Cultivation through Skin Making - Chapter 700 - 248. Great Dao Chessboard, Hard to Defend the Spirit (6.1K words - Please Subscribe)_2
Chapter 700: 248. Great Dao Chessboard, Hard to Defend the Spirit (6.1K words – Please Subscribe)_2
However, this unfamiliarity still made her feel some inexplicable hesitation, so much so that she no longer took the initiative and was like a puppet being carried along, rising and falling on this turbulent Vast Sea, sometimes diving to the seabed, and sometimes soaring into the clouds.
When everything calmed down, Han Weizi lay in her husband’s arms as usual, but her eyes still cautiously scrutinized him, with a growing doubt in her heart, yet she repeatedly persuaded herself that “this is him.”
But for some reason, another thought simultaneously rushed into her mind; it shouldn’t be there, but she always felt as if she was happily with another man, and so wildly happy—doesn’t that feel a bit disloyal to the impression of Li Xuanchan from the past?
…
…
Little Wei’Er can always bring joy to people.
This joy plunged Song Yan into oblivion and made the wooden hut by the Long Bridge as warm as spring.
Ten days later…
Han Weizi’s meticulous healing, combined with a single World-Purifying White Lotus Seed and copious amounts of the Li Family’s medicinal tonics, finally led to Song Yan’s significant physical recovery. Although the Wa Text Curse continued to stir, Song Yan could feel he was at the cliff edge of “complete curse eruption.”
He was just one step away—one step—and he would fall, but for now, he held steady.
The long-lasting acts of companionship intensified the strangeness in little Wei’Er’s heart; she even began to feel a strange sense of guilt, followed by the shame borne of that guilt.
But she carefully concealed her thoughts.
However, that strangeness still manifested in “as still as wood on the bed” and “interactions were constrained.”
Her gentle softness turned into polite respectfulness.
She meticulously served her husband, diligently tidied up the mess each time the bedding was disheveled, and even now… she meticulously opened the window to dispel the lingering scent, mixed with faint floral fragrance.
After a long time, the scent dissipated, and she was about to meticulously close the window again when she saw a gaunt white-haired elder, leaning on a cane, standing at the entrance to the forbidden land.
She glanced a few times before recognizing that the white-haired elder was the ancestor of the Li Family.
She was both surprised at how such a powerful ancestor could become so diminished, and felt a forlorn sorrow, perhaps for the elder, or perhaps for her and her husband’s future fate.
If the Li Family lost its ancestor, the future would be uncertain, and who knows where they would drift in this world’s turbulent waves.
How could it… not be sad?
…
…
A moment later, Li Shanhai sat in one of the chairs wrapped in soft, supple Demon Beast Skin inside the wooden hut, seemingly on the verge of drifting off to a permanent sleep.
Han Weizi, embodying the elegance and virtuousness of the Li Family’s First Madam, poured tea and stoked the furnace for Elder Li.
And when Elder Li lightly coughed and cleared his throat, Han Weizi prepared to take her leave, giving space to the pillars that upheld the Li Family.
However, Li Shanhai prematurely rasped, “Little Wei’Er is now the First Madam of the Li Family, stay and listen.”
Han Weizi respectfully agreed, and then sat down in front of the couch, leaning against Song Yan, together facing the aged elder with only a few years left.
Li Shanhai’s eyes were still murky, his body still trembled, his parched lips parted, but he calmly asked, “Xuanchan, what is the greatest difficulty for our Li Family?”
Song Yan replied, “On the day of the ancestor’s vigil.”
He slightly lifted his head and calmly said, “Everyone who comes is a vile guest, impeccably dressed but are wolves and leopards, to test what weight remains of the Li Family.”
Li Shanhai nodded in satisfaction, saying, “That’s why I’ve been enduring, enduring, trying to live a few more days, to give you more time.”
As he spoke, he noticed Han Weizi’s red lips motion slightly, as if wanting to speak but then restrained by etiquette, so he prodded, “The First Madam of our Li Family, this place is where you may speak, so go ahead.”
Han Weizi said, “Why does the ancestor not retreat to secluded meditation? Or why not use the Cyan Nether Merchant Association to travel to a more Advanced Cultivation Profound Land?”
Her point was not stated outright, but the other two understood naturally.
The ancestor is dying; once in retreat, no one would know if he were dead or alive; traveling to a more Advanced Cultivation Profound Land was the same principle.
This way, the Li Family gains more deterrence.
Li Shanhai did not speak, but Song Yan directly answered, “The Cyan Nether Merchant Association does not get involved in local battles nor in feuds and vendettas, so for passengers, their names, destinations, and departure times are free to be investigated.
If Elder were to travel to a more Advanced Cultivation Profound Land through the Cyan Nether Merchant Association, he might face ambush and humiliation en route. Even if Xiao Bing were to secretly protect him, the Changfeng Immortal Dynasty would still prepare in advance, attacking the Li Family directly while Xiao Bing is away.
Old tricks cannot be reused; Xiao Bing cannot leave the Li Family for a moment, nor can Elder…
As for retreating into meditation… based on Elder’s current state, whether or not to retreat is unimportant—better to go in peace.”
Li Shanhai nodded and smiled kindly, saying, “You’ve truly gained some semblance of a Family Head, then let me ask you, what is the reason behind these vile guests’ arrival?”
Song Yan replied, “They came to assert dominance.”
Then the father-and-son pair began a rapid exchange.
“Not for annexation?”
“Not for annexation.”
“Why not?”
“The Long Night Emperor is a Tyrant, yet not a fool, thus knows that pushing too hard only leads to ’unity against a common foe,’ making the enemies more united. Hence, he might send scouts secretly, but wouldn’t intervene.
He Wuya knows your trump card, feels uneasy, but if you are gone and only I remain, he intends to incorporate me into his grasp, manipulated by him, thus they come not only to assert dominance but also to control.”
