Chapter 168: Outside Surname Cultivator

An Zheyen cupped his hands slightly and replied calmly, "To kill Yu Mugao."

"Hmm."

Li Tongya chuckled inwardly, a slight smile gracing his lips as he softly said, "If Brother Zheyen is here for this matter, then please leave. Ling'er, see our guest out."

Li Tongya, seated at the head, called out. Li Xuanling, who had been standing silently in the corner, stepped forward. An Zheyen quickly waved his hands, urgently saying, "Brother Tongya, please hear me out!"

Li Tongya hadn't intended to dismiss him rudely. Hearing this, he turned his head to look at An Zheyen, who quickly said, "Brother Tongya! Although your clan is protected by a Sword Immortal and no one dares to underestimate you, the Yu family has long harbored the ambition to dominate Moon Lake. Even if they don't dare to openly encroach upon your clan, they will certainly resort to underhanded tactics! Yu Mugao wouldn't dare target Brother Tongya directly, but he's capable of finding guest cultivators, rogue cultivators, and disciples from other sects to secretly assassinate your clan's talented younger generations, ensuring they all die prematurely before he feels at ease. The Sword Immortal's cultivation is profound, but he is far away in the Southern Borders. The Yu family also has backers within the sect. As long as no evidence is left behind, can Sword Immortal Qingsui really travel thousands of miles to intervene for a few mysteriously deceased juniors?"

An Zheyen, however, brazenly laid out these points openly, causing Li Tongya to frown deeply. He said gravely, "Brother Zheyen seems quite knowledgeable about the Yu family."

An Zheyen's words failed to persuade Li Tongya; instead, they made him deeply suspicious. Having lived as neighbors for so many years, both sides had planted spies in each other's territories. Li Tongya had heard about An Zheyen's actions and secretly thought, "Yu Mugao is indeed ruthless and capable of such deeds. But An Zheyen has always been selfish and stingy; he doesn't seem to think on such a grand scale. Why is he so uncharacteristically eloquent today?"

Seeing Li Tongya lower his head and fall silent, An Zheyen thought he was swayed and pressed his advantage: "Though a man may have no intention of harming a tiger, a tiger has the will to harm a man! Even if your clan stays peacefully within your territory, if the Yu family wants to maintain its current dominance over Moon Lake, they will surely suppress your clan. Unable to start with Brother Tongya himself, they will certainly target your clan's younger generations."

Li Tongya shook his head, finding an excuse to say gravely, "Both Yu Mugao and Yu Mujian are talented. Not to mention Yu Xiaogui of the Yu family is at Foundation Establishment, and there are several more at the peak of Qi Condensation among the 'Xiao' generation. There's no need for them to fear my Li family. Tongya stands by what he said: if Brother Zheyen is here for this matter, then there's no need to discuss it further. Please leave."

An Zheyen saw that he was indeed unmoved, but he didn't get angry or anxious. He said in a low voice, "Every word Zheyen has spoken is true, and Brother Tongya knows it in his heart. If your clan doesn't believe me, just wait a few more years, and you'll understand my warning."

With that, he cupped his fist, summoned the wind, and departed. Li Tongya stood in place for a moment. Li Xuanling hesitantly stepped forward and whispered, "Son believes what this man said makes sense. It's best to be cautious."

Li Tongya frowned, sat back in his seat, and felt increasingly uneasy. After a few moments of thought, he replied, "These aren't An Zheyen's usual words. This is probably An Jingming's idea." Recalling Yu Mugao's nature again, and considering how close the An and Yu families seemed, Li Tongya felt a touch of annoyance and softly said, "Given Yu Mugao's character, he would certainly do such a thing. And it's not just aimed at my family; An Jingming is probably on Yu Mugao's mind too, which is why he's so urgently looking for help to deal with Yu Mugao."

Li Xuanling stood by, frowning as he replied, "But this man stays in the Yu family all day, and when he goes out, he's protected by cultivators at the peak of Qi Condensation. He's not that easy to kill. It would only needlessly offend the Yu family."

Li Tongya nodded and said gently, "This is impractical. From now on, tell the clan's juniors not to leave home. We'll discuss everything after the Xiao family's plans are complete. At that time, we can borrow the Xiao family's strength to prevent the Yu family from continuously acting so domineeringly."

Li Xuanling noted his words. Li Tongya looked at the sky and instructed, "Now that I have the Snake Origin Pill, I can try to go into seclusion and break through to the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Although it's only been two or three years since I broke through to the eighth level, it's a bit rushed, but there's no other way. After all, I must try to break through to Foundation Establishment before I turn sixty..."

Li Xuanling gritted his teeth, a deep, unresolvable worry appearing in his eyes. He mentally organized his words for a long time before nervously saying, "Son has heard that breaking through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment is extremely perilous. Father's late-stage Qi Condensation cultivation is now the anchor of our family. Son fears..."

Li Tongya was momentarily stunned, then let out a soft sigh. Looking at his eldest son, who was now a father himself, and seeing the beard fully grown on his lip, he felt a touch of satisfaction. He replied, "Your father, I, have only consumed three pills and one spiritual talisman throughout my cultivation. The rest has been achieved through arduous self-cultivation. I haven't consumed any precious medicines or spiritual treasures like those from the Three Sects and Seven Gates, so breaking through is indeed extremely perilous..."

Seeing Li Xuanling's worried gaze, Li Tongya smiled, "However, I have diligently cultivated day and night on the path of immortality precisely so that I can attempt Foundation Establishment before sixty, to increase my chances by ten or fifteen percent. Now, if my Li family wants to advance further, we must have a Foundation Establishment cultivator. In this vast Moon Lake, only Foundation Establishment cultivators truly have a say. With your fourth uncle's prestige, my Li family will be safe for fifty years. This is an excellent opportunity to break through to Foundation Establishment. If I fail to break through and perish, the Yu family won't do anything to my Li family; in fact, they might greatly relax their vigilance."

"Son understands." Li Xuanling cupped his hands. Li Tongya nodded slightly, took a few steps out of the courtyard, and flew south towards Meichi Peak on the wind.

Li Xuanling was quite worried. Watching Li Tongya's back as he rode the wind away, he still wished that the day Li Tongya entered seclusion to break through Foundation Establishment would come later.

### Lijing Town

The largest and most luxurious courtyard in Lijing Town was not Li Xuanxuan's residence at the foot of the mountain. If compared by area and opulence, Li Xuanxuan's courtyard would likely rank lower. The residences of the clan uncles and elders were among the top, followed by the Chen, Liu, Ren, and Tian families, and only then would it be Li Xuanxuan's turn.

Chen Donghe had been guarding Mount Huaqian for several years, cultivating with the spiritual spring there. He hadn't returned to the Chen family for years and hadn't expected their residence to have grown so large, with over three hundred family members. Without a map noting everyone's names, it would be difficult to find where someone lived.

As he approached the courtyard entrance, there was a sudden burst of firecrackers. People stood on both sides, and his only living elder brother, now over fifty and the respected head of the household, was respectfully waiting for him at the gate. A boy in a padded jacket was looking at him from the gate. Chen Donghe's spiritual sense swept over him, and he knew this was the spiritual aperture child his family had called him back for.

"How old are you now?""Eight."

Chen Donghe took a closer look. The child bit his lip, staring directly at him. Chen Donghe asked again, "What's your name?""Chen Mufeng."

Chen Donghe stood up and then saw his brother approach, his tone respectful yet unnervingly unfamiliar: "We invited Immortal Master this time hoping you could guide this child... The Chen family would be eternally grateful!" With that, he dropped to his knees with a thud, and a crowd of people followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing. Pleas came in like a tide. Chen Donghe stared at the boy, ignoring the surrounding crowd, and thought to himself, "I cannot personally take this child as a disciple; it would unnecessarily leave a vulnerability. Finding him a good family to apprentice with would be a proper arrangement for the Chen family."

So he helped his brother up and said gravely, "Although I cannot personally guide this child, I can find him a good teacher..."

The old Chen patriarch was stunned, his expression shifting. He hesitated, "Is this good teacher surnamed Tian... or surnamed Liu?"

Chen Donghe, who rarely interacted with cultivators of other surnames down the mountain, was surprised by this question. He suddenly understood, thinking, "Over the past few decades, the Li family has accumulated thirty to forty cultivators of other surnames. Most are at the first or second level of Fetal Breath, but there are also three or four at the fourth level... There might be factions among them, and this matter also concerns the Chen family's standing..."

Seeing Chen Donghe's expression, the old Chen patriarch became flustered for a moment. He forced a smile on his wrinkled face and quickly said, "It's not that we question the Immortal Master's decision or shamelessly try to pick and choose. We simply wish for our family to know the good teacher's name... so we can understand whose tutelage he will be under."

Chen Donghe waved his hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, brother. This person's surname is Li."

"Surnamed Li?!" The old Chen patriarch was immediately overjoyed, grinning widely and revealing a few decayed teeth. He laughed, "Li is good! Li is good!"

Chen Donghe laughed heartily, took Chen Mufeng's hand, and rode the wind into the air, leaving a group of people on the ground looking up enviously.

Chen Donghe flew over the town for a while, the child in his arms trembling. They descended into an empty courtyard. Chen Mufeng stumbled a few times as Chen Donghe released his hand. He then saw a person standing with arms crossed before a stone door, their hair grey, back held straight. The person looked surprised to see him and cupped their hands, saying, "Greetings, Brother Donghe... This is a surprise. Are you here to find Sha Mo Li?"

"No." Chen Donghe cupped his hands with a smile, pulled the child forward, and softly said, "I've come to find Brother Qiuyang."

Li Qiuyang stepped forward, sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, his spiritual sense extending outwards, still paying attention to the stone door of Sha Mo Li's seclusion chamber. He chuckled, "Just say it directly, Brother Donghe!"

Chen Donghe nodded and said solemnly, "I returned to the Chen family, and they have a spiritual aperture child. They wanted me to guide him onto the path of cultivation, but it's not convenient for me to do so personally. I may have to entrust him to you, brother."

"Oh?" Li Qiuyang lowered his head, not immediately agreeing. He stared at Chen Mufeng's face for a moment, seeing that the boy was quite well-behaved. Then Chen Donghe spoke again, transmitting his voice with spiritual power, "I hear that none of Brother Qiuyang's sons have spiritual apertures, which will make things difficult in the future... Why not take this child as a disciple, teach him diligently with the bond of master and disciple, and then marry a daughter to him? After a hundred years, your descendants will also have someone to protect them..."

These words struck a chord with Li Qiuyang. A smile immediately appeared on his face, and he nodded repeatedly, saying gravely, "Since you put it that way, brother, I will take this child."

Chen Donghe laughed heartily, patted the child's back, and said with a smile, "Call him Master."

"Master!" The boy was obedient, calling out crisply. Li Qiuyang immediately took his hand warmly and asked for his birthday and name. Chen Donghe watched them finish with a smile, then softly said, "Donghe has one more thing to ask Brother Qiuyang."

"Please speak." Li Qiuyang looked up and saw Chen Donghe take out two small cups from his storage pouch, then a gourd. He filled the cups with clear wine, and then said in a low voice, "Donghe has been cultivating on Mount Huaqian for many years and doesn't know much about the cultivators of other surnames in our family. I wonder... could Brother Qiuyang enlighten me?"

"Oh, this matter!" Li Qiuyang raised his cup, about to take a sip, but glanced at the tightly shut stone door. He eventually put down the jade cup and smiled, "Currently, there are twenty-eight Fetal Breath cultivators of other surnames in our family, and six Fetal Breath cultivators with the compound surname Li of the Ye clan. Most are at the first or second level of Fetal Breath and are not worth mentioning, except for a few who started cultivating earlier and have decent talent." Li Qiuyang glanced at Chen Mufeng beside him. Seeing the child listening intently with pricked ears, he nodded slightly and said solemnly, "The first is at the fifth level of Fetal Breath, surnamed Tian. He is from the clan head's... the Great King's wife's family."

Li Qiuyang's use of "Great King" silenced both of them. Both men had faced life and death with Li Xiangping and had called him "Great King" when they were in the Shanyue territory.

"The Great King passed away in the Shanyue territory, and the Mistress also died of grief within a few years. The Tian family's status has fallen quite a bit, but this person has good talent. He's forty now, and while breaking through to Qi Condensation is unlikely, it's still possible. He currently oversees the cultivation of spirit rice in the town. Many people secretly support him, and he can be considered the head of a faction. Next are the Liu and Ren families, both at the fourth level of Fetal Breath. However, most likely, neither will have the chance to break through to Qi Condensation. Each counts as a faction head."

Chen Donghe drank the clear wine, frowned, and whispered, "Does the family know about this?"

"I don't know." Li Qiuyang shook his head, his spiritual sense sweeping inside and outside the courtyard, then said in a low voice, "This matter should fall under the purview of the Clan Enforcement Hall. Qiuyang avoids such things like the plague; how would I dare intervene? Which Li family disciple isn't afraid of the Clan Enforcement Hall?"

Chen Donghe suddenly understood, apologized, and after a few moments of thought, asked, "Is the struggle among them still intense?"

"It used to be alright." Li Qiuyang's voice grew even softer, the shallow wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more noticeable in the faint light. He quietly said, "After all, each family has its own interests. The output of each spiritual field varies, and so do the stipends. In the past, these people would only compete for the good fields to slack off, and no one was willing to go to the barren ones. Since Young Master Xiu took charge of the family affairs, the factions have become increasingly contentious. Many were forced into barren lands due to their disputes and had to toil thanklessly cultivating those fields..."

"I understand." Chen Donghe nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "This matter likely needs to be reported to the family so Xuanling and the others can make a decision, to prevent negative consequences from brewing over time."

With that, he bade farewell to Li Qiuyang, rode the wind out of the courtyard, and headed up the mountain, leaving Li Qiuyang in the courtyard silently watching his departure. After a long while, Li Qiuyang smiled, "He'er is still the same as ever!"