Chapter 81: Intelligence

Li Xiangping lowered his head to look at A Huila, who was fawning before him, his gaze falling upon the man's thick neck. He mused to himself:

"This man still has some use, but he is slippery and disloyal. His Shanyue subordinates are also unruly; if not handled well, they could harm my own people."

A Huila looked at Li Xiangping and, seeing his gaze sweeping back and forth over his neck, immediately felt a chill down his back as if pricked by needles. His mind raced, seeking a way to escape, and he wailed:

"Great King! We were all forced to move east by the slaughter and oppression of Jia Nixi. We only seek a place to settle. If the Great King spares our lives, Jia Nixi will surely move east within ten years. We are still useful, Great King..."

Li Xiangping laughed and waved his hand. Li Xuanxuan and Li Qiuyang stepped forward to restrain A Huila. Li Xiangping turned and ordered:

"Return the property to each family. Escort all these Shanyue tribesmen away. As for you..."

"Take him to Mount Lijing first."

Watching Li Xiangping and Li Tongya walk forward together, Chen Erniu shook his head with a tsk behind the crowd. Looking at Chen Sanshui, who was following him with his head bowed, he cursed in a low voice:

"It's enough that I've been whipped into shape by Li Mutian, but what kind of sons have we all raised! This idiot isn't even as good as Li Xie, the son of Li Yesheng. At least Li Xie knows how to work diligently at Lijingkou these past few years!"

Thinking of Li Mutian, Chen Erniu's mood suddenly became depressed. He looked up at Mount Lijing in the distance, his face full of complex emotions, and muttered to himself:

"Why hasn't this old wolf died yet? Could it be that he ate some immortal medicine? Staying silently on the mountain for over a decade, he always makes people feel uneasy."

————

"Speak."

Li Xiangping sat in the main seat. Beside him stood Li Tongya, sword in hand, his eyes fixed tightly on A Huila. Li Xiangping looked at A Huila, who was kneeling honestly below, sipping hot tea with a smile:

"What kind of person is this Jia Nixi?"

A Huila was covered in sweat. He looked up at Li Xiangping again and stared blankly for a while until Li Tongya frowned. Li Xuanxuan, standing behind A Huila, struck his head hard with the hilt of his blade. A Huila shuddered, snapped out of it, and lowered his head, trembling:

"Jia Nixi... Jia Nixi is a person like the Great King."

A Huila was terrified in his heart, musing:

"Although these two look different, their posture and expression are truly identical. Both have that look of a tiger watching its prey."

While A Huila was still thinking, the back of his head was struck again. He looked up resentfully, only to see Li Xuanxuan's face flushed red, gritting his teeth:

"A mere Shanyue chieftain, how can he be compared to my uncle!"

Li Xiangping frowned and waved his hand, saying in a deep voice:

"Stop saying useless things. How many troops does he have? What is his strength? How many shamans are under his rule?"

A Huila hurriedly kowtowed and smiled fawningly:

"When we were driven out of the ancestral land in the northern foothills, Jia Nixi had already integrated over a dozen tribes. He should have three or four thousand troops under his command. Jia Nixi himself is at the Qi Refining realm, with two human shamans who have swallowed heaven and earth spiritual energy working for him. There are over a dozen tribes and tribal shamans at the Embryonic Breath realm."

"Four thousand troops, three Qi Refining cultivators, over a dozen Embryonic Breath cultivators."

Li Xiangping and Li Tongya looked at each other, both seeing the gravity in the other's eyes.

The Li family had been recuperating for many years. The total population of the four villages under their rule was barely over ten thousand, and at most, they could raise just over a thousand clan soldiers. In battle, they could barely scrape together another one or two thousand villagers with poor combat effectiveness.

"Dealing with this Jia Nixi is worse than facing Ji Dengqi."

Li Xiangping sighed in his heart. He turned back, his face calm, and gently set down his teacup, saying in a low voice:

A Huila was stunned and spoke hesitantly:

"I can, I can do a little, planting some herbs, cotton, and the like."

"Very well."

Li Xiangping stroked his chin and said in a low voice:

"Your remaining five or six hundred tribesmen will be dispersed into the villages to work as tenants and hunters. Those with skills can work as tanners or carpenters. Live well. Fortunately, there were no major casualties during the previous looting, so the villagers won't hold too much resentment against you. Behave yourselves, and don't cause any trouble!"

A Huila knelt on the ground and nodded hurriedly, answering falteringly:

"My tribesmen were originally living peacefully in the stockade, hunting and working. If it weren't for our homes being destroyed and our tribe wiped out, we wouldn't have moved east to loot. I will definitely instruct my tribesmen well..."

"You, A Huila, will first plant some spirit rice at the foot of my Mount Lijing."

Li Xiangping stood up gently and smiled:

"I will send people to teach you to read and to care for the spirit rice. After all, you are a laborer at the fourth level of Embryonic Breath; it would be a pity to kill you for nothing."

————

Qingchi Peak.

Senior Si Yuanbai was kneeling quietly in front of the stone gate carved with complex spiritual patterns, his lips pressed tightly together, looking at the formation before him with a complex expression.

"Old Ancestor, please retract your order!"

His clear voice echoed in the cave for a while, gradually disappearing into the wind.

"Yuanbai, why must you be like this..."

Only a sigh was heard, and a heavy, aged voice sounded, also echoing in the cave.

Senior Si Yuanbai closed his eyes, his expression somewhat weary. He opened his mouth and continued:

"I ask the Old Ancestor... to retract the order!"

Seeing the person behind the stone wall remain silent, Senior Si Yuanbai's eyes were firm, and he said in a low voice:

"My Qingsui Peak will not go to the Southern Frontier."

"Nonsense!"

A thunderous roar exploded in Senior Si Yuanbai's ears, causing blood to stream from both his ears. Senior Si Yuanbai smiled coldly and continued:

"Do you think I don't know what you're planning? It's nothing more than wanting to eat Jing'er so that they can fill the gaps! It's likely that the big pots of the demon kings in the Southern Frontier are already hot. How many mortals to hand over, and how much treasure and spiritual objects the Southern Frontier will offer, have all been discussed, right!"

"Senior Si Yuanbai! You are bold!"

The pressure of the Zifu stage surged out, causing Senior Si Yuanbai to spit out a mouthful of blood. He wiped the corner of his mouth bitterly and gritted his teeth:

"Back then, Yu Xie was sent by you, saying it was to gather twelve strands of Taiyin Moonlight. I begged bitterly for one hundred and fifty-six days, and you said this was the last one. I actually believed you group of..."

"Shut up!"

Senior Si Yuanbai was struck hard out of thin air, slamming into the stone wall. He spat out another mouthful of blood and laughed loudly:

"Qingchi Immortal Sect, what a Qingchi Immortal Sect!"

"What a great Immortal Sect!"

Senior Si Yuanbai's long hair was disheveled. Contrary to his usual gentle and scholarly style, he stood up with red eyes, and surging, endless magic power swirled around his body.

"Senior Si Yuanbai, your inner demons are at work; we will not argue with you."

The first heavy, aged voice sounded again, forcibly suppressing Senior Si Yuanbai, and said softly:

"Seal your cultivation and escort him to the tower." ===== CHAPTER 82 =====