Li Tianmu stared at Li Qiye for a heartbeat longer.
Then he **chuckled**.
It was quiet, restrained—but unmistakably amused.
Li Qiye blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Brother…?"
Li Tianmu shook his head lightly, the corners of his lips still curved. "Qiye," he said, voice calm, "you're still the same."
"The same?" Li Qiye frowned.
Li Tianmu straightened, hands clasped behind his back, eyes turning toward the mist-wrapped peak above them. "Naive," he said frankly—but without mockery. "You truly think you can hide anything from the Ancestor?"
Li Qiye stiffened.
"If Elder Lianhua so much as **wishes** it," Li Tianmu continued, tone casual yet absolute, "she can see everything. Not just our words. Not just our actions."
He glanced sideways at his brother.
"Even your **hidden thoughts**."
Li Qiye's breath caught.
"So don't trouble yourself," Li Tianmu added calmly. "There is no need for her to linger here and 'spy' on us. That would be unnecessary."
He gestured lightly to the ground beneath their feet.
"The chill you felt wasn't her presence," he said. "It was the **mountain peak formation**."
Li Qiye froze.
His mind raced.
*Of course…*
A flash of embarrassment burned through his chest. *How could I think an immortal Ancestor would bother watching a mere mortal like me?*
The realization struck hard.
If she truly wished to know everything, there would be no sensation. No warning. No pressure. He wouldn't even be aware it was happening.
Li Qiye exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"You've changed," he muttered.
Li Tianmu smiled faintly. "So have you."
He turned serious then, eyes sharpening—not as a sect disciple, but as an elder brother.
"Now," Li Tianmu said quietly, "tell me everything. Not the rumors. Not the shortened version."
His gaze locked onto Li Qiye.
"Start from the moment the city fell silent."
The mist shifted around them, the peak looming overhead—ancient, unmoved, watching not as a spy…
…but as a force that would soon act.
And Li Qiye knew: there was no turning back now.
He recounted the events, voice steady but weighted with the truth of what had occurred.
Li Tianmu's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed the gravity of the story. Then he let out a low whistle.
"So… the Elder," Li Tianmu said, disbelief coloring his tone, "she decided to go back with you **herself**? In person?"
Li Qiye inclined his head slightly. "Yes. Elder Lianhua will descend personally."
Li Tianmu's mouth opened, then closed again, words caught somewhere between awe and incredulity.
"That… that's unheard of," he muttered. "I've never known Elder Lianhua to act directly, not even once. Not even the Sect Leader dares give her orders—yet she will descend personally? What could compel her to do so?"
Li Qiye's gaze sharpened, cutting him off. "It seems… it is because of the **jade token**."
Li Tianmu tilted his head, puzzled. "The… token? What token?"
Li Qiye exhaled slowly, the faint mist of the peak swirling around them. "Long ago," he began, "Elder Lianhua gave the Li clan a jade token. A pledge. A sign that, if the Li family were ever in need, we could seek her help directly. That token is the reason she has chosen to move personally."
Li Tianmu's brow furrowed. "A token? So… even after all these years, it still carries weight?"
Li Qiye nodded. "Yes. The jade itself is a seal of our bloodline and of her promise. It is why she will descend herself. Not lightly. Not casually."
Li Tianmu's eyes widened. He let the weight of the explanation sink in.
"So… you're saying that this isn't just protocol," he murmured. "It's… personal. Bloodline. Legacy."
Li Qiye's gaze was steady. "Exactly. And that is why we cannot underestimate the situation. Whatever has struck White Hollow City… whatever destroyed the elders… it is grave enough to compel an Elder of her stature to act directly."
Li Tianmu exhaled, a faint mix of awe and anxiety crossing his youthful features.
"Then we must prepare," he said quietly, voice steadying. "Because if Elder Lianhua herself is coming… whatever waits for us… it is not something ordinary."
Li Qiye nodded. "Yes. That is why we must act carefully. And quickly."
The mist curled around them, carrying the faint trace of **an elder's will**—silent, unseen, but undeniable.
Li Tianmu exhaled slowly, letting the weight of Li Qiye's words settle.
He frowned slightly, thinking. *The situation may be grave… yes. The city, the elders, the unknown beasts… all of it—it's serious.*
But even so, he shook his head almost imperceptibly. *That alone isn't enough to make Elder Lianhua descend personally. She's never acted like that, not even when sect-wide crises occurred. Not even the Sect Leader dares command her directly.*
His gaze drifted to the distant peak above them, the mist curling around its stone terraces. *No… it isn't just the danger. It must be something else.*
He blinked, realization sharpening his thoughts. *It's the jade token.*
The idea settled firmly in his mind. *Perhaps this isn't about the calamity at all. Perhaps she is acting because of the **pledge she made long ago**, the vow tied to that token. She promised that the Li family could call on her directly, and she intends to honor it—bloodline and legacy above all.*
Li Tianmu shook his head again, a small, rueful smile touching his lips. "So," he murmured to himself, "it may not even be the danger that compelled her… just the promise. The jade token."
He turned his gaze back to Li Qiye, who was still steadying himself after recounting the city's horrors.
"Brother," Li Tianmu said softly, voice carrying a mix of caution and certainty, "whatever comes next, remember this—she will act according to **her vow**, not merely because the situation is dire. That is the weight of her legacy."
Li Qiye nodded slowly, his mind racing. The pieces clicked together: the token, the vow, and the Elder's own judgment.
He had expected caution, perhaps a delegation—but not this. The truth settled heavily on him: **Elder Lianhua would descend personally, and it wasn't only the threat that drove her.**
The peak's mist shifted silently, carrying the quiet, watchful presence of a legacy that had endured centuries.
And now, the Li brothers understood fully: whatever awaited them, they would face it under the gaze of one whose power and will transcended even the authority of the sect itself.