Suddenly, Mount Huaqian was filled with screams as they watched Lu Yuanlu's headless body fall into the forest below helplessly.
The mountain's large formation began to shake, and it was then that the people began to regret their actions. Cries and shouts of alarm echoed all around, and some even kneeled in supplication. The Li Family's soldiers had surrounded the mountain foot, blocking any means of their escape.
Shortly after, the large formation on Mount Huaqian collapsed with a loud noise.
Li Tongya descended upon the mountain, and people below were already prostrating themselves. A middle-aged man—looking fearful and timid—quickly wailed out, "Head of the Lu Family, Lu Anyu, greets the ancestor of the Li Family!"
It was only now that Lu Anyu and the others from the Lu Family understood the imminent disaster that Lu Sisi had continually mentioned before his death. With Lu Sisi buried only at dawn, disaster had already struck them by midnight.
Li Tongya looked at him and saw his sorrowful expression, and then heard him pleading, "Please spare our lives, Ancestor! The Lu Family will immediately dissolve, and Mount Huaqian along with Mount Tiaoyun will belong to the Li Family... Our disciples will pledge their loyalty to you!"
"Please, stand up!" Li Tongya replied, surprisingly polite and with a hint of regret in his expression.
"I hold great respect for Senior Sisi. I was only forced to discipline Lu Yuanlu because he had gone overboard... I hope you won't blame me for that."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare!"
After Lu Anyu responded, Li Tongya did not wait for him to continue and spoke again. "Without Qi Cultivators in your current family, the Lu family indeed cannot stand firm in Moongaze Lake... Have you thought of a plan, Family Head?" he asked.
The man was initially stunned. Then, with a mix of joy and sorrow, quickly responded, "We are yours to command, Ancestor!"
Li Tongya nodded, then addressed the direct members of the Lu Family below him.
"The Lu and Li families have had good relations... Out of respect for Senior Sisi and his character, I offer you two choices!"
After taking a glance around at the surroundings, Li Tongya announced, "Firstly, you may join the four towns of the Li family, with the men marrying into and the women remarrying into our family. With the Lu surname abandoned, you will be no different from the townspeople of the Li Family, still living as wealthy householders... enjoying your later years."
After pausing slightly, Li Tongya continued, "Secondly, if you still harbor thoughts of rebuilding the Lu Family, we'll grant you a way out and ceremoniously escort you out of our territory, allowing you to seek your own fortunes elsewhere."
Li Tongya had just finished speaking when Li Xuanfeng, understanding the situation, stood out with a detached expression and smiled.
"Those who wish to rebuild the Lu Family may follow me down the mountain."
Suddenly, the crowd fell silent, with everyone bowing their heads, not daring to move. After a long while, a woman stepped out, standing defiantly in front of Li Xuanfeng.
He took a final glance around before keeping to his word and taking the person down the mountain.
As the soldiers encircling the mountain parted to allow a path, more people dared to follow. In just a few short moments, a small portion of those from the Lu Family had left, led by a few cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. They walked down the mountain dejectedly.
Li Tongya scoffed inwardly, watching Lu Anyu before smiling a tight smile.
"Aren't you going down with them..?"
Hearing this, Lu Anyu raised his head and smiled bitterly.
"Without any spiritual orifice, leaving the mountain would only make us servants to other cultivators... What's the point? It's better to submit to the Li Family. At least, we can still live comfortably as wealthy individuals, without the need to wander in our old age and die in some corner..."
After making an obsequious smile, Lu Anyu added quietly, "The Lu Family has a few legacies... I'll fetch them for you now."
As he naturally stepped forward to leave, Li Tongya glanced at him and commanded in a cold tone, "Stop!"
Stunned, Lu Anyu immediately kneeled down, not daring to speak.
Although Li Tongya saw the people of the Lu Family as unworthy, he remained cautious, fearing that Lu Anyu was merely feigning obedience to destroy the legacies.
He then whispered instructions to Li Qiuyang, who was standing by his side in great alert.
"Follow him and see."
Understanding the instruction, Li Qiuyang immediately nodded and pulled up to Lu Anyu. "Stay close behind me, and don't try anything funny!" he warned.
Soon, Li Qiuyang returned from the courtyard with three jade slips, followed by a still obsequiously smiling Lu Anyu.
Li Qiuyang respectfully reported, "Clan Uncle, there's a spirit spring in the cave dwelling on Mount Huaqian with a dense concentration of spiritual qi, even higher by ten percent than the one on Meiche Peak! It's a good place."
Li Tongya nodded, taking the three jade slips and examining them with his divine sense.
"Not bad," he praised.
The jade slips were techniques of the Qi Cultivation realm, with two being common techniques and not redundant with the family's own.
Li Tongya accepted them, and the last one—called Cave Spring Clear Spirit Technique , was a Grade Three technique that uses Cave Spring Clear Qi for cultivation.
"This Cave Spring Clear Qi produces abundant life force and sustained strength in Qi Cultivators... No wonder Lu Sisi insisted on keeping Mount Huaqian! It turns out that he was aiming for the spirit spring inside... It also explains why Lu Sisi used common techniques while Lu Yuanlu had already started using Cave Spring Clear Spirit Technique."
This discovery resolved a question that had lingered in Li Tongya's mind all this while. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed everyone.
Soldiers escorted the Lu Family members back to the four towns, while Li Tongya and Li Xuanxuan went to inspect the spirit spring in the Lu Family's mountain cave dwelling.
————
Li Xuanfeng led a group of Lu Family members who wished to rebuild their family down the mountain. With a cursory glance revealing some resentment among them, he smirked and led the group forward until they encountered another group.
"Brother Feng, is everyone here?" Li Xuanling asked with a smile, clad in armor and holding a gleaming sword. A contingent of well-armed clan soldiers stood behind him, presenting an intimidating sight.
"All here. I've kept a close eye on them and made sure none of them got away," Li Xuanfeng replied.
The captives' faces turned pale as one tried to argue, "Your ancestor promised that we would be escorted out of the territory safely! Don't take matters into your own hands and tarnish your family's reputation!"
Li Xuanfeng scoffed. The captives then realized they were surrounded by Li Family's soldiers.
"We are already beyond the border of Li Family's territory... We've certainly kept our word. Unfortunately, some of you died or went missing after encountering bandits on the road, and failed to rebuild the Lu family!" Li Xuanfeng snickered.
"You... you...!" The captives were furious but before they could voice their complaints, the clan soldiers charged forward silently.
Cries and pleas for mercy filled the air as blades flashed and blood splattered everywhere, dead people falling like flies.
Li Xuanfeng raised his bow and eliminated several cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm who were still putting up a fight with great accuracy.
Observing that all adversaries had been subdued, Li Xuanling personally verified each casualty before remarking, "Our clan soldiers were meticulously selected for their unwavering loyalty. No word of today's events will spread, achieving the best of both worlds."
"Indeed."
Li Xuanfeng, with his bow now carried on his back, watched as the soldiers began burying the bodies.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he added, "However, we must remain vigilant against any among those who surrendered but might still harbor malice. Upon our return to the towns, we must ensure vigilant supervision to avert any unrest."
"Let's leave those matters to Brother Xuan," Li Xuanling suggested with a soft smile. Being able to give a decent explanation of the Lu Family to Lu Wanrong lightened his mood considerably.
The brothers exchanged a look of mutual understanding and led their troops deeper into the forest.