The Li Family, Li Yan

The front hall of the Thunderfire Hall.

When Lu Ming followed Lu Qingyan into the hall, the sound of laughter and conversation was already drifting out. Aside from Lu Jin's voice, there was also a clear, soft, and gentle voice.

Lu Ming looked up and saw a beautiful woman in a purple dress sitting upright on the chair beside Lu Jin. She had a dignified demeanor, and her gentle yet commanding presence gave her quite an elegant air.

This was none other than the matriarch of the Li family, Li Yan. Although she was called the matriarch, she was actually the current ruling head of the Li family.

She was also Jing Yi's mother.

“Ah, Ming'er is here,” Li Yan said, looking at the two entering the hall. A soft smile instantly spread across her gentle and dignified face.

“Aunt Li,” Lu Ming greeted with a bow. Because of what had happened back then, they were quite familiar with each other.

With a beaming smile, Li Yan gestured for Lu Ming to take a seat. After asking a few caring questions, she pulled a wooden box from her sleeve. Opening it, she revealed a pale pink paper crane.

The paper crane was engraved with numerous complex light patterns. Its wings fluttered continuously, making it look almost like a living creature.

This was a “Flying Crane Letter.” Using fixed coordinate base stations as anchors, it could transmit messages back and forth over tens of thousands of miles, much like a carrier pigeon. However, the flying crane was faster, more secure, and could even transmit voice messages.

But these things were quite expensive to make; even the Thunderfire Hall could not afford to use them.

“Here, it's another ‘Flying Crane Letter’ sent back by that girl, Ah Yi.” Li Yan handed the pink paper crane to Lu Ming, her smile full of doting affection.

Lu Ming took it and held the paper crane to his ear. As the crane's beak opened and closed, sound waves wrapped in a trace of primordial energy entered his ears.

It was the girl's familiar, crisp voice, like pearls falling onto a silver platter, instantly making him feel inexplicably refreshed.

The girl's message didn't contain anything important; most of it was just complaints. However, she would only ever show this side of herself in front of Lu Ming.

Only at the very end did the girl whisper a sentence.

“Lu Ming, it's no fun here. I really want to go back to Qingyuan Ward, but they won't let me leave.”

“If I can never return to Qingyuan Ward in the future, will you come and find me?”

Looking at the gradually dimming light patterns on the paper crane in his hand, the girl's beautiful and delicate face flashed through Lu Ming's mind, and he could not help but feel a slightly complex mix of emotions.

Seeing that Lu Ming had finished listening to the recorded message, Li Yan smiled and said, “That girl's message is nothing but complaints. It seems her recent cultivation has indeed been very bitter.”

“Ah Yi's talent is exceptional, and her father's clan highly values her. A while ago, they even warned me, saying that this is a critical juncture in her cultivation, so I should send fewer letters to her in the future to avoid distracting her.”

“That's truly unreasonable. As her mother, can I not even show concern for my own daughter?”

“But her father's side is indeed strict, and I don't really like them either. Still, there's nothing I can do, so I can only endure it.”

...

Listening to Li Yan's rambling, Lu Ming's eyes flickered slightly. He handed the paper crane back and said, “Aunt Li, since Jing Yi is at a critical stage in her cultivation, I won't reply to her this time, so as not to distract her.”

Li Yan's eyes flickered with a trace of hesitation, but she still smiled and nodded, taking the paper crane and putting it back into the wooden box.

After that, she chatted and laughed with Lu Jin and Lu Qingyan. During the conversation, she also brought up Zhang Yue's matter to offer her condolences, as the issue was currently causing quite a stir in Qingyuan Ward.

Half an hour later, Li Yan stood up, bid them farewell, and departed with her maidservant.

Watching Li Yan's departing figure, Lu Jin lit his pipe and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Lu Qingyan teased Lu Ming, saying, “Did you catch her meaning?”

Lu Ming rolled his eyes. “Father, what are you gloating about?”

“I'm not gloating. I'm just telling you to keep a clear head,” Lu Qingyan said.

Lu Ming said helplessly, “I've said it so many times already. There was never anything going on between us, but you guys just won't believe me.”

He had naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind Li Yan's earlier words. She wanted him to keep some distance from Jing Yi and not stay in such close contact as before.

“It seems Jing Yi sent paper cranes too frequently over the past year, and her father's clan caught wind of her thoughts.”

Lu Jin shook off the tobacco ash and said to Lu Ming, “This probably wasn't Li Yan's own idea. It's highly likely that pressure from Jing Yi's father's clan forced her to come and drop these subtle hints. So, don't blame her. As the head of the Li family, she has already shown us plenty of respect.”

“Before you arrived, she mentioned that the Li family wants to purchase this year's harvest of Moon Spirit Grass at double the market price. I tried to decline repeatedly, but she brushed all my excuses aside. In the end, I just let it go. Poverty stifles ambition, and you happen to be in urgent need of resources right now... Sigh, Li Yan has always handled matters flawlessly. She leaves no room for complaints.”

Under the name of the Thunderfire Hall, there was a medicine garden that cultivated a spiritual herb called Moon Spirit Grass. The annual yield of this garden was the Thunderfire Hall's largest source of income besides the fees collected from disciples.

And the Moon Spirit Grass had always been purchased by the Li family.

Clearly, Li Yan wanted to give Lu Ming some compensation. However, since it was inappropriate to give it directly, she planned to use the purchase of Moon Spirit Grass as a pretext to grant the Thunderfire Hall some extra revenue.

Lu Ming nodded and said, “I don't blame Aunt Li. I can tell she had no choice in this matter either.”

If Li Yan truly didn't want him and Jing Yi to interact, she would have found a way to stop it long ago. There was no need to wait until now.

Lu Jin looked at the youth before him and suddenly smiled. “Do you really feel absolutely nothing about this?”

Lu Ming curled his lip and said candidly, “Being looked down on like this definitely makes me feel a bit annoyed.”

Jing Yi's father's clan clearly didn't care who he was. After all, in a tiny place like Qingyuan Ward, who could possibly catch their eye? Thus, once they realized Jing Yi had developed some budding feelings, they had moved to sever the connection without hesitation.

Such a domineering action naturally made the youth feel somewhat indignant.

“If I don't reply to the flying crane, so be it. I can't afford to send them anyway. But if there's an opportunity in the future...” Lu Ming paused, then said calmly, “I'd like to go and see for myself just how overbearing Jing Yi's father's clan really is.”

Right now, he might be nothing in the eyes of Jing Yi's father's clan. But the future was hard to say.

Possessing a Sub-Heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone and the secret opportunity of the mysterious flame lotus, Lu Ming had the qualifications to catch up to any power, no matter how formidable.

After all, no matter how strong Jing Yi's father's clan was, could they possibly be stronger than the colossal black hand plotting against the Lu family?

Hearing Lu Ming's words, Lu Jin laughed in appreciation. “Now that's more like it. Only by possessing this sort of fearless, sky-defying arrogance can a youth break through the countless shackles and chains of this world.”

“Go on. Head to the Divine Ability Dojo with your father first. It's time for you to formally begin cultivating divine abilities.”

Hearing this, Lu Ming immediately pulled his thoughts back, and anticipation welled up in his eyes.

Finally, he was going to begin cultivating divine abilities.

He had been looking forward to this day for a long time!

...

Outside the Thunderfire Hall, supported by her personal maidservant, Li Yan boarded her luxurious carriage. Once the curtains fell, her gentle expression turned somewhat cold.

“Hmph, they really stretch their hands too far. They even have to micromanage my daughter making a friend, and now they've forced me to play the villain,” Li Yan snorted coldly, her words filled with dissatisfaction.

The maidservant beside her said in a low voice, “Family Head, the master sent a message saying it would be best to have Lu Ming write a letter of absolute refusal to sever the young mistress's hopes, so she won't keep letting her mind wander.”

“He certainly has it all figured out. What kind of capability is it to bully a child? No matter what, Lu Ming saved Ah Yi's life back then. Is it really necessary to make things look so ugly?” Li Yan said coldly.

“Hmph, it must be that old woman's idea again. After all these years, she's still as pedantic and overbearing as ever!”

Hearing Li Yan's angry scolding, the maidservant did not dare to reply and merely kept her head lowered.

After venting a bit more, Li Yan let out a helpless sigh. She could only scold them behind their backs. After all, compared to the Jing family, their Li family was just a minor, insignificant household. That old woman hadn't even looked highly upon her over the years, let alone Lu Ming.

“Lu Ming is a clever child. Although I didn't state it too clearly just now, he should have guessed my meaning. Going forward, he likely won't try to contact Ah Yi through us again.”

“Ah Yi is still young, after all... Perhaps, with time, she will gradually forget this youthful infatuation.”

“After all, over there, she will come into contact with too many young geniuses, none of whom could ever appear in a tiny place like Qingyuan Ward. By then, her thoughts of Lu Ming will probably fade away.”

“Her attachment to Lu Ming is merely a shadow left in her heart by that incident years ago.”

“For Lu Ming, this might actually be a good thing.”

“He is a good child, but he and Ah Yi truly do not walk the same path.”

“Now that their innocent feelings have only just begun to sprout, severing it early is for the best of both of them.”

With a soft sigh from Li Yan, the carriage gradually faded into the distance.