Mu Yalu waved her hand to silence the maid and spoke softly,
"The main branch has its ans; she has managed the concubines in the house obediently for so many years, and Xiu'er has also been well-educated. She's capable of managing a household and is certainly not an ordinary person. She views Yuanjiao as Yuanxiu's future capable right-hand man, and naturally wants to maintain a good relationship with ."
After placing the small teacup on the table, Mu Yalu continued in a low voice,
"Did you find out what I sent you to inquire about?"
"Madam, the man's na is Shamo Li, the fourth son of Mu Jiaoman, and he now resides on the eastern side of the town."
Mu Yalu smiled slightly, her eyes gently narrowed, and in a soft voice, she said,
"What a godsend opportunity, the Eastern Shanyue will henceforth be even closer to the Li Family, and when Yuanjiao grows up, he will also be able to enjoy the support of the Mu Deer clan!"
Although the maid did not understand why Mu Yalu spoke of a godsend opportunity, seeing her mistress so pleased made her happy too. But before she could dwell on it, the courtyard door gave a light sound, followed by two soft "knocks."
"Mother, your son has returned!"
"It's the young master!"
The maid imdiately rejoiced, and Mu Yalu quickly got up and walked briskly to the front of the courtyard. Gently pushing the door open, she saw Li Yuanjiao standing there with a beaming smile.
"Yuanjiao!"
Mu Yalu stepped forward and embraced him, asking softly,
"Are you accustod to living in the mountains this year?"
"All is well; my brothers and sisters are all quite kind to ."
Li Yuanjiao chuckled and strode into the courtyard, sat down by the stone table, took the teacup, and asked in a low voice,
"Father is in seclusion in the mountains this year. Has anyone given you a hard ti at ho, Mother?"
"Not at all."
Mu Yalu softly replied, refilled his cup with water, and saw Li Yuanjiao heave a sigh of relief and say with a smile,
"Stepmother has been reasonably good to Mother, and there have been no despicable affairs in the house, which relieves . It spares
and my brothers the distress and saves a lot of trouble."
Seeing Mu Yalu nod and smile, Li Yuanjiao paused before speaking earnestly,
"These past few days in the Clan Head Courtyard, I have been handling affairs with my brother and learned quite a bit."
Mu Yalu raised her eyebrows at him, and when she saw Li Yuanjiao put down his teacup and speak in a low voice,
"Mother, have you sent soone to gather information about Shamo Li?"
Mu Yalu was imdiately startled, nodded slightly, and replied sowhat anxiously,
"I have..."
Li Yuanjiao shook his head and instructed,
"Mother, given your sensitive status, you should have delegated this task to soone to inquire on the mountain. In the future, do not go out to seek information. The Li Family's territory is different from the Eastern Shanyue; the Clan Head Courtyard has many eyes and ears. Mother is unaware of the details and must be careful not to give them any leverage."
Mu Yalu was both shocked and frightened and quickly asked,
"Is there any consequence to this? Has Mother caused you trouble?"
"There is nothing serious."
Li Yuanjiao took a sip of tea and said with a smile,
"It's not a significant issue to begin with. Moreover, my brother has given
the sealed letter to handle as I see fit. I ca primarily to remind Mother."
"That is good to hear."
Mu Yalu sighed softly, conversed briefly with her son, and after calming her spirit, she let the maid leave. Then she asked in a low voice,
"Young Master Yuanxiu... Does he still treat you the sa as before?"
"Indeed."
Li Yuanjiao's voice also lowered as he responded,
"In the family, only my brother is capable of cultivating. With the clan's scarce population, they make no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, male or female, when it cos to the heirs of major Spirit Aperture Seeds. I have not suffered any grievances; on the contrary, I have gained an enormous benefit."
"That is indeed very good."
Mu Yalu imdiately let out a sigh of relief, but then Li Yuanjiao spoke again,
"I heard that the family is considering my fourth uncle's single-minded pursuit of Pure Yang Taoism in the South Wilds and his indifference to romantic entanglents. The family elders wish to adopt
as his direct heir... I've co back this ti to ask for Mother's opinion."
"What?!"
Mu Yalu was montarily stunned, feeling as though a pie had dropped from the sky and hit her, she said in a raspy voice:
"But... is that the Qing Sui Sword Immortal?!"
"Precisely."
Li Yuanjiao was quite shocked when he first heard Li Xuanling secretly hint at this, watching his mother's incredulous expression, he softly said:
"He... Father also agreed, and if so, I will beco the eldest son of the fourth lineage, which will greatly benefit
in the future."
"That's right."
Mu Yalu nodded her head; her entire heart was set on her child, so of course she agreed. After pondering for a few monts, she said in a low voice:
"With this, you could compete with Yuanxiu for the position of the young clan leader..."
"Mother must not speak nonsense!"
Li Yuanjiao shook his head, and said solemnly:
"I respect my elder brother the most. He is the only one fit to be the young clan leader. In this life, all Jiao'er wishes is to help my brother diligently and harbor no other intentions."
"That's good too."
Mu Yalu smiled upon hearing this, thinking about how to relay these exact words to the ears of the main branch.
"As for Shamo Li, he has a nature that seeks pleasure."
After talking for a while, Li Yuanjiao detailed Shamo Li's temperant and Mu Yalu laughed, saying:
"Not everyone can be skilled in understanding human emotions. Your Li Family is only decent to its own people and subjects, so it's rather pitiable for Shamo Li to fall into your and your elder brother's hands."
"He was given the throne; what's there to pity!"
Li Yuanjiao disagreed, laughing heartily, while Mu Yalu watched him with a smiling gaze. Her thoughts moved from Li Xuanxuan to Li Yuanxiu, realizing that none of them were easy to deal with, and silently thought to herself:
"Every single one in the Li Family is a rascal, sharp and cunning, it's not too bad as long as they are focused outward. Once relations beco distant in the sixth or eighth generations, it truly will be a grand spectacle of a dragon and tiger fight. Luckily, my son was born early and doesn't need to struggle against equally shrewd and crafty individuals!"
————
Atop Lijing Mountain.
Li Tongya took a few steps in the air, his figure shifted ghost-like, several watery silhouettes appeared around him, floating back and forth for a mont before disappearing with a puff in front of him.
"River Rapids Step! Finally, it's mastered, now I'll have more security against enemies. Unless I encounter a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator, even if I cannot defeat them, I can leave with ease."
There are three layers to the "River Rapids Step," with the initial practice being reasonably difficult, and the later stages much more challenging. It took Li Tongya seven to eight years to master the first layer.
Li Tongya's cultivation of the "River Qi Decision
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