Longevity Clan Starts with the Patriarch's Marriage - Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Arriving a Step Too Late_1

Translator: 549690339

Tianxuan Mountain’s summons?

Han Li’s eyebrows knit slightly, his thoughts rapidly shifting, wondering why Tianxuan Mountain would issue this summons.

In history, Tianxuan Mountain had issued several summonses, all relating to significant events with far-reaching impacts.

Yet now, nothing of consequence had occurred in Leizhou, even the restless Mother Wusheng in Qingzhou and Huozhou had been keeping a low profile for a long time.

Could it be because of Prince Wu’an?

The thought flashed through Han Li’s mind; it was a piece of news he had learned only in the past few days.

Half a month ago, a group of influential figures from Sanzhou gathered in Huozhou City to welcome Prince Wu’an of Daqian, who had arrived from the Imperial Capital.

Prince Wu’an was the previous emperor’s ninth son, while the current Emperor Qian was the eldest son. The two had an acrimonious relationship, primarily due to the conflict over the imperial throne.

Prince Wu’an was a capable commander with a proven track record in battle. During campaigns against the Da Jing Dynasty, he had annihilated vast numbers of Da Jing troops and even struck down a Great Grandmaster in formation, earning himself tremendous military prestige and significant influence within the army.

During the previous emperor’s reign, Prince Wu’an had always guarded the northern border, preventing invasions by the Da Jing Dynasty, making him one of the strongest contenders for the throne.

Although Emperor Qian had also cultivated to the Myriad Phenomena Realm, he relied more on his status as the crown prince, with vast resources forcefully piled upon him.

There had always been strong calls for Prince Wu’an to ascend the throne. He had many followers within the Daqian Empire, far outmatching even the crown prince. Yet when the previous emperor abdicated, it was the crown prince who succeeded to the throne.

To the surprise of many both inside and outside the Daqian Empire, Prince Wu’an seemed indifferent to this decision, allowing for a smooth transition of the empire’s highest authority.

Despite this, Emperor Qian remained vigilant. Prince Wu’an’s influence was so significant that he could feasibly seize the throne with little resistance.

Emperor Qian was aware of his shortcomings in talent, cultivation level, abilities, and influence compared to Prince Wu’an, but who could deny that he was the one in the emperor’s seat?

Having taken the throne and gained the highest authority of Daqian, he had no intention of being dethroned. Therefore, he imposed certain restrictions on Prince Wu’an to test his reaction.

For example, Emperor Qian recalled Prince Wu’an from the northern frontier to the Imperial Capital, and he downgraded Prince Wu’an’s title from a single-character “Emperor Wu” to a two-character title “Prince Wu’an.”

Emperor Qian also did not dare to act rashly. Prince Wu’an was one of the top combat forces within the Daqian Empire, immensely powerful. He only wished to reduce Prince Wu’an’s power and influence, without any thoughts of harming him.

The outside world speculated on how Prince Wu’an would handle these maneuvers by Emperor Qian. Surprisingly, yet again, Prince Wu’an paid no heed to them, content to stay within his manor and seldom leaving.

Although Prince Wu’an had become less prominent, no one within or outside of the Daqian Empire dared to overlook his presence.

For instance, when Prince Wu’an of Daqian arrived in Sanzhou, he directly took over supreme authority. The governors of Sanzhou, the Supervisor of Jingye Office, and other Grandmasters of Myriad Phenomena Realm had to obey his commands without any objections.

Han Li thought it highly likely that there had been no mention of a major enemy attacking Tianxuan Mountain. If there really were such an enemy, summoning Pihai Realm cultivators would be of little use; they wouldn’t make much difference.

After contemplating for a while, Han Li decided it would be better to go. If he openly defied the Tianxuan Mountain summon, he would be immediately expelled from the sect.

Upon reaching Tianxuan Mountain, he planned to collect the resources that had been accumulating for nearly twenty years, assess the situation, and just go through the motions. If things looked amiss, he would make a quick exit.

The gratitude he owed Tianxuan Mountain was not worth his life; when he grew stronger, there would be time to repay Tianxuan Mountain.

“Returning to the sect sooner rather than later is advisable; I will depart this afternoon,” Han Li said pensively, looking at the array of beautiful concubines surrounding him.

Liu Yuexin, Li Mingmeng, Qiu Yueyao, and the rest of his consorts were left with their words at the tip of their tongues, ultimately condensing into a single sentence: “My lord, take care on your journey; we will wait for your return at home.”

They too understood the gravity of the situation, leaving Han Li no choice but to go. After all, their lord was only at the fifth level of the Pihai Realm, hardly a match for the major powers of Tianxuan Mountain.

As for sisters Lin Yiwu and Lin Yiyin, they were not particularly worried. They had some understanding of Han Li’s true strength; being at the peak of the Gang Yuan Realm, he would be considered high ranking even within Tianxuan Mountain.

Han Li had given instructions to his concubines and left some contingencies at Han Mansion before he left with peace of mind.

One day after Han Li departed from Lingjun City, two stunning figures arrived, stealthily infiltrating Han Mansion to investigate without a sound.

They were indeed Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi.

The Seventh Grade formations that Han Li had secretly purchased and arranged couldn’t stop the two women, who were the favored daughters of their respective Sects, with many methods at their disposal, and were also true beings of the God Refining Realm.

The two women searched Han Mansion several times over, and then were dumbfounded; Han Li was not at home. Only a group of concubines were resting and playing in the backyard.

After purchasing information from Fengyang Manor, Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi rushed to Lingjun City. Fengyang City was tens of thousands of miles away from Lingjun City, but they traveled as swiftly as lightning, arriving in less than half a day; their speed was undeniably fast.

They were worried that others might beat them to it, and also concerned that Han Li might have already received a warning and fled; now, the worst-case scenario had occurred.

“Could Han Li have really received a message and run off ahead of time?” Yun Miaoyi muttered.

She had wanted to tame Han Li thoroughly, if not able to defeat the true beings of Tianxuan Mountain, then take out her frustrations on Han Li.

Wasn’t Han Li known for indulging in the pleasures of the flesh and fond of taking concubines?

She happened to be from Hehuan Sect and Yinyang Sect, specializing in such matters, perfect for handing him over to some of her Sect sisters, letting Han Li thoroughly enjoy himself.

Jiang Baiye shook her head and said in a low voice, “It’s impossible for Han Li to have known in advance that we were coming.”

“Moreover, all of Han Li’s concubines and offspring are still here, including the two new concubines he just took in.”

“According to the intelligence, although Han Li is licentious and lecherous, he treats his concubines well and values his family’s descendants greatly, preferring to stay and help develop the Han Family rather than going to Tianxuan Mountain, which shows his commitment to the family.”

“That makes sense.”

Yun Miaoyi stuck out her little tongue and licked her red lips, eager to try, “Why don’t we abduct his concubines and have his offspring send a message, calling him back to save them?”

Han Li’s concubines were all of outstanding beauty, especially the two new ones, with their matchless grace and celestial allure. Alone, they were slightly less remarkable than the two women, but combined as sister flowers, they always had an added allure.

Yun Miaoyi had taken an interest in Jiang Baiye and had always been tempting her to join Yinyang Sect, then cultivate together, but Jiang Baiye had persistently refused.

If she couldn’t have Jiang Baiye, then having a bit of fun with Han Li’s concubines wasn’t a bad idea either. After all, Han Li’s concubines were very attractive and varied in style, suiting her taste.

“Whether the Body-Cultivating Furnace is on Han Li or not is still a question, and even if it is, it has nothing to do with those concubines.”

Jiang Baiye gave her a cold stare, her icy voice resounding.

As a woman herself, although she disapproved of Han Li’s lifestyle, she could see that Han Li’s concubines were living well in the Han Family.

She knew Yun Miaoyi all too well; if those concubines fell into her hands, they were likely to endure some untold mischief.

“So prudish.”

Yun Miaoyi pouted her lips but said no more; she had only mentioned it out of casual interest.

Undeterred, the two women wandered around Han Mansion again and found that Han Li truly was not there. Though there were some treasures, none caught their eyes.

But the two managed to learn something; the previous day, news from Tianxuan Mountain had reached Han Mansion, and after hearing it, Han Li immediately set off, leaving Lingjun City to return to Tianxuan Mountain.

Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other’s eyes—they were one step too late and weren’t sure if they could still catch up now.

Thereafter, the two figures vanished from Han Mansion, heading in the direction of Tianxuan Mountain, intending to intercept Han Li halfway.