Chapter 1200: The Western Shore's Blood Scripts (II)

Many among the Li Family practiced the sword, and Han Lin was known as the “sword colder than winter snow, stored till autumn's end”. It was held in great esteem, and since its former owner was the strict family administrator Li Xijun, it carried an added air of authority. Li Xijun had left no descendants, and so the sword had remained in storage ever since.

Among all the family's swords, Han Lin held a unique place. Apart from the Dragon Coiling Pillar on Li Zhouluo's desk, whose symbolic value outweighed its use, Han Lin ranked second only to Qingche.

Li Xinghan had imagined that Li Zhouluo might pass the Xushi sword to her after obtaining a new one, or that Li Chenghuai might hand down his Dark Sea Serpent. She had never dreamed of receiving Han Lin itself.

She stood there, completely stunned.

Li Zhouluo sighed deeply. "When Uncle Xijun passed away, the sword was taken into custody by the old elder. No one from the second lineage was qualified to wield it. The old elder overruled all objections and decided to entrust it to you first."

Li Xinghan received the scroll with both hands and nodded solemnly. Such precious items could not be delivered through others; she would have to bring the scroll herself to claim the sword.

Her eyes reddened as she said, "I will personally thank the older elder."

Li Xinghan was of the first lineage. If any other elder of that branch had chosen to bestow Han Lin upon her, it would have stirred much controversy; but Li Xuanxuan, the venerable old elder, was upright and beyond reproach.

Li Zhouluo nodded and watched her leave. He then spent half the day attending to family affairs in the hall in excellent spirits, until he realized he hadn't rested in several days. With a sigh, he finally decided to take a brief stroll outside.

Just as he stepped out of the hall, he spotted several uncles waiting before the steps, all wearing bitter expressions. He stopped at once, frowning as he asked, "What is it now?"

Dili Guang shook his head silently. Li Zhouluo had long been accustomed to the audacity of these relatives. Each was more shameless than the last when asking for resources or positions, yet they were all his elders. Seeing them gathered could only mean trouble.

His expression darkened as he said, "Take the side corridor. I don't want to see them."

He had just turned to leave when Li Wen approached with steady steps, bowed before the hall, and said respectfully, "Family head, the Jade Court Guards have received word; a group of cultivators on Mount Qingdu have gone up the mountain to submit blood scripts, accusing the four prefectures of the western shore of colluding in corruption and oppression. They beseech the Qingdu to uphold justice."

Li Zhouluo's heart skipped a beat. The joy drained from his face and was replaced by disbelief as he said, "What?! The four prefectures of the western shore?! Where are they now?"

Li Wen replied, "They're all at Qingdu. Several elders have just emerged from seclusion, and Lord Chengzhi has been summoned as well. The situation has caused quite an uproar."

Though Li Chengzhi was a mortal, he was the Purple Mansion Realm's direct descendant, so the loyal Li Wen still addressed him as Lord. Li Zhouluo, however, broke out in a cold sweat. The Li Family governed sixteen prefectures, two peaks, and one mountain. Four prefectures made up the western shore alone. Frankly speaking, Qingdu had never seen such a scandal since the establishment of the family's domain, let alone blood scripts from the western shore cultivators!

He gritted his teeth and said, "No wonder that group was waiting to block me outside the hall..."

The names of all sixteen prefectures, two peaks, and one mountain flashed through Li Zhouluo's mind. A few culprits immediately rose to mind. "An Xuanxin, Ren Ting, Li Chengpan, Li Hun... They went to Qingdu, not Jade Court... Then it must be Li Chengpan and Li Hun stirring up trouble again..."

The western shore was a region of small families left behind by He Jiumen. They were scattered and insignificant; they had never possessed a voice of their own within the Li Family and were unloved by any faction. Yet ironically, the area was rich in spirit ore deposits, making its prefectures and peaks long-time targets for the major factions to carve up and exploit.

"An Xuanxin represents the Huayu faction; Ren Ting's Ren Family belongs to the Lijing faction; Li Chengpan is a direct descendant promoted into the island; and Li Hun is from a branch family... Good... they're all here!" He shut his eyes briefly and asked, "I'll head to Qingdu at once... You've heard the situation, how solid is the evidence?"

Li Wen replied respectfully, "Almost certain."

The news struck Li Zhouluo like a thunderclap. "Have Qingdu and Jade Court both gone blind..."

He hurried forward as Li Wen said in his honest, clumsy tone, "My lord, the matter is complicated; I couldn't make sense of it all. Please go to the peak and hear the details in person."

Li Wen's loyalty and simple honesty left Li Zhouluo awkward and unprepared. He had no chance to slow down or ready himself along the way. Left with no choice, he flew straight to Mount Qingdu, where, as expected, crowds filled every corner.

"The family head has arrived!"

At once, voices rose across the peak. The grand hall at the summit was already filled. The elder Chen Donghe stood off to the side, while the white-robed An Siwei stood quietly with his head lowered. The seats were occupied by old men, some cultivators, some long retired, and others aged beyond recognition, but all sitting in the upper ranks.

Li Zhouluo's eyes swept over them; only a few stood out.

On the far left sat the Daoist Master's legitimate son, the elderly Li Chengzhi, so old that he slumped weakly in his chair. Standing beside him, powdered and well-groomed, was Li Zhouluo's fifth brother, Li Zhouming.

Next sat the elder Li Chengdan, uncle to Li Zhoufang and his brother. He had recently gained status within the family, having just broken through to Qi Cultivation Realm. Still in his prime, with only faintly graying hair, he was staring intently at Li Zhouluo.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

On the opposite side sat an even higher-ranking elder, the gray-robed and stern-faced Li Xi'e, father of Li Chenghui and a man of great standing within the family. Below him was the plump and fair-faced Li Xixuan, father of Li Minggong, the family's esteemed aunt.

This is serious...

Among the elders of the old generation, only these four had real authority. Li Zhouluo sighed inwardly in worry, but seeing that Li Xuanxuan's expression remained calm gave him a bit of reassurance. He took his seat of honor amid the greetings, only then noticing a man kneeling on the floor.

The man seemed to be a minor family head from the western shore, surnamed He. The man was a distant relative of He Jiumen, and likely the one leading the accusations. Yet here, he had no right to speak. Chen Donghe had already presented the written petitions.

The first charge caught his eye. Li Chengpan and others were accused of taking private bribes amounting to thirty percent during the collection of spirit paddies and spirit ores.

Such matters were nothing new. Every prefecture and peak had their share of corruption. The Jade Court Guards, stationed throughout Lake Prefecture, usually only oversaw year-end collections. After a few arrests, most became discreet, skimming half a percent, or at most one. None were as brazen as Li Chengpan's thirty percent.

The western shore has no backing... they're left to be trampled.

Li Zhouluo skimmed to the next line, and it was far worse. The He Family accused Ren Ting of abusing his power, coercing men, and forcing one of their women to become his concubine.

The final charge detailed how the western shore's ore veins overlapped and shifted too frequently to track, sometimes changing once a month. An Xuanxin and the others were accused of colluding to embezzle ores. Incidents documented by workers had been sent from the eastern shore who had quietly recorded everything.

After reading it all, Li Zhouluo set the petition down, feeling completely uncertain inside,

These four... their entanglements run far too deep...

Before Li Zhouluo could speak, the round-faced and fair-skinned Li Xixuan said in a low voice, "Family head! The matter concerning Ren Ting has already been investigated by Jade Court. The girl from the He Family was sent there by her own kin, and now they're turning around to bite back. The marriage contracts and letters have been collected; they even show his flattering words clearly. We can take them out for confrontation!"

Li Zhouluo looked at the thick stack of letters being handed up and remained silent for a moment. The Ren Family belonged to the Lijing faction and was part of the first lineage. Li Xixuan's wife, Li Minggong's mother, was from the Ren Family, and Ren Ting was Li Minggong's maternal uncle...

The rest of the people in the hall remained silent, each confident in their own stance, waiting for him to deal with the matter. Li Zhouluo had no choice but to turn to the He Family Head kneeling below.

The old man only said bitterly, "When those above are both immortals and officials, and a single glance can decide fates, what path is left but flattery?"

That one sentence left Li Zhouluo speechless. Beside him, Li Chengzhi hesitated twice, while fifth brother Li Zhouming chuckled. "Family head, there's also something odd about An Xuanxin's mining records. We've retrieved all the documents from the Jade Court; the ores were sent to the island."

Li Zhouluo finally found a chance to speak and asked with a frown, "Why weren't they delivered directly to the island?"

Li Zhouming quickly replied, "At that time, we were still at war with the Capital Immortal Dao. The island hadn't responded for days, and the ore vein was about to shift and vanish. An Xuanxin feared wasting the materials, so he mined first and sent an additional report afterward. The family reviewed it at the time."

Li Zhouluo did remember reviewing such reports; these minor off-record mining branches appeared every year, with uncertain yields that could hardly be verified. But before he could answer, the displeased Li Chengdan spoke up, "I personally trained Li Chengpan! Who in the family doesn't know his character? He could never have done such things!"

He was Li Zhoufang and his brother’s uncle. By now, Li Zhouluo was already numb to such a defense and replied, "Every matter has its proof, how can a mere claim of impossibility conclude it?"

Among them, only Li Chenghui's father, the gray-robed elder Li Xie'e, remained silent.

After all the younger elders had spoken, their gazes turned toward the old man. Li Xie'e coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "We ask the family head to judge wisely."

"..."

As all the family elders turned their eyes toward him, Li Zhouluo held the letters in his hands, feeling a wave of suppressed anger rise in his chest,

Father has long entered seclusion; otherwise, I'd fetch the talisman brush and have every one of these men tested!

Li Chengzhi and Li Zhouming, being of the Purple Mansion Realm bloodline, could not be properly tested, and Li Xixuan would likely be no better. Still, there was no need to bother with them.

Without dwelling further on the elders' words, Li Zhouluo ordered, "Bring the four accused here."

A distant voice answered, "Yes."

Soon, the four men were brought in and knelt in order. Li Chengpan knelt at the front; he was Li Zhouluo's family uncle, his features upright and proper, his head bowed in silence.

Of the remaining three, An Xuanxin held the highest status. The young man responded fluently, able to recite which ore veins had been reported and even the exact dates.

Li Zhouluo questioned them twice. The four either stayed silent or stubbornly clung to their statements. The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly awkward. The elders remained silent, listening closely as he interrogated them.

To the side, Li Zhouming, who had been idly watching the spectacle, suddenly seemed to awaken, sensing the shift in the room's mood. Straightening, he glanced around at each person's expression and murmured inwardly,

This isn't just to make fourth brother look bad, is it... What are these elders trying to pull...