As soon as they emerged from the courtyard, the Li family contingent returned directly to their own residence, with Ye Xiu following right behind them.
Standing beneath the red crown of the Primal Blood Tree (which had reverted to its original form), Ye Xiu watched the Li family members. They seemed utterly unconcerned by the events of the meeting and were already ordering maids and servants to arrange a victory banquet. Only then did Ye Xiu truly grasp the meaning of the proverb: "The emperor stays calm while his eunuchs panic."
"What in blazes are you Li family people doing?! Are you blind?!"
His eyes wide with fury, one hand on his hip, the other jabbing towards the outside, Ye Xiu – despite his handsome looks – now resembled nothing so much as a shrewish market wife letting fly a torrent of abuse. "You've brought back a pack of treacherous white-eyed wolves!" he yelled. "You actually helped those backstabbers! Who the hell does that Jiang Chenghuan think he is?! Anyone who didn't know the situation would think he was the one who led us all to victory against the Wu Clan! That damn bastard! I swear, he actually thinks he's the Emperor now!"
"Alright, alright, that's enough!"
Li Kuanghua leaped up, her face etched with annoyance, twin ponytails whipping around. She threw an arm firmly around her master's neck. "Master, stop yelling!" she hissed. "It's embarrassing! You're a grown man, Master! Can't you just keep some things bottled up inside? What good does all this shouting and clamoring do?!"
She reflected – hadn't she herself possessed such a fiery temperament once upon a time? But later, after acquiring an even more outrageous master in Ye Xiu, Li Kuanghua had slowly, inevitably, become the steady and composed one... She found herself constantly having to watch him, preventing her 'straight-gutted' master from running his mouth and spouting nonsense.
Only then did Ye Xiu sullenly shut his mouth, though his gaze towards the outside remained tinged with irritation.
[Your descendant, Li Kuanghua, has cultivated under Ye Xiu for many years. As her master became increasingly reckless, she found herself forced to look after him as one would care for a child. Obtained Trait: Rebellious Disciple.]
[Trait Effects: Respect for Master -80%; Success Rate of Preventing Master's Temper Tantrums and Impulsive Actions +50%; Damage Dealt to Master +50%; Cultivation Speed Near Master +10%]
"...."
Li Wei had only just now noticed this particular trait of Li Kuanghua's, leaving him momentarily speechless. He still remembered the Li Kuanghua of the past – the one who used to run wild with demonic cultivators, an absolute little hellion stirring up trouble. Her explosive temper back then was scarcely less ferocious than Li Yaotie's.
Indeed, Li Wei mused, it seemed the best way to cure a hot temper was simply to pair the person with someone even more explosive. This Ye Xiu was certainly amusing. Fearing neither heaven nor earth, daring to glare defiance even at the Li family heads and cultivators likely at the Divinity Transformation stage, yet somehow, the only one he seemed truly afraid of was his own disciple.
Nevertheless, Li Wei and the other Li family members present had actually found Ye Xiu's outburst rather endearing. If even Ye Xiu could see the situation so clearly, then among the Li family, perhaps excluding the more straightforward Li Yaotie and the Seven Ironclad, who couldn't have understood what was going on?
Li Wei's outward expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he felt a flicker of dissatisfaction. When arranging the Jiang family's return, how had they overlooked this possibility of Jiang Chenghuan's ambition? Conversely, long ago, when they had brought the Mi family into the Azure Cloud region's sphere, the Li family had immediately implemented precautions on multiple levels. After all, human hearts are unfathomable, and the Mi family, too, were rulers of their own domain – why would they readily accept a subordinate position?
Who would have expected Mi Zhunqi to be so perceptive and accommodating? Partly because the Mi family had consistently been so cooperative after aligning with them, the Li clansmen had gradually lowered their guard regarding them.
"Ai, Brother Ye," Li Yunbing sighed, "rumors truly cannot be believed." Li Yunbing gave a wry smile. "Did you ever imagine the Jiang family would behave like this?"
"No, that I certainly didn't," Ye Xiu admitted. "Rumor always held that the Jiang family, formerly one of the Eight Great Clans of Eternal Sun Prefecture, was the most peaceable among them. I even visited the Jiang family myself once," Ye Xiu continued. "They were incredibly welcoming to me, very amicable people. I never dreamed that after your Li family went to such lengths to help him, that fellow Jiang Chenghuan would immediately try to seize supreme authority over all three regions!"
Ye Xiu shook his head, practically grinding his teeth in frustration. "We've always cooperated closely and followed your Li family's lead without issue," he complained. "Now this Jiang Chenghuan insists on pulling this kind of stunt – even an idiot can see it's going to cause trouble later!"
"That just shows how complex human nature is," Li Dalong, who had remained silent until this point, suddenly spoke up with a deep sigh. "People can endure hardships together readily enough, but being able to share good fortune is far rarer, and thus more precious. Still, perhaps it's for the best," Li Dalong mused. "With the Jiang family revealing their ambition this early, it at least allows us to be prepared."
Hearing this, Ye Xiu's eyes lit up, and his fists clenched with renewed resolve.
"Got it!" he exclaimed. "I'll go find Mi Zhunqi right now! We'll surround that crafty old Jiang family and remind them exactly what proper decorum looks like—and who sets the rules around here!"
"Master, there you go again!" Li Kuanghua sighed.
Li Kuanghua puffed out her cheeks, leaped up, and smacked her master on the back of the head.
Caught completely unprepared, Ye Xiu grimaced, clutching his head and grumbling, "Hey! Your Li family elders are present! Kuanghua, who's the master here, you or me?!"
"...."
Witnessing the peculiar antics of this master-disciple pair, the Li family elders could only look at each other, nonplussed. In the distance, Old Raging Sky Flood Dragon – a man Li Kuanghua had once saved, who regarded her like his own cub– watched with tear-filled eyes. "Grown up..." he murmured, "She's all grown up now, ah. Got herself a master, and now... It's been quite a few years since she last sat on my back to go flying together, ah."
"Thanks, Brother Ye." Li Yunbing stepped in front of Ye Xiu, smiling. "At this critical juncture in the war, the general situation among the three regions is more or less settled. It's best not to complicate matters unnecessarily. Besides, Jiang Chenghuan has fulfilled his end of the bargain by agreeing to rename Qi Region under Azure Cloud region; he hasn't broken his word. So he has some ambition, that's all. Under heaven, how many truly lack ambition? For now, it's best to just let him be."
"Well..." Ye Xiu started to argue further, but catching Li Kuanghua still staring fixedly at him, he frowned. "Fine! Anyway, my Myriad Arts Sect, from top to bottom, refuses to accept his authority! Old Mi's family certainly won't either, and I bet your Azure Cloud region Feng family feels the same!"
"Let's do this, Brother Ye," Li Yunbing proposed. "Henceforth, whatever Jiang Chenghuan proposes or orders, just agree first for the time being. You can come consult with me afterward. The Jiang family has Divinity Transformation stage experts, so naturally, they harbor ambitions. As long as they don't overstep significantly, we don't need to concern ourselves with them for now."
Only after Li Yunbing finished speaking did Ye Xiu finally relent. Otherwise, this body cultivator truly might have stormed over to the Jiang contingent to demand an explanation.
After gesturing for Li Kuanghua to lead Ye Xiu away, Li Dalong's expression turned grimly displeased. "It appears," he stated flatly, "that the ambitions of both Jiang Chenghuan and the Jiang family are considerable indeed."
Seeing the gloomy expressions clouding the faces of the elders, Li Kuangren angrily slapped himself across the face. "It's my fault, and Changsheng's!" he declared. "We never should have engineered the Jiang family's return to Qi – we've led a wolf into our own house!"
"There's no need for that."
Seeing Li Kuangren about to strike himself again, Li Yunbing stopped him. "There's no need for that," he said with a smile. "If the Jiang family truly desires to rule the unified territory of the three regions, believing that this combined strength will elevate their clan to the next level, well then... let's give them a little push. For our Li family, this might not necessarily be a bad thing, you know."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Li Yunbing's words made Li Yaotie glare; he'd been itching to curse for some time already. However, having just seen even Ye Xiu get smacked by his own disciple, Li Yaotie, wisely kept his mouth shut. After all, while only Li Kuanghua smacked Ye Xiu, there were plenty of people here who wouldn't hesitate to smack him. Still, seeing Li Yunbing's nonchalant attitude, Li Yaotie couldn't restrain himself and grumbled irritably, "He's practically on our turf acting like king of the hill already! What damn 'good thing' is that?!"
"You idiot!"
Li Yaoqing kicked him. Seeing 'Old Third' expertly crouch down and cover his head, she harrumphed. "Let me explain something to you, idiot. When I cultivate spirit medicines, the stalk that grows the very tallest and strongest? That's always the first one harvested. Think about that old tree behind us. When he used to be the tallest around, wasn't he always the first one to bear the brunt of the wind and rain? And you lot," she added pointedly, "precisely because he was the most conspicuous, you loved using the spot right underneath him as your convenient little 'rest stop'!"
Primal Blood Tree: ...
Strange memories surfaced in the Primal Blood Tree's consciousness. The brief flicker of amusement it felt seeing Li Yaotie get kicked vanished without a trace.
"Exactly."
Li Yunbing smiled. "Second Aunt puts it plainly," he said. "The Jiang family only sees the results our Li family has accomplished, but they have no inkling of just how arduous it has been for us to govern this region's territory all these years. Right now, factions from every direction are watching our Azure Cloud region closely. Our Li family is effectively surrounded by potential enemies; this is exactly the time when we need to keep a low profile."
"Now the Jiang family has arrived. They desire power and control? Fine, let them have it for now. Quite the contrary," Li Yunbing elaborated, "we shouldn't oppose them directly. Instead, we should encourage and support the Jiang family. Rather than standing at the forefront facing all the threats ourselves, it's much better to push the Jiang family out front to act as a shield for our Li family. That way, our Li family will also gain the breathing room needed to pursue our own objectives."
As he spoke, Li Yunbing's expression turned grim. "The Jiang family had best handle things capably," he added softly, "Otherwise..."
Seeing Li Yunbing's demeanor, Li Wei, who had been observing the clan members' discussion, couldn't help but smile.
Throughout the Azure Cloud region, top to bottom, the populace might not even recognize an Imperial Edict from the Human Emperor, yet issue a single command from the Li family, and every one of them would stand by the family's side without a moment's hesitation! This was the result of years spent struggling side-by-side, the benefits bestowed by the Li family – this was the deep-rooted foundation of the Li Clan's support, built over generations!
No matter how vast the ambitions harbored by the Jiang family and Jiang Chenghuan, as long as they remained on Azure Cloud region's soil... their ambitions could ultimately only reduce them to being the Li family's most powerful 'hired hands'.
---
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