knife

Chapter 102 Xiao Changche, I'll Back You Up From Now On

Not only Linghu Zhishu wanted to know where Li Dachui and Xiao Changche were, but Xiao Dongwei, Gu Xiaoman, Fang Xiaomao, and Xia Zhi also wanted to know.

They knew the two leaders had gone to hunt down the Tiele, but no one knew where the operation would take place.

Everything is random.

They were not worried about the safety of the two.

Two Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank experts are the top-tier combination outside the pass. As long as they don't encounter an army of tens of thousands, there is nowhere that can stop them.

They wouldn't be foolish enough to try something like taking the head of a general from the midst of a massive army.

Anyone who does this is either an idiot or a madman.

Tiele, on the other hand, had only a dozen or so people with him, the two with the highest cultivation levels being only at the peak of the eighth rank.

Killing him would be as easy as turning one's hand.

But now, with Qian Jia's arrival in Baoping City, the news he brought made all the military commanders nervous.

Linghu Ye is busy mobilizing troops and supplies. Even the 5,000 personal guards in Zhenwu City have begun preparations for battle. It seems that Linghu Ye is preparing to take action personally.

Who the target is, is it even necessary to say?
Gu Xiaoman and her two companions would not question the authenticity of the intelligence. If it weren't for something important, Qian Jia, the head of the Zhi Qiu Academy, wouldn't have come here personally.

"Where is the young master?" Gu Xiaoman stared at Qian Jia.

Qian Jia shook his head.

"How do I know?"

"Can we get in touch with the young master?" Gu Xiaoman continued, "If Linghu Ye really wants to take action, I'm afraid we'll have to mobilize all our forces. Such a major matter is beyond our control, and the city lord has always been indifferent to such mundane affairs."

"We can only give it a try!" Qian Jia hesitated for a moment, glanced at Xiao Dongwei and his two lieutenants, and said, "We can still determine the general area. Let's try our luck!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Xia Zhi banged on the table and said, "Dean Qian, if Linghu Ye wants to start a war with us, then we will definitely have to mobilize all our forces. We can't rely on their small number of people for such a big war, and full mobilization and preparation will take time."

Xiao Dongwei's single eye gleamed brightly: "Commander Xia, are you implying that you look down on us?"

On the summer solstice, the eyes face upwards, with more whites and less black.

"What can three thousand people do?"

Xiao Dongwei sneered: "We can't really do anything, but we've done quite a few things, like three thousand men taking on tens of thousands of Northern Yuan troops. I wonder how many times you've done something like that! Commander Xia, this isn't a one-man show where whoever has the higher cultivation level has the stronger fist. In large-scale military operations, there are many more skills to master. Would you like me to explain them to you in detail?"

Xia Zhi chuckled: "Really? Then I'll prepare a few bottles of wine and invite you, this teacher, to give a proper lecture later?"

Xiao Dongwei's face turned pale, and he shut his mouth, too lazy to speak.

This woman is being shameless; when she can't win an argument, she starts bringing up past grievances, deliberately trying to embarrass him.

“Junior Sister, we are allies with General Xiao, and we will be cooperating for a long time. We are all on the same side, and it is the right way to work together.” Gu Xiaoman scolded Xia Zhi a few times before she sat down.

"Brother Gu, give me a break. How accurate is your intelligence? Is the Commander-in-Chief really going to attack us?" Xiao Dongwei was still somewhat skeptical.

“The news is absolutely true!” Gu Xiaoman said, “Your commander has always been wary of Xiao Cheqi. Now that Xiao Cheqi has taken Baoping Prefecture, his strength has greatly increased, and the imperial court has always supported Xiao Cheqi. If you were Linghu Ye, what would you do?”

Xiao Dongwei was silent for a moment, then said, "If we really have to fight, how many people can you mobilize? Even including auxiliary troops, we won't have more than ten thousand men."

Gu Xiaoman smiled and said, "If we're going to mobilize everyone, let's say 30,000 people!"

Xiao Dongwei suddenly stood up: "What did you say?"

“Thirty thousand people!” Gu Xiaoman said.

Xiao Dongwei ripped off his black eye mask and threw it on the table. He took a deep breath, then another, until he regained his composure.

"What kind of 30,000 people?"

“It’s pretty much what you see now!” Gu Xiaoman laughed. “General Xiao, so we’re not afraid of Linghu Ye turning against us. If we really fight, we don’t know who will win or lose. It’s just that we’re leaderless right now. As long as the young master comes back, everything will be fine.”

"If a real fight breaks out, I'm afraid it will only benefit the Northern Yuan!" Xiao Dongwei muttered.

"Yes, so we don't want a fight, but the choice is in Linghuye's hands, right?" Gu Xiaoman said, shrugging.

Above the city tower, a gyrfalcon took flight, circling above Qian Jia and the others for a few weeks before flapping its wings and soaring higher and higher until it became a black dot in everyone's eyes and disappeared into the horizon.

A gentle breeze rustled, and suddenly an elderly man with white hair and beard appeared atop the city wall. Upon seeing him, Gu Xiaoman, Fang Xiaomao, Xia Zhi, Xiao Dongwei, and the others all bowed in respect.

"City Lord!"

Zhou Zhi suddenly appeared when everyone was somewhat hesitant.

"I'm going to see Linghuye!" Zhou Zhi said to everyone, "I'll have a good talk with him. You all go about your business."

After saying those words, Zhou Zhi took a step forward, and the next moment, only his back was visible to everyone, disappearing in the blink of an eye. It was as if this person had never appeared before them at all.

Gu Xiaoman and her ilk take it all for granted and don't find it strange.

Xiao Dongwei and the others were dumbfounded.

"Is this the method of a master of innate level?"

"What kind of methods does the Innate Realm possess?" Xiao Changche asked, sitting cross-legged on the felt carpet and tilting his head to look at Li Dachui.

After several days of snow, the clouds suddenly cleared and the long-awaited sun shone brightly in the sky, pouring down its warmth. Xiao Changche and Li Dachui, who had been cooped up in the cave for many days, naturally wanted to come out for some fresh air.

Compared to a few days ago, Xiao Changche's complexion has improved a lot.

For Xiao Changche, the Qiankun Qi he cultivated was like a powerful tonic; one dose had an immediate and miraculous effect. The Heaven-Slaying True Qi that Duanmu Miaomiao had scattered within Xiao Changche's body slowly returned to its proper place. What was previously a trickle had become a babbling brook, and now it was quite a formidable force.

This is a virtuous cycle.

The more powerful the straightened-out True Qi of Heaven becomes, the weaker it appears, and the faster it returns to its proper place.

To Xiao Changche's delight, she could clearly sense that the true energy that had been bound and returned to its place by Li Dachui had lost much of its malevolent, bloodthirsty, and murderous aura.

The balance of strength and gentleness, the harmony of yin and yang, indeed had a miraculous effect on the Heaven-Slaying Technique. It was truly like brine curdling tofu, one thing subduing another. Xiao Changche had a strong premonition that with the healing of his injuries, his cultivation would enter a new period of growth.

If this person can always be by my side to regulate my true energy and soothe my hidden injuries, then it won't be long before I can reach the peak of the ninth rank.

“The Innate Realm should be considered a realm!” Li Dachui thought for a while and replied, “The old man once told me that after he broke through to the Innate Realm, he felt that his power had not increased much, but his control over his power was incomparable to before. For example, he could refine a single internal force into thousands of strands, and the strength of each strand could be adjusted according to his will, allowing him to attack different targets at the same time.”

Xiao Changche was speechless with astonishment.

"I wonder when we'll be able to reach that level?"

Li Dachui waved his hand heartily: "This is nothing. When the old man reached the ninth rank in martial arts, he was already in his late forties. We're just kids now. By the time we're in our late forties, we'll at least be at the Innate Realm!"

Xiao Changche smiled and said, "You make it sound so easy. Innate ability is a state of being, a matter of chance. It's not something you can obtain simply by diligently practicing."

Li Dachui's eyes widened. "Xiao Changche, don't laugh!"

Xiao Changche was taken aback at first, then her eyebrows shot up.

After her secret was exposed to Li Dachui, she felt relieved. After all, it was not easy and very difficult to hide something from someone like Li Dachui.

Although Xiao Changche was still dressed in a warrior's outfit today, his beautiful hair cascaded down his shoulders like a waterfall, and a blue cloth strip was casually tied around his forehead. At this moment, the sunlight shone down from his front, and his snow-white skin was truly like an ice sculpture. A breeze came, and a few strands of his hair danced on one side of his face. When he smiled and talked, even the fairies in the heavens would be inferior to him.

"Li Dachui, do you want to die?"

Li Dachui nodded repeatedly: "This is the Xiao Changche I know. When we get back, I'll have someone make you a few more masks, at least to cover up this disastrous appearance. Only I can remain calm and composed."

Xiao Changche's eyes grew colder and colder. When he heard the last part, he grabbed a handful of snow, kneaded it into a ball, and threw it at Li Dachui.

Li Dachui let out a strange cry, pushed off the ground with one hand, and jumped more than ten feet into the air, dodging the snowball. As he landed, he swept his cane across the ground, sending a large cloud of snow flying up and sweeping towards Xiao Changche.

Xiao Changche was still recovering from his injuries and could not dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the snow fell from the sky and threatened to bury him. Apart from gritting his teeth, he was powerless to do anything.

But the next moment, the snow that had been falling all over the sky suddenly gathered together and transformed into a snow phoenix spreading its wings and dancing gracefully in front of Xiao Changche. It continued for several breaths before dispersing into snowflakes and following me away.

"Isn't it beautiful? I just figured it out these past few days!" Li Dachui stood leaning on his cane, beaming with pride.

More than just beautiful!
This is a meticulous control over power. Li Dachui mentioned earlier that he has innate control over power, and it seems that he is also working towards this goal.

"You've actually reached the peak of the ninth rank?" Xiao Changche was somewhat shocked, forgetting Li Dachui's teasing just now.

“For me, innate talent is a piece of cake!” Li Dachui still had that smug look on his face: “Xiao Changche, if anyone bullies you in the future, just come to me, and I’ll get revenge for you.”

(End of this chapter)