14: Chapter 14 The Li Family Ancestral Hall's Witchcraft Doll, The Prisoner in the Cave

Xinan County, Li Residence.

Beside the main house, the ancestral hall.

On the altar table, a few scattered ancestral tablets.

In the center, a voodoo doll sits in a meditative posture, forming hand seals.

"Master."

The steward stood outside the door, bowing his head as he called out.

"Hmm."

Inside the room, Old Master Li, sitting in the same posture as the voodoo doll, gave a light hum in response.

"The man left the city and has not returned yet," said the steward.

"Send someone to watch the city gate and wait for news," Master Li said. "Report back to me as soon as there is any movement."

"Master, should we send someone to Little Yao Mountain to check the situation?" the steward asked.

"Unnecessary. With the secret method the demon immortal imparted to me, my wishes are bound to be fulfilled. Why take this extra step?" Master Li said. "The mountain god of Little Yao Mountain has long been dead. Those people cannot survive there."

This move was merely a way to dispose of a troublesome family matter at the same time.

"That brat lured demon beasts to slaughter the Li Clan outside the city. Dying in the process wouldn't be a waste of the two years I raised him."

"Master, could the Li Clan have divine protection?" The steward was somewhat uneasy. "What if we provoke..."

"The demon emissary never mentioned it, so presumably not," Master Li snorted. "Just go and wait as instructed!"

"Yes."

"Are the ten young boys and girls prepared?"

"We are currently sending people everywhere to find them."

"Hmm. Have you investigated the background of the new County Magistrate?"

"The shopkeeper in the Prefecture City replied, saying he is from a collateral branch of the Fang Family," the steward said. "As you anticipated, Master, this magistrate was quite proud and successful in his youth, somewhat aloof and not easy to deal with."

It's just unclear what incident occurred that caused such a promising talent to end up in their remote area, and his actions have become rather passive.

"Hmm, conduct your affairs discreetly, avoiding him."

These scions of noble families, ignorant of the hardships of the world, and with no intention of letting them climb the social ladder, are truly troublesome!

"Yes, Master."

...

Xinan County, the county yamen.

In the study of the inner hall, the County Magistrate was resting with his eyes closed.

At this moment, the private secretary, Liu Mengxian, was ushered in by a servant.

"Magistrate," he said softly, bending at the waist. "That boy from the Zhang family was tricked out of the city by the Li family yesterday and hasn't returned all night."

"Hmm. Who made the move?" The magistrate didn't even lift his eyelids as he asked. "Was it the Li family's Old Master, or some young master from one of the branches?"

"It should be the Old Master's doing," Advisor Liu said. "I reckon it's probably aimed at that group of refugees outside the city."

"The Li family is truly insatiably greedy," the magistrate couldn't help but curl his lip. "They even want to get their hands on a group of fleeing refugees. They really want to crush even the bone fragments and chew them up."

The old thing is rotten to the core.

He won't dirty his own hands with the dirty work.

He tricks a young man into doing it.

And this young man happens to be the orphan of an old friend of the Li family.

Truly... ruthless.

"That old sinner has committed so many evils, yet he still hasn't died," the magistrate sneered. "It seems even the heavens are blind!"

"...Magistrate, those refugees came to the county town twice, selling wolf pelts for grain. That probably caught the Li family's eye," Advisor Liu dared not respond to the magistrate's words about the heavens and changed the subject. "Last time they bought a sheep to slaughter, revealing their wealth."

The magistrate is blessed with literary fortune and protected by the nation's destiny, so he dares to say the heavens are blind.

He, Liu, lacks such protection and doesn't even dare to chime in.

"Hmph, you still haven't seen it clearly," the magistrate chuckled.

"Please enlighten me, Magistrate," Advisor Liu immediately bowed.

"Those refugees are also surnamed Li. The first time they only dared to buy some grain. The reason they dared to buy meat the second time was because they obtained a Sword Sect token."

The magistrate waved his hand. "Old Master Li probably has his eye on the token in their possession."

"So that's it," Advisor Liu feigned sudden understanding. "No wonder a few days ago, when those refugees came to buy meat and showed the token, you, Magistrate, immediately said they would bring trouble upon themselves. I didn't understand your meaning then, but looking at it today, it truly happened just as you said!"

"Heh, Old Liu, your expression is a bit overdone. Go practice more in front of a bronze mirror," the magistrate glanced at him. "Could you really not have figured this out?"

Advisor Liu smiled.

If he truly hadn't figured it out, why would he have sent people to watch the Li family?

And how would he have coincidentally learned that the Zhang family boy was being deceived?

"Magistrate, will Old Master Li's scheme succeed?" Advisor Liu said. "In my view, he's also confused. Instead of doing this, he'd be better off trying to curry favor with the Li family in the Prefecture City."

"Confused? He's not confused at all," the magistrate shook his head. "Having no Foundation of his own is one thing, but having no worthy successors is another. Engaging in such social climbing is just like sending a lamb into a tiger's den."

Xinan County belongs to Huaian Prefecture of the Great Yong Dynasty.

It's less than a hundred li from the Demon Immortal Mountain Range.

It's a new county town built only thirty years ago.

Far from the central regions, it's not valued by the truly powerful.

Within the city, those who can barely be called wealthy households number only a few families.

More than half of them are commoners with no roots or Foundation.

Or rather, humble commoner clans.

The Li family is one of them.

The other two families are branches that moved here from the Prefecture City.

Commoners often have delusions of grandeur, wanting to become noble families, or at least gain local prestige.

Old Master Li has been scheming in various ways for over ten years.

But his own family has great difficulty with Bloodline and descendants.

His three sons are neither accomplished in letters nor martial arts. Not a single one has cultivation Aptitude, let alone the grandchildren; only one was born.

And that one's Foundation was ruined early on.

He can't even find a suitable marriage match within Xinan County.

Seeing his lifespan gradually shortening, he grew anxious.

He scoured the county, inside and out, for families surnamed Li, incorporating them into his clan.

In this way, he did gain a few 'clan members' with decent potential.

Unfortunately, they are all still young and can't accomplish much yet.

If he tries to curry favor with the Li family in the Prefecture City now, isn't he afraid they might use his own old tricks against him?

Judging others by himself, would Old Master Li dare?

But the time left for him to scheme is probably not much.

Therefore, feeling his own lifespan nearing its end, he has become somewhat impatient for quick success.

Seeing that this group of refugees surnamed Li outside the city actually had a member who became a Sword Sect Disciple, he developed crooked ideas.

What Old Master Li is scheming, Advisor Liu and the magistrate didn't need to think hard to know.

It's nothing more than using someone else to kill, then usurping their place.

"That Zhang family boy's ancestors produced a Cultivator, so he has some minor tricks. This trip out of the city is mostly about luring demon beasts to injure the Li Clan," Advisor Liu said quietly. "Once they can't stay outside the city and come in, Old Master Li will approach them with an offer of shelter, and the matter will be settled."

The Sword Sect token would then logically fall into his hands.

This token itself holds no mystical properties.

But it is a symbol of identity for Sword Sect Disciples and their clans.

With this token, his approach to currying favor with the prefectural Li family would be on entirely different terms.

In this world, the most unprovokable beings are above even the powerful nobility—the Cultivators.

Especially Disciples of top-tier great Sects like the Sword Sect.

"What the Magistrate says is very true. This Old Master Li, though old, is truly not confused," he couldn't help but sigh. "Although this move is despicable, if it succeeds, he might very well achieve a change in fortune."

"Hmph, that's only if his calculations work out," the magistrate sneered. "That old thing, as he ages, is becoming more and more arrogant."

It's only been a few days, and he's already acting hastily.

The methods he's employing can't even be considered scheming.

Clearly, he looks down on the Li Clan outside the city.

"Yes. He doesn't consider that these people survived as refugees; surely they must have some skills to rely on?" Advisor Liu nodded. "Moreover, I observe the conduct of the Li Clan outside the city is quite methodical, not so easy to deceive."

The first time, they only bought grain and seeds, selling only damaged wolf pelts.

The second time they came, they still bought grain. Although they bought meat, they didn't buy wine, and they bought some farming tools.

This wasn't just to avoid flaunting wealth, but also to let the authorities know they were originally law-abiding commoners.

And they would continue to be law-abiding commoners.

Sure enough, after the magistrate learned of this, he didn't send anyone to trouble them, nor did he mention how to deal with them.

Thus, both sides remained peaceful, leaving matters to be seen later.

It's evident the person in charge of the Li Clan outside the city is a seasoned individual.

"Not only that, don't forget they also bought sacrificial animals when they came for meat," the magistrate said. "And moreover, the 'Three Great Sacrifices'."

During sacrificial rites, offerings are used.

In the Great Yong Dynasty and the surrounding few countries, sacrificial offerings are largely similar.

Nothing more than meat, vegetables, fruits, etc.

The 'Three Great Sacrifices' refer to the heads of cattle, sheep, and pigs.

These are also the most important offerings in normal large-scale sacrifices.

They are called the 'Great Three Sacrifices' in contrast to the 'Small Three Sacrifices' of chicken, duck, and fish.

"The Li Clan outside the city are refugees. If they were sacrificing to ancestors, it should be after building an ancestral hall," Advisor Liu suddenly realized. "Since it's not for ancestors, then it must be for sacrificing to a god!"

If they have divine protection, Old Master Li's scheme is likely to fail!

"Hmm, correct," the magistrate pointed at him and laughed. "Your expression this time is just right, neither too much nor too little."

"All thanks to the Magistrate's guidance!" Advisor Liu bowed respectfully and also laughed.

The Li Clan inside the city rose improperly and acts viciously; they should have been dealt with long ago.

If they can be removed by taking advantage of this situation, they wouldn't mind giving a little push.

...

Little Yao Mountain.

Feng Yifan's tiger-like whiskers twitched.

He had just managed to speak with the fellow in the rat hole.

The other party was begging him for rescue.

"You came to harm my believers."

"And now you want me to save you?"

"On what grounds?"