Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 214 - 198: Muyuan (Two-in-One) _2
The two figures just left when two silhouettes emerged above the lake. Leading them was a man with an icy expression, his temples grizzled, his hands as white as jade, and his grey clothes rustling in the wind. The person behind him appeared relatively young, but his face was stained with tears, and he was gritting his teeth so hard they made a grinding noise.
"Younger brother..."
Yu Mugao's voice was choked with sobs, a little hoarse, while Yu Xiaogui spoke with an unsightly face, in a low tone:
"How could things have gotten this far... It's one thing for Jiang, the Guest Elder, to die, but to involve Muyuan and raise the Li family's suspicions is completely not worth it!"
Yu Xiaogui was known for his heart of stone; he had watched Yu Muxuan die right in front of him without moving to save him. Yu Mugao retorted angrily upon hearing this:
"This isn't an oversight in planning. There's definitely something off about Li Xuanfeng. I've never heard of anyone whose Spiritual Sense could span a hundred li... This is not the power of a Qi Cultivator! Even Zifu wouldn't be able to do this!"
"Enough!"
Yu Xiaogui interrupted him coldly, replying:
"Li Tongya is no fool; it's not that he can't find evidence, but that he doesn't want to. He has refrained from pursuing it and tearing off the façade, but now we've made an enemy. From now on, our families are no longer superficially harmonious but outright foes..."
"Father... I understand."
Yu Mugao stood up straight, wiping away his tears, his expression resolute as he spoke coldly:
"Our top priority now is to use this momentum to kill An Jingming!"
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On the shore of Wangyue Lake.
Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya flew in silence for a while before Li Tongya finally said in a deep voice:
"It was the Yu family members."
Li Xuanfeng's expression was gloomy, the anger still evident, he clenched his teeth and said:
"Seeing Second Uncle destroying the body, I knew it was the work of the Yu family. Right now, I fear we still can't afford to openly break with them..."
"If it weren't for... indeed, it would be baffling. Who knows what methods Yu Mugao used to harm Xiu'er like that."
Li Tongya's voice also grew colder as he said solemnly:
"There's no need for further discussion. We'll find out everything once we get back."
Li Tongya slowly sheathed his sword, continuing:
"This incident has caused a huge commotion; everyone on the lake must know by now. If I'm not mistaken, Yu Xiaogui was probably here early, or at least on his way."
"That's why I wanted you to leave with me earlier. Although he doesn't dare to strike at us openly, we still need to leave quickly."
Li Xuanfeng felt a heaviness in his heart. The various families around the lake feared the Li family's protection from a Sword Immortal, but only members of the Li family knew that for now, it was merely an empty show of power. The two families had not yet become overt enemies, but behind the scenes, they were already adversaries, and it was uncertain what the future held...
"What if... we ask the Xiao Family to make a move?"
Li Xuanfeng asked softly, to which Li Tongya shook his head and replied:
"At the very least, we must wait until I reach Foundation Establishment. Besides, the Yu family has Yuanwu Peak behind them. The Xiao Family currently wishes to go unnoticed by everyone; they won't step in to deal with these matters. We'll see what to do after the Xiao Family's affairs are settled... Others can't be relied on, we must depend on ourselves."
After a while of conversation between Li Tongya and another, Lijing Mountain was already underfoot, with people prostrating everywhere and cries of sorrow filling the air. Li Xuanfeng's eyes were slightly moist; he could not bear to look, while Li Tongya sighed softly and stood in the air, riding on the wind.
Lijing Town.
Li Xuanxuan landed before the collapsed rear hall, with flames dancing above the wooden debris, surrounded by clan soldiers swiftly approaching. He swept the area with his Spiritual Sense, and the entire situation beneath the ruins presented itself in his mind.
His face turned slightly pale, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Li Xuanxuan turned his head and asked in a low voice:
"The Young Master wasn't in the courtyard?"
Li Pingyi, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, was already being helped up and carried away for treatment. A nearby clan soldier approached cautiously, trembling as he replied softly:
"Reporting to the Family Head, I saw him earlier; he should be... inside the courtyard."
Li Xuanxuan felt a tightness in his chest, his complexion turning ashen, his vision swimming with stars. Opening his mouth, he fell to his knees with a thud and cried out:
"Xiu'er..."
With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense across the ruins, all he found were several clan soldiers, scattered blood, and fragments of flesh and bone - there was no sign of Li Yuanxiu. Instantly, the world spun around him, and he burst into tears with a heart-wrenching cry.
The surrounding clan soldiers and cultivators of the Li Family, upon hearing his tone, were all struck with alarm and fell to their knees, suddenly lowering a whole swath of heads. Li Xuanxuan, clutching her chest, took a few breaths to recover, then tears involuntarily streamed down, she gritted her teeth and said,
"What is… this all about."
The clan soldier rescued from the ruins kneeled forward, crying out,
"The Beads, it's the Treasure Bead that had a spell!"
Xu Gongming, already terrified, was the one who had delivered the Treasure Bead from the mine to the compound; his vision darkened upon these words, never considering the blame could fall on him. He knelt and shuffled a few steps, calling out,
"The Treasure Bead came from the mine! I'll look into it this instant..."
"From the mine?"
Li Xuanxuan, her face pale and livid, knew that the Green Crow Mine was led by the An Family in exploring the vein, naturally making them the prime suspects. She exhaled a breath full of gloom and said with hatred,
"Has the An Family gone mad?"
Li Xuanxuan still hadn't lost her reason, wiped her tears, and commanded,
"Investigate again!"
Xu Gongming stumbled away as Li Xuanxuan lowered her head, only to see Li Yuanjiao had already arrived, still frantically searching through the debris, his cheeks smeared with grey and black, tears falling all the way down to his chin.
Li Yuanyun was held in Li Qinghong's embrace, the two of them hugging and weeping together, while several Clan Elders kneeled on the ground, their white-haired heads trembling, faces turned ashen with tears. The yard was deathly quiet, save for the soft weeping drifting through the air.
A suffocating silence pressed down on the compound for a moment, until Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng finally landed back in the compound. Seeing Li Tongya, the tears Li Xuanxuan had stopped, started flowing again, and she said angrily,
"Uncle Zhong! Xiu'er, he..."
Li Tongya sighed softly, and Li Xuanfeng clenched his fists. Li Tongya took a step forward and said softly,
"Come with me..."
Li Xuanxuan bit her lip and nodded, rising with Li Tongya on the wind, heading up the mountain. Li Xuanfeng took charge, clarified the sequence of events, and exclaimed furiously,
"What a vicious trick!"
No sooner had his words fallen did a rush of urgent hoofbeats approach—Tian Zhongqing appeared on horseback not far away, carrying someone in his hands. He dismounted, threw the person to the ground, causing them to cry out in pain. Tian Zhongqing bowed and announced,
"My lord, the person has been brought, it's a spy from the An Family!"
————
The An Family.
The An Family had constructed a grand hall on Huazhong Mountain, glittering with gold. An Zhiyan had specially built a pavilion for An Jingming, resplendent in gold, engraved with intricate formations designed to gather Spiritual Energy and calm the Divine Soul.
Upon the pale gold formation sat a man in lotus position, his features handsome, and long hair tied at the back. He wore clear, crystal bangles on his wrists, and a jade axe lay inverted before him, set against the backdrop of a light white mist, giving off an air of Immortal Qi.
An Jingming should have been cultivating at this time but was persistently restless, unable to settle into meditation. The Qi Cultivator had already reached the Eighth Layer, surpassing his father, An Zhiyan, by quite a bit, and he was not far from Foundation Establishment, which greatly pleased An Zhiyan.
After sitting cross-legged for a while, An Jingming, unable to calm his mind, finally stood up after waiting the duration of an incense stick's burning. He walked briskly down the stairs and pushed open the luxurious door. His father, An Zhiyan, sat in the hall, smiling and lifting a wine cup, the other hand holding two silver chopsticks, while seven or eight dancers performed below amidst the sounds of decadence.
An Zhiyan had just picked up a small piece of rabbit meat with his chopsticks when he saw An Jingming in his elegant Taoist robes coming down the stairs. He hastily threw the chopsticks aside and shouted,
"Down, all of you, get down!"
The musicians and dancers were instantly stricken with fear, tumbling and scrambling out. An Zhiyan then looked up somewhat guiltily and said,
"Did I disturb you, my son?"
"Not at all, the pavilion has soundproof formations."
An Jingming shook his head, eyeing An Zhiyan for a while before saying in a low voice,
"Today I feel disturbed for no apparent reason, have we overlooked something..."
An Zhiyan laughed nervously, feeling somewhat guilty, and quickly reassured him,
"What could possibly be wrong... don't worry over nothing."
An Jingming, keenly perceptive, immediately sensed something amiss. He glanced at his father, becoming cautious, and said sternly,
"Father! Don't hide anything from me! Have you done something foolish?!"
