Ahuici, having journeyed across mountains and forests over the past few days, arrived with his tribe at Big Fish Creek, where he summoned their shaman to drive out the wild beasts in the mountains so that they could establish their base. This decision, however, drew concern from an elder of their tribe.
“Great King, venturing further east into the Great Fish Creek brings us into the Devil Gate’s territory. It would be wiser to retreat!”
Ahuici turned around and glared at him. The beast's fangs and the jade he wore on him jangled noisily as he retorted, “You want to turn back and fight Jianixi, that malevolent wolf, old fart? Offer ourselves as sacrifices on Mount Li? Or perhaps, you possess some sort of magic to whisk all nine hundred of us across Moongaze Lake to safety?”
Silenced and disheartened, the elder could only withdraw with a sigh.
With a dismissive snort, Ahuici turned his attention back to his fruit wine. Just then, several of his men barged into the tent, dragging a bound figure who was dressed neatly even to his hair.
They tossed the captive before Ahuici, declaring with a mix of pride and amusement, “Your Majesty, we found this man lurking about our camp and apprehended him on the spot!”
The captive was one of the Li Family’s scouts, unaccustomed to the stealth required in the wilds, thus easily apprehended by Ahuici’s men.
Ahuici rubbed his face which was marked with four tattoos that indicated his status as a cultivator of the fourth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. He grabbed the captive and said in an icy voice, “A living person? It’s been some time since we’ve seen one of those!”
The captive’s eyes widened in fear as he began to struggle. Ahuici merely sneered at his reaction. He threw the captive on the ground and then summoned his men.
A shaman immediately came forward and took the captive away. Venomous bugs and bee needles were prepared and soon, the air was pierced with agonized screams.
By the time Ahuici savored a glass of fruit wine, the scout divulged all he knew.
“A tribe bearing the name Li?” Ahuici knitted his brows together in contemplation. He listened to the shaman’s detailed account for a while but heard no mention of any Qi Cultivator.
“Who cares?! We’ll rob them first, then think about the rest later! Everyone, to your tasks!” he yelled.
————
With more gray hair in his sideburns than before, Chen Erniu lived his days in contentment for the past few years.
Chen Donghe, his youngest son, had embarked on the path of immortality. He would often boast about his youngest son’s achievements to anyone willing to listen.
When Donghe was born, he cried very loudly. Chen Erniu was so enamored with him that he discarded the name he had initially thought of, instead seeking a better name from Han Wenxu, the scholar.
Han Wenxu, amused by Chen Erniu’s visit on a cold winter day with gifts of wine and meat jerky, named the child Chen Donghe, honoring the Chen family’s tradition of naming their offspring after bodies of water.
Chen Donghe had always been a sharp kid since young, bringing Chen Erniu immense relief since his older sons were lost causes. The discovery of Chen Donghe’s spiritual orifice a few years back was the icing on the cake, prompting him to send the boy to cultivate under Li Xiangping’s guidance.
Lying in bed one evening, Chen Erniu’s thoughts wandered to recent events.
Wan Tiancang had died on Mount Huaqian, and Wan Tianchou was the newly appointed guardian of Lichuankou. The kid had quite a good attitude and got along fine with Chen Erniu, yet the appearance of wild beasts from the forest in the west kept him on edge and awake at night.
Just as sleep was about to claim him, he was jolted awake by a scream.
“Father! Father!” Chen Sanshui burst into his room, his loud entrance sending Chen Erniu tumbling to the floor from his bed.
“Wretched boy! What the...” Before Erniu could scold him, Chen Sanshui dragged him to the door, urging him to look eastward.
“What the hell is that...?” Gripping the doorframe, Chen Erniu stood frozen, his gaze fixed on the ominous glow of torches dotting the eastern mountain slopes.
Emerging from the shadows were the warriors of Mount Yue, their torso bare and adorned with tattoos, their laughter chilling as they brandished their long swords. Like a serpentine dragon, they surged down the hills. The village below was already under siege, its plight marked by distant cries and screams of despair.
Behind him, Chen Sanshui was frantically gathering the valuables. With a trembling voice, he urged, “Father, we must flee before it’s too late...!”
Chen Erniu nearly collapsed and died of frustration. He delivered a stern slap on Chen Sanshui’s head and snapped, “Go, inform the main family, now!”
Seeing Chen Sanshui standing there in a daze, he kicked his son on his rear and propelled him into action. While Chen Sanshui ran out of their home, Chen Erniu grappled with a surge of despair.
“What a useless boy.” Collecting himself, Chen Erniu went back inside to rouse his second son, Chen Qiushui, who was sleeping like a log.
“The Family Head has already noticed the disturbances to the east for some days now. Our clan’s soldiers are already positioned behind the village. Get moving and check on the situation immediately,” he hissed at him.
Chen Qiushui’s dazed response only fueled Chen Erniu’s frustration further. With a resigned sigh, Chen Erniu closed his eyes and mumbled to himself, “It’s fine, it’s fine. We still have Donghe.”
Arming himself with a saber and donning his rattan armor, Chen Erniu stormed out of the courtyard with his jaw clenched. He navigated the maze of alleys, his figure merging with the shadows as he moved toward the looming threat.
————
“Family Head!”
Li Xiangping slowly opened his eyes, only to see Li Yesheng burst into the courtyard, his appearance disheveled and coated in dust.
“Mount Yue has launched an attack on Lichuankou Village from the west!” he reported.
Alarmed, Li Xiangping sprang into action. He swiftly donned his armor and took his Ebony Bow, while Chen Donghe secured the quiver to his side with practiced efficiency.
“What’s the situation? How many are there? Are there any cultivators among them?”
“From what I could see, there are hundreds of them. I haven’t spotted anyone flying.”
Li Yesheng, though not an immortal cultivator himself, was not entirely ignorant of its hierarchy. His daily observations of cultivators engaging in battles against demons had imparted to him a basic understanding that demons that roamed on land typically posed a lesser threat.
Li Xiangping and Li Tongya had emphasized the importance of retreating and reporting back to the mountain if anyone ever encountered adversaries in the air, whether they were humans or demons. This directive made it abundantly clear that those capable of flight were to be regarded as formidable opponents.
Li Xiangping cast a Divine Movement Spell on his legs and commanded, “Get someone to call Li Qiuyang and Li Xuanxuan here!”
He momentarily considered alerting Li Tongya but chose against disturbing his seclusion.
With a determined stride, Li Xiangping descended the mountain. “Ye Sheng, lead the village men to our aid!”
As Li Xiangping vanished into the mountain, Li Yesheng hastened to fulfill his task.
Navigating the winding path toward Lichuankou Village, Li Xiangping was greeted by the sound of urgent drumming where the eight hundred clan soldiers were gathered. The centurions, tasked with leading them, displayed visible concern.
Amidst this chaos, Li Xiangping’s attention was drawn to a solitary figure seated on the ground, burying his face in his hands and crying.
The figure bore a striking resemblance to Chen Erniu. Without a word, Li Xiangping tossed his jade token toward the group and continued running westward.
The centurions had already recognized Li Xiangping before he did that. The presentation of the jade token was merely a procedural act.
The clan soldiers quickly followed Li Xiangping’s lead, plunging into the forest that lay between them and Lichuankou Village.
Chen Qiushui was left behind in a daze. Bewildered by the sudden turn of events, he rose, dusting himself off and looking around in confusion, uncertain of his next move amidst the unfolding chaos.