Chapter 333: Chapter 306: Harmonizing Voices (Part 2)
Li Yuanjiao fell silent for a few breaths, staring intently at Xiao Guiluan. The woman lowered her eyes without speaking, as if she wanted to stare a blossom into the stone table. Only after a long while did Li Yuanjiao sigh and say:
"Since you already know, why speak it aloud?"
Xiao Guiluan lifted her head, took his hand, and replied gently:
"I only hope you treat
as one of your own. When I was a child, my father abandoned
on the mountain; I suffered much coldness and disdain. There’s little for
to long for in the Xiao Family. In this life, all I care about are you and Xizhi, yet such a montous matter you still keep from ."
Li Yuanjiao was deeply moved by her words. He affectionately took her hand and said warmly:
"I’ve always known you to be clever and intricate in thought, constantly exceeding expectation. But that you could deduce the Clan Head Courtyard’s tacit inaction to this degree—"
"It was just a guess."
Xiao Guiluan showed none of the pride of seeing through the situation; there was even a faint grievance in her tone as she said softly:
"The Ancestor has always been low-key and reserved, never so high-profile—he must want to intimidate soone. But what intimidation could compare to the Ancestor himself?"
"We’ve been husband and wife eight years now—Xizhi is already seven. Can you still conceal such things from ?"
"No."
Li Yuanjiao shook his head, a little embarrassed, then straightened his expression and answered:
"This matter is too crucial. With every additional person who knows, the danger multiplies..."
Xiao Guiluan nodded lightly, her expression growing grave as she lowered her voice:
"How bad is it?"
Li Yuanjiao paused, then used mana to transmit his voice:
"His five viscera are all shattered; I fear there are only a few years left."
"What!"
Xiao Guiluan had only thought his cultivation had stagnated, his lifespan greatly diminished, but hadn’t imagined the situation was this dire. In so panic she shook her head and answered:
"So it’s... the Maha Reincarnation... How could such an opponent be slain easily..."
Then she abruptly looked up, her phoenix eyes full of fear and said:
"Xiao Guitu must never learn of this!"
She gripped Li Yuanjiao’s hand, her phoenix eyes gleaming sharp as she said in a low voice:
"My brother is farsighted and ambitious. With the support of many family branches, he has always been ambiguous when dealing with our side. The Perfected Person has long been missing, entrusting all family affairs to him. If he learns of this, he will surely make his move!"
"I’ve read the clan histories in our family. When we first rose to power, we mostly used thods like this, swallowing the noble families in Li Xia County one by one..."
Xiao Guiluan’s expression was uneasy. In those records, the fate of daughters married out and their offspring was never good—how could she not be frightened?
"How could he?!"
Li Yuanjiao was first shocked, but after considering it, realized that all his own reliance before the Xiao Family was either paper-thin lies or the Xiao Family itself.
The relationship of interest between the Xiao and Li Families was nothing more than the exchange of profits over Wangyue Lake, and Xiao Chuting’s regard for Li Tongya personally. Relationships between clans could never be maintained by that fragile thread of incense; calamity of death and fading affinity happened every day...
As Li Yuanjiao tallied it all in his heart, he was startled to find that the Xiao Family was not only Li Family’s support, but also a crouching tiger at their side. He muttered:
"Indeed, the Xiao Family, although having left Green Pond, cannot invade openly, but to influence and secretly make us their vassals is entirely possible..."
Xiao Guiluan nodded slowly, saying softly:
"When I was in the Xiao Family, I also heard: our family originally intended to make the Yu Family our vassal, but Yu Muxian’s background was too formidable, and the Green Pond Sect was unwilling to see that happen, so it had to be abandoned..."
On hearing this, Li Yuanjiao secretly felt lucky, unable to laugh or cry, replying:
"So that’s how it is. Then we ought to thank Yu Muxian; if not for her, the Xiao Family would have secretly turned the Yu Family into a vassal decades ago, and where would we be then!"
Xiao Guiluan only poured more tea for him, calculations forming in her heart, as she replied:
"Husband, rest easy. I just wanted to be clear. Dealings with the Xiao family, I’ll handle; unless my brother himself arrives, nothing will go wrong."
"Good!"
Li Yuanjiao replied with a bright smile. After a few breaths of thought, he lowered his voice and said:
"The rumors within the clan are about enough. I’ll instruct Yuanping to suppress the matter for now."
"Mm."
The couple exchanged a glance and shared a knowing smile—countless words exchanged in silence.
————
Lijing Town.
Li Yuanping made a tally of all the boxes large and small on the table, circling marks on a silk scroll with red brush. Suddenly he heard commotion outside; Dou Yi rushed in, speaking in a low voice:
"Young Master, Lady Ren has arrived."
Li Yuanping’s face lit up instantly. He hastily put down his brush as a young woman entered the courtyard, holding the hand of a little child. The child looked chubby-cheeked, spirited and adorable.
"Ming’er—"
Rare laughter filled Li Yuanping’s pale face as he looked at the child his wife led over. He couldn’t help but burst out laughing as he hurried to pick him up, making Li Ximing giggle joyfully.
Li Yuanping had already married at the start of last year. His wife was a spirit-aperture girl selected from the Ren Clan, neither of their cultivation levels high, so they quickly conceived a child. After much thought, Li Yuanping nad the child Ming.
Li Yuanping had long been worried, but fortunately Li Ximing did not inherit his poor root bone, being healthy, smart and clever. As he gazed into the clear eyes of the child, Li Yuanping secretly thought:
"Jiao-ge’s child, Xizhi, is already seven, born with a spirit aperture, and has only just started cultivating so his talent is still unclear. Ximing is only a year old; in a few years, he can go see the Immortal Mirror..."
Cradling little Ximing, Li Yuanping played with him for a while. Ximing laughed cheerfully, then obediently leaned over the desk, pushing the jade box back and forth. When he neared the table edge, he would stop precisely, turning to look at his father.
Just as Li Yuanping was lowering his head to watch his child, a sudden commotion broke out in the courtyard. With a crash, a clan soldier burst in, sending Dou Yi—who had been quietly bowing at the door—sprawling to the floor amid chaos and clamor.
"What is it!"
Li Yuanping governed his household strictly, such disorder having never occurred before. His first instinct was not to bla the clan soldier, but to feel his heart skip a beat as he asked gravely:
"What’s going on?!"
The clan soldier, face full of panic, didn’t even have ti to apologize for knocking over Dou Clan’s young master before blurting out:
"Young Master! There’s a monster in town—it’s at the seventh layer of Qi Cultivation, baring its fangs and claws, already revealed its true form and is holding the street at bay!"
"Seventh layer of Qi Cultivation!"
On hearing this, Li Yuanping actually relaxed a little, only frowning slightly as he asked:
"Where are Uncle and An Zhiyan and the rest?"
The Li Family, after all, was a noble family of over a decade, and had accumulated quite a few ans. An Zhiyan was at the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation, Chen Donghe at the fourth; there were also two or three other early-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Relying on ho turf, dealing with a seventh-layer Qi Cultivation monster was within their ability.
"If worst cos to worst... The Ancestor left us a failsafe."
Li Yuanping knew Li Yuanjiao still carried a Foundation Establishnt-level talisman—a few years back, Li Tongya had anticipated such an event and bought it from the Xiao Family. With this, his heart was steadier, and so too did the clan soldier’s nerves ease. He replied:
"Guest Elder An and Uncle Donghe are confronting the fox demon. It doesn’t look violent, only revealed its true form after the town’s warning formation attacked it, breaking its illusion technique. From the sound of things, nothing has broken out yet."
"Fox demon?!"
Li Yuanping was startled at once. Hearing it was a fox demon and given its non-hostile behavior, he imdiately understood and hurriedly passed Li Ximing to his wife’s arms.
For a mont, Li Yuanping was both helpless and amused. From the top of the steps, he hurried down and rushed out of the courtyard, calling urgently as he went:
"One of our own... one of our own!"
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