The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

A gift from one's superior cannot be refused.

Li Yi eventually took the extra bottle of Qi-boosting pills that Meng Yunjie had given him.

However, he was feeling a bit awkward and unsure of his superior's thoughts, so he appeared somewhat distant.

Meng Yunjie watched with a smile as he took the pill, but suddenly remembered something and called him back.

"At present, all the scouts are on duty, and I naturally cannot leave out Commander Li."

He flipped through the files. "So, in the western part of Manxing County, a group of demons have occupied the Luopan Mountains. I heard that the leader is a Foundation Establishment level demon."

"Lord Xu has personally ordered the extermination of the monsters within the prefecture. Tomorrow, the scouts will be dispatched first, while the garrison will be led by Commander Li. What do you think?"

Li Yi had no right to disobey orders, so he immediately clasped his hands in agreement. When asked who was accompanying him, he learned that the other squads had already taken on their respective duties, so only the squad from Sanyi Village was left.

The group of five left the government office and, having half a day of free time, decided to stay overnight at a nearby restaurant rather than return to camp.

The five brothers gathered in an upper room for a meal and learned about each other's military achievements, finally putting their minds at ease.

Li Yi did not explicitly state how many military achievements he had made, but instead brought up the matter of Zhong Wending.

"According to the current system of recording merits, Old Zhong can probably only get some military merits by relying on the usual practice, and he won't even get the second rank."

With Lao Zhong's cultivation level, he is more than qualified to serve as a captain. If he contributes in the future, we will share the credit according to the specific circumstances. What do you say?

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wending waved his hands repeatedly, "It was agreed that I would borrow the military household quota of Sanyi Village, how could I ask for it back?"

Li Erhu put his arm around Zhong Wending, "Aren't you being too polite?"

Guan Tian silently pushed his wine glass aside and chimed in, "Brother Zhong, just agree. You know, once Yi-ge'er has made a decision, we can't easily change it."

Chung Wending shook his head helplessly, but a hint of a smile in his eyes betrayed him.

Rong Sheng had a rare half-day of leisure, so Erhu took Xiao Guan and Liu Zhi for a stroll around, while Li Yi went to the Marshal's Mansion to look at the list of military merits.

As expected, all methods related to Yin and Yang Qi require a starting rank of six. Switching to a method that helps one consume incense offerings is unlikely to be possible in the short term.

A night passed in the blink of an eye. Li Yi and the others went downstairs early, retrieved their horses, and headed to the west gate as indicated in the dossier. Sure enough, they saw several sentry cavalry.

At a glance, there should be forty or fifty people.

"It's Commander Li!"

"With Commander Li accompanying us, we can rest assured."

Many people recognized Li Yi and came forward to greet him. Li Yi responded to each of them. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face—Xiao Zhou, the commander of the Tiger Might Battalion's sentry cavalry. He nodded and greeted him from afar.

The other person rode over, a slight worry on their face.

"This mission requires us to uncover the demon's lair, which is extremely dangerous. The Luopan Mountains cover a vast area, and the surrounding villages are scattered, so it won't be easy."

Li Yi agreed, saying, "Make sure to bring enough food, command tokens, and other supplies. It's best if the flags aren't too far apart, otherwise it will be difficult to provide aid."

"That's right." Xiao Zhou still looked worried. "But that's the problem. The demons of Luopan Mountain don't always stay together. It will take us at least four or five days just to investigate the villages at the foot of the mountain."

The scouts echoed their agreement.

Unfortunately, this matter has caught Xu Gong's attention and cannot be delayed. If things are not handled properly, there may be serious consequences.

As the scouts traveled, they discussed the matter, concluding that the cumbersome method would take too long, and it would be better to simply venture into the mountains and carefully investigate any traces of the demon.

Although there are great demons in the mountains, not all of them are difficult to deal with. If each sentry is careful, they won't be too unlucky.

Ultimately, the role of a sentry is inherently dangerous and risky; how can one completely avoid it?

Half a day later, the scouts arrived at the foot of the mountain and found a dilapidated village that was deserted. They had no choice but to turn back and search for locals along the way. Finally, after an hour, they found someone who was willing to talk.

"Gentlemen, are you really not going to take this humble commoner with you to guide us?"

Li Yi was also helpless. They had asked many people along the way, but everyone avoided them like the plague.

Everyone had made up their minds that if they still couldn't get an answer, they would resort to force—fortunately, this person seemed willing to talk.

"Indeed, all that is needed is a general description of Luopan Mountain."

The bald man swallowed hard and said:

"Luopan Mountain has five ridges and eight peaks, and there are two streams in the mountains."

Xiao Zhou waited patiently for a while, but the man didn't say anything more. He frowned and said:

"That's it?"

"That's all. I only heard about it from the elders; those mountains are teeming with demons. Who would dare to go in?"

That makes so much sense...

Li Yi and Xiao Zhou exchanged a glance, both feeling helpless.

The scouts rode swiftly on horseback, their hooves thundering, heading towards the Demon Mountain.

"Asking is pointless! Forget it, let's enter the mountain from the east, spread out in a line. If we encounter a demon's lair, don't make a sound, just record it secretly."

"If there is an enemy, there is no need to fight them head-on; retreat if you can."

"Why not capture a few lesser demons and interrogate them? Surely we don't have to venture deep into the demon's lair and alert that Foundation Establishment level demon?"

With everyone contributing their ideas, a plan was gradually finalized.

Simply capturing a few minor demons won't be enough to satisfy the task; we need to capture something of greater significance.

As dusk fell, Li Yi, riding Red Hare, finally arrived at the foot of Luopan Mountain.

Looking eastward, one can only see two ridges and three peaks, making it difficult to see the entire mountain range.

Even so, this mountain is majestic enough.

Li Yi looked up into the distance and suddenly chuckled to himself.

Zhu Xing had previously said he wouldn't need him, but unexpectedly he had already taken on a task and rushed here.

That night, the monkey spirit did not drink any wine, but seemed to be sleeping soundly and drunk.

"Ge Star, Zhu Star..."

Li Yi muttered to himself, dismounted, and led his men into the deep mountains.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

at the same time.

Deep in the mountains, there is a cave.

The words "Starry Sky Cave" are engraved above. The cave entrance is deep and wide, large enough for several people to walk side by side.

A vulture with a sharp beak flapped its wings, its claws hooking through the collarbone of a human man, and fell from the horizon into the Starry Cave.

The vulture looked arrogant and kept its eyes straight ahead. Along the way, many minor demons greeted it. After turning seven or eight corners in the cave, it lifted a red curtain and saw a long-nosed boar demon with ferocious tusks resting on the bed, holding a piece of meat rib in its hand.

Out of the corner of its eye, the vulture saw a pile of bones on the left, including human and animal bones, stacked up to a foot or two high.

"Big brother doesn't have a good appetite?"

The pig demon, Ge Xing, simply sighed, and the sound was like a muffled thunderclap.

It glanced up and saw the man the vulture was holding. "How's it doing outside?"

Vulture also sighed, "The Great Yan Dynasty has changed hands and become the territory of the Great Zhou. Brother, we should make preparations as soon as possible."

Germanium Star raised its long, sharp nails and picked its teeth.

"How did the Great Zhou Dynasty deal with that traitor?"

"I've heard that it has been incorporated into the Great Zhou Dynasty and is now considered a deity of the Great Zhou."

Germanium Star snorted, "Ungrateful wretch, yet fools are blessed with good fortune."

The moment that guy was mentioned, the pig demon couldn't contain his rage, and the vulture trembled with fear, cautiously saying:

"The Great Zhou is not like the Great Yan; I fear it may not be able to accommodate us. I urge you, elder brother, to make plans as soon as possible."