“Amazing!” Li Xuanxuan praised, stepping on the massive carcass of a brown-haired pig demon and scrutinizing the bowl-sized wound with admiration.
Beside him, Li Xuanfeng slung his longbow on his back and wore a grin of pride. “How is it? My shooting skills aren’t something you get to see every day.”
“It’s indeed impressive.” Li Xuanxuan nodded with a smile on his face as he continued saying, “It’s a shame that you ruined such fine leather, though.”
Li Xuanfeng’s smile faltered and was about to retort, but he was interrupted by a clan soldier rushing toward them. The clan soldier’s armor was drenched in blood. He dropped to his knees and reported with despair, “Young Family Head, Mount Yue has taken control of Lijing Town and has ascended Mount Lijing as we speak!”
Li Xuanfeng looked at him in disbelief, then single-handedly lifted the clan soldier off the ground.
“Do you even know what you’re saying?!” he yelled.
“Feng’er!” Li Xuanxuan, visibly shaken, hastened to the clan soldier’s rescue, disregarding the blood staining him.
“Why are they in Lijing Town? Where are the clan soldiers led by the Family Head? What happened to Lichuankou Village?”
The soldier quickly reported, “The Family Head and a thousand clan soldiers are gone! We went to look for help from Lichuankou Village but got assaulted. Lichuankou Village has also been taken control by Mount Yue!”
“Scout Lijing Town and Lichuankou Village again to gather more information,” he ordered.
After pondering for a few moments, he added, “Send someone to the reeds to look for Second Uncle.”
“No need.” Li Tongya descended from the sky and approached Li Xuanxuan with a grim expression. “I’ve already scouted Lichuankou. There are currently three thousand soldiers stationed there, with one cultivator of the Qi Cultivation Realm among them. Lijing Town is overrun by over three thousand tribesmen from Mount Yue, including at least three cultivators of the Qi Cultivation Realm.”
Li Tongya was collecting River Pure Qi on the riverbank. Upon reaching the shore of Lichuankou, he spotted torches peppering all over the village. The sight of numerous figures moving about filled his heart with unease.
As he drew closer to the village in mid-air, the presence of people with distinct hairstyles and tattoos everywhere sent a shiver down his spine.
Suddenly, a Mount Yue cultivator of the Qi Cultivation Realm soared into the air and unleashed a dense, black mist toward Li Tongya.
Li Tongya exchanged a few blows with the cultivator. His Profound Water Sword Technique, empowered by the River True Essence, soon proved too overwhelming for the rogue cultivator from Mount Yue, forcing his opponent into a reluctant retreat.
“Family Head is…” Li Xuanxuan spoke anxiously, only for Li Tongya to cut him off with a shake of his head.
“When I arrived at Lichuankou Village, it was already blocked off. There were no signs of a military formation on the riverbank, nor any evidence of fighting. Xiangping must have withdrawn or headed in another direction.”
Li Xuanxuan exhaled deeply in relief, and Li Xuanfeng’s tense expression also eased slightly. Li Tongya then slapped his brocade pouch and produced a jade seal. It was a symbol of the Azure Pond Sect’s authority, and it bore a short message—Endure.
With a grim expression, Li Tongya put the seal away. He had sought aid through it earlier, only to receive a dismissive message after an hour of waiting.
“We can no longer count on the Azure Pond Sect. Our next steps depend on Jianixi’s actions…”
Li Xuanling and Li Jingtian had barely rested when the door was violently kicked open. A group of Mount Yue men barged in.
Among them was a figure who appeared to be the leader, brandishing a saber. His eyes lit up upon seeing Li Jingtian as he commented happily, “What a fine catch this little lady is.”
The abrupt intrusion startled both Li Xuanling and Li Jingtian. While Li Jingtian wondered how Jianixi could have located their hiding place, a few mortals stepped forward. Her suspicions deepened, sensing that something was amiss.
Li Xuanling clenched his fists, silently weighing their odds.
Though I have no doubt that I can easily defeat these people, I’m worried we’ll draw unnecessary attention. Engaging them might attract their other allies on the streets, who could potentially be cultivators. If that happens, it’ll be difficult for us to escape.
The leader of the group scrutinized them before waving and commanding loudly, “Take them away!”
Two of his men approached with ropes to tie the twins up. Li Xuanling cast a glance at Li Jingtian, only to see the subtle shake of her head, so he allowed these people to tie them up.
Li Xuanling tested the ropes’ hold and found them to be ridiculously weak. The fact that he could easily break them just by applying a little force showed that these men underestimated a ten-year-old boy like him and failed to recognize that he had attained the second stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm.
As they were led out of the courtyard, they caught sight of other youths being herded like livestock toward the forest, under the watchful eye of a figure marked with distinctive tattoos and wearing long-braided hair.
“Qi Cultivation Realm…” Li Xuanling mumbled under his breath before he was led into the forest along with Li Jingtian. He feigned clumsiness, deliberately stumbling into the mud to smear his face with it.
I’ve spent a lot of time at the foot of the mountain over the past few years, so everyone knows me. I’d better disguise myself in case some idiot accidentally blows my cover.
Cocking his head to the side while smoothing down his clothes, Li Xuanling kept his head bowed in an attempt to look as inconspicuous as possible. He glanced ahead at Li Jingtian and secretly sighed in relief.
Luckily, Big Sister has remained secluded in the mountains for the past few years. Otherwise, given her outstanding beauty, everyone would be able to recognize her even through her disguise.
Before them lay Big River Creek, beyond which stretched Mount Yue’s territory. Li Xuanling quietly touched the mirror hidden beneath his clothes, then retracted his hand with a bitter smile.
The group ahead was overseen by three cultivators of the Qi Cultivation Realm hovering in the air, with vigilant Mount Yue soldiers behind them, making an escape seem impossible.
Fortunately, the spiritual senses of the three cultivators were limited, preventing them from noticing Li Xuanling below. The two had no choice but to continue forward, traversing through the day and night until a simple stronghold came into view.
The stronghold was bustling with activity as numerous individuals had their feet bound in shackles and were strained under the weight of equipment and provisions.
Escape seems extremely difficult for these mortals, but for cultivators like me, I’ll just break these shackles and escape with Big Sister when night falls.
Li Xuanling felt a surge of relief at the thought.
He then saw a group of captives shackled and kneeling ahead of them on the ground, waiting for horizontal lines to be painted on their neck by the shamans of Mount Yue as a symbol of their status as slaves.
Meanwhile, some men came over to undo their ropes and led the girls away. Li Jingtian was singled out from the crowd, drawing gasps from both Mount Yue men and fellow captives.
“W-Whose daughter is that? What a beauty she is.”
“What a beautiful little lady.”
Despite the mud smearing her face, it was impossible to conceal Li Jingtian’s sharp nose and the elegant outline of her face contours. Her clear, grayish-black eyes, inherited from Li Xiangping, were captivating in their own right.
Li Xuanling, now shackled in wood due to Mount Yue's scarcity of metals, watched helplessly as a Mount Yue shaman marked him with the symbols of servitude. Despite the dire circumstances, his concern remained fixed on Li Jingtian, especially when a Mount Yue leader with a distinctive long braid took a keen interest in her, stepping forward to examine her more closely.
Meanwhile, Li Xuanling was ushered into the stronghold, where the Mount Yue men promptly secured him with wooden shackles.
Those from Mount Yue were not adept in smelting, so all the metals they made were reserved for making weapons rather than restraints, which were made of sturdy wood.
As a Mount Yue shaman painted horizontal stripes on his neck, Li Xuanling discreetly monitored the movements near Li Jingtian.
A Mount Yue man with a long braid slowly descended from the sky and inspected her closely.