#752 - Li Jing...rebels!

Li Jing stood on the city wall of Chentang Pass, gazing at the surging sea in the distance.

Taiwan Novel Network → 𝒕𝒘𝒌𝒂𝒏.𝒄𝒐𝒎

In the darkness of the night, the sound of waves hitting the city walls is endless, as if telling something.

He had just been through a terrible battle.

The dragons' attack was more ferocious than he had imagined. The strength of those golden dragons was far beyond his expectations. The bodies of the soldiers piled up like a mountain, and their blood dyed the entire city wall red. However, despite the heavy casualties, they still relied on their flesh and blood to block the dragons' attack.

"General, you need to rest." A tired voice came from behind.

Li Jing turned around and saw his deputy general struggling to stand up. His face was white from being soaked in seawater and gunpowder, and blood was oozing from the corners of his mouth.

"You can go back and rest." Li Jing waved his hand, "I'll stay here."

The deputy general wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded and staggered away.

Most of the torches on the city walls had been extinguished long ago, and the remaining sporadic flames were not enough to illuminate the entire battlefield.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood and sulfur, making people want to vomit.

Suddenly, a breeze blew, bringing with it the fishy smell from the distant sea.

"Still guarding?"

A familiar voice came from above.

"Immortal?"

Li Jing looked up and saw Hu Danyouyou standing on the edge of the city wall, his Taoist robe fluttering gently in the night breeze. The moonlight sprinkled on his figure, adding a layer of hazy brilliance to him.

"Why are you still here?" Li Jing frowned and asked, "Are there any dragons outside who are eyeing us covetously?"

"Don't worry." Hu Danyouyou said calmly, "I have already arranged the formation. They won't be able to break in any time."

Li Jing was silent for a moment: "Master, when will the reinforcements from Da Shang arrive?"

As soon as he said this, he immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. Because from the siege of Chentang Pass to the present day, the Shang Dynasty had never sent any reinforcements.

Hu Danyouyou turned around, his eyes fell on Li Jing's face, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "It seems that you have already discovered it."

"I..." Li Jing swallowed his saliva, "I do find it strange. The dragon tribe came on such a large scale this time, but the Shang Dynasty remained silent."

"What do you think?" Hu Danyou's eyes became profound.

Li Jing clenched the weapon in his hand, his nails digging into his palms: "Perhaps it is because the king is incompetent and the ministers in the court are acting on their own, and they no longer take the matter of Chentang Pass seriously."

Hu Danyou nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer.

"Master, you say... In the eyes of the Great Shang Dynasty, are we even worse than animals?" Li Jing suddenly asked.

When he said this, he was stunned for a moment.

He wanted to say something probing, but he didn't expect that he would vent all the anger in his heart.

Hu Danyou was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke and told Li Jing what he was thinking: "Perhaps the court has its own considerations?"

"Consider?" Li Jing sneered, "What a bullshit consideration! They don't care about our life or death at all!"

His voice suddenly rose a notch, "If the Shang Dynasty really valued our Chentang Pass, they should have sent a large army to support us long ago!"

It seemed like he was answering Hu Danyouyou, but also like he was answering himself.

Hu Danyouyou didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.

Li Jing took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down: "Master, I have an unwelcome request."

"Go ahead." Hu Danyouyou said lightly.

"Can you... help me secretly?" Li Jing gritted his teeth, "I need someone to help me collect intelligence and get information. I'm afraid the court of the Great Shang Dynasty is not simple."

Hu Danyou was silent for a moment: "Do you trust me very much?"

Li Jing nodded, a bitter smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Actually, it seems that I can only trust you."

"Of course."

Hu Danyouyou said calmly, "But remember, this can only be done in secret, and no one else can know about it."

"Don't worry." Li Jing nodded heavily.

At this moment, a strange wave came from a distance. Hu Danyouyou's face suddenly became serious: "The dragon tribe is coming."

Before he finished speaking, a huge black shadow rose from the sea in the distance. It was a huge golden dragon, its scales gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Kill!" Nezha's voice suddenly sounded.

A golden figure descended from the sky, and the Hun Tian Ling poured down like the Milky Way, drawing a brilliant light in the sky. Nezha rode on the Wind Fire Wheel, holding the Hun Tian Ling in his hand, and ran straight towards the giant dragon.

Li Jing was stunned.

This... is this still his brat? Just from the attack just now, it can be seen that Nezha's strength is far beyond that of ordinary people!

However, the battle was soon over.

Nezha's Hun Tian Ling was like a golden shackle, trapping the giant dragon in mid-air, making it unable to move.

"Master!" Nezha's voice suddenly rang out.

Hu Danyouyou floated up from the top of the city wall, and a ball of brilliant fairy air condensed in his hands, as if it contained infinite power.

"I'll do it." He said calmly.

The ball of fairy energy turned into a sword light and pierced the dragon's weak point.

After a shrill scream, the dragon turned into a puff of black smoke and dissipated into the night sky.

Li Jing stood on the city wall, his heart surging. Hu Danyouyou's strength far exceeded his imagination, and Nezha's performance also shocked him.

"Master." He suddenly said, "I think... Nezha can stay in Chentangguan to help me."

"He is your child, why should I say anything?" Hu Danyouyou almost laughed out loud.

"I know." Li Jing nodded, "But... he seems to trust you more now."

Hu Danyou was silent for a moment, without saying much, and just looked at Nezha: "You go ask him, it will actually be more effective."

Just then, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds suddenly came from the distance.

A scout rushed up to the city wall, sweating profusely.

"General! Something bad has happened!"

Li Jing's heart tightened: "What's the matter?"

"Another army of sea monsters has arrived from the Dragon Clan! This time the number is three times as many as before!"

Li Jing's face instantly turned pale. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply: "It seems... we are really isolated and helpless."

From then on, Li Jing began to have frequent contact with Hu Danyouyou.

Hu Danyouyou's cleverness and wisdom make him more and more dependent on him.

Whenever the dragons launched an attack, Hu Danyouyou would secretly instruct Nezha on how to respond.

As time went on, Li Jing's trust in Da Shang gradually disintegrated.

He found that the imperial court did not care about the safety of Chentang Pass at all, and was even secretly investigating whether he was suspected of treason.

"Father." Nezha stood in front of Li Jing, "I heard that... the court suspected that you had ulterior motives."

Li Jing clenched the sword in his hand: "How do you know?"

"Actually... actually, Master stayed in the capital of Da Shang for a while."

Nezha said, "Those ministers don't trust you. They think you are deliberately delaying the peace talks with the dragon tribe, and want to use this opportunity to weaken the power of the court."

Li Jing sneered: "It seems that my guess is correct."

"Father." Nezha said seriously, "If the Shang Dynasty is really unreliable, I can..."

"Don't act rashly!" Li Jing interrupted him, "Now is not the time."

However, at this time, an unexpected news came. The prime minister of the Shang Dynasty suddenly sent an envoy to demand the surrender of Chentangguan and offered to provide a "reward" in exchange.

Li Jing looked at the letter, his heart burning with anger. He finally understood that the reason why the imperial court had been keeping its troops in place was because they did not care about the survival of Chentang Pass at all!

"Master." He asked to see Hu Danyouyou late at night, "What should we do now?"

Hu Danyouyou did not answer, but said calmly: "The time is not right yet."

However, as the dragon's attacks became more frequent, Li Jing's pressure increased.

He began to doubt whether Dashang was really capable of continuing to sustain itself.

"Father, I suggest that we take the initiative." Nezha suddenly said, "We can't just sit there and wait for death!"

Li Jing looked at his son with mixed feelings. He knew Nezha was right, but how could he dare to take the initiative at this time?

If he fails, he will not only let down the imperial court, but also the soldiers who fought for him.

"Father..." Nezha suddenly held his hand, "I know what you are hesitating about. But someone has to stand up and change the status quo."

Li Jing was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, you are right. I need a plan."

From that day on, Li Jing began to secretly plan a rebellion.

He used the intelligence collected by Hu Danyouyou to find corrupt officials in the Shang Dynasty court, and used this as a handle to gradually gain more power.

However, this process is not smooth. Every step needs to be taken carefully, otherwise the whereabouts will be exposed.

Finally, late one night, Li Jing stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the sea in the distance.

His heart was full of contradictions and struggles... He used to be such a loyal general of the Shang Dynasty, but now he had to betray his own country with his own hands.

"Father." Nezha's voice suddenly sounded, "What should we do now?"

Li Jing turned around and looked at Nezha: "Do you remember the first time I met your master?"

"He said that the Great Shang Dynasty is about to face a huge change. And you will be the fuse of this change."

Nezha nodded: "Yes."

"Now..." Li Jing's voice became low, "I think he is right."

Nezha was silent for a moment and finally nodded.

Late at night a month later, the soldiers at Chentang Pass suddenly discovered that the flag on the city wall had been quietly replaced with the rebel symbol.

At the same time, a manifesto was quietly circulated among the people, exposing the corruption and hypocrisy of the Shang Dynasty court.

Li Jing stood on the high platform, watching his soldiers raise their weapons, complex emotions flashing in his eyes.

He knew this day would come sooner or later, but he never thought it would be so sudden.

"Father……"

Nezha suddenly shouted.

Li Jing looked at him deeply and said, "Go, go find your master."

Nezha nodded, turned into a golden light and disappeared into the night.

At the same time, the reaction of the Shang Dynasty court was unexpectedly slow. They seemed to have anticipated all this, but just selectively ignored all the warnings and intelligence.