"So it's you!"
Li Jiangxia had spent little time within the family over the years and had no idea who this Hun or anyone else might be. He urged his horse forward, but the two guards did not yield, their cold iron spears barring the way.
Li Hun, who was older than both of the guards, quickly called out, " Ah , the second young master is here too! This junior greets you."
Li Jiangxia took in his thin frame and plain looks, then raised his whip and laughed heartily, "Second brother, this man looks just like you. Truly one of our own kin. Aside from those eyes, the resemblance is uncanny!"
Li Jiangxia had always carried himself with dragon-like vigor and boundless energy. He was utterly different from Li Jianglong. Yet Li Hun's maternal family was the Chen Family, the same as Li Jianglong's, so the resemblance was only natural. Li Jianglong found his words amusing and laughed along.
Li Hun dropped to his knees with a thud and exclaimed, "You honor me far too much, uncles! How could this junior have such fortune? It is only that I have come of age and came to the island seeking some work. I did not expect to encounter the third highness, and recalling how my father often spoke of you, I became overexcited..."
Still calling him third highness!
Li Jianglong could tell that he was trying to climb the branch. After all, it was already agreed that his younger brother would be heading east. If Li Hun was here at the hall, his father must at least be a Qi Cultivation Realm cultivator. Amused, he thought, So he has come to cling to my younger brother.
How could Li Jiangxia not see it as well? He burst into loud laughter, pulled his whip back into his hand, and turned his horse's head, saying, "Very well, when I return from the eastern bank and have free time, you may come find me for a proper talk."
Without waiting for a reply, he spurred his horse and rode off, leaving Li Hun without the time to react.
Li Jianglong helped him to his feet and asked, "Family brother, what brings you to the island..."
Li Hun answered instinctively, "They said guests had come to the island. My father led them into the hall. Several elders also went in, to meet the family head. He..."
Only then did he realize he should not have spoken. Li Jianglong flung his hand aside and cut him off in surprise, "So it was family business! I thought it was visiting relatives, which is why I asked. This should not have been said... not at all! You child, your tongue is loose. From now on, do not wander about the hall. If you stumble into something you should not, beware of Qingdu's punishment!"
Li Hun was quickly frightened. Li Jianglong deftly unfastened the command token at Li Hun's waist, locking it in his own palm. His tone grew heavier, "It is fortunate I found you. Better than letting you run about. Come with me to see your father..."
Without his command token, Li Hun could not go anywhere within the hall. He could only follow blankly, thoughts in disarray, until fear seized him. He hurriedly said, "Second highness, my father has urgent matters... it is truly not suitable for you to meet him!"
"It does not matter." At the foot of the steps, Li Jianglong paused and turned back with a genial smile, his golden eyes piercing as he said, "I will wait for him in the side hall."
Li Hun stood frozen in fright, unable to move for a long while. Li Jianglong gently took his hand and led him through the covered corridor to the side hall. Li Hun nearly collapsed along the way.
Li Jianglong had no mind to care about him. He observed quietly, and saw a disheveled middle-aged man pass among the guards. His cultivation seemed to be at the late stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, but it was hollow, as if built by spirit items.
Who could this be...!
———
Li Ximing traveled for a while in the great void, then broke through into his family's grand formation. He descended into the grand hall on heavenly light. What once took days of flight at the early stage of the Purple Mansion Realm now took only half a moment, with scarcely any change in the sky.
Li Zhouwei was standing in the hall, arranging over a dozen jade boxes on the table and marking them with a vermilion brush. When he saw Li Ximing appear, he bowed and reported, "Respected Daoist Master, the return gifts for the three sects and seven gates are prepared."
In Yue State, there were the three sects, seven gates, and two families aside from the Li Family. Li Ximing had chosen three to visit personally, but that did not mean the rest could be ignored. Letters and gifts still had to be sent for every Purple Mansion Realm representative who attended the Dharma Assembly, with the excuse that he was in seclusion consolidating his divine ability and unable to come in person.
Li Ximing had long since prepared personal letters for the Golden Feather Sect, the Hengzhu Dao Gate, and the Profound Peak Gate, each accompanied by a treasured panacea. Li Zhouwei took them and then reported Li Chenghuai's breakthrough.
Li Ximing was very satisfied and nodded, "Have him come up to see me."
Just as he finished speaking, a man hurried up outside the hall and respectfully reported, "Family head, Daoist Master, someone has come to the island. He claims to be the son of an old acquaintance and requests an audience with the family head."
The son of an old acquaintance.
Li Zhouwei's thoughts stirred slightly, uncertain who this could be. He saw a flicker of heavenly light move between Li Ximing's brows. Li Ximing sat down to the side, his voice faintly cold, "Bring him up."
The man quickly withdrew. After a dozen seconds, hurried footsteps sounded on the steps before the hall. Someone stumbled inside, fell to his knees with a thud, and knocked his head against the floor, "Pa... paying respects to the family head!"
Li Zhouwei examined him closely. It was a middle-aged man with a face full of stubble, his cultivation at the late stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm. His features held a hint of nobility, yet his face was overcome with panic and fear. His legs trembled as he kept kowtowing.
Li Zhouwei did not recognize him, but Li Ximing sipped his tea and said casually, "So it is Young Master Yuan... I wonder... what business brings you here?"
The words chilled the man on the ground to the bone. He felt like he might die on the spot, unable to speak a single word. Li Ximing only lowered his gaze, drinking his tea without sparing him a glance.
After a while, Li Chenghuai entered the hall. Standing to the side, he glanced casually at the man. But the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed. His heart jolted, Yuan Fuyao!
This man was indeed the son of an old acquaintance, Yuan Fuyao, the son of Yuan Chengdun.
Years ago, Yuan Tuan had disappeared, and Yuan Chengdun sailed out to sea, expecting never to return. He used his lifelong friendship with the Li Family and his entire estate to secure a marriage betrothal for his son, Yuan Fuyao. But Yuan Huyuan and Yuan Hudu, eager to curry favor with the Chi Family, broke the agreement, gave Yuan Fuyao the estate, and married him into the Song Family instead.
The rift between Li and Yuan Families had begun from that moment, and by now it had reached the point where even Li Xizhi and Yuan Chengzhao had turned against one another.
Li Ximing knew this matter well, and also knew that Yuan Fuyao had later lived a life of comfort with a beautiful wife, becoming the master of the Song household. Yet here he was now.
The Li Family members had varied expressions on their faces, while Yuan Fuyao himself was speechless. Life in the Song Family had indeed begun with a beautiful wife and leisurely days of cultivation and music. But ten years had passed in a blink, and the conflict between north and south had broken out.
Thanks to his family's favor, Yuan Fuyao had not needed to go to the riverfront battles, and he had breathed a sigh of relief. But the Song Family had suffered heavy losses in the conflict and began eyeing Yuan Chengdun's inheritance. One day they borrowed five coins, and the next, ten. They continued to press him daily.
With the world in chaos, he could not escape. Bad news then followed one after another. The Chi Family's main bloodline was destroyed, and the Song Family declined steeply. Their demands grew harsher, but fortunately, his father's relics were abundant and well hidden, allowing him to endure for over ten years while keeping a low profile. But any hope of a comfortable life was gone.
Hearing of the Li Family's rise, and of Li Xizhi, who had almost been his brother-in-law, achieving great cultivation and earning renown throughout Jiangnan as the Rosy Glows of the Celestial Pavilion, Yuan Fuyao began to regret bitterly. He was gnawed by remorse like a rat, restless and sleepless.
When Li Ximing's divine ability resonated across Jiangnan through the great void, Yuan Fuyao was struck with terror. He immediately leaped out a window, taking no one and nothing with him, hiding in the wilderness for months. Only later did he learn that on that very night, the Azure Pond Sect's forces descended upon the Song Family, leaving not a single survivor. His wives, concubines, and children were all dead.
Yet he had been born a pampered son. Even the lowest treatment in the Song household was beyond what ordinary rogue cultivators could dream of. Hiding here and there, unable to face anyone, he felt his life was no life at all. He feared that Li Ximing might recall him one day and tear through the great void to seize him. At last, he came to the lake on his own.
Shivering for a long time, he recounted his misery, then said hoarsely, "This lowly one... regrets too late! I beg the immortal family to show mercy..."
Li Zhouwei had already understood everything. He looked on coldly and thought, He does have some scheming in him... but his character will never make him great!