Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 92 - 91 Entering the Village
"Excellent archery!"
Li Xuanxuan stood atop the massive corpse of the brown-haired Pig Demon, admiring the bowl-sized hole and clicking his tongue in praise. Beside him, Li Xuanfeng stowed his longbow, grinning pridefully:
"How about that? My arrow isn't just any ordinary one."
"Indeed, it's good,"
Li Xuanxuan nodded, a smile playing on his lips as he replied:
"It's just a shame to ruin such fine skin." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Li Xuanfeng momentarily froze, then gave a sheepish smile. Just as he was about to speak, a clan soldier burst in, only to be stopped by an armored warrior a few steps later. Covered in blood, the soldier knelt down and cried out:
"Young Master! The Shanyue have taken Lijing Town and are moving up Lijing Mountain!"
Li Xuanfeng looked down in disbelief, grabbed the soldier with one hand, and demanded:
"Do you realize what you're saying?!"
"Feng'er!"
Li Xuanxuan was covered in a cold sweat, his hands and feet trembling with shock, as he quickly pulled the man to his feet, not minding the blood he was covered in, and questioned him urgently:
"How could the Shanyue be in Lijing Town? What about the clan soldiers led by the Family Head?! And what of the Lichuan Entrance?!"
The clan soldier, aware of the urgent situation, hurriedly said:
"The Family Head and the thousand clan soldiers are missing! We went to Lichuan Entrance to ask for help, but were ambushed with a flurry of arrows. The Lichuan Entrance is now also controlled by the Shanyue!"
Li Xuanxuan felt his hair stand on end and stepped back slowly, his mind filled with countless terrible images, as he sheathed his bladed weapon without a word.
"Reconnoiter Lijing Town and Lichuan Entrance again."
Li Xuanxuan uttered, then added in a grave tone:
"Send someone to the reed marshes to look for Uncle Zhong."
"There's no need."
Li Tongya descended from the air and was already by Li Xuanxuan's side, beginning gravely:
"I have already been to Lichuan Entrance; it's garrisoned by three thousand soldiers, with a Qi Cultivator in command. As for Lijing Town, it's occupied by more than three thousand Shanyue, with at least three Qi Cultivators among them."
Li Tongya had been collecting River Essence Qi along the river bank, making his way to the shores of Lichuan Entrance. Upon arrival, he saw the village alight with torches and many figures stirring. Wondering, he approached through the air and saw that the area was full of Shanyue with untied hair and tattoos, which gave him a start.
As soon as he neared the village, a Qi Cultivator of Shanyue origin rose into the air, wielding dense black fog toward Li Tongya.
Li Tongya exchanged blows with him several times, using the Mysterious Water Sword Technique combined with the River True Essence to force the wild Qi Cultivator from Shanyue to repeatedly retreat. Anticipating reinforcements, Li Tongya had no choice but to concede in displeasure.
"The Family Head... he..."
Li Xuanxuan hastily spoke, and Li Tongya furrowed his brows and shook his head:
"Upon reaching Lichuan Entrance, I was blocked. There was no sign of the army along the river bank, nor any traces of battle. Xiangping must have withdrawn in advance, or he went in a different direction."
Li Xuanxuan finally exhaled in relief. Beside him, the tension eased on Li Xuanfeng's face. Li Tongya slapped a silk pouch, flipping a Jade Seal in his hand—it was the symbol of authority under Green Pond, which bore a few words:
"For now, bear with it."
Li Tongya's face looked grim as he put away the Jade Seal. He had sent out a distress signal through the Jade Seal earlier, but half an hour had passed without a sound, and in the end, all he got was these four words.
"It seems we can't count on the Green Pond Sect now, we just have to see what moves Ganixi makes..."
————
Li Xuanling and Li Jingtian had just rested for a while when the door was suddenly smashed open, and a dozen or so Shanyue filed in, led by a Shanyue who looked like a small leader, carrying a knife. He lit up when he saw Li Jingtian and laughed:
"What a beautiful little lady fish."
The two of them were instantly alarmed. Li Jingtian was filled with doubt about how Ganixi had found this place and was even more puzzled to see that only a few ordinary people had been sent. She felt something was amiss.
Li Xuanling clenched his fist, silently considering:
"Defeating these people is not difficult, but I fear it will attract more Shanyue from the streets, and if we draw the attention of the cultivators among the Shanyue, it's likely we won't be able to escape."
The Shanyue leader glanced around, raised his hand, and shouted:
"Take them away!"
Immediately, two people came with ropes to tie up Li Xuanling and Li Jingtian. Li Xuanling looked up at Li Jingtian, who shook her head slightly, so he reluctantly let them bind him.
Li Xuanling wriggled a bit and felt that the ropes on his body were almost like nothing. With a little effort, he could tear them apart. It seemed that these people were not on guard against a ten-year-old child, unaware that Li Xuanling had already reached the second level of Fetal Breathing.
The two of them followed behind, and upon leaving the courtyard, they saw groups of children and teenagers being driven like cattle and sheep towards the forest. At the front, a man walked in midair with patterned clothes and long braids on his head.
"Qi Cultivator..."
Li Xuanling murmured the two words under his breath and, along with Li Jingtian, was led slowly into the forest. Pretending to stumble, he fell to the ground, splattering mud over his head and face.
"I have been frequently at the foot of the mountain these past few years. Everyone knows me. It would be bad if some fool blurted out my identity, so I still need to disguise myself."
Wiping his face against his sleeve, Li Xuanling lowered his head to make himself less noticeable and looked forward at Li Jingtian, silently heaving a sigh of relief, thinking:
"Fortunately, elder sister has not left the mountain in these years, living reclusively. Otherwise, with her outstanding bearing, it would be impossible to conceal her."
They now reached the Great Fish Creek, and crossing it would take them into Shanyue territory. Li Xuanling couldn't help but hope as he quietly touched the Mirror, but immediately let out a bitter laugh and let go.
Three Qi Cultivators flew above the entire procession, while Shanyue soldiers urged them on from the front and back, guarding them tight. They had no choice but to march forward, heads down. After walking a day and a night, a rudimentary stockade finally came into view.
In the stockade, numerous newcomers with shackles on their feet could be seen moving various tools or supplies laboriously. At first glance, it seemed loosely organized.
"For an ordinary person, escaping from this stockade would be difficult, but it's different for a cultivator. When night falls, I can kick off the shackles, take elder sister, and sneak away."
Li Xuanling felt relieved at the thought, only to see a crowd of people ahead. As each one was shackled and made to kneel on the ground, the Shanyue Tribal Witch marked their necks with the horizontal lines symbolizing slavery.
On one side, someone began to untie the ropes, leading the girls and young women to another area. Li Jingtian was pulled out of the crowd as the Shanyue and slaves let out exclamations of amazement.
"Who is this lady? She is very striking."
"Such a pretty little lady fish."
Li Jingtian quietly smeared mud on her face, but her pert nose and the smooth lines of her profile could not be concealed, and her gray-black eyes, unlike those of the Shanyue and inherited from Li Xiangping, were clear and captivating.
Before Li Xuanling could think further, he was dragged into the stockade. The Shanyue fitted him with a wooden yoke; the Shanyue were not skilled at metallurgy, and the little copper and iron they managed to produce was all used to make weapons, so they used solid wood for restraints instead.
Despite the Shanyue Tribal Witch marking his neck with the horizontal stripes, Li Xuanling quietly kept an eye on Li Jingtian with his peripheral vision. He then saw the long-braided Shanyue floating in the air slowly descend and stand in front of the crowd to scrutinize Li Jingtian.
