Chapter 486

When Liu Changdie crawled out of the lake, it was already dawn. The feather garment on his body protected him tightly, not even a drop of lake water touching him. He paced back and forth on the shore in a daze, realizing that everything from the past had vanished without a trace. For a moment, he was dizzy and didn't know what to do, so he just rode the wind and flew toward the mountains.

It wasn't until he reached Mount Qingdu Mountain that Liu Changdie realized the formation flags were still on him, so he had to pass through the formation and head toward the hall where Li Li Xijun had been.

After waiting for the armored soldiers at the door to report, Liu Changdie stepped inside. At the very head was a man with white hair and beard, dressed in black-gold armor, raising his eyebrows to look over.

"Fellow Daoist Changdie!"

"Brother Li Xuanfeng!"

Liu Changdie hurried forward to meet Li Li Xuanfeng, observing him carefully from left to right, speechless for a moment.

Li Li Xuanfeng was the first Li family member he had met in this life. In his previous life, he only heard of his "【Jin Geng Gang String】" reputation, but in this life, they had met when they were young and had a friendship.

Li Li Xuanfeng was also looking at him, seeing him dejected and hollow-eyed. Clearly, his Foundation Establishment aura was quite profound, and at a glance, it was not an ordinary cultivation method, yet he was short of breath and moved, lost and at a loss.

The two stood in the hall. One was sharp-edged and impassioned back then, with a golden bow in hand, daring to shoot the Gilded Bronze, but now he was cold-eyed, white-haired, and driven by others to protect his family.

The other was high-spirited and famous back then, befriending heroes with his formation path, but now he was empty-handed and alone. The two looked at each other, and it was self-evident.

They cupped their fists at each other, neither asking about the other's bitterness. Li Li Xuanfeng only thanked him: "This magic formation is thanks to you, Fellow Daoist. Li Xuanfeng thanks you on behalf of my family."

He groped for a jade box from his storage bag, but Liu Changdie had lost interest. He handed over the formation flags and said softly: "If Li Xuanfeng really wants to thank me... there is a Lady Liu, a concubine of Guest Official Hu in the town, who is a distant cousin of mine. Please look after her, and that will be my thanks."

Li Li Xuanfeng frowned. Liu Changdie pressed his own Rising Yang Mansion, his eyes full of sleepiness, and said softly: "Brother Li Xuanfeng can also see that I am currently troubled by inner demons, and I really cannot delay. I am just rushing to find spiritual items and secret methods to suppress them, so I should not stay long. Offense... offense..."

Li Li Xuanfeng was also a straightforward person. Seeing his face covered in cold sweat, he had no choice but to send him off. Watching him take out a flying shuttle and disappear into the horizon, he rode the wind back. Li Li Xijun was waiting in the hall.

Among the many juniors, Li Li Xuanfeng valued Li Li Xijun the most. His expression was still gentle as he asked first:

"What is the matter with Li Yuexiang?"

Li Li Xijun explained the cause and effect and his speculations. Li Li Xuanfeng's cold expression eased slightly, and he said softly: "Although it was a last resort, can my family be humiliated by him for no reason? Just wait for me to go to the Yuan family. If Yuan Yuan Huyuan wants to divide, let him divide it clearly."

Li Li Xijun nodded. Although he was also angry about his sister's matter, he still persuaded softly:

"Mount Qingchi strictly forbids crossing borders to connect counties. The Yuan family is a natural ally in terms of geography. If a life is lost, I am afraid it will not be a good thing."

Li Li Xuanfeng just waved his hand to answer, a rare smile appearing on his face: "Don't mention this. I have my own arrangements. First, bring me to see that well-behaved junior and see what he looks like now."

The Chen Mansion.

Chen Chen Mufeng rode the wind back to the mansion. A crowd of wives and concubines came up to welcome him. His Chen clan had been the most favored for generations, and his status in the clan was not low, so naturally, there were many wives and concubines. The sounds of warbling and chirping rose one after another, but he didn't have a good face and waved them away.

He hurried inside, all the way to the deepest part of the courtyard, and saw a woman sitting there. Her appearance was not outstanding, but Chen Chen Mufeng was all smiles, welcoming her diligently, and whispered: "Madam..."

This woman was none other than Lady Li, the younger sister of Li Li Xicheng. She was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea, with a boy standing beside her, looking about twelve or thirteen years old, with long, narrow eyes and very gentle eyebrows, standing with his hands behind his back.

Lady Li answered and said softly: "Husband, you came back just in time. Yang'er has already broken through to the fourth level of Embryonic Breath and was just looking for you."

Chen Chen Mufeng was both surprised and happy, and answered:

"What!"

His spiritual sense swept over, and sure enough, he saw that his eldest son, Chen Yang, had broken through to the fourth level of Embryonic Breath. Chen Chen Mufeng only exclaimed: "This cultivation speed, while not comparable to Li Li Ximing back then, can at least catch up to the person in charge of Mount Qingdu Mountain!"

Lady Li nodded with a smile, while Chen Yang raised his eyebrows to look at his father and said in a low voice: "The Embryonic Breath cultivation method is crude; otherwise, it could have been faster."

His pair of eyes inherited his mother's gray-black, and his eyebrows were the gentle length of his uncle's lineage. If one really compared them, he looked more like a Li family member than a Chen family member, especially when he narrowed his eyes, which almost made Chen Chen Mufeng's heart jump.

Because he feared these eyes, Chen Chen Mufeng was actually not very close to this child. Sometimes, seeing his unintentional movements and expressions, he looked exactly like the suspicious and cunning Li family members. It was just that compared to Chen Yang, his other offspring were like a group of quails, and their talent was even harder to match.

Compared to incompetence, Chen Chen Mufeng actually preferred Chen Yang.

Lady Li naturally loved this child extremely, her gaze gentle as she said softly: "I asked you this time because I want Yang'er to go and serve the Young Master."

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Yang did not raise his head, but his long, narrow eyes slanted quickly and secretly, examining his father's face. His gray-black pupils shrank slightly, and the deep black dots stared straight ahead.

Chen Chen Mufeng answered with an "Ah," and when he looked at Chen Yang, he only saw the boy's obedient expression, and answered:

"Naturally, it is a good thing. I am only afraid that Li Chengliao..."

"I have already told him."

Lady Li lowered her eyebrows, first letting Chen Yang retreat, and only then did she look solemn and anxious:

"Can you see Yang'er? He is not a person who will stay in a pond! I rarely take him to see his elder brother, it is just his temperament... like... I don't know who he is like, day by day he becomes more cunning and ambitious. If he cannot gain the trust of the Lis early, I am afraid he will not have a good end!"

"What?!"

Chen Chen Mufeng raised his head in disbelief. He had also had youthful ambitions, and only felt that his wife was exaggerating. He said in a low voice: "Madam, why go so far? A ten-year-old child has some ambition, just wait for time to pass..."

"You don't believe me?"

Chen Chen Mufeng stopped talking immediately and had to nod: "Then I will send him over to see Li Chengliao now."

Lady Li pulled him back and instructed:

"I heard that the Young Master is also not a simple character. If you go over, you must personally take Yang'er to meet him, just in case."

He only felt that his wife was considering things too carefully, nodded casually, hurried out of the courtyard, took Chen Yang, and rode the wind all the way over, heading toward the tall side hall. After waiting for half an hour, Li Li Chengliao finally returned.

The two shuttled through the corridors between the buildings. Chen Yang was here for the first time, looking at the golden eaves and the white jade steps on the terrace, his eyes straightening and his heart palpitating.

Li Li Chengliao was bringing people back from the territory, his armor rubbing against each other, making a clanging metallic sound. Chen Yang and his father knelt below the steps. The boy silently watched the eighteen stone steps at the head of the hall, his eyes scanning obscurely, and he thought in shock: "Truly majestic."

Thoughts flashed lightly in his mind as he looked up at the man in the wolf-fur cloak. Li Li Chengliao did not have much pressure, yet he was majestic even when standing in that place without speaking.

A surge of impulse rose in Chen Yang's heart:

"A great man... should be above ten thousand people, suppressing heroes with cultivation... playing with the universe with schemes... what is the point of stopping at cultivation in books!"

Li Li Chengliao was smiling, turning his head to answer Xu Gongming: "The weather is slightly milder, and there is a harvest, so I can breathe a sigh of relief."

He sat in the main seat, looking at Chen Chen Mufeng and Chen Yang beside him, and said warmly:

"This must be Yang'er. I heard you have already broken through to the fourth level of Embryonic Breath. Truly a rare genius!"

The eighteen steps in the hall were not just for show; they could just happen to block the spiritual sense of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. But that was not all; Chen Yang was also kneeling very far away, already excluding the possibility of Li Li Chengliao peeking with spiritual sense.

"I just came out of seclusion, and he already knew!"

Li Li Chengliao went down with a chuckle, walked slowly to his front, and pulled his hand. Seeing Chen Yang raise his head, he nodded slightly and turned back to smile at Xu Gongming and the others: "At a glance, he is a child of my family, his features are exactly the same!"

These words were clearly beyond everyone's expectations. Chen Yang was also stunned for a moment after hearing this, his mouth couldn't help but curl down slightly, his eyebrows raised, his eyes happy and proud. The originally calm face suddenly became vivid, bursting with an aura.

Everyone laughed and congratulated him, but Li Li Chengliao looked carefully. Although he was smiling on the surface, a haze had already risen in his heart.

"This expression... this expression... Good! Good!"

Although Chen Yang was precocious, he could not compare to Li Li Chengliao, who had managed the family for many years. Besides looking at his pair of decent eyes and his look of looking left and right, Li Li Chengliao read a familiar taste from his eyebrows and curled-down corners of his mouth.

This rebellious and ambitious taste was like a thorn accidentally stuck in his hand, making him grit his teeth and inhale, recalling the boy who held gray fire and ravaged the sky, so much so that Li Li Chengliao's smile became somewhat distorted.

"He is an ambitious seed."

Li Li Chengliao had always been very confident in his feelings, just like when he recognized that Xu Xiao was unusual at a glance. Chen Yang also had a kind of nascent ambition, but with a little less arrogance and a little more of the Li family's cunning, and perhaps some cruelty.

"And his talent is so good! If he were put outside, he would be able to stir up the wind and clouds... The Chen family truly produced a good genius!"

Li Li Chengliao made a preliminary judgment on the child's temperament and smiled at Chen Chen Mufeng, asking:

"Why, do you intend to send him to accompany the Young Master? With such good talent, if he doesn't concentrate on cultivation... wouldn't it be a waste."

When he said this, his eyes were looking at Chen Chen Mufeng, but his spiritual sense was hanging tightly on Chen Yang. Seeing him raise his head slightly for a moment, his eyelids shrinking, Li Li Chengliao's heart moved slightly, listening to Chen Chen Mufeng saying polite words on the side: "Where does Embryonic Breath need to be cultivated every day! Every time you extract spiritual energy to refine, it only takes a few hours, and the rest of the time is half the effort for twice the result, so it is better to learn from the Young Master..."

"Yang'er is three years older, let Li Zhouwei learn something!"

Li Li Chengliao said politely, but he had already agreed, intentionally saying: "Yang'er, follow the surrounding corridor down, someone will take you to the Young Master. I have already told him that I will send a playmate over."

Chen Chen Mufeng heard that he meant to let the two children meet alone, and was slightly stunned, but Li Li Chengliao laughed: "I still have some things to ask the Battalion Commander!"

Chen Chen Mufeng heard this, and his already wavering steps stopped immediately. Thinking of his wife's words, he could only sigh slightly and watch the child go down. Li Li Chengliao said: "I remember that the Chen clan has always been at odds with the Xu family for generations. Have they ever intermarried?"

"Naturally not!"

Chen Chen Mufeng answered. Chen Yang hesitated for a moment, thinking that Li Li Chengliao didn't want him to hear, and hurriedly followed the guards down, passing through the winding corridors all the way to the outside of the courtyard.

Looking at the clean white ground and the two golden doors half-hidden at the entrance, he still felt some disdain in his heart.

Chen Yang had been the most talented since he was a child, playing with his peers of the same age in the palm of his hand, and could trick people around in two or three sentences. How could he be afraid of a child? He only thought: "So what if he is the Young Master? His talent may not be very high. I heard he has only been cultivating for two years, and at most can cultivate the second level of the Embryonic Breath Ming Wheel. It is just something I can handle easily."

"What's more, being trapped in this small courtyard every day, how much thought can he have? I only need to use a little trick to make him obedient."

Chen Yang had been cunning since he was a child. How could he look down on a child three or four years younger than him? He only felt that this Young Master probably couldn't even recognize all the characters, and sneered secretly.

He stepped into the courtyard, but a fragrance suddenly appeared at the tip of his nose, intoxicating and charming. Chen Yang frowned, but he was too young to recognize this smell, and thought to himself:

"I don't know what kind of incense this is, the smell is not bad, I can take some back."

An old ape stood in the inner courtyard, with white fur and drooping eyes. Chen Yang was clever, so how could he underestimate it? He thought secretly:

"It is nine times out of ten the spirit beast that personally protects this Young Master. I don't know what kind of cultivation it has."

Guessing that it was nine times out of ten a Qi Refining spirit beast, he bowed once before entering, thinking he had gained favor without anyone knowing, and felt proud in his heart.

Chen Yang pushed open the door, but a boy dressed in gold-white clothes was kneeling in the courtyard, looking only eight or nine years old, with the back of his head facing him.

Before Chen Yang could ask a casual question, the Young Master suddenly turned his head to look, opening two deep dark golden eyes, like amber, staring straight at him.

This was a pair of calm eyes, full of contemptuous scrutiny. He noticed the ears that stood up due to the situation, and the twisting waist actually had a vigorous taste, presenting a soft yet fierce tiger-leopard posture.

Chen Yang was startled and took a step back, but soon became angry from embarrassment. The anger and shame were quickly hidden in his heart, and he said in a gloomy voice: "I have seen the Young Master."

Li Li Zhouwei examined him for two breaths, his golden pupils seeming even more terrifying and gloomy because of his tone. He didn't say a word. Chen Yang quickly perceived his expression with the intuition of a similar person, and a realization rose in his heart.

"This is a pair of inhuman eyes, eyes that ordinary people will never look at twice unless they kneel before him. These eyes might be even more powerful against women than men."

A sneer and anger at being despised rose in his heart. Relying on his physique, which was a head taller than him, he stepped forward and answered with feigned humility:

"I have seen the Young Master."

Giving everyone a heads-up, the Young Master's image will not be upright and righteous, and will even be a bit like a typical villain^.