Chapter 1503 Morning Rain from the Southeast
Seeing Li Jinglei returning to report, Mo Tianji listened to the briefing and quickly pretended to yawn, opening his mouth wide. He fiercely controlled his gaze, not revealing his strong surprise, but he still couldn’t help the urge to curse in his heart. It was too absurd. Even if one had strong power, they shouldn’t be treated like this.
In Mo Tianji’s estimation, their sudden ambush this time would not result in significant losses for the Li family. At most, a dozen people would die, and their achievements would be glorious. But the current situation was… the achievements were still glorious, but the number of dead had exceeded the expectations by twice! And there were still some who had lost arms and legs…
Moreover, these were all due to accidents.
Mo Tianji swallowed his saliva, closed his mouth, and looked at Li Jinglei, who was saying, “It’s my fault, I was negligent,” but had no remorse on his face. Mo Tianji finally smiled gently and comforted him, “It’s alright. Accidents happen, and it’s not your fault. There are accidents happening every day in the Nine Heavens. How can we blame Old Li?”
Li Jinglei sighed and said, “It’s a pity that so many heroes of our clan have died. I…I will surely comfort their families!” He apologized with a smile, “I’ll go prepare. For the people who died in battle…I am willing to bear the expenses myself.” Then he hurriedly left.
Mo Tianji easily noticed that as Li Jinglei turned around, the slight heaviness on his face completely disappeared, and his steps became lighter. Mo Tianji silently observed the expressions of the other high-ranking members of the Li family, and they all seemed relieved.
It seemed that everything had been resolved to their satisfaction, and they were pleased, relieved, and relaxed. Mo Tianji thought to himself: So, the Li family thinks that even if a supreme, high-level supreme dies, it’s just a matter of money to make up for it…
Suddenly, he felt very sarcastic. Was this how they planned to deal with the lives of these experts who fought and died for them? Had they ever considered their families’ feelings, their bloodline inheritance, and their innocent grievances from dying unjustly?
They shouldn’t have died! Your negligence caused so many people to die, and you take it so lightly?
Mo Tianji’s face showed a gentle smile, but in his heart, he had already made a judgment about the Li family: the Li family had absolutely no future! No long-term prospects!
——
Li Wubo watched Li Jinglei leave, and the expression on his face gradually turned to worry.
He looked at Mo Tianji, and Mo Tianji smiled and said, “Now, there’s no other way. Get ready for a tough battle. Keep an eye on the enemy’s movements; report any signs of activity, no matter how small!”
“Alright!” Li Wubo agreed and hesitated for a moment before asking, “What does Brother Mo mean? …Do they already suspect you’re here from this incident?”
Mo Tianji’s eyes flickered and said, “No, they won’t suspect me alone, but they will suspect that I and my brothers are all here! A single slip of the tongue… has led to this!”
Li Wubo was speechless for a while, unable to find the right words. Although he had a strong urge to strangle Li Jinglei, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. The slip of the tongue Mo Tianji mentioned was Li Jinglei’s claim that there was “absolutely no mole”!
Li Jinglei’s intention with that statement was to muddy the waters: I say there’s definitely no mole, do you really believe me? His intentions were good, but… his intelligence wasn’t enough. Using such a clumsy provocation against Diwu Qingrou was like a child trying to guess riddles with an adult: I have candy in my hand, guess how many pieces? If you guess right, I’ll give you all three…
It was like that! If he hadn’t said it, things might have been better. If Diwu Qingrou hadn’t reacted to it, he could have just killed himself… With that one sentence, Li Jinglei had thrown away their greatest advantage!
How could Li Wubo not be furious and heartbroken?
Li Jinglei quickly composed himself and respectfully accompanied Mo Tianji back. Along the way, he praised Mo Tianji and expressed his desire to learn chess skills from him. Mo Tianji smiled but couldn’t help but think he had made a mistake.
How great would it be if Dong Wushang were by his side instead of Rui Butong? Dong Wushang would definitely grab the talkative Li Jinglei by the collar and throw him out, while Rui Butong would just watch the show, building his happiness on Mo Tianji’s suffering…
Not long after Mo Tianji returned to the courtyard, Li Xiongtu came back, followed by several sleds carrying carriages. It was clear that Li Xiongtu had shown rare care in handling the parents of Meng Huanhuan. Seeing Li Jinglei in his courtyard, Li Xiongtu was a bit surprised, greeted him, and then helped the two elderly people off the carriage and arranged their accommodations.
After Li Xiongtu finished the arrangements, Li Jinglei smiled and said, “Xiongtu, now that you’ve brought Miss Huanhuan’s parents here, you no longer have any worries, right?”
Li Xiongtu gratefully said, “Yes, I am infinitely grateful for the clan’s decision.”
A flash of light flickered in Li Jinglei’s eyes, and he smiled, “Well, now is a time of many troubles. The clan asked me to tell you that from now on, our family needs to fight with all our might.”
Li Xiongtu loudly declared, “Of course! I, Li Xiongtu, will never fall behind others.”
Li Jinglei smiled and nodded, “Alright!”
Mo Tianji watched with cold eyes and sighed in his heart: Silly boy, to what extent will you let others take advantage of you…
——
The situation on the main road became turbulent. At this moment, the seven major clans collectively turned their attention to the northwest battlefield, continuously sending reinforcements. The Xiao clan sent their elites, with their patriarch Xiao Chenyu personally heading north, causing quite a stir.
Xiao Chenlei, the second-in-command of the Xiao clan, disappeared in Popplar Valley in the southeast. After waiting for a long time without any news, Xiao Chenyu went to investigate himself but found no clues. Frustrated and furious, he went directly to the Chu clan in Flat Sand Ridge, seeking an audience with Feng Yue.
Feng Yue denied knowing anything about Xiao Chenlei’s disappearance, and facing the Chu clan supported by Feng Yue, Xiao Chenyu was left without any options. He reluctantly returned home. When he heard that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master and his allies appeared in the northwest, Xiao Chenyu remembered the recent appearance of the Nine Tribulations and wondered if his brother’s disappearance had anything to do with the Sword Master. Could it really have nothing to do with Chu Yang?
However, the clan soon confirmed the news from the Middle Three Heavens that Gu Duxing, Mo Tianji, Luo Kedi, and others were part of the Nine Tribulations, and that Chu Yang from the Chu clan had close ties with them, almost inseparable.
Xiao Chenyu immediately concluded that if Chu Yang was not the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, he must be one of the Nine Tribulations! So, in reality, it was still related to Chu Yang. Finding Chu Yang would reveal the truth about his brother’s whereabouts. With Feng Yue guarding the Chu clan, even the arrogant Xiao Chenyu dared not face Feng Yue alone, and when he used his divine sense to search the Chu clan, Chu Yang was not there.
Since the Nine Tribulations appeared in the northwest, Chu Yang must be there too! So, Xiao Chenyu headed to the northwest. As soon as Xiao Chenyu made his move, it created a stir. Everyone was watching the northwest quietly.
No one truly understood the deep bond between the brothers Xiao Chenyu and Xiao Chenlei; they were not only blood brothers but also lifelong confidants and comrades! They were each other’s spiritual pillars!
Xiao Chenyu traveled slowly from the southeast, riding in a carriage. Ye Chenchen, who had reached an agreement with him earlier, had already returned to the Ye clan. Before leaving, he warned Xiao Chenyu not to leave the southeast lightly.
However, Xiao Chenyu set out from the southeast on the fifth day after Ye Chenchen left. He sat motionless in the carriage with his eyes closed, surrounded by his personal guards, who were also his brothers-in-arms from years of life-and-death experiences.
Behind the carriage was the elite team of the Xiao clan!
Eight fine horses pulled the carriage, which had no curtains. Xiao Chenyu wouldn’t allow anything to obstruct his view.
As the cold wind blew against his face, Xiao Chenyu remained motionless. With his eyes closed and a serene expression on his face, he was lost in memories of the past 9,000 years. Back then, their great father left the Xiao clan’s affairs to them and never returned.
He and his younger brother worked together to recruit talented people, develop their clan, and eventually become one of the nine great clans in the Nine Heavens. Generations continued this legacy, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Many brothers fell or left over the years.
Despite these challenges, the Xiao clan had grown into a powerful force. Over the years, he and his brother supported each other through the ups and downs of life, never separating. When he was severely injured during the battle against the Poison Hand Demon, the divine doctor of Medicine Valley said he couldn’t be saved. His brother stayed by his side, using his own strength to heal him multiple times a day. He even used half of the Xiao clan’s fortune to exchange for a piece of Sky-Replenishing Jade from Medicine Valley.
His brother sacrificed part of his own soul to remove the aura of life and death from the jade, turning it into a divine medicine. After taking it, Xiao Chenyu was saved, but at the cost of his brother’s potential. From then on, his brother was stuck at the early stage of the Ninth-Rank Supreme, with no hope of advancing further.
Now, his brother had gone missing. Xiao Chenyu refused to believe that his brother was dead, insisting that he had only disappeared. Ever since the Nine Tribulations Sword re-emerged, the Xiao clan faced constant turmoil. Younger generations died one after another, and his eldest son, Xiao Se, perished in battle at the Heavenly Secret City.
Thinking of his son’s birth and the emotions he felt holding him for the first time, Xiao Chenyu sighed, his spirits dampened. Now, his son was dead, but he was still alive. His brother was missing, and he was still here. The clan was in a precarious state, but he remained.
“Perhaps I’ve lived too long,” Xiao Chenyu took a deep breath and sighed. His facial muscles twitched, and he muttered, “If my brother is really… dead, then I will take revenge even if it means slaughtering the entire world!”
“My brother was an extraordinary man. If even he is gone, then what right do these insignificant, foolish people have to live longer than him?”
His mood shifted, and an overwhelming aura of malice suddenly appeared, blanketing the skies for miles. In that moment, the area they passed through fell silent as a graveyard.
