Chapter 86: Prelude to the Great War

When Li Xiangping arrived at Lijingkou, the battle was already drawing to a close. A Huila was waving a large hammer in the battle formation, chasing the enemy's routed soldiers, which was particularly prominent.

In the past few years, Mountain Yue routed soldiers had been crossing the border one after another. A Huila was called to Lijingkou by Li Xiangping to persuade the tribes he was familiar with. He was considered brave in several battles and won the respect of the clan soldiers. Li Xiangping also felt much more at ease with him.

"Which wave of Shanyue is this this year?"

Li Xiangping frowned and looked at the mountains in the distance, his heart uneasy, and asked in a low voice.

"Reporting to the Patriarch! It is already the sixth wave!"

Li Qiuyang on the side answered in a deep voice, looking dusty, thinking he had just arrived.

Li Qiuyang was now at the fourth level of Embryonic Breath, had married a woman from the Chen family, and had a son and a daughter. He looked much more mature.

Li Xiangping nodded, turned and entered the courtyard, leaving a sentence for Li Qiuyang:

"After cleaning up, let A Huila come to see me."

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Li Xiangping put down the talisman pen in his hand and looked quietly at the cloth on the table. He had broken through to the fifth level of Embryonic Breath, the Yujing Wheel, a few years ago, and now he was at the peak of Embryonic Breath. He could have been drawing talismans with a pen long ago.

Li Jingtian was adding oil to the lamp in the room. The girl was twelve years old now, growing fast and nimble, and had grown into a graceful and generous young lady.

The three brothers of the Li family who survived used one talisman seed each from Lu Jiangxian's six, and the remaining two were used on Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanfeng. The last one was naturally left for Li Tongya's branch.

"Patriarch! A Huila requests an audience!"

Chen Donghe was wearing leather armor with a sword hanging at his waist, entering the courtyard with heroic spirit. His eyes lingered on the side face of Li Jingtian by the window for a moment, and he lowered his eyebrows and said in a deep voice.

The youth was seventeen or eighteen years old, his cultivation had reached the third level of Embryonic Breath, and he looked quite handsome, with a bit of Chen Erniu's appearance.

"Come in."

A Huila had taken off all the beast teeth he wore and replaced them with fur clothes like those of the people of Lijing Town. He entered the courtyard and shouted:

"Great King! Great King! Something bad is going to happen!"

Chen Donghe behind him twitched his lips, holding back the urge to slap the guy on the back of the head. He lowered his head secretly, using A Huila's huge body to block Li Xiangping's gaze, and used his peripheral vision to look at Li Jingtian.

Li Jingtian was trimming the lamp wick by the window. The yellowish candlelight flickered slightly on her side face. Her beauty was not the exquisite and petite kind, but a clean and neat kind. Her features were full of heroic spirit, and only her eyes inherited Tian Yun's roundness, which looked a bit cute instead.

"What is it?"

Li Xiangping looked at Li Jingtian, who was focusing on lighting the candle by the window, and the corner of his mouth hooked into a curve. He found it funny in his heart. After breaking through to the fifth level of Embryonic Breath, the Yujing Wheel, he had developed spiritual sense, so he knew what was happening in the courtyard without looking with his eyes.

A Huila's words immediately stirred up a thousand waves. Li Xiangping and Chen Donghe were both shocked, and even Li Jingtian by the window turned her head slightly, listening carefully with worry.

"What is Jia Nixi's strength now?"

Li Xiangping frowned and asked in a deep voice.

A Huila lowered his head and answered dully:

"Jia Nixi should be at the middle stage of Qi Refining. He has integrated the entire northern foothills of Mount Li, with five or six thousand dispatchable troops. Now there are four human shamans at the Qi Refining stage who have swallowed heaven and earth spiritual energy listening to his orders. As for the tribal generals at the Embryonic Breath realm, there should be dozens. Fortunately, these people are stationed in various places in the northern foothills and have not followed the army."

As soon as these words came out, Li Xiangping was stunned, frowned, and said in a deep voice:

"My Li family offers tribute to the Qingchi Sect every year and is a family under the rule of the Qingchi Sect. Jia Nixi is just a Shanyue. It's one thing to ravage the northern foothills, but he dares to invade the east at will? Does he really think the Qingchi Sect is dead?"

A Huila hurriedly knelt down, his head pressed tightly against the ground, and said tremblingly:

"According to the tribesmen who fled from the west, the Demon Sect... the Qingchi Sect won't care..."

Li Xiangping lowered his head, a sense of powerless anger rising in his heart. Even the small soldiers of the Shanyue knew that the Qingchi Sect would not take action. As the patriarch of a family under the rule of the Qingchi Sect, he knew nothing about what kind of deal had been reached between the two sides.

"You all go down first..."

A Huila and Chen Donghe hurriedly took their leave. Seeing them go out, Li Xiangping sat back in the main seat and closed his eyes, saying nothing.

"Father."

Li Jingtian called out in a low voice, walked close to Li Xiangping, bowed slightly, and said softly:

"Our family is in danger of becoming meat for others, so we must make plans early."

Li Xiangping raised his eyebrows wearily and said in a deep voice:

"Continue."

Li Jingtian lowered her eyebrows and said softly:

"Jia Nixi dares to invade the east at will, it must be that the Qingchi Sect and the Great Shaman of the Shanyue tribe have reached a consensus to hand over territory and mortals, but they didn't notify my Li family, not wanting my Li family to react..."

"You mean my Li family has become the goods for the handover."

Li Xiangping raised his eyebrows and looked down at his eldest daughter.

"In my daughter's opinion, this time my Li family is in danger of losing wealth and laboring the people, but there is no danger of extermination."

"Uncle is still in the sect, and my Li family has also made contact with the Xiao family. The Qingchi Sect shouldn't abandon my family without a sound. They must have only allowed the Shanyue tribe to enter the border to loot, not to destroy my entire Li family."

Li Jingtian raised her eyebrows, looked up at Li Xiangping, and answered softly again:

"The territory of the Qingchi Sect and various Shanyue tribes is intertwined, involving many families. Since the Qingchi Sect has reached a deal, they have to pretend not to know that the Shanyue have entered the border, and each family has to rely on their own ability to protect themselves."

Li Xiangping listened to Li Jingtian finish, then put away the wooden slip in his hand, raised his head, and said:

"How do you think my Li family should respond?"

Li Jingtian stared straight at Li Xiangping and asked tentatively.

"No!"

Seeing Li Xiangping shake his head firmly, a smile bloomed on Li Jingtian's face, making her round eyes look even cuter.

"If so, my Li family would be no different from the Qingchi Sect!"

Li Xiangping shook his head, his expression somewhat weary. Seeing Li Jingtian open her mouth again, he waved his hand to interrupt her and said in a deep voice:

"I know, you go back to Mount Lijing first."

Li Jingtian nodded obediently and took her leave. Li Xiangping walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking at the forest under the moonlight.

He felt a strong premonition in his heart. This Jia Nixi was the most formidable opponent he had encountered in so many years. This young Shanyue not only possessed keen war instincts, a cunning brain, but also overwhelming strength.

"What kind of bottom line did the Qingchi Sect draw for the Shanyue, and how much time did they give you..." ===== CHAPTER 87 =====