Chapter 1619: Crossing The River (I)
Milin Prefecture.
Li Suining stepped out from the pavilion and waited for a moment. Soon, he saw an ordinary-looking man descend on the wind, with two people following beside him. They seemed to be discussing something, and faint fragments of their conversation could be heard.
"The Pu Family has produced a genius. Has the Dharma Protector heard about it..."
"Indeed... He has already arrived in the mountains. I met him some time ago..."
Li Suining waited quietly beside the palace until the three arrived before the hall. The man in the middle swept a glance over him, frowned, and soon recognized him.
He stopped at once and turned around. "Suining?"
Li Suining immediately bowed and said respectfully, "Greetings, granduncle!"
The man before him was Li Zhoufang, the eldest of the Li Family's Zhouxing generation. He had gradually emerged from the shadow left by the deaths of his uncles and younger brothers, and had now become an elder himself.
Stroking his beard, he stared steadily at Li Suining and asked in surprise, "You are Suining, right? You really are quite different now..."
Li Suining's heart tightened. This eldest granduncle was not considered especially important among the senior generation. In his earlier years, he had worked alongside Second Granduncle Li Zhouyang on matters of conferment. Later, after Li Zhouyang died, Granduncle Li Zhoufang had still remained a support for the family's younger members. He was extremely well liked among the juniors on the island, and behind him... naturally stood the old elder, Li Xuanxuan.
It was precisely because of this that Li Zhoufang remembered each and every child. He had clearly met Li Suining before! Now that Li Suining's bearing was so different, Li Zhoufang was naturally rather astonished.
However, the middle-aged man's heart was filled with affection, and he immediately put the two subordinates out of his mind, laughing as he said, "You've grown up. You're nothing like before!"
Li Suining smiled and said respectfully, "I have now reached the fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, so I came at once to pay my respects to you, elder."
Li Zhoufang said warmly, "I heard about it! You've brought honor to the Eastern Residence! The Daoist Master values you highly, so you absolutely must not disappoint him!"
He sent the two people away, warmly pulled Li Suining into the courtyard, and chatted with him about recent matters with a smile. Before long, he asked, "What is it?"
Li Zhoufang had helped many clansmen before, and he had always known that when the younger generation came to find him, they usually had something to ask of him. He did not mind, and immediately asked about it.
Li Suining's eyes reddened, and he said softly, "It is about my father... He died because of the Wilderness matter, and I have always kept it in my heart, yet I do not know who the murderer was...
“Before my mother passed away, she mentioned that Guest Cultivator Ding and the third young master had given him much support. I only thought to come here, firstly, to meet you, and secondly... to ask about the murderer... and see whether there might be any hope of seeking revenge."
Li Zhoufang froze on the spot. His face reddened, and his eyes immediately grew moist. His own blood brothers had died in the Wilderness. His death had even left him despondent for a time. Now that he heard these words, how could he not feel both grief and fury?!
Li Suining's words struck directly at his deepest wound. He stood there in silence, paced back and forth across the room twice, then lowered his brows, closed his eyes, and sighed. "Good child!"
Those three words made Li Suining lower his head. For a moment, he felt a faint sense of guilt for having used the man's pain to achieve his purpose.
Truthfully speaking, the turmoil in the Wilderness was almost insignificant among the many grudges borne by the Li Family. It had not even been taken particularly to heart by the senior figures. Even for Li Suining, whose father had perished there, it was not an obsession.
First, the chaos had made it impossible to identify the culprit. Second, he had never even met his father in person, and there were more important and urgent matters demanding his attention...
But for the Li Zhoufang before him, whose brothers and nephews had all died amid those successive upheavals, it was a bloody hatred carved into his heart.
As far as Li Suining could see, Li Zhoufang was the only one in the entire Li Family who truly cared about the matter. Though he never spoke of it, he could not possibly have felt at ease. Hearing Li Suining's words now, countless emotions surged through him.
Li Zhoufang turned his head and said quietly, "My cultivation may not be high, but I've earned some merit over the years, and I've worked alongside Guest Cultivator Ding in governing the Wilderness. I will bring him here for you! I will definitely help you get to the bottom of this!"
Li Suining relaxed inwardly. He knew the matter was now settled.
There were two reasons why he had sought out Li Zhoufang. First, this granduncle would certainly help him. Second, he valued Li Zhoufang's status and position!
It was not that he could not meet Ding Weizeng himself. However, given his cultivation and social standing, any opportunity to do so would almost certainly require him to travel to the front lines in the Wilderness and seek an audience there. That would carry an entirely different implication. Not only would he fail to save anyone, he might very well end up sacrificing himself as well.
Although Granduncle's cultivation is not particularly high, he is the eldest direct descendant of the Yuandu generation, the eldest son of the Celestial Whirl generation, and one of the men overseeing Wilderness affairs. Whether by status or by standing, he has every chance of summoning Guest Cultivator Ding here!
Even if Li Zhoufang decided to abandon his duties and personally fly to the Wilderness front lines, Li Suining still had ways to persuade him otherwise. After all, quite a few direct descendants had already died in the Wilderness, and Li Zhoufang was only at the Qi Cultivation Realm. The riverside itself was hardly a safe place.
Now that the matter had a lead, Li Suining sincerely offered his thanks. Li Zhoufang merely waved a hand, sent someone away to make arrangements, and then asked quietly, "Guest Cultivator Ding is an upright and honorable man. This matter could easily come across as currying favor. We cannot say that he was invited specifically for you. Remember this well. We will say that I already had business to discuss with Guest Cultivator Ding, and that your matter merely happened to coincide with the occasion..."
Li Zhoufang had handled affairs at the lakeside for many years and naturally knew how to manage such situations. Li Suining understood immediately and nodded.
Then the middle-aged man let out a sigh. "Life at the lakeside has probably not been easy. They don't really know how to manage things. Don't hold a grudge against them. Get along well with Suikuan too..."
Li Suining agreed. "Yes!"
He had actually expected his granduncle to say something along those lines. This was precisely where Li Zhoufang differed from Li Xuanxuan. No matter how disappointing or worthless his descendants and relatives might be, Li Zhoufang always retained a measure of partiality toward them because, in his eyes, they were still his clansmen.
The old elder, on the other hand, was willing to scold and punish them for real. In his previous life, once Li Xuanxuan had learned the truth of the matter, he certainly had not tried to smooth things over with a simple 'don't hold a grudge.'
But Li Zhoufang had always been this sort of person. Having been raised by Li Chengqi, he was almost entirely free of selfish motives. No matter how soft-hearted he might be, he was still far better than that beast who had defected to the Buddhists!
At the thought of that matter, Li Suining's breathing quickened slightly, and a trembling anger still lingered deep within his heart, Li Chengpan...
He remained extremely cautious. Buddhist cultivators often possessed a mysterious sensitivity to fate and karmic ties. Even though the man's cultivation should not yet be very high, Li Suining swiftly dismissed the thought and resumed his anxious wait, unable to suppress his unease.
"It's almost noon already... It shouldn't be taking this long..."
With the experience of his previous life, Li Suining knew full well that countless powerful figures were watching Moongaze Lake with keen interest. He dared not behave too conspicuously, nor did he dare speak such matters aloud. He could only do his utmost within the limits of his ability. As a result, he could not help but feel hesitant. While absentmindedly responding to the elder before him, he suddenly heard a sound.
Buzz!
A sheet of red-gold light descended from above, and a man appeared within the pavilion.
He had a broad jaw and tiger-like whiskers, with handsome features and eyes as sharp as blades. An aura of Baleful Qi naturally leaked from him, carrying the unmistakable presence of a seasoned killer. Brilliant red armor covered his body, while two short staves hung at his waist, faintly glimmering with dharma light.
Merely standing there in silence, he exuded the ruthless authority and imposing bearing of a great general. Lowering his eyes slightly, he asked in a hoarse, heavy voice, "Young master, you were looking for me?"
Li Zhoufang smiled and replied, "Indeed! Sorry to trouble you with this trip, guest cultivator."
So this is the Palace Sun Tiger! Li Suining's heart trembled. Both delighted and astonished, he struggled to suppress the joy threatening to spill out, I really... really made it in time!
Naturally, he had never met Ding Weizeng in his previous life. After all, Ding Weizeng had been burned to death by Merging Fire while Li Suining was still in the Embryonic Breathing Realm. He had only heard that the family once possessed such a figure as the Palace Sun Tiger, a highly capable and trusted subordinate of the Daoist Master. It had always been one of his great regrets.
Now that he had finally seen him with his own eyes, the surprise and delight in his heart were beyond measure.
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