Chapter 236: Ge The Immortal Child
Medicine Li Leader Yao Xingyue was already waiting outside the City Gate to receive him, cupping his fists toward Li Weiyi, words of thanks unspoken.
Through Yao Xingyue’s gaze, Li Weiyi knew that masters were definitely rushing toward the City Gate. He returned the salute and quickly left, heading toward Northern City.
He sighed inwardly: “The little nun still has a conscience!”
Li Weiyi observed keenly and could tell that Ku Di didn’t care that much about Ji Di’s life or death. The compromise was merely to borrow Li Weiyi’s hand to smoothly release the person.
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Northern City.
The Imperial Court’s largest stronghold in Qiu Zhou Prefecture City, the Governor’s Mansion, had been breached by Zuo Qiu Gatehouse last night through inside-outside cooperation.
Now, the Governor’s Mansion had instead become a shelter for Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and Jiu Li Clan martial cultivators. Cang Li, Li Ling, Li Jiufu, and other Jiu Li Clan martial cultivators had all retreated here.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to retreat back to Southern City, but they couldn’t.
The enemy’s numbers were several times theirs, and they had held out until dawn solely because the Governor’s Mansion had enough intact formations.
Li Weiyi didn’t dare approach the Governor’s Mansion.
On a street several li from the Governor’s Mansion, he already saw many Imperial Court, Far West Ash Region, and Snow Sword Tang Court martial cultivators guarding various street intersections.
Ge Xian Tong and Luan Sheng Lin You were surely nearby somewhere; this place could be called extremely dangerous.
In Southern City, it was mainly Dragon Gate and Lei Xiao Sect attacking, responsible for destroying the various strongholds established by Zuo Qiu Gatehouse. The main forces of the Imperial Court, Far West Ash Region, and Snow Sword Tang Court were all gathered in this urban area, surrounding the Governor’s Mansion like an iron bucket.
Li Weiyi wandered in the Edge Area, gathering various information and pondering rescue methods.
If the Governor’s Mansion was breached, how many more people would end up on roasting racks, how many would be beaten to their knees, stripped of clothes, dignity utterly lost. Those evil spirits from the Far West Ash Region had methods that could make one beg for life but not for death.
And real wars would only be more cruel than this.
In reality, with Ling Xiao coming from the Far West Ash Region to conquer human territory, even a junior like Li Weiyi could see clearly that it was an inevitable trend.
For the defeated, what was lost was far more than just life?
Circling the Edge Area around the layout of the three major forces, Li Weiyi’s mood sank to the extreme. Masters like clouds, Five Seas Realm formations one after another, Great Mind Masters setting up arrays on various streets…
The number of top masters was immense, nearly half of the two hundred invitation-holding strong practitioners probably gathered here.
In this situation, let alone one Li Weiyi—even ten Li Weiyis charging in would leave no bones behind.
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Governor’s Mansion.
After hard-resisting one night of attacks from the three major forces, everyone was exhausted but didn’t dare rest, fully focused on recovering magic energy and mind power.
Cang Li sat on the mansion wall towering like a City Wall, right arm dangling down—from last night’s pursuit, single-handedly covering the rear, bone broken by Luan Sheng Lin You, nearly following Yin Nine’s footsteps.
Li Ling’s mind power was severely depleted, nearly three hundred golden arrow talismans destroyed, multiple wounds on her body.
Zuo Qiu Gatehouse had suffered heavy casualties, nine Seventh Sea strong practitioners dead, each a renowned heavenly prodigy dominating a prefecture. Now their cold corpses lay on the ground, covered with white cloth.
Everyone’s morale was very low, all knowing that holding out until dawn was already lucky. Facing the encirclement of the three major forces, total defeat was only a matter of time.
If surrender were an option, some would definitely be very tempted.
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting wore a wooden mask, clad in a green Daoist robe, whole body stained with blood. Last night, facing two alone to intercept Ge Xian Tong and Luan Sheng Lin You, she had also sustained serious injuries.
But under the mask, her eyes remained sharp, without a trace of dejection.
Walking to Cang Li and Zhu Yi Bai’s side, she stood tall and straight like a war banner on the mansion wall, gazing at Luan Sheng Lin You sitting in the street center far away, and asked in a low voice: “Do you two regret cooperating with me?”
Zhu Yi Bai lay sprawled on the ground like a big character, not even wanting to lift an eyelid: “Regret what? The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival was just a rehearsal of the world situation. If we lose, at least we’ve tested a wrong path for Zhu Men, showing that cooperating with Zuo Qiu Gatehouse might be a dead end. Pretty good, has value.”
Cang Li said: “Regret or not, Jiu Li Clan and Zuo Qiu Gatehouse are already in the same boat. The Far West Ash Region comes with overwhelming force, the Imperial Court can’t even protect itself—if we can’t get Du’e Temple’s support, how can Southern Territory and Western Territory hold them off? This isn’t a personal battle, it’s under heaven affairs!”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting smiled: “You two can jump out of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival framework and see the world situation—this is the vision a true successor should have. Actually, everyone needn’t be so demoralized. By the strength of the five major forces, we should have died last night under their combined assault. Why are we still alive now?”
Many gazes turned toward her.
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting was full of spirit: “Because the five major forces can’t cooperate sincerely. Last night they didn’t stop their covert fights at all—ten parts of strength could only bring out six or seven!”
“Lu Cangsheng and Dragon Hall still haven’t arrived in Northern City, meaning they haven’t cleared all our strongholds in Southern City.”
Cang Li shook his head: “That shouldn’t be—with Lei Xiao Sect and Dragon Gate’s strength, they should have cleaned up Southern City by now.”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting said: “So, there must be a change in Southern City… Huh… Li Weiyi…”
Li Ling and Cang Li immediately stood up, following Zuo Qiu Hong Ting’s gaze into the distance.
Ten li away, on the Inner City’s City Wall.
Li Weiyi stood at the top of the towering City Tower, let out three long howls, then flashed and vanished.
From the Imperial Court and Far West Ash Region camps, several masters rushed out in pursuit.
Cang Li felt puzzled: “What does he mean? Even drawing away a few masters can’t change the big picture, and it puts him in danger.”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting’s eyes under the mask flashed with brilliance: “Li Weiyi isn’t some reckless fool; doing this must have deep meaning.”
“Even with deep meaning, facing Ge Xian Tong and Luan Sheng Lin You, it’s a dead end.” Zhu Yi Bai said.
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting didn’t think so, suddenly her heart stirred: “I get it! The position he stood in just now directly faced the area where the Imperial Court martial cultivators are—perhaps telling us to break out from that direction.”
Zhu Yi Bai sat up: “Against Ge Xian Tong and Chen Ziliang? I’d rather fight Tang Wan Qiu.”
Li Ling said: “I think Red Sis’s analysis makes sense. Li Weiyi wouldn’t howl three times there for no reason; he’s definitely passing information to cooperate with us from inside and outside.”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting suddenly chuckled lightly: “I know how to break the deadlock! Besides the Governor’s Mansion, where is the Imperial Court’s largest stronghold in the city?”
“Naturally the Attendant Hall in Southern City.” Cang Li said.
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting said: “To break the situation, we must first shatter the current power balance in the city. The Imperial Court and Far West Ash Region are too strong. Only by crippling one of them, letting the other see a chance to eliminate their biggest rival, can Zuo Qiu Gatehouse escape this besieged dead end.”
Zhu Yi Bai was overjoyed: “You mean, at all costs, heavily wound the Imperial Court and then seize the Attendant Hall. Let Luan Sheng Lin You see the chance to clean up their biggest rival, the Imperial Court?”
Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng said: “That’s too hard, right? Whether we can break out of the encirclement is still unknown. Then, with exhausted troops, attack the Attendant Hall—every step is next to impossible. And even if successful, it’s just making a wedding dress for Luan Sheng Lin You.”
“It’s very hard, but this is our only chance to rewrite the battle. Only by collapsing the current power balance, making Luan Sheng Lin You and the Imperial Court fight, do we have a slim chance of survival.”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting said: “It’s decided! Right now, we can only choose to trust Li Weiyi. Since he howled three times… Notify everyone, hurry and recuperate. In three quarters of an hour, break out from the Imperial Court direction. Life and death, victory and defeat, on this one battle.”
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Li Weiyi changed his form, swapped clothes again, and at a Bridgehead Noodle House by a great river, ordered a bowl of noodle soup with beef.
He sat facing the shop’s gate, able to see ships occasionally passing on the dozen-zhang-wide great river.
By the bridge, a Mr. in a Robe was telling of last night’s several fierce battles.
“Heaven is dead, Yellow Heaven shall rise. The year Jia Zi, great fortune under heaven.”
After the old Mr. shouted this slogan, it drew applause from the crowd.
Li Weiyi always felt the Robe old man’s voice was familiar, circulating magic energy to his eyes to see his appearance.
But a figure flashed before him, an uninvited guest sat opposite, blocking his view, and called out in a delicate voice: “Shopkeeper, please cook me a bowl of noodle soup.”
The owner of this delicate voice was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old young man, skin white as porcelain, clear brows and eyes, wearing a spotless white robe, jade crown on head, elegant temperament, noble beyond words, utterly out of place here.
But very amiable, always smiling politely.
Li Weiyi’s noodle soup came first. Holding it, he hesitated and asked: “How about you first?”
The delicate young man waved his hands hurriedly: “Everything has first-come first-served. How can I snatch your noodles? Just like, this is clearly Lingxiao Palace’s territory—if everyone comes to snatch, the world would fall into chaos, people unable to make a living. If rules are broken, everyone pays for the rule-breakers.”
Li Weiyi said: “Lingxiao Palace’s territory wasn’t also snatched from Lei Xiao Sect’s hands?”
“When Mist Heavenly Child was around, indeed it was so. But in that cataclysm a thousand years ago, Lingxiao Life Realm was essentially destroyed once. It was the Great Palace Mistress who killed out a new Lingxiao Life Realm for the living beings under heaven. Without the Great Palace Mistress, there would be no current living beings in Lingxiao Life Realm.”
The delicate young man said: “You seem to know who I am?”
Li Weiyi drank a mouthful of noodle soup and sighed: “Do all you Imperial Court people have noses like dogs and eyes that see through everything?”
The delicate young man said: “Since you escaped, you shouldn’t have shown up again. Do you know, I’m actually not called Ge Xian Tong, but Ge Xian Pupils. It’s just that as a child I always followed by the Great Palace Mistress’s side, looking like a child attendant, so it was mistaken as this name.”
Li Weiyi said: “Misnomers harm people! I thought Disguise Art was an amazing technique, but I met my nemesis. You really have a pair of Immortal Eyes?”
Ge Xian Tong carefully scrutinized Li Weiyi, observing his gaze: “Strange, truly strange. Could Jiang Ning not have passed the message to you? Why aren’t you afraid of me at all? Don’t you know I’m here to… kill you?”
As the word “kill” came out, a chill killing intent instantly enveloped the entire shop.
Wind couldn’t blow in, sounds couldn’t transmit in.
The noodle soup in the bowl stopped steaming, all motion suppressed.
“Anyway, you’ve cornered me here— what’s the use of being afraid? You’re Ge Xian Tong, surely not in a rush for the time of one bowl of noodles?”
Li Weiyi began eating noodles.
“Not rushed—I’ve fought all night too, I’m hungry!”
Ge Xian Tong drew out a pair of chopsticks, stood quickly, reached to take the noodle soup brought by the shopkeeper.
The killing intent had temporarily receded.
