Chapter 334: Alliances and Rivalries: Dragon and Phoenix Meet

Nangong Wumeng squatted down, gazing at the colossal divine deer amid the massive sandstorm; her beautiful brows furrowed, uncertain how to handle this creature—she had seen it herself when she arrived.

They were thrown down by that ancient colossal dragon precisely because the divine deer blocked their path.

I merely felt suddenly bored today, stepped out for a stroll, and somehow encountered a heavy rain; I hurriedly spurred my horse, then got caught in a storm, lost my way, and was swept into this sandstorm—only now did I discover that at its center lay such a colossal divine deer.

"Hey hey hey, are you still alright?"

"Can you hear me?!"

Nangong Wumeng shouted loudly.

The nine-colored divine deer could not respond, only resisting the poison of the Bi—Bi was the king of ancient monstrous toxins; all things generate and restrain each other, and though the deer could discern wind and sand, it could not suppress this poison, suffering excruciating pain.

Nangong Wumeng could only fetch a water pouch and feed it to her, saying: "Don't die here, please—what exactly happened…?" After much frantic effort to care for it, she propped her chin on her hands: "What a huge deer."

"This thing doesn't seem sellable."

Nangong Wumeng sat on a rock and sighed:

"If it can't be sold for money, that little money-mad brat will find this a nuisance."

Her thoughts paused, then subtly hardened:

"No no no, wrong—why am I even caring whether this thing can be turned into cash or whether that little money-mad brat will be delighted? I I I—"

"What's it to me!"

Nangong Wumeng's ears turned red; she took a deep breath and muttered to herself: "It's because Aqi Ni City lacks gold and silver, because the Tiance Prefecture is in dire straits, because we—all of us—are desperately poor…"

"It's for these very reasons that I suddenly thought of this."

"Yes, that's right, that's right."

She murmured for a while, then suddenly heard the Fire Qilin's roar; she looked up and saw a streak of fire descending from the sky, then splitting apart into the Fire Qilin, followed by Li Guanyi striding forward in a brown wool robe, beneath which lay fine scale armor, a short blade at his waist, and a long sword on one side.

"Nangong, are you unharmed?"

Li Guanyi steadied his gaze, scanning Nangong Wumeng, confirming she bore no injuries:

"I'm fine…"

Nangong Wumeng muttered: "I—I mean, the Miss here—possesses Wu Gong and divine weapons; of course I'm fine. But you—what's going on with this divine deer?!"

"Besides, why are you even concerned about me?"

Li Guanyi frowned: "We're comrades-in-arms—I naturally care."

He paused slightly, then spoke solemnly: "You traded my thirty years of fortune for wind."

"You can't afford to get hurt."

Nangong Wumeng widened her phoenix eyes, kicked him hard in the knee, and gritted her teeth: "You broke-down beggar—you deserve a lifetime of poverty."

As she spoke, she burst out laughing herself.

Li Guanyi turned to the divine deer, his eyes sharp with hidden insight; in an instant he spotted the problem—the deer's body was colossal, like a mountain range. He murmured an apology, leapt into the air, and saw an arrow deeply embedded in the deer's flesh.

A terrifying aura clung to it.

Merely touching it made his fingers sting.

"Eighth Heaven? No…"

"Ninth Heaven—the aura of a famed general?"

Li Guanyi stared at his palm; even the aura had carved a wound into his flesh, oozing blood, while a familiar stabbing pain surged through him.

"... Bi poison?"

"No, but its purity seems relatively low."

"Not the level that tormented me for so many years."

Li Guanyi clenched his fist.

The Everlasting Immortal Body of the Green Robe Immortal activated naturally, forcing the residual Bi poison from the arrow out of Li Guanyi's body, where it dripped onto the nine-colored divine deer's wound—the deer's body trembled again.

"Ah, sorry, sorry…"

Li Guanyi apologized, leaned over the deer's back, and saw the arrow buried deep—its terrifying martial aura still unextinguished. The Ancient Crimson Dragon had said that eight hundred years ago, the Fire Qilin, pushing to its limit, reached only the Ninth Heaven.

The Scholar Palace's Old Qilin had merely reached the peak of the Eighth Heaven, until the legendary Sword Madman severed his Qilin horn.

The Fire Qilin swallowed that water-elemental treasure pearl to balance yin and yang, attempting to break through the Divine Threshold—but failed and died.

The nine-colored divine deer is not a combat entity.

Unlike the Ancient Crimson Dragon or the Fire Qilin.

Like Wen Lingjun, Pojun, Wen He, and others compared to Li Guanyi and Generals Ling Pingyang.

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, gripped the arrow, and pulled outward—the barbed tip's aura remained unyielding, twisting and causing the nine-colored divine deer unbearable agony; under this excruciating pain, it stirred from its stupor and opened its eyes.

"Little one, why are you here?"

Li Guanyi said: "I should be asking you—how did you end up here?"

"Divine deer, who shot you?"

The nine-colored divine deer's voice was hoarse: "The Western Regions—the Yu Langwang."

Li Guanyi's expression became solemn.

Yu Langwang commanded a vast army; during the war of annihilation, before his Wu Gong was stripped, he was the fourth greatest general of his age—his martial prowess surpassed Yuwen Lie. Now he has returned, and his methods are unknown.

The ninth heaven's fourth greatest general?

Li Guanyi suddenly recalled a year ago, in the Central Plains—when the fifth greatest general of the realm, Yuwen Lie, led eight thousand Tiger Demon cavalry to confront and pin down the Green Robe Immortal, Yuwen Lie had been able to stand toe-to-toe with the Green Robe Immortal.

Yu Langwang's peak surpassed Yuwen Lie's.

If he led an army of conquest, even legendary martial cultivators would avoid his sharp edge; even the Ancient Crimson Dragon could not face such a general head-on—anyone who acted recklessly would be surrounded and slain. The nine-colored divine deer was no match.

Yet the thought of such a mighty hero being in the Western Regions, visible and tangible, and the necessity to confront this top-tier general who had amassed vast military power there, tightened Li Guanyi's spirit.

The great tide of the realm must be fought for.

Great struggle.

Even without enmity or grievance.

Li Guanyi and the Yu Langwang will eventually clash.

A righteous battle, fought for the sake of this world.

That arrow seemed to have brought the Yu Langwang's aura here; Li Guanyi steadied his spirit and said, "I have a way to heal you—it may hurt a little, Fire Qilin, endure it."

Li Guanyi raised his hand and pressed it against the hilt of the sword at his waist; there was only a low, resonant hum.

The Murong Qiushui sword drew itself.

The blade of the Murong Qiushui pressed against the Fire Qilin's back; beneath the sharpness of this divine weapon capable of piercing even a divine beast's scales, Li Guanyi expended much of his spirit to extract the arrow buried deep in its flesh.

The arrowhead, pale blue and barbed like a wolf's fang, still carried malevolent energy.

Merely holding it in his hand, that aura corroded his flesh and bones—he felt his skin tearing apart—so Li Guanyi hurled the arrow away, slashed his palm with the Murong Qiushui, clenched his fist, and forced out blood that fell onto the Fire Qilin's wound.

The Everlasting Life Body, cultivated through Hou Zhongyu's refinement of the Immortal Elixir, even when shed as blood, carried a trace of vital force; once the arrow was removed, Li Guanyi's vitality, combined with the Fire Qilin's own power, forced out the lingering fei poison.

Li Guanyi leapt down and stood before the Fire Qilin:

"Most of the poison has been expelled—it's fortunate."

"The poison in the Yu Langwang's hands is likely seized—or acquired by other means—not the most dangerous, purest form: the fei heart toxin. After all, the poison of fei heart blood has no cure in this world."

"Anyone struck by it must die."

The Fire Qilin looked weary but still gently thanked him, then asked in confusion:

"How do you know the difference between fei poison and fei heart blood?"

Li Guanyi said: "I once bore this poison for over a decade—the fei heart toxin. Had my mother not taken most of it upon herself and transferred her manifestation to me via secret methods, I would have died long ago."

The boy's gaze dropped, emotions surging within—yet only for an instant.

"Fire Qilin, can you still shrink yourself?"

Li Guanyi extended a finger toward the Fire Qilin over there and smiled:

"Just like Him."

"You're badly wounded by this poison, and the Yu Langwang may still keep attacking you. If you don't mind, why not stay here for now? I have space, a Physician, medicinal herbs—you can recover."

The Fire Qilin exclaimed in surprise: "Your place?"

Li Guanyi smiled: "Yes. Didn't we make a wager? Within a month, one city—and coincidentally, we've already taken one city, and the time is still within the month."

"Consider it my demand after winning the wager."

Li Guanyi extended his hand.

The Fire Qilin fell silent; its nine-colored radiance flowed and shrank to the size of an ordinary plum deer. Lao Meng's eyes nearly popped out, but Nangong Wu Meng personally carried it back to Aji Ni City.

The Fire Qilin's vitality was strong; after the Yu Langwang's martial malevolence was dispelled, the remaining poison healed rapidly. Master Siming had not even set out when Li Guanyi pulled him back again; the Fire Qilin rested quietly, and upon seeing Master Siming, paused thoughtfully:

"You."

"That fortune-teller with a flippant air."

Master Siming scratched his head and forced a dry laugh: "Kid, how did you bring this one back? This—this is an old acquaintance…"

The Fire Qilin's voice was gentle as she sighed: "You little thing—you're already covered in white hair, your face full of wrinkles. Back then, Tu Gu Hun said he'd crush the Spirit Mountain Buddhist realm, and you boasted yourself the most charming man under heaven, seeking the most beautiful woman as wife."

"Then you got drunk and asked me—if you could take human form."

Master Siming clutched his head and screamed: "Aaaahhh! Stop! Don't say it! Don't say it! Don't say it!"

"Kid, you brat, you—you all go ahead!"

"I'll speak with this elder myself."

"All of you, go, go, go!"

Master Siming broke down for the first time.

Li Guanyi and the others had no choice but to leave.

The Fire Qilin's ears twitched and she asked with a smile: "And that serious-minded Mohist girl—she never believed in fate, wore a bell at her waist, and had dimples when she smiled—how is she now?"

Master Siming froze.

"Ah, she…"

Master Siming's lips sank, then lifted—but in the end, he could not smile as he once did. The story of a rogue fortune-teller and the most certain girl in divination and mechanism was already a tale from three hundred years ago.

The white-haired Grand Master of Yin-Yang simply answered softly:

"She died."

"On a winter day, two hundred and thirty-two years ago."

The Fire Qilin fell still. Master Siming sighed and changed the subject with forced cheer: "Elder, you're no fighter—how did you run into that wolf king? In this chaotic age, military generals—especially those who've truly crushed nations—are not to be trifled with."

The Fire Qilin sighed: "Perhaps, as the Taigu Chilong said, with the world in turmoil, even we are no longer at peace." She lifted her gaze to Aji Ni City—once, in the ancient kingdom of Aji Ni, the people worshipped the Fire Qilin; now, she had returned to a changed world.

Her voice calm, she lowered her head:

"I will stay here for a while."

Master Siming looked at her and said: "If you're here, we can rest easy."

"Rest easy?"

"Yes. Easy for him—and easy for you."

The aged Grand Master of Yin-Yang reached out and gently stroked the Fire Qilin's antlers:

"At least here, you need not fear being hunted down by a Grand Master leading an army."

"You need not fear a monarch seeking to refine you into an Immortal Elixir."

The Fire Qilin is revered as both martial might and auspicious omen—both are bled for refinement—but the Fire Qilin is pure auspiciousness; countless monarchs through history have desired to hunt it. The Fire Qilin gazed at Master Siming and said:

"Throughout history, monarchs were two different people in youth and old age. How many wise rulers, in their later years, became the very person they once despised—and would have drawn their blade to kill?"

"Legend says that centuries ago, the Red Emperor's Wu Gong spent a night in the Empress Dowager's chamber, seizing control of the court. Later, he suffered headaches and died from exposure to wind. As he died, he dreamed he passed by his childhood home; someone knocked. When he opened the door, a red-clad youth stabbed him with the Seven-Star Precious Blade."

"And said: 'I am the Red Emperor's Western Expedition General—come to kill you!'"

That was precisely his youthful dream; later, his soul was wounded, and he died with a piercing pain in his brow.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer asked: "You say you're not worried he'll covet the Elixir of Immortality."

"Will his morality remain unchanged?"

The old Master Siming's reply was cunning: "Because he has already eaten it."

"And the only one in the world capable of refining the Elixir of Immortality—Hou Zhongyu."

"Was killed by his own hand."

He does not speak of human nature, nor of grand ambitions or morality—those uncertain things.

He only speaks of definite facts.

He personally killed Hou Zhongyu, the one capable of refining the perfect Elixir of Immortality; in the eyes of those rare natural omens, this was an act that greatly increased favor, ensuring that all natural omens across the land would at least begin with a friendly attitude toward this youth.

"So, Old Elder, you may trust him."

While the old Master Siming and the Divine Deer chatted, Li Guanyi went to find Po Jun and the others; his sleeves were stained with the Divine Deer's blood. When he arrived, Po Jun was flipping through Juan Sect. Li Guanyi gathered everyone for an internal meeting of the Tiance Prefecture.

Po Jun laid out a pile of Juan Sect and explained the shifts in the Western Regions' situation during this time, concluding: "As all of you see, the Western Regions are in turmoil; now, the Yu Langwang and all the Western tribes are fixated on the capital of the Tangxi Kingdom."

"Treasure stores, terrain, arms, and grain supplies."

"The capital's hidden resources, and the massive morale boost from conquering a nation, are the most critical factors. With turmoil rising everywhere, now is the time to press forward relentlessly—never fall behind."

"The Yu Langwang possesses the strongest combat power, but his flaw is—few men, weak foundations; though his strength is fierce, he lacks sustained fighting capacity. The Thirty-Six Western Tribes encompass the entire Western Regions, and precisely because they are numerous, and the Hu children excel at mounted archery."

"Under equal military conditions, they are no match for the Yu Langwang."

"The first, second, even the third tribe to directly confront the Yu Langwang will surely be annihilated—but the Yu Langwang's morale and army will also be weakened."

Fan Qing's gaze rippled.

Po Jun said: "All of you have participated in the pacification campaigns of Jiangnan; I need not elaborate further. What unfolds in the Western Regions will be the most brutal warfare pattern in all the world."

"The only chance for the Western tribes is to trade lives to exhaust the Yu Langwang's elite. A world-renowned general stripped of his army and followers is merely a martial man of great skill—no stronger than the peerless experts of the Jianghu."

"But the problem now is—"

"No one can unify the Thirty-Six Western Tribes; each tribe resents the others, yet every warlord in this chaotic age is cunning and deceitful."

"They recognize the Yu Langwang's strength and dare not strike directly; instead, they plan to push others to wear him down—and thus refuse to ignite open conflict."

"The Tangxi Kingdom has also seen this situation."

"They are working full force to foster this invisible balance."

"Now, we are in this extremely fragile equilibrium."

"And we—"

"Are too weak."

Po Jun rubbed his brow with his finger: "A population of several hundred thousand, a single Dacheng—fine, very fine—but not enough to seize the Western Regions. The Western Regions have too little farmland, too little steel. These several hundred thousand people can support only three thousand Golden Crescent Cavalry and roughly twenty thousand mounted archers."

"Money, Lord, we need money."

Li Guanyi stared at his nose, his nose at his heart, his heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

Po Jun frowned again: "I've contacted the Seven Kings of the Grasslands and the Xue family's merchant guild in Jiangnan. But with the turmoil in the Western Regions and chaos in the Central Plains, it will take time for these two caravans to reach us."

"Best we send troops to escort them—fine, again, we're short on men, short on grain, short on money."

"We lack vast quantities of supplies."

"Third, we lack fierce generals."

Po Jun looked at the Tiance Prefecture members: "General Fan Qing excels in tactics for thousands of heavily armored infantry with heavy shields. General Nangong excels in light cavalry reconnaissance. Master Changsun excels in commerce. Lei Laomeng and Gongsun Huai-zhi excel in beast and mechanical warfare."

"All of you have your own skills, your own strengths."

"Your own abilities."

Po Jun's purple pupils lowered, then shifted tone:

"The highest command any of you holds is General Fan Qing's three thousand."

"Master Changsun: one thousand eight hundred."

"General Nangong Wumeng's command ability is only three hundred. Three hundred… well, but if it's General Nangong Wumeng, it doesn't matter—so long as you wander around with your troops, it's already a good thing."

"Command? Doesn't matter."

"Just be happy."

"Lei Laomeng…"

The ever-capable Lei Laomeng puffed out his chest: "Me? The more, the better!"

Po Jun said: "Regrettably, there are no beast herds here."

"Are you going to charge armies with camels and wild horses?"

Lei Laomeng slumped: "Well… not impossible…"

Po Jun said: "Too bad this is the Western Regions, where warriors excel at mounted archery and lassoing horses. Are you planning to deliver supplies to the enemy? The Western Regions are shifting rapidly, and the cities around Nicheng are already stirring."

"In time, armies with bloodshot eyes will come to test us."

"Among our ranks, excluding our Lord, there is no general capable of commanding large-scale warfare. Even our Lord is unskilled in Western Regions mounted archers—we need a general, a divine archer with command over ten thousand."

Everyone fell silent.

Li Guanyi flipped through the Juan Sect, his expression calm; he was gradually learning to understand these shifts in the situation: "So, we have a good position—but the turbulent Western Regions no longer grant us time to build our strength, is that right?"

Po Jun smiled: "My Lord, you are correct."

Lei Laomeng stared blankly.

Huh?

Wait, where did that brutally sharp strategist go?

Li Guanyi finished reading the Juan Sect and smiled: "Then, now is the perfect moment."

"Changsun."

Changsun Wuchou froze slightly, then realized something, his expression shifting as he rose from the crowd, bowed deeply, and said, "Your servant is here!"

Li Guanyi smiled and said, "I came to the Western Regions at the invitation of Second Brother. I originally planned to have you send word directly to him, but so much has happened, and now two or three months have passed—it's time to contact him."

Changsun Wuchou's face changed with emotion and he said, "My Lord!"

Li Guanyi picked up his brush and ink, clad in scaled armor and battle robe, and before all eyes, already carried a third of his solemn aura: "Now, I have land, I have men, all around me are rivals—I lack money, I lack generals, perfectly matching Second Brother's situation."

"It's time to reply to him."

Li Guanyi picked up his brush and wrote the reply in one continuous stroke.

Only three characters.

He set down the brush, folded the letter neatly, and handed it over, his brow calm, smiling: "Take this letter to Second Brother. Tell him it is my response. If he still has the bold spirit of his youth, he will understand."

Changsun Wuchou's heart stirred; he extended both hands to receive the letter, then bowed.

The Second Young Lady is constrained within the Duke's mansion; the Duke and the First Young Master, Third Young Master, all impose certain restrictions on her, while Li Guanyi roams the vast heavens and earth, yet lacks manpower—yet the two of you are perfectly matched.

Changsun Wuchou couldn't help but imagine: if the Second Young Lady and the Marquis were to marry.

That would truly be a powerful alliance.

Agni is currently a lone city—besides this strategic stronghold, it has nothing. Over time, in this chaotic Western Regions, it cannot rise to greatness, like a dragon trapped on a chessboard, while the Second Young Lady, apart from her city and righteousness, has everything.

This step, built on a two-year-old friendship, is now, on the chessboard, a masterstroke as elusive as a deer's antlers hanging in the air—simultaneously breaking both of their impasses.

Li Guanyi smiled and said, "Go tell Second Brother—I haven't seen him in a long time. We haven't met in over two years. I've owed him much. When we meet again, we must get thoroughly drunk!"

Thus, Changsun Wuchou's fantasy shattered completely; he grimaced.

He wondered how to tell his Lord the truth about the Second Young Lady's identity.

No, she is not the boy who dragged you into drinking contests and fought and ran through singing halls—that was an exquisitely beautiful, virtuous, and talented great beauty.

Watching his Lord's smile, full of joy at finally reuniting with a dear brother.

Even Changsun Wuchou, as cunning as a fox, felt a sharp ache in his chest.

In the end, he merely clasped his fists and decided not to meddle—let them sort it out themselves: "Your servant accepts the order—I shall send word by falcon…"

Li Guanyi said, "This matter is too important. You must go in person."

"By the way, select some gifts. Send also Huyan Yins's golden curved blade—it shall be my gift to him upon our meeting."

Changsun Wuchou froze and said, "Yes!"

The winds of the world churned fiercely, especially in the Western Regions.

As the Tanguts struggled in their death throes, the Wolf King sheathed his claws; three more chieftains declared themselves kings. And at this moment, a swift horse and a fierce general burst forth from Li Guanyi's lone city of Agni, racing across thousands of miles of the Western Regions.

They passed through the Ying Kingdom's border pass and entered Ying's first great western city, Zhenxi Xiongcheng.

If the Western Regions were a chessboard.

This move would break the impasse—two large groups, each with their own arrangements, yet both trapped and sealed, were about to link together, forming a great tide. Changsun Wuchou raced straight to the Duke's mansion, passed through layers of checkpoints, overcame the First Young Master and Third Young Master's blockades, and reached Li Zhao Wen.

Wait a moment.

A young woman in brocade robes and a golden-threaded hairpin stepped forward briskly:

"Has Li Brother sent word?!"

Changsun Wuchou looked at the Second Young Lady's face—the expression of 【Dear brother, you've finally come, I've waited so long!】—and felt not just a chest ache, but a stomachache too.

Forget it, let him have his way.

He pulled the letter from his sleeve, held it with both hands, and said solemnly:

"Here is my Lord's letter!"

It's already Mid-Autumn Festival (at peace)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone! Please vote for moon tickets! ~