Chapter 314: Scheming

Yu Family, Mulin County.

"Reporting to the family head, Lord Munian said that since the Li family has made no moves, he has been waiting nearby for over half a day. He was wondering if he could withdraw first..."

Yu Xiaogui, sitting at the head, clenched the small letter in his hand into a ball, his face ashen with rage. He cursed, "That scoundrel!"

The reporting servant immediately trembled in fear, pressing his head tightly to the ground, not daring to lift it. Yu Xiaogui gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "Tell him to follow the plan! He's a coward, afraid of death! He took a whole set of magic artifacts, then foolishly killed people and dawdled in the Li family's territory! Does he think everyone in the Li family is as stupid as he is? We finally set up the trap, and now look, it's full of holes! Li Yuanjiao and Li Yuanping aren't fools!"

Yu Mugao, seated below, still wore a white robe, looking graceful and composed. He slowly fanned himself and leisurely said, "Father, please calm your anger. Our family has long been rotten to its core; how many of them aren't fools? Messing things up is normal. If they actually succeeded, that would be a surprise."

Having managed the family for many years, Yu Mugao knew exactly what kind of people they were. He had long moved from anger to disappointment, and from disappointment to accustomedness, his expression unchanged. He whispered, "The world attributes the Li family's rapid rise to Li Mutian, the Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator; Li Chijing, who became a sword immortal; or the profound and steady Li Tongya. They say all three are indispensable."

Yu Mugao went through the roster on the desk. Still, not a single person was suitable. He continued, "In my opinion, the Li family's greatest strength isn't their sword arts, nor is it Li Tongya or Li Chijing. It's the fact that, for three generations, not a single wastrel has emerged from their family."

Yu Xiaogui sighed upon hearing his eldest son's words. Even a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator felt a sense of powerlessness. He replied, "It's useless..."

Yu Mugao put down his brush and said, "Not entirely useless."

Yu Xiaogui frowned, saying in a deep voice, "The Li family hasn't made a single move! If Li Tongya were truly injured, how could the Li family let go of the Heavenly Pure Primal Water? Your calculations must be wrong."

"No," Yu Mugao chuckled softly, stood up, and smiled. "It's precisely *because* Li Tongya's condition is not right that they would let go of the Heavenly Pure Primal Water! Li Tongya is cautious, not cowardly. If he had truly fought the Maha and retreated unscathed, he would absolutely not have ignored news of a spiritual water like the Heavenly Pure Primal Water. Most likely, as soon as Bi Huaxuan was rescued by the Li family, Li Tongya would have come searching with his sword!"

He glanced at the pensive Yu Xiaogui and said softly, "It's right on his Li family's territory. Even if it were a trap, it would be ridiculous for him not to go! Li Tongya is a Foundation Establishment cultivator after all; how could he be afraid to go to his own territory?"

"You're right." Yu Xiaogui nodded in sudden realization. Yu Mugao continued, "My probe wasn't intended to successfully lure them out anyway. Even useless people have their uses. It seems Li Tongya is either severely injured or not in the Li family at all!"

Yu Xiaogui, now utterly submissive to his eldest son, quickly asked, "So now... should we attack the Li family? But the Li family has the Xiao family's protection; we can't offend a Purple Mansion immortal clan. We can only reclaim the two mountains, Huazhong and Yuting..."

"No," Yu Mugao replied, tightening his cuffs, an air of vigor about him. "We'll use the old market dispute as an excuse to attack the Fei family. Li Tongya might just not have returned home yet. The Li family has an immortal clan backing them; at most, we could seize Huazhong and Yuting mountains. Instead, look north: the Fei family has five peaks and sixteen towns! The Cloud-Gathering Sky-South Formation has been active for so long. Fei Wangbai is either out or in seclusion for a breakthrough. It would be good to try attacking them!" His lips curved upwards, and he snapped his folding fan shut, saying with a smile, "What's more... I'd say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that Fei Wangbai is dead."

Lijing Town.

Li Yuanping waited anxiously in the courtyard for half a day before seeing his brother, Li Yuanjiao, descend, looking utterly distraught. He hurried to meet him, gripping Li Yuanjiao's arms and staring into his eyes, asking urgently, "Brother! What happened?"

Li Yuanjiao snapped awake as if from a dream, looking at his brother with surprise and unease. He replied, "I've checked; it was indeed a trap... but..."

Li Yuanping immediately understood. He quickly turned around and instructed the clan guards on both sides, "Go! Everyone leave!"

Dou Yi quickly ushered everyone out, then followed close behind, closing the courtyard gate. The surrounding isolation formation automatically activated. Li Yuanjiao's forehead was slightly sweaty as he said hoarsely, "Fei Wangbai is dead!"

Li Yuanping stared at him blankly. "Fei Wangbai... the Foundation Establishment cultivator Fei Wangbai?!"

Li Yuanjiao's words were rushed and dry. He continued, "A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, dead silently on his own immortal mountain! To prevent the news from leaking, Fei Tongyu had to activate the Cloud-Gathering Sky-South Formation. The Fei family inside is already in utter chaos. The Yu family might not know, but now that the Old Ancestor is severely injured and Fei Wangbai is dead, the Yu family is practically the only one with Foundation Establishment combat power on the lake..."

His pupils dilated slightly, and his grey-black eyes stared at his brother as he murmured, "The Cloud-Gathering Sky-South Formation has been active for several months continuously, trapping insiders rather than defending against outsiders. Fei Tongyu knows there must be a Yu family spy within their home, so he had no choice but to activate the grand formation to isolate internal and external communications..."

A chill ran down Li Yuanping's spine as he took over, speaking softly, "That's right... With their own Foundation Establishment cultivator gone, the Fei family probably doesn't dare seek out the Foundation Establishment cultivators Fei Wangbai befriended... They don't even dare inform our family. Fei Tongyu is scared! No wonder the Fei family didn't give a single reply when I sent people to inquire three times in a row!"

While Fei Wangbai was alive, he was like a brother to these Foundation Establishment cultivators. But with his death, these cultivators wouldn't laugh and joke with the clan members, who were like ants. Even if they claimed to help out of past favors, once they entered the formation, it would be questionable whether the Fei family would even retain its name.

Li Yuanjiao had now composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Yu Mugao is cunning and resourceful..." When speaking of Yu Mugao, a deep hatred flickered in Li Yuanjiao's eyes. The tragic state of his elder brother, Li Yuanxiu, from back then was still vivid in his memory, forcing him to take a deep breath to suppress his emotions.

"The matter of the Heavenly Pure Primal Water was most likely the Yu family's doing, merely to test the Old Ancestor. Yu Mugao is cunning and malicious; we already find it difficult to deal with him. Fei Tongyu's delaying tactic will certainly not deceive him. Furthermore, with Yu Muxian within their sect, the Yu family's understanding of the current situation is always a step ahead. Fei Wangbai's death cannot be kept secret! Who knows, after this probe, the Yu family might have already marched on Hanyun Peak!"

Li Yuanping paused, then suddenly remembered something and said, "A month ago, Ning Heyuan appeared on Yuting Peak. Perhaps it's connected to Fei Wangbai's death! But..." He pondered for a moment and replied, "The Cloud-Gathering Sky-South Grand Formation has been active for several months already, so the timing doesn't match."

Li Yuanjiao shook his head, pushing all other thoughts aside, and instructed, "Don't worry about any of that. I'm going up the mountain to ask the Old Ancestor. You keep a close eye on the Fei family!"

With that, he hastily pushed open the door, left the courtyard, and flew off on the wind. Only then did Dou Yi, who had been waiting outside the door, dare to enter. He saw Li Yuanping sitting at the head of the room, deep in thought. After a few moments, Li Yuanping spoke, "Send someone to the lake, choose a small islet near the north shore to station themselves. Once there's any change in the Fei family's grand formation, report back to me immediately."

"Yes, sir." Dou Yi hurried off. Li Yuanping couldn't help but cough twice. The grim eyes from Yu Mugao's portrait appeared in his mind, and he murmured softly, "Yu Mugao... truly is a great enemy to our family..."