Li Yuanjiao chuckled softly and responded, "From what I managed to listen to outside, brother, your method is indeed effective. No matter whether the new king of Mount Yue takes one or two towns in the west, in the end, it will still belong to our Li Family!"
Li Yuanxiu's face, which bore a resemblance to Li Yuanjiao's but with a more relaxed and casual expression, curved into a smile. He glanced at his brother below and replied, "We both know the family's strategies; it's merely closing a loop. With Mount Wu sealed off, the villages of Mount Yue to the west have lost their backing. According to the reports, Qimu also harbors ambitions to expand westward... I'm merely giving him reasons to act. When he conquers more villages for our family, his troops will also suffer from the strain and commit atrocities. It will be more legitimate for Shamoli to replace him then."
"You always think things through so thoroughly," Li Yuanjiao praised with a smile of awe.
Li Yuanxiu waved his hand and replied, "It's a small move that doesn't greatly impact the overall situation, but it'll make subsequent plans run more smoothly."
"As for the clan daughter to be married off... brother, whom do you plan to send?" Li Yuanjiao asked.
Li Yuanxiu shifted his gaze from the letter and his voice was soft when he replied, "Nobody."
Li Yuanjiao was momentarily stunned, then quickly grasped his brother's intention, murmuring, "Brother, I understand your care for our clanspeople, but will this really work..?"
"Li Yuanxiu smiled and nodded, explaining, "We'll find a respectable family in the town that's willing to provide a daughter... We will then train her up and send her over. Whether Qimu realizes it or not, he'll have to pinch his nose and accept her. Would he dare complain? Once we control Eastern Mount Yue, we can bring her back, and she'll have earned the status of a branch family. Surely, many families will be willing to volunteer themselves then!"
Li Yuanjiao lowered his eyes slightly. His care for his clan members was based on affection rather than bloodline, and he was inclined to truly send a clan daughter to appease Qimu, even if there was a slight chance of causing a disturbance.
However, since Li Yuanxiu had spoken thus, he could only nod in agreement. He replied solemnly, "As long as you are confident about this, Brother."
Li Yuanxiu looked at him, catching wind of the disagreement in his mind. Setting aside what he was holding, he then said gently, "Qimu is requesting a daughter from the minor sect... There are five bloodlines within the minor sect, which have been separated since our great-grandfather's time. The elders from families are very old and usually silent, yet their feelings must be considered. These people are closely related to us and are instrumental in managing our household affairs. Several of the elders have the ear of our father and granduncle. If we were really to marry off a clan daughter indiscriminately, the clan's elders would have significant objections... Remember, harmony within the family is paramount."
Li Yuanjiao scoffed at this.
"Who cares what they think?! They're just ordinary people."
"Jiao'er!" Li Yuanxiu shook his head, saying in a stern voice, "The reason our family stays closely knit is firstly due to the orderly transmission of our cultivation techniques, and secondly, because of the humility and respect within our ranks—from honoring the elderly to cherishing the young. If these principles collapse, what follows will be endless bloody strife and a disordered, fragmented clan, rendering the intelligence of future generations useless. We are the role models for the younger generations; they will remember how you act today. Don't underestimate those noisy elders; they may seem to fuss over securing advantages for their descendants, but they understand the gravity of major right and wrong. They restrain their descendants from disgraceful acts, contributing significantly to the stability ensured by the Clan Affairs Courtyard."
Li Yuanxiu stared into his brother's eyes, explaining, "If these elders see their children committing acts that disgrace the family, they would even hobble over to the Clan Affairs Courtyard with their canes to report it. They understand the importance of the family's reputation and deeply wish for its prosperity. Moreover, for the sake of the family, Uncle Qiuyang and several cultivators from the minor sect have been diligently supporting us. If you marry off their children like this today, and annihilate Qimu tomorrow, it will dishearten these people."
Li Yuanjiao opened his mouth, not expecting Li Yuanxiu to have thought so deeply. His view of those nagging elders improved significantly, and he nodded, murmuring, "I see... thank you for enlightening me, Brother!"
Li Yuanxiu nodded approvingly, continuing, "In the past, it was natural to be cautious of those from the minor sects when our main family lacked capable cultivators. Now that our main family is thriving, with our granduncle's swordsmanship unmatched on the lake, these minor sects and branches are invaluable aids in managing our affairs. The approach should be to embrace and favor them, treating them as our own."
Li Yuanjiao nodded in agreement. The brothers exchanged a smile and a few more pleasantries before Li Yuanxiu chuckled and revealed, "I've now broken through to the second stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm!"
"Really?"
Li Yuanxiu had started cultivating earlier than Li Yuanjiao, who had rapidly advanced through the Profound Scenery Stage thanks to a talisman seed, and had broken through to the second stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm a few months earlier. Li Yuanxiu, catching up a few months later, also had a commendable pace.
"Why would I even lie about that?" Li Yuanjiao laughed.
Li Yuanxiu calculated the time and spoke, somewhat concerned, "As the day of the sacrifice ritual approaches, with several elders still in seclusion aiming for breakthroughs and no sacrificial offerings prepared, I've already made arrangements... But I fear if the elders don't emerge soon, we might miss the deadline."
————
At the cave dwelling on Meiche Peak, there were three stone chambers where Li Tongya, Li Xuanxuan, and Li Xuanfeng each resided in seclusion. Li Xuanling, however, meditated in the great hall, having sat cross-legged on a straw mat throughout the night. The main door of the cave trembled slightly, and two clan soldiers stepped aside as a woman dressed in a white robe entered.
She had a dignified appearance and smiled gently at him.
"My dear," Lu Wanrong said, now at the third stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm in her cultivation—considered quite capable among the external clan cultivators. With a warm smile, she approached him, holding a bamboo-woven food basket which she placed on the stone table.
Li Xuanling spoke softly upon seeing this, "They could have brought it up; you didn't need to trouble yourself by coming all the way here..."
Cultivators at the first four stages of the Embryonic Breathing Realm exhibit vigorous blood qi and consume large amounts of food. Once they break through the crucial Jade Capital Stage and transcend the mortal realm, their need for food drastically reduces.
Upon reaching the Qi Cultivation Realm, and being blessed with the longevity of a deity, they sustained themselves on air and dew, needing only to drink clean water. If they eat at all, it must be spirit meat or spirit rice, as secular food could hinder their cultivation progress.
Li Xuanling, at the fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm and a step or two from the Qi Cultivation Realm, still required regular meals; roughly once every day or two. Now that his household was prosperous, he no longer consumed ordinary grain but spirit rice and demon beast meat instead.
Lu Wanrong opened the food basket and retrieved two tiers—one containing steamed, pristine spirit rice, and the other several slices of tender, red demon meat.
Li Xuanling took the jade chopsticks from his wife and ate slowly, chewing thoughtfully.
After he was done, Lu Wanrong handed him some tea which he accepted gracefully. She spoke softly, "Yuanyun hasn't come down from the mountain for over a year, and I'm really worried about him. He's very proud at heart, and despite the setback, he won't share his troubles with us..."
Li Xuanling's expression became pained and slightly guilty as he responded to his wife's concerns.
"I'm aware of that."