Shortly after Xiao Fang and the rest left, a carriage carrying Li Qin, Li Lian, and Ancestor Li Xianyu, came to a smooth halt within the outer courtyard of the Patriarch's Hall.
Li Qin was the first to notice that something was wrong.
The courtyard was too empty.
This was the heart of the Li Family Clan—normally alive with guards, attendants, and the restrained presence of experts moving in and out of the hall. Yet now, the stone-paved grounds lay mostly bare. Only a handful of attendants lingered at the edges, hurriedly dismantling formations and retracting banners that had clearly been raised only moments ago.
Whoever had gathered here… had just left.
Li Qin stepped down from the carriage, her gaze sweeping the courtyard with practiced composure. Floating beside her, the ancestral spirit—Ancestor Li Xianyu—followed in silence, her expression unreadable, though a subtle heaviness lingered in her eyes.
A moment later, Li Lian stepped down as well.
