Li Kuangfeng and Nangong Meng

Inside the White Tiger Sect's great hall.

A lavish compartment separated Li Xiao and the others from the cultivators outside. As the Li Lineage were honored guests, the White Tiger Sect dared not neglect them.

At that moment, Li Xiao and the others sat in chairs, with fine wine and sumptuous dishes spread out before them.

Li Xiao and Li Dan stared at each other, while Li Kuangfeng fidgeted awkwardly, occasionally stealing glances at Nangong Meng beside him.

Seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere, Li Xiao stood and said to Nangong Meng,

"Aunt Meng, this is our first time visiting the White Tiger Sect. Li Dan and I are going out to look around."

Nangong Meng thought nothing of it and smiled. "All right, go on, go on."

Li Kuangfeng's eyelids twitched. He stood up. "I'll take a look around too. My old bones are stiff. I need to move about more."

Li Xiao grabbed Li Kuangfeng's shoulder and pushed him back down, saying meaningfully, "Grandpa, you and Aunt Meng are old friends who haven't seen each other in years. Don't go running around. Stay here and catch up."

With that, Li Xiao pulled Li Dan along and hurried outside.

"You little brat, you..." Before Li Kuangfeng could react, Li Xiao was already out of sight.

He could only sit back down and lower his head, pretending to eat.

Nangong Meng gazed fixedly at Li Kuangfeng and spoke softly,

"You've aged quite a bit."

Li Kuangfeng's movements paused, and he gave an awkward smile. Under Nangong Meng's unwavering gaze, he felt uncomfortable all over.

"You've still retained your char-no, I mean, you're still so young."

Nangong Meng's expression stiffened, her face turning cold as she said quietly,

"Don't you have anything you want to say?"

Li Kuangfeng's expression was complicated. Finally, he sighed. There was no escaping this. He slowly began,

"Ah, heaven toys with us. What happened back then... I wronged you."

"You wronged me? What good does saying that do? Do you know how I've lived all these years?" A tear welled at the corner of Nangong Meng's eye as she spoke, somewhat agitated.

At the sight, Li Kuangfeng felt as though ants were crawling all over him. He hurriedly stood up to wipe away Nangong Meng's tears.

"Meng'er, I... I had my own difficulties too."

Nangong Meng slapped his arm aside and stepped back, saying resentfully, "Meng'er? Please conduct yourself with propriety, Fellow Daoist Li."

Li Kuangfeng froze on the spot, then explained with a bitter smile, "Back then, my lineage arranged a marriage for me. I couldn't defy my father's command. That's why I haven't dared to see you all these years."

Nangong Meng calmed down and continued listening to Li Kuangfeng's explanation.

As it turned out, ten thousand years ago, when Li Kuangfeng was still a young man, he had met Nangong Meng while training in a secret realm.

Back then, Li Kuangfeng had been full of youthful vigor and had soon won Nangong Meng's heart.

Before long, the two had privately pledged themselves to each other for life.

But fate toyed with them. After returning to his lineage, Li Kuangfeng discovered that his father had arranged a marriage for him for the lineage's interests.

Li Kuangfeng had raised a tremendous fuss over it and was ultimately confined.

Since the Li Lineage was still developing at the time, the marriage alliance had to proceed to consolidate the lineage's power.

There was never any freedom to speak of in a great lineage. Anything could be sacrificed for the lineage, and Li Kuangfeng was also an extremely filial man.

Under pressure from his lineage, after weighing his options, he had reluctantly accepted the marriage alliance.

Not long after the marriage, Li Yan and Li Chen were born.

When Nangong Meng received the news, her heart shattered.

To take revenge on Li Kuangfeng, she married into the White Tiger Sect soon afterward.

The White Tiger Sect had already been renowned throughout the Upper Realm back then. Nangong Meng wanted to show him that she could live even better without Li Kuangfeng.

Yet throughout all these years, Li Kuangfeng's free-spirited figure had lingered in her heart, impossible to dispel. Over time, it had become a thorn in her heart.

"Meng'er, I wronged you." Guilt rose across Li Kuangfeng's face.

After hearing Li Kuangfeng's explanation, Nangong Meng sighed. The thorn in her heart seemed to have been pulled out, and she waved a hand.

"What's past is past. Let it stay in the past. Everyone has regrets in their heart."

Li Kuangfeng gazed silently at Nangong Meng, his eyes filled with guilt.

"Meng'er, I..."

Nangong Meng interrupted him at that moment, unwilling to dwell on the matter any further.

"You have a fine grandson."

Hearing this, Li Kuangfeng sighed inwardly, his face full of conflicting emotions.

"Young master, why did you drag me away? I hadn't eaten my fill yet," Li Dan complained.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating. Don't ruin things for my grandpa. I might just end up with another grandma." Li Xiao smacked Li Dan on the head as he scolded him.

Li Dan's eyes lit up at that. "You mean... Tsk, tsk, exciting, far too exciting! I'd already thought there was something off about the way the old master looked at Nangong Meng. So there was something like this between them."

Li Xiao rubbed his chin and chuckled. "Tell me, as a Peak Saint, tricking Grandpa into coming here like this-doesn't it undermine my dignity as an expert? Isn't it a little underhanded?"

Li Dan put on a solemn expression and said earnestly, "How could it? Young master, you're working hard for the Li Lineage's great cause and looking out for the old master. This is called a white lie. Yes, a white lie."

Li Xiao nodded in wholehearted agreement.

This Li Dan needs nurturing-special attention, at that. He really knows what's what.

Neither of them knew what had happened with Li Kuangfeng. Now, after Li Dan's guidance, Li Xiao wandered around the White Tiger Sect with him, without the slightest burden on his conscience.