The robust young man sat upright in the courtyard, his fingers forming hand seals. Black flames churned from his palms, spreading in ripples around him. Dark runes flickered like streams of light around him, weaving and twisting through the air by his side.
Li Xijun cast a brief glance his way, wary of being noticed. He averted his gaze and monitored the young man from the corner of his eye.
Chengliao wasn't affected by him, meaning this person isn't on the same level as Chu Yi. There likely isn't a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator behind the scenes controlling him either. It's possible he carries a thread of fate, stumbled upon some hidden legacy, or received guidance from a skilled master.
Li Xijun refrained from acting hastily and first summoned Chen Mufeng.
"The Jade Court Guards patrolling the area are too concentrated—it might raise suspicion. Spread them out along the borders. His lover is still on the mountain; I will have Senior Wushao personally keep an eye on Xu Xiao," he instructed.
Chen Mufeng's heart was full of bitterness, thinking only of making amends and avoiding demotion.
At the time, he had only sent a trusted confidant, Captain Chen, his kinsman, to handle matters. Now, Chen Mufeng had quietly reassigned Captain Chen to Mount Yue to distance him from the events in town, intending to deal with him once the situation was resolved.
After voicing his acknowledgment, Chen Mufeng hurried off to carry out the orders.
Li Chengliao had initially granted Liu Lingzhen access to cultivate on the mountain, intending to drive a wedge and win her over. Yet now, it had inadvertently placed her within the grasp of the Li Family. Li Xijun assigned two people to question her discreetly, then turned to Li Wushao, "Senior, do you know of any sect techniques involving black flames, preferably ones capable of manipulating minds or threatening lives?"
Li Xijun was well-acquainted with the factions in Wu and Yue States and knew them thoroughly. However, he had never seen anything like this black flame—capable of beguiling minds and toying with lives—leading him to suspect it might originate from overseas influences.
Li Wushao thought for a moment, hissing as he spoke, "There are countless Dao lineages on the seas, and those sunken to the ocean floor are even more numerous. As for black flames... there is indeed one that is quite famous."
He paused for a moment, then added gravely, "Crimson Reef Island, a significant power on the seas. Their direct disciples cultivate Merging Fire, one of the Fire Virtue, and are known for breathing black flames laced with spells that confuse minds and cast sinister curses."
"Crimson Reef Island..."
Li Xijun's primary concern was whether this individual was a pawn of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. However, there had been no word from Li Xizhi's end. Given the current strength of the Li Family, any Purple Mansion Realm cultivator would have informed them before taking action, rather than stirring trouble in secret.
With no incoming news and given the limits of Xu Xiao's abilities, murderous intent rose in Li Xijun's heart. He suspected that someone was using Xu Xiao to disrupt his family. Yet, the Li Family had no prior conflict with Crimson Reef Island, making the situation uncertain. He summoned one of his men and ordered, "Find a clever female cultivator and have her extract some information from Liu Lingzhen—subtly. Gauge her stance on the immortal sects and gates."
The subordinate hesitated but nodded, leaving with several capable assistants. It was clear that he did not fully grasp Li Xijun's intent, prompting Li Xijun to elaborate, "Send a female cultivator to casually talk about some overseas sects. Drop a few deliberate errors—make it sound convincing but irritating. See if Liu Lingzhen can catch the mistakes and determine her attitude toward the sects."
After making these arrangements, Li Xijun refrained from acting hastily. He intended to probe further, delaying matters until the ancestors returned.
"If he leaves without incident, that would be ideal... but if he bears a grudge, we cannot let him go."
Li Xijun lingered in the sky, feeling deeply unsettled. Only he possessed the perception technique needed to pierce through illusions. He found a vantage point on Lijing Peak, where he could oversee the entire town below.
The night passed.
The next morning, a subordinate arrived on a gust of wind and reported respectfully, "My Lord, as you instructed, we sent someone to speak with Liu Lingzhen. She has revealed some information."
Following Li Xijun's orders, the female cultivator approached Liu Lingzhen arrogantly, showing off and casually mentioning some details about the outer seas. Liu Lingzhen, naive as she was, could not stand the boasting and retorted.
The subordinate reported, "She pointed out the mistakes made by the two agents we sent, exposing them easily. Once she started talking, she could not stop and spoke highly of the sects, even describing some of their artifacts in detail."
Xu Xiao may be cautious, but his lover is all appearance and no substance... she's left us far too many clues.
These remarks were swiftly relayed to Li Xijun. The mention of the outer seas stirred thoughts in his mind, prompting him to mutter, "A girl who has never set foot outside this town somehow knows about the artifacts of overseas sects...?"
With this information in hand, many possibilities were eliminated. The most likely scenario was that Xu Xiao had a thread of fate upon him, stumbling upon Crimson Reef Island's inheritance and falling under its influence—or he might even be a vessel possessed by someone from the island.
If Xu Xiao truly had deep connections to Crimson Reef Island, it could involve a rare technique for avoiding death through reincarnation, making him an even greater threat and harder to eliminate.
Li Xijun considered this possibility for a moment before dismissing it, "If it really is a reincarnation technique, the matter should have been made public. If he had informed us, the Li Family would have ensured his safe return to the island... unless he is some kind of rogue disciple."
His thoughts raced, circling through numerous possibilities. The more he pondered, the harder it became to judge the situation. Exhaling slowly, he turned his mind to the enigma surrounding reincarnation.
"No matter what, it is clear that he is tied to Crimson Reef Island."
Setting aside his concerns, Li Xijun flipped through the records handed to him by his subordinates, reviewing Xu Xiao's recent activities in detail. He had to admit that Xu Xiao's temperament and behavior suggested a growing resentment toward the Li Family—perhaps even greed.
Li Xijun found it intolerable for someone with a thread of fate to harbor ill will toward his family while remaining outside their control. Such a person posed a greater danger than a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator lurking nearby. If the situation escalated to that point, offending Crimson Reef Island might be unavoidable—Xu Xiao would have to be eliminated.
"Just because someone has a thread of fate does not mean they cannot be killed..."
As Li Xijun ran his hand along the hilt of his sword, murderous intent simmered within him. Suppressing it, he muttered to himself, "To deal with someone like this, you either hold back entirely or strike with full force, ensuring they have no chance to escape."
He stood up, calculating how long it would take for the senior family members to return. But with them far away on unpredictable journeys across the seas, Xu Xiao grew stronger with each passing day—waiting any longer might not be an option.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, another subordinate rushed in and reported, "My Lord, that devil cultivator just took a large barrel of medicinal herbs! We do not know what kind of spell he intends to perform!"
The Li Family treated Xu Xiao with great caution. While the core members understood the reason, most of the lower-ranking members were left puzzled. Following Li Xijun's orders, word had spread that Xu Xiao was a devil cultivator who had seized another's body. Coupled with the grisly and bizarre death of Old Man Liu, fear and hatred toward Xu Xiao simmered among the family members.