Chapter 29: The Dispute Between Li and Ding

Gu Chuanfei pondered for a moment and then had an epiphany. "That's a good idea. Putting the sword in a sheath will cut off the spiritual consciousness absorption and reduce unnecessary consumption. Leave it to me."

"However, you must remember that if the sword doesn't absorb spiritual consciousness for too long, its grade will gradually decline. Only by nourishing it with spiritual consciousness can you stop this from happening."

"I suggest you nourish it for an hour daily. This will not consume much of your spiritual consciousness and will help maintain the sword's grade."

Lu An listened silently, making a mental note, and then thought, "If the Soul Devourer's grade declines due to lack of spiritual consciousness absorption, will it increase in grade if it continuously absorbs soul?"

He did not ask further and would find out once he obtained the Soul Devourer sword.

Lu An placed the Soul Devourer back in the black box and handed it to Gu Chuanfei.

He agreed to pick it up once the sword sheath was finished.

After leaving Ju Yuan Zhai, he headed towards the Li family.

Since he was going out, he needed someone to look after things at home, so he went to the Li family.

As one of the three great families of Guyang County, the Li family's residence was in a very prosperous area, one of the best locations in the entire county.

A few guards at the entrance stood straight, carrying short swords and closely watching everyone passing by to prevent any trouble.

In addition, groups of Qi Refinement cultivators patrolled around the family residence, stopping and questioning suspicious individuals.

Lu An withdrew his spiritual consciousness and raised an eyebrow. "Why is the Li family's security so tight? Did something happen?"

He didn't think much of it and stepped forward towards the main entrance.

"Clang—"

The guards drew their short swords and blocked him outside.

"Friend, the Li residence is not receiving guests today. Please leave."

Lu An looked at him in surprise and said, "I'm a close friend of your Young Master Li Ziyou. Please inform him."

The guard seemed conflicted. Li Ziyou was the second young master of the Li family's direct line, holding a high status and often mingling with many acquaintances, including some shady characters. However, with a major event happening in the family today, it would be inappropriate to let such people in as usual.

After a moment of thought, the guard shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but the patriarch personally ordered that no external guests are to be received today. I hope you understand."

Just as Lu An was about to say something more, a voice came from nearby:

"Eh? Isn't this Brother Lu?"

Lu An turned to see a young man in gray robes approaching, who looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he recalled where he had seen him before. This person was one of the attendants who followed Li Ziyou at the auction.

"Brother Lu, are you here to see my second brother?"

Lu An knew who he was referring to and nodded.

The young man in gray laughed heartily, took Lu An's hand, and led him inside. "What a coincidence! Come in quickly. Second brother has been looking for you."

He then shouted at the guards, "Are you blind? This is Mr. Lu, a close friend of my second brother. From now on, if you see him, just let him in. Do you understand?"

Seeing this, the guards quickly nodded and no longer dared to obstruct him.

"Let's not blame the guard too much; he was just following orders. I'm curious, though, why is my second brother looking for me?"

Lu An asked, seeking to understand.

The young man in gray glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention before saying, "It's naturally about the position of the young master. Didn't second brother mention it to you?"

Lu An was surprised and shook his head. "Brother Li never mentioned it."

The young man in gray was a bit surprised but continued to lead Lu An in the direction. "Second brother may have his own considerations; I don't know the details. You should ask him directly."

The Li residence was vast, and after winding around for a while, they finally arrived at Li Ziyou's residence.

"Second brother, look who has come!"

The young man in gray called out excitedly.

They then heard Li Ziyou's reprimanding voice:

"At your age, you're still so impatient, shouting and making a scene. How improper."

When Li Ziyou saw Lu An, he immediately exclaimed in surprise:

"Brother Lu, you're here! I've been searching for you for quite a while."

The young man in gray stuck out his tongue and thought to himself, "Just now, you said I was impatient, but weren't you the same?" He dared not speak his mind, knowing Li Ziyou would not take kindly to it.

Lu An, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, asked, "I went to Ju Yuan Zhai today and wasn't at Lingfu Residence. May I ask why you were looking for me?"

He had come to bid farewell and also to ask Li Ziyou to look after Uncle Zhao's family and the business at Lingfu Residence.

Li Ziyou indicated for him to sit and personally brewed him a cup of tea before saying, "Before discussing the main matter, I want to ask Brother Lu a question."

"Do you know that yesterday, the Li family went to war with the Ding family from Qingfeng County?"

Lu An raised his eyebrows and asked, "The Ding family from the auction? Why is there a war all of a sudden?"

Li Ziyou smiled slightly and explained, "This matter actually involves you. Do you remember the Kumu Fengchun Diagram you traded to the Ding family?"

Lu An nodded. The diagram's mysterious effect had been absorbed into his sea of consciousness, turning it into scrap paper, which is why he traded it to the Ding family.

Li Ziyou clapped his hands with excitement and said, "Brother Lu, you don't know, but that diagram was meant for the Ding family's ancestor to break through to the Core Formation stage. I only learned of this later and was quite worried."

"If the Ding family's ancestor succeeded, the Li family would have been in trouble."

"But unexpectedly, the diagram was ineffective, causing the Ding family's ancestor to fail and get injured."

"The Ding family naturally blamed the Li family for this, which is why they declared war on us yesterday."

Lu An understood the situation and apologetically said, "So it turns out I caused the dispute between the two families. That was not my intention. I'm truly sorry."

Li Ziyou quickly waved his hand and said, "That's not what I meant, Brother Lu. You've actually done a great service to the Li family."

"If the Ding family's ancestor had succeeded in advancing to the Core Formation stage, with the past conflicts between our families, they would have certainly not spared us."

"Now that he has failed and only has a few years left to live, he'll probably never have another chance to advance to the Core Formation stage in his lifetime."

"The other two foundation-building cultivators in the Ding family are only at the early stage, and there's no possibility of them reaching the Core Formation stage in the short term. So, the Li family is safe for now."

"He is waging war against us urgently to take advantage of his remaining time and put pressure on us so that the Ding family might have a future."

Lu An understood and thought to himself. The relationship between the two families had long been antagonistic, and even without his involvement, conflicts would eventually arise.

He was surprised to find that a simple scheme to trick the Ding family had not only secured him the True Method of talisman drawing but also solved a major problem for the Li family. It was indeed an unexpected bonus.

However, he still didn't quite understand the connection between the dispute between the Li and Ding families and the position of the young master.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "I just heard this friend mention that Brother Li is competing for the position of young master and sent someone to look for me. Is there such a matter?"