Chapter 268: Roadsign

Shaking and swaying all the way, they finally arrived at Lijing Town. Xiao Xian was roused from his daze by the sound of suona. He took out the wooden box and saw that he had only eaten a few pieces himself when he boarded the carriage; the rest were neatly stacked, untouched.

"Qingxiao, Qingxiao."

Xiao Xian quickly woke the girl. Li Qingxiao, still groggy from sleep, stumbled out of the soft seat. From below, the joyful, sharp sound of a suona drifted up as a large hand pulled back the curtain, letting sunlight stream in.

"Xiao'er."

"Father!"

This steady and solemn man was Chen Donghe, who, eager to see his daughter, had been waiting in town for a long time. He channeled his spiritual power to ease Li Qingxiao's discomfort. Xiao Xian quickly called out:

"Xiao Xian of the Xiao family from Lixia, Yushan greets you, Senior."

"Hmm."

Chen Donghe only responded politely, then said gently:

"The guest courtyard is ahead; someone will come to guide our esteemed guest. Please wait a moment."

With that, he lowered the curtain and left with Li Qingxiao in his arms, leaving Xiao Xian silently in the carriage. With no one familiar around him, he felt an inexpressible sense of loneliness and awkwardness.

"Hey!"

The curtain was abruptly pulled back again. Li Qingxiao, her face bathed in golden sunlight, popped in. Though her face looked tired, it bore a smile as she called out:

"I'll be on the mountain! Come find me when you have time."

After saying that, she didn't forget to pick up the wooden box of pastries from the floor, put two pieces into Xiao Xian's hand, and then bounced out of the carriage.

Xiao Xian stood dumbfounded, holding the two pastries, for over a dozen breaths. Then, he gently picked up the pastries and put them into his sleeve. His sleeve had a sewn-in pocket, so storing pastries was no problem. He carefully put the pastries away and sat obediently in his seat, waiting.

Chen Donghe led Li Qingxiao up the mountain. As Li Qingxiao was very tired, Chen Donghe first took his daughter to a courtyard to rest. Li Jingxian was in the courtyard organizing wooden slips. Chen Donghe stepped forward and embraced his wife. Seeing her dazed expression, he said gently:

"Why are you so dispirited today?"

Li Jingxian paused, then picked up a wooden slip from the table with her slender hand and simply replied:

"Decades of major and minor affairs have been recorded. Yuanyun has taken over, and he will now keep the records. I suddenly have so much free time that I don't know what to do."

Chen Donghe fell silent. Li Jingxian put down what she was holding and whispered:

"Before I knew it, Yuanjiao is also married. Most of my life has passed, yet I've been confined to these mountains, which feels tragic... It's one thing not to be able to ride the winds, but I haven't even stepped out of the small Lijing Mountain more than a few times."

She looked up. The marks of time on her face were faint; she still retained her youthful beauty. Li Jingxian spoke with a hint of urgency, her voice soft:

"My duties in the mountains are finished. I'm thinking that once Qingxiao is married, I'll ask the elders if you and I can travel north and see different sights for the rest of our lives."

Chen Donghe adored his wife. Stared at by Li Jingxian's eager expression, he couldn't resist but nodded tenderly, replying:

"In a few more years, when Qingxiao is married and there are more Qi Refinement cultivators in the family, I will go and ask."

The couple exchanged a glance. Li Jingxian smiled and nodded, leaning against Chen Donghe's chest. She replied:

"It should be so... it should be so. We have served the family for over a decade. Once the clan is stable and the four territories are peaceful, we can start to think about ourselves."

She paused for a moment, then continued:

"Qinghong and Yuanjiao both have their own ideas. The family isn't as close as siblings on the mountain used to be, but the children are sensible and enthusiastic. Qinghong wants to cultivate the 'Purple Thunder Secret Origin Art,' and her Second Uncle has let her... They are enthusiastic today, but I wonder how it will be in the future."

"I've seen many secret historical records. Every family, without exception, was united and close when they rose to power, but splintered once they gained influence. The path ahead will likely be difficult."

Having read many historical texts, Li Jingxian had seen much and harbored worries. Chen Donghe kissed her forehead and replied:

"Each generation handles its own affairs. Only figures like Old Master Li can plan five generations ahead. You and I don't need to worry about this; let's see how Yuanjiao and Qinghong fare."

"The Xiao family is forming a marriage alliance, with a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan personally marrying off their daughter... What is Xiao Chuting thinking?!"

Yu Mugao stood in the air, riding the wind, his face grim. Behind him, a group of people, concealed by the clouds and mist, watched the convoy below. Yu Mugao watched for a long time, still in disbelief, saying only:

"Li Chijing hasn't been heard from for decades, and the Xiao family... is so certain that the Li family will succeed?!"

Everyone remained silent. Yu Mugao gritted his teeth, unsure how many Foundation Establishment cultivators were watching from the convoy below. Even with a thousand schemes in his mind, he could only suppress them, staring blankly at the convoy without a word.

"Xiao Chuting is a far-sighted person. For him to marry off a daughter, it must mean that Li Chijing not only hasn't met with misfortune but is also not far from reaching the Purple Mansion realm. All the schemes among the factions around the lake ultimately cannot compare to a casual word from a Purple Mansion cultivator."

Yu Mugao had managed his family for many years. Externally, the Fei family was causing trouble, and the Li family was on the rise. Internally, he was constrained by clan elders and uncles, and Yu Yufeng performed blood sacrifices every year. After enduring so many challenges, he had finally gained control of the Yu family and was ready for a major endeavor. But now, the Li family had allied with a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan. His grand ambitions were crushed, and he was utterly despondent. He could only say:

"What's there to scheme about, what's there to fight for? My Yu family is simply out of luck; it's beyond human correction. Even if I've schemed for years and exhausted my heart and soul, what use is it? Our fortune is broken. Any more scheming is just prolonging our last breaths, wasting my thirty years of planning only to end up in a desperate situation."

The people behind him were speechless, shocked by his words. Several stepped forward to console him, but Yu Mugao remained silent for a long time before finally saying:

"What is there to say? It would be best for our entire clan to go north, cross mountains and ridges, hide in Xu or Qi State, and never return. There might still be a glimmer of hope. In our current state, we are merely waiting for death."

"Mugao... we still hold the East Shore, and Muxian is within the sect. At worst, we can still linger for a few hundred years. The Li family's momentum will eventually pass. Why be so pessimistic..."

The clan members below were moved by his words and came forward to persuade him. Yu Mugao only shook his head and sighed, replying:

"You all can't see the situation clearly."

"Li Tongya is a treacherous flood dragon, slippery and cunning. When he was still a Qi Refinement cultivator, we couldn't do anything to him. Now that I hear he has reached Foundation Establishment, what more can we do to him?"

"Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong are exceptionally talented; they'll likely reach Qi Refinement in their twenties. Once they mature, how can we still be the Li family's opponents? Li Yuanxiu, furthermore, is profoundly thoughtful and possesses an extraordinary demeanor. If he hadn't been harmed by us, how could you and I still be standing here peacefully? We would probably be in utter chaos and caught between a rock and a hard place."

Yu Mugao looked tired. With his hands behind his back, he gazed into the distance and continued:

"I've finally understood. The Li family's current state is already a result of their unfavorable situation and our strenuous suppression... If Ganixi had gone north, if Yu Muyuan had hesitated, if Li Chijing had returned home back then... none of those situations would compare to the Li family of today."

The crowd felt a sense of dread. After accompanying Yu Mugao for a while, a Yu family cultivator flew from a distance, quickly landing before Yu Mugao. He said joyfully:

"Patriarch! Patriarch! The immortal master is arriving! The beacon for the Cloudlight Airship has lit up; the immortal master from Qingchi Sect will be here within three days!"

The Yu family members immediately brightened, congratulating each other repeatedly. Yu Mugao's expression also improved significantly. He simply replied:

"Finally, some good news. Let's see what the immortal master says. Muxian is full of confidence; perhaps there's some information."