Du Che felt as though he had been granted amnesty as soon as Li Ximing spoke. Sweat poured from his forehead like rain as he kowtowed nine times before finally retreating.
"Thank you, Daoist Master, for sparing my life!" said Du Che.
Li Ximing did not bother with the small fry, but the members of the Li Family all looked displeased. At the foot of the mountain, An Siwei did not spare him a glance. Knowing his place, Du Che fearfully withdrew down the mountain and fled north under the cover of night.
Li Ximing sat quietly for a while until a middle-aged man ascended the steps. His feathered robe gleamed, and his bearing was elegant and dignified.
Li Ximing broke into a smile, rose from his desk, and went forward to greet him, "Brother Xizhi!"
Li Xizhi lowered his head with a smile and cupped his hands in salute. He said, "Greetings, Daoist Master Zhaojing!"
"Elder brother, do not make fun of me." Li Ximing shed the airs of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator with his own brother before him. Just like in the old days, he pulled Li Xizhi to sit down beside him and asked with concern, "These years must have been hard on you within the sect. You and Zhouwei have shouldered the burden of the family, and for ten years, we have neither lost people nor land. Many have even achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm, all thanks to your efforts."
"It was mostly Zhouwei’s doing." Li Xizhi shook his head modestly, but worry showed on his face as he said quietly, "I just returned from the ancestral hall, where Uncle Yuanqin was still offering rites to our late granduncle... but I ran into people from the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao fleeing in a hurry. Did something happen?"
"Yes..." But Li Ximing fell silent.
Li Xizhi continued, "The Baiye Capital Immortal Dao’s Daoist Master Ye Hui is at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm and cultivates the rare Capital Guard Dao lineage. He will not be easy to deal with. Also, I noticed Changxiao Gate was absent from the gathering. That sect truly opposes our family. Chang Xiaozi’s divine abilities are formidable, and we must be wary of him."
Li Ximing nodded. After waiting for a moment, Li Zhouwei arrived riding a stream of light and saluted the two of them.
Only then did Li Ximing bring forth the jade box, frowning as he spoke, "This is the congratulatory gift from the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao."
Both of them inspected it with their spiritual sense, exchanged glances, and their expressions turned grim. Li Zhouwei spoke in a deep voice, "Reporting to Daoist Master, Wenhu is still at the riverbank and has not been recalled to Baiye’s mountain gate. He carries out his duties daily in the cave. Either this man knows nothing, or he has something to rely on."
Li Xizhi fell silent for a moment. When Li Ximing did not speak, this elder brother of the Xiyue generation finally opened his mouth with careful, deliberate words, "I heard that Situ Ku of Golden Tang Gate is still in the Qingdu Water Mansion. Has Golden Tang Gate sent anyone over?"
"No." Li Zhouwei answered immediately, his tone heavy, "Situ Mo is a ruthless and petty man. He will not care about Situ Ku’s life. Unless Daoist Master brings Situ Ku directly to his door, he will continue to feign ignorance and pretend this man does not exist."
Li Xizhi said thoughtfully, "The previous matter with the Golden Tang Gate has yet to be resolved, and their backer, the Golden Feather Sect, has shown no intention of mediating. The Baiye Capital Immortal Dao also operates in Jiangbei, colluding with Golden Tang Gate. Our family has no foundation in Jiangbei. Even a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake, and moreover, Daoist Master Ye Hui is not weak... That is the first matter.
"Second, regardless of Chang Xiaozi’s intentions, Changxiao Gate already harbors enmity for our family. He is far more dangerous than the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao. He acts silently, and who can know what vicious schemes he plots? Our family should not act rashly."
Li Zhouwei glanced at Li Ximing, who nodded.
"Elder brother, your words are most true..." Li Ximing paused briefly before continuing, "Du Che is a clever man and dared not take a seat. If he had embarrassed me in public, he would not have kept his life. That is why I did not permit him to come up on the island but instead met him alone at Zhijing Mountain. I did so to avoid the matter escalating and bringing shame upon our family."
"But still..." Li Ximing sighed in a low, heavy voice. "All of this is nothing but a delaying tactic. Changxi is about to fall, and both Ye Hui and Changxiao are in no hurry. They only fear a counterattack from Changxi. Once he dies, the Profound Peak Gate will immediately become a major weakness, and it will be easy for them to move against our family."
Li Xizhi shuddered, his brow tightly furrowed as he whispered, "To think the rumors are true... How much lifespan does Daoist Master Changxi have left?"
Li Ximing exhaled and replied, "His words were vague, but it seems he has less than three to five years left."
"Then isn’t that as fleeting as a single night and day!" Three to five years was no more than the span of a single seclusion for a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Li Xizhi’s mood immediately sank, and he replied, "Profound Peak Gate is still to be entrusted to our family... that makes things even harder! We must guard Jiangbei, while also taking care of the Wilderness and Profound Peak Gate."
Li Xizhi had no objections to this. Back then, when he had mistakenly entered the territory of the Dragon Clan, it was the Profound Peak Gate who had covered for him. He paused, then said softly, "Jiangbei cannot be abandoned... the territory of Floating Cloud Cave must remain under our family’s control."
All three understood that if the Li Family withdrew from Jiangbei, the Mifan three sects would immediately start making moves for the northern shore of Moongaze Lake. The combination of Changxiao and Ye Hui would be overwhelming.
The northern shore must never be endangered, thought Li Xizhi.
A Purple Mansion Realm immortal family that could not even hold a single prefecture would become a laughingstock. The Azure Pond Sect behind the Li Family would likely delight in such a scene. The Si Family was eager to see the Li Family in distress and forced to bow their heads once more to the Azure Pond Sect for aid. If that came to pass, the entire matter would take on a very different meaning.
The Li Family was not like the Xiao Family. Xiao Chuting had achieved the Purple Mansion Realm through his Life Divine Ability, and others had relied on him during the devil plague. He himself was a formidable figure, free of worries, and had completely severed all subordination to the Azure Pond Sect. On the other hand, Li Ximing, though he had broken through, had left himself a way out and had not cut ties completely. Li Xizhi too had not left the Azure Pond Sect, leaving the matter ambiguous. In name, they still counted as an immortal family of the Azure Pond Sect.
Once they sought aid from Azure Pond Sect, they would no longer be merely a nominal immortal family but would openly confirm their status as vassals.
The mountainside fell into silence for a moment before Li Xizhi asked, "Did Daoist Master Chuting give any instructions?"
Li Ximing chose his words carefully before replying, "The Daoist Master hinted that I could sever ties with Profound Peak. It may not have been his true intention, and perhaps only a test. But judging from the situation, he has never stood firmly on anyone’s side, and he already shows signs of washing his hands of the matter."
He spoke quietly, "Unless our family leans toward the Golden Feather Sect or Hengzhu Dao... but siding with the Golden Feather Sect is little different from bowing our heads again to the Azure Pond Sect. As for Hengzhu Dao, they are far to the south. At most, we could treat them as allies, but Hengzhu Dao has no shortage of enemies either!"
Unless absolutely necessary, Li Ximing would never consider leaning toward the Three Sects. He simply poured some tea and said with a sigh, "Once these three to five years have passed, the situation will surely become dire."
Li Zhouwei raised his brows, clasped his fists, and spoke solemnly, "Reporting to Daoist Master... in this junior’s view, Ye Hui and Changxiao are waiting for Daoist Master Changxi to fall. They are not making any moves right now, but we cannot just sit and await our doom.
"Why not take advantage of Daoist Master Changxi still being alive to settle matters in Jiangbei? Strike hard at the Golden Tang Gate and the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao... and secure our foothold in Jiangbei."
Li Ximing nodded and said, "I understand your meaning. But at best, it will end up with seizing most of the territory of the Mifan two sects. Can that truly cause any substantive loss to the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao? As for the Golden Tang Gate, the Golden Feather Sect stands behind them. We can demand compensation, but we must not act rashly.
"Once Changxi dies, how could we possibly defend the vast lands of the Mifan two sects? Losing them would be only a matter of days."
Li Xizhi kept silent, while Li Zhouwei replied in a firm and resonant voice, "Daoist Master! If we advance one more step today, we will have one more step to retreat tomorrow! Even if the territory we seize eventually falls back into the hands of the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao, it will at least be left barren and stripped clean. That is far better than leaving it firmly in their grasp from the beginning..."
Li Zhouwei spoke resolutely, "What’s more, the situation for our family is gradually deteriorating. At present, it is the Baiye Capital Immortal Dao that seeks stability, while it is we of the Li Family who must seek change. Only in chaos can there be transformation. Who knows how many variables might arise in three to five years of struggle?
"No matter how things change in the future, it will always be better than doing nothing, clinging only to Floating Cloud Cave’s territory, and waiting for death."