Chapter 121: What Are You Laughing At?

Li Wenxuan’s mansion, council hall.

Twelve people were seated, with Li Wenxuan at the head and Li Canglin immediately to his side. These twelve were all Martial Marquises, the pillars of Li Wenxuan’s faction. His faction had originally boasted more Martial Marquises, but the successive losses of Li Wenlong, Li Wenyuan, and Li Wenjie over the past few years had significantly weakened his strength.

Martial Marquises were not common commodities; even among Grandmaster-level clans, they were few and far between. In the Li Clan, there were only about forty Martial Marquises on the surface, including both blood relatives and invited guest elders. Aside from a few neutrals, these forty individuals were divided into two factions: one supporting Li Wenxuan and the other supporting Li Wenxin. Currently, the Li Wenxin faction held the upper hand in terms of sheer numbers.

"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on this upcoming competition?" Li Wenxuan asked.

The group fell silent, the atmosphere turning heavy. They were at a clear disadvantage for this contest. The two factions knew each other’s experts inside and out. In a best-of-five series, they could only guarantee victory in the second and fourth-tier Martial Marquis bouts. The first, third, and fifth-tier bouts were likely certain losses. Originally, the two sides were evenly matched, with the outcome uncertain, but the recent breakthrough of Wang Dao had tipped the scales against them. Although Wang Dao had only just reached the Martial Marquis level, he had forged a post-celestial martial body during his fifth limit-break, granting him double the blood-energy of an ordinary person, and his combat power far exceeded that of his peers. None of their first-tier Martial Marquises were his match.

"Father, we must resort to unconventional tactics, or we will certainly lose," Li Canglin finally broke the silence.

"Oh? Do you have a good plan, Canglin?" Li Wenxuan asked.

"Send someone to injure Wang Dao so he is unable to compete. The victory will then be ours." Fearing they might misunderstand, Li Canglin added, "Although the Ancestor forbids us from killing each other, we will only wound him, not kill him. Even if the Ancestor finds out, he will not blame us. After all, competition between factions involves not just martial strength, but also tactics and schemes. Otherwise, how can one lead the Li Clan to glory?"

Many nodded in agreement.

"Canglin, your idea is good, but it is not enough. If we are to act, we should injure Li Suifeng as well," Li Wenxuan said slowly. Li Suifeng was a third-tier Martial Marquis of the Li Wenxin faction, and they had no one on their side who could defeat him.

"You are truly brilliant, sir," the others praised.

"Then it is settled. Do not act too early; it is best to strike just before the competition so they have no time to recover," Li Wenxuan said, a cold glint flashing in the depths of his eyes. The Immortal Bone was a must-have. Even if it displeased the Ancestor, it was a price he was willing to pay. Once he broke through to the Grandmaster realm and used the Immortal Bone to suppress his affliction, would the Ancestor’s attitude even matter then?

At Wang Dao’s mansion, Lu Yan sparred with Wang Dao daily and returned to the martial arts hall to practice and refine his bone strength after dinner, leading a fulfilling life. Time flew, and soon only seven days remained until the competition. That evening, as Lu Yan finished dinner at Wang Dao’s mansion and prepared to leave, he caught a glimpse of someone hiding in a large tree outside the courtyard. The person was well-hidden, almost completely obscured by leaves, and sat as motionless as a dead tree. However, having trained his "Heavenly Eagle Eye" to the realm of unity between man and martial arts, Lu Yan possessed excellent night vision. He could see the person’s eyes gleaming through the gaps in the foliage, fixed on Wang Dao’s mansion.

*Is he monitoring me, or Wang Dao?* Lu Yan thought quickly. He assumed it was likely Wang Dao, given the impending competition. Were they planning to harm him?

"Brother Wang, I won't go back tonight. May I stay at your place?" Lu Yan turned and walked back.

"That would be wonderful! The guest room is already prepared," Wang Dao replied happily.

After staying, Lu Yan and Wang Dao went to the training room to spar for a while longer before retiring to their respective rooms. Once inside, Lu Yan took off his outer garment, and his appearance began to shift. Soon, he looked like a sturdy elder, bearing a three-to-four-point resemblance to Yang Zhihuan. He intended to impersonate Yang Zhihuan. Although it was only a partial resemblance, in the dark of night, it would be enough to pass. Climbing out of the back window, Lu Yan slipped away.

Li Yue, a third-tier Martial Marquis, had been sent by Li Wenxuan to deal with Wang Dao. A third-tier Martial Marquis against a first-tier was a sure victory. However, he hadn't expected to find Lu Shanchuan, the master of the Three Absolutes Martial Hall, at the mansion. "Why is Lu Shanchuan here? Perfect. I'll injure them both. It will increase our winning odds. Otherwise, if I only injure Wang Dao, this Lu Shanchuan might join the fray; he doesn't seem weak either," Li Yue mused. He planned to wait until they were asleep, slip into Wang Dao’s room to injure him, and then do the same to Lu Shanchuan. "Li Wenxuan is truly a brilliant schemer, though he overlooked Lu Shanchuan. Once this is done, he will surely reward me," Li Yue thought, a smile creeping onto his face.

"What are you smiling about?" A voice suddenly came from behind him.

"I'm smiling—" Li Yue started to answer, but his hair stood on end as he realized someone had appeared behind him without his notice. He twisted his body and lunged off the tree, looking back as he did so. He saw a burly figure staring at him coldly.

"Yang Zhihuan!" Even through the dim light and leaves, he recognized the man.

*Swish!* A blade of light struck toward Li Yue. He hurriedly channeled his bone strength to block, but the blade flashes were continuous, like rolling thunder, sweeping toward him.

*Puchi!* Li Yue’s chest was sliced open by a two-foot-long wound, nearly cleaving him in two. "The Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade! It really is that old fox, Yang Zhihuan!" Li Yue thought frantically. He pulled a handful of steel beads from his robe, threw them at his attacker, and turned to flee. Lu Yan slashed the beads away and did not pursue. He had no intention of killing the man; he was merely posing as Yang Zhihuan. It would be easy to trace his presence at Wang Dao’s mansion. If he killed him, he would become Li Wenxuan’s primary suspect. Since the Li Cangxin incident, they were already suspicious of him. If a third-tier Martial Marquis died here, Li Wenxuan might suspect that Lu Yan was hiding his true strength. By letting him go, the man would report that Yang Zhihuan was the one who attacked, which made sense given their close friendship.

After Li Yue left, Lu Yan flashed back into the mansion.

*Bang!* The door opened, and Wang Dao rushed out with his blade. The commotion from the fight had not escaped a Martial Marquis. Wang Dao scanned the area, his gaze finally settling on the tree outside the courtyard. Lu Yan also rushed out of his bedroom.

"What happened?" Lu Yan asked, frowning.

"There was a fight outside near that tree. The power was immense—definitely a Martial Marquis, and not an ordinary one at that," Wang Dao said, having walked to the tree to investigate.

"Indeed. It’s strange that they’ve vanished so quickly. What was their motive?" Lu Yan feigned confusion.

Just then, several figures arrived, including Li Cangqing and Yang Zhihuan. "Wang Dao, are you alright?" They let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him unharmed.

"I'm fine. Young Master, why are you here?" Wang Dao asked curiously.

"Li Suifeng was attacked and injured; he won't recover for a month and cannot compete in seven days. I was worried about you, so I rushed over," Li Cangqing said, his expression grim.

"Was it Li Wenxuan’s men?" Wang Dao’s face changed. He mentioned the fight outside his courtyard, adding, "Someone helped me, but I don't know who."

"Is that so?" The group was puzzled, but they couldn't figure out who the benefactor was. One thing was certain: the person was an ally.

"For these last seven days, stay at my father's mansion. Don't go anywhere to avoid accidents," Li Cangqing commanded.

Lu Yan followed them to Li Wenxin’s mansion. Upon arrival, the atmosphere was heavy.

"Father, how is Uncle Suifeng?" Li Cangqing asked.

"His injuries are severe. He definitely won't recover in seven days, and even if he tried to fight, he wouldn't be able to exert even half his strength," Li Wenxin said.

"Do we know who did it?"

"Your uncle said the attacker was very strong—a fifth-tier Martial Marquis. It was an ambush, and he was injured before he could even resist. He didn't see who it was."

"Damn it! It must be Li Wenxuan! He knows he will lose the competition, so he uses such despicable methods. Let's go see the Ancestor and demand justice!" Li Cangqing said bitterly.

"Without proof, what can we say to the Ancestor? Li Wenxuan will deny it and accuse us of framing him," Li Wenxin replied.

"But in the entire Herb City, who else besides Li Wenxuan could send a fifth-tier Martial Marquis? Could it be the clan elders?" Li Cangqing remained indignant.

"It's no use," Li Wenxin shook his head. "The competition for the head of the family has never relied on pure force alone. Schemes and tactics are part of it. The Ancestor will not intervene. We must rely on ourselves."