Yuan Huyuan looked disheveled and drained of energy as he entered. But he looked up as a strikingly handsome young man approached him. The youth’s white robes were as pristine as freshly fallen snow, and Li Yuexiang stood quietly by his side.
Yuan Huyuan was stunned. He paused for a moment before tentatively speaking, "I wonder if Daoist Xuanxuan might be available...?"
"You’ve come at an unfortunate time, senior," the young man replied with a faint smile. "The elder is cultivating in seclusion. I am Li Xijun, and this is my younger sister, Yuexiang. Greetings, Senior Huyuan."
Yuan Huyuan’s eyes flickered briefly over Li Xijun’s face. Something in the youth’s expression struck him as even more challenging to deal with than Li Xuanxuan.
He cleared his throat before rasping, "Another cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm... Your family truly produces talents in abundance. It’s admirable."
Li Xijun shook his head modestly and replied softly, "You flatter me, senior. May I ask the purpose of your visit today?"
Yuan Huyuan’s weathered face fell as his tone turned mournful. "I am powerless on my own... The Yuan family has already fallen into my younger brother’s hands. He has devoted himself entirely to the Chi family and turned us into their vassals. I fear he might disregard the bond between our families and do something foolish!"
"Oh?" Li Xijun raised an eyebrow in apparent surprise as he replied, "If it’s about returning the betrothal gifts, that’s a minor matter."
Feigning ignorance, he gestured to the Jade Court Guards standing nearby and serenely ordered, "Please escort Young Master Yuan here."
Yuan Huyuan felt a chill run down his spine. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Li Xijun unexpectedly took his hand with a courteous smile and said gently, "Senior Yuan, the friendship between our families spans generations. You’ve even met our family’s ancestor! The congratulatory gift you sent, the Dragon Coiling Pillar, remains as our family head’s sword to this day. How could there ever be betrayal between us?"
Li Xijun’s words were warm and polite, yet there was an unmistakable undertone to them. Cold beads of perspiration started to glisten on Yuan Huyuan’s forehead as Li Xijun continued, his voice calm yet firm, "Your relationship with us is solid, senior. My sister can certainly spend more time chatting with you..."
The implications behind his words caused Yuan Huyuan to falter. He wiped his brow and stammered weakly, "Actually... I fear that..."
Just then, a Jade Court Guard rushed in, kneeling as he reported urgently, "My lord! Young Master Yuan has escaped!"
"Escaped?" Li Xijun exclaimed in apparent disbelief. His tone carried a faint hint of amusement as he continued, "How could that be? Go check the farm again."
Yuan Huyuan’s face was drenched in sweat. His expression crumbled into despair as he said, "Xijun... there’s no need to search anymore! My younger brother has already summoned him back. Let’s just forget about this matter... I can only apologize to Miss Yuexiang!"
Li Xijun’s expression darkened instantly.He remained silent for several moments before finally replying icily, "Senior, if you had no desire for this union, you could have just said so. Why go to such lengths to humiliate my family?"
Yuan Huyuan’s heart was swirling in turmoil as he struggled to lift his head and meet Li Xijun’s eyes. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to glimpse the shadow of a middle-aged man in gray robes from years past. The memory of Li Tongya and his unfathomable presence surged back into his mind. He could no longer sit still, and his wooden chair suddenly began to feel like a precarious perch.
He had seen several generations of the Li family, and though none had ever evoked the towering, unshakable presence of Li Tongya, Li Xijun now felt like a blade concealed in snow—piercingly sharp and unerringly perceptive. It felt as though his every calculation had been laid bare.
Yuan Huyuan could only sigh in misery, "I have already lost control of my family. I have no power over my younger brother. I fear he will make a spectacle of this and sever all ties between our families. Yuexiang... Yuexiang... I never thought it would come to this!"
The implication was clear. Yuan Huyuan’s brother intended to spread the rumor that Yuan Fuyao had fled because he regretted the betrothal, ensuring a complete and irreparable rupture between the Yuan and Li families. Yuan Huyuan raised his tired, sorrowful face to look at Li Yuexiang, expecting to see anger or humiliation.
Instead, he was met with a calm, smiling countenance. Her almond-shaped eyes blinked softly and her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze as she replied, "It’s fine, senior. I’m fine."
Despite her seemingly serene tone, Yuan Huyuan felt a shiver run down his spine. It was like he could hear the distant echo of a sword’s cold hum. Her gaze, though polite, carried unspoken words that seemed to pierce through him.
But your family may not be.
Yuan Huyuan could no longer find the words to continue. He silently stepped back and left the great hall, only to see a woman clad in jade armor standing outside. She held a spear in her arms and stood as if she had been listening for some time.
Her almond-shaped eyes rose slightly as she spoke calmly, "I’ll escort you out, senior."
A Yuan Huyuan shuddered. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had barely reached his level through medicinal pills, his strength was absolutely inferior to Li Qinghong. If it came to a fight, he wasn’t sure he could last more than a few rounds against her.
Swallowing hard, he stammered, "Ah, it’s you, Qinghong."
Li Qinghong rose into the wind alongside him, her voice steady and even, "If your family must throw its lot in with the Chi family, it is understandable. But the means you’ve employed are far too underhanded. Surely, years of friendship between our families did not have to end this way."
Yuan Huyuan sighed deeply, his voice laden with sorrow.
Li Qinghong paused briefly before continuing, "Your family has wronged ours, Yuan Chengdun, and Qingsui Peak all in one stroke. You’ve not only severed the ties between our families but also caused us to lose credibility with Yuan Chengdun. If you have the slightest shred of goodwill toward my family, I ask that you spare Yuan Fuyao’s life."
Yuan Huyuan now understood that his schemes had almost entirely been seen through. He said quietly, "Yuan Fuyao will come to no harm. He’s being closely watched. You may rest assured."
Li Qinghong cupped her fists in salute before riding a bolt of lightning back toward the Li estate, leaving Yuan Huyuan to fly off alone. As he soared through the sky, memories of his decades-long friendship with Li Yuanjiao and Li Xuanxuan swirled in his mind. He felt a growing sense of desolation.
He muttered to himself, "It’s just... just that Sword Immortal Li once defeated Chi Zhiyun with a single strike, and the Li family’s growing closeness with the Xiao family has long left the Chi family uneasy. How could they tolerate me preserving my old alliances? If I weren’t ruthless, how could I silence the Chi family’s jibes?"
He looked out at the horizon, his heart hollow and adrift. The image of Li Yuexiang’s smiling face and her calm, measured words suddenly surfaced in his mind, sending a shiver through him.
"Li Yuanjiao was a viper at heart. His daughter is probably no different... Why, of all families, did it have to be the Li family?"
If Yuan Huyuan had been given the choice, the Li family would have been the last among his relatives and allies that he would wish to offend. But he was a man adrift in turbulent waters, with no other options. Head bowed in resignation, he pressed forward, silent and alone.
----
Li Qinghong descended gracefully into the courtyard, carried by the wind. Inside, a few people were deep in conversation. Li Xijun gave her a small nod, acknowledging their seamless coordination despite having made no prior arrangements.
Li Xuanxuan broke the silence.
"We still don’t know the fate of Yuan Chengdun and Yuan Tuan. Even if they return now, it’s likely too late to salvage anything. But I did give Yuan Chengdun my word... And what are we supposed to do about Yuan Fuyao running away? It's not like we can send people and drag him back. "
Li Xijun gestured dismissively. "Yuexiang’s agreement was originally based on Yuan Fuyao staying willingly. Who could have predicted that Yuan Huyuan would act this way? Even Yuan Chengdun didn’t foresee this... His cultivation is among the best, but how could he outmatch a wily old fox like Yuan Huyuan when it comes to political schemes?"
He stopped for a moment, then added in a softer tone, "From now on, that man has nothing to do with our family. There’s no need to mention him again."
Turning to his sister, he sighed and said, "I’m afraid you’ve been wronged in all this... The Yuan family’s attempt to sever ties with us will undoubtedly stir up rumors and gossip."
Li Yuexiang, seated quietly at the table, offered a serene smile and shook her head.
She said, "It’s nothing to worry about. People will only ridicule the Yuan family for their inconsistency, and Yuan Fuyao for his lack of discernment."