A few days ago, Ahui La had crossed the mountain forests, leading his clan on horseback until they reached what the tribe called Dayu Brook. He summoned the tribal shaman to drive off the wild beasts, then ordered his people to pitch camp. Right away, an elderly clansman came forward to dissuade him.
"Great King, east of Dayu Brook lies the territory of the demonic sects. We should turn back!"
Ahui La glared, the beast teeth and jade hanging from his body rattling noisily against each other. He snapped furiously, "You old fool, turn back and fight to the death against that vicious wolf Jianixi? Take our heads to Mount Li just to throw our lives away? Or can you cast shamanic arts to fly across Lake Wangyue and find a place for these nine hundred clansmen to settle?"
The old man was instantly silenced. Sighing, he shrank back into the tribe.
Ahui La snorted coldly and took a sip of fruit wine. Just then, several tribesmen entered the tent, dragging in a fair-skinned, clean stranger whose hair was tied up neatly. They threw the man before Ahui La and grinned.
"Great King, this stranger was snooping around the camp, so we caught him!"
As it turned out, the man was a clan soldier sent by the Li family to scout for information. Naturally, his stealth in the mountain forests was no match for the Shanyue, who had traversed these wild woods for years, so he had been captured with ease.
Ahui La stroked his cheek, revealing four tattooed patterns that denoted his cultivation at the fourth layer of Embryonic Breathing. Grabbing the man by the collar, he said coldly, "A stranger? It's been quite a while since I last saw one!"
Seeing the man's eyes widen as he struggled in terror, Ahui La sneered, dropped him to the ground, and barked, "Men!"
A tribal shaman dragged the man out at once. Venomous insects and bee stingers were brought into play one after another, and shrill screams soon rang out from beyond the tent. Ahui La had barely finished savoring a cup of fruit wine before the captive confessed everything.
"The Li clan?"
Ahui La knitted his brow and shook his head. He listened to the shaman chatter for a while, and hearing no mention of the words 'Qi Refinement,' he bellowed, "To hell with it! Plunder them first, ask questions later!"
"Get up and get to work, all of you!"
***
The gray hairs on Chen Erniu's temples had grown thicker, but he had lived quite comfortably these past few years. His youngest son, Chen Donghe, had embarked on the immortal path, a boast he never failed to make to anyone he met.
When Chen Donghe was born, his cries were loud and clear. The more Chen Erniu looked at the boy, the fonder he grew. Dismissing the name he had devised himself, he went to ask the scholar Han Wenxu to name him.
Seeing Chen Erniu braving the winter snow while carrying fine wine and dried meat to his door, Han Wenxu had not known whether to laugh or cry. Following Chen Erniu's naming tradition of rivers, lakes, and streams, he gave the boy the name Chen Donghe.
Chen Donghe was clever from a young age, and Chen Erniu finally felt a sense of relief compared to his other useless sons. To top it off, a spirit aperture was discovered in the boy a few years ago, sending Chen Erniu over the moon. He was promptly sent to cultivate by Li Xiangping's side.
"Ah."
Chen Erniu sighed. Wan Tiancang had died at Mount Huaqian, and Lichuankou was now guarded by Wan Tianchou. That young man was reasonably genial and got along well with Chen Erniu. However, wild beasts had been constantly rustling out of the western forests lately, leaving Chen Erniu sleepless and anxious for the past few days.
Lying in bed for a while, Chen Erniu was just drifting off in a daze when sharp shrieks of alarm jolted him awake.
"Father! Father!"
Chen Sanshui burst through the door with a loud crash, startling Chen Erniu so badly that he rolled off the bed and onto the floor, groaning in pain.
"You unfilial brat! I'll..."
Before Chen Erniu could finish cursing, Chen Sanshui dragged him stumbling toward the doorway and pointed east.
"Curse it all..."
Chen Erniu froze, clutching the doorframe as he stared blankly at the scattered pinpricks of firelight on the eastern hillside.
Shanyue warriors with bared chests and tattooed arms were cresting the ridge, laughing wildly as they brandished long sabers and charged down the slope. Their serpentine formation had already swept into the village, and faint weeping and screams drifted through the air.
Behind him, Chen Sanshui was rummaging through the room, gathering valuables as he stammered, "Father, run! Father, let's run while there's still time..."
Chen Erniu's chest tightened, and he nearly blacked out from pure fury. He smacked Chen Sanshui across the head and roared, "Get lost and go notify the main family!"
Seeing Chen Sanshui stand there frozen, Chen Erniu kicked him hard in the rear. Watching him scramble away in terror, Chen Erniu felt the firelight before his eyes spin, overwhelmed by a profound sense of helplessness.
"Utterly useless."
Steeling his nerves, Chen Erniu walked back inside and hauled up his second son, Chen Qiushui, who was still sleeping like a dead pig. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The patriarch noticed unusual signs in the east days ago, and the clan soldiers are stationed just behind the village. Get your ass over there and see what is happening!"
Seeing Chen Qiushui wander around the room with sleepy eyes, Chen Erniu's rage flared so hot he nearly swooned. He quickly shut his eyes and muttered to himself, "Don't panic, don't panic. The family still has Donghe."
Only then did he draw his saber, slip on his rattan armor, and dash out of the courtyard, creeping into the shadows along the alleyway.
***
"Patriarch!"
Li Xiangping slowly opened his eyes, only to see Li Yesheng entering the courtyard covered in dust and looking thoroughly disheveled. Li Yesheng said in a heavy voice, "The western Shanyue have raided Lichuankou!"
Li Xiangping took fright and rose at once. Pulling his armor down from the wall and slipping it on, he took the Qingwu Bow in hand. Beside him, Chen Donghe had already dutifully tied on his quiver.
"What is the situation? How many are there, and are there any cultivators?"
"From a rough look, there are hundreds of them, but no one was seen treading on air or flying."
Though Li Yesheng had not cultivated, he knew something of the divisions in cultivation realms. Having seen cultivators slay demons in the past, he understood that most beasts running on the ground were nothing to fear.
It was simply that Li Xiangping and Li Tongya had instructed that if they ever encountered humans or monsters hovering in midair, they must immediately retreat and report back to the mountain, so he knew that those capable of flight were the truly formidable ones.
Slapping a Divine Movement Technique talisman onto his leg, Li Xiangping barked softly, "Send someone to summon Li Qiuyang and Li Xuanxuan!"
After a split second of hesitation, Li Xiangping decided not to disturb Li Tongya, who was currently in closed-door seclusion. Tapping his feet against the ground, he darted down the mountain.
"I will lead the village braves to reinforce you shortly!" Li Yesheng shouted. Seeing Li Xiangping already vanishing into the mountains, he hurried off to summon the others.
After dashing along the road for a while, Li Xiangping neared Lichuankou and saw that the war drums were already pounding fiercely at the camp where the eight hundred clan soldiers were stationed. Several centurions posted there were pacing back and forth with troubled looks, while another man was slumped on the ground, weeping into his hands.
Glancing down, Li Xiangping thought the man bore some resemblance to Chen Erniu. He tossed his jade token to the centurions and continued sprinting westward.
The centurions had recognized Li Xiangping long before he arrived; checking the deployment token was merely a formality. They quickly led the clan soldiers behind them to follow, rustling through the forest as they marched toward Lichuankou.
Only Chen Qiushui was left sitting dazed in the dust, completely baffled by what had transpired in the blink of an eye. He got to his feet, brushed off the dirt, and looked around in bewilderment, having no idea where he ought to go.
Chapter 78