Li Yuanqin cupped his fists and said softly, "Brother Fubo, you may not be aware. Though that Mount Yue cultivator, Fei Luoya, is a member of the Ning Family and publicly claims the Li Family stole his territory, in truth, he still harbors old sentiments toward my father. That’s why he deliberately revealed his whereabouts to me in secret..."
He laid out every clue he had observed, step by step, with each point well-reasoned and logically sound. Chi Fubo smiled as if enlightened, though inwardly he remained noncommittal.
Li Yuanqin said quietly, "There are still those within the Purple Mansion Realm who remain friendly to us... Daoist Master Changxiao is among their elites, so how can we be sure this wasn’t his intention all along?"
Only after these words did Chi Fubo show a hint of contemplation, and Li Yuanqin continued, "In the end, it’s likely that someone from the Purple Mansion Realm used this opportunity to tip their hand, hoping we might intervene and take a swipe at the Si Family.
"Things are only just beginning to surface, and much remains unclear. I leave the final decision to you, Brother Fubo!"
He cupped his fists and stepped back. Chi Fubo nodded in farewell and turned back to sit at the table.
This isn’t something to be trifled with. There’s likely deception here. Even if we take ten thousand steps back... why would Si Yuanli ever yield? Roundabout as it is... Yuanqin still wants to take control of the Li Family...
Irritation simmered in Chi Fubo’s heart, but he bore no grudge. It wasn’t just Li Yuanqin, elders like Chi Zhihu and even many of Chi Fubo’s own siblings had long harbored intentions to act. It was only his restraint that had kept them in check.
It’s far too soon, thought Chi Fubo.
Now that he’d come this far, Chi Fubo realized he could no longer meet the expectations of those around him. Be it Li Yuanqin or Chi Zhihu, they were both growing impatient.
Like a wild horse snapping its reins, if I can’t rein them in, I fear we’ll all tumble off a cliff, and I will be shattered to pieces first! Li Yuanqin’s proposal had made him see the true state of his situation, and his heart turned cold, I've read countless classics, and always thought the ancients were too reckless and too foolish. I've always thought they lacked caution and acted in haste. But now, acting for myself, I realize how boxed-in everything feels. Perhaps they had no choice either.
Panic crept deeper into him. He downed several cups in a row, and Chi Xuxiao’s face surfaced in his mind once again. His grip on the jade cup tightened, resentment rising in his chest, Damn this ill-timed fate... Why did he have to be a bright child! Even if he only pretended to be stupid or truly was, it wouldn’t have left me in such a wretched bind!
————
Pingya Island.
Golden morning light glittered across the lake as Li Zhouwei rode the wind southward toward the lands under Lijing Prefecture. The buildings here, the oldest among those circling the lake, bore gray tiles and greenstone walls. Though the disciples who once filled these alleys had long vanished, several large stone mansions still had caretakers assigned.
Shadows danced across the stone steps as Li Zhouwei entered the house, followed by Master Monk Kongheng. When he saw that the pool at the center was still crystal clear, he made his way toward the back hall where the clang of chains echoed in waves.
Clang...
The rear hall was lined with cold and foreboding iron bars. The faint bleating of sheep drifted through. As Li Zhouwei stepped into the chamber, he saw a naked boy crouched on the floor, his body covered in pale scales. He was sucking at the neck of a sheep, drinking its blood. The animal lay collapsed, its bleats fading to silence.
Li Zhouwei lowered his gaze and silently watched the boy devour the sheep alive. He stood there for a long time without speaking. Unable to bear the sight, Kongheng began murmuring mantras with his eyes closed.
On the second day after he achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm and returned to the lake, he had come to visit his eldest son. Together with Kongheng, he had examined the boy thoroughly, yet he remained helpless.
Li Jiang’ao wasn’t under any bewitchment clouding his mind, nor was his soul disturbed. The problem was far more fundamental. He simply lacked human intelligence from the start. There was no cure for it. Perhaps after hundreds of years of cultivation, he might develop the sentience of a demonic creature.
Just look at him now, he can’t even recognize words. How could he possibly receive talisman seeds... thought Li Zhouwei.
Li Zhouwei had even considered releasing him into the wild, to live alone by some mountain or lake. But there were too many taboos, so he couldn’t let the boy go. And so, year after year, he remained imprisoned in this cage.
Only he or Li Xuanxuan would visit him now and then.
Jiang’ao is like a beast. Jiangqian, though clever, is extreme in nature and harbors hypocrisy... I fear none of my sons are truly virtuous.
Li Zhouwei's third son had just been born a few days ago but he was publicly announced as his second. The child was named Li Jianglong[1], and again, bore a pair of golden eyes. Yet Li Zhouwei no longer felt much joy. When he turned around, another concubine was already pregnant.
He called softly. "Master Monk."
Kongheng quickly looked up, and Li Zhouwei murmured, "You once mentioned using the Veiled Yin technique to suppress... I wonder if we might try it, so that I could have a child without golden eyes. I heard the Undefeated King of Brightness sired nothing but demons. All of them were eventually subdued. These children of mine, bearing the same golden eyes as I do—if their merit is shallow, disaster may befall them."
Kongheng gave him a contemplative glance and replied softly, "This humble monk will do his best."
Li Zhouwei nodded, cast one last look at the son he had once placed such hope in, even before birth, then turned and walked out. As he descended the stone steps, whatever hope he still held slowly faded away.
He rode the wind back to the island’s great hall, where Kongheng withdrew on his own. Li Qinghong and Li Xuanxuan were already waiting inside.
When they saw him arrive empty-handed, Li Qinghong flicked her sleeve and tossed out the Chongming Profound Insight Screen, shielding the space from all eyes.
She asked, "Where’s Jiang’ao?"
Li Xuanxuan had intended to bring Li Jiang’ao for this ritual of receiving talisman seeds, hoping that some fortune might favor him even without him knowing the mantras. But to their surprise, Li Zhouwei had gone and returned without Li Jiang'ao.
Li Zhouwei said in a deep voice, "He has no spiritual intelligence at all. If he were to offend the treasure, it would only bring disaster. It's better to leave him out of it."
Seeing that Li Zhouwei had no intention of bringing Li Jiang’ao, Li Qinghong could only nod and ask, "How many children are eligible to receive talisman seeds now?"
Li Zhouwei paused briefly and said softly, "I'm afraid... too many."
There weren’t many cultivators of the Celestial Whirl generation in the Li Family, and only two had borne children. But after several generations of growth, there were now a great many mortals of the same generation, and quite a few youngsters from the Crimson Palace generations awakened spiritual orifices. However, their innate abilities had yet to manifest, making it impossible to distinguish potential.
Bringing all of them one by one into the hall to teach incantations and test them individually was no longer as feasible as in the past. Especially now that their faction had grown so large, others might begin probing into the matter once it drew too much attention.
Li Xuanxuan voiced his concerns, to which Li Zhouwei replied, "Now that the Immortal Mirror can spirit-travel through the great void, we might be able to adjust the prayer incantations. With luck, it may help conceal our actions better."
1. (绛垄) 'Jianglong' could be interpreted as 'Li of the Crimson Ridge'. (绛) 'Jiang' literally means dark red, crimson, or maroon and (垄) 'long' means ridge, especially the raised ridges between furrows in farmland. ☜