Chapter 292: Beacon light

Chapter 292: Beacon light

The carriage swayed along the road, finally arriving at Lijing Town. Xiao Xian was groggily awakened by the sound of suona music. He took out the wooden box and saw that apart from the few pieces he had eaten earlier, the rest were still neatly arranged and untouched.

"Qingxiao... Qingxiao!" Xiao Xian quickly woke the girl.

Li Qingxiao, still groggy from her slumber, stumbled off the seat. Below, the joyful and piercing sound of the suona could be heard before a large hand lifted the curtain, letting in the sunlight.

"Xiao'er," the man called out as he lifted the curtain.

"Father!" Li Qingxiao cried out in joy.

The man had a solemn demeanor. It was Chen Donghe, who had been waiting patiently in the town, eager to see his daughter. He used his mana to ease Li Qingxiao's discomfort.

Xiao Xian quickly greeted, "Xiao Family of Lixia, Xiao Xian of Mount Yu greets Senior!"

"Hmm," Chen Donghe responded politely in acknowledgment, his voice gentle as he added, "The guest courtyard is ahead... someone will come to receive you. Please wait a moment."

With that, he released the curtain and walked away with Li Qingxiao in his arms, leaving Xiao Xian alone in the carriage, feeling lonely and awkward as he did not know anyone.

"Hey!"

The curtain was suddenly pulled open again, and Li Qingxiao, bathed in golden sunlight, dashed back inside. She looked tired but was smiling as she said, "I will be on the mountain! Come find me when you are free."

She did not forget to pick up the wooden box of pastries from the floor, stuffing two pieces into Xiao Xian's hands before hopping out of the carriage.

Xiao Xian stood there while holding the two pastries, dazed for a dozen breaths. Then, he carefully put the pastries into his sleeve which had a pocket sewn into it, and sat in place obediently, waiting.

He said, "Li Chejing has been silent for decades, and the Xiao Family still believes that the Li Family will succeed?!"

Everyone remained silent. Yu Mugao gritted his teeth, unable to tell how many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were in the procession below. No matter how many schemes he had, he could only keep them to himself, staring blankly at the procession wordlessly.

"Xiao Chuting is a man of deep foresight. To marry off a daughter like this, Li Chejing must still be alive and on the verge of achieving the Purple Mansion Realm. It seems like all the scheming by the lake pales in comparison to the influence of a single word from someone at the Purple Mansion Realm."

Yu Mugao had managed the Yu Family for many years, contending with the restless Fei Family and the rising Li Family externally, while internally dealing with the elders and uncles of the clan. Every year, Yu Yufeng performed blood sacrifices. Just when he was ready to make significant moves after experiencing so much and finally gaining control of the Yu Family, the Li Family allied with a Purple Mansion Realm Immortal Clan, thus shattering his ambitions.

Despair filled him as he sighed exasperatedly. "What is the use of scheming and struggling...? The Yu Family's misfortune isn't something that human effort can remedy. Despite years of planning and exhausting both my heart and mind, what good has it done? Our luck has run out. Any further scheming is just prolonging the inevitable, wasting thirty years of careful calculations only to end up at a dead end."

Those behind him were shocked into silence. Several stepped forward to comfort him, but Yu Mugao remained silent for a long time before saying, "What is the point of talking? It would be best for the whole family to move north, over the mountains and away to Xu and Qi States, never to return. There is still a glimmer of hope there. As things stand now, we are just waiting to die."

"Mugao... we still hold the eastern shore, and Muxian is in the sect. At worst, we can hang on for a few hundred years. The Li Family's momentum will pass; there is no need to be so despondent..." the clansmen said, trying to persuade him otherwise.

Yu Mugao only shook his head and sighed, saying, "You cannot see the situation clearly. Li Tongya is like a serpent dragon, slippery and cunning. Even when he was a Qi Cultivator, we could not handle him. What can we still possibly do, now that he has reached the Foundation Establishment Realm...?"

"Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong are exceptionally talented. They will likely reach the Qi Cultivation Realm in their twenties. Once they grow, how will we compete with the Li Family? Li Yuanxiu, with his deep thoughts and extraordinary demeanor, was a threat. If we had not killed him, would we be standing here? We would be in a dire situation, facing crises from all sides!" Yu Mugao exclaimed in wearily.

Gazing into the distance, he continued, "I understand now... The current state of the Li Family is the result of our relentless suppression. If Jianixi had moved north, Yu Muyuan hesitated, or Li Chejing returned... the Li Family would not be what it is today."

The group's hearts filled with unease as they stood with Yu Mugao. After a while, another cultivator from the Yu Family flew over, landing before Yu Mugao with joy on his face.

"Family Head! The Immortal Master is arriving! The beacon light on the Dawn Cloudliner has lit up. Within three days, the Immortal Master from the Azure Pond Sect will be here!"

The members of the Yu Family were instantly filled with joy, their faces lighting up as they rejoiced with one another. Yu Mugao's face also brightened considerably. He replied, "Finally! Some good news. Let us see what the Immortal Master has to say... Muxian is confident; perhaps there is some news."