Chapter 102

Mu Jiaoman sat on the empty large cart. The roads within the Shanyue territory were bumpy and uneven, shaking him until he was extremely irritable. The scene on the white jade platform kept repeating in front of him over and over again.

Lifting the curtain of the cart, Mu Jiaoman looked at the scorching sun in the sky, and looking out, he saw nothing but cracked earth. He shouted at the top of his lungs:

"How long has it been since it rained!"

"Reporting to the Commander, it hasn't rained a drop for four months!"

Mu Jiaoman thought for a moment, waved at the tribesmen below, and said loudly:

"Withdraw the eastern defense line. Drive the refugees to the east and let them go wreak havoc on the mortals."

The tribesmen below hesitated and replied:

"If the eastern defense line is withdrawn, if that Li Xiangping runs away..."

"That bird-brained thing is dead!"

Mu Jiaoman roared, anger rising from his heart. Not satisfied, he jumped up from the cart, grabbed the man by the neck, and shouted:

"How many times have I said it, that bird-brained thing is dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!"

After speaking, he was so angry his eyes turned red. Just as he was about to throw a punch, he saw the tribesmen around him kneeling down one after another like wheat blown by the wind, shouting in unison:

"Greetings, Great King!"

Mu Jiaoman trembled all over, slowly raised his head, and saw Ga Nixi, who was stepping into the air and looking at him coldly. He threw the man away, hurriedly knelt down, pressed his forehead tightly against the ground, his lips turning white.

"Great King!"

Ga Nixi walked to him step by step, looked at him quietly, and suddenly raised his leg and kicked him, shouting angrily:

"Useless trash!"

Mu Jiaoman flew far away like a ball, crashing into several large carts. Grain flowed all over the ground, making the tribesmen on the left and right swallow their saliva slightly.

After rolling a few times, Mu Jiaoman hurriedly crawled back to Ga Nixi and began to slap his own face, one slap after another.

Ga Nixi looked down for a while and laughed angrily:

"A mere Embryonic Breath, mobilizing the masses and you can't even touch the tail of the other party, and you even went to invite a Talisman Shaman to curse him to death. You are truly useless, Mu Jiaoman."

Mu Jiaoman slapped his own face numbly, listening to Ga Nixi say in a low voice above him:

"You don't need to attend the Great Sacrifice in a few days. Reflect on yourself in the camp."

Mu Jiaoman raised his head abruptly, thunder exploding in his mind, as if he had grasped something in an instant.

Just as he was about to speak, Ga Nixi was faster than him, punching him in the abdomen, cutting off his words and knocking him unconscious.

"Drag him away."

Ga Nixi called out in a low voice. Seeing Mu Jiaoman being dragged out of the camp, he turned his head to look at the Witch Mountain that towered into the clouds, and muttered to himself in a voice that could barely be heard:

"Live."

—————

After circling the mountain forest and waiting until dawn appeared on the horizon, Li Tongya flew up from the messy and empty mountain stronghold, muttering to himself:

"The cooking smoke in the east has all been cut off, and the Shanyue army has withdrawn. How could Mu Jiaoman so easily let Xiangping return east..."

"No wonder there are so many Shanyue refugees."

Li Tongya frowned, estimating the situation within the Shanyue territory and judging the possibility of refugees crossing the border.

"My Li family's granaries have been full these past few years, so supporting a few thousand refugees is not a problem. It could even increase the population, but I'm afraid if this drought continues, the Meichi River will dry up, and we won't be able to grow grain anymore."

"The Ji family's letter mentioned the sacrificial offering. I think Ga Nixi doesn't have much time left to jump around..."

As Li Tongya continued to penetrate deep into the Shanyue territory, more and more cracked land and trees stripped of their bark appeared in his field of vision. The Great Jueting had already slowly emerged from the distance.

This only city of the Shanyue was full of traces of time. The city walls eroded by wind and rain were pitted, and the interior was also decaying.

A high altar had been built next to the Great Jueting, piled up with mud, wood, and stone. It was already eighty or ninety percent complete. It is said that Ga Nixi would offer sacrifices to the heavens upon it, unifying the great cause.

Although the craftsmen on the altar were weary and sweating profusely, their expressions were hopeful and reverent. Everyone was looking forward to Ga Nixi ending the chaos for them and bringing a stable life.

"Can't go any further."

Li Tongya stopped silently. This search was like every previous one—nothing gained. He turned away in disappointment and retreated, heading toward Moon-Gazing Lake.

Moon-Gazing Lake had retreated hundreds of miles. The cracked riverbed was full of dead fish and shrimp, the smell so strong it made people unable to open their eyes. Everywhere were jackals and vultures foraging for food, a paradise for birds and beasts. Li Tongya circled Moon-Gazing Lake once and returned to Mount Lijing.

Just as he landed on the mountain, Li Tongya saw the corpse of a fat black pig lying in the courtyard. Its long hair was licked clean and shiny, and its two tusks were as long as an adult's arm, white as jade.

On the side, Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan were hurriedly applying sealing techniques to the joints and acupoints of the black pig's corpse, while Li Xuanfeng was wiping his bow on a large bluestone.

"Uncle!"

Seeing Li Tongya land slowly, Li Xuanfeng, who was sitting on the large bluestone, laughed. He held his bow in his left hand and a large sack in his right, jumped off the stone, raised his head, and laughed loudly:

"This mountain pig monster is huge, peak-stage Embryonic Breath cultivation. It's enough for everyone to have an extra meal!"

Li Tongya smiled lightly. With a scan of his spiritual sense, he saw a long, shiny black arrow buried right in the monster's brain. Other than that, the skin and flesh were intact, without a single wound. He said with some surprise:

"One arrow?"

"One arrow!"

Li Xuanfeng raised his head proudly, tossed the pitch-black longbow behind him, bent down, reached into the pig monster's hollow eye socket, pulled out the long arrow directly, and shook the red and white matter on his hand without caring, replying:

"I chased this pig monster for a whole night. In the morning, taking advantage of the pig monster gnawing on wood and bamboo, I shattered its eye with one arrow and it died after the arrow pierced its brain."

"Not bad."

Li Tongya praised him, but still advised:

"Don't look at this mountain pig monster dying after just one arrow. If this monster monster got close to you, one charge would be enough to tear your intestines and rot your stomach, leaving you without a place to be buried. You must still be cautious and careful, and look for monsters with lower cultivation to kill."

"Oh."

Li Xuanfeng responded in a low voice, replying somewhat unconvinced:

"Just this monster, it couldn't even touch the corner of my clothes!"

Li Tongya smiled, patted his shoulder, and explained:

"I know your archery is superb. In the family, only your uncle's talent in swordsmanship can compare to yours. I just want you to remember the fragility of the human body."

Seeing his serious expression, Li Tongya said in a deep voice:

"Although Embryonic Breath and Qi Refining are as strong as oxen, capable of splitting stones and leaping over walls, they are much more fragile compared to monsters. Uncle has also fought many battles with Qi Refining-stage enemies. Do you know why those who are defeated are often seriously injured?"

"The enemy's magic techniques?"

Li Xuanfeng's curiosity was piqued, and he hurriedly asked.

"Not so."

Li Tongya shook his head and said solemnly:

"It's falling."

"Qi Refining people step into the air to walk. Those with weak minds who are wounded by the enemy are filled with pain and fear, often unable to hold their magic techniques and suddenly falling to the ground. Not to mention broken tendons and bones, how could they still have the strength to fight the enemy?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xuanxuan and Xuanling on the side were thoughtful, and Li Xuanfeng also nodded suddenly, repeatedly agreeing, and said with a smile:

"Uncle, it's so good to have you in the family."

"You child."

Li Tongya laughed and shook his head, then saw Li Xuanfeng pick up the sack in his right hand and smile:

"Uncle, look!"

After untying the rope, he poured out three squealing little mountain pigs. Li Xuanfeng grabbed the mountain pigs by the neck, picked one up in each hand, and explained:

"I found three mountain pigs in the beast den. Can we raise them at home?"

"There's quite a bit of spirit rice bran and leaves left, and there are some leftovers from killing monster beasts, so we can raise them. It's just that mountain pigs have a huge appetite, so raising one is already a handful."

Li Tongya nodded, then saw Li Xuanfeng smile:

"That's easy to handle!"

With a snap, Li Xuanfeng applied force with both hands, and the two little mountain pigs in his hands died, leaving only one in the sack still struggling, trying to escape.

"Ordinary people really can't handle these mountain pig monster cubs. Find an outsider disciple with cultivation to watch them."

Speaking of this, Li Tongya turned his head to look at Li Xuanxuan, who was applying sealing techniques to the corpse, and said in a deep voice:

"Xuan'er, how are the outsider and collateral branch cultivators in the family doing?"

"Huh."

Li Xuanxuan hurriedly raised his head and replied respectfully:

"Excluding Chen Donghe and Li Qiuyang, there are three outsider and collateral branch cultivators in the family these years. One of them is surnamed Ye, which I have already handled. Now he has changed back to the Li family collateral branch, and the outsider cultivators have also married into the Li family."

"Not bad."

Li Tongya nodded in approval and asked:

"How is their cultivation?"

"Not satisfactory!"

Li Xuanxuan shook his head and explained:

"The Embryonic Breath breathing techniques used by the collateral branches in the family are all the 'Green Origin Nourishing Wheel Technique' left by Senior Si Yuanbai back then. Practicing it is the same as our family's Tai..."

Li Xuanxuan opened his mouth to say the "Taiyin Breathing Nourishing Wheel Scripture," but was blocked by the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed in his Dantian acupoint, which interrupted his words and even disturbed Lu Jiangxian, who was concentrating on his research. A scan of his spiritual sense revealed the cause. Li Xuanxuan was tongue-tied for a moment, knowing he had made a slip of the tongue, and changed his words:

Li Tongya nodded after hearing this and thought to himself:

"I have to see if I can change this Embryonic Breath technique to a better one. There are only six Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds, and it won't be enough for the main branch descendants sooner or later. Don't use this mass-market trash then."

Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanling had just finished handling the whole mountain pig monster and called someone to drag it away when Li Xiewen came up to report that the Liu family had come to announce a funeral—his uncle Liu Linfeng had passed away tonight.

"Sigh."

The few Xuan-generation members in the family were still ignorant, but Li Tongya felt a tightness in his heart.

"Don't notify Mother."

The Liu woman's health had been poor these past few years. After Li Mutian left, she seemed to have lost her soul, always losing things, and sometimes walking to who knows where in a daze. Li Tongya was afraid of hurting the old woman.

"I'll go down the mountain to take a look."

————

Chen Donghe walked along the trajectory drawn by Li Xiangping. He didn't see any large Shanyue troops, and even the stationed soldiers had been withdrawn.

Along the way, there were nothing but corpses everywhere, vultures and jackals eating the corpses, and no water sources on the cracked earth, only some small ponds remaining on the dry riverbed.

The group walked dejectedly, and the whole team could only hear the faint sound of sobbing.

Of the thousand people who went out back then, only two hundred returned. Although they made the enemy pay ten times the casualties and a hundred times the turmoil, the people who returned were still covered in wounds and filled with sorrow.

Chen Donghe glanced at Li Yesheng, who was curled up on the stretcher beside him. His waist had been broken, and he had been unconscious for three days. Finally seeing him open his eyes slightly, he asked Chen Donghe in a low voice:

"Where is the Family Head?"

"Up ahead."

Chen Donghe squeezed out a smile. Seeing Li Yesheng close his eyes with a smile, his heart felt a slight pain, but he discovered a tear falling from the corner of Li Yesheng's eye, and choked up:

"Uncle Yesheng, I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

Li Yesheng closed his eyes tightly and said warmly:

"How did he die?"

"Curse spell."

Chen Donghe replied while holding back tears. Li Yesheng sighed from the depths of his throat, and tears fell from the corners of his eyes again.

Li Yesheng wept for the fact that such a powerful person as Li Xiangping had ended so hastily, and felt sorrow for his own completely ended power and status. As for his feelings for Li Xiangping, Li Yesheng's heart was as complex as a bowl of lumpy soup that had been boiled and spilled on the ground.

"Brother Xiangping, you and I are actually the same kind of person."

Li Yesheng knew Li Xiangping better than Li Xiangping knew himself.

He knew that the blood on the bluestone fifteen years ago was his brother Li Yesheng's, and he also knew what was going on with the guilt in Li Xiangping's eyes that year. Li Yesheng knew it well, yet pretended not to know.

In fact, twelve-year-old Li Yesheng was always beaten and molested by his brother Li Yesheng. He gritted his teeth and counted—there were three knives in Lijing Village, one big and two small. To get rid of his brother Li Yesheng, he had to make them clash.

So, Li Yesheng's ears were always filled with all kinds of rumors about Li Mutian's family. Li Yesheng walked on thin ice, carefully pushing for three years, and finally got him killed.

Li Yesheng had thought it would be Li Mutian who took action, but didn't expect it to be borrowing Li Xiangping's knife. Li Yesheng had been his running dog for a lifetime, but didn't expect Li Xiangping to die before him, which made him feel unbearable pain.

"Brother Xiangping, in the next life, I want to be your own brother, as good as Brother Tongya, as close as Brother Changhu."

Li Yesheng muttered a sentence, lifted his hand with difficulty, and hooked a bottle of medicine from his waist.

This was medicine he had prepared to prevent being tortured if he fell into the hands of the Shanyue. He didn't know what it tasted like yet.

"Surviving is just lingering on in a steadily worsening condition. Xiewen has already grown up and has a deep relationship with Xuanxuan. This is enough for a parent's arrangements."

Li Yesheng lifted his hand with difficulty, feeling the clear liquid slowly flow into his mouth. His mouth went numb instantly, and he slowly twisted, his white hair scattered on the stretcher, shaking back and forth.

"Damn it, it's bitter."

He thought indignantly at the end of his life.

(End of chapter)