Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 153 - 144: Imminent Disaster
Panic erupted among those on Huaqian Mountain as they watched Lu Yuanlu’s headless corpse fall into the forest below. The great formation on the mountain began to waver, and only then did these people feel regret. Some cried out, some screamed in horror, and others knelt and kowtowed, while down below, Li Family’s troops had surrounded them so tightly that there was no way out.
Soon, the great formation on Huaqian Mountain collapsed with a roar, and Li Tongya descended onto the mountain on a gust of wind. Kneeling before him was a crowd, and a middle-aged man with a sheepish demeanor bowed his head and repeatedly said:
"Family Head Lu Anyu of the Lu Family pays his respects to the Elder Ancestor of the Li Family!"
Only then did Lu Anyu and the rest of the Lu Family understand what Lu Sisi had been muttering about the imminent disaster before his death. Lu Sisi had only been buried in the early morning, and the calamity came upon them at midnight, leaving everyone with sighs of lament.
Li Tongya glanced at him and saw his tear-streaked face as he lifted his head and pleaded,
"I beseech the Elder Ancestor to spare our lives. Our Lu Family will immediately disband, and both Huaqian and the distant Yun Mountains will belong to the Li Family. You may command the disciples of our clan as you please; we dare not harbor any second thoughts..."
"Rise quickly!"
Li Tongya was quite polite, his expression tinged with regret as he said,
"I had great respect for the late Predecessor Sisi, and it was only because Lu Yuanlu acted too abominably that I took it upon myself to punish him. Family Head, do not blame me for this."
"How could I dare?"
Lu Anyu exclaimed, and without waiting for him to speak further, Li Tongya said warmly,
"Now that the Lu Family has lost its Qi Cultivators, you truly cannot stand your ground here at Wangyue Lake. Has the Family Head thought of a solution?"
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before finally catching on. Mixed with joy and sorrow, he quickly said,
"We are at the Elder Ancestor’s disposal!"
Li Tongya nodded and turned to address the direct descendants of the Lu Family,
"After all, the Lu and Li families have had good relations in the past. I also had quite a respect for Predecessor Sisi’s character, so I will give you two choices."
"The first, you may join one of the four towns of the Li Family, the men marrying into it, and the women remarrying, forbidding the continuation of the Lu surname. From then on, you will be no different from the commoners of the Li Family towns, still enjoying the comforts of wealthy elders in your later years."
"The second, if some of you still aspire to rebuild the Lu Family, I do not wish to obliterate you completely, and will offer you a way out by escorting you beyond the boundary. You may then seek your own fortunes."
Having said this, Li Xuanfeng had already understood his intentions and, with an indifferent expression, stood up to say, laughing,
"Those who wish to rebuild the Lu Family may follow me down the mountain."
The crowd fell silent immediately, everyone looking down, afraid to move. After a long while, a woman stepped forward, standing defiantly before Li Xuanfeng. He glanced around and then led her down the mountain.
As they watched the soldiers surrounding the mountain step aside to open a path, more people began to gain the courage to follow. In a flash, almost half the people from the Lu Family had left, led by a few Fetal Breathing Cultivators who walked down the mountain in a despondent manner. Li Tongya sneered inwardly as he looked at Lu Anyu and smiled,
"Aren’t you going to follow them down the mountain, Family Head?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Anyu looked up and forced a bitter smile,
"With no Spirit Aperture, we would be mere servants to other cultivators if we left the mountain. What’s the point in that? Better to submit to the Li Family where at least I can be a wealthy elder and won’t have to roam around in my old age, dying in some forgotten corner."
After bowing respectfully, Lu Anyu offered a flattering smile, saying in a soft voice,
"The Lu Family still has a few inheritances! I’ll fetch them for the predecessor right away."
As he naturally took a step to leave, Li Tongya gave him a look from head to toe and said coldly,
"Stop right there!"
Lu Anyu froze, then, with a thud, knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a word.
Although Li Tongya viewed all the members of the Lu Family as good-for-nothings, he remained very cautious, fearing that this person was pretending to be insignificant when in fact he wanted to destroy the inheritance. He whispered to Li Qiuyang, who stood beside him on alert,
"You go and take a look."
Li Qiuyang nodded in understanding, walked a few steps with Lu Anyu, and warned,
"Keep close behind me and don’t you dare get any funny ideas!"
Before long, Li Qiuyang had taken three Jade Slips out of the yard, followed by Lu Anyu, whose face showed a pleasing smile. Li Qiuyang respectfully said,
"Uncle, there is a Spiritual Spring in the Huaqian Mountain Cave Mansion, where the concentration of Spiritual Energy is quite high, higher than that of the Meichi Peak Cave Mansion by a tenth—a truly good place."
Li Tongya nodded, took the three Jade Slips from his hand, let his Divine Sense probe into them, and praised,
"Not bad."
All three Jade Slips were Qi Cultivation Techniques, two of them were common, First Grade cultivation techniques, which were different from those of their own family, so Li Tongya naturally kept them. The last one was rather unique, called "Cave Spring Che Spirit Art," a Third Grade Cultivation Technique that used Cave Spring Che Qi for cultivation.
"The life force of cultivators who’ve achieved success with the Cave Spring Che Qi is abundant, and the energy lasts long. No wonder Lu Sisi insisted on having Huaqian Mountain; it was because of the Spiritual Spring in the mountain. It all makes sense now why he himself used common Qi cultivation techniques, while Lu Yuanlu had already started using the ’Cave Spring Che Spirit Art’."
Having resolved one of his puzzles, Li Tongya waved his hand, and immediately, clan soldiers escorted the group from the Lu Family back to the four towns, while Li Xuanxuan and Li Tongya entered the Lu Family’s mountain cave mansion to check out the Spiritual Spring.
————
Li Xuanfeng, accompanied by a group from the Lu Family who wished to rebuild their clan, descended the mountain. With a sweep of his low gaze, he caught sight of more than a few looks of hatred and couldn’t help but sneer sarcastically, leading the group onwards until a crowd emerged in front of them.
"Brother Feng, are they all here?"
Li Xuanling, clad in armor and holding Green Peak, was followed by clan soldiers whose cold blades shimmered menacingly. Yet, he asked with a beaming smile,
"They are all here. I kept a close watch on the road and didn’t miss a single one."
Those following behind him immediately changed their expressions, with someone trying to remain calm and saying,
"Your ancestor promised to send us off with honor! Don’t take matters into your own hands and cause your elders to lose their credibility!"
Li Xuanfeng scoffed, and only then did everyone realize they were surrounded by the Li Family’s soldiers. Li Xuanfeng glanced at him and laughed,
"We’re already outside Li Family’s territory; how does this not qualify as sending you off with honor? It’s just that you encountered robbers on the way, suffered many casualties, and scattered to places unknown. That’s why you’re unable to rebuild the Lu Family."
"You... you...!"
The surrounding clan soldiers moved in silently and rushed forward. In an instant, cries and pleas for mercy filled the air as blades flashed and blood splattered, and a group of people fell like harvested wheat.
Li Xuanfeng raised his bow and shot and killed several Fetal Breathing Realm Cultivators who were still stubbornly resisting. Li Xuanling, after seeing everyone had fallen, personally went forward to check each one of them before saying softly,
"These clan soldiers were all carefully selected for their undying loyalty; the events here will not be spread. In this way, the situation is perfectly handled."
"Indeed."
Li Xuanfeng slung his bow over his shoulder as the soldiers below began digging holes to bury the bodies. He pondered for a moment and said,
"We still need to watch out for any of the turncoats among us who might have other ideas. When we get back to the town, we must monitor them closely to prevent any disturbances."
"We can leave that to Brother Xuan."
Li Xuanling smiled slightly, feeling relieved he could report back to Lu Wanrong and that this would make his job easier. The brothers shared a smile and led their troops into the woods.
