“Old Feng.”
Li Muxiu sat stupefied in the courtyard, his mind buzzing and somewhat out of sorts.
He never expected that his old friend, who had gallivanted through the Jianghu for half his life, would actually get caught by the Buddhists.
His Heaven and Earth Traceless Skill, not even he could catch up to.
His Divine Stealth Breathing Skill, enabling him to transform into flora, whether entering a bustling market or traversing mountains and rivers, was like a fish entering the sea, hard to find.
Even the Imperial Palace, guarded by a million Imperial Guards, was a place he entered and left as he pleased, without a sound.
But now, to think he was caught by the Buddhists.
The news came from a lower-ranking disciple of Mount Wuliang, credible beyond doubt, making it impossible for Li Muxiu not to believe.
Old Feng, how could you have slipped up!
Li Muxiu slowly clenched his fists, his eyes moistening, an extreme pain spreading in his heart, seemingly tearing at his chest.
He sat alone for a half of an incense stick time, then he stood up and walked out of the courtyard.
First, he went to the ancestral hall, where he saw Old Wu, Li Qingzheng, sitting alone in front of the chessboard outside.
Li Qingzheng, who was playing chess by himself, also looked at Li Muxiu.
Their eyes met, a trace of sorrow flitting through both gazes, before they quickly contained their emotions.
When they used to meet in the past, most times there was that lively young figure by their side, but now, it was no more.
“Second Brother, how come you have time to come by?” Li Qingzheng forced out a small smile.
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Li Muxiu’s expression was solemn as he said, “I came to see our ancestors, to ask for their forgiveness.”
“Forgiveness?” Li Qingzheng’s gaze hardened.
Li Muxiu slowly approached the ancestral hall, his footsteps heavy, walking very slowly. When crossing the threshold, he paused for a moment, but eventually, he stepped over.
Li Qingzheng didn’t speak, just gazed intently at him, as if he realized that his second brother, who had rebelled and had not been favored by their father in his youth, was about to do something again.
“The undeserving descendant pays respects to the ancestors.”
Li Muxiu reached the stelae of the ancestors with their Golden Bodies, knelt on the cushion, and gently bowed his head.
The stelae trembled slightly, but no ancestor appeared; after all, appearing would consume the remnants of their Soul Power, reserved only for major issues.
“What matters?”
A commanding voice echoed, belonging to an unknown ancestor.
In the previous battle at Qingzhou City, many ancestors burned their spirits. Some had dissipated, some had their remaining Heroic Spirits’ power withered, falling into slumber; now, only a handful of stronger spirits remained awake.
Li Muxiu’s face trembled slightly and finally, he explained his purpose.
“You want to leave the Li Family?”
Upon hearing Li Muxiu’s words, that ancestor was shocked.
Li Qingzheng, upon hearing this, was also stunned and then stared blankly at Li Muxiu.
“Foolishness, what are you talking about?!”
Another golden spirit figure emerged from the stelae, tall and burly, full of rage:
“Weren’t your youthful indiscretions enough? Having just taken charge of the Li Family for a few years, are you starting to act up again? Do you want me to discipline you in front of our ancestors?!”
“Father.”
Li Qingzheng, upon seeing this spirit, swiftly changed from sitting to kneeling, a rare hint of fear appearing in his aged eyes.
Even though he was now over eighty years old, in the presence of his father, he was still as trepid as in his youth, a reverence engrained in his bones.
Li Muxiu, hearing the angry voice from above, seemed to feel a cold snow blowing around him; it took him back to that snowy night when he knelt in the courtyard, outside the staircase to the main hall, listening to his father’s reprimands from inside, along with his mother’s pleas and his other siblings’ requests on his behalf.
Back then, his heart was untamed and resentful.
But after many years, he had let go, knowing he was not blameless.
That night, the elder brother whom he had once envied, after leaving their father’s dining table, secretly brought him a steaming bowl of braised meat noodles.
Years later, reflecting upon it, it was still one of the tastiest meals he had ever eaten.
The other two unforgettable tastes were the grilled fish from that lakeside boy and the soup made by that girl when he was injured from vanquishing evil spirits in his younger years.
The flavors he could never forget.
Thinking of that snowy night, he thought of the figure of his older brother fading away in the distance, and Li Muxiu’s eyes grew even wetter. He bent his body tighter, pressing his forehead as close to the ground as possible, inhaling the dust from the floor into his nostrils with each breath, encountering a strong scent of earth.
“Father, I must do this, I promised that old friend, I can’t let him down…”
“But he is a thief!”
The golden spirit said angrily, “Weren’t your associations with useless friends in your youth enough? Using your connections, they exploited the name of the Divine General Mansion, wreaking havoc everywhere, rampantly extorting wealth. Haven’t you suffered enough losses?!”
“That was when I was young and didn’t understand people’s hearts. But this time it is different, he is different. Although he is a thief, he has never misused the name of the Divine General Mansion to cause trouble or seek benefits for himself, he is different…”
“But he is a thief!”
The golden spirit argued: “If his nature were pure, how could he become a thief? Stealing the hard-earned possessions of others, can he be a good person?”
Li Muxiu lifted his head, his face now streaked with old tears, yet his eyes stared directly at the face full of rage, which was, even more, filled with sorrow and heartache:
“Father, there are eight million ways to live in this world, half righteous and half villainous. Although he chose a different way of life from us, he has never harmed the common people, never bullied the weak, nor ever harmed me.”
“Some lavish nobles and great families renovate and rebuild, making commoners run back and forth, using righteous methods to extract their wealth, causing them to live a life of displacement, a practice that is even worse than outright theft.”