[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star":3,"chapter-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After Fifteen Years of Secret Cultivation, I Start as a Top-Grade Ultimate Peak!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282120,4464,"Chapter 12: Scouting the Path","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the three from Mengshan remained motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Li Muxian raised an eyebrow, his dissatisfaction plainly written on his face:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, do you think I and Miss Cang are villains?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mengshan studied Li Muxian for a moment, unable to gauge his depth, and shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We appreciate your kindness, sir, but we have urgent business and cannot travel with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-clad woman and the scholar beside him remained alert, saying not a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They clearly held deep suspicion toward Cang Yin Yue and Li Muxian, especially after Cang Yin Yue revealed Mengshan’s identity—they had grown even more wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian shook his head and immediately ignored the three, slapping the donkey beneath him and heading toward the mountain path ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he passed beside Mengshan, his horse was no more than a foot from the man’s blade, yet he rode past casually, as if nothing were amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mengshan and the green-clad woman exchanged glances, but neither made a move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yin Yue observed everything, nodding slightly, seemingly satisfied with their choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said nothing more, urging her horse to catch up with Li Muxian ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After traveling a distance, Cang Yin Yue gazed at Li Muxian’s back and suddenly spoke coldly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re quite presumptuous—suggesting they join us. Are you certain they mean no harm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you know that if I hadn’t intimidated them just now, they’d likely have struck, trying to silence us in this remote wilderness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Muxian turned and glanced back at the three trailing far behind, smiling meaningfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t care what they think—they can’t kill me anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re awfully confident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yin Yue replied with a cold sneer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in her view, though Mengshan and the other woman were both Xiantian experts, if they truly fought, neither could survive ten moves against her—and neither could withstand Li Muxian’s pinpoint acupuncture technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once we pass through Chongzhou, we’ll speed up. These three are suspicious—if we want to avoid trouble, we must keep our distance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yin Yue remained cautious; Li Muxian nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he sat on the donkey:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I noticed the scholar’s clothes are worn and his face thin and yellow—he’s clearly no noble or wealthy son, but likely from a poor background.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet he’s protected by two Xiantian experts—that’s clearly abnormal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why protect a poor scholar? Or does the scholar have some other special identity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Muxian spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted to Cang Yin Yue:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Cang, have you noticed how similar this scholar is to me? We’re nearly the same age, and their destination is clearly the imperial capital, Shangyang City…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue’s brows slightly furrowed as she fell into thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know what you’re implying. Your suspicion isn’t baseless—but could such a coincidence truly exist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian smiled and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No coincidence, no story—maybe it really is that simple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just then, his expression turned serious. He pulled the reins tight, lowering his voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How unlucky—we seem to have hit a dead end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Cang Yin Yue understood his meaning, Li Muxian leapt onto a nearby large tree, shading his eyes as he gazed into the distance:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Cang, come up and take a look—there’s a roadblock ahead, directly blocking our path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue’s eyes widened slightly, then she lightly leapt onto the branch as Li Muxian had done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following his gaze, she indeed saw a simple wooden fort built on a distant slope, guarded by over a dozen men, cutting off all mountain paths leading forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Cang Yin Yue frowned and turned to Li Muxian:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were sitting on your donkey just now—how could you see that far?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My martial arts are profound, my vision sharp—what’s wrong with that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian shrugged and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now I want to know—do we detour, or charge straight through?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cang Yin Yue glanced at him, then scanned the distant wooden fort, and after a moment’s thought, said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Setting up a checkpoint in such a remote place is clearly irregular. For caution’s sake, I advise against forcing our way through.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her gaze back along the road behind them, a cold glint in her eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let them go ahead and test the path first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Muxian instantly understood Cang Yin Yue’s intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, this girl was as scheming as ever!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we’ll have to make those three the guinea pigs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Muxian nodded, and both he and Cang Yin Yue leapt down from the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After riding a short distance further, they suddenly vanished into the woods beside the path, slipping into a blind spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the three behind remained oblivious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Zhao, did you recognize those two’s origins?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-clad woman Yuan Mei, seeing Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue had disappeared from view, whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Mengshan glanced at the scholar beside him and shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The young man revealed no internal energy—I can’t gauge his depth. But the woman clearly knows much; she even understands the Da Li army’s details. She’s likely either military or court-affiliated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And she’s a Xiantian expert. Though Xiantian experts are common in Shangyang, encountering one here—I’m not certain I could kill her. Otherwise, I’d have signaled you to strike just now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yuan Mei’s eyes flashed with cold intent:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our mission must remain secret—no room for error. If we get a chance, we should eliminate them. If word leaks, it could ruin the General’s plans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mengshan thought for a moment, then nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll wait for the right opportunity. If we strike, it must be flawless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled that Cang Yin Yue had already exposed his identity—if she returned to the capital, this mission could no longer be hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this in mind, he turned to the scholar beside him and narrowed his eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, the journey to the capital is long. To guard against assassins, please endure a little longer. Once we reach the capital, all will be safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the scholar quickly bowed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I deeply thank both of you for your protection. When I meet His Majesty, I shall repay you generously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mengshan and Yuan Mei exchanged glances, revealing a cryptic smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1040,"2026-06-20T01:43:38.503Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","687d2b0fe005ca18d9d229177820d48b4a016f7b59a8b6e4e2051c1d6b5f8b62","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-13","after-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-chapter-11",259,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-fifteen-years-of-secret-cultivation-i-star-cover.jpg"]