Li Xiangping peered down at Ahuici before him, his gaze lingering on the man’s neck.
Though this man is cunning and unreliable, he might have some worth. The forces under his command from Mount Yue are wild and unruly. If we don’t keep a tight grip on them, they could pose a risk to our family.
Ahuici felt a chill run down his spine as he noticed the intense scrutiny in Li Xiangping’s gaze fixed upon his neck.
In a desperate attempt to break free from his plight, he pleaded, “Great King! We were driven eastward by Jianixi’s massacre, seeking only survival. Spare our lives, and we will pledge our allegiance to you. Jianixi will undoubtedly advance eastward within the next ten years, and we’ll certainly prove our worth to you, Great King…!”
Li Xiangping, with a dismissive laugh, gestured for Li Xuanxuan and Li Qiuyang to restrain Ahuici. Turning away, Li Xiangping decisively ordered, “Return the belongings to each family, and escort these captives away from Mount Yue. As for you… you’ll be detained at Mount Lijing for now.”
As Li Xiangping strode forward alongside Li Tongya, Chen Erniu watched from behind, shaking his head in disapproval.
Glancing at Chen Sanshui, who was following behind him with his head bowed, he muttered under his breath, “Never mind about being under the thumb of Li Mutian… Look at the difference between our sons! This fool can’t even hold a candle to Li Yesheng’s son. At least Li Xiewen has been working diligently at Lidaokou Village all these years!”
Recalling Li Mutian, Chen Erniu’s mood soured. Gazing toward Mount Lijing in the distance, he mused with a conflicted look on his face, “How is that old wolf still alive? Has he stumbled upon some elixir of immortality? He has remained secluded on the mountain for over a decade, keeping us all on edge.”
“Speak,” Li Xiangping commanded from his seat, while Li Tongya stood beside him, his gaze fixed on Ahuici.
Ahuici, sweating profusely and momentarily stunned by the question, received a sharp reminder from Li Xuanxuan’s sword hilt to his head, prompting him to stutter, “Jianixi… He’s like a great king.”
Internally, Ahuici marveled at the similarity in demeanor between Li Xiangping and Jianixi.
“Although they look different, they have the same demeanor and look in their eyes. Their commanding presence is like that of tigers,” he mumbled under his breath.
Interrupted by another knock on the head from Li Xuanxuan, he looked up angrily, only to see Li Xuanxuan flushed with indignation as he corrected him, “A mere leader of Mount Yue cannot possibly compare to my uncle!”
Li Xiangping frowned and waved his hand to cut off the chatter. “Enough of that. How many men does he command? How strong is he? Does he have any shaman serving under him?”
Ahuici smiled in an obsequious manner and quickly answered, “When we were driven out of our lands, Jianixi had already unified a dozen tribes, boasting three to four thousand soldiers. He is a Qi Cultivator himself, supported by two shamans who had absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Among his forces, there are more than ten tribesmen and shamans who have attained the Embryonic Breathing Realm.”
“So, a force of four thousand men, three of whom are Qi Cultivators and over ten are cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm.”
Li Xiangping and Li Tongya exchanged looks with one another, their eyes reflecting a mutual understanding of the gravity of the situation.
The Li Family, despite years of diligent cultivation and ruling over their four villages, had a modest population of merely ten thousand people. Their military capabilities were limited, comprising only a thousand trained soldiers along with an additional force of a thousand to two thousand villagers who could be mobilized in times of conflict, though with minimal combat proficiency.
Confronting Jianixi will be more daunting than confronting Ji Dengqi, Li Xiangping sighed inwardly.
Turning his attention back to Ahuici with an expressionless face, Li Xiangping gently set down his tea bowl and asked, “You and your tribesmen are accustomed to hunting and foraging. Do you all know how to farm?”
Caught off guard by the question, Ahuici responded hesitantly, “W-Well… to some extent… We cultivate a few crops, like medicinal herbs and cotton.”
“Good.” Li Xiangping rubbed his chin contemplatively and then said, “Your remaining five or six hundred men can be dispersed among the villages. Let them work as hunters or take up trades like leatherworking or carpentry. There’s a chance for them to lead honest lives. Given the limited casualties from the recent raids, the villagers might not bear too much resentment against all of you, as long as there’s no further trouble caused.”
Ahuici, who was still kneeling, nodded eagerly in agreement. With hope in his voice, he assured, “We used to live peacefully and only resorted to raiding when our homes were destroyed. I’ll make sure my people behave…”
“You’ll start by planting Spirit Paddies at the foot of Mount Lijing,” Li Xiangping instructed while standing up.
“I’ll arrange for someone to teach you and your men how to read and take care of the Spirit Paddies. It would be a waste killing a cultivator who has reached the fourth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm,” he added with a smile.
Meanwhile, on the Azure Pond Peak…
Si Yuanbai kneeled quietly before a stone door adorned with intricate spiritual patterns. He pursed his lips tightly as he gazed at the formation before him with a complex mix of emotions.
“Old Ancestor, please rescind your order!” His clear voice echoed in the cave, eventually fading into the wind.
From within, a sigh resonated, followed by a voice, aged yet profound. “Yuanbai, why persist in this manner…?”
Closing his eyes, Si Yuanbai looked rather weary as he continued repeating, “Please, Old Ancestor... rescind your order!”
As the person behind the stone door fell silent once again, Si Yuanbai’s resolve hardened as he declared softly, “Qingsui Peak will not journey to the southern border.”
“ENOUGH WITH THAT NONSENSE!” An enraged response thundered in Si Yuanbai’s ears, causing them to bleed.
Unfazed, Si Yuanbai snorted coldly and retorted, “You think I don’t know about your intentions? You want to eat Jing’er! I bet the demon kings at the southern border have already heated up their pots. The mortal lives that will be sacrificed, the treasures and spirit items to be collected from the southern border—it’s all been discussed, hasn’t it?”
“Si Yuanbai! How dare you?!” The pressure from an expert of the Purple Mansion Realm bore down on Si Yuanbai, causing him to cough up blood.
Wiping the blood away from the corners of his mouth resentfully, Si Yuanbai hissed through gritted teeth, “You all sent Yuxie there back then, claiming to collect all twelve strands of the Supreme Yin Moonlight. I pleaded for a hundred and fifty-six days, you said that he would be the last one. To think that I actually believed all of you…”
Another invisible force struck Si Yuanbai, slamming him against the stone wall. Si Yuanbai coughed up a mouthful of blood but laughed maniacally.
“Azure Pond Immortal Sect, huh? What an immortal sect!”
Si Yuanbai’s hair was disheveled and his eyes were ablaze. He rose defiantly, with mana swirling around him.
“Si Yuanbai, your heart is clouded, but I will overlook this,” the aged voice declared, subduing Si Yuanbai with his aura.
“Seal his cultivation and imprison him in the tower.”