Chapter 41: Lao Deng wants to help him?

Li Tianxing gently placed the still-unconscious Xie Qiyang on the bed, his movements tender.

He stepped outside, settling onto a small stool woven from ancient vines, its surface warm and smooth to the touch.

His gaze drifted to the distance, where the old woman was bustling about, arranging Li Tianze’s grand wedding tomorrow, her every word and action exuding absolute control.
Meanwhile, he sat silently before the house, seemingly resigned to fate’s design.

That is, until the old woman returned with a smug Li Tianze in tow.

“Is the girl awake?”
Her gaze swept over Li Tianxing, her tone casual.

He stood, eyes lowered, his voice deliberately meek and hesitant.
“No… not yet, Grandma. But… she has a family, her own will. Forcing her like this…”

He felt her gaze sharpen, icy and piercing, exerting immense pressure without a word or gesture.

His voice trailed off, but he forced himself to finish.

“Sigh.”
The old woman let out an ambiguous sigh, stepping closer and lightly poking his forehead with her gnarled, powerful thumb.

She glanced at Li Tianze, who was glaring eagerly.
“Tianze, go to Old Wang’s in the north for some mind-clearing tea. Sober up and come back.”

Though reluctant, Li Tianze didn’t dare defy her.
He shot Li Tianxing a venomous glare before turning to leave.

The old woman casually pulled over another vine chair, sitting beside Li Tianxing.

Twilight fell, the distant mountains looming like ancient beasts in the fading sunlight, overlooking the lifeless village.

“Tianxing,” her voice was calm but cut to the core, “you’re not satisfied, are you?”

She turned, her cloudy yet piercing eyes seeming to see through his flesh to his soul.
“You know that girl, don’t you?”

His body stiffened faintly, but he quickly shook his head.
“No… I don’t know her.”

“Heh.”
A short, skeptical chuckle showed she didn’t believe a word.

“You little punk,” her gaze grew distant, as if recalling something.

“I’ve watched you since you were born.
For the first fifteen years, your personality… tch, weak as mud.
No fight, no ambition, too scared to even raise your voice when bullied.”

“Not a trace of that old friend’s boldness, let alone the domineering aura of having the world under your feet.”

Her tone shifted abruptly.
“And… you left for a while, didn’t you?
You hid it well, but some things don’t escape these old eyes.
You’ve been holding back, haven’t you?”

She stared at his lowered head, a knowing smirk tugging her lips.
“As expected, a Solar Saint Body is a Solar Saint Body.
No matter how you try to bury yourself in the dirt, your innate brilliance shines through.”

That’s a great power for you.
Oppose them, and the heavens themselves help them, exposing your every move in ways you can’t hide.
He could only bow his head lower.

The old woman stood, hands clasped behind her, gazing at the dark-golden mountain range stretching like a dragon’s spine in the twilight, her voice tinged with the weight of ages.

“You were entrusted to me by an old friend on their deathbed.
You… weren’t even supposed to be surnamed Li.”
She paused, her tone complex.
“But you carry the Solar Saint Blood and Solar Saint Body, the very foundation of the Li Clan’s ancestor’s rise to dominate the starry rivers.”

She turned sharply, her gaze electric.
“Do you think the people in this village treat you well?”

Li Tianxing’s heart jolted, the answer obvious—jackals and tigers, all old monsters with fake smiles, coveting his Saint Body’s origin and blood.

But his face showed only confusion.
“They’re… very good to me, Grandma.”

“I don’t believe you.”
She smiled.
“Do you want to marry that girl?”
Her question was blunt, her eyes burning.

Li Tianxing fell silent.
Time seemed to freeze, broken only by the faint ripples of the silver fish in the pond nearby.

After a long pause, he lifted his head, nodding firmly.
“I do. Very much.”
His voice was hoarse.

“But,” she continued for him, “not a single soul in this village would agree.
You’re not a true Li!
To them, your Solar Saint Body belongs on Tianze or any Li clansman.
Everything you are, in their eyes, belongs to the Li Clan.”

“They see the Solar Saint Body as their exclusive birthright.”

“Your grandfather, once a peerless hero, is long gone—likely dead.
You have no backing now. Your days are numbered.”

She stepped closer, her voice lowering.
“But to this old woman, you two outcasts,” she emphasized “outcasts,” “sacrifices in the games of lofty imperial clans, are… a perfect match.”

Before her words settled, a blood-red flash streaked through the air.

With a casual toss, a ring etched with eerie dark-golden patterns and radiating ancient aura landed in Li Tianxing’s open palm.

His divine sense probed the ring’s interior—inside lay a… crimson wedding dress.

“Wear it,” her voice was flat, emotionless.
“Tomorrow, in everyone’s eyes, you’ll be Li Tianze, not Li Tianxing.”

A night breeze stirred, lifting her gray, withered hair.

She glanced back at him, her lips curving into an enigmatic arc.
In that moment, Li Tianxing glimpsed, through her aged face, a fleeting trace of her youthful, world-toppling beauty.

“Happy wedding.”
Her tone was light, almost teasing.
“But you two lovebirds, don’t go too wild tomorrow night…”

She paused meaningfully.
“And don’t make a baby too soon.
It’s bad for your cultivation—time before thirty is precious.
One slow step, and you’re behind forever.”

Li Tianxing was utterly baffled.
This “grandmother” was always so unpredictable.
She clearly favored Li Tianze, radiating killing intent toward him, yet at his darkest hour, she saved him, gifted him techniques and opportunities, and helped him rise.

Her stance was like mist—one day showing elder-like care, the next holding a blade to your throat.

This thankless, seemingly profitless behavior left him completely stumped.

“Why?”
He couldn’t hold back the question.

Her steps toward the stone house paused, but she didn’t turn.
Her airy, almost self-musing voice carried detached indifference.

“Come on, I’m no Li clansman.
I’m just a wild girl raised in the mountains, knowing only flowers and grasses, catching pretty birds for fun…
Things can’t get worse than this, so why not do as I please?”