At the age of forty-five, Li Tongya was significantly younger than most present here, standing out for having attained the fifth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Even the 187-year-old Lu Sisi had only attained the seventh heavenly layer. Naturally, everyone respectfully referred to him as a senior.
He cupped his fist politely to the other family heads before sheathing his long sword, gracefully returning to his seat. Yu Xiaogui's expression brightened slightly as he nodded and said, "The Li Family's swordsmanship is indeed unmatched around the lake and far superior to our Yu Family's... Today has been quite the eye-opener for me."
By attributing Yu Mujian's defeat to the superiority of the Li Family's swordsmanship rather than a lack of talent in the Yu Family, everyone heard a light chuckle from Li Tongya. He let the comment slide, preferring to keep a lower profile to ensure the other families remained wary of the Yu and Fei families.
After all, Lu Sisi doesn't have many years left. With the An Family and the Lu Family traditionally allied, once Lu Sisi passes away, the delicate balance between the three families will break, presenting an opportunity for the Li Family... It's best to keep things as calm as possible before then, avoiding unnecessary complications!
Having achieved their goal and tested Li Tongya's swordsmanship, Yu Xiaogui found an excuse to leave the banquet. Soon, the other clans followed suit and also departed, one by one.
Li Tongya deliberately avoided Lu Sisi and headed back to the southern shore alone.
Gliding over the crystal-clear lake, Li Tongya reflected to himself.
Yu Xiaogui is ruthless and impulsive, but he's smart for affiliating themselves with the Yu Family which is rising to prominence... He's no doubt a difficult adversary. Then there's Yu Mugao—equally ruthless but more cautious, likely even harder to deal with than his father... It seems like our good days are numbered!
Flying south for a while, Li Tongya landed on a small islet. After waiting a moment, he soon caught sight of a middle-aged man in a white brocade robe approaching from afar, landing gracefully on the islet with an air of great elegance and sophistication. He was none other than the head of the Fei Family.
"Brother Tongya, what a coincidence! I am Fei Wangbai of the Fei Family. Your reputation precedes you!"
Fei Wangbai appeared to be in his forties, however, he was actually over a hundred years old! As he observed Li Tongya, noting his calm and reliable demeanor, his smile became even more gentle.
"Likewise, Senior. You flatter me!"
Li Tongya dared not presume himself to be on equal terms with a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, hence promptly addressing Fei Wangbai as a senior.
Seeing Fei Wangbai stroke his beard and smile, he said, "Apart from an old rogue cultivator on the western shore, there are three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators on this lake. The Yu Family accounts for two of them, with Yu Xiaogui at the early stage and Yu Yufeng the White Jade Fist at the late stage of Foundation Establishment Realm. I'm just a nobody who broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm twenty years ago; hardly someone who could be called a senior!"
Fei Wangbai's intention was clear, and both men understood each other's stance well. Seeing Li Tongya smile slightly, Fei Wangbai continued, "Among the younger generation of the Yu Family, Yu Mujian is brave and values friendship, achieving Qi Cultivation Realm at the age of forty. Yu Mugao and others are shrewd and ruthless—a deadly combination, and are no fools at all, which makes us quite envious..."
"I understand."
Li Tongya nodded thoughtfully before changing the subject. He asked solemnly, "In your opinion, with the current chaotic situation on the Guli Road...is it possible for the Yu Family's market to operate smoothly, Senior?"
Fei Wangbai shook his head and a smile crept onto his face.
"That won't be easy... I have a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator friend in the prefecture who told me that a band of thieves has been roaming the Guli Road. If Yu Yufeng personally oversees the market, it might be fine. However, if Yu Yufeng encounters something that takes him away from the market, I fear there will be trouble!"
Li Tongya immediately understood Fei Wangbai and the others' plans but did not want to get involved, fearing Fei Wangbai might misunderstand. "It's a pity my swordsmanship is too conspicuous, attracting jealousy. Otherwise, I would have liked to offer my support," he quickly added hastily.
"That won't be necessary."
Fei Wangbai laughed heartily in response to hearing that, noting that Li Tongya was not specific on who the offer was for— the Yu Family or the thieves.
Knowing that the Li Family also supported this matter, he finally nodded and spoke nonchalantly, "The Yu Family is now dominant. If the families cannot produce another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, I fear they'll be preyed upon and gradually extinguished over the next hundred years... Although the Li Family is under the protection of a Sword Immortal and the Yu Family dares not cross this line, nothing is guaranteed. Remember, the demise of one leads to the vulnerability of another..."
Li Tongya cupped his fist, deciding to no longer hold back his thoughts and opinions. He spoke his next words in great earnest and fervor, "In the days to come, there will be many opportunities for cooperation between our two families... My Li Family is in the south, and the Fei Family is in the north; geographically, we are natural allies. I am not short-sighted enough to sit by and watch the Yu Family grow unchecked!"
With this, the two men simply smiled at each other before bidding farewell and returned to their own homes.
————
After the cultivators on the ship had dispersed, Yu Mugao led his two clan brothers—one tall and the other plump—into the cabin. There in the spacious main cabin, a large chair was placed up high where Yu Xiaogui plopped onto with a somewhat gloomy and somber expression.
Upon seeing Yu Mugao enter, he sternly said, "Come here."
Yu Mugao approached quickly, noticing Yu Xiaogui's fixed gaze on the wooden floor, his demeanor somewhat dark and unreadable. Yu Xiaogui suddenly asked, "What's the origin of Mujian's sword? Have you sent someone to inquire about it?"
"I too harbored doubts and had already asked the fourth brother about it," Yu Mugao replied, having anticipated the question.
"That sword is a dharma artifact of the Qi Cultivation Realm... originally acquired by our ancestor during the destruction of Lingyu Gate. It looks unremarkable, and its material is unremarkable too. There's nothing special about it," he explained.
"Oh?"
Yu Xiaogui's brow eased slightly at this, his hand lifting lightly as he muttered, "Seems I was overthinking it."
"Then Li Tongya..."
Both father and son started to speak at the same time but abruptly stopped.
Yu Xiaogui nodded approvingly at Yu Mugao, his eyes filled with satisfaction. With a slight lift of his hand resting on the armchair, he commanded, "You, speak!"
Nodding, Yu Mugao then said in a deep voice, "Li Tongya is calm and restrained, like... like a black mamba lurking in the corner, just waiting for the chance to strike. Father, don't be fooled by his quiet and respectful demeanor... He is not someone to be underestimated. If we look down on him, we might come to regret it."
Yu Xiaogui looked up, slightly surprised, putting down his teacup gently. He valued Li Tongya as well, but Yu Mugao's assessment of him was much higher than he had anticipated.
After pondering for a moment, he asked, "What do you think we should do about him?"
"While he has yet to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, we should overpower him, lure him out, and secretly eliminate him. As long as no one knows that we've gotten rid of him, the Moongaze Lake will sooner or later be ours."
Yu Mugao's expression was fierce, his teeth clenched. His eyes had a glint of malice in them.
However, Yu Xiaogui shook his head, his expression becoming peculiarly stoic and unreadable. "You always say I act rashly, yet you are far more impulsive in this matter... Li Tongya has the backing of the Qingsui Sword Immortal, a genius disciple of the Azure Pond Sect. How can we simply dispose of him so carelessly? If the sect investigates and uses a Heart-Questioning Talisman, how would our Yu Family cope? We would likely find ourselves in big trouble!" he reprimanded sternly, his voice hard.
Yu Mugao's expression froze, reluctantly nodding in agreement as he cupped his fist and said, "You're right, I was being too reckless."
"Even if we can't deal with Li Tongya directly, we must curb the rise of the Li Family."
Yu Xiaogui refilled his cup, then continued with a smile, "Once the market matter is settled and we are free, we'll plan to eliminate a few of the Li Family's younger generation. Make the Li Family suffer a break in lineage, just like our ancestors did with the Wan Family. They had secretly schemed for decades and by the time Wan Huaqian finally realized it, it was too late for him to do anything. He was forced to enter seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment Realm, only to meet a tragic end with the decline of his family."
Yu Mugao's face also lit up with a smile, murmuring, "Exactly! The Li Family now is exactly like the Wan Family back then, except for the fact that our Yu Family is even stronger now. Back then, we covertly pressured the Wan Family's Qi Cultivators, secretly preserving the Ji Family... Now, it's the turn of the An and Lu families!"
"By the way, Gao'er, there's something I need to ask you."
Yu Xiaogui suddenly put down his teacup, his voice becoming grave.
"I've heard that the An Family has produced a prodigy named An Jingming, who has attained Qi Cultivation Realm at fourteen. This is remarkable!"
Yu Mugao's expression turned serious, "Father, rest assured, I've already sent people to keep an eye on him. The moment An Jingming leaves the An Family, I'll be informed... The An Family won't have the chance to produce another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator!"
Yu Xiaogui then nodded, smiling warmly with satisfaction plastered on his face.
"I never have to worry about anything when you're the one handling things."