Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1349 Entering the Water
Li Zhouwei and the others immediately set off, traversing the void for a while. Yu Xixin stood to one side, and Qiao Wenliu went over together. However, they saw that the Great True Man Ziqi was a step slower and silently moved to the other side. Qiao Wenliu remained expressionless and simply held the green shrine in his hand upright.

Although this scene was witnessed silently, Li Zhouwei saw it all and understood that Master Yu was probably quite displeased. Qiao Wenliu was known for his bad temper, and perhaps his initial anger had dissipated, but this provocation had reignited it.

This made him frown slightly.

'Qiao Wenliu's unpopularity is not without reason... He is certainly a capable person, but his mouth and temper are not things he can rely on...'

There are very few Lesser Yin cultivators, and Qiao Wenliu is highly skilled. Li Zhouwei was inclined to have him teach Li Jiangchun, which brought them closer. He wasn't worried that Li Jiangchun would be led astray—after all, he was a sword immortal—but he feared that it would damage their relationship, which wouldn't be good. He immediately made a mental note of this matter.

'If I have the chance... I should still offer him a few words of advice...'

As he drew ever closer to the passes of Yun and Pu, the King of Wei, bathed in the daylight, suddenly had a premonition.

A man was walking through the void, a refined and cultured man with lowered eyes, deep in thought. He was spotted from afar, and the man chuckled inwardly.

"There was actually some good stuff!"

The next to react was the Great Master who controlled the purple qi. He seemed to sense something amiss, raising an eyebrow and saying:

“Xun Tiao… is my disciple.”

Li Zhouwei knew the name—he had previously been stationed in Guangping, but was forced to abandon the city and flee by Chang Yun. However, he was unlucky and thought he was safe while traveling around this area, but was run into by these people.

He nodded, and Yu Xixin had already turned into purple mist and disappeared. In just over ten breaths, he returned on the wind, with the refined and cultured immortal standing behind him, head bowed and eyes lowered, not uttering a word.

'The Great Master is really useful!'

No matter where he went, the Grand Master's status would never be low. People like Yu Xixin, while not exactly commanding a huge following in Chuncheng, certainly had many good connections. If Li Zhouwei went there, he might just give him a hard time, but Yu Xixin only had to show his face and then obediently brought him back.

Even before the person got close, a strong smell of cold snow and pine resin wafted over. This was familiar, and without asking, it must be the "Cold Qi" supernatural power.

Yu Xixin simply smiled and said:

"King Wei! This is my disciple, Xun Tiao of the Xun family. He is skilled in incense making and is a true prodigy..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Miao began to mutter to himself, cursing inwardly:

"Very well, I bumped into one of them on my way out, and it just so happens to be your disciple. He even said you didn't come to subdue him on purpose. You have no shame at all. You just subdued him yourself, and you're already in such a hurry to call your disciple here..."

Li Zhouwei nodded slightly, but Qiao Wenliu beamed with joy. He seemed quite familiar with this young master, and quickly stepped forward, saying with a smile:

"So it's my young friend Xun... Long time no see..."

Xun Tiao responded politely.

Qiao Wenliu was a womanizer and a Taoist scholar. Because he enjoyed using incense in his sexual encounters, he also became fond of incense. Back when he was captured alive by Li Zhouwei on the city wall, he was still enjoying incense with the Taoist priest from the Jiang family...

He had always avoided matters of Chuncheng and was unaware that this network of connections had offended someone's master, putting him in an awkward position. Li Zhouwei, however, didn't slow his pace, asking as he went:
What happened in Raoshan?

Xun Tiao was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said:

"King Wei was completely unaware—everyone in Chuncheng believed it was Your Majesty's scheme!"

"I?"

Li Zhouwei raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his expression. Xun Tiao sighed silently.
"While the King of Wei was engaged in a major battle in the east, Juancheng secretly dispatched numerous powerful individuals to bypass the enemy and attack Raoshan from the east, which led to the current chaos!"

The others pondered silently, but Li Zhouwei had already grasped the meaning. A smile played on his lips, but a strange glint remained in his eyes. He sighed and said helplessly:
"No wonder I fought so easily in the north... Ye Hui couldn't control him, and Sima Yuanli let him run wild... This kid has some bad intentions; he even managed to scheme against his own people!"

……

Juancheng.

Dark clouds rolled over the city walls, their watery hues engulfing everything like ocean waves, only to be blocked by the figures in the sky.

The battle on Juancheng had been raging for a long time. The iridescent water was about to collapse, and the heavy water was frozen on the other side. On the other side, one could see a person standing on the waves. He had a long beard and a tall crown. His hair and beard were as black as ink. He had an extraordinary demeanor and stood quietly on the front of the waves. With just his body, he suppressed the entire majestic pass.

Gu You, the Great Master of Heshui.

This Grand Master was incredibly powerful, and he had several supernatural beings assisting him. Even though Juancheng was led by Chang Yun and Ye Hui, and assisted by Yu Xi, Li Ximing, and others, and had the support of a great formation, it was still teetering on the brink of collapse, with many of its members suffering injuries.

"Boom!"

Fortunately, a jet-black light that reached the heavens and the earth had already shot up from the southern horizon. The emergence of the primordial energy caused the fierce battle on the city wall to freeze. The Great Master He Shui raised his eyebrows, and there was a moment of hesitation in his eyes.

"Exiled Qi?"

"The Yang family got involved?"

He hesitated for a moment, but the surrounding supernatural powers had already begun to fluctuate, and a deep voice from a junior could be heard:
"My lord, Junior Master Pang... issues the order to cease hostilities... We request that the Great Master block the void..."

"Sigh..."

Gu You shook his head and silently stepped into the void. The tide in the sky became even more turbulent, binding the rays of light so that his own supernatural powers could escape. For a moment, the heavens and earth trembled and the darkness deepened.

On the city wall of Juancheng, a man in crimson robes stood facing the wind, his golden eyes gazing silently at the sky. The gale brought by the tide made his robes flutter, but he remained motionless, staring intently at the sky.

There was no joy on the city wall, only hesitation and solemnity in their gazes. The man standing at the front, dressed in black, held a profound aura and looked extremely embarrassed. He was none other than Yang Ruizhao, the Marquis of Ping'an of the Great Song Dynasty!
This Marquis of Ping'an, who had always been on good terms with the Li family, now had an unusually grim expression. Seeing the rising black mist and raging flames from the south, he gripped his robes tightly, stepped forward, and said:
"Your Highness! The 'Blazing Fire' has appeared! It must be... Dragon's Roar!"

His eyes flashed with astonishment and hidden anger as he stared intently at the young man in the crimson robe, until Li Jiangqian turned around, shook his head, and sighed:

"'Blazing Fire' is incredibly fast! I was careless..."

The city walls fell silent instantly.

Yang Ruizhao was at a loss for words and stared blankly at the young man standing behind him. He was handsome and dressed in blue. It turned out that he was also an acquaintance—Sima Xun, the master of the Sima family.

Although Chi Xuan's expression was also unpleasant, he was much more rational and immediately bowed, saying quite sincerely:
"My lords are likely still in retreat, and we do not know the extent of their casualties. We beg Your Highness to send reinforcements..."

The man in the crimson robe gripped the sword at his waist and tapped it lightly twice. Surprisingly, he didn't speak immediately. Only when this direct descendant of the Sima family raised his head did he smile and say:
“Chixuan, there is no need to worry… My father’s beloved general, the Cui family immortal Cui Jueyin, is also in the east. I have already made an agreement with him that if the fire comes, any casualties must be reported. Now that the jade talisman is not broken, there will surely be no problem.”

But then, the sky was ablaze with light, and a Taoist priest in white and gold robes descended on a beam of light, landing on the city wall. Upon seeing Li Ximing, Yang Ruizhao's expression softened considerably. He merely bowed once, then turned to lodge his complaint, saying:

"Real person... Rao Shan is in trouble!"

Li Ximing remained silent and embarrassed.

Indeed, the instigator of the Raoshan turmoil was none other than Li Jiangqian!
From the moment Li Zhouwei launched his great battle in the north, his momentum soaring to the heavens, the eldest son of the King of Wei keenly sensed an opportunity. Li Jiangqian immediately made a decision, dividing his troops and sending Sima Yuanli, Li Jiangliang, Cui Jueyin, Zhong Qian and others to rush out at full speed, first detouring to the west, and then secretly heading east to attack Raoshan!
Juancheng was already in grave danger, and this order was difficult to convince the people. Li Jiangqian had Yang Ruizhao promise that Long Kangyao had already left, and only then did he get their consent.

At that time, Li Jiangqian made the following promise:
"With Master Cui and Master Qinghu leading the attack, a feigned attack might be able to relieve Father's siege for a while, and we won't linger here any longer!"

If things had ended there, it would have been perfect. However, to the surprise of the group, the leaders, Cui Jueyin and Sima Yuanli, had already received Li Jiangqian's secret orders to delay the return, seemingly without any intention of doing so.

It was precisely because Cui Jueyin, Sima Yuanli and others besieged Raoshan for a long time that Long Kangyao, who should have been waiting for an opportunity, received a steady stream of messages and could no longer linger. He had no choice but to rush south to return to his original post, leaving Yincheng in the north isolated and helpless.

As time passed, Yang Ruizhao and Li Ximing both guessed his thoughts to some extent, but they didn't find it strange and waited silently. However, Li Jiangqian was cold and ruthless and didn't send any news. Sima Yuanli and the others attacked for a long time without returning, and were caught red-handed by Long Kangyao, who rushed back in a fit of rage!

What will be the outcome this time?
At this moment, Yang Ruizhao felt a chill run up to his brow.

'I've been outsmarted by this kid!'

Sima Yuanli, Li Jiangliang, Cui Jueyin, Zhong Qian… Who are these people? Former officials of Zhenqi, close associates of the Song Emperor, loyal subordinates of the King of Wei, and leaders of the Chengyun sect…

How can we allow any mistakes?

These people were captured by a great master and stationed in the nearby Lotus Temple area. Yang Ruiyi, who was not supposed to interfere in the struggle but only provide backup, could not stand idly by! How could he dare to sit idly by?!

This great general of the Song Dynasty, who had been watching from the sidelines, had no choice but to intervene and stop the enraged Long Kangyao—which is why the southern exiled qi and fiery fire intertwined, and the blood-red aura of the Shangwu remained incessant…

Because Yang Ruiyi and Long Kangyao actually started fighting! This sent a message to the entire north.

'The banished Qi intervened.'

This is why Gu You and his group, who had been gaining the upper hand and pushing their luck, immediately hesitated. They were not clear about the changing situation and had to give up the advantage they had finally gained and retreat to the two passes in the east.

'He's utterly wicked... utterly despicable... He disregards human life, so cold-blooded! From beginning to end, all this brat has been thinking about is how to drag my Yang family and my Great Song Dynasty down with him!'

No matter how close Yang Ruizhao was to Li Shi, he was still a member of the Yang family, so how could he not have a gloomy face!

Now that everything has been revealed, Li Ximing can see it all clearly. He feels a mixture of joy at the breaking of the siege, indescribable emotion, and a touch of unease. At this moment, he can only bow deeply and sigh:

"Jiang Qian... is ignorant of worldly affairs, hindering military operations, leading to the disaster in the East... I only hope that no one has been killed or injured... I hope Marquis Ping'an will offer some comfort..."

Upon seeing Li Ximing come to apologize, the young man, who had remained smiling and slightly apologetic without any change, finally reacted. His brows furrowed slightly, his guilt deepened, and he decisively put his hands behind his back.

'Is this not satisfying?'

"My father fought battles across the north and south, campaigning for your Great Song Dynasty, unable to attend to both ends, yet you didn't even flinch? How much did I offend you by scheming to lure Yang Ruiyi into this trap… What a joke! When you repeatedly taught me to use Wangyue Lake as bait… did you ever consider offending us!"

Amidst the uproar, the prince felt deeply ashamed and could only take the hand of the Yang family member, sighing:
"It was all my fault... I underestimated this great master... I thought that once the East started fighting, it would inevitably cause chaos on all sides, and my father, surrounded on both sides, would not retreat without seriously injuring them... I never imagined things would turn out this way..."

He gently patted Yang Ruizhao's shoulder, then looked at Sima Xun beside him and murmured:
"It must have been Father's unexpected victory that injured him instead, which is why he fled back. Since he is injured, his supernatural abilities must be greatly reduced. And with the General constantly reminding him to stay by his side, he will surely be alright!"

Sima Xun didn't care whether the Yang family intervened or not, since it wasn't his Sima family who was driving people to their deaths. On second thought, if the Yang family intervened, his Sima family would be better off. The only thing he cared about was the safety of Qinghu Zhenren, so he also raised his hand to persuade Yang Ruizhao. This Marquis of Ping'an's expression changed several times, and he hesitated to speak.

Li Jiangqian said with shame:
"Fortunately, we only offended Long Kangyao, it's not a big deal... Once the general gathers his troops and returns, the cultivators in the north will see things clearly."

He was two-faced, detached, and coldly observed, his heart filled with sneers.
'Yang Ruiyi…sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, as if she's doing someone a great favor! She doesn't want to offend anyone…during the Song Dynasty's invasion, did my father ever stand idly by? What, the Li family can afford to offend her, but the Yang family can't?'

His words were soft, and the matter was already beyond repair. Although Yang Ruizhao was secretly furious, he was unwilling to waste his relationship with the Li family on behalf of the Yang family. He could only remain calm and sigh:
"Gentlemen, you have misunderstood! This is not just Rui Zao's personal matter! His Majesty mobilized all the cultivators, and I was ordered to come north with him. I was originally in charge of supervising the army, but now that the damage is done, we still need to think about how to explain this to the General!"

But the young man in crimson robes seemed unconcerned. His gaze had already shifted from the raging flames of the east to the north. Looking at the dawn breaking, a smile appeared on his face as he said:
"Seniors, there's no need to worry. If I'm not mistaken, my father has already led his men here. Before long, he will surely be able to attack from both sides and break through the two passes!"

Both of them were startled at the same time, their gazes shifting to him. Li Jiangqian's golden eyes showed no panic or guilt, only a faint joy. His gaze swept across the sky, and he casually said:

"If there are any casualties or if morale is shaken, I will apologize to the General. But if we return safely, seize the opportunity, and decisively defeat the Zhao army, what more do I need to say..."

His posture softened, but his tone hardened, and his eyes remained calm:
"I'm afraid we'll have to trouble the General to speak with the King of Wei."