Chapter 171

The Clan Justice Courtyard is situated at the foot of Mount Lijing, pressed tightly against the mountain's base. It was once the Li family's main compound at the foot of the mountain, flanked by two courtyards on either side. The entire residence faces south, rectangular in shape.

The front courtyard is paved with stone bricks and is an open-air space. Every single brick was rammed into place by the four Li brothers themselves back in the day; Li Changhu and Li Tongya laid the bricks, while Li Xiangping and Li Chijing sealed the seams. If one were to observe the seams in the wall closely, one might still find the fingerprints of the Sword Immortal, still tender at the time. The work done by their own kin was meticulous and heartfelt, tight and seamless, and to this day, it has suffered no defects despite wind and rain.

Li Xiewen is now over thirty years old, having become a serious and upright middle-aged man. Dressed in plain clothes, he stood in the front courtyard. With Li Xuanxuan in seclusion for cultivation and Li Yuanxiu managing the household, Li Xiewen consciously handed over the work in the town to his eldest son, Li Pingyi, and came to the Clan Justice Courtyard to attend to matters.

Just like that night years ago when Li Yesheng handed Lijing Town over to him, Li Xiewen held Li Pingyi's hand, and the two talked by candlelight throughout the night. From the days when his grandfather Li Yesheng raised ducks on the Meichi River, to how illustrious his branch of the family had become today, Li Xiewen held Li Pingyi's hand and said solemnly:

"My branch has governed Lijing Town for generations. Your grandfather perished in the lands of Shanyue alongside Lord Xiangping, while your father and the Master have balanced the various families in Lijing Town and restrained the disciples for eighteen full years. You must understand that the rise and fall of my branch are tied entirely to the Young Family Head alone. Proceed with caution!"

Li Pingyi was shrewd by nature; he had always seen these things through a child's eyes and had known since he was small to follow behind Li Yuanxiu. Naturally, he understood his father's painstaking efforts. Having assisted Li Yuanxiu in managing the household for over a year now, he had never once been slack.

Li Xiewen stood in the courtyard, and the clan soldiers passing to and fro all lowered their heads and responded when they saw him. He replied to them one by one. After waiting for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he finally saw his eldest son, Li Pingyi, walk out of the inner courtyard and bow, saying:

"Inspector, the Clan Justice Lord has already descended the mountain. Please, follow me."

The two each had their own duties in the Clan Justice Courtyard, and the eyes of all the clansmen were fixed upon the father and son. Naturally, they dared not address each other as father and son within the courtyard. Li Pingyi addressed his father by his title in the courtyard, 'Inspector', and Li Xiewen replied respectfully:

"Many thanks, my lord."

Li Xiewen followed Li Pingyi into the central hall and saw many clan soldiers standing gloomily within. Two people were still kneeling below the hall, both stripped to the waist and being whipped with thorn branches, blood splattering the ground. The two gritted their teeth, not daring to make a sound, and both had grayish-white wooden tags stuck into their necks. Li Xiewen took a careful look; one was for "bullying a civilian woman," and the other for "greedily amassing wealth." Seeing that neither appeared to be a member of his own family, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Bypassing the gloomy and lightless central hall, the light in the rear hall was much brighter. Windows were open on both sides, letting in several shafts of sunlight, and glowing lamps were lit, seemingly ignited by magic power, with no gray or black smoke.

Sitting at the head was a youth, looking to be sixteen or seventeen years old. His black hair was tied up in a proper manner, and he wore a jade crown of emerald. His sword-like brows were level, the lines of his face were smooth, and his grayish-black eyes looked over as he smiled:

"I heard Uncle Xiewen came to find me, so Yuanxiu hurried down the mountain without delay, making Uncle Xiewen wait for some time. I beg your forgiveness."

"I dare not! I dare not!"

Seeing his sincere expression, Li Xiewen felt comforted in his heart, yet he dared not act presumptuously and said in a deep voice:

"Please speak, Clan Uncle."

Li Yuanxiu nodded slightly, and Li Xiewen bowed and continued:

"The son of the Chen family has entered the tutelage of Li Qiuyang and has been betrothed to his sixth daughter. The Chen family has already thrown their lot in with the Qiuyang branch. As such..."

"My uncle-in-law has already told me about this matter."

Li Yuanxiu waved his hand, clearly having known about this for a long time, and smiled:

"Both my uncle-in-law and Clan Uncle Qiuyang are pillars of our family; this matter is of no consequence."

Li Xiewen could see that Li Yuanxiu did not want to delve into this matter and had deliberately interrupted him. Some things, once spoken, would offend people, so he stopped immediately and continued:

"At present, our Li family's Ye branch has over 6,500 people, while the minor clans have 1,200 people, totaling eight cultivators. The disciples who participated in the struggle between the three external-surname cultivators have been identified one by one. There are over 600 commoners... and three cultivators."

"Hmm."

Li Yuanxiu frowned slightly, pondered for a few breaths, and said softly:

"Most of these commoners have become in-laws with the external-surname cultivators, so getting involved is unavoidable..."

"As for the family's cultivators, the minor clans are not isolated households; they have their own relatives and family members. With the closeness and distance of relationships, and the entanglements of interests, it is indeed not easy to handle."

Looking at Li Xiewen below, Li Yuanxiu said softly:

"Clan Uncle, identify the disciples among them with good talent, transfer them away to Mount Huaqian to cultivate alongside my uncle-in-law, and keep them far away from these rights and wrongs. As for the rest, they are merely people trapped in the Embryonic Breath stage for life. If they want to fight, let them fight; in the end, it's nothing more than a handful of ash. Have people keep a close watch on them; as long as they don't do anything too unsightly, leave the rest to them."

"Yes."

Li Xiewen responded in a deep voice and then reported some other messy and detailed matters before bowing and withdrawing. Li Pingyi, who was to the side, looked toward Li Yuanxiu and whispered:

"Clan Justice, should our people continue to fan the flames..."

"No need, withdraw them."

Li Yuanxiu collected the wooden slips on the desk, took a tea bowl and drank, and replied:

"If it goes on too long and real fire is ignited, it won't be a good thing. The current intensity is just right, making them fight until they are gnashing their teeth, yet helpless to do anything else."

"The number of cultivators in the family is increasing day by day, and cultivators are not truly beyond the concerns of the mortal world. Spirit rice and spirit stones can make them fight to the death; the struggle within is a matter of time. By pushing them like this now, who is treacherous, who is cunning, who is steady, and who is honest—it is all crystal clear. When something really happens in the future, we will have a reference."

Li Pingyi nodded in response. Li Yuanxiu held a brush and drew on the silk cloth in front of him, his slender brows arched, and he said in a low voice:

"However, most of the elders in the family are currently in seclusion, so matters should still be handled steadily. Do not disturb the elders. You should send a few people to keep a close watch. If something really happens, give them a warning in advance; it won't look good if human lives are lost."

"This subordinate understands."

Li Pingyi bowed, recalled the reports from the past few days, and suddenly one matter came to mind. Li Pingyi whispered:

"Clan Justice, that person from the Tian clan has broken through to the fifth level of the Embryonic Breath stage, the Jade Capital Wheel, and thus has given birth to spiritual sense. Every movement around him is clear, and the children in the clan have nearly been discovered by him several times. This subordinate had no choice but to tell them to withdraw first, so as not to reveal the truth."

"A cultivator at the fifth level of Embryonic Breath has already transcended the mortal realm, making them difficult to manage. I have also considered this matter."

Li Yuanxiu put down the brush in his hand, clearly having had concerns for a long time, and said softly:

"Once a cultivator reaches the fifth level of Embryonic Breath or its peak, their cultivation base is such that they are no longer human; they are not something the Clan Justice Courtyard can restrain."

"I am considering submitting a letter to Meichi Peak, asking for cultivators at the fifth level of Embryonic Breath and above to be separated from the crowd. It is too much of a waste to let them continue farming after they have gained spiritual sense. They can enter the mountains to kill some demonic creatures or make some talisman paper; there is no need for them to be restrained by the management below the mountain."

Li Yuanxiu paused, considered his own thoughts repeatedly for a while, and continued:

"It is just that the number of cultivators in the family who have given birth to spiritual sense is still too small to form an organization. When the external-surname cultivators in the family slowly grow up, this matter will sooner or later have to be brought to the table."

"The Young Family Head's considerations are correct."

(End of chapter)