Meanwhile, at the Yu Residence in Milin Prefecture...
"Family Head, Lord Munian said that the Li Family isn't making any moves and that he's been waiting nearby for more than half a day already... so he's wondering if he could withdraw for the time being..."
Yu Xiaogui's expression darkened as he crumpled the letter in his hand in anger and cursed, "That useless fool!"
The attendant who had brought the report immediately quaked with fear and quickly pressed his forehead to the ground, not daring to meet Yu Xiaogui's fiery gaze.
Through gritted teeth, Yu Xiaogui continued ranting, his voice laced with disdain.
"I told him to act according to the plan, yet he's acting like a coward instead! He took so many dharma artifacts with him and killed randomly, but dawdles around on Li Family's territory?! Does he think the Li Family is foolish?!" he roared.
His voice was laced with suppressed anger as he continued through clenched teeth, "It took us great effort to set up this situation, and now he's screwing it up! Li Yuanjiao and Li Yuanping are no fools, they've likely detected that something is amiss!"
Yu Mugao, in his elegant white robe, stood at the side in a composed demeanor. He played with his fan and said calmly, "Please calm your anger, Father. Many in our family are inept; such mishaps are to be expected. It would be a surprise to me if we actually succeeded."
Having ruled for many years, Yu Mugao knew well the caliber of individuals within their own family. His anger had long been turned into disappointment, and from consequent disappointment to resignation.
His expression remained unchanged as he muttered, "The world attributes Li Family's swift rise to rogue cultivator Li Mutian's attainment of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Chejing's status as the Sword Immortal, and Li Tongya's steady leadership. All of these three are indispensable."
Yu Mugao went through the roster on the table, finding no solace in the available options as he continued, "But in my opinion, the Li Family's greatest strength lies not in their swordsmanship, nor Li Tongya or Li Chejing... but in the fact that for three generations, they have not produced a single useless fool!"
Upon hearing this from his eldest son, Yu Xiaogui sighed. Even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator like himself could not help but feel a twinge of powerlessness as he muttered, "Useless..."
Putting away his brush, Yu Mugao replied softly, "Not entirely."
"Yet the Li Family remains silent!"
Yu Xiaogui furrowed his brow and continued, "If Li Tongya has indeed been injured, there's no way the Li Family will let this Heavenly Pure Essence slip by! Your calculations have fallen short."
"No," Yu Mugao chuckled lightly as he stood up, a smile playing on his lips.
"It's precisely because Li Tongya is in a vulnerable state that they have to give up on the Heavenly Pure Essence."
"Li Tongya is cautious, not cowardly. If he had truly eliminated the Maha with his sword and withdrawn unscathed, he would never give up on a rare spirit water like the Heavenly Pure Essence. It's likely that as soon as Bi Huaxuan was rescued, Li Tongya would have taken up his sword and hunted it down personally."
He glanced at Yu Xiaogui who was listening intently, and added, "Think about it, this spirit water is in the Li Family's territory... Even if it were a trap, Li Tongya would still go for it. After all, he's a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Why would someone like him feel fearful in his own territory?"
"You have a point," Yu Xiaogui nodded in sudden realization.
Yu Mugao continued, "My intention isn't solely to successfully lay a trap. Even those considered useless have their uses. From this, we arrive at two possibilities—Li Tongya is either gravely injured or is absent from the Li Residence altogether."
Yu Xiaogui was already convinced by his eldest son's reasoning and quickly interjected, "Does that mean... this is the time to attack the Li Family? But they have the Xiao Family's protection and we cannot afford to provoke a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan. At best, we can only reclaim Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting..."
"No, we'll strike the Fei Family, using the old grudge from what happened to the marketplace as justification."
Yu Mugao adjusted his cuffs, projecting a more commanding presence as he elaborated further, "Li Tongya may simply not have returned home yet. With the Li Family backed by an immortal clan, seizing this opportunity to attack them will only allow us to reclaim Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting at most. Since this is the case... why not look further north? The Fei Family boasts five peaks and sixteen towns!"
"The Cloud Gathering Southern Heaven Formation has been activated for so long... Fei Wangbai is either not around or attempting a breakthrough. Either way, it's a good time to strike!" he added.
A slight smile played on his lips as he closed his folding fan and continued, "Besides... I have a feeling that Fei Wangbai is very likely dead."
————
Meanwhile in Lijing Town.
Li Yuanping waited anxiously in the courtyard for half a day before he finally saw Li Yuanjiao descend into the courtyard with a look of unease on his face. He hurriedly rushed forward, grasping Li Yuanjiao's arms tightly. Staring into his eyes, he asked with great urgency in his tone, "What is it, Big Brother?"
Li Yuanjiao finally snapped back to his senses, looking at Li Yuanping worriedly before replying hoarsely, "I saw it. It's indeed a trap... but..."
Realization dawned on Li Yuanping, and he quickly turned around and shouted to the clan soldiers on either side, "You're dismissed! Everyone, leave!"
Dou Yi promptly ushered everyone out before leaving himself and securely shut the courtyard gate tightly behind him. An isolation formation hummed to life, enveloping the brothers in a protective shield.
Small beads of sweat formed on Li Yuanjiao's forehead and his voice was strained as he divulged, "Fei Wangbai is dead!"
"Fei Wangbai... the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator from the Fei Family..?!" Li Yuanping muttered in shock as he stared at his brother in disbelief.
Li Yuanjiao continued bitterly, "Yes, an esteemed Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, gone quietly on his own immortal mountain! Fei Tongyu had to activate the Cloud Gathering Southern Heaven Formation to prevent this news from leaking out... The Fei Family is in absolute chaos right now."
"I wonder if the Yu Family is aware of this. With our old ancestor gravely injured and Fei Wangbai dead... they are practically the only ones on the lake with a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator that's able to fight..." he murmured in concern.
His dark gray eyes then widened slightly as they fixed on his younger brother. "The Cloud Gathering Southern Heaven Formation has been active for months now, and it seems it is more of a trap for those inside than a barrier against the outside world... Fei Tongyu must have suspected that there are Yu Family spies within the Fei Family, hence the necessity to activate such a large-scale formation to isolate internal affairs from external scrutiny..."
Li Yuanping shivered involuntarily as he answered softly, "Yes... with their family's Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator gone, the Fei Family likely dares not seek support from Fei Wangbai's acquaintances of the Foundation Establishment Realm... Even our family isn't informed of this. Fei Tongyu must be really scared. No wonder despite sending inquiries thrice, the Fei Family never responded to us!"
Fei Wangbai's close relationship with the other Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators during his lifetime did not automatically extend to friendship with his insignificant descendants.
While these cultivators might be willing to assist under the guise of past favors, once they entered the Fei Family's formation, there was no guarantee that the Fei Family members could still get to keep their own surname.
Li Yuanjiao composed himself and said quietly, "Yu Mugao is such a cunning fox..."
The very mention of Yu Mugao stirred deep hatred in his eyes, memories of Li Yuanxiu's tragic death still haunting him in his mind. He had to take a deep breath to steady his emotions.
"This whole Heavenly Pure Essence incident is most likely the work of the Yu Family to test our ancestor's reaction... Yu Mugao is cunning and deceitful. Dealing with him will be a challenge for us. Fei Tongyu's tactics surely won't work on him," Li Yuanjiao said thoughtfully.
"Moreover, with Yu Muxian in the sect, the Yu Family's grasp of current events is ahead of ours. Fei Wangbai's death cannot be concealed for long! It's probable that after testing our reaction, the Yu Family is already dispatching forces to Glacial Cloud Peak as we speak!" he exclaimed.
Li Yuanping paused briefly, then remembered something and continued, "Ning Heyuan appeared at Yuting Peak in the first lunar month... I bet his appearance is possibly related to Fei Wangbai's death. However..."
He pondered briefly before concluding, "The Cloud Gathering Southern Heaven Formation has been active for several months; the timing doesn't quite fit."
Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Li Yuanjiao instructed, "Don't concern yourself with these, I'll ascend the mountain and consult with the old ancestor. Keep watch over the Fei Family!"
With that, he swiftly exited the courtyard and took to the winds. It was only then did Dou Yi dare to enter the courtyard once more. Li Yuanping seemed lost in thought for a few moments before he finally spoke, breaking the tense silence.
"Send someone to the lake and station him on a small continent near the northern shore. If there's any change in the Fei Family's grand formation, they must report back to me immediately."
"Understood," Dou Yi replied promptly, hurrying out.
Li Yuanping coughed, his mind's eye fixated on the sinister eyes of Yu Mugao's portrait as he mumbled softly to himself.
"Yu Mugao... is truly our family's greatest adversary."