"Xiao Guiluan..." Li Yuanjiao mumbled as he strolled along the stone path, bathed in moonlight.
Wearing a black robe, his mind was filled with mixed emotions as he was soon to be married, but had yet to meet his bride. He pressed his lips together silently, feeling both excited and uneasy.
After walking for a while, he arrived at the small courtyard. He gently removed his jade crown, allowing his dark hair to cascade freely in the wind. His black hair was straight and silky, just like his mother's. He let it hang loose as he took a step forward and gently knocked on the wooden door.
"Mom."
The sound of footsteps approached, and the courtyard's wooden door creaked open. The servant greeted him and let him inside. Mu Yalu stood in the courtyard with a warm smile and spoke softly, "Jiao'er..."
Li Yuanjiao entered and sat down, taking the tea bowl offered by the servant. After waving the servants away, he spoke quietly. "Has Mother made things difficult for you?"
By Mother, he was referring to the main wife, Madam Dou. Although he had a close relationship with Li Yuanxiu, he worried that Madam Dou would make trouble for Mu Yalu out of hatred for losing her son.
"No," Mu Yalu shook her head, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes. She continued softly, "She knows about the adoption. Although she lost Yuanxiu, she has Yuanping to care for and treats me fairly well... She is astute and knows that Yuanping will likely need your help in the future, so she is kind to me."
"That is good," Li Yuanjiao nodded with a small smile and continued, "The family has arranged for me to marry a woman named Xiao Guiluan... She is from a prominent immortal clan, a direct descendant but born of a concubine. She possesses a spiritual orifice and is said to have reached the fourth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm."
"What?! An immortal clan?"
Those words spun around in Mu Yalu's mind, filling her with anxiety. After a while, she mumbled, "An immortal clan's daughter... Will she be headstrong? How should I, as her mother-in-law, meet her?"
"I don't know," Li Yuanjiao replied. He could not help but smile at her reaction, teasing her a little. But after a few moments of calming herself down, Mu Yalu grew serious and there was an urgency in her voice when she spoke.
"Jiao'er... Are you really not going to be the head of the family?! Things are different now, and you should consider carefully... You are the leading figure of the Yuan and Qing generation, and Yuanping has congenital deficiencies and cannot compare with you. Now that you are marrying an immortal clan's daughter, if you do not take the headship, what will others think?"
Li Yuanjiao shook his head and replied quietly, "I'm not interested in it; leave it to Yuanping. And as for what others think..."
Li Yuanjiao laughed heartily and placed his sword on the table, saying softly, "Once I reach the Qi Cultivation Realm, I will find a place to cultivate and rarely come down from the mountain. That way, I will have fewer worries. As for Yuanping managing the family..."
Li Yuanjiao laughed and shook his head, signaling Mu Yalu to come closer before whispering, "Mom, do not forget my half-brothers. Now, they each control their own territory. They worry that I will take over and are also afraid the family headship will go to another branch. They prefer Yuanping as head, and with their support, who can cause trouble?"
Mu Yalu nodded, sighing silently. She held back many concerns, unsure where to start. It wasn't Yuanping's ability to manage the family that worried her. With Li Xuanxuan and Li Yuanjiao around, even if Yuanping could only nod in agreement, he would hold his position securely.
She thought to herself, The greatest threat is my son... The brothers are harmonious now, but who can guarantee filial loyalty for future generations? If one branch is too strong while the other three are weak, with a powerful in-law family, it's dangerous.
Her anxious thoughts left her uneasy. She spoke softly, "Jiao'er... Yuanping is not the problem, but Xiao Guiluan comes from a strong background... You are the leader of the Yuan and Qing generation, and our branch is strong while the others are weak. If you do not take the family headship, and your descendants start harboring ideas..."
"Mother!" Li Yuanjiao abruptly cut her off, as if he understood what she was about to say, and smiled.
"Our family does not raise cowards!"
————
Xiao Chuting stood silently in the northern wind at a high altitude, gazing toward the Azure Pond Sect. The divine abilities of Purple Mansion Realm cultivators clashed in the sky, releasing colorful radiance. He exhaled lightly, and the divine abilities within him stirred restlessly.
"It's been over three hundred years..."
He looked into the distance where Azure Pond Peak appeared intermittently among the clouds, surrounded by autumnal colors. Lights of mana often swirled down, and below, mortals hawked their wares.
Over five prefectures, families, and countless commoners had been feeding the Azure Pond Sect for over three centuries, building up others' cultivation.
At the age of twelve, Xiao Chuting had stood beside his Second Uncle, Xiao Xianyou, at the same spot. Xiao Xianyou had explained in detail how the Azure Chi Devil Gate used various bloody methods to drain blood from mortals, rogue cultivators, and families.
"I have heard that Mount Yue has an immortal foundation aptly named Blood Drinker ! If this divine ability became a metallic essence and escaped those two's grasp to witness the world's scenery, it would laugh its head off, feeling utterly humbled!" He laughed.
Xiao Chuting listened in bewilderment and asked, "I heard there was a battle between immortals and demons at Pingming Ford that caused the death of many exalted immortals and destroyed the celestial order... Is that true?"
Xiao Xianyou remained silent as he took a swig from his gourd. "That is exactly what should happen..." he replied dejectedly.
Frustrated, Xiao Chuting asked, "Why? If I were in charge, I would support rogue cultivators externally and unite families internally, make disciples work the fields, have cultivators look after the people, overthrow Azure Chi, and create a new world!"
Xiao Xianyou said nothing and just smiled. It was only then Xiao Chuting realized he had boasted too much and felt ashamed.
After Xiao Xianyou died and Xiao Chuchou left in anger, the family declined. When Xiao Chuting was left to manage the family, he finally learned that the Xiao Family was also "drinking the people's blood", albeit less blatantly.
If Xiao Chuting wanted to change everything, he would have to kill his uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters and watch the Xiao Family fall. But then, new families would just rise again and do the same thing, even more openly this time.
The mountains and rivers of Lixia Prefecture undulated before his eyes, and the bloody calamity seemed to have passed. People wandered through the empty alleys while a variety of wolves prowled outside the city, their glowing green eyes waiting and longing for human flesh. That disaster had satiated them, so to this day, they remained obsessed with the taste of human flesh.
Divine lights gradually rose from Xiao Chuting and rippled across the sky, like a lake disturbed by a stone. His voice echoed, carried by his divine ability in all directions.
"Xiao Chuting of the Lixia Xiao Family has advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm today! According to custom, the Xiao Family will separate from the Azure Pond Sect and proclaim itself a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan. In three months, we will hold a ceremony, and all are welcome to attend!"