Chapter 195

When Li Guanyi's name was mentioned, both General Yue Qianfeng and Yan Xuanji showed subtle changes in expression.

The messenger lifted the letter, holding it with both hands; General Yue Qianfeng did not approach hastily, but extended his palm, clenched it slightly, and his internal Qi surged—immediately, the letter flew out and landed in his hand. Only after confirming there was no poison did he open it.

His furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

It was Li Guanyi's handwriting; the paper bore the imprint of the tiger tally half that had remained in Li Guanyi's possession. After reading the letter, General Yue Qianfeng passed it to Yan Xuanji, who scanned it with his tiger-like eyes, and only then did his expression ease.

"The Lord is truly still alive."

General Yue Qianfeng laughed loudly: "Indeed."

"But I wonder why he became the master of the Changfeng Lady."

He pulled out his own tiger tally, pressed it against the letter, leaving an imprint that perfectly matched the original half—yin and yang fitting together—then handed the letter to the messenger. The messenger exhaled in relief, bowed, and turned away swiftly.

Though only at the initial stage of the Heavy Heaven Realm, his lightness skill had many noteworthy aspects.

General Yue Qianfeng now wore full-body armor, seated not on a warhorse but on a towering, swaying Green-Eyed Lion Beast with eyes glowing green, over ten feet tall at the shoulder, radiating lethal intent. He hung his dark weapon on a hook on the beast's armor and said: "This matter must be told to all of you."

He revealed the strategy outlined in Li Guanyi's letter.

This location is five hundred li from Beicheng.

Heavy cavalry normally moves slower than light cavalry, but this unit is among the strongest in the world, a top-tier army—all members are Second Heaven Realm martialists; they can cover five hundred li in a single day.

Yet within Beicheng, there are more than three Garrison Commanders of the Sixth Heaven Realm.

Among them is a famed general ranked forty-first on the Divine General List, though inferior to General Yue Qianfeng.

But he commands thirty thousand frontline combat troops and terrifying Mo Family mechanical devices.

It is a fortress even the greatest general of the realm avoids—a hard nut to crack. Marshal Yue's life is sustained, yet for these past dozen days he has remained in unbroken slumber, only his Qi flowing, with instinctive appetite to keep him alive.

Under these circumstances, neither General Yue Qianfeng nor any other commander wishes to fight.

To clash with those thirty thousand elite troops would mean heavy losses, even if they broke through.

These are the men who followed them through countless battles across nations; General Yue Qianfeng refuses to waste them.

Li Guanyi's strategy is to mobilize internal forces within Beicheng, creating sufficient time for the Yue Army during the destruction of the Yuwen Clan—Beicheng, as such a formidable fortress, will prioritize internal threats above all else.

The Yue Army, as an offensive force, can directly charge through Beicheng's sphere of influence.

A cavalry commander in his thirties said:

"It's a fine strategy, but can it truly be trusted…?"

General Yue Qianfeng said: "Ling Pingyang, rest easy."

He paused, not mentioning that Li Guanyi was the son of Tai Ping Gong.

For these hardened, battle-scarred veterans, such news would backfire.

General Yue Qianfeng said: "He is the greatest hero who killed the treacherous chancellor and rescued Marshal Yue."

Thus, the young cavalry commander's expression turned solemn. He was Ling Pingyang, thirty-three years old, Fifth Heaven Realm, exceptionally skilled in commanding cavalry charges; though his personal realm was slightly lower, he was already on the Divine General List, ranked ninety-seventh, barely qualifying.

The top thirty on the Divine General List, or men like General Yue Qianfeng, are mostly Seventh Heaven Realm or higher.

But the Divine General List is absurd in that even the lowest-ranked still holds Sixth Heaven Realm.

The true difference lies in command, battlefield formation, strategy, and tactics.

Men like Ling Pingyang and Lu Youxian, though weak in personal combat, can unleash capabilities surpassing even Master-level generals on specialized battlefields, earning higher ranks on the Divine General List than generals with greater personal Wu Gong.

A military general's strength with an army differs entirely from his strength without one.

Whether his troops are elite core units, second-line forces, or third-line garrison troops.

The methods they can unleash are worlds apart.

Ling Pingyang is the strongest cavalry commander among the younger generation of the Yue Army. When he reaches his forties, nearing fifty, for generals of deep cultivation, that is when personal martial skill, strategy, and experience reach their peak—he should be able to enter the top sixty of the Divine General List.

The states of Chen and Ying are both vast nations spanning tens of thousands of li.

The steppe Turkic tribes, though sparsely populated, cover even greater territory than Chen and Ying.

There is also the vast, boundless Western Regions—smaller in area, but rife with warlord conflicts beyond the passes.

Any one of these states fields hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers; to rank among the top hundred on the Divine General List is already a source of pride, enough to easily crush enemies numbering several times one's own.

Though Ling Pingyang had not yet met him, his admiration for the young man was already high; gripping his lance, he laughed loudly: "A young hero! Too bad I can't meet him!"

"If it's him, we believe!"

"One who sacrifices himself to save others, kills the treacherous chancellor, and breaks open the pass—such a hero, I accept."

The other young cavalry commanders also trusted this man's strategy.

Yan Xuanji lowered his gaze slightly; short black stubble had grown on his head. Hearing the praise from the young cavalry Captains around him, he thought: The Lord is slowly, step by step, forging his own path.

General Yue Qianfeng said: "Good. Then we advance slowly."

His tiger-like eyes swept over the surrounding Captains: "Proceed at one-third our original speed, giving Beicheng's commanders the illusion that we are resting and will take five days to pass. Once Li Guanyi's intelligence arrives, accelerate without hesitation—charge straight through!"

"Catch them off guard!"

He sits at thirty-fourth on the Divine General List not merely because of brute martial prowess.

The eight thousand iron cavalry responded solemnly:

"Yes!"

General Yue Qianfeng stroked the head of his Green-Eyed Lion Beast; Yan Xuanji's mount was an even more magnificent warhorse, its back covered in large scales, feet leaving trails of fire, eyes with vertical pupils, and sharp fangs—it eats only meat.

General Yue Qianfeng gazed into the distance:

"The rations we carry will only last us these few days."

"Little brother, this time, brother is counting on you."

All major generals across the realm learned that after approaching the Beicheng region, the Yue Army suddenly slowed its pace. All speculated: either Marshal Yue Pengwu's condition worsened, or this isolated force, after prolonged charging, had finally grown exhausted and was now resting.

General Yue Qianfeng ordered his cavalry to purchase rations and medicine from nearby towns.

They hunted in the mountains, and field kitchens gradually decreased in number.

Thus, they created the false impressions of: 【scarce rations】, 【Marshal Yue Pengwu's condition worsening】, and 【morale broken】.

Waiting for a battle with Zhenxi Xiongcheng.

The great tide of the world churned and surged once more, converging upon Zhenxi Xiongcheng; no one knew that beneath this furious storm, the one playing chess with the famed general Yuwen Lie was merely a teenager.

Over these past few days, Li Guanyi had only written letters to his aunt, informing her of his current situation; Yao Guang had done something, for that white bird could now find his aunt's location.

After more than a month of flight and cultivation, he drifted along lazily.

The third acupoint, the oral acupoint, broke through.

The speed of internal Qi circulation increased.

The benefit was an enhanced ability to absorb pills and food, drawing closer to the stage where warriors could survive by eating tree bark; as a martial artist, his endurance in battle improved further—warriors at this stage could even digest substances like Guanyin clay that could choke a man to death.

The downside was that his appetite increased again.

It added frost to an already barren household.

The 【Flowing Wind and Returning Snow Tower】 had been acquired; now, with many expenses, the income of the 【Changfeng Tower】 had been utterly drained. After that day, Li Guanyi merely looked at the 【Changfeng Tower】's expenditures as an intelligence organization and felt his vision darken, his heart clenching with pain.

A super-large intelligence organization sounded utterly elegant and mysterious.

In reality, it burned money every single day.

【Cultivating ties with nobility】 【Gathering talent】 【Cultivating beauties】 【Gathering intelligence】

And 【adopting those whom Li Guanyi had saved】.

If not for the capital of Chen, where nobles indulged in luxury and decadence,

the 【Changfeng Tower】 might have had to pour money in just to sustain such a colossal entity.

To maintain the operation of such a behemoth.

Li Guanyi began eating steamed buns.

Yao Guang's hair stirred slightly; though her face showed no expression, there was an inexplicable air of smugness.

The Fire Qilin, angered, began leaving the city daily to hunt alone.

Then returning with game.

Thus, Li Guanyi had meat to eat.

Li Guanyi had the Xue family remove the sign of the 【Flowing Wind and Returning Snow Tower】 and personally inscribed the name 【Changfeng Tower】; relying on the reputation of the 【Jiangnan First Tower】's branch in Zhenxi Xiongcheng, he attracted many visitors.

But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Under Xuan Gui's urging, Li Guanyi returned to the Ghost Market to complete his assassination bounty.

This time, the Immortal Marquis of Eternal Night personally received this world's tenth assassin; the pure and beautiful Immortal Marquis of Eternal Night smiled and said, "Mr. Jing Ke, your methods are indeed formidable—you killed Zhao Huarui so effortlessly before countless eyes, without tarnishing your title as the world's tenth assassin."

Li Guanyi remained silent, nodding faintly, adhering to the demeanor expected of an assassin.

The Immortal Marquis of Eternal Night sensed Li Guanyi did not wish to speak further; many assassins possessed such temperaments. She merely smiled and said, "Then please follow me. The 【Xuan-Level Secret Treasury】 holds no supreme treasures, but many small curios worth playing with."

The Xuan Gui's manifestation had floated out, resting upon Li Guanyi's shoulder.

Full of anticipation.

Li Guanyi considered whether to exchange the items for gold; caught in this indecision, he was led to the Xuan-Level Treasury. The Immortal Marquis of Eternal Night remained outside, permitting only Li Guanyi to enter alone. The teenager nodded and stepped inside.

The Immortal Marquis of Eternal Night claimed the 【Xuan-Level Secret Treasury】 held few treasures—but it was merely modesty.

The place was vast; Li Guanyi's gaze swept across it and saw many priceless items.

In an instant, he spotted a battle halberd.

Twelve feet long, heavier and more substantial than Han Shuang Ji; though it lacked Han Shuang Ji's frost properties, it was even heavier, its blade edge cold and sharp as moonlit snow.

Li Guanyi walked over, gently caressing the battle halberd, and read: "【Xuantie Fengji】—top-tier weapon, forged from Xuantie metal, unnaturally heavy, usable only by those of great strength, its material unyielding, valued at thirteen hundred taels of gold."

Li Guanyi gripped the weapon, and it rang out with a single tremor.

This weapon could serve him until the Third Heaven; he could not wield the Mighty Tiger Roaring Heaven Halberd constantly, and he longed to carry a halberd at his side—during this period of sword combat, he had felt it was unsatisfying.

The sword's edge was too narrow, too light.

Its killing range too short.

A long-handled heavy weapon like a halberd—capable of striking, slashing, thrusting, sweeping, poking, and locking other weapons—was precisely what Li Guanyi desired now.

He wanted to take this halberd away.

But he restrained himself and set the weapon down.

Among the younger generation, only he wielded a halberd with such power and skill.

Just him.

Moreover, halberds were taboo weapons among the warring states.

Carrying such a thing on the road would draw too much attention.

It was like dancing before the eyes of Zhenxi Xiongcheng's famed general and his thirty thousand elite soldiers.

Li Guanyi scanned the other items: superior martial arts from various sects, but nothing beyond the level of the Xue family's 【Shattered Jade Fist】; he had no lack of such Wu Gong. He saw pills, but his vitality was now robust, and he had cultivated the 【Imperial Supreme Classic of the Ages】's section on nurturing life.

As for other items like 【Clearing Fire Powder】 and 【Corpse-Dissolving Powder】,

the teenager glanced at them and put them down.

He made an internal evaluation.

Inferior to Hou Zhongyu's.

Hou Zhongyu's powders had seemed unremarkable before, but compared to the Xuan-Level treasures of this Ghost Market, they reduced to a single word—

【Pure】!

The purity was so extreme it could drive alchemists who formulated these powders to smash their heads against walls.

Yet, the sect that specialized in the 【Elixir of Immortality】 and refused to use human blood—even among alchemists across the land—likely belonged to the pinnacle of 【Orthodox Sects】.

Had he killed the heir of the world's top alchemical sect?

Li Guanyi realized this belatedly.

After wandering the martial world and witnessing the Yin-Yang Wheel Sect's practices—using children's blood and women's pure Yin blood to brew pills—he suddenly felt that Hou Zhongyu, who had sat for decades within the Chen imperial palace, diligently studying the blood of strange beasts and mountain marrow in pursuit of immortality,

It doesn't seem simple at all.

His ancestral master once sat across from the Green Robe Guest and debated the Dao.

The teacher spent sixty years smoothing out the madness and extremism in the Green Robe Guest's martial arts, transforming them into balance and harmony.

And I myself devised a method to transform the Fire Qilin into an Auspicious Qilin.

Is Hou Zhongyu considered a top-tier master among sorcerers?

Li Guanyi pondered, while the Black Tortoise, unable to wait any longer, pulled him forward; Li Guanyi's gaze swept past one object after another—here, they were exquisite ornaments. The Black Tortoise's manifestation halted before one item, and Li Guanyi looked.

It was an egg.

Large, about the size of a human head, its vitality long extinguished.

"Divine Beast Manor's Strange Beast Egg: Technique of Egg-to-Fetus Transformation. A pity—the latent vitality still might hatch a Strange Beast. Two thousand two hundred taels of gold."

The Black Tortoise stared hungrily at the egg, then turned to Li Guanyi, waving its claws incessantly.

Li Guanyi understood the Black Tortoise's meaning.

"You mean this thing can restore much of the Qilin's depleted foundation?"

"Shorten the recovery time after each of its attacks?"

The Black Tortoise nodded vigorously.

Li Guanyi was delighted, his fingers brushing the Black Tortoise's back in encouragement—the Qilin was his current trump card; once mature, it possessed the power of a Qizhongtian Sect master, and even now, it should reach Sixth Heaven, yet it could fly.

But after ten years of torment, its foundation was severely depleted.

Each attack required long rest.

So Hou Zhongyu might as well be dead.

Li Guanyi thought, picked up the item. The Night Marquis smiled and nodded, asking nothing about its purpose, only saying gently: "Also, Mr. Jing Ke, my Beicheng still has some assassination bounties—if you're interested, feel free to look."

Li Guanyi glanced and found targets: assassinate a general, assassinate a city governor.

Also assassinate Yuwen Hua.

Of course, there were also many bounties for assassinating Ji Kuang Li Guanyi.

He had no immediate interest in taking any. The Night Marquis made no demand, only smiled and saw him out. Li Guanyi found a hidden spot, left the Black Tortoise to watch, changed back into his Daoist robe and longsword, then carried the bag containing the Strange Beast Egg and hurried back.

The Qilin had just returned from hunting and was proudly enjoying Yao Guang's head-scratching.

It saw Li Guanyi return.

Seeing the Strange Beast Egg in the boy's hands, the Qilin's eyes lit up—it rolled over, leapt up, spread all four limbs, and plopped onto Li Guanyi's face, knocking the young Daoist backward.

The Qilin licked the boy's cheeks wildly.

Li Guanyi struggled to lift the Qilin off, grumbling:

"Enough! It's all saliva!"

The Qilin: "Miaowu!!!"

"Miaomiao~!"

Li Guanyi shuddered, gently kicked the creature away. The Qilin beamed—then in an instant, flames dispersed, revealing its true form: scales, mane, dragon horns, sharp claws, fur slightly raised, crimson flames rising, golden eyes, its right paw gently pressing against the Strange Beast Egg.

Then—just once—it curled up, and the Strange Beast Egg soared upward.

Li Guanyi thought the Qilin would swallow it whole.

Instead, the Qilin opened its mouth and spat out a blast of Qilin Fire.

The Qilin Fire cradled the egg, rotating it three hundred sixty degrees, roasting it—soon, a fragrant aroma spread. The Qilin glanced at Li Guanyi, as if sensing his thoughts, sneered: "I am a Qilin!"

"I eat only cooked food!"

It returned to its normal size, saying this allowed for proper enjoyment, then used its paw to gently crack open the shell, slowly tearing off a small piece of egg white, asking Li Guanyi and Yao Guang if they wanted some. Upon learning it was meant solely for it, it ate without restraint, devouring greedily.

In the span of a single incense stick, it devoured everything.

The large egg vanished into the Qilin's shrunken belly.

The Qilin lay there, its belly swollen. Li Guanyi poked its belly—each poke left a dent—and laughed: "How? Feeling restored?"

The Qilin let out a burp.

The burp was a jet of flame, spewed into the air.

It patted its belly and said: "Perfect!"

"My foundation is still far from complete—but—"

It seemed to smile; crimson flames curled around its fangs, its pupils turned pure gold, and the majestic aura of a top-five divine beast on the Heavenly Beasts List slowly radiated outward:

"I can fight once more, then flee with both of you—no problem!"

The aura spread. The little Qilin bared its teeth, smugly:

"Hunt me? Hmph! Grandpa Qilin will burn you all!"

It paused, as if for emphasis, and slashed its paw fiercely through the air: "Burn them all!"

Then Li Guanyi flipped it onto its back.

Xue Lao's letter arrived soon after, along with the official seal. Xue Zhaoji personally went to the Governor's Mansion to deliver the message. Li Guanyi merely waited, waiting for this silent duel with Yuwen Lie, waiting for his departure with his aunt.

The Yue Family Army's breakout.

And the reckoning against the Yuwen Clan, the strike against the Yin-Yang Wheel Sect—only the net remained to be drawn.

But on the third day, someone from the Xue family suddenly found him.

It was Xue Zhaoji's trusted aide, face anxious: "Bad news, Lady!"

"Master Xue went to the Governor's Mansion—and hasn't come out in three days!"

"And there's no sign of troop mobilization!"

"This, this!!!"

Li Guanyi's expression paused—the boy's first scheme faltered. Instantly, he realized where the problem lay. He raised his head, gazing toward the towering Governor's Mansion in the night: "The Governor… is also compromised? Has he allied with the Yuwen Clan?"

When he thought of this, Li Guanyi did not feel anger.

Instead, he felt a quiet, helpless urge to laugh.

It seemed absurd, yet reasonable.

But this was Zhenxi Xiongcheng.

Zhenxi Xiongcheng, the greatest fortress under heaven, built with Mo Family mechanisms, garrisoned by thirty thousand elite troops, a single-line formation.

If you gave this force and its deployment to Old Turtle Lu Youxian—that silent, calm, yet fiercely loyal old turtle—he would make two hundred thousand troops grind their teeth to dust trying to bypass him, and even generals far stronger in Wu Gong would rage themselves to death.

Yet this very fortress, its lord had formed ties with the Yuwen Clan.

He had even seized the Chancellor Xue family's seal and envoys.

Such a man could have double loyalty.

Chen Dingye, Chen Dingye.

What a worthless fool!!!

"This lord is a fence-sitter, playing both sides, betting on both."

Li Guanyi made his judgment, then comforted Xue Zhaoji's trusted aide in a gentle tone: "You need not worry. Lord Xue represents Xue Lao, whose power is now at its peak. The world's situation remains unclear—this lord dare not yet tear up the peace and oppose Xue Lao directly. He has merely trapped Lord Xue for now."

Though this aide was like a father to Xue Zhaoji, he still controlled his emotions and said: "Yes. The seal is in his hands. Without the tiger tally, Zhenxi Xiongcheng's troops will not move—not unless a special figure speaks."

Li Guanyi fell silent for a long while, then said: "I understand. Stay calm for now."

The young man was persuaded by Li Guanyi to return and rest.

Li Guanyi stood by the window. He had not mentioned that Yuwen Hua was also here.

Yuwen Hua likely forced the lord to take a side and moved against Xue Zhaoji ruthlessly.

Gazing at Zhenxi Xiongcheng outside, hand gripping his sword, this mighty fortress loomed—its walls of blue steel rock, dozens of zhang tall, like a giant overlooking the city below. His aunt was already prepared to escape, and the Eight Thousand Iron Cavalry of the Yue Army were drawing near.

And the lord already had double loyalty. The Four Great Masters have arrived in this city.

The world's heroes are too many, each with their own pursuits and desires—like dragons and tigers locked in battle, never unfolding as predicted. Precisely because of this, the world churns with storms and surges, vast and turbulent.

Pojun, if only you were here.

But you are not. I have my own methods.

If I cannot succeed without you, then I am not worthy of your loyalty.

Isn't that so?

Li Guanyi smiled with ease, gripped his sword, and made his decision.

He already had a plan!

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