Meanwhile on Mount Lijing...
The side courtyard was meticulously cleaned, and Li Jingtian set up a wooden frame to air out the wooden tablets under the clear weather. As she carefully arranged them, a little girl of about seven or eight years old, dressed in a festive red dress with gold patterns, hurried into the inner courtyard. She held a brocade pouch in her hand and asked cheerfully, "Mother! When is Brother Jiao going to pick up the bride?"
Li Jingtian lifted Li Qingxiao into her arms as she looked at the sky. "It's almost time. Get ready and we'll go down the mountain together," she replied with a gentle smile.
"Oh..."
Li Qingxiao was already eight years old. Earlier in the year, it was discovered that she possessed a spiritual orifice, much to Li Jingtian's delight. They quickly had her begin cultivating and many people had come to congratulate them. Even Chen Donghe was quite pleased. The couple closed the courtyard and watched Li Qingxiao cultivate for a while, but quickly noticed that something was off.
Given Chen Donghe's talent and the fact that the Li Family descended from Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, Li Qingxiao's talent should be rather remarkable. However, after observing her for a while, they found her aptitude to be lacking.
The Profound Scenery Chakra required the condensation of eighty-one wisps of spiritual qi, but it took Li Qingxiao nearly half a month to condense just a wisp.
At this rate, it would take Li Qingxiao over three years to even have a chance at forming the Profound Scenery Chakra, similar to the descendants of external cultivators from the foot of the mountain.
Moreover, Li Qingxiao was cultivating the Supreme Jade Meridian Nourishment Technique that Li Tongya had brought back from Lingyanzi. It was specifically reserved for their own cultivators who did not receive a talisman seed, which was better than what those external cultivators practiced. Otherwise, it would be even slower.
The couple sat facing each other, pondering for a long time. Looking at the other members of the Yuan and Qing generation, Chen Donghe began to feel guilty. He was convinced that his Chen Family's inferior lineage had hindered Qingxiao's progress.
Hearing Li Qingxiao's acknowledgment, Li Jingtian reminded her, "When the Xiao Family's boy hands the jade ring to Brother Jiao, give him the brocade pouch and say something nice. It's just a custom, but remember what you need to do so you don't embarrass yourself."
Li Qingxiao nodded obediently. Li Jingtian picked up a wooden box beside her and explained, "The journey will be long, so I prepared some pastries for you to eat in the carriage so you will not be hungry."
Li Qingxiao took the wooden box in her hands and blinked her eyes innocently.
"Mother, I heard that I will have to marry into the Xiao Family like sister-in-law someday..." she said suddenly.
Li Jingtian paused, her expression complex and rather strained. She gave a vague and simple response to her daughter.
"It's still too early to talk about this... There's still over ten years until that happens, who can say for sure?"
Li Qingxiao nodded with a smile. "If I have to be married into the Xiao Family, you must choose someone who will treat me well, Mother..."
Li Jingtian merely held her daughter's hand in response, her voice tinged with sadness.
"Go on now... Don't keep your brother waiting."
————
The foot of the Li Family's mountain was bustling with activity. Lanterns and festive decorations were everywhere, creating a spectacle grander than the Lu Family's wedding years ago.
Red silk was hung all around, and the sound of suona music echoed joyfully along the roads. The mountain and its base brimmed with a festive atmosphere of joyful celebration.
After conquering Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting for over half a year, the Li Family's territory had nearly doubled. Li Xuanxuan planned to establish seven towns below Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting, adding to the four towns under Lijing and the three under Huaqian, making a total of fourteen towns.
This expansion would bring about a surge of both land and labor, providing ample opportunities for the previously crowded townsfolk, and rejuvenating the Li Family.
Similar to the golden era brought on by the conquest of Huaqian, the Li Family's lower-ranking members once again found opportunities to rise. The seven towns were teeming with ambition and progress.
As long as one was not a lazy idler, hard work would always yield land or a fortune. The people didn't ask for much; they simply longed for survival. Hence, these opportunities were great luxuries to them.
The stagnation and deadlock caused by the increasing number of Li Family descendants and prominent families had been thrown into oblivion. The wealth and military merits brought by external conquests allowed more talents and prominent families to emerge.
"The wind is rising, and changes are bound to come... Five prominent clans have emerged from the seven towns, and another seven towns have sprung up in the north. Many are striving to make a name for themselves..."
Li Yuanjiao, at the center of it all, adjusted the gold patterns on his red sleeves. As the head of the Clan Affairs Courtyard, he was well aware of the Li Family's movements. Adjusting his wedding robes, he smiled contentedly.
"Good times are ahead."
Since Li Tongya had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and the marriage alliance with the Xiao Family was confirmed, defeating the An Family in the north had become inevitable. From the Foundation Establishment Realm ancestor and Qi Cultivators to the prominent families and common folk, everyone eagerly anticipated this.
With all levels of society benefiting and the Xiao Family personally marrying off their daughter, support and reverence for the Li Family grew. Li Yuanjiao noticed this and felt delighted. The clan uncles around him assumed he was happy about the wedding and offered their congratulations, while only his half-brothers exchanged silent smiles.
As the time approached, Li Yuanjiao and his group mounted their horses, following tradition to welcome the Xiao Family. Fortunately, the Xiao and Li families were not too far apart, and the Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators had remarkable stamina. If the distance had been greater, they would have had to send someone to fly Xiao Guiluan over.
The Guli Road had been renovated twice, with the Xiao Family preparing relay stations and smooth roads along the way. Due to him being at the peak of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, Li Yuanjiao did not need to rest, however, many of the Li Family men were ordinary mortals, so they had to take several days to reach Lixia Prefecture.
Xiao Guiluan had descended the mountain and was waiting in the prefecture, sitting in her sedan until word came that the groom had arrived.
The group arrived to receive Xiao Guiluan, waiting at the foot of the mountain. The Xiao Family's procession finally appeared in the distance. Red flower petals were scattered everywhere. Li Yuanjiao waited patiently, watching as the lavish bridal sedan approached.
A boy of about ten, also dressed festively, jumped down, holding a round jade disk as he announced, "The phoenix sings, thriving through five generations with radiant peach blossoms, a perfect union for a thousand years... May your home be prosperous, your union harmonious."
After the boy had finished speaking, Li Yuanjiao thanked him before taking the jade disk. A little girl then emerged from the group behind him.
It was Li Qingxiao.
The child seemed a bit weary from the long carriage ride but remained well-behaved, not crying or fussing at all. She smiled and handed a brocade pouch to Xiao Xian before leading him into the carriage, leaving Xiao Guiluan alone in the wedding sedan.
Li Yuanjiao dismounted, offering incense and wine, performing all the Xiao Family's rituals meticulously for two hours. Finally, with a nod, he mounted his horse and rode beside the bridal sedan leisurely toward the Li Family.
Finally having a moment to himself, Li Yuanjiao glanced briefly at the sedan, refraining from using his spiritual sense. He carefully observed the graceful silhouette projected on the curtain and spoke in a soft voice.
"Fortunate to meet you."
The silhouette paused as the figure raised a round fan. A clear, bright voice came from behind the curtain, light and gentle.
"I have been waiting."