Chapter 211 - 210: The Old Ancestor is Furious (2)

Chapter 211: Chapter 210: The Old Ancestor is Furious (2)

"Father... do you not mind that Third Uncle has surpassed you?" Li Xuefeng asked cautiously.

Li Yiwei let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head: "Mind it? Of course I do. But in this cultivation world, strength demands respect. Blind jealousy will only drag a person down into mediocrity. Your Third Uncle did not target me, nor did he humiliate me; whether by luck or not, he got to where he is now using his own strength."

Li Yiwei paused, looking into his son’s bright eyes. He stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on Li Xuefeng’s shoulder: "Which brings me to what I want to tell you today. From now on, whenever you have free time after your martial practice, I want you to find opportunities to visit your third Uncle’s courtyard."

Li Xuefeng blinked, puzzled: "Visit Third Uncle?"

Li Yiwei instructed calmly: "Not just your third Uncle, Get close to Yujian, Yuhan, Zhang, Jingxuan, and the rest as well. They share the same lineage as you. Build a genuine bond with them. Do not act arrogant, and do not treat them with suspicion."

Li Xuefeng listened attentively, digesting his father’s words: "Father wants me to cultivate a good relationship with my third uncle’s side?"

"Exactly," Li Yiwei said: "The future of the Li family will inevitably revolve around your third uncle for now until otherwise. Establishing a strong brotherhood with his sons now will not only benefit your own growth and cultivation but also ensure that our branch remains closely connected to the family’s power center. Do you understand?"

Li Xuefeng straightened his back and bowed with his arms crossed: "Xuefeng understands. Tomorrow I will follow Father’s instructions and go to find Cousin Yujian and the others."

Li Yiwei smiled slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, and gently patted his son’s shoulder: "Very good. Now, pick up your sword again. Let’s practice the fifth move."

...

On her way home, Li Xinyue happened to run into her third brother, Li Jain.

"Third Brother!" Li Xinyue called softly, smiling as she walked over.

Li Jie turned around, saw his sister, and smiled gently: "Xinyue, are you going to see Grandpa?"

"I was just thinking about it," Li Xinyue replied, noticing the helpless look on Li Jain’s face: "What happened? You look like you just escaped death."

Li Jain sighed softly: "Grandpa... seems a bit troubled lately. I just came from his study. If you have some time, you might want to go see him, let him relax, and have some cool wine."

Li Xinyue blinked, somewhat puzzled: "Troubled? Why? Did the elders from the branch families cause trouble again?"

"No, it’s just a small disagreement about Liu Xiong and some future plans. He was yelling quite loudly when I left."

Hearing that her third brother had gotten into an argument with the Old Ancestor, Li Xinyue’s protective instincts immediately kicked in. Although she didn’t usually participate in family politics, she cared deeply about Li Jain. Especially now that Li Jain had only returned to the family recently.

"Grandpa is usually very understanding, but lately his temper has been getting worse." Li Xinyue said righteously: "Third Brother, don’t worry! I’ll go and talk to him. Why would he be angry with you for no reason?"

Li Jain gave her a meaningful look but didn’t stop her: "Then I’ll leave it to you, sister."

...

As the patriarch’s most beloved granddaughter, Li Xinyue was full of confidence that she’ll be able to get through to him, walking briskly towards the east courtyard.

Outside the study, two clan guards stood frozen like statues, their expressions were terrified. From inside the study came low grumbling, pacing, and the sound of a table being violently overturned.

Li Xinyue straightened her purple silk robe, smoothed her sleeves, and gently knocked on the carved wooden door: "Grandpa? It’s me, Xinyue. May I come in?"

"Get out!" A deafening roar came from inside the study, followed by the sound of a wooden table slamming heavily against the doorframe.

Li Xinyue frowned slightly but still pushed open the door with a sweet smile and went in: "Grandpa, it’s me! Why are you throwing things?"

Inside the study, the old patriarch paced back and forth like a trapped, angry beast. His long, silvery-white beard was disheveled, his face flushed red, and his chest heavy violently, burning with rage. Broken porcelain shards and spilled wine were scattered on the floor.

When the patriarch saw Li Xinyue enter, he paused, but the anger in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest: "Xinyue? What are you doing here? If you’ve come to complain about those ungrateful clan elders, save your energy!"

"Grandpa, please calm down," Li Xinyue said softly, moving a good chair and neatly placing it beside the table. She poured another cup of wine and handed it to him with both hands: "Look at you, sweating profusely! At your age, flying into such a fury will damage your dao heart. Have some wine first."

The old patriarch snorted coldly but did not refuse the wine. He took the cup, downed it in one gulp, and then slammed it heavily on the table: "Dao heart? That shameless brat Li Jain almost gave me a heart attack! How can I possibly feel at ease?!"

Li Xinyue sat down opposite him, playing the peacemaker: "Grandpa, Third Brother just broke through to the Divine Power Realm and refined the sixth-grade pills for the whole family. Was there really any misunderstanding between you two? Was it really necessary to be so angry? He’s always been polite and speaks very gently..."

"Speak gently?!" The old ancestor slammed his hand on the table, his voice hoarse as he shouted: "What manners does he have?! Do you know what he just said to me in this room?!"

Li Xinyue tilted her head in confusion: "What did he say?"

The old ancestor shouted, his trembling finger pointing to the ground: "He told me that he and that mysterious barbarian Liu Xiong are lovers! I told him Liu Xiong shamelessly said he wanted to marry him, to make him his wife, and do you know how that unfilial grandson reacted? He didn’t deny it! He wasn’t even angry! He laughed happily and said I’d soon have a powerful son-in-law!"

Li Xinyue opened her mouth, completely stunned.

Lover? Son-in-law? Wife?!

These words echoed in her mind like a bolt from the blue. She knew Liu Xiong and Li Jie were close, and Liu Xiong had even said he wanted to marry Li Jain, but she had always thought they were just good friends, that Liu Xiong was only teasing her, finding common topics for them to get along.

Seeing the veins bulging on her grandfather’s forehead, his eyes seemingly spitting fire, Li Xinyue’s keen intuition warned her about the anger and crisis!

The old ancestor was very angry at the moment. If she tried to defend Li Jain now, she would become the easy target for all the pent-up anger!

The gentle, protective smile on Li Xinyue’s face vanished instantly, taking a 360 degree turn.

She slammed her hand on the armrest, as her expression turned fierce as well: "What?! How preposterous! Outrageous! How could Third Brother be so foolish and absurd?!"

The Ancestor blinked, startled by her sudden change.

Li Xinyue stood up, pacing back and forth, her face filled with resentment: "Grandpa, you’re right! This is unheard of! How could he say such shameless things to you? The Li family is a prestigious clan in South River City! He casually mentioned wanting to marry another man, and bringing in a son-in-law is practically bringing shame to the family! No wonder you’re so angry! If it were me, I would have thrown him out too!"

She turned to her grandfather, looking at him with pity: "Grandpa, you’ve sacrificed so much for the family. You stayed by his side when he broke through, even fought off the Holy Masters and this is how he repays you? It’s infuriating! Grandpa, don’t worry, I completely agree with you! He must be severely punished!"

The study fell into silence.

The old patriarch stood behind the table, squinting at Li Xinyue. He stroked his silver beard, his breathing gradually calming, a strange and meaningful glint flashing in his sharp eyes.

"You’re on my side, you say?" the old patriarch asked slowly and dangerously.

"Of course!" Li Xinyue felt something was wrong but she still agreed without changing her expression: "As your most filial granddaughter, how could I possibly condone such absurd behavior?"

Old Patriarch Li sneered: "Is that so? Xinyue, do you really think your old man is senile?"

Li Xinyue’s heart tightened, but her face still had an innocent smile: "Ancestor, what do you mean? I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart!"

"Hmph!" Old Patriarch Li put his hands behind his back, leaned forward slightly, and fixed his gaze on her: "You came in to plead for Li Jain, but the moment you saw that you won’t change my opinion, you flung your cloak faster than a street performer! Do you think I don’t know your scheme?"

Li Xinyue swallowed hard, a bead of cold sweat appearing on the back of her neck: "Grandpa, you’ve misunderstood..."

"Misunderstood?" Old Patriarch Li’s voice deepened, and his tone heavy: "Do you think I don’t know about you and Chen Xiaorong?"

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Li Xinyue felt as if she had been struck directly in the soul by a massive spiritual hammer! Her face instantly turned deathly pale, her eyes wide with shock.

"Grandpa...Grandpa..." she stammered, her usual composure completely gone.