Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

For Lei Jun, the return of Xu Yuanzhen to the mountain was good news.

But for some others, hearing this news, their feelings were complicated.

Winter had arrived.

In the courtyard of a large house within the mansion, the cold wind was biting. A square stone table was placed in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by four people: three seated and one standing. Apart from them, there was no one else.

"Third Uncle, Second Sister, for our current situation, we need to come up with a plan together," Li Ziyang, who had invited the other three to this place, slowly began to speak.

Today, it was a family banquet that could hardly be called a feast. His identity was not that of a High Merit Elder at the Celestial Master Mansion but an elder of the Li Family from Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou.

"Unless we can immediately find the Celestial Master's Sword, talking more is useless," Li Hongyu said, her face like frost.

The only one among the four not seated, Li Zhengxuan, hung his head. "The responsibility for this matter lies entirely with me, Zhengxuan. I am ashamed before the ancestors of Our Sect and the ancestors of the Li Family."

The elderly-looking Li Song sighed. "It's not Zhengxuan's responsibility alone; I too underestimated Yu Qingling."

Li Ziyang gently shook his head. "Third Uncle, regarding the Celestial Master's Sword, only Zhengxuan can bear the full responsibility. Otherwise, even the Celestial Master Robe might leave us."

At these words, Li Song fell silent.

Li Zhengxuan took a step back and silently kowtowed to the three elders before him.

"If it's gone, then it's gone. If we don't have the ability to keep it, who can we blame?"

Li Hongyu snorted. "The position of Celestial Master belongs to the capable. In the past, Grandfather, Great Uncle, my father, and even Li Cangting—which one of them wasn't the best among their peers? No one outside our family could defeat them without ganging up. Now, it's our turn to be inferior. With the Celestial Master Robe, I am not afraid of Xu Yuanzhen, but what of it? Relying on the Celestial Master Robe means I've already lost."

Li Ziyang sighed softly. "Second Sister, what you're saying is right, but our Li Family, from top to bottom, cannot afford to lose."

Li Hongyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath but did not refute.

Putting aside the Yellow Sky Sect for now, the situation within the Celestial Master Mansion was delicate.

The Li Clan still had four High Merit Elders. Even if they truly conceded the position of Celestial Master, as long as they remained internally united, they would still be the largest force within the Celestial Master Mansion, unafraid of others harboring thoughts of retaliation or cleansing.

But the key was people's hearts.

Would the Li Clan intend to lie low for a while, only to counterattack later? Would others guard against a Li Clan counterattack, thereby contemplating a preemptive strike? Should the Li Clan be vigilant against the potential for others to divide and conquer them in the future?

All kinds of suspicions, once formed, even if they didn't become a problem for a while, or even if they didn't take root for a long time, would ultimately cause unease.

As for the one who starts a harmful precedent, will they not be left without descendants? Some things should never be contemplated from the start. Once contemplated, they risk becoming reality.

Especially now, among the younger generation of disciples of the Celestial Master Mansion, the Li Clan was gradually showing signs of weakening. In the Middle Three Heavens, among the Talisman-Instructed Disciples, there were still core forces like Li Xuan and Li Kong. In the Lower Three Heavens, among the transmission disciples, their momentum had already started to weaken. People like Li Ming, Li Ying, Li Zhenchang, and those related by marriage to the Li Family, like Xia Qing, although all outstanding talents, could not gain an advantage when facing disciples from other families.

Among the four High Merit Elders of the Li Family, Li Song was aging, and both Li Hongyu and Li Ziyang were older than Yao Yuan, Shangguan Ning, and Yuan Mobai. Not to mention comparing longevity with Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang...

Li Hongyu openly acknowledged she was not as skilled as Xu Yuanzhen. It wouldn't be hard for her to retreat unscathed. But she couldn't guarantee that if the Li Family retreated, there wasn't an abyss waiting behind them.

"Things haven't reached the absolute worst yet," Li Hongyu said slowly. "Shangguan Ning is hard to say, but there's still a chance to sway Yuan."

She didn't mention Yao Yuan, who had always supported her. It wasn't because she worried Yao Yuan might harbor thoughts against the Li Clan; rather, Yao Yuan was in a very awkward position himself. With Chen Yi having defected and been labeled a spy for the Blood River Sect, his master Yao Yuan was also implicated. As a high-ranking figure in the Celestial Master Mansion, Yao Yuan wouldn't truly be ruined by this, nor would anyone suspect him, a High Merit Elder, of being a Blood River Sect spy. But at the very least, the accusation of being a poor judge of character was unavoidable.

For the moment, although Elder Yao hadn't punished himself with solitary confinement, his influence had undoubtedly hit rock bottom. He was voluntarily avoiding suspicion and not commenting on matters. Unless the Celestial Master Mansion faced another major internal conflict, a true fight, Yao Yuan would likely not step forward. Before then, he wouldn't easily make his stance clear.

If it truly came to a full-blown internal struggle, an all-out fight, which side Yao Yuan would take would be even more uncertain for the Li Clan...

"Let's prepare for multiple possibilities," Li Ziyang said softly. "The most important thing right now is that we must stay united."

Li Song said, "Zhengxuan will go to the rear mountain to guard the tombs and reflect on his mistakes. Apart from Martial Nephew Yuan, Ziyang, you should talk with Fang Jian. Hongyu, you invite Martial Niece Shangguan for a meeting. I'll write a letter and send it to the Suzhou Chu Clan."

Li Ziyang nodded, his heart somewhat heavy.

At this moment, the support of the Great Tang imperial family and the Fang and Chu Clans was extremely important.

Li Song surveyed the other three and fell silent for a moment. This Elder, who now held the highest seniority in the Celestial Master Mansion, hesitated, which was rare for him.

After a long time, he finally spoke again, "If things really reach a desperate point..."

「...」

Inside Dragon Tiger Mountain, the atmosphere seemed relaxed but was actually tense, a storm brewing in the shadows.

Outside Dragon Tiger Mountain, however, there were gradual signs of the dust settling.

The Yellow Sky Sect, Blood River Sect, and Yintuo Mountain forces all retreated in defeat.

Under the leadership of their Sect's senior members, the Celestial Master Mansion disciples began to clean up the war-torn areas and manage the aftermath.

In the green mountains, several Celestial Master Mansion disciples hurried past.