#1100 - Yasuniwa

Li Ximing entered the hall and saw dark light flowing everywhere. The man at the head of the table put down his brush and hurried down, raising his eyebrows and smiling, "Brother Ximing, you've come!"

His tone was very warm, and Li Ximing remembered that he was related to him. It was clear that they weren't interacting as General and subordinate, but as brothers-in-law.

This General's appearance wasn't particularly outstanding, but his welcoming smile made him seem like an ordinary brother-in-law, greeting a close relative with amiable kindness.

Although the other party was friendly, Li Ximing didn't want to get too close, so he cupped his hands and smiled, "General, you're too kind..."

Yang Ruiyi smiled and invited him to sit down, revealing a pure white jade pot and pouring tea, "I've been here for some days, and I've been very busy. You've also been in seclusion refining pills, so we haven't seen each other. This time, I've invited you here to discuss matters concerning the north."

"Please speak, General!"

Li Ximing replied. Yang Ruiyi seemed to be pondering something, and cautiously opened his mouth to ask, "This Northern Expedition was originally under the banner of revenge, but after so many years of back and forth, the remaining True Men have become wary of war, and their enthusiasm is low."

"Wei Wang is brave and skilled in battle, and originally only he could take on this great responsibility and inspire the hearts of the generals. But now that he is in seclusion, the cultivators are even more doubtful, quite worried and hesitant. That's why I specifically invited Protector Liu over."

Li Ximing would never allow him to disturb Li Zhouwei. Hearing this, his eyes turned slightly red, and he began to talk about the multiple wounds that the last war had left on the Li family. Yang Ruiyi listened carefully, his expression calm, and said,

"I understand the Li family's contributions. This time, I invited you here to protect Ting Province."

Li Ximing's expression faltered slightly. Yang Ruiyi's expression was worried as he replied, "Your lord handed the northern line to me, and I can see it very clearly. Qi Lanyan and the others have not yet exerted their full strength. Guang Chan of the Great Mu Dharma Realm has also arrived, and there are likely people from the Great Yuan Light Hidden Mountain and the Great Yang Mountain."

He said softly, "Zhao's national power is strong, and I understand this very well. To put it bluntly, the current Great Song is not even comparable to Shu. Even if Jin Yu listens to orders but doesn't follow them completely, Chang Huai is worth the entire Great Song."

"This Northern Expedition, to put it bluntly, is just to protect Wei and share the pressure..."

He stared intently at Li Ximing and said solemnly, "Guang Chan, Qi Lanyan, and Gongsun Bei's intentions are well known. Right now, they are just internally conflicted and can't figure out my bottom line, so it's difficult to negotiate. Once the three of them decide to go south, I'm afraid you also know where they will land."

Li Ximing sighed softly and replied, "Ting Province."

"Exactly!"

Yang Ruiyi's expression darkened slightly as he replied, "There will inevitably be a great battle. If I make a move to attack proactively and stockpile troops on this shore, not to mention choosing a main battlefield, at least I can contain the main force... But if the imperial court remains still and only sends a few people to guard the river, the location where the great battle breaks out will definitely be around Ting Province."

"The earliest decision of the ruler was to recuperate and develop at the beginning of the founding of the nation, and to select and choose one person from the three to guard the north. It was I who strongly requested this Northern Expedition."

His expression looked very solemn. Li Ximing was slightly stunned and sighed, "Thank you, General! I didn't know the General was thinking of... protecting my clan..."

Yang Ruiyi waved his hand, signaling him not to engage in these formalities, and replied, "I'm telling you this clearly because I want you to reveal some information and talk about the defense of Ting Province—I'm not here to gain your favor!"

Yang Ruiyi had spoken to this point, and Li Ximing believed him five parts. He solemnly calmed down and replied, "Zhao Jing will tell you everything he knows!"

Yang Ruiyi then got up, turned to look at him, and asked in a low voice, "In case of emergency, can Wei Wang take action?"

Li Ximing's face showed a complex expression, and he sighed, "To be honest, I don't think he will!"

If he had flatly said no, Yang Ruiyi would not have believed him. But this answer made him scrutinize Li Ximing. He paced back and forth, his gaze heavy: "How much longer will it take?"

Li Ximing was silent for a long time, judging with some difficulty for a while, and replied, "Perhaps... six or seven years..."

According to Li Zhouwei's cultivation speed, he should now be at the perfect Immortal Foundation stage, recommending him to ascend to the Rising Sun stage. A speed of six or seven years was neither high nor low, and even somewhat conservative, but Yang Ruiyi frowned: "I can't wait that long. He must come out of seclusion in five years at most, otherwise, I won't be able to hold it back here!"

Li Ximing shuddered. Yang Ruiyi realized that his tone was a bit too harsh, and sighed: "Brother Ximing is also not in a good position."

So he slightly calmed down and asked, "Relying on the formation on the lake, how long do you think you can hold out against Guang Chan?"

Li Ximing asked in a low voice, "I wonder how capable this Guang Chan is?"

Yang Ruiyi paced back and forth and said softly, "Comparable to Zhe Lu, he is the top Maha among the Buddhist cultivators. Counting the days, he should now be in the Fifth Lifetime, and he is also highly valued by Dharma Appearance. Ordinary cultivators who have passed the mid-stage of the Violet Palace stage cannot defeat him."

Li Ximing's heart suddenly turned cold—an ordinary mid-stage Violet Palace cultivator roughly corresponds to the Third or Fourth Lifetime. Passing through the Purple Ginseng stage brings a huge breakthrough, which is needed to steadily suppress the Sixth Lifetime Maha. By the time one reaches the Eighth Lifetime, it is comparable to the Perfection of Divine Abilities.

Li Ximing knew that he was talking about Kuang Yu, Guo Nanwu and others, and shook his head repeatedly. Finally, he saw Yang Ruiyi sigh and said, "I sent Ting Lan to help you in the Mushroom Forest, which should have been enough, but Qing Jifang is still secretly coveting... How about this, I'll have Sima Yuanli accompany you on the lake..."

Li Ximing's eyes lit up, but he saw Yang Ruiyi looking over with a serious expression, saying, "If everything goes as planned, Guang Chan will not stay on the lake for more than two hours. If we suddenly attack the Great Yuan Light Hidden Mountain, he will definitely return. Zhao Jing only needs to hold out for two hours under his hands."

Li Ximing's expression gradually calmed down as he listened to Yang Ruiyi's low voice, "I have only one request... When Guang Chan retreats, Zhao Jing must lead the two True Men to cross the river together and take the land of White River Creek."

After listening to his words, Li Ximing's face showed some worry. After a long time, he said, "If Guang Chan has seriously injured me and it comes to a matter of life and death, forgive Ximing for not being able to risk his life to move forward!"

Yang Ruiyi stared at him quietly, and it was not known how long it took before he uttered a sentence: "It concerns the future breathing space of your clan, and it also concerns our next cooperation. There is only this one unexpected opportunity. Zhao Jing, you'd better weigh it carefully."

Li Ximing only cupped his hands in salute, indicating that he understood, but deep down in his heart, he still had hesitation and doubts: 'This General Yang seems to be doing everything for my Li family... But even Yang Zhuo is indifferent to my family, where did this treatment come from? Is this attack on the north really an unexpected opportunity...'

His heart was heavy, and he soon retreated. Yang Ruiyi sat in the hall for a long time. It was not known how long it took before a faint light emerged from the void and floated onto the table.

This object was actually a black jade slip, with a line of light golden, golden-spirited small characters written on the surface:

'Fellow Daoist Yang, I have arrived at Xian Lake.'

Yang Ruiyi stared at the jade slip quietly for a while before picking up his brush and writing:

'Wait patiently.'

......

Li Ximing retreated from the hall and saw Sima Yuanli waiting outside the hall as expected. He bowed and sighed:

"In the future, I will need your help a lot!"

So, he informed Sima Yuanli of Yang Ruiyi's arrangement. Sima Yuanli was shocked and puzzled upon hearing this:

‘Unexpectedly… I'm also being dispatched! Yang Ruiyi's bias towards the Li family is obvious, even more so than that Song Emperor…'

But on his face, he smiled and quickly said:

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“It's only right that we work together!”

Li Ximing bit his teeth, thinking about the 【Mingzhen Combination Divine Pill】, and whispered:

“Could I ask the Taoist friend for a 【Mingzhen Combination Divine Pill】? I think this 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】… Taoist friend has also desired it for a long time!”

Sima Yuanli's eyes lit up instantly, stroking his beard and pondering.

The 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】 in Li Ximing's hand can only be considered mid-to-low grade among spiritual artifacts. Its advantage lies in the excellent 『Earthen Earth』 attribute, capable of withstanding many mystic techniques. That's why Li Zhouwei left it behind. Sima Yuanli wasn't particularly reluctant when he gave it away back then, but he still recognized the wonder of this thing.

‘Li Ximing's mention of the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】 clearly means he won't exchange it for just one 【Mingzhen Combination Divine Pill】, but it's still a spiritual artifact. Only the current Li family can offer it…'

But Li Ximing had reached the point of taking out the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】, which was quite helpless—the few things he had on hand weren't of much interest to the other party. Although he had plenty of 【Listening Soul Mulberry Wood】, he had other important uses for it and couldn't take it out.

Li Zhouwei fiercely plundered a sum of spiritual resources from the cave heaven, but with Li Jiangqian and Li Quewan attempting to break through to the Purple Mansion stage, and the cultivation expenses of these years, plus the exhaustion of Zhentao Prefecture's tribute, Li Ximing's pockets were no longer flush… After weighing the options, he couldn't bear to part with those precious spiritual objects, and finally chose the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】, which was already waiting for a buyer.

After all, the spiritual artifacts he had on hand were completely sufficient, and 『Earthen Earth』 didn't suit his younger generations. And Li Zhouwei's matter was urgent. Although Li Ximing felt a little heartache, he ultimately gave it up.

Sima Yuanli was very satisfied. He thought carefully for a while, made a gesture of invitation, and said:

“I wonder what you want to exchange for?”

The value of the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】 was limited. Li Ximing didn't expect to get any top-grade spiritual objects like complete pills from him. He only pondered:

“At least three 【Mingzhen Combination Divine Pills】, plus some spiritual resources would be good.”

Upon hearing this, Sima Yuanli frowned and replied:

“【Mingzhen Combination Divine Pills】… I indeed don't have many on hand. If that's the case, I'm willing to add more spiritual resources. Would it be alright to take one 【Mingzhen Combination Divine Pill】 first for Zhao Jing's use?”

Li Ximing's heart sank suddenly, and he became suspicious:

‘Good you, Sima Yuanli, you're playing the game of hoarding goods to drive up the price! You see that my family has a great need for this pill, and you rely on its preciousness, wanting to seize the opportunity to gain even greater benefits.’

He then withdrew his hand, indicating that there was no room for negotiation. Sima Yuanli immediately smiled apologetically and tried to pull him back, saying:

“What kind of relationship do our two families have? There's no need to be so polite about this matter. I also have a 【Cold Autumn Gold】 on hand, which can be supplemented to Zhao Jing together!”

Li Ximing shook his head and smiled:

“I have no use for 【Cold Autumn Gold】. But I heard that Taoist friend has a 『Geng Wood』 【Combined Soul Hundred Hearts】 on hand. I want to use this to nourish my spiritual fire.”

Sima Yuanli seemed thoughtful. Only then did he understand that the other party's purpose in taking out the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】 was not just for the pills, but to obtain the thing in his hand. As for where the other party got the news, he already had an idea in his mind. He asked thoughtfully:

“Is it news from Senior Ding Yangzi?”

Li Ximing smiled without saying a word. Sima Yuanli pondered for a long time, seemingly cautiously judging whether he had misjudged the situation. He only said:

“This thing is indeed not very useful in my hands. Giving it to you is no problem.”

Li Ximing knew that this person was always polite on the surface, but stingy at heart. He also showed a smile and said happily:

“Our two families are so close, this is naturally a great thing. But right now is a time of great war, and I still need to use this thing first. Taoist friend, please give me a pill to taste its wonders. After Guang Chan retreats, I will give the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】 to Taoist friend.”

His expression was solemn:

“After all, General had mentioned that you and I should cooperate well in this matter, which is also appropriate…”

‘I was wondering why he was willing to part with the spiritual artifact. So, he was waiting for me here!’

Sima Yuanli looked a little sour, obviously unwilling. But with the greater good at stake, and unwilling to offend Li Zhouwei, he pretended to be generous and took out these things very boldly, stuffing them all into Li Ximing's hands and smiling:

“Taoist friend, why are you being so polite! Take everything first. Consider the 【Hundred-Eaved Mysterious Stone Umbrella】 as me lending it to you!”

The other party saw him off all the way back. Li Ximing made up some words of thanks, put away the smile along with the things in his sleeve, took a deep breath, and silently descended towards the great formation.

When he arrived at a hidden and uninhabited place, he immediately sensed the harmony of the sun and moon in the heaven and earth, ascended to the cave heaven where the spiritual energy was rich and the yin and yang were balanced, and carefully went to the courtyard. He found that Li Zhouwei's original courtyard was already tightly closed, and he could not observe any situation inside.

With no one to discuss Yang Ruiyi's words, Li Ximing hesitated again and again, gently placed the jade bottle in his hand at the entrance of the courtyard, and pondered in his heart:

‘I don't know if Zhouwei has started to cultivate supernatural powers yet. Let's put this pill in front of his hall. If he succeeds, that would be best. If he hasn't succeeded, he can still use this pill when he sees it…’

‘It's just that five years is too short…’

After thinking about it, he took out a jade box from his arms. Inside was the 【Condescending Light Aura】 of the 【Myriad Chariots Lightslaying Emperor Scroll】, and then took paper and pen to write the reason.

‘Although I don't know his current situation, it's always right to prepare more. What if…?’

Li Ximing packed up all the things, and then went out from this courtyard. Passing over the Shanghuan Pavilion, he saw the Xuan white immortal pavilion leading into the cave heaven. The door with bright and mysterious patterns was slightly ajar, and he could vaguely see the situation inside.

Unexpectedly, there was a blurry figure sitting cross-legged inside!

But Li Ximing was not surprised at all, but aroused a bit of expectation, hurriedly stepped into the pavilion, pushed the door open, and saw a man in a white gold Taoist robe sitting on the futon in the center.

This man's face was upright, his demeanor outstanding, and a point of heavenly light shone brightly between his eyebrows. Beside him was a pill furnace, and the burning true fire was jumping inside, with the smell of smoke and fire gushing out, dyeing his body with the fragrance of pill fire.

Unexpectedly, it was another Li Ximing!

Although this ‘Li Ximing’ was motionless, there was a faint flow of supernatural power gushing out from between his lips and teeth. His face was a little redder than Li Ximing himself, and his features were also stiff and wooden. A careful look could still reveal the difference.

Li Ximing walked up to himself, and then revealed the golden scroll 【Differentiated Soul Other Body Mystic Scroll】 in his sleeve, held it between his hands, gently unfolded it, and a look of joy appeared in his eyes:

“As expected of 【Listening Soul Mulberry Wood】, what rapid progress!”

Main characters in this chapter

—

Li Ximing 【Early Purple Mansion Stage】

Sima Yuanli 【Early Purple Mansion Stage】

Yang Ruiyi 【Mid Purple Mansion Stage】 【Imperial Descendant of the Great Song】