Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

Chen Baihu felt a chill at his neck, and when he touched his waist, he found that the jade pendant had long since disappeared. Looking up, a black flame had already appeared before him. He only had time to brace his hands in defense before tumbling over with a thud, but Xu Xiao merely glanced at him disdainfully:

"What trash you've cultivated."

Thrown to the ground by a cultivator at the Third Layer of Fetal Breathing, Chen Baihu had already sensed something was wrong, and suspected demonic possession. Shocked, he felt for the jade token at his waist and opened his mouth to shout.

"Capture!"

In Xu Xiao's hand, a bright red token suddenly appeared, smooth around the edges with a black top and red bottom, and several ancient Seal Script characters embossed on it. With a light shout from Xu Xiao, the token emitted a soft red glow and flew out like lightning.

Chen Baihu uttered two choked noises, collapsed onto his knees after two gasps, his hands falling weakly. He was overwhelmed in an instant, his mind captured and left at the mercy of others.

Xu Xiao, wary of attracting other Jade Courtyard Guards by lingering too long, hurriedly formed a black seal with his hand and casually stepped forward. He cast a spell and struck Chen Baihu's chest with his palm.

Injuring or killing a Jade Courtyard Guard was a serious matter, so Xu Xiao had held back during their earlier skirmish. He did not strike to kill now, either, but instead, following the same method, planted a spell inside Chen Baihu's body. Only then did he withdraw the token, watching as the man slowly came to his senses from his grogginess.

Chen Baihu felt his mind muddled for quite some time before he suddenly regained clarity. Looking at Xu Xiao again, his eyes filled with fear. Gritting his teeth, he reached for his long saber, appearing ready to make a desperate stand.

Xu Xiao sneered:

"Chen Baihu... think carefully, now you and I are tied to the same string!"

Chen Baihu quickly realized the gravity of the situation and thought to himself that this was bad. His Spiritual Sense roamed through his body, and, feeling utterly defeated, he dropped the saber. A wave of bleakness rose in his heart, but he had no intention to wallow in filth with Xu Xiao:

'No... I can die, but my family... cannot suffer because of me.'

So he managed to say:

"Who exactly are you?!"

Xu Xiao quietly watched him, speaking softly:

"I know your entire family is on Li Family grounds... I won't force you. Let's pretend we didn't see each other. You can save your life as well as your family's..."

"As long as you pretend you didn't see anything and let me go, I will take Lingzhen and leave when the time comes... and I won't cause any trouble!"

Xu Xiao had everything perfectly timed and, with the magical treasure's ability to influence the mind, he was very confident as he turned to leave.

Chen Baihu was moved, watching him go in a daze, his heart torn. He silently swallowed the bitter pill and took to the sky, flying towards the mountains as if nothing had happened.

Watching from his vantage point, Xu Xiao looked up as Chen Baihu took flight:

All harm and no benefit, and at the risk of his own life, he was very certain of the outcome...

'What I will do the day I leave... it will be beyond your control!'

He leisurely made his way back home.

...

In the hall, Li Chengliao was seated at the highest place, holding a jade slip in his hand. The hall was spacious, and at just a step away from him stood a tall white monkey with a staff on its back, its old monkey face full of sternness.

The white monkey had reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation and was unable to speak, rarely interacting with others. In the Li Family, it was a loyal and solitary servant, tasked with protecting Li Chengliao, who was seated nearby.

Kneeling below was Chen Mufeng, bowing his head to report.

"You say... Xu Xiao was struck twice by Patriarch Liu and injured before leaving?"

Li Chengliao was seated in the highest place, listening to Chen Mufeng answer respectfully below. After pondering for a moment, his expression softened slightly, feeling a bit guilty:

"It seems I was jealous of the talented. It turns out I've wronged him."

Chen Mufeng below dared not interject, and Li Chengliao spoke with an easygoing air:

"Since that is the case, forget the affair between the Liu Family and me. But that old man from the Liu family has narrow vision and might force his daughter. Call him here. I will explain to him in detail that he shouldn't make things difficult for them."

"Yes!"

Chen Mufeng respectfully took his leave, while Li Chengliao pondered on how to resolve the situation and return to his cultivation in the mountains. He thought:

"Xu Xiao seems somewhat capable, but he bears an attitude unwilling to be subservient. When the opportunity arises, I will win him over, give him some spirit stones, and send him away. My temple is too small to accommodate such a big Buddha..."

As he was thinking, an old man, trembling, made his way up. It was the Liu patriarch himself. Normally domineering within his own estate, he could only prostrate without raising his head in this hall.

"Liu Clan's Liu Yi, meeting the Family Head!"

He was sweating profusely and responded respectfully.

"Patriarch Liu... As your daughter Lingzhen and that young man from the Xu Family are fond of each other, you should help bring their happiness to fruition. Don't obstruct them... let them establish their wedding arrangements. Once they're married, I can act as a matchmaker..."

Li Chengliao read from the jade slip, sipped his tea with lowered eyes, and casually gave the order.

In his youth, Patriarch Liu was a wastrel but had seen and heard the early rise of the Li Family. Now, terrified, even having once met Li Tongya because of Liu Rouxuan, he remembered being young, kneeling below, trembling without daring to raise his head, and being called by his full name, Liu Yi, by Li Tongya, who asked about his family situation, leaving him weak at the knees.

Now he was old, but at least he understood the stakes. His life was in another's hands, and it was difficult to speak up. Li Chengliao, however, did not receive an answer and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Hmm?"

Frightened out of his wits, wanting to protect Xu Xiao and save his own life, yet also wavering, he was sweating profusely. Li Chengliao hadn't even spoken when Patriarch Liu began to kowtow frantically, whining as he did so.