Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 146 - 137 Yu Family Father and Son

Li Tongya, at only forty-five years old, was younger than most people present. Yet, with his Fifth Layer of Qi Training cultivation level, he already stood out from his peers. Even Lu Sisi, who was one hundred eighty-seven years old, was only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation. Naturally, everyone called him a senior.

After bowing to the various family heads, Li Tongya sheathed his longsword and floated back to his place. Yu Xiaogui's face slightly cleared up, and he nodded, saying,

"The swordsmanship of the Li Family is indeed a unique art on this lake, far superior to that of my Yu Family. Today is indeed an eye-opening experience for the younger generation."

These words attributed Yu Mujian's inferior sword skills to the Li Family's superior swordsmanship, not because the Yu Family member was less skilled than the members of the Li family. Hearing this, Li Tongya let out a soft chuckle. He let him say whatever he wanted, only wishing he could keep an even lower profile, hoping that all the families would remain wary of the Yu and Fei Clans.

"After all, Lu Sisi hasn't got many years left to live. With the An Family and Lu Family being allies for generations, once Lu Sisi passes away, the subtle favors and checks between the three families will instantly break apart. That will be the Li Family's opportunity. The more peaceful the situation is before that, the better. We mustn't let any superfluous issues arise."

Having achieved their goal and tested Li Tongya's Sword Path Cultivation, Yu Xiaogui waved his hand and found an excuse to take his leave. The family heads present also excused themselves one after another, while Li Tongya intentionally avoided Lu Sisi, choosing to return alone to the south bank.

Soaring on the wind, leaping over the clear, transparent lake surface, Li Tongya muttered to himself in contemplation,

"Yu Xiaogui, with his Foundation Establishment Cultivation, is cruel and rash. Riding on the rise of the Yu Family he has indeed gained an edge, a difficult one to deal with... And there's Yu Mugao, equally merciless yet cautious, even harder to handle than his father. The days ahead are likely to be difficult."

After flying southward for a while, Li Tongya landed on a small isle and waited for a dozen breaths. Indeed, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in brocade clothes and a white robe approaching from afar, landing gracefully on the isle with a smile and a refined and elegant demeanor. It was none other than the Fei Clan's head.

"Brother Tongya! What a coincidence! I am Fei Wangbai of the Fei Clan, and I have long admired your name."

Fei Wangbai, appearing to be in his forties, was in fact over a hundred years old. The jade pendant at his waist jingled as he sized up Li Tongya, seeing before him a stable and restrained man who seemed reliable. The smile on his face softened even more.

"I have long admired you, senior, you are too kind."

Li Tongya, who did not dare to presume equality with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and call him brother, hurriedly addressed Fei Wangbai as senior. Seeing Fei Wangbai twirling his beard and smiling, he said,

"Aside from a Loose Cultivator elder on the West Bank, there are three Foundation Establishments on this lake. The Yu Family has two of them, Foundation Establishment Early Stage Yu Xiaogui and Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yu Yufeng, known for his White Jade hand. I'm just an obscure figure who broke through to Foundation Establishment twenty years ago. I could hardly be called a senior!"

Fei Wangbai's message was clear, and both men understood each other's intentions. Seeing Li Tongya smiling subtly, Fei Wangbai continued,

"Among the younger members of the Yu Family, Yu Mujian has courage and values friendship. At forty years old, he reached Qi Cultivation Level. Yu Mugao and the others are sharp and ruthless, none of them fools. It makes the rest of us quite envious..."

"I understand, senior."

Li Tongya nodded and pondered for a moment before he changed the subject, speaking in a serious tone,

"In your opinion, senior, with the current chaotic situation in the ancient Lidao, do you think the Yu Family's market will be able to operate smoothly?"

Fei Wangbai shook his head, his face filled with a teasing smile as he said,

"This will be difficult to accomplish. I have a friend in the county who is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and he told me that a gang of thieves has emerged on the Lidao. If Yu Yufeng were personally present, it would be okay, but if Yu Yufeng had to leave the market for some reason, I fear there would be trouble."

Li Tongya immediately understood Fei Wangbai and the others' plan, but he did not wish to get too involved and possibly be misunderstood. He hastily said,

"It's a pity that I am known for my conspicuous swordsmanship skills and might be envied by others. Otherwise, I would like to go and lend a hand."

"Then there's no need."

Fei Wangbai laughed heartily. Seeing that Li Tongya offered help without specifying whether it was for the Yu Family or the thieves, he knew that the Li Family also supported this matter. He finally spoke openly, nodding as he said,

"The Yu Family is currently strong. If the other families can't produce another Foundation Establishment, I fear they will be devoured one by one over the next hundred years. Although the Li Family is protected by a Sword Immortal and the Yu Family dares not to touch it, one can never predict the future, and you should remember the principle that the loss of lips brings cold to the teeth..."

Li Tongya bowed his hands and stopped beating around the bush, speaking earnestly,

"In the future, there will be many opportunities for cooperation between our two families. With the Li Family in the south and the Fei Family in the north, we are naturally allies by location. Tongya is not shortsighted and surely will not sit idly by and watch the Yu Family grow unchecked."

Both men exchanged a knowing smile, bade farewell to each other, and returned home.

————

As the Cultivators dispersed from the boat, young master Yu Mugao of the Yu Family, along with his two heavier and taller kinsmen, entered the cabin only to see a large chair placed up high in the spacious chamber. Yu Xiaogui was sitting upright with his head down. Upon seeing Yu Mugao enter the room, he said in a deep voice,

"Come here."

Yu Mugao quickly approached, seeing Yu Xiaogui staring at the wooden floor, his expression somewhat gloomy. Suddenly, he asked,

"What is the origin of Mujian's sword? Have you ever sent someone to inquire about it?"

"I too harbored doubts and had already asked the fourth brother."

Yu Mugao had anticipated this and replied:

"That sword is a Qi Cultivation Level Magic Artifact, originally obtained by our ancestor when he annihilated the Ling Yu Sect. The blade is unadorned, and the material is quite ordinary—there are no secrets to it."

"Oh?"

Yu Xiaogui's brow relaxed, and with a light lift of his palm, he muttered:

"It seems I was overthinking it."

"That Li Tongya!"

"That Li Tongya..."

Father and son both began to speak at the same time, then suddenly stopped. Yu Xiaogui nodded in approval and looked at Yu Mugao with a quite satisfied gaze. His fingers perched on the armrest slightly lifted as he said:

"You talk!"

Yu Mugao nodded and then spoke gravely:

"This Li Tongya is calm and restrained, concealing weapons on his person, just like... just like a Wushao snake lurking in the corner. Father should not be deceived by his quiet and respectful demeanor. This man is definitely not straightforward. If we underestimate him, we will likely suffer a great loss."

Yu Xiaogui raised his head in slight surprise, gently set down the teacup in his hand, and he too valued Li Tongya highly, but Yu Mugao's assessment of Li Tongya was much higher than he had imagined. After pondering for a few moments, he responded:

"What do you think we should do about him?"

"While he has yet to reach Foundation Establishment, we should use our strength to pressure him, lure him out, and secretly kill him. As long as nobody finds out, with this uncertainty gone, Wangyue Lake will sooner or later be ours!"

Yu Mugao's expression was fierce, he said through gritted teeth. Yu Xiaogui, however, shook his head, his expression somewhat peculiar, and spoke seriously:

"You always tell me that I act rashly, yet you are being far too hasty in this matter. Li Tongya is backed by the Qing Sui Sword Immortal, a prodigious disciple of the Green Pond Sect. How can we kill him so carelessly? If the sect were to investigate and use a Heart-Questioning Talisman on us, how would the Yu Family cope? We might suffer greatly in our vital energy."

Yu Mugao's expression stiffened, and somewhat reluctantly, he nodded, then bowed and said:

"I was reckless."

"Even if we cannot deal with Li Tongya, we still need to suppress the rise of the Li Family."

Yu Xiaogui poured more tea and said with a smile:

"After we finish the matters in the market square, we'll have our hands free to plot and kill a few of the Li family's younger generation, to ensure the Li family's lineage is cut short, just as our ancestor handled the Wan Family back in the day. We secretly schemed for decades until Wan Huaqian woke up to find it too late to handle both ends, forcing her into seclusion to make a forced breakthrough in Foundation Establishment, which ultimately led to her death and the decline of her clan."

"Exactly!"

Yu Mugao's face was full of smiles as he murmured:

"The Li Family now is like the Wan Family was back then, and our Yu Family has become even stronger. Our ancestor secretly forced the Wan Family into Qi Cultivation and quietly supported the Ji Family... Now it's the An and Lu families' turn..."

"Right, Gao'er, there is something I need to ask you."

Yu Xiaogui suddenly placed his tea bowl down and said gravely:

"I've heard that the An Family has produced a genius called An Jingming, who achieved Qi Cultivation at the age of fourteen—this is serious!"

Yu Mugao's expression turned solemn as he replied:

"Rest assured, father, I have long had people watching him closely. The moment An Jingming leaves the An Family, I will immediately receive news, and the An Family will not have the chance to produce a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

Yu Xiaogui then nodded his head and said with a smile:

"I am at ease with you handling the matter."