Li Changsheng's expression was steady, and, surprisingly, held a trace of respect.
His voice was cool but firm as he spoke:
"From the very start, we never intended to kill Nangong Yazhi," he said.
"There's a principle in our Li family: when dealing with those whose strength doesn't match our own, sometimes letting them live brings greater rewards than killing them outright."
Upon hearing this, all the Li family members smiled.
"Impossible... Impossible!" Nangong Qingshan's body hunched over, his fists clenched tightly.
Li Changsheng, however, ignored Qingshan's despair and continued, "With the Tian Xing Abode now sealed, the major commotion our Li family caused here cannot possibly have gone unnoticed by the other experts trapped within. We require a pair of 'eyes'... Therefore, Nangong Yazhi serves as the perfect pair of 'eyes'. Especially a Nangong Yazhi consumed by the need for vengeance."
"Word is she's intimately familiar with all the cultivators across Eternal Sun Prefecture. While she herself is no match for our Li family directly, she will undoubtedly seek out even more powerful experts to move against us. And being, at her core, a merchant adept at scheming, it's almost certain she will be the one masterminding their plans."
"Anticipate the enemy and seize the initiative," Li Changsheng continued, "and victory is never far behind. The only thing we didn't anticipate..." Li Changsheng wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow.
That palm strike from Nangong Qingshan... it had been far more terrifying than the shock he'd received from his three 'uncles' earlier. He had nearly died again today!
Nangong Qingshan watched the mirror image as Nangong Yazhi did indeed set off to seek reinforcements; utter despair washed over him.
Everything he had sacrificed... it all seemed so utterly ridiculous now!
Li Tianming slowly put away the bronze mirror.
He gave a slight shrug. "So, how do you suppose we've always managed to keep tabs on your Nangong family? It's all thanks to this Heavenly Spirit Mirror here. Once we acquire just a single drop of someone's heart's blood, then everything that person sees – even if they were just a bird – can be perceived by us, and they'd be completely unaware."
"Heheh," Li Tianming continued, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Now, consider this: Why do you suppose Nangong Yazhi was weighed down by all those artifacts? And why did her eyes remain so dull and unfocused? Did you actually think we'd be so foolish as to believe those trinkets alone could keep someone like Nangong Yazhi truly suppressed? She is, at the end of the day, an expert worthy of the Nascent Divinity List. Ordinarily, when dealing with someone of her caliber, we wouldn't risk leaving them alive to prevent any future trouble. Unless... unless she demonstrates her value to us."
"Because, you see, we needed to – completely unbeknownst to anyone – extract a sample of her heart's blood! And while we were at it, offer her a slim chance at survival – that is, allow her to 'engineer' her escape!"
Witnessing Li Tianming's smile, Nangong Qingshan felt as though he were staring into the face of a malevolent fiend!
He plunged into a mad frenzy, lunging towards Li Tianming, only to be effortlessly suppressed by the lingering power of the Skyveil Hall. Still, he thrashed and struggled, screaming, "You're inhuman! A monster! You're a monster!"
It all became horrifyingly clear. From the absolute start, every single step had been meticulously planned by the Li family.
Even if he hadn't desperately sacrificed himself to free her, the Li family would still have intentionally manufactured a narrow escape for Nangong Yazhi.
They wanted her to seek revenge with every fiber of her being, to become their unwitting 'eyes' in Eternal Sun Prefecture!
All his efforts, his ultimate sacrifice – not only had they failed to achieve his aim, but through a cruel twist of fate, they had instead massively benefited the Li family's scheme!
Because of his actions, Nangong Yazhi would now have absolutely no doubt about the 'authenticity' of her escape. And all her subsequent struggles, every effort she poured into seeking revenge, would merely become part of the 'dowry' delivered into the Li family's hands!
"So," Li Tianming's voice, cold and final, "choose how you wish to die."
Li Yunlin closed his eyes. Everything had indeed gone according to the clan's overall strategy.
He simply hadn't foreseen Nangong Qingshan becoming so utterly unhinged in his final moments.
The one thing that had truly caught them off guard, however, was how close Changsheng had come to perishing at Qingshan's hands.
Despite hearing Li Tianming's cold offer, Nangong Qingshan gave no verbal response.
He merely kept struggling, trying desperately to lunge at Li Tianming, all the while cursing venomously and vowing to snatch the Heavenly Spirit Mirror from his grasp.
Li Tianming's eyes darted thoughtfully. "Elder Uncle," he said with a smirk, "What kind of 'choice of death' are we even talking about for this one? Changsheng almost bought it because of him. So, how about this: just give him to me. One quick stab, and I'll make sure he dies nice and neat."
Seeing Uncle Tianming's eager expression, Li Changsheng rolled his eyes. He knew instantly: Uncle Tianming was looking at Qingshan like a child who'd just been given a new, fascinating toy to break.
If Qingshan actually ended up in his clutches, then death by a thousand cuts would likely be the kindest fate awaiting him.
He glanced sideways at Nangong Qingshan. Despite having nearly lost his life to the man, Li Changsheng couldn't help but feel a certain admiration for his ultimate act of loyalty.
He sighed deeply. "It's a pity you didn't genuinely pledge allegiance to our Li family," Changsheng said, perhaps to himself as much as to Qingshan. "Had we met a man of your mettle outside this Tian Xing Abode, under different circumstances, I believe our Li family could have become true friends with you."
At Li Changsheng's words, the Li family members fell silent once more.
Li Wei, observing quietly from his point, shared their complex feelings.
This time, the Li family had genuinely been caught off guard. It was a classic case of "the eagle hunter having his own eyes pecked out by an eagle."
At the outset, the Li family had genuinely planned to spare Nangong Qingshan's life.
After all, a living Nascent Soul cultivator, especially one who could be made to serve the clan, was far more valuable than even a single supreme-grade spirit artifact.
However, Nangong Qingshan's reaction hadn't been one of relieved surprise at being spared, but rather sheer terror leading to his desperate attack.
Fortunately, the clan members had already devised their countermeasures, and Li Changsheng, in the end, was saved.
The only real casualty of that desperate attack, it seemed, was... Li Changsheng's hand, still trembling like he had Parkinson's!
[System Update for Li Changsheng: After experiencing multiple dangerous traps and narrowly escaping death at Nangong Qingshan's hands, his trait 'Prudent and Cautious' has evolved into 'Ultimate Caution'.]
[Trait Effect: Having endured repeated terrifying experiences, he will now meticulously examine every detail and will absolutely ensure no conceivable danger is left unaddressed...]
While the other Li family members remained silent, their expressions thoughtful, Li Changsheng let out another sigh.
"Great-Granduncle," he addressed Li Yunlin, "in the end, Nangong Qingshan proved himself a man worthy of respect. Perhaps... it would be best if you personally granted him a swift and clean death? This Tian Xing Abode is vast enough. Once you've extinguished his Nascent Soul—"
Li Changsheng paused, then continued, his voice steady.
"—Perhaps you could entrust his remains to me. I will see to it that he is laid to rest somewhere peaceful, where no one will disturb him."
Li Yunlin gave a small nod. "That would be fitting."
Meeting Li Changsheng's earnest gaze, Li Yunlin thought to himself, A man of such spirit does deserve a decent end.
Without further delay, Li Yunlin acted. With a single dagger strike, he ended Nangong Qingshan's life and carefully incinerated what remained of the man's Nascent Soul. Once it was done, he handed the corpse over to Li Changsheng.
But the moment Li Changsheng laid eyes on Nangong Qingshan's body, he let out a startled yelp and recoiled.
"Changyao, quickly!" he cried. "Get me at least a kilometer away from here!"
The three Tian brothers exchanged confused glances, staring at Li Changsheng in bemusement.
To them, the young master's reaction was comically excessive—like a bird spooked by the mere twang of a bowstring.
For some reason, they thought this lad really was far too timid.
Paying Li Changsheng little heed, the rest of the group began to conceal themselves once more, resuming their surveillance of Nangong Yazhi.
And just as anticipated, seven days later.
By then, within the seven days, Nangong Yazhi had already gathered numerous cultivators and begun plotting in secret.
Meanwhile, outside their current hiding spot, Li Changsheng had, as promised, prepared a proper grave for Nangong Qingshan, which he then surrounded with multiple layers of arrays.
Having waited exactly seven days, Li Changsheng, with Li Changyao in tow, proceeded to dig up Nangong Qingshan's grave.
Li Changyao stared speechlessly at her brother, who had positioned himself a full two hundred meters away from the gravesite. "Brother, are you insane?! We all made sure he was thoroughly dead! His Nascent Soul was completely incinerated! What on earth are you expecting to find now?!"
"I have my doubts that he's truly gone." Li Changsheng's face was solemn.
"Yao," he instructed, "Take his corpse, seal it within a spirit artifact, and send it back to Grandpa. It can be used for corpse refining. Oh, and one more thing. After you've exhumed the body, incinerate the entire grave area with a powerful fire. Actually, scratch that."
Li Changsheng added. "Better yet, use your spiritual power to thoroughly sweep the surroundings. I'm worried there might be a lingering remnant of his soul that could try to possess some passing critter."
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