The next evening, as dusk settled, painting the room in hues reflected from the setting sun through the windows, he reappeared in Hai Yulan’s chambers.

The light within was soft, making Hai Yulan appear all the more alluring and captivating.

She was dressed in a lake-green silk gown, smiling as she watched him. Li Muzhan chuckled, "Well, has Young Valley Master Guo finally departed?"

Hai Yulan pursed her lips with a smile, "He slipped away without a sound. Was that your doing?"

Li Muzhan replied, "I taught him a lesson or two, just enough for him to learn humility. That young pup is far too arrogant, acting so rudely before the Sect Master with such meager cultivation!"

Hai Yulan laughed, "Young pup? He's certainly not younger than you!"

Li Muzhan shook his head, "I don't know what they teach over at Falling Cloud Valley, but they've raised such an ill-mannered creature. He has no sense of propriety, acting as if the entire world revolves around him."

Hai Yulan mused, "Perhaps the previous Valley Master suffered from qi deviation during his practice, leading to excessive spoiling of this Young Valley Master. Too much indulgence spoils the child, even for mothers!"

Li Muzhan frowned, "Surely the Valley Mistress should be stricter. How could she allow this?"

He shook his head repeatedly, yet felt helpless. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't interfere in the affairs of Falling Cloud Valley. Moreover, this Valley Mistress, while doting on her son, was ruthless toward outsiders; the number of Wind and Thunder Sect disciples who died by her hand was easily eighty or ninety, which is precisely what provoked the Wind and Thunder Sect into a massive counterattack, pressing Falling Cloud Valley to the brink of collapse.

"Who knows? Someone like that should not be here, and that Mistress is clearly addled," Hai Yulan shook her head. "Our Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Sect is not to be trifled with either!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, "I haven't seen any particular action from you all."

"It will happen," Hai Yulan assured him.

Li Muzhan cautioned, "Don't get directly involved. Falling Cloud Valley's strength is formidable, far surpassing the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Sect!"

"Hm—?" Hai Yulan frowned.

Li Muzhan continued, "This is no exaggeration. I saw the intelligence reports from the Dugu family: Falling Cloud Valley’s foundation is vastly deeper than yours, and even a step above our own Cloud Soaring Sect. That’s why he dares to be so presumptuous!"

"Could it be that Falling Cloud Valley truly harbors a Grand Master?" Hai Yulan asked.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "Though they may lack a Grand Master, they possess numerous formidable experts from the older generation. If a true fight breaks out, your Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Sect cannot win."

"...I will relay this to my Master," Hai Yulan nodded slowly.

Li Muzhan smiled, "Then I can rest assured. Has Elder Fu still not given his approval?"

"No," Hai Yulan replied with a helpless shake of her head.

Li Muzhan chuckled, "It's fine. We'll just wait patiently!"

"I only hope there won't be another incident like this," Hai Yulan huffed, her expression darkening.

This last incident was a pure, unprovoked disaster, ultimately implicating Li Muzhan. If this could happen once, there might be a next time. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Sect was using Li Wuji as a shield.

Being exceptionally bright, she saw everything clearly. Her continuous delay in giving an answer was partly due to her fear of Falling Cloud Valley, and partly waiting for the stance of the Cloud Soaring Sect.

Li Muzhan grinned, "If there's a next time, I'll just snatch you away!"

"That would certainly save trouble!" Hai Yulan smiled, pressing her lips together.

She had always been reluctant to leave her Master and sever ties with her sect, but this recent affair had wounded her heart, dimming her affection for the sect somewhat.

Li Muzhan returned to the Dugu Manor, not out of idleness, but to study the sword technique with Feng Mingxue. He found the internal cultivation method profoundly difficult to assimilate with his existing practice. It would be better to integrate the essence of this sword style into his other techniques to enhance their destructive power.

The most profound aspect of this cursive sword style was its unexpected transitions and variations, often surprising and impossible to defend against. Incorporating this into other sword forms would naturally boost their efficacy.

However, this was no task for a single day. Techniques passed down through generations are often the crystallization of centuries of wisdom and effort, refined and pure in every movement. Even a slight deviation could lead to a massive error.

Though both of them were highly perceptive, altering the sword style remained challenging. Fortunately, when Li Muzhan first encountered his enlightened master, Lan Chunhe, who taught him swordplay, she offered him an unconventional path by providing him with the experience of creating his own martial arts.

He spent the morning studying the sword technique with Feng Mingxue, and the afternoon settled down to read, basking in the sun, languid and utterly at ease.

One afternoon, he was reading in the waterside pavilion in the rear garden, all the windows wide open, allowing a gentle breeze and the western sunlight to stream in and warm him.

He was utterly absorbed; the strange tales in the book were opening his eyes to wonders. Who knew the world held so much that was bizarre, far exceeding his previous imagination?

Had he not read these books, he would never have grasped the sheer scale of this world—that the Great Li Dynasty was just one of fifteen kingdoms, and not even the largest.

Though he knew the world was vast, vastly superior to his original world, he hadn't anticipated it being hundreds, perhaps thousands, or even tens of thousands of times larger.

Since he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he couldn't be certain. The book mentioned that even the people of this world hadn't fully mapped its extent over the years.

His mind wandered far afield, drifting unrestrained across ten thousand miles, when suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded. Dugu Heng called out from a distance, "Brother Li! Brother Li!"

Li Muzhan called back loudly, "Brother Dugu, come in and speak!"

He lazily set down the book and looked toward the veranda, his mind still pondering a strange tale of a Grand Master who had once leveled a small mountain with a single blow. He read these anecdotes specifically to find methods of Grand Master cultivation and to understand other Grand Masters, or perhaps the very rules governing this world.

He responded absently. Hastening footsteps echoed, and Dugu Heng burst in, carrying someone, his entire body splattered with blood.

Li Muzhan stood up, frowning. "What happened?"

Dugu Heng's face was ashen, like pale gold paper; he swayed precariously. "We were ambushed! Tangtang is gravely injured; I brought her straight here!"

Li Muzhan frowned, glancing behind him. "Where are the guards?"

"They were all killed!" Furious rage burned in Dugu Heng's eyes. "They fought to the death to ensure our escape."

Li Muzhan reached out and took Tang Tang. She was clad in a goose-yellow silk gown, her complexion pale, eyes tightly shut, her face contorted in pain, her body occasionally trembling involuntarily.

He laid Tang Tang onto the couch and, after a few light touches with his fingers, shook his head. "She's badly hurt. She'll need a long period of convalescence. Let me look at you!"

"Is Tangtang going to be alright?" Dugu Heng asked anxiously.

Li Muzhan replied, "She'll live. It will be difficult to recover her martial arts, though."

"Her martial arts are crippled?" Dugu Heng nodded, not overly concerned. "As long as her life is safe, that's enough. Please, Brother Li, treat her!"

Li Muzhan nodded. "Her wounds are stabilized. Let me check you first."

Dugu Heng immediately protested, "I'm fine!"

Li Muzhan snorted. "I think you are very much not fine. Sit down!"

Seeing Li Muzhan's stern expression, Dugu Heng reluctantly sat on the embroidered stool, muttering, "Those bastards, I swear I won't let them get away with this!"

Li Muzhan took his right wrist and frowned. "Your internal organs are all displaced and damaged. If we had delayed any longer, you wouldn't have survived either!"

He waved a hand, and the low couch to the southeast slid over. Li Muzhan pointed. "Lie down. I'll stabilize your injuries first, then save Tang Tang."

"Save Tang Tang first!" Dugu Heng urged.

Li Muzhan said firmly, "Are you listening to me or yourself? Relax. Since you’re here with me, your life is secured. Stop wasting time!"

"...Alright," Dugu Heng conceded, lying down.

After a few light touches, Li Muzhan moved to Tang Tang's side. He closed his eyes, formed several hand seals rapidly, and then lightly tapped the major acupoints on Tang Tang’s body.

Finger shadows flickered as he struck over three hundred points in one breath, almost covering every major meridian point on her body. Tang Tang slowly began to float, her clothing fluttering around her.

When Li Muzhan stopped, Tang Tang’s goose-yellow gown continued to billow as if she stood in a fierce gale.

Li Muzhan turned to Dugu Heng, who stared wide-eyed. Seeing Tang Tang suspended in mid-air with her clothes fluttering was quite uncanny.

After Li Muzhan tapped him a few times, Dugu Heng felt a warm, gentle energy envelop his body—nothing but comforting warmth. The world stopped swimming before his eyes, and his spirit recovered.

Li Muzhan stood before him and shook his head. "The force that struck you was intensely hard and yang. It's the Divine Dragon Hand. It must have been the Zhu family, correct?"

"We didn't see them, so I can't confirm if it was the Zhu family," Dugu Heng admitted.

Li Muzhan sighed. "It seems I've brought trouble upon you and Tang Tang."

"Why say such things, Brother Li!" Dugu Heng snorted. "We were already at odds with the Zhu family, and besides, it might not even be them!"

Li Muzhan frowned. "I hope so."

He clapped his hands lightly, almost playfully, then retracted them. "The medicine you and Tang Tang took worked well; otherwise, you wouldn't have held on."

His actions to save Dugu Heng were markedly different from those for Tang Tang: one was solemn and weighty, the other casual.

"Yes, I took a secret elixir, but unfortunately..." He shook his head. "Old Li and the others..."

Li Muzhan commanded, "Take me there. I'll see if they can be saved."

"...Alright!" Dugu Heng hesitated for a moment before quickly rising. "We must hurry!"

Li Muzhan asked, "Where are they?"

"At the corner where Qinghe Street meets Huitong Street!" Dugu Heng replied.

Li Muzhan grabbed him, and in a flash, they vanished, reappearing at a street corner. Six gray-robed elders lay on the ground, all with their eyes shut, their life or death unknown.

Li Muzhan stepped forward to examine them. One still had a faint breath; the other five were gone. Dugu Heng, his strength fully restored, examined them too, his face contorted with grief and rage.

These guards had followed him faithfully; their bond was deep. Now, having sacrificed themselves to save him, he felt shame and sorrow, wanting nothing more than to howl at the heavens.

"Brother Li...?" Dugu Heng looked up at him.

Li Muzhan nodded. "Don't let anyone disturb me!"

"Right!" Dugu Heng's eyes lit up. He leaped onto the rooftop and let out a long, piercing cry, followed swiftly by several gray silhouettes descending from above.

Li Muzhan ignored them, forming his hands into the shape of a crane's beak and lightly tapping the chests and abdomens of the six gray-robed elders, finishing the procedure quickly.

Dugu Heng watched the light, simple taps, but his face suddenly went deathly pale, as if all vitality had been drained from him. He quickly reached out to check the elders' noses and mouths.

He turned to Li Muzhan, overjoyed. Li Muzhan waved him off. "Move them back first. They still need extensive treatment."

"Brother Li, are you alright...?" Dugu Heng looked at him worriedly.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "They won't die. A few days of good rest and they'll be fine. Let's go!"

Dugu Heng gave the order. The others came forward to carry the six elders. He stepped forward to support Li Muzhan's arm, able to feel the sheer weakness radiating from him. He truly seemed depleted of all spirit; his body felt significantly lighter.

Supported by Dugu Heng, Li Muzhan returned to the Dugu Manor. Du Gu Jinghua had heard the news and was waiting in the main hall, rushing out immediately upon seeing them.

Feng Mingxue was beside her. Seeing Li Muzhan's state, her expression changed instantly. She rushed forward to support him, channeling a stream of pure inner energy into him.

Li Muzhan immediately felt invigorated. Their internal energies shared the same source; her energy was not just power but carried a trace of spirit, making it exceptionally restorative.

"Junior Brother, what happened? Did you fight someone?" Feng Mingxue asked with a frown.

Li Muzhan smiled. "No. I was just saving people; I didn't fight. It was Brother Dugu who was ambushed."

"Who attacked them?" Feng Mingxue looked at Dugu Heng with knitted brows.

Dugu Heng smiled bitterly and shook his head. "They were all strangers; I couldn't recognize them."

Li Muzhan stated, "Judging by the martial arts, it must be the Zhu family's Divine Dragon Hand."

"The Divine Dragon Hand?" Du Gu Jinghua frowned. "It's the Zhu family's technique?"

Li Muzhan shook his head. "Not necessarily. Isn't the Divine Dragon Hand unique to the Zhu family, or can others use it too?"

Du Gu Jinghua stated firmly, "The Divine Dragon Hand is an exclusive secret technique of the Zhu family; no one else knows it."

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, pointing north. "What about the Imperial Court?"

Du Gu Jinghua's expression shifted slightly; her bright eyes flickered, and she fell silent. Dugu Heng exclaimed in shock, "Brother Li, are you suggesting it was experts from the Imperial Court who attacked?"

Li Muzhan shook his head. "This is a murky affair. However, if these people truly possess the supreme martial arts of the Zhu family experts, you should be able to recognize them!"

Li Muzhan deeply understood the efficiency of the Dugu Manor's intelligence network. The experts of the Zhu family could never escape their notice. He was also certain that the Dugu family's affairs were never hidden from the Zhu family. After years of rivalry, mutual infiltration, and perhaps bribery, they understood each other's strengths and weaknesses intimately, which is why mutual restraint prevented outright slaughter.

This time, Li Muzhan had charged in recklessly, killing half of the Zhu family's experts. The Dugu Manor boldly sheltered him, certain that the Zhu family wouldn't dare make a rash move.

Dugu Heng shook his head. "I have never seen them."

Du Gu Jinghua pondered for a moment, then waved her hand. "Forget it for now. How are Old Hu and the others?"

"Their lives are saved. I'll perform another round shortly," Li Muzhan replied.

Dugu Heng clasped his hands in apology. "Brother Li, I owe you this favor."

He could see that Li Muzhan had exhausted his vitality; it must have cost him a portion of his cultivation. Bringing a dead man back to life was far from easy and certainly came at a price.

Li Muzhan smiled. "It's nothing, just a small effort. Settle them properly, and they should wake up by evening. I'll return then."

"Thank you," Dugu Heng nodded gratefully. These men had died protecting him, and now they could be saved. He would no longer have to live with guilt and remorse.

Feng Mingxue supported Li Muzhan back to his private courtyard. She shot him a stern look. While she resented him for not taking care of himself, she couldn't say much since it was for the sake of saving others.

"Was it really the Emperor who ordered the attack?" Feng Mingxue asked.

The two entered Li Muzhan's bedroom. He lay down on the couch. Feng Mingxue sat by his side, covering him with a blanket and tucking in the corners, asking softly.

Li Muzhan lay looking up and smiled. "Senior Sister, I'm not that fragile. I'll be fine after sitting for a while."

"You should sleep for a bit; you've overtaxed your mind!" Feng Mingxue insisted.

Li Muzhan nodded reluctantly. "Eight or nine times out of ten, yes. Otherwise, who would risk such a grave endeavor? The Zhu family doesn't have that kind of audacity! Zhu Lang is outwardly tough but inwardly soft; he lacks that spirit!"

"To provoke a fight between the two families?" Feng Mingxue frowned and shook her head. "That's truly malicious!"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "It's a rare opportunity; the Emperor won't just stand by."

Feng Mingxue questioned, "Isn't Noble Consort Zhu his favored consort?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "As an Emperor, he possesses that level of detachment. The Zhu family is the Zhu family; Noble Consort Zhu is Noble Consort Zhu. They cannot be conflated."

"A truly heartless man," Feng Mingxue sighed.

Li Muzhan stated, "An Emperor's focus is the throne. Everything else can be sacrificed before the throne."

"Being this Emperor sounds incredibly dull," Feng Mingxue lamented.

Li Muzhan laughed. "That's not necessarily true... Senior Sister, I’m actually fine now."

"Shall I lend you some aid?" Feng Mingxue offered.

Li Muzhan nodded. "That would be good."

He sat up. Feng Mingxue took off her boots and sat cross-legged behind him, placing both palms against his heart. They began circulating their internal energy, the Huan Yu Jing slowly flowing between them.

An hour later, Li Muzhan was fully recovered. He then accompanied Feng Mingxue to the main hall, where Du Gu Jinghua was waiting, her face grim.

Seeing them arrive, she managed a strained smile. "Sir, Old Hu and the others have been settled in the Listening to Rain Pavilion."

Li Muzhan asked, "Did you find out anything?"

Du Gu Jinghua shook her head. "We found nothing. It seems your guess was correct."

Li Muzhan smiled faintly and shook his head. "What do you plan to do now?"

Du Gu Jinghua took a deep breath and sighed. "We'll act as if nothing happened."

Li Muzhan sighed in resignation. "When living under someone else's roof, one must bend the knee. That is the best course of action!"

When he was previously hunted by experts from the Imperial Court and struck by the Divine Splitting Arrow, he could only endure it. Although he had been constantly contemplating a method to break the Sacred Artifact for revenge, he dared not act rashly now. The Imperial Court was teeming with experts whose martial arts were all uniquely marvelous. While he himself wasn't afraid, his sect would suffer. For his own sake, he could seek immediate vengeance; for his Master's sake, he could only endure humiliation.

Du Gu Jinghua managed a weak smile. "It's not the first time this has happened, anyway."

Li Muzhan could sense her suppressed anger and unwillingness to yield. He sighed and said, "Brother Dugu needs to diligently practice his martial arts. Merely studying administrative matters won't suffice."

Du Gu Jinghua nodded firmly. "Yes, I'll have him enter seclusion for training in a couple of days!"

The three of them walked out together, turning east to a small courtyard where Dugu Heng was already practicing. The injuries Li Muzhan had treated with a few palms were almost completely healed.

Seeing them approach, Dugu Heng stopped his practice and rushed forward. Li Muzhan nodded without a word, entering the house to begin the treatment. He placed his right palm on the Danzhong acupoint of each elder, slowly channeling his energy to repair the damage to their internal organs.

His touch was divine. Half an hour later, the six elders awoke. They were somewhat listless, but their complexions were ruddy, brimming with vitality once more.

As soon as he finished, footsteps were heard outside. Xiao Xi hurried in and whispered a few words into Du Gu Jinghua's ear, causing her face to change dramatically.

Li Muzhan frowned. He had overheard Xiao Xi’s words and secretly sighed. Indeed, worthy of an Emperor; they had their methods. This time, it seemed the Zhu family and the Dugu family would inevitably clash.