Inside the Ancestral Hall.
"How did it go?"
Li Dalong was gazing at the rows of spirit tablets—all belonging to the clansmen who had perished in the calamity. Behind him, Li Yunbing, who now held the identity of Region Prince Jiang, entered the hall.
His steps were much lighter now, as if he were afraid of disturbing the peace of the slumbering clansmen.
Hearing his grandfather's question, Li Yunbing said softly, "Grandfather, your grandson has informed Feiheng of our family's plan. He seems... quite displeased."
"Hmph."
Li Dalong gave a cold snort.
"His displeasure was inevitable. Under heaven, all crows are black—all men of power are the same rotten breed. He should have understood that long ago. The next time you see him, tell him this: if he truly cannot accept it, he is free to walk out of our Li family home and return to Min Youguo's side. Let him see if Min Youguo can actually help him ascend the great throne. At the very least, we can still protect his life!"
Li Yunbing smiled. "If he truly cannot understand, then he is not worthy of our help. Rest assured, Grandfather. Your grandson knows how to handle this."
Upon hearing this, Li Dalong turned to look back at his grandson. This grandson, who had become Jiang Chenghuan, his hair now streaked with gray, looked even older than he, the grandfather.
Li Dalong asked, "Yunbing, what happened all those years ago? You and Region Prince Jiang..."
But Li Yunbing simply shook his head. The clansmen had asked many times, yet Yunbing always remained silent.
Everyone has matters that are difficult to speak of.
Li Dalong had them too. For instance, whenever the clansmen brought up the matter of the nine wives bestowed upon him by the Wu Clan, his face would invariably turn blacker than charcoal.
"Then we'll not ask of it again."
Li Dalong suddenly smiled. "Yunbing, after Tian Xing's power invaded your body, you must have developed an inner demon. You remain at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, long unable to glimpse the stage of Nascent Soul 'Leaving the Body'. But there is no need to be anxious. Your Fourth Aunt has found a path forward for you; it only remains to be seen if you are willing to take it."
"A path forward?"
Li Yunbing inquired further.
Li Dalong simply shook his head with a smile. "Let's go. We still have many things to do. We've forced Prince Jue to the point of rebellion, the Wu Clan has invaded again amidst the chaos, and the Grand Tutor at the Northern Border has even conceded a region. The slide into widespread turmoil is irreversible. And I fear an edict from the imperial court is imminent."
"Grandfather, your grandson would like to stay in the ancestral hall for a while."
Li Dalong said no more, leaving Li Yunbing alone in the ancestral hall.
The scent of incense smoke curled in the air.
Li Yunbing remained there for a long time. The figure of Li Wei appeared in the Ancestral Hall.
He gazed at Li Yunbing, reflecting that those years of the family's flight had been a great hardship for him. It was because of him that the Azure Cloud Region—the fruit of generations of struggle—had remained in the family's hands. And it was this foundation that allowed the Li family to now command a vast army, enough to seize control of the entire Eternal Sun Prefecture in just over a decade.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Wei saw Li Yunbing still kneeling in the ancestral hall.
There were many secrets Li Yunbing kept to himself, things he would not speak of to others—not even to him, the Old Ancestor. It was as if there was a thorn lodged deep in the young man's heart—one he was unwilling to touch, and which he refused to let others touch.
But Li Wei knew everything with perfect clarity.
[Your descendant, Li Yunbing, was targeted for assassination by a Divinity Transformation avatar of Tian Xing. He fled at the first opportunity. Region Prince Jiang Chenghuan summoned his ancestor, Jiang Yu, to block the Divinity Transformation cultivator's attack.
Seeing the resentful look in the assassin's eyes, Jiang Chenghuan had a grave premonition and fled alongside Li Yunbing. However, they were pursued and caught once more.
The two fought back with all their might but were still grievously injured. Only after Jiang Yu intervened again to hold back the attacker were they able to escape to the Thunderfire Demon Cave.]
[In the depths of the Thunderfire Demon Cave, numerous demonic cultivators were training at the very place where Fang Linglong was trapped. They rushed to treat the pair, but they were unskilled in the healing arts and knew only of demonic techniques...]
Those demonic cultivators couldn't even treat minor wounds; how could they possibly save these two?
At the time, Li Yunbing's injuries were the most severe; he was not expected to survive more than two days. Jiang Chenghuan, however, was only grievously wounded. Had he been brought to a healer, he would have recovered within three to five years. It is likely that Tian Xing's avatar deliberately held back, not wishing to truly provoke Jiang Yu.
But who could have possibly imagined...
Only after a long moment did Li Yunbing let out a deep sigh and kowtow before the Ancestral Spirit Tablet.
He had dedicated his life to the service of the clan and believed he could do anything for their sake. But he was wrong. He had confided in Jiang Chenghuan, opened his heart to him. Jiang Chenghuan was the first true friend he had ever made, and together they had shared so many visions for the future.
"Old Ancestor," he pleaded, "please forgive your descendant. I could have lived in this world as a son of the Li family, yet instead, I have lived all this time under the identity of Jiang Chenghuan."
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