Li Yuanping was in high spirits, clad in military attire as he rode his horse swiftly. His usually pale complexion was now flushed with color. In his arms, Li Yuanming leaned against his chest, giggling continuously.

"Giddy up!"

Grasping the reins tightly, he galloped down the road, leaving a procession of carriages, their flags fluttering behind him. He, who was usually seen lounging weakly at the head seat, now burst with impressive spirit, laughing heartily with an unexpected heroic air.

The Li Family was now much wealthier. The horse beneath Li Yuanping had been a tribute from the Shanyue, named "Chongsa," known for its silent steps in the snow, moving forward like a ghost. With its Cultivation Level at the Fifth Layer of Fetal Breathing, it had been personally subdued by Shamo Li and brought from Lijing Mountain as an offering.

Having received a fine horse, Li Yuanping naturally wanted to ride to his heart’s content. He rode non-stop from the outskirts of Lijing Town to the Wutu City outskirts of Eastern Shanyue. Li Yuanming was exuberantly happy in his arms, his black hair lifted by the wind, and he asked in his childish voice:

"Dad! Where is this?!"

"Eastern Shanyue."

Li Yuanping’s expression was exuberant. He suppressed his cough in his throat, suddenly reined in his horse, and raised his whip to point towards the continuous mountain ranges to the north, laughing:

"These mountains lead north to Wutu. Legend has it that Xiangping once led his troops through here, only two li away from the Mu Jiaoman’s army. By reining in his horse while holding a token in his mouth, Xiangping narrowly escaped a great peril."

Li Ximing listened intently, then heard Li Yuanping say gently:

"Beyond this mountain lies the border city of Wutu City in Eastern Shanyue. It is quite prosperous. Li Jiman has been handling affairs in this city for ten years now."

"Li Jiman."

Li Yuanming pondered for a moment and replied:

"The son of Shamo Li, heir to the Shanyue king... soon to inherit the Shanyue throne."

"Indeed."

Li Yuanping responded to his child’s words, looking around. He noticed the rainwater dripping from the branches and leaves, aware that the Jade Courtyard Guards and a few Guest Elders had always been closely protecting them. He then let the horse take its own course, following the road.

He rode the horse absentmindedly, his ears slightly twitched, and with a hint of amusement, he said:

"Li Jiman is a clever man, but he is aggressive and bloodthirsty, courteous on the outside but deceitful within."

The Chongsa horse snorted loudly as it ascended a hill. The view from the mountain revealed everything below, with screams and roars intermittently rising amid the bloodstains all over the ground.

Below, on the plain, the city walls of Wutu City were in sight. A group of emaciated Shanyue villagers, trembling and shaky, held up hoes and pitchforks, encircling a gray wolf within. The wolf seemed to possess some minor Cultivation Level, howling ceaselessly.

On a nearby mound, a brown chariot fluttered with banners, spears looming over it. A group of soldiers sat and watched as if they were watching a play, joking and laughing. Sitting at the highest place was a young man holding fruits, laughing heartily.

"That must be Li Jiman!"

Li Yuanping spoke indifferently, while Li Yuanming furrowed his brows and whispered:

"Father, what is he doing?"

"Watching a play."

Li Yuanping coldly spat out two words, just as a noble laughed heartily below, threw a piece of fruit, and hit the wolf demon on the head. This provoked the wolf’s ferocity, and it howled as it tore a person to shreds.

That villager’s body was frail and soon shattered into bits on the ground, further inciting the wolf’s ferocity with constant howling.

The group of Shanyue nobles and Li Jiman on the little mound watched intently, bursting into laughter when the corpse fell, with intestines and blood scattered everywhere. Li Ximing couldn’t help but turn his head away, unable to bear the sight.

"Watch carefully."

Li Yuanping gently patted his shoulder and said softly:

"Remember this scene well... It is how you will learn what the spoiled sons can do behind your back if the law is not sternly enforced."

He paused slightly, then continued:

"With their Cultivation stagnant and no path forward, tiring of dogs and horses, satiated with delicacies, and in possession of power and strength far beyond ordinary people, they will always think up some novel amusements."

Li Yuanming nodded thoughtfully as Li Yuanping sneered:

"Bring me my bow!"

A Jade Courtyard Guard quickly passed him a longbow. Li Yuanping steadied himself atop the Chongsa horse, calmly exhaled, turned his head to nock and draw the bow, squinting down at the group below, and said gently:

"Ming’er, watch closely."

"Whoosh—"

The long arrow tore through the sky, and the Talisman Script inscribed on it emitted a dazzling white light, falling like a shooting star towards the ground below.

At the foot of the mountain, Li Jiman was stretching his arms, holding a piece of fruit in his hand. He felt nothing about the scene before him and was only perfunctorily entertaining everyone. Tian Rong took a step forward and said with a smile:

"Little Barbarian, what do you think? Interesting enough, huh?"

"Indeed, it is interesting!"

Li Jiman glanced at him with contempt and, while breathing in the air from the foot of the mountain, thought to himself:

"The Tian Clan governs the Eastern Shanyue and controls the state affairs. With the old lord about to abdicate, how could my father settle for being a puppet like Shamo Li? Yet Tian Zhongqing is cautious, and to catch their faults for a transaction of interests with the Tian Clan, we must start with Tian Rong..."

He seemed to watch the trapped beast-like demon wolf fight, but his mind was still contemplating how to take control of the Eastern Shanyue’s state affairs. Unexpectedly, a bright light suddenly appeared, and a beam of white light descended from the sky.

"Boom!"

The demon wolf was merely at the first layer of Fetal Breathing and could not withstand the arrow. With a loud boom, it exploded into chunks of flesh, splattering blood everywhere. Tian Rong, who had been laughing foolishly, jumped up as if he had been slapped and cursed angrily:

"How insolent! Who dares disturb this young master’s pleasure!"

Li Jiman had already stood up and looked up, his Eyesight Power at Fetal Breathing Peak allowing him to clearly see the person on the mountain. For a moment, his mind went blank, and he trembled with fear.

"Li Yuanping..."

He fell to his knees with a thud, pressing his head tightly against the ground, both shocked and frightened, his back soaked with sweat and feeling disgustingly sticky, and his eyes turning bloodshot:

"The Family Head hates those who slaughter the populace and deceive their superiors... I am doomed!"

"Who has set me up... Tian Zhongqing... Of course, it must be the Tian Clan... Tian Zhongqing... Damn it! No wonder he asked me to join this feast here, such a good move, Tian Rong!"

A group of Shanyue nobles suddenly realized that something was wrong and fell to their knees. Tian Rong was stunned for several breaths and tried to pull at the people on the ground before he finally knelt down, at a loss.

Halfway up the mountain, Li Yuanping, dressed in military attire and holding the delicate Li Yuanming in his arms, looked at them with a calm expression.

"Daddy... they are so scared of you! Shall we kill them?"

The boy’s crisp voice echoed in the mountains, making the hairs on the necks of the people below stand on end. Li Jiman clenched his eyes shut, wishing he could slice Tian Rong and the Tian Clan into a thousand pieces.

Li Yuanping guided the horse steadily, leaning into his eldest son’s ear, and whispered:

"No."

"Li Jiman is a smart man, and the Tian Clan and Tian Zhongqing are even smarter."

He passed the bow in his hands to one of the Jade Courtyard Guards without looking at the people kneeling on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the earth. Holding Li Yuanming, he continued in an almost inaudible voice:

"Daddy will now teach you how a smart person controls a group of smart people."

"Great!"

Then he let out a cold smirk, yanked on the reins, turned the horse around, and slowly stepped into the dense forest they had come through, the sound of horses’ hooves fading away silently.

The Jade Courtyard Guards glanced coldly at the people kneeling below and followed Li Yuanping, disappearing into view. It was a good ten breaths or more before Li Jiman raised his head and cried out:

"The Family Head has discerning eyes! Jiman is grateful and deeply moved!"

Only the north wind howled in response from above, and no answer came. The hatred in Li Jiman’s eyes was almost spilling out.

"Tian Clan... Tian Clan... I, Li Jiman, will never coexist with you lot!"

He stood up, glaring at Tian Rong with resentment, and cursed:

"You sure can act, lad! You tricked me into coming here to watch this play; it must have taken quite an effort, didn’t it? I should have known! I should have known!"

Convinced that Tian Rong had acted on Tian Zhongqing’s orders to lure him there so that Li Yuanping would catch him, Li Jiman drew his sword with a clang, cursing:

"You scoundrel! How dare you deceive me!"

Tian Rong was utterly baffled, not understanding what had just happened. Li Jiman’s face changed, but he forcibly restrained the urge to strike and instead kicked Tian Rong in the shoulder, sending him flying several feet, crying out in pain as he rolled on the ground like a gourd.

"Get lost!"

Watching Tian Rong flee in disarray, Li Jiman’s expression turned ugly. Unlike these Shanyue nobles, he was of the Li Family bloodline, governed by the Clan Head Courtyard. Even if Li Yuanping didn’t punish him, members of the Clan Head Courtyard would come to inquire after a while...

Li Jiman was troubled by the thought of the unpleasant affairs that would follow and felt a chill in his heart:

"Damn it!"