Dispute

"Godmother, we had a deal!"

A familiar, astonished female voice reached her ears. Li Wei's eyelids twitched. Was that Aunt Liang?

I... fainted?

As soon as the thought arose, the grogginess vanished, leaving her mind astonishingly clear.

This body's physical condition is incredible!

She tried to get up but found herself seemingly cemented in place, stiff and unable to move.

Her throat felt locked by an invisible hand, preventing her from making any sound.

What's going on? she wondered, bewildered.

Outside, Jiang Xinyue's voice rang out, "Xiao Qiu, you've lost your composure."

Liang Qiushi's voice, however, rose several octaves, becoming sharp and grating, "Lost my composure? How can I not?! Li Wei is my person! What right do you have to detain her?"

She seemed to be throwing caution to the wind, her words tumbling out rapidly, "For this matter, my sister suppressed her own cultivation to come to the Imperial Capital to help me!"

"My father bravely withdrew from the front lines under immense pressure to cover for me!"

"My cousin even slandered his own reputation, publicly claiming his nephew was his son, causing turmoil within our household!"

"And you? How can you go back on your word so easily?"

Damn, is my cheap grandmother serious?

Li Wei's heart skipped a beat. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she desperately tried to struggle, but her body remained motionless, like an exquisite doll.

It's over, it's over, this is going to ruin my reputation! My golden reputation as Li Wei, the honest and reliable young lord, is about to be shattered! Grandmother, oh Grandmother, you've truly brought disaster upon this emperor... ahem...

Jiang Xinyue's voice remained unhurried, tinged with a languid tone, yet each word was crystal clear:

"Xiao Qiu, Li Wei is a 'Dao-Approaching Body.' Do you know about this?"

"No matter what kind of body it is, I found the person…" Liang Qiushi's voice abruptly cut off, followed by a rapid, disbelieving question, "What did you say?!"

Jiang Xinyue enunciated each word, each one striking Liang Qiushi's heart like a hammer blow: "Li, Wei, is, a, 'Dao-Approaching Body.'"

The outside world fell into a deathly silence.

Li Wei could even hear her own heart beating a little too fast due to her immobility.

After a long moment, Liang Qiushi's voice finally returned, dry and wavering, "How… how is that possible?"

Jiang Xinyue ignored her outburst and calmly dropped another bombshell:

"Not only is she a 'Dao-Approaching Body,' but she was born with three Dantian openings. After just breaking through to the First Order, she already possesses a Natal Lotus Flower, and it's the rarest 'White Lotus' recorded in the Inheritance."

She paused, her tone turning serious, "Xiao Qiu, tell me, is it appropriate to let such a Martial Immortal seed die in place of Jinzhi?"

Liang Qiushi seemed stunned by the barrage of revelations, falling silent once more.

After several breaths, Liang Qiushi's voice finally resurfaced, laced with a hint of strained hoarseness, "But… but she's ultimately not your biological granddaughter…"

"If we're counting that way," Jiang Xinyue's voice betrayed no emotion, "Jiang Yunshu was adopted by me from the second branch, and Jiang Xue isn't my biological granddaughter either."

Li Wei: "……"

Holy… crap?

Liang Qiushi's voice was dry, "But there's still a blood connection…"

Jiang Xinyue let out a soft laugh, "Do you think I'm the kind of stubborn old fossil who clings to blood relations? Xiao Qiu, as long as Li Wei is Chinese, as long as she has the potential to become a Martial Immortal of our China, that's enough! What kind of damned blood relation, that's not important!"

Liang Qiushi became anxious, "Godmother! Even if she went to the Western Frontier to die in Jinzhi's place, she might not necessarily die! The Zhang Family is targeting Jinzhi, not 'Jiang Xue.' With you here, the Zhang Family would have to show some restraint!"

"Those words," Jiang Xinyue retorted calmly, "do you believe them yourself?"

Liang Qiushi fell silent again.

This time, the silence stretched even longer, so long that Li Wei felt her stiff posture was about to cause muscle cramps.

Finally, Jiang Xinyue's tone softened slightly, "How about this… I'll go find your father, and Elder Zeng. The three of us will jointly pressure the Zhang Family to guarantee Jinzhi's safety in the Western Frontier!"

Liang Qiushi, however, let out a short, desolate laugh, echoing Jiang Xinyue's words back to her, "Do you believe the Zhang Family's promise?"

"If they want to kill someone, they have plenty of ways to create an 'accident'!"

"At that time, they'll put on a show of grief, sincerely offering apologies."

"Afterward, what can you do to them? Can you really go to war with the Zhang Family for Jinzhi?"

If you can't find the book title, you can try searching for the author, maybe the name has changed!

Jiang Xinyue: "……"

"The Zhang Family has gone mad for some reason, relentlessly pursuing Jinzhi. Someone secretly told me that this was an order personally issued by that old geezer Zhang Luye…"

Liang Qiushi's voice gradually calmed, "But Li Wei, or rather 'Jiang Xue,' is different. She's not on the Zhang Family's kill list. Moreover, with the talent she's displayed, as long as her reputation spreads, the Zhang Family wouldn't dare touch her!"

Her voice quickened, filled with desperate earnestness, "Godmother! If Li Wei were just someone with 'Muscles and Bones Ringing in Harmony,' she would surely die! The Zhang Family could kill her without causing a ripple. They know you wouldn't risk your life to fight the Zhang Family for a mere 'Muscles and Bones Ringing in Harmony' granddaughter!"

"But! A 'Dao-Approaching Body' is different! A prodigy of the Jiang Family possessing a Natal Lotus Flower is even more so! As long as the Zhang Family isn't stupid, they should understand that if 'Jiang Xue' were to die mysteriously on their territory, you would absolutely go mad! You would retaliate at all costs! Even the Martial Arts Alliance would hold them accountable! They wouldn't dare take that risk!"

Jiang Xinyue pondered, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. After a moment, she asked, "Since you're so sure the Zhang family wants Jinzhi dead for unfathomable reasons, have you considered what might happen if Li Wei disrupts their plans? If the Zhang family becomes enraged, could they shift their anger onto Li Wei?"

"What you mentioned earlier about applying joint pressure can be used here," Liang Qiushi immediately interjected. "She's not a target the Zhang family must kill. Killing her would be meaningless to them and only bring them trouble."

Jiang Xinyue's attitude softened slightly. "You mean, you want her to deliberately reveal her talent?"

"Yes, this is the only way to achieve the best of both worlds," Liang Qiushi pressed on.

"Heh, I just warned her yesterday to keep a low profile and hide her abilities..." Jiang Xinyue's voice held a hint of inexplicable melancholy. "This whole situation..."

Liang Qiushi's thoughts became clearer. "She can't hide it. The Zhang family must already know! And Zhang Yansheng will definitely guess that you sent Jiang Xue abroad earlier because you foresaw her 'extraordinary talent' and wanted to protect and secretly cultivate her."

"Yes, it must be like that! Jiang Xue's mentor is Allen Wallace. Your original intention was for him to look after Jiang Xue, but his cultivation method is best for building a solid foundation. This unexpected turn of events actually serves to mislead them!"

"With this, the Zhang family will absolutely no longer doubt Li Wei's identity! After all, no matter how resourceful and well-connected I, Liang Qiushi, am, I absolutely cannot find a 'Dao-Approaching Body' to be Jinzhi's scapegoat! It simply doesn't make any logical sense!"

"I suspect his plan might focus on preventing Jinzhi and 'Jiang Xue' from having offspring! So, why don't we play along with their scheme!"

Damn, why do I feel like I've grown a brain?

Li Wei listened, dumbfounded.

Jiang Xinyue pondered for a moment and then asked again, "What makes you so sure the Zhang family won't resort to desperation and directly send assassins after Jinzhi? If that happens, what's the point of all this you're doing now?"

Liang Qiushi's voice was exceptionally firm. "That 'person' once assured my father-in-law that the Zhang family would never, nor would they dare, make a covert move."

That 'person'? Who is that 'person'? Li Wei's curiosity was piqued.

Aunt Liang's tone... it's like she's got an immunity charm.

"Did 'that person' personally intervene?"

Jiang Xinyue's tone carried obvious surprise, clearly indicating she knew who 'that person' was.

Liang Qiushi softly hummed, offering no further explanation.

Jiang Xinyue fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Since 'that person' was willing to intervene, why didn't they just see it through to the end and make things less complicated?"

Liang Qiushi's voice held a hint of helplessness. "I don't know the specific reason. My father-in-law only said that 'that person' mentioned the Great Dao has fifty, and Heaven's permutations are forty-nine, leaving one in all things..."

"Heh," Jiang Xinyue lowered her voice, as if talking to herself, or perhaps afraid of being overheard. "That's truly 'that person's' usual style."

"Godmother, look, how about this..." Liang Qiushi's voice dropped, tinged with hesitation and pleading. "I know you've been searching for Grandmother Jiang's (Jiang Xinyue's mother) whereabouts. I'll have my dad personally go to the Abyss to help you..."

The subsequent conversation was conducted in very low voices.

Li Wei strained her ears, trying desperately to listen, but could only catch fragmented words like "trapped," "rift," "ruins," and "exchange."

After an unknown amount of time, with a soft creak, the door was pushed open.

Jiang Xinyue and Liang Qiushi walked in one after the other. Liang Qiushi's eyes were visibly red, and her expression was somewhat tense.

"Alright, my good granddaughter, get up."

Jiang Xinyue glanced at Li Wei, her tone still lazy as she waved her hand.

Li Wei felt the pressure on her body instantly vanish as the invisible restraint disappeared.

Holding her breath, she sprang up from the bed. Her movement was so abrupt that she almost fell face-first.

Seeing Liang Qiushi's red eyes, Li Wei sheepishly scratched the back of her head, offering a slightly goofy smile.

Jiang Xinyue looked at her carefree demeanor, raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples, and sighed, "I've discussed it with Xiao Qiu. This matter is extremely important, and ultimately, it depends on your own wishes..."

"I'll do it!"

Before Jiang Xinyue could finish speaking, Li Wei interrupted her decisively, even extending her classic "Er Kang" hand, her expression exceptionally firm.

Liang Qiushi's tense expression visibly relaxed. She looked at Li Wei with eyes full of gratitude and tenderness, as if finally shedding a heavy burden.

Jiang Xinyue sighed helplessly again, looking at Li Wei. "Have you thought it through? This is no trivial matter."

Li Wei nodded vigorously, retracting her "Er Kang" hand and giving a thumbs-up, declaring with conviction:

"To speak is to do, that is my Li Wei's... cough, that is my Li Wei's Martial Arts!"

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