Everyone sat around in the pavilion with a beautiful scenic view. Servants poured fragrant tea with a smell that wafted into the air. The elders had grey hair and wrinkly faces which glowed with wisdom. Combined with their noble and erudite appearance, they looked like scholarly sages. As expected of the people behind Imperian Qiang, they were all crouching tigers and hidden dragons! They showed calm faces as they discussed the news offhandedly. It was like they were not the ones losing in the war. Lady Hong-Lan Li sipped her tea slowly, taking in the rich fragrance and admiring the scenery, before returning her attention to the conversation.
"What is Qiang Li doing?" one of them said disappointedly. "The Li Family shouldn't be losing."
"As expected, he's too young. He doesn't have the experience to command this war."
"Summon him here. We should hear from him firsthand," another said, like an adult lecturing a child. Their tone was utterly condescending towards their patriarch.
"He should be returning from Guanhuang next week."
"He shouldn't be spoiling the Imperial Princesses. It would be safer if they remained here in Chongdu," someone said with a shake of their head. Of course, they really wanted their cards close at hand, but they would never say that out loud. The Imperial Princesses' right to the throne was their only justification in fighting this war.
A person raised his hand, silencing the discussion. Lady Hong-Lan Li and everyone turned to face him. Although everyone here had equal authority, their seniorities were different. Eight people were in their fifties to early sixties and represented the generation above Qiang Li. They were also Empress Mei Li's siblings and cousins. However, the one who spoke was in his late eighties, two generations above Qiang Li! In other words, he was senior to many people here, and a previous patriarch of the Li Family! Whatever he did had weight!
"Let's leave dealing with Qiang Li and the Imperial Princesses to another day. We should be talking about the Imperial Council and the Alzar Kingdom," a man sat next to the previous patriarch added, folding his paper fan. He carried a noble disposition that few could match which radiated cunning. To say something before the previous patriarch allowed them to speak again, it was clear he was not a simple person. Indeed, everyone looked at him fearfully. He was known as the Noble Lotus of the Li Family, the previous patriarch's brother! These two carried the most weight in the elder council and had the final say.
The previous patriarch, Lord Foshan Li, inwardly snorted at his brother, but remained passive. They did not have an amicable relationship, much less a neutral one. To put it lightly, they were rivals. To put it bluntly, they loathed each other. The politics in the Li Family were more vicious than any other nobility family since they were regarded as the strongest under the heavens. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie. Lord Foshan defeated his brother in a bitter inheritance battle and forced his brother to stand down. On the surface, they appeared cooperative, but behind the scenes, they butted heads too often to count. This was one of those cases. Everyone felt too awkward and hesitant to say anything. Lord Foshan had to gesture for them to continue, and only then did they dare to speak.
Someone coughed. "The negotiation attempts with the Imperial Council have fared poorly."
"Are they still ignoring us?" Lady Hong-Lan asked.
"They have refused an audience with us," another said sheepishly. The air in the pavilion chilled. For the great and unparalleled Li Family, it was the first time they were ridiculed to this extent. It was like two slaps to the face! How could they stand this humiliation?
"Have we learned anything about the Featherwind Sect?" Lord Foshan asked sternly. Following their flashy debut in the battle over the Maelstrom Gulf, everyone would be looking into this mysterious organization that appeared out of nowhere, even more so for the Li Family.
"We learned a few things. First is that there is no precedent of a Featherwind Sect in the Xingyuu Empire in the past five hundred years. They appeared spontaneously with an unknown origin."
"There is no such thing as appearing spontaneously," someone scorned. "People don't grow from trees, so they must have come from somewhere." Lord Foshan raised his hand again and calmly glanced at the interrupter. The person lowered their head and said nothing else.
"Although there have been attempts to fabricate information, their first recorded appearance was around February, K.A. 515, at the Xi Wall. This has been confirmed by multiple sources. They made an unknown agreement with Prime Minister Pon-Wai and the Imperial Council. From then on, they relocated to Tian Monastery. Judging from the battle over the Maelstrom Gulf, we have confirmed that the Featherwind Sect is in possession of tactical, if not strategic-level, magic…"
"Strategic-level magic should not be said lightly," the Noble Lotus, Lord Fengji Li, chastised while tapping his finger on the table. As everyone knew, strategic-level magic was the next level up from tactical-level. Torrential Blizzard, Yin-Yang Arrow, and Diffusion Void were nothing compared to true army-killing strategic magic! If the Imperial Council really had this kind of magic on their side, things did not bode well for the Li Family.
"Fengji, let the man continue. We've read the reports about that battle as well. It's impossible for that level of damage to occur without strategic-level magic," Lord Foshan said. "If it wasn't for Admiral Kang Bao-Zhi's blunder, the Alzar Kingdom would have suffered a total defeat."
"You must be overexaggerating, brother. Strategic-level magic is enough to completely change the war." The man unfolded his fan and waved it again. "We all know the Xingyuu Empire has been lacking in Arcania. Where could we come up with a Condensed Drop Arcanist that can use strategic-level magic when even the Zino Kingdom is failing to?"
Lord Foshan said nothing, which meant he had nothing to rebuke his brother with. After all, it was an excellent point. The Zino Kingdom stood at the absolute forefront of Arcania, and no one could dispute that fact. And the Li Family was not like any other family because they had an extremely thorough and extensive intelligence network spanning the three civilizations. Otherwise, how could they get their hands on top-secret information about the Featherwind Sect? They knew about the Zino Kingdom's military capabilities and Arcania development in and out. Although the strongest Arcanist in the world, the Conquestian, had not made a move since he pushed into High Condensed Drop Core Level, there were no signs that he could use strategic-level magic. The strongest Arcanist in the world could not, so why would someone in the Xingyuu Empire succeed? It did not make sense!
"Has the Featherwind Sect made any other moves since the battle?" Lord Foshan changed topics.
Someone answered, "We sent some people to Tian Monastery, but the mountain is crawling with soldiers. It's difficult to get past them, much less climb the mountain into the monastery. We don't know the Featherwind Sect's relationship with Tian Monastery nor their current movements."
"Continue investigating them and if possible, get in contact with them."
"To seize the meat from the lion won't be easy, brother. Furthermore, we don't know what kind of agreement they have with the Imperial Council. This may be a trap by Prime Minister Pon-Wai."
"Then what do you suggest, Fengji?" Lord Foshan asked with a hint of irritation. Fengji continued to speak without proper address or respect, it was complete disrespect to him, the previous patriarch of the Li Family. It was a small sign of the swirling undercurrents in the family!
"We all know about what the Imperial Princesses did at Guanhuang, right? Their little trick with the letter," Fengji asked offhandedly. If the Imperial Princesses were present, they would have been shocked to the core. Even amidst all the chaos, the Li Family could still notice their actions. As expected, the Li Family could not be underestimated! He continued, "Although their negotiations with the heir apparent fell through, I believe this is a golden opportunity."
"You want the Li Family to work together with the Alzar Kingdom?" Lord Foshan frowned.
It made many elders feel disgusted. They could not ally with their own people, the Imperial Council, and had to run to their most hated enemy, the Alzar Kingdom, instead? What a joke! Lady Hong-Lan were one of the most repulsed by the idea. However, while some of them were pensive, the others were more level-headed. There was a saying that there were no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. They did not have a favorable opinion of the Alzar Kingdom either, but what mattered most was whatever benefited the Li Family. Everything else could be ignored!
"With all due respect, Lord Fengji, I cannot agree with this proposal," Lady Hong-Lan stated defiantly. "Has the Li Family fallen hard enough that we need to beg for help from outsiders? We should be able to solve this crisis on our own."
Waving his fan casually, he gave the woman a sharp glance. "We can overlook your little game, but don't overstep your boundaries again."
Lady Hong-Lan chilled. He was obviously referencing the time that she gathered up the heads of the branch families to oppose Imperian Qiang and the Imperial Princesses months ago. That was conducted without the joint agreement of the elder council. Many people did not mind either way, but there was a certain procedure to everything. Hierarchy needed to be respected! She could not imagine that her actions would backfire on her at this time. Even Lord Foshan, who usually opposed his brother, did not bother speaking up. Lady Hong-Lan looked like she had many things to say but stopped herself in the end. She felt wronged.