"What?! Rou Rou has gone to seek help from Azure Mist Mountain?!"
Down in Merit City's Forging Pavilion, Li Yaotie had been in the middle of his work. If his Fourth Sister hadn't informed him, he would have remained oblivious to his wife having disappeared!
The news hit him hard; he instantly stopped forging, not even pausing to wipe the sweat from his bare torso, clad only in a pair of large shorts. After a brief moment of frantic thought, he tossed the storage ring he was holding to Yaowen and then, like a wisp of smoke, shot off towards Azure Mist Mountain.
"Third Brother," Li Yaowen called after him, "What's the rush?"
But Li Yaotie had barely gotten halfway when, with a seemingly casual wave of her hand, Li Yaowen stopped him.
Though nothing was visible before him, Li Yaotie crashed into an unseen barrier with tremendous force. If Li Yaowen hadn't used her own power to cushion his fall, this man of iron, heavier, perhaps, than an entire building, would likely have blasted a huge crater into the streets of Merit City.
Li Yaowen, still in her aged crone form, her wrinkles appearing even deeper with exasperation, asked, "Third Brother, what exactly did you mean by tossing me that storage ring? Sister Rou Rou went to Azure Mist Mountain; one hopes she won't stir up any serious incidents on her own. But the moment you threw that ring to me, I knew instantly you'd try to go barging into Azure Mist Mountain yourself! You're a man of over two centuries! How can you still be so rash and muddle-headed?!"
"How can I not be frantic?!" Li Yaotie roared back, slamming a fist against his own head in frustration.
"I swore an oath at Old Pig's graveside that I would always protect Rou Rou and our children! That damn Tian Xing Abode has all my kids locked up! Neither the Old Tree nor you (Yaowen) can make head or tail of that place, so how could it possibly be anything simple?!
And Rou Rou! She's all alone there, a defenseless woman! What if someone tries to take advantage of her at Azure Mist Mountain?! I don't give a damn if they're Divinity Transformation stage or even Void Refining masters up there! That Venerable Elder Baimei was Tian Xing's master, wasn't he?! I'll go drag him out myself!"
"You scoundrel!"
A furious roar suddenly cut through the air. Li Yaotie flinched violently, his gaze snapping towards the source – could it be? Yes, it was Xu Cuihua.
Now, Xu Cuihua had been the epitome of gentleness her entire life; this sudden, furious shout from her thoroughly terrified Li Yaotie.
He practically stumbled to his knees, crying out, "Mother!"
The moment Xu Cuihua reached him, she delivered a resounding slap to Li Yaotie's head, her face dark and grim.
"Are you truly an idiot, or are you just playing dumb?"
"Our daughter-in-law knelt before Azure Mist Mountain for half a month, and no harm came to her whatsoever! That clearly indicates the matter hasn't escalated, and that the Azure Mist Mountain sect are reasonable and magnanimous people! Did you absolutely have to go charging in to join the commotion, determined to stir up some real trouble?!"
"Well..." Li Yaotie mulled it over, and indeed, it seemed his mother had a point. His eyes brightened. "You're right, Mother, that makes perfect sense!"
After shooting Li Yaotie an exasperated look, Xu Cuihua turned to Li Yaowen.
"Wen'er," she instructed, "Do this: have the Hall of Heavenly Principle disseminate information about the Tian Xing Abode. Let everyone in Eternal Sun Prefecture know that Venerable Tian Xing was the disciple of Venerable Elder Baimei of Azure Mist Mountain."
Xu Cuihua continued, a cunning glint in her eye, "And make absolutely sure that those 'scholars,' at the True Yang Faction, get wind of this. The True Yang Faction has toiled for ages just to produce one talent like the Wuwen Scholar. Let them be the ones to confront Azure Mist Mountain."
"Yes, Mother." Li Yaowen nodded slightly; she had, in fact, already conceived of a similar plan.
"And as for you, Ah Tie," Xu Cuihua continued, turning to Li Yaotie.
"Tianshuang is struggling to manage the Azure Cloud Region Army alone right now. Yunbing has his hands full focusing on the war across all three Azure Cloud regions, particularly the situation in the Eastern Region. On the Wu Clan front, with Tianyue missing for days, they are undoubtedly growing bolder and more rampant. Ah Tie, I want you to take the Azure Green Flood Dragon and the Old Raging Sky Flood Dragon and go assist. If you have a truly important task to focus on, you won't be stewing all day about storming Azure Mist Mountain to make trouble."
Li Yaotie opened his mouth to protest, but catching sight of his old mother raising her hand as if to strike, he hastily stammered his agreement.
Having thus dispatched her son, Xu Cuihua returned to the inner chamber.
Her husband, Li Dalong, was waiting for her there, his expression etched with deep worry. "Cuihua," he asked anxiously, "are you truly set on going to the Northern Border?"
By this time, Li Wei too had returned to the main Li family compound; his presence was also prompted by a 'special event' notification from the game world.
[Special Event—Invitation from the Northern Border Fox Clan]
[Background: The Spirit Beast and Spirit plant Clans are scattered throughout the world. Within the Northern Border of the Endless Forest dwells a prominent clan of Fox Spirit Beast, vast in number. Their Saint rules this territory. However, this Saint's great tribulation is fast approaching, and divinations indicate certain doom – ten parts death, no part life (no chance of survival).
As there are currently no heirs of truly exceptional talent within their own clan, and having heard that Xu Cuihua of Azure Cloud region possesses a half-Spirit Beast lineage and in just two centuries has cultivated to become a Six-Tailed Half-Spirit Beast, they extend an invitation for her to return to the Fox Clan, acknowledge her ancestry, and rejoin their line. They offer to impart to her the true orthodox teachings of the Spirit Beast Dao.]
Actually, this wasn't the Fox Clan's first invitation.
Not long after Xu Cuihua had revealed her true form in that battle on the Azure Cloud region border, and her actual capabilities became widely known, a letter had arrived from the Fox Clan within a few months.
The Fox Saint likely didn't have many centuries remaining. The tone of their correspondence had shifted over time; what began as an offer appearing to present a significant advantage to Xu Cuihua gradually transformed into something more akin to a desperate plea.
It wouldn't be surprising if, in a few more years, they even attempted to secretly abduct her from the Li family.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Li Dalong's voice cut in.
Xu Cuihua chuckled. "Things with the family are in such disarray at the moment," she said.
"Externally, we have the Wu Clan to contend with, and then there's Eternal Sun Prefecture lurking and coveting what's ours. Now, on top of all that, all the children are trapped in that Tian Xing Abode, and we have no idea what's truly happening in there. With all this going on, how could I possibly run off to some Fox Clan?"
"Good, good. That's a relief." Li Dalong smiled in return, yet he couldn't miss the flicker of hesitation in Xu Cuihua's eyes.
He knew his wife; she had always preferred to stay within the traditional boundaries, managing the clan's internal affairs while leaving strategy and politics to others. Her behavior today, though, actively involving herself in clan strategy and directing the younger members, was completely out of character. He suspected the Fox Clan's invitation had genuinely tempted her, unsettling her usual composure.
Later that night, within the Heaven-Piercing Coffin, after they had shared an intimate moment, Li Dalong held Xu Cuihua close.
He could restrain himself no longer. "Cuihua," he murmured, "We've been married for two centuries. You know you can't truly hide things from me. You are still planning to go to the Fox Clan, aren't you?"
---
1/2
Quick Note:
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