Chapter 266: Receiving the Bride (Part 1)

Li Jing Mountain.

The side courtyard was spotless. Li Jingting set up a wooden drying rack to sun the bamboo slips while the weather was clear, carefully arranging them. From the inner courtyard, a little girl, appearing seven or eight years old, hurried in. She wore a festive red dress with golden patterns and held a brocade pouch, laughing as she said:

“Mother! When will Brother Jiao go to pick up the bride?”Li Jingting hugged Li Qingxiao, checked the time, and gently replied:“The time should be near. Get your clothes ready, and then we’ll go down the mountain together.”“Oh…”

Li Qingxiao was also eight years old. Before the New Year, she was tested and found to possess a spiritual aperture, which delighted Li Jingting. She immediately had her receive cultivation techniques and begin training. Everyone came to congratulate them, and Chen Donghe was also quite pleased. The couple closed off their courtyard to observe Li Qingxiao’s cultivation for a period, only then realizing something was amiss.

By rights, Chen Donghe had good talent, and the Li family were descendants of Foundation Establishment cultivators. With a spiritual aperture, Li Qingxiao’s talent should have been no worse than Chen Donghe’s. However, after observing for a while, the couple realized Li Qingxiao’s talent was not good at all. The Profound Scenery Wheel required condensing eighty-one wisps of spiritual energy, but it took Li Qingxiao almost half a month to condense just one wisp.

By this calculation, Li Qingxiao would need over three years to have a chance at condensing the Profound Scenery Wheel, a pace similar to the descendants of external cultivators down the mountain. What’s more, Li Qingxiao was practicing the “Shanglang Wheel Nurturing Method,” which Li Tongya had brought back from Spirit Rock Master. This method was specifically prepared for the family’s own cultivators who hadn’t received a talisman seed, and it was already superior to what external cultivators practiced; otherwise, her progress would have been even slower.

The couple sat opposite each other, pondering for a long time. Chen Donghe looked at others of the Yuanqing generation and even felt guilty, believing that his Chen family lineage was impure and had hindered Qingxiao.

Seeing Li Qingxiao nod in response, Li Jingting couldn’t help but instruct:“Once that boy from the Xiao family gives the jade ring to your Brother Jiao, you hand him this brocade pouch and say some auspicious words. It’s just a custom, but remember it all well, so others won’t gossip.”

Li Qingxiao nodded obediently. Li Jingting picked up a wooden box nearby and explained:“The journey will be long, so I’ve prepared some pastries for you. Eat some in the carriage, so you won’t be hungry.”

Li Qingxiao took the wooden box, blinked, and suddenly asked:“Mother, I heard that I, too, will marry into the Xiao family someday, just like Sister-in-law is marrying into ours…”

Li Jingting paused, her expression complex and hard to decipher. She simply replied:“It’s still too early. Who can say what will happen in over a decade?”

Li Qingxiao nodded, smiling:“If I’m to find a husband in the Xiao family, Mother, please choose one who will be kind to Qingxiao…”

Li Jingting simply held her hand, her voice a little low, and urged:“Let’s go down now, lest your brother grows impatient waiting.”

Down the mountain, the Li family settlement was also bustling, adorned with lanterns and colorful decorations, far grander than the Lu family’s wedding years ago. Red silk banners hung everywhere, and the cheerful music of suona horns echoed through the already joyous Li family grounds. Both up and down the mountain, spirits were high.

For more than half a year after conquering Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting, the Li family’s territory had nearly doubled. Li Xuanxuan planned to establish seven new towns beneath Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting, bringing the total to fourteen towns, including the four towns of Lijing and three of Huaqian. This led to the emergence of vast amounts of arable land and laborers. The gradually overcrowded populations of the original seven towns now had places to settle, and the entire Li family seemed to re-energize.

Just as when Huaqian was conquered, ushering in a golden age, the Li family’s common folk once again gained opportunities to rise. A dynamic atmosphere permeated the towns, with everyone eager for advancement.

As long as one wasn’t an idle loafer, hard work and effort would always yield a plot of land or a bucket of gold. The common people didn’t ask for much, only survival, and such opportunities were already a great luxury.

The stagnation and complacency that had arisen from the increasing number of Li family members and influential lineage descendants were now cast aside. The wealth and military achievements brought by external conquests allowed more talents to emerge, and several influential lineages subtly had a premonition.

“A storm is brewing, and changes are coming… Five influential lineages have emerged from the seven towns, and now seven more towns have been added to the north. How many people are striving to make a name for themselves…”

Li Yuanjiao, at the heart of this unfolding situation, merely adjusted the golden patterns on the sleeves of his red ceremonial robe. As the head of the Clan Justice Hall, he was naturally well aware of the stirrings throughout the Li family. Smoothing his wedding robe, he smiled and said:“Indeed, good times lie ahead.”

From the moment Li Tongya achieved Foundation Establishment and the alliance with the Xiao family was forged, the northward expansion to break the An family’s power became an undeniable trend. From the Foundation Establishment Patriarchs and Qi Refining Immortals down to the influential clans and common folk, all eagerly awaited this.

Now, with every social stratum benefiting and the Xiao family personally marrying off their daughter, support for and deference to the Li clan increased both high and low. Li Yuanjiao observed all of this, and naturally, his mood was excellent. His clan uncles nearby didn’t know what Li Yuanjiao was smiling about; they simply assumed he was happy about the wedding and offered continuous congratulations. Only Li Yuanjiao’s half-brothers exchanged glances and quietly smiled.

As the hour approached, Li Yuanjiao and his retinue mounted their horses and set off, following custom to greet the Xiao family. Fortunately, the Xiao and Li families were not too far apart, and cultivators at the Fetal Breath stage possessed astonishing stamina, so the journey wouldn’t be too troublesome. If the families had been far apart, they would have simply gone through the motions, sending someone to bring Xiao Guilan back by wind.

The ancient Li Road had been renovated twice, and the Xiao family had prepared it well years ago, with post stations along the way and a smooth, easy path. Li Yuanjiao, being at the peak of Fetal Breath, didn’t need to rest, but many of the Li family men accompanying him had no cultivation, so they stopped and started, taking several days to reach Lixia Commandery.

Xiao Guilan, having descended the mountain, simply waited in the commandery. After sitting in her sedan chair for a while, she finally heard that the wedding party had arrived.

The group had indeed come to receive Xiao Guilan. After standing for a while at the foot of the mountain, the joyous Xiao family procession appeared in the distance, with red confetti scattered everywhere. Li Yuanjiao waited silently for a moment, watching the magnificent sedan chair move before him. From it, a boy, appearing around ten years old and also dressed festively, disembarked, holding a round jade disk. He respectfully announced:“The phoenix cries out, prospering for five generations. The blooming peach blossoms, a harmonious union for a thousand years… May your household shine, eternally bound in concord.”

After the boy finished his auspicious words, Li Yuanjiao thanked him and took the jade disk. Behind him, a rosy-cheeked girl emerged; it was, of course, Li Qingxiao.

Li Qingxiao was still a child after all, and the long carriage ride had left her a bit listless. However, the sensible child didn’t cry or fuss, instead smiling as she slipped a brocade pouch into Xiao Xian’s hand and led him to the carriage, leaving only Xiao Guilan in the wedding sedan.

Li Yuanjiao dismounted, offered incense and wine, completing all the Xiao family’s ceremonies, which took a full hour. He nodded, turned his horse around, and leisurely followed beside the sedan chair, heading towards the Li family’s home.

Only then did he have a moment to glance at the sedan chair. He didn’t use his spiritual sense to probe, but carefully observed the graceful silhouette cast on the curtain. Li Yuanjiao softly said:“Fortunate to have met you.”

The silhouette paused slightly, then raised a round fan in her hand. A faint shadow was cast down, and a clear, light voice came from behind the curtain, simply replying:“I have waited for you a long time.”