Tian Zhongqing had not touched a drop of water for three whole days. He sat silently at the desk, his thoughts crawling through his mind like ants. His lips had long turned pale, and his sweat was unceasing.
Now over thirty years old, he had never made such a grave mistake before. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, and he murmured to himself, "Should I go and confess my fault? But such baseless rumors... would that not just show my guilt and make others laugh at me? Yet if I continue to ignore this, who knows what the main family might think? I am afraid this could sow the seeds of disaster..."
Full of anxiety, Tian Zhongqing was fortunate enough to not be the sole pillar of his household like Xu Gongming, and there were elders above him. He quickly took out his writing brush, paper, and inkstone, and wrote, "My dear uncle, I am in trouble, please come quickly to save me at the back mountain courtyard behind Huaqian Town. Let no one know of this."
After signing his name, Zhongqing , with a determined stroke, he bit his lip nervously. He used his mana to evaporate the moisture, rolled up the letter carefully, and called out for a servant.
"Somebody!"
A servant hurried in, and after a moment's thought, Tian Zhongqing gave his orders solemnly, "Prepare the finest wine and dishes right now! If they are not ready in an hour, you will face the consequences!"
Watching the servant hurry off, he then called his wife and instructed, "Keep an eye on the servants, do not let a single one leave, and do not let them disturb me."
His wife, puzzled by his instructions, said nothing and left. Watching her disappear behind the vermilion gates of the backyard, Tian Zhongqing then jumped from the window sill and ran wildly toward Mount Huaqian.
As a cultivator at the fourth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, his speed was astonishing. He raced through the dark night, cutting through the dense woods at the edge of the town swiftly, soon reaching Mount Huaqian. Without daring to rest, he checked the time and, panting rapidly, waited at the foot of the mountain for the time it took an incense stick to burn.
Sure enough, a young man sauntered up slowly. Tian Zhongqing glanced around and whispered, "Cousin!"
The young man suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "Brother Zhongqing!"
Tian Zhongqing made several gestures to lower his voice and asked quietly, "Is uncle cultivating in seclusion?"
"Not yet." The young man quickly caught on and looked around cautiously, then replied in a low voice, "He is meditating, preparing to break through the Qi Cultivation Realm, likely during the convergence of spiritual qi in the coming days."
"Ah, thank heavens he's not in seclusion yet...!" Tian Zhongqing praised, overjoyed. He then bowed deeply, "My dear brother, you must deliver a message for me on this trip up the mountain."
He handed the rolled cloth to the young man. Fearing his carelessness, he said sternly, "This matter concerns the life and death of our entire family, handle it with utmost caution!"
The young man's face turned grave, and he nodded vigorously, an expression of resolution and determination crossing his face.
"Rest assured, Brother Zhongqing!"
As he ascended the mountain in his usual manner, Tian Zhongqing dared not relax. He leaped on the spot and, like the wind, dashed through the dense forest. It wasn't long before he returned to the courtyard, jumping in through a window. He smoothed out the wrinkles from his clothes and swept away the dewdrops on it, then pretended to read a book.
After waiting for an hour, Tian Zhongqing heard a crisp click at the window and immediately understood. He left the backyard, carefully locked the door, and instructed his wife to keep watch at the door before turning back to the house.
Crossing the neatly laid rocky path in the courtyard and stepping over the orderly stone steps, he pushed open the door to find a stern-faced, gray-haired middle-aged man with deep wrinkles seated inside.
This man was none other than Tian Zhongqing's uncle, Tian Youdao—the eldest of the Tian family and the only one on the verge of breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Realm.
"Uncle, Zhongqing is... ashamed!" Tian Zhongqing cried out finally, managing a bitter smile before falling to his knees, his voice filled with regret and sorrow.
Tian Youdao, known for his stern temperament, picked up a tea bowl from the table in front of him and took a slow sip before responding.
"I have scanned the surroundings with my spiritual sense. There are no eavesdroppers, so speak now."
Tian Zhongqing relayed his conversation with Xu Gongming word for word to his uncle. As Tian Youdao listened, his brow furrowed more and more. When he finally heard the end of the story, he spat out a mouthful of tea. Tian Zhongqing did not dare to evade, allowing the tea to drench his face and head.
Tian Youdao's face turned ashen as he furiously flipped over the table in front of him, shattering it to pieces with a loud crash. His beard and hair bristled as he roared, "Foolish bastard!"
Tian Zhongqing trembled, not daring to move. Tian Youdao, still not appeased, grabbed him roughly and slapped him hard across the face, backhanding him again which caused stars to appear before his eyes. He then turned and kicked over a large table, shattering it and scattering white porcelain shards everywhere, his teeth grinding audibly.
"Uncle..." Tian Zhongqing collapsed to the floor, calling out plaintively.
Tian Youdao then took a deep breath before helping him up, and with a sweep of his sleeve, cleared the debris instantly.
However, his teeth were still tightly clenched as he said, "It is one thing to gossip, but to discuss such matters with Xu Gongming, and even risk letting outsiders overhear your conversation is pure foolishness!"
"What can be done now...?" Tian Zhongqing asked in a low and weak voice.
Tian Youdao replied harshly, "Fortunately, it is Xuanxuan who is in charge now. If it had been Li Xiangping, even nine lives would not be enough for you!"
Seeing Tian Zhongqing's submissive demeanor, Tian Youdao's anger subsided slightly. He then lowered his voice further.
"You should know that the temperament of the main family is derived from Uncle Mutian. The younger generation might be untaught and better off, but the older ones, apart from Li Changhu, are all the same—whether gentle, stern, or radical... at their core, they are ruthless. Which of the esteemed families do not know of the main family's powerful techniques? How dare you speak of such things?"
Tian Youdao paused for a moment, his expression grave as he continued, "The people of the main family seem amiable, unconcerned with trivialities, and remarkably tolerant of diverse people and situations. If this weren't the case, you wouldn't find so many external cultivators among the families by the lake; their ancestors wouldn't have allowed such diversity. However, crossing certain lines or breaking their taboos could lead to a massacre—the extermination of an entire family, carried out with such ruthlessness that they would seem like entirely different people."
Tian Youdao, the younger brother of Tian Yun and also the maternal uncle of Li Xuanfeng and Li Jingtian, not only held a terrifyingly high status but was also gifted. However, he had started cultivating too late and only reached the peak of the Embryonic Breathing Realm in his fifties.
He continued coldly, recounting history, "Why do you think the Liu Family, despite being the old ancestor's in-laws and holding a large spirit field in Jingyang Town, have ended up faring worse than our Tian Family, even though Liu Rouxuan is still alive now?
Tian Zhongqing, who was listening intently, asked, "Why?"
"Back when you and the others were not even born yet, and Xuanxuan was probably only four or five years old, the gate of Mount Lijing was newly established. A member of the Liu Family spied on the main family's gate. At that time, Xiangping was in charge and tied up that man personally and beheaded him at the mountain gate to protect the family. Xuanxuan also knows of this situation, hence the longstanding lukewarm state of the Liu Family..."
As Tian Youdao spoke of this old event from such a current perspective, his voice was heavily tinged with emotion.
Though he did not intend to instill fear in him, his words deeply alarmed Tian Zhongqing, who trembled with fear with tears in his eyes. He then squeezed out a question through his clenched teeth.
"Uncle... what do you mean?!"