, he had fallen down countless times and complained, but he always managed to get back up.
He had spoken about his experiences outside, about his Great River Dragon General Diagram, about his talismans, and about killing the acclaimed prodigy.
Her husband refused to be a coward!
"Thank you."
Li Kuangtu's gentle voice reached her ears. Qingyu softly responded with a, "Mm."
She knew that her husband had once been a hero.
He had grown up, and his power had also grown stronger. He could have been as carefree as his elders, acting on his grudges and desires as he pleased. But what he carried on his back was not the sword of his dreams, but...
The entire Li family.
...
Li Kuangtu didn't know that the Ancestor had been following him all along.
"Whew."
Li Wei exhaled deeply. He had been watching and questioning himself all along, was Li Kuangtu really a coward?
Everyone has their own principles. Just like Li Dalong's insistence that the family's descendants stand tall and proud, regardless of the ancestral land that had been built up with the blood and sweat of generations, and his decision to fight the Wu Clan to the death.
And Li Kuangtu's principle was to compromise, to choose humiliation. Li Wei believed that if there were a better option, no one would want to grovel.
"Ultimately, it still comes down to power."
Li Wei placed his hands on the wall, standing shoulder to shoulder with Li Kuangtu. He looked around at the myriad lights of Green Valley Town. He believed that the descendants of the family would all understand the reasons behind Li Kuangtu's actions, as he did.
"Therefore, my children, admit it."
At this moment, his eyes shone as brightly as stars, yet also like the soon-rising sun, He murmured in the night, "Admit that we are weak. But one day, we will stand before the Wu Clan, with Kuangtu, and face Guan Tian in a different way!"
"To face... all of this."
Li Wei leaped down from the wall and returned to sit cross-legged beneath the Primordial Blood Tree.
He focused his mind and began to comprehend the laws of Heaven and Earth Qi.
The Golden Core's energy gathers to form the Nascent Soul. The day the Yang Spirit breaks through the Core to become the Nascent Soul, is the time to rebuild the family and fight again!
---
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [https://ko-fi.com/darktea] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 30 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!