Li Xuanling had been doing hard labor in the stockade for over ten days. The slaves around him wept and groaned in exhaustion, but for someone at the second layer of Embryonic Breathing, the work was effortless. He merely had to act miserable and weary.
These slaves ate and slept in an enclosure the Shanyue had cordoned off like a sheep pen. Feces and urine were piled like hills, reeking terribly, with a dozen soldiers watching over them. On the very first night, Li Xuanling had wanted nothing more than to kick off the fetters on his ankles and slip away. Yet because he was waiting for news of Li Jingtian, he had forced himself to endure it for over ten days.
This band of Shanyue seemed to be preparing to pitch a large stockade here to watch and hold off the Li clan. Li Xuanling had observed the layout carefully. The most convenient opportunity to break away would be when carrying timber outside the camp; it was far from the experts inside, and he would only need to kill a few soldiers to escape without fear of being caught by the camp's powerful figures.
*It's simple enough for me to slip away, but it will be exceedingly difficult for Eldest Sister to escape.*
Li Jingtian had been entering and leaving the command tents frequently over the past few days, making Li Xuanling's heart jump with fear. He hovered nearby constantly, looking for an opportunity to lead her away.
Hauling timber through the camp, Li Xuanling discreetly took in his surroundings, only to hear two nearby Shanyue shamans muttering:
"We're setting off back to Dajueting tomorrow, aren't we?"
"Who says otherwise? I hear the Great King wants to erect a massive stone platform in Dajueting to offer sacrifices to the shamans and mark his triumph in uniting the Northern Foothills..."
"After hundreds of years of chaos, we'll finally have peaceful days ahead."
Li Xuanling was thoroughly alarmed and thought to himself, *I have to make a move no matter what! If we set out tomorrow and enter that grand Shanyue city, there will truly be no way out!*
Gently setting down the timber in his hands, Li Xuanling brushed his fingers over the magical mirror in his robes. At once, he sensed Li Jingtian's location and hurried off to find a path toward her.
Inside the mirror, Lu Jiangxian wore a bizarre expression. As Li Xuanling continued westward, an aura that felt like blood kin gradually surfaced in the distance.
*How is that possible?*
Lu Jiangxian's mind was bewildered. Sensing that powerful aura in the distance, blazing like a torch in the dark night, he was shaken to his core.
*Talisman qi?!*
Deep in the mountains lay the familiar aura of talisman qi. The profound intimacy told him immediately that this was a talisman qi conferred by the mirror itself.
It was not the grey talisman on Li Xiangping, but a shimmering yellow talisman.
Talisman qi came in grey, white, azure, and yellow, perfectly corresponding to the cultivation realms of Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Purple Palace, and Golden Core. This yellow talisman was something the mirror could only condense after receiving Golden Core-level offerings and incense.
As Li Xuanling moved onward, Lu Jiangxian was already able to establish a connection with that talisman qi, yet he remained silent, plagued by suspicion.
*This...*
Lu Jiangxian pondered for a few moments, and a name slowly surfaced in his mind.
*The Immortal Mansion's successor, Li Jiangqun!*
Yet that thought was quickly dismissed, giving way to even more confusion.
*Li Jiangqun appeared to have had only Purple Palace cultivation. When he was besieged back then, those who took action were merely Purple Palace cultivators from the Three Sects and Seven Gates. How could he possibly confer a yellow talisman? Consecration isn't something that can be accomplished with just a Golden Core corpse; it requires a living sacrifice of a demon, and the incense required is astronomical.*
No matter how Lu Jiangxian thought about it, he could not make sense of it. He only caught the faint scent of danger, musing silently, *Under no circumstances should we venture rashly to Dajueting. Who knows what demons or monsters lurk there? The matter of Li Jiangqun is a cautionary tale! Those targeting the magical mirror were definitely not just the mere Three Sects and Seven Gates. There must be a far greater power behind them.*
***
Li Xuanling paced back and forth outside the tent for a long time before he finally spotted Li Jingtian. He swapped tasks with a slave hauling water, slowly carrying buckets to the large vat, timing it perfectly to cross paths with Li Jingtian and her escort.
Li Jingtian was draped in animal skins and adorned with jade. She cast a slight glance at Li Xuanling, who was clumsily carrying water, and suddenly spoke up:
"Wait."
The Shanyue guards beside her immediately broke into fawning smiles as they heard her say softly, "Count him as one."
At once, two Shanyue clansmen stepped forward and escorted Li Xuanling away. Li Xuanling kept his head down as he walked for a short while, hearing the two men chuckle:
"You lowlander kid, you're lucky. The commander agreed to give this little wench ten slaves, and you're the first."
Li Xuanling understood at once that Li Jingtian had also found a way to make contact with him, so he followed them obediently.
After a quick wash, Li Xuanling was pushed into Li Jingtian's tent. The Shanyue cared nothing for propriety, so he stepped dripping wet onto the mats. Looking around, he saw only Li Jingtian and let out a light sigh of relief.
Li Jingtian set down the things in her hands, hurried forward, and whispered in his ear, "I got word about the Clan Head!"
It turned out that over these past ten-odd days, Li Xiangping had held out against multiple pursuing forces and pushed west into the Shanyue heartland. Moving among the various Shanyue villages, he had rallied the desperate Shanyue vagrants on Jianixi's land, throwing the entire region into turmoil.
Jianixi had been leading troops to pillage several families under the Tangjin Sect's jurisdiction in the north. Upon receiving word of the unrest, he ordered Mu Jiaoman to pull his troops back to suppress it, which was why the departure was set for tomorrow.
Li Xuanling was stunned. He looked up in utter disbelief and murmured, "What in the world is the Clan Head trying to do..."
Quickly shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Li Xuanling said in a low voice, "Never mind that for now! At dusk, when the crescent moon is at its peak, I'll log timber far from the stockade and find a chance to slip away. Then I'll circle back to the eastern woods and make a signal. You just pretend to step out to relieve yourself. I'll kill the Shanyue attendants beside you and take you with me."
Li Jingtian paused, asking softly, "Can it work? Beware of the Shanyue patrols."
"Don't worry!" Li Xuanling nodded, his voice grave. "Over these ten days, I've already figured out which tents belong to those Shanyue Embryonic Breathing officers. I won't alert them."
Li Jingtian thought for a few breaths and nodded firmly, asking in a low whisper, "What if we alert a large force of soldiers...?"
Li Xuanling hesitated for a moment before muttering, "Then I'll set you down to head east, and I'll go draw them off."
Li Jingtian shook her head and said gently, "If I'm recaptured, Mu Jiaoman won't do anything to me. You possess a spirit aperture, which is far more important. Nothing must happen to you."
Seeing Li Xuanling lower his head in silence, Li Jingtian opened her mouth, hesitating before asking, "What if Mu Jiaoman pursues us in person...?"
"What if that Qi Refinement general comes after us?!"
Li Xuanling touched the magical mirror in his robes. He had no confidence in his chances against Mu Jiaoman even after the commander took a blast of Taiyin Mysterious Light. In a solemn voice, he said, "The Shanyue are our family's sworn enemies—unkempt, tattooed, savage, and crude. If you and I fall into their hands, there will be no good end for either of us! We might be defiled and used to extort our family."
Taking a deep look at Li Jingtian, Li Xuanling gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "If it truly comes to that, I will kill you first, then kill myself!"
Chapter 94