Merit City.
Inside the main hall of the Li family residence, the clansmen were gathered.
Li Wei sat before the ancestral spirit tablet placed in the center of the hall, his clasped fists propping up his head.
It had been their clan that had set the stage for the Fourth Prince's rebellion, yet the Li family had no intention of letting their own people get entangled in the affair.
Now, Dongfang Lianwu wanted Li Tianyue to join the Grand Army of the Eastern Expedition as a general!
Truth be told, being a general in the Azure Dynasty was no easy task.
The Human Emperor had ordered an Eastern Expedition to quell the rebellion and had granted Dongfang Lianwu a grand army of a million.
But... this million-strong army had to be cobbled together from the various prefectures and commanderies. To forge them into a true fighting force, they would have to train in battle formations while on the march. The Dao of spiritual formations, in particular, required long-term coordination. It would take ten years at the very least to shape them into a force of battle-ready immortal soldiers.
The Human Emperor had decreed an army of a million, but the reality was that if Dongfang Lianwu had the skill, he could recruit even ten million, and no one would object. If he lacked the ability, however, it was just as likely he'd end up a laughingstock on the road to the Eastern Expedition with a paltry force of just a few tens of thousands.
They needed expert cultivators, so much so that the generals had to personally visit the major sects and request their aid. They had to practically beg for the help of Void Refining, Divinity Transformation, and even Nascent Soul cultivators—just as Dongfang Lianwu was now humbly asking Li Tianyue to serve as a general.
"An Eastern Expedition to quell a rebellion?"
The moment the Eastern Expedition was mentioned, everyone in the Li family frowned. Before any actual fighting broke out, no one knew what skills or backing Prince Jue, the Fourth Prince, truly possessed to give him the confidence to rebel.
Moreover, the place where the armies gathered would be a motley mix of characters; they would not only have to guard against the troops and treacherous environment of Duskwild Prefecture but also against their own side.
Li Wei noticed that Li Tianyue remained silent, but he saw a look of longing in her eyes and instantly guessed what was on her mind.
For the past decade and more, despite cultivators knowing she was a widow, suitors had constantly arrived at the Li family's gates to ask for her hand.
This was because she was not only exceptionally beautiful but also renowned; even great families from the Imperial Capital had come to propose.
But Li Tianyue had never been content with a traditional woman's role. During her years of relative idleness, she would often don her battle armor and patrol the lands of Eternal Sun Prefecture.
Now that Dongfang Lianwu had invited Tianyue to serve as a general, he suspected she was already itching to don her armor and ride into battle.
"This child wishes to go on the Eastern Expedition."
Amidst the silence of the clan members, Li Tianyue bit her lip and rose abruptly, her armor clattering. Addressing the many family elders, she declared, "Please, rest assured, Elders. This child will certainly forge a great name for our Li family on the battlefields of the Eastern Expedition."
The Li family members remained silent. They were worried for her safety, but it had been the family's tradition, starting from the Old Ancestor himself, never to stop the younger generation from venturing out into the world.
Unexpectedly, however...
Li Xingchen, from among the clansmen, also stepped forward to join the excitement. Scratching his head, the boy mumbled, "This child wants to go out too…"
"You little brat, what trouble are you stirring up now?" Li Chang'an immediately glared.
"I'm not stirring up trouble," the boy replied.
Li Xingchen shrugged. "This child is used to running wild on the seas. I am the Young General of the Inner Seas, after all; there isn't a place in the oceans I can't go. Besides," he added, looking at his father, "who was it that said we were going treasure hunting back in the day? Wasn't that you, Dad? We didn't find any treasure, but we found some lousy Spirit Continent. I want to continue pursuing our father-son dream!"
"You little brat!" Li Chang'an glared.
"Enough!"
Seeing Li Chang'an about to strike his son, Li Dalong's sharp command stopped him in his tracks. The old patriarch waved a hand dismissively.
"Go on, all of you can go. In the future, you don't need to report to me about matters like venturing out into the world."
With that said, Li Dalong turned and walked out of the main hall. The younger members of the Li family watched his world-weary figure depart, and Xu Cuihua quickly hurried out after him.
Beneath the old tree, Li Dalong and Xu Cuihua stood facing the setting sun.
A human face manifested on the tree's ancient trunk.
"You two seem a bit melancholy," it observed.
"Dear, what put you in such a temper today?" Xu Cuihua ignored the old tree's question, her dark brows knitting slightly.
"Ai..."
Li Dalong let out a long sigh, the very picture of a world-weary patriarch.
"It's been hundreds of years," he lamented, "and I still can't manage to be as detached as those other cultivators. Cuihua, tell me, do you think the old ancestors of other clans… do they feel the same as I do when they watch their descendants venture out into the world?"
Xu Cuihua said nothing; her husband was truly worried.
Li Dalong continued his lament, "Xinghuo is in the Northern Border, Yaoqing and Yaotie are both in the Imperial Capital, and Yaowen rarely has a chance to return. Yunlin must oversee the Skyveil Sect year-round, while Yunbing is bogged down with endless affairs. Those three little brats went off to Duskwild Prefecture and have completely forgotten the way home. Tianyue is also leaving for the Eastern Expedition. Kuangren has started his own family and is managing affairs at Hundred Treasures Mountain in Azure Cloud."
"Kuanghua, Changsheng, Changyao, Chang'an, Xingchen…" he sighed. "One after another, none of them ever stay home."
Just as he was lost in this melancholy mood, the sound of boisterous laughter drifted from the distance. It was the Seven Ironclads, up to who knows what bizarre mischief again. They must have spotted their grandparents, for they instantly fell silent and scurried away.
Li Dalong grew even more melancholy.
"The Fox Saint has sent word again," he sighed. "So you're going to the Fox Clan as well. I thought that with Tian Xing finally in our hands, our family would at least have more time to be together. I never imagined that in the end, I'd just be a lonely old man."
Xu Cuihua remained silent. She was indeed returning to the Fox Clan.
The Fox Saint was nearing its end and had said that its demise was like the Azure Dynasty Emperor, whose fated time had come.
Only Xu Cuihua, by receiving its inheritance, could keep the many great demons under the Fox Clan's dominion in check.
Just as she was about to offer some words of comfort, the Seven Ironclads returned, walking up timidly behind Li Dalong and Xu Cuihua. In the distance, the Blood Demon Lord was waiting for them.
In the presence of Li Dalong and Xu Cuihua, the seven of them were as docile as could be.
Li Yundou bowed to Li Dalong.
"Grandfather," he began, "the Demon Lord and we have some important business to attend to…"
"You're going out too?"
Li Dalong turned back, a dark look in his eyes.
"As expected of you, Grandfather!" Li Yundou beamed. "You could tell with a single glance that we brothers and sisters have important business to attend to."
Upon hearing this, Li Dalong's expression remained calm and noncommittal. He simply said, "Old Tree, lend me a club."
As soon as he spoke, a massive club instantly materialized from the ground.
By the time it appeared, it was already too late for the Seven Ironclads to flee. They ran in aggrieved circles around the Old Tree, wailing, "Grandfather, what are you doing?! We haven't caused any trouble!"
Li Dalong's face was ferocious. "I'm beating you little bastards for not keeping an old man company!"
---
2/2
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [https://ko-fi.com/darktea] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 50 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!