Fires had already ignited across Lichuankou. Scattered village braves stood in the alleys confronting the Shanyue, protecting the wives and daughters behind them, while many more had fled in disarray, leaving the Shanyue to plunder at will.
By the time Li Xiangping arrived with the clan soldiers, the Shanyue had completely dispersed into the village to loot, lacking any semblance of formation. Frowning, he had no choice but to lead his troops along the flagstone path toward the courtyard of the spirit fields first.
Over a dozen Shanyue warriors surrounded the courtyard, babbling in their local dialect as they hoisted a massive bluestone and hurled it inside. Fortunately, a formation disc had been laid out within the courtyard to establish a ward. The bluestone tumbled through the air for a moment before dropping uselessly back outside the perimeter.
"Fortunately, the spirit fields are unharmed. It seems this Wan Tianchou knows a few more formations. I'll have to find an opportunity to have him write them down for inspection."
Arriving with his troops, Li Xiangping nodded at the sight and waved his hand for the clan soldiers to advance. Terrified, the Shanyue scattered in panic, but within moments, they were captured.
"Patriarch!"
Inside the formation, Wan Tianchou had seen everything clearly. Seeing Li Xiangping come to the rescue, he promptly took the initiative to deactivate the formation and called out somewhat awkwardly.
The Wan family had been destroyed overnight. Wan Xiaohua had ruined all of their heritage on Mount Huaqian, and the promised formation inheritances had vanished without a trace. Wan Tianchou, having escaped with only a few formation discs, was poorly trained, having mastered only three out of ten Embryonic Breathing formations. Fortunately, he at least knew how to set them up, preventing the spirit fields from coming to harm.
"Woo..."
Just as Li Xiangping was about to order his men to disperse and pursue, a deep, heavy horn sounded. The Shanyue warriors scattered throughout the village receded like an ebbing tide. Raising an eyebrow, he lifted the Qingwu Bow in his hand, nocked an arrow, and listened closely for several breaths. Releasing the string, a ray of white light shot toward the mountains.
"Pursue them for a while first."
Li Xiangping waved his hand. The clan soldiers behind him sprang into action, rushing in the direction the Shanyue had fled.
***
"How did they get here so fast?!"
Seated in the woods, Ahui La watched as squads of clan soldiers entered the village. He quickly stood up and shouted, "Withdraw! Withdraw! Don't risk your lives fighting those people! Once we've looted enough, we leave!"
His few hundred defeated remnants were only good for raiding; he had no desire to tangle with these clan soldiers. Preserving his followers was what truly mattered.
As long as he kept these people with him, Ahui La could find a place to earn a living in any tribe. If he lost them all here, his authority and worth would be utterly diminished, reducing him to a mere hired thug.
The tribal shaman beside him hurriedly brought out a horn and blew into it. Seeing his people retreating toward the mountains, Ahui La breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down by the tree.
Just as he relaxed, Ahui La saw a ray of white light streak toward them at blinding speed. The head of the shaman blowing the horn beside him burst with a loud bang, like a smashed watermelon spraying blood and gore, splattering Ahui La's head and face in red and white.
"Scared the shit out of me!"
Staring in terror at the long arrow embedded in the tree trunk, its fletching still trembling violently, Ahui La swallowed hard. He slowly took several steps back and muttered under his breath, "Retreat! Get deeper into the woods!"
Immediately, another shaman tremblingly raised a horn to blow two quick blasts before promptly crouching down with his head in his hands. The sight made Ahui La grind his teeth in frustration, yet he dared not take up the horn himself.
Hiding behind the massive tree, Ahui La looked out into the distance. Relying on his eyesight at the Embryonic Breathing realm, he saw the scene below clearly and let out a sigh of relief.
The clan soldiers at the foot of the mountain trailed close behind his retreating people, cutting down and capturing nearly a hundred of them amid a chorus of curses and pleas for mercy. Thanks to the delay caused by those hundred men, the rest of the Shanyue finally made it into the forest.
Riding high on morale, the clan soldiers looked ready to press into the woods when gongs and drums sounded from the village. Hesitating, the soldiers halted their pursuit and turned back toward the village with their captives.
"A bunch of damn cowards!"
Ahui La cursed resentfully, then turned and led his people deeper into the mountain forests.
***
After driving his troops to cut down the enemy for a time, Li Xiangping quickly sounded the gongs to recall them once the Shanyue had ducked into the dense woods. Looking at the dozens of captured Shanyue, the anger in his chest subsided slightly.
Seeing Chen Erniu walking slowly back from the front of the village covered in blood, Li Xiangping cupped his hands slightly and said in a grave voice, "My thanks for your hard work, Manager Chen."
"Cough, cough... I wouldn't dare claim credit..."
Chen Erniu coughed twice and quickly demurred. Nearby, Li Xuanxuan stepped forward clad in armor, trailing a line of Shanyue captives with their hands bound behind them. Li Xiangping nodded and said in a low voice:
"Xuan'er, take the men and rest where you are. We cannot let this matter go so easily—allowing a few hundred Shanyue to loot Lichuankou's wealth and seize its sons and daughters without consequence."
Raising his hand in a summons, Li Xiangping saw Li Yesheng approaching quickly, having arrived at Lichuankou with braves gathered from several nearby villages.
"I am returning to Mount Lijing. Reorganize our men; this grudge must not wait until tomorrow."
The men answered in unison and dispersed to carry out their orders. His instructions given, Li Xiangping immediately turned back. Upon arriving at Mount Lijing, he met Li Tongya, who had just hurried out of secluded cultivation—his Dharmic powers were consummate, having already reached the peak of Embryonic Breathing.
"Now that Second Brother has emerged from seclusion, we have even greater certainty in this matter."
Li Xiangping let out a grim chuckle through gritted teeth, fury glinting in his eyes. Changing his clothes, he entered the ancestral hall, performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows, bypassed the altar table laden with sacrificial fruits, incense, and candles, bowed respectfully to the mirror upon the stone pedestal, and requested the magical mirror down.
"Act with caution."
Caught off guard by the frail voice, he turned to find it was his father, Li Mutian.
Li Mutian was haggard beyond measure. Sitting quietly in the courtyard, he spoke in a raspy voice before gasping deeply for breath.
The old man often dozed off in the courtyard in a daze, possessing few lucid moments. He frequently forgot to go to the main courtyard for meals, requiring Li Xuanfeng to come and fetch him. Yet he was exceptionally sensitive to footsteps; the moment Li Xiangping had entered the courtyard, he had awakened the old man.
"Yes, Father," Li Xiangping replied. Looking at Li Mutian's condition, a pang of worry rose in his heart. Wondering how much longer his father could hold on, an expression of reluctant sorrow crept onto his face.
Steeling his resolve, Li Xiangping turned and left the rear courtyard, saying to Li Tongya, "There is no need to expend the Taiyin Mysterious Light. We only need the mirror's ability to perceive near and far to catch those Shanyue off guard. With the mirror at our side, we can withdraw safely even if a Qi Refinement cultivator appears."
"Agreed."
Li Tongya followed Li Xiangping down the mountain, listening thoughtfully with an occasional nod as his grim-faced younger brother recounted all that had transpired over the past few days.
The two hurried without pause to the encampment. The night was still deep, and the village braves and clan soldiers slept fitfully with their faces covered.
Two loud gong strikes sounded, and the men sprang to their feet. Donning armor, grasping sabers and shields, they placed wooden gags between their teeth and tied cloths tightly around their faces to keep them from falling out, assembling swiftly in formation.
While waiting for Li Xuanxuan and Li Qiuyang to assemble the troops, Li Xiangping closed his eyes and quietly touched the mirror, sweeping his awareness over the entire mountain until every detail became crystal clear.
Nocking arrows to his Qingwu Bow, Li Xiangping sent several streaks of light flying into the mountains, picking off one by one the sentries the Shanyue had left behind in the forest. Only then did he sling the bow across his back and shout:
"Move out!"
Chapter 79