Chapter 680 496: The Constant Clearing After Rain - Part 2

Li Xijun certainly understood that the items his family provided were far from enough to construct such a grand formation; Liu Changdie must have secretly added a considerable number of his own resources! How could such a grand scale be that of a typical Foundation Establishment formation?

He sighed inwardly, fumbled in his sleeve, and took out another storage bag, intending to offer it to Liu Changdie, but saw the man vigorously shaking his head, and said in a deep voice,

"Changdie has learned a lot over the years, I'm no longer the fool I used to be! Being watched by so many... I know myself well enough! Under no circumstances should you talk about owing favors, talking this through to the end won't implicate the noble families."

Li Xijun paused slightly, as he had said, Liu Changdie had been through many years of experience and was no longer the naive youth he once was. It was clear that he did not want to be compensated by the Li Family time and again, lest it end up involving himself in some trouble... but this kind of thinking was ultimately ruthless, leaving Li Xijun at a loss for words.

Yet Liu Changdie seemed quite generous, speaking warmly,

"This is to be repaid to Yuanjiao, I understand a lot, if the noble family still trusts my character... then don't push any more spirit stones my way."

His eyes were pure, his tone candid, effectively sealing off any response from Li Xijun, who chuckled softly and quickly changed the subject,

"I have met all the young masters, only to miss seeing the young master Ximing... I wonder..."

Li Xijun returned the smile politely, feeling slightly sad, and replied,

"Ximing is currently in seclusion, attempting a breakthrough, unfortunately..."

Liu Changdie could only nod his head, feeling a bit regretful. His daughter in a previous life had been a concubine of Li Ximing, and there had been some acquaintance between them. Even Li Ximing's son, Li Chenghui, had learned formations under him. With this recollection, he felt some longing for that disciple and smiled, saying,

"I heard that it is easiest to nourish offspring in the Mingyang region, I don't know if that is just a rumor, may I ask how the progeny of young master Ximing is?"

Li Xijun was currently troubled by this very issue, as the root bone of Li Ximing's eldest son had just been tested, and astonishingly, he was found to be without a Spirit Aperture, which darkened his mood substantially. He simply waved his hand,

"I think it's a rumor; Elder Brother Ming's son is devoid of spiritual aptitude."

This revelation stunned Liu Changdie, who felt a pang of dread, worrying that he might have unwittingly ruined something, and thought to himself,

"How could it be... how... Meng Zhuoyun is from the Meng of the East Sea, and the Li Family is also from a line of Foundation Establishment... how could it be..."

The memory of his disciple's obedient nature was too much to bear, and with a sudden skip of his heart, he tentatively asked,

"May I ask one more question? The wife of young master Ximing is..."

"From the An Clan."

"An Clan!"

Liu Changdie slowly closed his eyes. Li Xijun found his questions always odd, but considering the sincerity of the conversation earlier, Li Xijun had answered spontaneously.

Inside Liu Changdie, bitterness was flowing. He thought with a bitter heart,

"Perhaps Meng Zhuoyun died on her way here... it's all over... all gone."

Suddenly feeling as if he had fallen into a dream, his extremities flared with heat, and his mood, once calm, shattered in an instant. He stood in the air, lost, his eyes lowered, unhearing even when others around him called out to him.

Although his body was still going through the motions of greeting, his heart was broken beyond repair. When he came to his senses, he had already landed in town. After taking just a few steps and squinting up to look, the signboard above read Hu Mansion.

Unconsciously, he had returned to where he lived in a former life, but the signboard didn't bear the name Liu Mansion. He had to turn back, walking away in a daze as if his soul had been captured, his Spiritual Sense trembling and swiftly scanning the premise of the mansion.

Liu Changdie faintly heard a soft singing voice. With a mere flash, he was inside the Hu Mansion, where a woman was dancing and singing in the courtyard, her expression one of fright, obviously a cultivator startled by his Spiritual Sense.

Her features were delicate, exuding a sorrowful grace, her body frail, a stark contrast to her robust past life form. Her cultivation was not nearly as strong as the Fetal Breathing Fifth Layer from before, but just barely managing to cultivate Xuanjing.

But Liu Changdie's Foundation Establishment Cultivation was genuine, and at once, everyone knelt down, Hu of the Liu Clan pressing her head tightly against the ground, respectfully saying,

"I do not know who the elder is..."

Liu Changdie felt suffocated, and with an 'ah', his wife was kneeling before him. Hu Kexing, coming to his senses a bit late, hurried out and prostrated himself on the ground.

"Qing'er..."

Liu Changdie uttered in a hoarse whisper.

He certainly understood why he hadn't come looking for her.

The moment he was reborn, he was ecstatic, with too many regrets and remorses laid out in front of him begging to be rectified, yet not a thought of his wife and daughter crossed his mind. Now, he realized that from the moment of his rebirth, deep down, he had already looked down upon the Liu Clan.

Even with decades of marital affection, his ecstasy... he truly wasn't the fortunate upstart, the mixed-qi cultivator, the incompetent Liu Changdie from his previous life!

He would be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator! He might even become a Zifu Monk! He would marry a fairy of the Immortal Sect! He would hold the beloved daughters of noble families in his arms!

Deep inside, he despicably thought that everything from his past life didn't count; the women he would meet in this life, in temperament and looks, every single one would be better than the Liu Clan. Marriage was an equal contract, who owed whom anything? Why marry a country girl?

Thus, he forgot about the decades as if they never existed, even if he never actually remembered, whenever he was occasionally reminded, he would just laugh it off and push it to the back of his mind.

But watching the Liu Clan startled and afraid, her complexion suddenly paling, Liu Changdie felt as if his head had been harshly struck with a hammer. The shyness on the nuptial night, the happy moments when he was with his wife and daughter surged to his heart, and his throat felt like it was blocked, emitting an unpleasant coughing sound.

Liu Changdie had always thought the Liu Clan was a bit plump, which was why he hadn't liked her for a long time, until she intoxicated him with her gentle patience and admiration.

Only now did he realize she also had a side of emaciated, haggard beauty; in the past, it was because of her love for him that light sparkled in her eyes.

Hu Kexing's complexion suddenly changed, muttering,

"Qing... Qing'er...!?"

Shame flashed across his face, but it disappeared quickly. The Liu Clan was just a concubine; if she could gain a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's favor, his family's glory and wealth would be endless!

With a sycophantic tone, Hu Kexing said,

"My lord... my lord... this is Yu Qing... most adept at singing soft and beautiful melodies..."

'She just miscarried a few days ago and is a bit weak...' he thought but didn't say aloud. Yet, with a sweep of Liu Changdie's Foundation Establishment Spiritual Sense, he knew too well what kind of Cold Medicine had harmed her, and watched Hu Kexing trying to push the Liu Clan away.

The Liu Clan, both confused and terrified, trembled and fell before him, and Liu Changdie, having turned savvy, watched with eyes full of pain, and exclaimed,

"Damn!"

He laughed and cried, taking to the winds, with a metallic taste in his mouth, he cursed,

"I'm damned!"

Liu Changdie's escape on the winds was like no other; he had survived many close calls in the East Sea over the years, but he never flew as fast as he did then. The Liu Clan's gaze and plight were like an Immortal Sword, threatening to damn him for eternity with the slightest hesitation.

"How many years have I been reborn... entirely focused on filling my own pockets, full of greed and seizing others' opportunities, how many good destinies have I missed? I'm not even speaking of preventing the calamitous rains, but have I saved a single person?"

"I should have had self-control, just an ordinary, cowardly and mediocre person, yet in this reborn life, I've wasted so many Spiritual Objects! I destroyed the opportunities of countless heroes, how many young heroes were lost amidst the demonic calamities? How many common people have I harmed in the end?"

Today, Liu Changdie finally saw the light; his rebirth was a lousy farce from beginning to end, a mediocrity selfishly seizing happy fates, and letting more talented people depart in regret. He was no hero; he was even a bit short-sighted. Not even a few more lifetimes would change him!

He harmed others, his wife and daughters, his brothers, and even his elders. Just looking at his wife from his previous life, without him to save her, falling into such a tragic end amidst the decline of the Liu Family.

"Married off as a concubine... persecuted and lost her child... such a sweet girl from my past life, now reduced to withering despair."

There were many cultivators in the Li Family, yet it was rare for them to marry off as concubines; evidently, the Liu Family had fallen in the power struggles, and she, just a minor branch, ended up in such dire straits!

Though he was not part of the Li Family, he understood the family's situation very well, with all sorts of feelings surfacing. He remembered her plump smiling face, but it was shattered by that terrified face, and he choked up, saying,

"What a wasted cultivation!"

Liu Changdie of course could turn a blind eye; he never owed her anything after all, and this Liu Clan wasn't the same as the one from his previous life. Liu Changdie truly fancied himself as selfish and self-serving, yet he still had some conscience left.

"Qing'er... Yuanjiao... Chenghui... my children..."

In the deep of night, that little bit of conscience softened the formidable Foundation Establishment Cultivator, leaving him like a bird with broken wings falling from the sky, crashing into the lake.