Lichuankou Village was aflame, and the village men were busy fending off the invaders from Mount Yue to protect their families.
Most of the villagers were running away in different directions, leaving their possessions behind for those from Mount Yue to plunder.
As Li Xiangping and his clan soldiers arrived, the invaders were dispersed throughout the village, looting indiscriminately. With a frown, he directed his men toward the courtyard with spirit fields amidst the turmoil.
About a dozen soldiers from Mount Yue gathered beside the courtyard. They were discussing something amongst themselves in their native language and attempting to breach the courtyard with a large rock.
Fortunately, a formation plate had been set up within the courtyard, causing the large rock to wobble in mid-air before tumbling back outside the courtyard.
“Good thing that the spirit fields are safe. It seems Wan Tianchou has some knowledge in formations. I’ll find the opportunity to have him document his knowledge for us to study,” Li Xiangping remarked with a nod of approval when he arrived with his men.
With a decisive gesture, he directed his soldiers to capture the invaders. Startled, the invaders from Mount Yue attempted to flee but were swiftly overcome and apprehended by Li Xiangping’s clan soldiers.
Upon spotting Li Xiangping’s arrival from within the courtyard, Wan Tianchou hurriedly deactivated the formation and called out, “Family Head!”
Amidst the Wan Family’s abrupt downfall, Wan Xiaohua had destroyed all of the family’s legacy on Mount Huaqian that fateful night. The Li Family never received the promised legacy formation.
Wan Tianchou escaped with only a few formation plates and a limited understanding of his family’s legacy in formations. Of the ten formations of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, he only learned three. His limited expertise, however, proved sufficient to protect the spirit fields from devastation.
Just as Li Xiangping was about to order his men to split up and pursue the invaders, a deep horn sounded in the distance. The soldiers from Mount Yue began to retreat like a receding tide.
Li Xiangping raised an eyebrow at the sight. He readied his Ebony Bow, swiftly drawing an arrow and nocking it. After listening intently for a few moments, he released his grip.
With a swift motion, the arrow soared into the mountains.
“Let’s give chase.”
With a wave of his hand, his clan soldiers surged forward, hastening in the direction the Mount Yue tribesmen had fled.
————
“How did they arrive so quickly?!”
Ahuici sat amidst the dense forest, watching as a group of clan soldiers advanced the village. Springing to his feet, he urgently commanded, “Gather the troops! We mustn’t engage with these soldiers. Plunder what we can and make our escape!”
With only a few hundred remnants of his army left, Ahuici knew that their priority was preserving their numbers rather than fighting with those soldiers.
As long as he could preserve his remaining forces, he knew he could still find refuge among other tribes, bargaining for sustenance if needed. But if all of them perished here, his power and influence would diminish significantly, relegating him to the status of a mere mercenary.
The clan shaman beside him swiftly produced a horn and sounded it. Watching as his tribesmen began to retreat into the mountains, Ahuici let out a sigh of relief and settled back against a tree.
Just as he began to relax, he suddenly saw a streak of white flying toward them. Before he could react, the clan shaman’s head exploded like a watermelon, splattering Ahuici’s pale face with a gruesome red.
“What the hell?!” Ahuici recoiled in horror, his eyes fixed on the long arrow that had embedded itself in a tree, the end of its shaft quivering from the impact. Taking a few steps backward, he gulped.
“R-Retreat deeper into the forest!” he ordered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Another clan shaman shakily sounded the horn twice before quickly ducking for cover.
Ahuici felt a surge of irritation at the shaman’s cowardice, yet he found himself hesitating to take up the horn and blow it himself.
Peering out from behind a massive tree, he surveyed the scene in the distance with his keen eyesight granted by the Embryonic Breathing Realm and heaved a sigh of relief.
Down the hill, the clan soldiers found themselves in disarray, with nearly a hundred of their comrades occupied with the tribesmen. Amidst a wave of curses and pleas for mercy, the rest of Mount Yue’s group managed to slip into the forest.
As the clan soldiers contemplated pursuing into the dense woods, the drums and gongs in the village sounded. The soldiers abandoned their chase and returned to the village with their captives.
“Bah, fucking wimps!” Ahuici spat out in disgust. Turning around, he led his men deeper into the mountain forest.
————
After successfully repelling the invaders into the forest, Li Xiangping quickly ordered a retreat. Observing the dozens of captured men from Mount Yue, he felt some of the anger in his heart dissipate.
Upon seeing Chen Erniu, who had returned from the front lines drenched in blood, Li Xiangping cupped his fist and said, “You’ve done great, Manager Chen.”
“You flatter me...” Chen Erniu humbly responded, amidst coughs.
Li Xuanxuan, clad in armor, stepped forward, followed by a line of captured men from Mount Yue behind him with their hands bound.
Li Xiangping nodded approvingly and instructed, “Xuan’er, have the men rest here. We cannot let this incident slide. The audacity of Mount Yue to plunder the goods and children of Lichuankou Village will not be overlooked.”
He waved at Li Yesheng, who had just arrived at Lichuankou Village accompanied by a few village men.
Li Yesheng promptly made his way over and Li Xiangping announced, “I’m heading back to Mount Lijing. Make sure the men and horses are ready. We must resolve this matter by tonight.”
With everyone acknowledging his instructions, Li Xiangping turned and began his journey back. As soon as he arrived at Mount Lijing, he encountered Li Tongya who had just emerged from seclusion as a cultivator at the peak of the Embryonic Breathing Realm.
“Now that you have emerged from seclusion, our chances have significantly improved,” Li Xiangping remarked through gritted teeth, with anger flashing in his eyes.
After changing into fresh clothes, Li Xiangping entered the ancestral hall to pay his respects. Passing by the altar adorned with offerings of fruits and candles, he respectfully bowed before the mirror resting on the stone platform and carefully took it down.
“Proceed with caution.” An aged voice suddenly appeared. It turned out to be his father, Li Mutian.
Li Mutian, aged and frail, sat quietly in the courtyard. His voice was hoarse as he strained to speak.
The old man dozed off in the courtyard most of the time and was barely seen awake. He relied on Li Xuanfeng to remind him to eat, yet remained remarkably alert to the sound of footsteps. It was Li Xiangping’s presence in the courtyard that woke him up.
“Yes, Father,” Li Xiangping replied, a pang of worry tugging at his heart as he looked at his frail father. The thought of his father leaving them at any moment brought a pained look to his face.
Gritting his teeth, he exited the backyard and turned to Li Tongya. “There’s no need to use the Supreme Yin Profound Light. We’ll just use the mirror to locate the enemies and catch them off guard. Even if they have Qi Cultivators among them, they won’t escape unscathed with the mirror’s aid.”
“Sounds good.” Li Tongya agreed, following Li Xiangping down the mountain. He nodded as he listened intently to his younger brother recounting the events of the past few days, then fell into a contemplative silence.
The two brothers did not rest until they reached the garrison late at night. The villagers and clan soldiers were sleeping fitfully with their faces covered.
At the two sounds made by a large gong, everyone sprang into action. They quickly donned their armor and then grabbed their sabers and shields. In moments, they were assembled and ready.
While waiting for Li Xuanxuan and Li Qiuyang to rally their respective forces, Li Xiangping shut his eyes and took a moment to connect with the mirror, his focus extending across the entire mountain.
Then, with the grace of a seasoned archer, he launched several arrows from his Ebony Bow into the mountainside, each finding its mark among the sentries of Mount Yue lurking in the forest.
With the path now clear, Li Xiangping slung his bow over his shoulder and declared with authority, “Move out!”