"Yu Xiaogui is dead."
Li Yuanjiao had heard many rumors and lived through the death of his family's ancestor. With a quick glance, he instantly grasped the situation at hand.
The two families had a blood feud, and Li Yuanjiao, feeling no sorrow, sighed in relief that the turmoil was finally settling.
"Fei Wangbai fell to an unknown swordsman. He fell with just a single attack... Yu Xiaogui met his end at the hands of my granduncle, armed with only a Huashang Fruit and his Qingche Sword... It took just a single strike too. The Three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the lake are now all dead..."
The Azure Pond Sect would not ease its grip on prestigious clans just because their Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators had fallen. The tributes that were due would still be demanded under the guise of honoring past legacies. These families would still be labeled a prestigious clan for another fifty years so that the sect could drain all their remaining resources before discarding them for good.
Should a few more Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators emerge in the Li Family or annex additional territories, their required tributes would undoubtedly increase, mirroring the substantial offerings made by the Yuan Family, who paid far more than the Li Family.
The scene of Yu Xiaogui's death was strikingly magnificent, with jade scattered all across the ground. Li Yuanjiao observed in silence, then left the cave to survey the Yu Family's territory for a while.
Under the Yu Family's governance, conditions had significantly improved over the years. Now, at least, their subjects led decent lives. Despite Yu Mugao's sinister and brutal nature, his bold reforms to the clan system and his elevation of commoners not born into the family all led to positive progress.
Understanding the situation, Li Yuanjiao put away the mirror. As the familiar stone wall of his cave dwelling came back into view, he murmured, "Chi Buzi's visit has indeed unsettled my family... The long-term consequences of it are still unclear."
The day's events had caused frustration to accumulate within him. Li Yuanjiao took the Qingche Sword from its place and started practicing his sword techniques.
It was not until he had practiced for half the day that he felt the mounting pressures begin to dissipate, and he sensed a slight improvement in his skills.
Sitting cross-legged, he began to clean the sword. At that moment, a man in brown robes and a jade crown approached, his face breaking into a broad, respectful smile.
"Clan Brother! Clan Brother! Good news!"
It was none other than Shamoli. Despite being older than Li Yuanjiao, he had learned the ways of the world and preferred addressing Li Yuanjiao as his clan brother with familiarity.
"Clan Brother! There's good news from Lijing! Daoist Master Chuting has appeared in Mount Yu and vanquished dozens of devil cultivators lurking over there! He has already returned to Xianyou Peak... The devil cultivators in the Xiao Family's territory have scattered, fleeing in all directions!"
Xiao Chuting has returned!
Li Yuanjiao silently sighed in relief, a smile breaking across his face.
With Xiao Chuting in command, the Xiao Family's plight will be solved... My family will be safer as well.
With that in mind, he patted Shamoli's shoulder and replied, "That's indeed good news! Keep watch for a while; I'll cultivate in seclusion now."
Shamoli then nodded and silently withdrew.
————
As news spread, the cultivators on the mountain breathed a sigh of relief and the crowds at the foot of the mountain rejoiced. They did not understand the intricacies of the struggle but knew that the Xiao Family backed the Li Family. Hence, the return of such an important figure was naturally a cause for celebration.
The generation of Yuan and Qing, who held important positions across various mountains and towns, were elated too. Having returned to Lijing to report on their duties, they gathered in Li Yuanping's central hall to offer their congratulations.
The generation of Yuan and Qing originally numbered over ten, but now nine remained. Excluding Yuanjiao and Qinghong in the mountains, and Yuanping who managed family affairs, most of them were Li Xuanxuan's concubine-born children.
There were four sons and two daughters—the eldest was thirty, and the youngest just over ten, each holding a significant role within the family. Two among them possessed spiritual orifices, though their talents paled in comparison to even Li Yuanping's and were nearly indistinguishable from mortals.
"Greetings, Family Head!"
This group, representing nearly half of the Li Family's worldly influence, gathered in the hall. Li Yuanping greeted them with a warm smile and helped his siblings to their feet.
Their unruliness during Li Yuanxiu's reign had completely vanished. Everyone had a warm smile on their face and was devoted to the family.
It was not that Li Yuanping was better at leading the family than Li Yuanxiu; it was rather because his siblings had married, settled down, and started families of their own.
The distinction between those with spiritual orifices and ordinary mortals was profound. While it was challenging to produce heirs with such rare traits, these siblings endeavored to conceive them, aiming to nurture children as remarkable as their father, Li Xuanxuan.
According to the Li Family's rules, concubine-born children from the major sect identified with spiritual orifices by the age of six could be sent to the mountains for training. With their precious children cultivating on the mountain, the parents naturally shifted their allegiances to become staunch supporters of the main lineage.
This was a strategy Li Yuanping understood well. By boldly promoting key positions, he eased his own burdens considerably. Over the years, his warm relationships with his brothers had greatly strengthened their bonds.
With a laugh, he chirped, "Although this is good news, all of you shouldn't have gone out of your way to make this trip."
After exchanging pleasantries, the group pushed forward a man with a broad, round face—the eldest son born to Li Xuanxuan from a concubine. After some extended conversation, one of them said, "There are still untapped talents within our family, talents that have been overlooked and underutilized by the clan... We've come to bring them to your attention, Family Head!"
"Oh?"
Li Yuanping's interest was instantly piqued.
The man continued, "These two brothers are the sons of Master An... They are also part of the Li Family."
He motioned, and two teenagers, about thirteen or fourteen years old, stepped forward. Dressed in cloaks with their hair neatly tied back, they wore gold bracelets on their wrists and had round faces with dark eyes.
Both bowed formally as they greeted him respectfully.
"An Siwei greets the Family Head!"
"An Siming greets the Family Head!"
They were the only children of An Zheyan and Li Feiruo. The siblings both possessed spiritual orifices and had attained the fourth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm by the ages of thirteen and fourteen!
However, their aura seemed unsteady, indicating they had only recently achieved this breakthrough. Nevertheless, their progress still astounded everyone.
Li Yuanping studied them intently and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Both of you... are cultivating the
Guardian of the Courtly Path technique?!"
Both brothers nodded, prompting Li Yuanping to secretly sigh in relief.
No wonder they've advanced so quickly... The Guardian of the Courtly Path is known for accelerating progress in the Embryonic Breathing Realm while slowing Qi Cultivation; but it's impressive nonetheless.
Although they can't match An Jingming's progress at fourteen, they're still better than many of our external cultivators. Not just the Chen Clan, but their speed also matched even those in my family who have received a talisman seed!
He shook his head and stated firmly, "Given your current level of cultivation, I don't have any responsibilities for you."
The other siblings and the An brothers were dismayed upon hearing Li Yuanping's statement. Li Yuanping, however, continued, "I'll write a letter to find a cave dwelling on Mount Huazhong for you two to focus on your cultivation so you can swiftly achieve the Qi Cultivation Realm... The clan will have significant duties for you by then!"
"Yes!"
The brothers readily responded, clearly elated upon hearing this.
Li Yuanping immediately wrote the letter. The An brothers accepted it and respectfully withdrew.