Chapter 111: Provocation

This stretch of cliff is over a hundred meters high, the mountain path is extremely treacherous, and the unicorn's body is slightly larger than an ordinary warhorse; its four long legs support its massive frame, with a high center of gravity, so if the balance is not well controlled, it can easily stumble. 【Hand‑drawn by (www. shouda8. com) Crazy Hand‑drawn】

The Qingwolf Beast's build is even more suited to traversing such perilous terrain; Li Bucai has already ridden the Qingwolf Beast back and forth on this road several times, which surpasses her, though it cannot be called glorious, and says: "Why don't we go on foot; with Young Marshal's lightness skill, it won't take much effort."

Young Marshal gave him a cold glance and said, "Fine, you walk slowly behind, I'll go up first and wait for you." With that, she urged her mount, sprinted a few steps toward the road entrance, and when she reached the foot of the cliff, the unicorn leapt violently—a leap as high as two stories—straight onto the first stepping platform. The mountain path was too narrow to turn, and the second stepping platform was also two stories high; without a sprinting thrust it was hard to jump onto. At that moment the horse's tail pointed forward, the unicorn pressed its body against the cliff wall, its four hooves alternately moving backward, and on a nearly 60‑degree stair it could effortlessly walk backward, and the speed was not slow.

When halfway up, the distance to the upper road had decreased greatly; the unicorn's four hooves suddenly exerted force, carrying Young Marshal in a leap onto the third "Zhi"‑shaped road segment. Because this jump was straight up and down while the road sloped slightly inward, when the unicorn reached the road's height it was still more than a foot away from the surface. It shifted the two legs near the cliff wall inward a little, planting them on the road. At that moment the center of gravity had not fully settled on those two legs, and as the footing was unstable, Young Marshal tilted her body slightly on the mount, shifting her weight toward that side, while one hand grasped the cliff wall. With the unicorn's tremendous leg strength, she fully regained balance, stood steadily, and continued leaping upward. After several such flips, she successfully reached the cliff top.

Young Marshal urged her horse to the cliff edge and, full of pride, looked down at Li Bucai below.

Li Bucai watched her ascend the cliff and couldn't help praising her mount: "What a wind‑chasing beast that treats a sheer cliff as flat ground! How have I never seen it in the livestock market? We must find out its origin. Imagine, if one day my cavalry could ride such divine beasts, how many other cavalry forces in the world could match them?"

"What's the matter, Lord Li, shall Young Marshal go down to fetch you up?"

"Stay calm, I'll come up right away."

Li Bucai gave a shout, the Qingwolf Beast beneath her thrust its four legs powerfully, leaping to the same height as the unicorn. A front foot just touched the stepping platform; using the gap where half her body was suspended in the air, she turned her body and landed on the platform, sprinting to the middle of this section. She then suddenly lifted her front leg, raising her head; before the front leg could touch the cliff wall, she stood upright and thrust upward, treating the entire cliff as flat ground. Her body became perpendicular to the cliff face, and this leap carried her onto the upper road. The front leg rested on the road, the hind leg tucked onto it without pausing, then she kicked hard again, leapt out once more, and after several flips she was on the cliff top in an instant.

Young Marshal saw this perilous stretch, and her mount was even more agile than the unicorn. She let out a cold snort and said, "Not bad; it seems I underestimated your pet."

"It's nothing, just a matter of terrain advantage. Speaking of which, where did you acquire your mount? I've never seen a cliff‑climbing unicorn before; in Sky City, how have I never encountered one?"

Young Marshal said with a hint of pride, "Climbing up is easy, descending is hard; you have the terrain advantage, so this round is a draw. When we go down, I'll give you a proper demonstration. This is the tribute of Dongpo Terrace."

"Dongpo Terrace?" Li Bucai recalled Zou Ying's mention of the four floating islands; besides Sky City, there are four floating islands in total, and one of them is Dongpo Terrace.

Young Marshal nodded but did not explain anything about Dongpo Terrace, and Li Bucai did not wish to press further.

While speaking, the two walked side by side to the beacon tower; a watchtower had also been erected atop it. Climbing to the tower's summit under moonlight, the dark mountain peaks behind the cliff stretched across the view, the scenery majestically grand.

"It's beautiful here," Young Marshal said, gazing at the distant peaks, "Had I known the scenery was this splendid, I wouldn't have needed such a costly detour."

【7】 She only said half of it, but Li Bucai could guess her meaning: essentially, "If I'd known this, I wouldn't have had to bring in so many outsiders; I should have let her leave the palace earlier."

She only said half of it, but Li Bucai could infer her meaning, most likely: Had she known it would turn out like this and that so many outsiders would be summoned, she could have let her leave the palace earlier.

"Wilderness lands, beautiful scenery often hides unpredictable dangers," Li Bucai said, pointing to the Wolong Shanmai beneath his feet: "This mountain range is the watershed dividing us from the barbarian forces."

"Oh? Barbarian forces? What are they?"

Li Bucai shook his head and said, "I only walked a short way west and found some Goblins in a valley; the rest will be explored later."

"Why not tomorrow?" Young Marshal, a bit impatient, wanted to try reaching out.

"Tomorrow the fishermen will set out to fish, and tomorrow the grain fields will begin sowing; the earliest we can start is the day after tomorrow. So if Young Marshal wants to train troops, she must wait another day. Once the chores here are finished, I'll take you on a proper tour."

"You tend your fields, I train my troops; tomorrow I'll go inside and have a look."

"I'm warning you, beyond this mountain will be very dangerous."

"That's for you."

Li Bucai gave a faint smile, did not argue, and suddenly asked, "Young Marshal, how long do you plan to stay here?"

"What do you mean? Want me to leave?"

Li Bucai looked at her without answering.

Young Marshal thought inwardly: The more you reject me, the more I'll stay here.

"How long? That depends on Young Marshal's mood."

"In other words, I'll stay for a long while, at least not leaving within three to five days."

Young Marshal gave him a cold stare, remaining silent.

"If Young Marshal intends to linger here long‑term, there's something you should know."

"What?"

"This is Li Bucai's Territory; Young Marshal has traveled from afar, so she is Li Bucai's honored guest. For Young Marshal's safety, any action without my permission is prohibited."

"And if not?"

"Otherwise… military law will be enforced!"

Young Marshal couldn't help finding it amusing and said, "If you want Young Marshal to obey you, you should first consider whether you can actually control me. I may no longer be your commander, but I'm not your servant either. We have three mutual agreements; I have agreed to inform you wherever I go, but that doesn't mean you must have authority over everything. I've already told you I'll cross this mountain tomorrow, so whether you agree or not, tomorrow Young Marshal will still do what she intends. With only a few of your people, I'm curious to see how you could possibly stop me."

Li Bucai gave a faint smile.

……

At White Horse Ferry Great Village, Wan'er and Yan Qiu, after finishing the fishermen's affairs, returned here.

When they entered the central small village, it was already midnight; most people had fallen asleep, but Wan'er's room still had a light on. In the window, Yue Ji's silhouette stood there, coquettishly gazing toward the village gate.

There were many houses now, enough for everyone; she got along very well with Wan'er, often learning much knowledge from her, and to avoid being alone and bored, she kept living with her.

"It's so late, haven't you rested yet?" Wan'er entered the room and greeted her.

Yue Ji shook her head, her gaze fixed on the village gate; only after the last person entered did she silently turn around.

"What are you waiting for?" Wan'er asked curiously.

"Nothing… I'm not waiting for anything." Yue Ji looked at her, about to speak but stopped.

"Really nothing?" Wan'er teased, "Are you trying to ask… why the Lord hasn't returned?"

Yue Ji, embarrassed by the personal question, flushed, hurriedly shook her head, hesitated a moment, then nodded.

Wan'er laughed, "Only a day without seeing him, and you're already impatient? Are we, Lady Yue Ji, perhaps…?"

"No… nothing… just…"

"What?"

"I don't know why, it feels like I can't see him…"

"Isn't that just because you fell in love with him?" At that point, Wan'er suddenly thought of something and said, "These past few days I've noticed your expression is a bit different from a few days ago; you've gotten used to life here, right? What do you think… how does the Lord treat you all?"