Chapitre 16: The Abandoned Address of the Li Family
Li Minghan was facing the painting on the wall, lost in thought. The black and blue fur coat and the black and gold hair ornament made him look even colder.
The painting in front of him depicted the scene of him and Shentu Zhajia playing the zither and sword. Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Li Minghan's mouth beneath his icy mask.
"Your Excellency." A slender girl with a black hair bun and a petite figure hurriedly approached from behind, kneeling on one knee.
Under the girl's thin, long eyebrows were a pair of bright black eyes, flickering with a hint of fierceness.
She wore a tight-fitting black dress, with a purple plum short knife hanging from her waist and several colorful sachets.
"Flower Ruoying." Li Minghan turned slowly, addressing the girl with a sidelong glance.
"Here I am, Your Excellency. What are your orders?" The girl lowered her head in response.
"I have always known that you have a talent for poison-making. Your brother, Hua Qiuyuan, as the commander of the Demon Army, has always been favored by me. As for you, it seems that you don't care much about this important matter?" Li Minghan asked in a low voice.
"Your Excellency has raised us and provided us with great kindness. I only wish to stay true to my duties and dare not have too many expectations." Flower Ruoying replied firmly.
"What you say on the surface, I naturally know, but what you truly think in your heart, I'm afraid I'm not so clear about." Li Minghan conjured a black-purple aura in his hand, gently touching Flower Ruoying's chest.
"I have always been loyal to Your Excellency." Flower Ruoying closed her eyes somewhat disgustedly but still maintained a firm tone.
"Oh? Do you not resent what I did to you and your brother?" Li Minghan withdrew his hand and asked.
"Your Excellency has his reasons for doing things, and I dare not speculate."
"Oh? Well then, how about I send you to kill someone?" Li Minghan asked coldly.
Upon hearing this, Flower Ruoying's body trembled uncontrollably. Although she liked making poisons, her hands had never been stained with blood. Such killings were always carried out by Hua Qiuyuan in the past. Why would she suddenly be asked to do it today? Could it be that something had happened to her brother?
"How about it, unwilling?" Seeing the girl in front of him had no reaction, Li Minghan asked in a cold tone.
"Under... Understood, Your Excellency." Flower Ruoying replied with a trembling voice.
"I'm sending you because you have never shown your face in The Liao Yin Immortal Realm before. Naturally, no one will recognize you there. But if you are unwilling, then I can only send your brother, but I don't know how long it will take. If my antidote is not available next month, and considering that he has already, at my command, killed many immortals, do you think the people in The Liao Yin Immortal Realm will cure him of the cold poison? Or will they capture him..." Li Minghan's voice carried some displeasure as he lightly rubbed his fingers, his eyes showing disdain.
Upon hearing Li Minghan's indifferent tone, Flower Ruoying couldn't help but take a cold breath. She naturally knew of Li Minghan's ruthlessness. Over the years, she had to obey him for two reasons: to save herself and Hua Qiuyuan's lives, and to use the opportunity to find the antidote to this bitter poison.
"Flower Ruoying is willing to serve the Demon Lord as a dog." The girl bit her lip and made her voice sound as sincere as possible.
"Good, remember, you and your brother are just dogs I keep by my side. Only obedient dogs deserve to live in my presence." Li Minghan walked slowly forward, gently tracing Flower Ruoying's hair with his fingertips infused with power, then suddenly grasped the back of her head, forcing her to look at him, his voice cold.
During their conversation, Hua Qiuyuan walked in, seemingly with something to report, standing coldly next to Li Minghan, without any intention of intervening in the scene at this moment, as if the person being held was a stranger unrelated to him.
Seeing Hua Qiuyuan entering, Li Minghan raised an eyebrow slightly, and with a wave of his hand, he threw Flower Ruoying to the ground.
Flower Ruoying stumbled and fell to the ground, trying hard to adjust her breathing. The oppressive feeling brought by the man who had just looked at her made the surrounding air feel thin.
"Do you have something to report?" Li Minghan asked coldly.
"Your Excellency, I have something to report." Hua Qiuyuan's cold voice came from under the black half-mask, casting a glance at Flower Ruoying, as if waiting for her to leave.
"No matter, speak~" Li Minghan replied coldly, rolling up his sleeves.
"I learned that Yanding Dragon King recently inexplicably invited Li Luoning over." Hua Qiuyuan's eyes lowered, his voice icy.
"Oh? Have you found out why?" Li Minghan suddenly became interested upon hearing this news.
"It is said that Yanding Dragon King suddenly felt unwell, but our people found that Li Luoning left with a solemn expression and heard a name." Hua Qiuyuan continued.
"Who?"
"O Shinan."
"O Shinan." Li Minghan repeated slowly, his two fingers tapping rhythmically on his arm, looking thoughtful. It seemed that this wasn't the first time he had heard this name.
"Send someone to select some fine items from our warehouse and deliver them to the Dragon King's palace, along with some nourishing medicine," Li Minghan instructed.
"Lord, the items previously sent were all rejected by the Dragon King," Hua Qiuyuan reminded.
"I know. Just send them over as usual. If he refuses to accept them, leave them at the shore as before," Li Minghan's voice beneath the mask sounded somewhat resigned.
"Understood."
[Li Luoning, it's always Li Luoning whenever you need something.]" Li Minghan's heart simmered with anger, his fist clenched tightly.
Memories flooded his mind, memories he didn't want to recall. A chaotic study, robes stained with blood, and the nearly hoarse voice behind the veil. Countless unwanted memories surged into his mind, causing him a splitting headache. He gently massaged his temples with one hand, trying to alleviate the pain.
After a while, Li Minghan's eyes returned to Hua Ruoying beside him.
"Qiuyuan, I've heard that you and your sister have always had a good relationship," Li Minghan suddenly remarked.
"Nonsense, don't believe it," Hua Qiuyuan replied.
"Oh? Are you saying I'm lying?" Li Minghan seemed deliberately trying to provoke trouble with these siblings, his words edged with sarcasm.
"I dare not."
"Oh, so if I were to take her life today, would you object?" Li Minghan glanced meaningfully at Hua Ruoying, his tone carrying a hint of knowingness. Then, he gradually gathered a purplish-black aura in his hand, his gaze cold and malicious as he stared at Hua Ruoying kneeling on the ground, about to strike when,
"No need for you to act, Lord. Allow me to handle this," Hua Qiuyuan said, swinging his hand and lashing out his whip towards Hua Ruoying.
Seeing the whip flying towards her, Hua Ruoying instinctively turned, the whip leaving a bloody mark on her back. The pain rendered her momentarily speechless, the tearing and burning sensation making her tightly grip the ground, unable to make a sound.
Without giving Hua Ruoying any time to hesitate, Hua Qiuyuan raised his hand for another strike, this time fiercely on her arm. Hua Ruoying's black garment instantly revealed a red streak.
"Ah," this time Hua Ruoying couldn't help but cry out. She knew if it had been the Lord who had struck, she would have suffered ten thousand times more.
Compared to the pain of her wounds, Hua Ruoying, tears welling in her eyes, looked at her brother with a helpless expression.
Hua Qiuyuan noticed Hua Ruoying's expression, a fleeting guilt flashed in his eyes. Then, his brows furrowed slightly, and he raised the whip again, intending to strike once more.
"That's enough," Li Minghan said calmly, gesturing for Hua Qiuyuan to step back.
Upon hearing Li Minghan's command, Hua Qiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the aura Li Minghan had gathered earlier, although these lashes were painful, at least they wouldn't cost Hua Ruoying her life.
"I was just talking casually; you didn't have to take it so seriously," Li Minghan said indifferently, then walked slowly to Hua Ruoying's side.
"I've heard that Li Luoning of the Liao Yin Immortal Realm has a new disciple named Mi Xingzhe. Regardless of the means, bring this person back to me alive," Li Minghan said, a faint, unwavering smile playing on his lips, his tone carrying irresistible authority.
"Understood," Hua Ruoying replied, struggling to rise.
"As for you," Li Minghan glanced at Hua Qiuyuan beside him, then slowly flipped his palm.
Frost gradually formed on Hua Qiuyuan's neck, and the black mask covering half of his face also frosted over. Although his entire face couldn't be seen, his tightly furrowed brows and the bulging veins on his neck were enough to express his pain at this moment.
Even as Hua Qiuyuan clenched his hands tightly, trying to endure the stinging cold of the frost, he couldn't withstand the stiffness gradually spreading.
"When did I allow you to take action without permission?" Li Minghan asked, flipping the power in his palm.
"Lord, forgive me, I was wrong." Hua Qiuyuan knelt down with one knee, one hand on the ground, struggling not to fall.
Li Minghan retracted his hand, looking coldly at him. "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" he asked in a cold, low voice.
"I shouldn't have assumed the intentions of the Lord. I overstepped," Hua Qiuyuan's voice was slightly hoarse.
"Get out," Li Minghan dismissed him, and Hua Qiuyuan, with a heavy heart, got up and left.
On the other side, Li Luoning returned from the Yanding Dragon King's palace. To avoid passing through the Pingyan Land, she chose to pass through the mortal world and take a look at her former home along the way.
The Li family's former residence had experienced a great fire for no reason. Her mother died in the fire while trying to save her, and her father was missing, leaving the family scattered and dead overnight. Li Luoning, who was still a teenager at the time, had originally intended to find Yanding Gengchen alone, but due to her lack of direction, she accidentally stumbled into the Ice Bamboo Forest. Exhausted, she collapsed on the road and was rescued by Mu Han, who happened to pass by, and brought back to the mountain. Since then, she has become his apprentice and entered the immortal gate.
Unconsciously, Li Luoning had already arrived at the site of the former Li family residence. The place where the Li family used to be was now overgrown with weeds. Only scattered remnants of blackened wooden beams and walls that had not been burned could be seen. The surroundings were almost completely covered by trees and weeds, making it difficult to find the place without having lived here before.
Li Luoning stood at the former gate, lost in thought. On both sides were stone carvings of immortal cranes, which had become unrecognizable. On the doorstep, there was still a faint outline of the Pixiu on the screen, which was specially carved out of a single piece of marble by Li's father.
Just as Li Luoning was lost in thought, she heard an old blind woman walking not far away. Her broken bamboo stick tapped the ground as she walked. When she passed by Li Luoning, she stopped and turned to ask gently, "Is someone here?"
Li Luoning was somewhat surprised since she hadn't spoken. As someone who practiced in the immortal gate, how could this mortal old woman know she was here?
"How did you know I was standing here?" Li Luoning asked curiously.
"Although I'm blind, my hearing is quite sensitive. Besides, there's a faint scent of medicine on you, how could I miss it?" The blind old woman said kindly.
"Do you often pass by here? I see it's overgrown with weeds here
, it must have been deserted for a long time," Li Luoning asked.
"This used to be the Li family residence. Master Li and his wife were good people who often took care of us poor folks. But for some reason, one night, there was a big fire that burned the Li family to death. It's really a pity," the blind old woman said sadly.
"Master Li...was indeed a good man." Li Luoning responded softly to the old woman's praise of her father.
"It's strange, though. The night of the fire at the Li family, it came from the sky," the blind old woman said.
"From the sky?" Li Luoning was surprised to hear this. "What do you mean?"
"I may be blind, but my hearing is much sharper than ordinary people's. That night, I happened to be out looking for my old man who hadn't returned from collecting herbs on the mountain. Just as we were returning from the crossroads, we heard the sound of things falling from above. At that time, I didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just some animal noises. But when the old man and I returned from the road, the Li family had already been engulfed in flames," the blind old woman sighed.
"Do you remember anything else?" Li Luoning asked eagerly.
"Nothing much, my dear. But I heard that since then, there's been a stone in the backyard of the Li family that remains warm even after all these years. I don't know if it's still there," the old woman pointed to the backyard of the Li family's old residence and said.
"Thank you." Upon hearing this news, Li Luoning couldn't wait to go and check. She thanked the old woman and hurried towards the backyard.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone