Everything for the Family

After returning to Green Maple Valley, Li Xinge summoned the Great Elder in the middle of the night.

He told him that the Zheng Family was preparing to form a marriage alliance with the Li Family.

After hearing the news, the Great Elder chuckled. "Clan Head, this is wonderful news. It's a great boon for our Li Family."

Who wouldn't want to climb a branch of Baihe County's foremost family?

"The person I've chosen for the marriage alliance is Xingcong."

The Great Elder's expression faltered slightly, but only for an instant.

Li Xinge still caught it clearly.

But he didn't spout any nonsense about how they could refuse if they disagreed. He simply looked at the Great Elder with calm eyes.

"This old man has no objections."

The Great Elder answered indifferently.

"It's just that I'm asking too much of my cousin."

"Clan Head, you're making too much of it. What hardship is there? The Zheng Family's Legitimate Daughter marrying Xingcong is a match beneath her station. This old man couldn't be happier."

"Other than Xingcong, there really isn't anyone suitable in the clan for a marriage alliance. The others are either too low in status or lacking in talent. There's nothing I can do. We can't afford to offend the Zheng Family, and besides, this is a good thing for the family."

Li Xinge rarely offered an explanation, but this time he did.

He genuinely respected the Great Elder.

Without the Great Elder's wholehearted support, he wouldn't have secured his position as Clan Head so firmly.

"Clan Head, you needn't say more. I understand your predicament. Everything is for the family."

"That's right. Everything is for the family!"

The two exchanged smiles.

At the heart of Green Maple Valley, in the central grounds of the Li Family, stood a large courtyard where the Great Elder lived.

Upon returning to the courtyard, the Great Elder instructed the butler beside him, "Go and summon Xingcong."

"Yes, sir."

Before long,

a refined young man with an extraordinary bearing entered, led by the Old Butler.

"Afu, you may leave."

"Yes, master."

The Old Butler closed the door and withdrew respectfully.

Only the Great Elder and Li Xingcong remained in the room.

"Grandfather, you summoned me so late. Is something the matter?"

Li Xingcong asked, puzzled.

"There is something I need to tell you."

"Please, Grandfather."

"Not just yet. You seem to be on the verge of a breakthrough?"

Noticing the sharp aura surrounding Li Xingcong, the Great Elder asked.

At his grandfather's question, Li Xingcong smiled. "I haven't let you down. Within a month, I'm confident I'll break through to the Body Realm."

The Great Elder nodded with satisfaction.

He was extremely pleased with this grandson, both for his talent and for how he handled himself. He valued him even more than his own sons.

If he were properly cultivated, he might one day become the Clan Head's right-hand man.

He, after all, was old now.

"It's good that you're close to a breakthrough, but remember: you mustn't rush your cultivation, and you mustn't grow arrogant or complacent."

"I'll remember your teachings, Grandfather."

Li Xingcong spoke solemnly.

"Good."

"Uncle Fu said on the way here that the Clan Head had just summoned you?"

Li Xingcong asked curiously.

At the mention of the Clan Head, excitement flashed in Li Xingcong's eyes.

Under normal circumstances, the Great Elder would have admonished him for that. Today, though, he was unexpectedly calm.

"That's right. After returning from the Zheng Family, the Clan Head told me something. It concerns you."

The Great Elder spoke gravely.

"Me?"

Li Xingcong was startled. He wondered if he had done anything wrong, though he had spent the past few days cultivating in peace.

So what could this matter concerning him be?

A marriage alliance important enough to warrant the Li Family's two leading figures discussing it in the middle of the night?

A sudden sense of unease rose in Li Xinge's heart.

"The Clan Head has arranged a marriage for you. She's the Zheng Family's Legitimate Daughter."

The Great Elder spoke evenly.

Li Xingcong's expression froze, and he stood there dumbfounded.

Only after a long while

did Li Xingcong recover. His eyes reddened as he asked, "There are so many young men in the clan. Why did you choose me?"

"Because your status is high and your talent is good. Only you would keep the Zheng Family's standing from being slighted."

"Grandfather, but I'm in love with the Qi Family's Eldest Young Lady. She's the only one in my heart."

The Great Elder's gaze turned cold in an instant.

He roared, "A man of the Li Family doesn't fall prey to love!"

The Great Elder's fury caught Li Xingcong completely off guard.

All these years, his grandfather had been strict with him, but never before had he lost his temper so badly.

He knew his grandfather was truly angry.

Li Xingcong dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Please, Grandfather, calm down. I know I was wrong."

Seeing his most beloved grandson in such a state, the Great Elder felt a flicker of compassion.

But he quickly suppressed it.

"This is the Clan Head's decision. Xingcong, no one in the Li Family can defy it."

"Not even you?"

Li Xingcong gave a bitter laugh.

"Not even I."

The Great Elder replied calmly.

Kneeling on the ground, Li Xingcong thought of the young man who was even younger than he was. His heart turned cold.

That young man was his cousin, yet he had already reached heights Li Xingcong could never hope to attain.

Even his grandfather—who seemed so powerful and whom he revered so deeply—dared not defy him.

"What if I refuse?"

Li Xingcong's voice trembled.

"I'll turn the Qi Family into a field of ruins."

The Great Elder answered coldly.

Li Xingcong's heart chilled. He stared at the Great Elder in disbelief. In that moment, his grandfather seemed like a complete stranger.

"Don't blame me, and don't blame the Clan Head."

The Great Elder rose, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly walked up to Li Xingcong.

"You were born into the Li Family, and from the moment you entered this world, you enjoyed riches beyond the reach of ordinary people. Where did our Li Family's wealth come from? From generations of our ancestors who gave their lives!"

"Where do the resources you cultivate with come from? From our Li Family, snatched through blood and struggle, with blades and swords!"

"In the battle against the Mangshan Su Clan, dozens of our people died. Weren't they members of the Li Family? Weren't they someone's children, someone's parents?"

"Look at the Clan Head. He's even two years younger than you, yet he's already fought one battle after another. Who was he doing it for? Himself?"

"No! He was doing it for the Li Family. With his talent, he could go anywhere under heaven!"

"What our Li Family gave him wasn't wealth and glory. It was a burden!"

As he spoke, the Great Elder's eyes had reddened without him noticing.

He thought of the clan members who had died one by one for the Li Family.

Among them were his elders, his brothers and sisters, and his nieces and nephews.

Those familiar faces now lay still in the Ancestral Land.

Some didn't even leave behind a single bone.

"Without them, our Li Family might have long since fallen. You might be nothing more than a withered corpse in a heap of weeds. How can you stand here, indulging in love as if you have nothing to worry about?"

That one sentence seemed to drain the Great Elder of all his strength.

His back suddenly stooped beneath its weight.

Li Xingcong knelt motionless on the ground, like a statue.

An eerie silence settled over the courtyard.

After a long while,

a hoarse voice spoke. "Grandfather, I'm sorry. I was wrong."