Li Xijun waited for two months before the narrow-eyed monk rode the wind and descended before the peak. Because the mountain-protecting grand formation had recently been replaced, Kongheng could not enter the mountain gate and could only wait silently outside.
Seeing Li Xijun coming out to welcome him in white robes, Kongheng looked calm and composed. Pressing his palms together, he said softly, "I hear Fellow Daoist has successfully established your immortal foundation. This is the fruit of good karmic retribution—truly a cause for celebration."
Back then, Li Xijun had let him go, allowing him to seize the opportunity for a breakthrough. Kongheng was genuinely grateful, offering a few words of congratulations.
Li Xijun smiled and replied, "The Master jokes. I oversee the affairs of Qingdu; what good karma could I possibly accumulate? My family does not believe in karmic retribution. If such a thing truly existed, one might as well sit obediently and await retribution—why bother striving for anything?"
"This humble monk was remiss." Kongheng chanted a Buddhist epithet and landed upon the mountain, looking around with a hint of curiosity.
Li Xijun led him along the mountain paths, speaking softly: "The reason I asked the Master to return this time is that I must trouble you to lend a hand, so we may sweep away the Shanyue once and for all."
Having already scouted the situation thoroughly, he continued: "This time, the three of us—you, myself, and Ximing—will strike together. In all, we must slay two men and one beast."
Li Xijun led him into the hall, laid out the map, and gestured toward Northern Shanyue, speaking softly: "Jiao Zhongzi has disappeared, leaving behind an early Foundation Establishment Shanyue cultivator named Mu Mili. I hear this man is fiercely loyal to Jiao Zhongzi, guarding Northern Shanyue alongside his Foundation Establishment mount."
"If this man is indeed as described, I fear there will be no room for compromise. We had best eliminate him cleanly to cut the grass at its roots."
He then pointed to the remaining southern region and said in a low voice: "There is also Huoluo'e, who possesses mid Foundation Establishment cultivation. If he can be persuaded to surrender, we shall accept him; if not, we will besiege and kill him!"
The Li family's present foundation could truly back up his words. Fifty or thirty years earlier, it would have been treated as a laughingstock, but uttered now, it carried ringing conviction.
Li Xijun explained the full sequence of events, and the look of shame on Kongheng's face deepened. He replied, "Killing karma must be incurred after all!"
Li Xijun chuckled, gently set down the brush on the table, and replied, "Then the Master need only accompany me to eliminate those few Foundation Establishment figures."
Kongheng was an ancient cultivator after all; even if he disapproved, he had no choice but to agree. Only then did Li Xijun say, "Waiting for the Master to arrive this time, I indeed have a matter to ask of you."
Li Xijun pointed to Northern Shanyue, circled that area with an ink brush, and explained: "This Northern Shanyue is unlike Eastern Shanyue; it is the ancestral homeland of the Shanyue. Many wicked shrines are hidden within the mountains, and the populace has suffered deep poisoning. Even when Jianixi was around, rebellions recurred constantly. I fear this is not something that can be resolved simply by killing."
He observed Kongheng's expression, which he had been watching all morning, and asked in a low voice: "Masters of your path are the best in the world at stirring human hearts. I wonder if the Master has a solution?"
Kongheng merely looked at the dense cluster of village and tribal names on the map and replied: "This humble monk understands... yet as your noble clan's troops march through, who knows how many heads will roll? With blood staining Dajueting, I fear the toll will be an unsightly number."
Li Xijun frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. The Northern Shanyue lands were covered in noble landlords; for the Li family to indulge them one by one was utterly impossible. Failing to wipe them out completely would only hinder future governance. How could blood not be shed? He could only say: "Those Shanyue hail from Mount Wu and are none of them good sorts. Slaying them multiple times over would still be justified. The Master worries excessively."
Kongheng closed his eyes and replied: "Using divine abilities, secret scriptures, sights and sounds, and Buddhist fruits to entice people into following... that is the lowest form of heterodoxy! My Liao River cannot do such a thing! Kongheng is deeply ashamed!"
Evidently, asking him to turn these cultists away from their faith violated Kongheng's precepts. Facing another gentle refusal, Li Xijun was not particularly surprised and could only sigh.
Kongheng was taken aback, then quickly understood, offering a bitter smile: "The Northern Buddhist path originally differed little from our Liao River tradition, but once they opened a single breach, step by step they became what they are today... Our path does not seek mere survival; we seek only the true Buddhism."
Li Xijun sighed: "If that is so, then where does that leave the tens of millions of common people in the north? For the Liao River lineage to decline to this day, these rules certainly share a part of the blame. Being so rigid... how can it possibly endure?"
Kongheng was instantly rendered speechless, sweat beading on his forehead. Afraid of driving him to turn around and plunge into some extreme path, Li Xijun pressed no further and smiled: "As for the affairs at the foot of the mountain, we can leave them to my family's qilin child."
……
Fei Luoya's territory was originally vast. Though hills abounded, it at least possessed the plains around Dajueting. Over the years since it was handed over to the Li family, the population had gradually grown to roughly seventy thousand people.
Now that Fei Luoya had departed with Li Xuanfeng, this land had completely fallen into the Li family's hands, and the various Shanyue cultivators had either left or submitted to the Li family's banner.
Simply put, the Li family had not exercised much direct rule over Dajueting before, because most of Fei Luoya's subordinates had settled here. It was awkward for the Li family to intervene, so they had only sent men to inspect and distribute spirit fields. Rather than true governance, it had been mere indirect control.
White banners fluttered in the wind as carriage wheels ground deep ruts into the muddy ground. Chen Yang watched the fading glow over the mountain peaks, lifted the curtain, and said softly, "Reporting to the Shizi, we have reached Dajueting."
Hearing his words, Li Zhouwei put away the book in his hands, moved to the front of the carriage, and looked out carefully. The towering, ancient city had already appeared before them.
The city gate bore mottled marks of time and stood wide open. The road was lined with Shanyue nobles kneeling densely on both sides, their heads bowed low. Many had even tied their hair up in the style of Eastlanders, kneeling and whispering to one another.
Inside the carriage, the youth was draped in a cloak, his tall boots resting on a cooled brazier as he carefully read the scroll in his hands. Chen Yang kept his brow respectfully lowered, not daring to look at the contents of the book.
Standing at the front of the carriage, Chen Yang looked at the dark sea of bowed heads and felt a surge of exhilaration. But now that he was tied to Li Zhouwei as one, his cunning nature resurfaced, and he cautioned: "The Shizi has less than a month to conscript troops here... I fear we must still rely on these people and win over a few."
Chen Yang's words were quite reasonable. These people were the descendants of Fei Luoya's former subordinates, holding influence and prestige in this land. For decades, they had exploited the populace, each commanding their own followings. The Li family certainly had no need to fear them, but with their assistance, integrating the region would be far easier.
Li Zhouwei smiled, set the brush down gently on the low table, and replied: "My family does not mistreat the common folk. Only after slaughtering this batch of pigs and dogs can those beneath them enjoy better days!"
Li Zhouwei took a longer view. Dealing with these noble landlords in Northern Shanyue was merely a matter of sending people to slaughter them all. After all, Li Chengliao had provided no spiritual resources or grain for this campaign—Dajueting was already their own territory, and having to rely on the family back home just to raise an army here would undoubtedly be a mark of incompetence.
As Li Zhouwei finished speaking, the carriage did not pause before the kneeling Shanyue nobles. Instead, it sped past, driving straight into the city and splashing up thick muddy water, sending everyone scrambling aside.
"Enter the city."
Li Zhouwei gave no further word, and the clan soldiers stepped coldly inside, sealing off both sides of the street.
Li Zhouwei stepped out of the carriage, quietly surveying the large city before him. Arriving at the opulent yet aged main hall, he strode straight inside and came to a stop beside the elevated throne.
He tapped his brocade boots twice on the dais, walked up beside the throne, cast a casual glance around, and turned back to say: "They are all dead men anyway; pay them no heed."
"The twenty-one clans in the city are none of them innocent. Slay them all together, distribute their wealth to the tribesmen, and first rally a body of manpower."
The fourth layer of Embryonic Breathing, the Yujing Wheel, was a major threshold within Embryonic Breathing. Over the past two years, Chen Yang had barely touched its edges, yet Li Zhouwei's cultivation had already caught up with his.
Back when they first met, they had fought a brawl. One could say Chen Yang had struck in haste while Li Zhouwei had relied on the superiority of his weapon to subdue him. But now Li Zhouwei's halberd technique was masterful, far surpassing Chen Yang's half-baked swordsmanship. Sparring day after day, Chen Yang was simply no match and dared not act out of line.
Chen Yang raised his eyebrows slightly, understood after a moment's thought, and smiled: "Subordinate understands."
Li Zhouwei sighed inwardly: 'Barbarians must still be governed by barbarians. We need someone with few confidants but wide tribal ties, someone from a lowly, impoverished background to serve as our blade.'
Chen Yang nodded, but Li Zhouwei stared at him for a moment, thinking to himself: 'Father said this man is cunning and bold, but lacks the magnanimity to win others over. I fear it will be hard for him to distribute profits and suppress rivals. If he goes alone, grievances might flare up and spark a mutiny.'
Unable to leave the task to Chen Yang alone, Li Zhouwei fetched his long halberd from the carriage, donned his armor, shook out the robe behind him, mounted his horse, and said with a frown: "You come with me."
He stood silently for a moment, then ordered: "To the Luoya clan!"
Chen Yang rode behind him. Li Zhouwei took out a register, selected a destitute clan with a sizable tribal following, spurred his spirit steed, and shouted: "To the Luoya clan!"
The ground within the city was rutted and uneven, yet under him, the Zhongsuo spirit steed galloped as smoothly as on flat ground, quickly leaping out of the city.
In less than half a cup of tea's time, he located a large stronghold near the city outskirts. Seeing people moving in and out from afar, he reined in his horse. Once his escort caught up, he pulled on the reins and gazed at the stronghold in the distance.
……
Luoya Clan Stronghold.
Luoya Youjie had panicked the entire night. Early in the morning, he paced anxiously outside the stockade, the bow, arrows, and animal bones at his waist clattering in his agitation.
His Luoya clan had toiled here for years, boasting abundant people and warriors, but had too few shamans and was deemed of low caste. They could only build their stronghold outside the city, sending people day after day to Fu Daimu to be eaten.
Later, when this land fell into Fei Luoya's hands, he tossed things about blindly for several years. The Luoya clan missed their chance and remained low-caste wretches. Only when control was transferred to the Li family did life improve significantly.
Yet upon waking today, he heard that the Li family's troops had entered the city, while Luoya Youjie lacked the status to even pay homage. Aside from fretting inside his stockade, he was truly helpless.
As the disheveled man stood lost in thought, a roaring rumble suddenly sounded. Among the Shanyue, Luoya Youjie was someone capable of drawing heavy bows and riding fierce horses; how could he fail to recognize that sound? He started slightly and gasped in horror: "Cavalry?"
He snapped his head up and unhooked a horn from his waist. Just then, with a deafening boom, a black silhouette flew over the stockade gate over a zhang high, blocking out the blazing sun and casting a twisting shadow below.
Thump, thump, thump...
"Whoa... *neigh*..."
Iron hooves struck the ground, sending sand and dust flying high. The panting and whinnying of the spirit steeds clashed in chaos. The Luoya clansmen in the courtyard looked on dumbfounded, and Luoya Youjie could not help stepping back, the color draining from his resolute face.
Luoya Youjie caught only a glimpse of a gleaming halberd slicing through the air, and greyish-white armor grinding with a menacing metallic rasp, radiating the luster of refined iron that the Shanyue could not forge in several generations.
The halberd planted itself into the ground, its cold glint piercing through the dust. Before he could make out the rider, a clash of clattering metal rang out. The stockade gate was shredded to pieces, and iron-clad Eastlanders marched in with immaculate discipline, pouring through in single file.
The few clansmen who attempted to resist were like tender lambs before these soldiers, subdued effortlessly in a couple of breaths. Luoya Youjie recognized at a glance that these were the Li family's troops, and dared not resist even more, only able to clench his fists and wait where he stood.
In mere moments, the entire Luoya clan was brought under control. Luoya Youjie knelt on the ground, his hair disheveled, not daring to move a muscle, feeling a bone-chilling cold from head to toe.
*Clang!*
With a thud, Luoya Youjie was pressed to the ground by several armored men. Amidst the clanking of metal, cold blades were pressed against his neck one after another, gleaming chillingly. He was pinned beneath a dozen iron spears, utterly immobilized.
Drenched in cold sweat, the man was forced to lower his head by their gazes, the cold edge pressed tight against his throat. Then he saw a figure dismount from a spirit horse behind, their eyes cold and sinister, circling around him once.
This person had rather long eyebrows and greyish-dark eyes. Looking at him like one examining livestock, he said in a low voice: "Shizi... is this man fit for use?"
That youth on horseback glanced at him casually, then looked around the surroundings, seemingly estimating the number of men within, before lifting a cloth scroll in his hand and reading: "Luoya... Youjie?"
Luoya Youjie heard the youth pull the reins, iron hooves clicking on the ground. The Shizi used his horsewhip to push aside the cold blades at his neck and said with amusement: "Luoya Youjie, the letter says you are young and promising. I am offering you boundless wealth and glory—you had best catch hold of it!"
He listened to the calm, steady voice, carrying the crisp edge of a youth. Luoya Youjie was one of the finest hunters among the major clans for ten li around and a young chieftain feared by all the families, yet he dared not meet the youth's eyes, rasping: "This lowly one thanks the Shizi!"
"Mm..."
The sun burned bright, bathing everything before him in golden light. Sweat droplets the size of soy beans dripped steadily onto the ground. Luoya Youjie slowly shifted his posture and lifted his head, only to glimpse a pair of narrow eyes faintly shimmering with golden light.
He finally mustered the courage to look into those eyes—eyes that seemed born to manipulate the hearts of men, dark gold swirling within them, chilling his legs to the bone.
"Ah!"
From childhood to the present, Luoya Youjie had acted with ruthless cunning, but never had his mind been so crystal clear. In a flash of lightning, he pieced everything together. Trembling, the burly man cried out: "This lowly one greets the immortal clan... the exalted lord of the immortal clan!"
The youth on horseback did not answer him. He let out a laugh and said, "Go gather the men of your Luoya clan and enter the city to kill!"
Chapter 503