Chapter 234: Tian Youdao

He was now in his early thirties, yet he had never committed such a grave error. The more he thought, the more terrified he became; the more he pondered, the more he feared. He muttered to himself:

"Could it be that I must carry thorns to plead for mercy? But such an unfounded matter... wouldn't it make me appear guilty and invite the ridicule of others? Yet, if I simply let this slide, who knows what the main family is thinking? I fear I may have sown the seeds of disaster..."

Tian Zhongqing was filled with anxiety. Fortunately, unlike Xu Gongming, he did not have to shoulder the burden alone at home; there were elders above him. He hurriedly took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, spread out a piece of fine cloth, and wrote:

"Your nephew is in trouble. Uncle, save me quickly. I am in the courtyard behind the mountains of the Huaqian towns. Do not let anyone know."

After signing the name 'Zhongqing', Tian Zhongqing gritted his teeth, used his magic power to steam away the moisture, carefully rolled it up, and shouted:

"Someone, come here!"

The servant hurried up. Tian Zhongqing pondered for a breath and solemnly ordered:

"Prepare the finest wine and dishes, and go now! If they are not ready in half an hour, you shall suffer the consequences!"

Seeing the servant hurry away, he called out his wife and ordered:

"Keep an eye on the servants for me. Do not let a single one leave, and do not let them disturb me."

His wife left, not understanding why. Watching her disappear beyond the vermilion gate of the backyard, Tian Zhongqing leaped from the windowsill, ran at full speed, and headed toward Huaqian Mountain.

The speed of a fourth-layer Embryonic Breath cultivator was astonishing. He passed through the dense forest on the edge of the large town in the pitch-black night and drove straight in. In a moment, he arrived at Huaqian Mountain. Tian Zhongqing dared not rest. He checked the time, panted, and waited at the foot of the mountain for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Sure enough, a young man came strolling over slowly. Tian Zhongqing looked around and whispered:

"Cousin!"

The young man suddenly raised his head and called out:

"Cousin Zhongqing!"

Tian Zhongqing made several gestures to lower his voice and asked in a whisper:

"Has Uncle gone into seclusion?"

"Not yet."

The young man immediately understood. He looked around vigilantly and whispered in reply:

"Indeed, he has not gone into seclusion. Oh, Heaven helps me!"

Tian Zhongqing was overjoyed and bowed:

"Cousin, you must deliver a message for me when you go up the mountain."

He stuffed the rolled-up fine cloth into the young man's hand. Fearing he might be negligent, Tian Zhongqing said in a deep voice:

"This concerns the lives of my entire clan. Be extremely cautious!"

The young man's expression changed drastically. He gritted his teeth repeatedly and nodded:

"Don't worry, Cousin Zhongqing!"

Seeing him go up the mountain as usual, Tian Zhongqing dared not rest. He leaped up from where he stood, passed through the dense forest like the wind, and returned to the courtyard before long. He jumped in through the window, smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, brushed off the dew, and began to read a book in a pretentious manner.

After waiting for half an hour, Tian Zhongqing heard a 'crack' at the window. He immediately understood, left the backyard, locked the door carefully, ordered his wife to guard the entrance, and turned back into the room.

Passing through the small courtyard paved cleanly with bluestone, Tian Zhongqing crossed the orderly stone steps and pushed the door to enter the room. At the head of the table sat a gray-haired middle-aged man with a stern face. His features were regular, and his face had many wrinkles, but his expression was severe, his eyes glared fiercely, and he sat in silence.

This person was Tian Zhongqing's uncle, the eldest in the Tian family, and the only cultivator who was about to break through Qi Refining: Tian Youdao.

"Uncle, Zhongqing... is ashamed!"

Tian Zhongqing gave a bitter smile and knelt down with a thud, full of regret and sorrow. Tian Youdao had a stern temper. He picked up the teacup on the table in front of him, took a sip, and replied:

"I have already scanned the area with my spiritual sense; there are no eavesdroppers. Speak."

Tian Zhongqing recounted his conversation with Xu Gongming one by one. The more Tian Youdao listened, the tighter his brows furrowed. Upon hearing the end, he spat out a mouthful of tea with a 'pfft'. Tian Zhongqing dared not dodge and was sprayed all over his head and face.

Tian Youdao's face turned livid. He flipped the table in front of him, and it shattered into pieces with a clatter. His beard and hair stood on end, and he roared:

"You bastard!!"

Tian Zhongqing trembled and dared not move. Tian Youdao was still not satisfied. He grabbed Tian Zhongqing and gave him a slap, then another with the back of his hand, making him see stars. He turned around tremblingly, kicked the large table to pieces, stirred up a pile of white ceramic shards, and ground his teeth with a grating sound.

"Uncle..."

Tian Zhongqing collapsed to the ground and let out a mournful cry. Tian Youdao let out a long breath, helped him up, swept away the shards on the floor with a wave of his sleeve, and said through gritted teeth:

"Idle gossip is one thing, but you actually went to talk to the Xu family. Talking to Xu Gongming is one thing, but you even let a spy overhear it. You truly are a bastard!"

"Now that things have come to this, what can be done..."

Tian Zhongqing asked in a low, humble voice. Tian Youdao said fiercely:

"Fortunately, it is Xuanxuan who manages the family now. If it were Lord Xiangping, you wouldn't have enough lives to die even if you had nine!"

Looking at Tian Zhongqing's submissive appearance, Tian Youdao's anger subsided slightly, and he whispered:

"You must know that the personalities of the main family members all originate from Uncle Mutian. It is fine that the Yuanqing generation has not been taught, but above them, except for Li Changhu, they all have the same temperament—some gentle, some severe, some radical—but essentially, they are all ruthless people. How could the several prominent clans not know that the main family's cultivation techniques are good? How dare you speak these words?"

Tian Youdao paused slightly, his expression serious, and he said in a deep voice:

Tian Youdao was the younger brother of Tian Yun and the uncle of Li Xuanfeng and Li Jingtian. Not only was his seniority frighteningly high, but his talent was also good, but he started cultivating too late, which is why he only reached the peak of Embryonic Breath in his fifties. At this moment, he was expressionless, but he recounted many secrets:

"You think the Liu family, as the wife's clan of the ancestor and the maternal line of the main family, not only has a large piece of spirit fields in Jingyang Town, but the family head is also quite shrewd. Why is it that now that Liu Rouxuan is still alive, they are faring worse than our Tian family?"

Tian Zhongqing was fascinated and couldn't help but ask:

"Why?"

"At that time, you were not yet born, and Xuanxuan was probably only four or five years old. When the Lijing Shanmen was first established, a member of the Liu family once spied on the main family's mountain gate. At that time, Lord Xiangping was managing the family. It was the Liu family head himself who tied that person up and beheaded him in front of the mountain to preserve the clan... Xuanxuan also knows about this matter and has some resistance to it, which is why the Liu family has remained in a lukewarm state for so many years..."

"Uncle... Uncle's meaning is?!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 235 =====