Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

Chapter 449 369: Weili (Part 2)

Her heart felt ice-cold, and toward that Lu Shui Talisman Whispering Yuanzhen Perfected Lord above her, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness:

'Who could possibly intervene in the schemes of the three Perfected Lords of Yue Country?'

Li Xuanfeng listened silently at the side, doing his best to gather information, slowly piecing things together. Yet the Perfected Person before him showed no intention of saying more, only slapped his shoulder forcefully and laughed:

"Li Xuanfeng, since you are not yet married, why not take a member of my Ning Family as your wife?"

Li Xuanfeng froze on the spot; before he could speak, Yuan Su Perfected Person narrowed his eyes in a smile and said:

"Wan'er is out of the question for you. She has the bearing of Zifu; your path would be hard trodden."

Seeing his expression, Li Xuanfeng understood he could not refuse, and Yuan Su spoke softly:

"He Mian is quite good. Settle it quickly; do not delay."

...

Li Family, Lijing Mountain.

The small courtyard atop the mountain was eerily silent, moonlight white as frost spilling onto the ground.

Li Ximing, robed all in white, knelt quietly on the stone floor; his cheek was swollen into a high lump, bruised purple and green.

Li Yuanjiao sat astride, sword laid across his knees, face clouded and grim—with his fierce temper mixed with astonishment and rage, as if the next moment he might devour someone whole.

Unlike Great-Uncle Li Tongya's silent anger, Li Yuanjiao's fury burned in his eyes; under tension, a thick malice twisted across his face, bristling and wild.

Li Qinghong had arrived early, face frosted with chill, standing quietly. Li Ximing dared not lift his head.

Only after several dozen breaths did frantic footsteps approach outside; Li Yuanping pushed open the door and entered, his countenance ugly, pain gripping his heart and lungs, not uttering a word, just standing silently to one side.

Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes, forcibly restraining his anger, then spoke softly:

"Ping, was this truly done by 'Elder Creek'?"

Li Yuanping's face was drained of blood. His gaunt frame bowed low as he replied in a heavy voice:

"There was no need at all, besides... wasn't there the Talisman Seed?"

Li Yuanjiao slowly shook his head, vexation knotting his heart. He'd planned to enter seclusion, only to be jarred awake; to see his junior ended up like this—how could he not be troubled? He only lamented:

'I blame myself for attending only to cultivation day after day, failing to see the truth in the younger generation. I thought him self-disciplined and upright, so sent him off to the Xiao Family in haste... my fault, all my fault!'

Nor did he know whether any seed was left at the Xiao Family; this gnawed at Li Yuanjiao's heart with dread:

'Breaking the primal yang is not in itself a grave thing; the young play and indulge at times—there are precedents... Only... if a child was sired outside...'

'Ximing is the senior direct descendant of the Main Vein, the eldest among them too. Should he sire no offspring, the Main Vein really will have only one shoot. Even with offspring, the clan laws and succession remain…'

The courtyard fell silent. Off to the side, Li Yuanping slowly sat down and softly said:

"What if..."

Before Li Yuanping could finish, Li Yuanjiao waved his hand to cut him off. Glancing at Li Ximing, he replied:

"Inside. We'll speak further inside."

The three entered the rear courtyard; Li Yuanjiao frowned and said:

Li Yuanping said quietly:

"Why not abolish this child by clan law, expel him from the Main Vein, lest we risk further trouble?"

"No!"

Li Yuanjiao's expression grew unreadable, and he said in a low voice:

"You have only this one child beneath your knee—would you have the Main Vein sever its line?"

"Adopt, then."

Li Ximing was his flesh and blood, yet his words showed no leniency; though his face betrayed no feeling, his hands trembled visibly. Li Yuanjiao shook his head, finally replying:

"At its core, this was but a youth's pursuit of pleasure—not a great sin. Since he sincerely repents, strip him of the Young Master's title; in all else, let things remain the same."

Li Yuanjiao's face hid deep in shadow, voice grave:

"This matter is not to be punished severely—take much, leave little. Is he not daunted by the twin burdens of cultivation and clan affairs? Grant him the Golden Sun Radiant Origin as before. Until his Foundation Establishment, entrust him with little alchemy business."

Hearing such a punishment that was punishment in name only, Li Yuanping slowly looked up and said quietly:

"And the Young Master's position?"

"Let Xihong try."

Hardly had Li Yuanjiao finished than Li Yuanping's expression shifted rapidly; he whispered:

"Brother... This is a recipe for chaos!"

Li Yuanjiao shook his head, gritting his teeth:

"For now, there's no other way!"

Li Yuanping's cheeks flushed crimson as he spoke in a low tone:

"And after Xihong? Shall it be the Main Vein or the Second Vein? Open this door, and division will follow!"

Li Yuanjiao answered hoarsely:

"What then would you do? Turn Ximing—a clan genius of the Alchemy Dao—into a bitter enemy?"

Li Yuanping's face twisted with severity; he replied through clenched teeth:

"And if so, so be it! I'll abolish his cultivation myself!"

To be a father and come to this—Li Yuanping shed two lines of tears, unable to speak. From the shadows, Li Yuanjiao rose to his feet; moonlight fell again upon his face. The youth in black robe said:

"Ximing has been branded with the Talisman Seed! He has seen the Inner Records!"

The brothers fell together into silence. Beside them, Li Qinghong, who had listened long, finally spoke:

"May I offer a suggestion."

"Let us clear him with a charge of succumbing to a Divine Skill's delusion, and alleviate his guilt—give solace to all. A penalty too harsh would be ill-advised."

"For now, set the punishment aside, treat it as if nothing occurred, but make the truth clear to Ximing: regard it as a bewitchment by Divine Skills."

Li Yuanping's anger eased a little, and he said quietly:

"Elder Sister, you would feign that nothing happened—but who knows what the Xiao Family thinks? More than that... now this has come about, can we still use him?"

Li Qinghong replied:

"It is better to use one's mistakes than one's merit. He's the Li Family's blood; he may have been muddled for a time, but will not be so for life. Let's wait and see. Xihong was dull in youth; now he's already a benevolent leader—who can predict the future?"

"As for aftershocks—unrestrained debauchery is ever hard to judge. Elder Brother and I are in our prime now, the Xuan Guang protects the clan; we will not be usurped in a single night."

Li Qinghong let out a quiet breath, and said warmly:

"When Great-Uncle was present, all was guarded before chaos struck; but even then, he never sowed catastrophe from what had not yet occurred. It is better to act with caution."

Li Yuanping cupped his fist lightly and said calmly:

"Still, Elder Brother and Sister, be vigilant. I have shallow fate, and will likely not live to see that day."

With that, he withdrew. Watching him go, Li Qinghong finally turned her gaze to the silent Li Yuanjiao and sighed:

"Yuanping is too extreme! What crime has Ximing truly committed, to deserve so much? And you, Elder Brother, simply let him say it!"

The quarrel between the brothers earlier seemed as if Li Yuanjiao was always defending Li Ximing, but in truth, it was not so; the solution Li Yuanjiao gave subtly pressed him toward ruin, until Li Yuanping cried out to abolish his cultivation in the end.

Still dissatisfied, Li Yuanjiao wished to press further. Listening, Li Qinghong's heart chilled—she finally spoke out to stop them.

Li Yuanjiao, listening to her counsel, stood beneath the moonlight, clutching his longsword tightly, speaking softly:

"I too feel torn; it is that Yuanping loves deeply and thus reproves sternly. Were it not so, he would never consider punishing harshly, rewarding lightly."

He understood well how much effort and hope Li Yuanping had poured into this only child; Li Yuanjiao murmured:

"Ping was not gifted, already lost his root bone; in this life hope is gone, all his expectation rests on this child. As great as his hope once was, so is his disappointment now."

Li Qinghong listened, her mind cast into turmoil; she said through gritted teeth:

"In the end, it's the child who disappointed him."

Li Yuanjiao sighed and replied:

"Do not let father and son meet for a while. Let him send Ximing to cultivate in Jade Court Mountain!"

"Better that, than Yuanping voicing something to wound their bond. The youth is at a rebellious age; too much rebuke may lead to calamity."

Li Yuanjiao left the courtyard in silence; Li Ximing still knelt at the door. Li Xijun kept him company, and this time Li Xihong too knelt before them, wordless.

As Li Yuanjiao emerged, Li Xihong spoke in a muffled voice:

"It was Xihong who failed to guide his brothers aright, I beg..."

Bothered by annoyance, Li Yuanjiao swished his sleeve to silence him, rose on the wind, and gazed across Wangyue Lake in the darkness, clutching the sword, thinking:

"Ancestor! To slay enemies and banish demons, to sacrifice myself—I have not a moment's hesitation, but to support the weak, weigh fairness and justice, my heart is truly exhausted..."

He stood throughout the long northern wind above the lake that night, finally exhaled deeply, and murmured:

"I, Jiao, dare not forget."