Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 11: Valley Outside The City

Li Yan followed Military Advisor Ji to the military training ground entrance. As soon as they stepped out of the gate, Military Advisor Ji glanced at the crowd waiting in the distance and stopped in his tracks.

Li Yan also followed him out, and before he could even open his mouth, Military Advisor Ji turned to him with a smile.

“Is the person who brought you here among the crowd waiting over there?”

Li Yan hastily replied, “Teacher, it’s my elder who brought me here to enlist.”

“Ah, then go and say goodbye to him, and then follow me.”

Military Advisor Ji waved his hand.

“Yes, thank you, Teacher.”

Li Yan bowed to Military Advisor Ji and then strode towards the crowd where Li Guoxing was waiting.

The guards at the school gate overheard the conversation between the two and knew that the young black-skinned boy had already become Military Advisor Ji’s disciple. They couldn’t help but admire Li Yan, knowing how picky Military Advisor Ji was when selecting his students.

One of the guards, who looked like a small leader, stepped forward and saluted Military Advisor Ji with a flattering smile.

“Congratulations, Military Advisor, on finally getting what you wanted.”

Military Advisor Ji nodded with a hint of a smile, but didn’t say a word, and continued to stand with his hands behind his back.

The guard finished congratulating him and retreated, thinking to himself that he needed to find an opportunity to get close to Military Advisor Ji’s new disciple. With Military Advisor Ji’s backing, this young boy would definitely become a powerful figure in the future. It was essential to build a good relationship with him early on, or else it would be too late when he rose to power…

Li Yan had already hastened to the waiting area, knowing he couldn’t keep his teacher waiting. He quickly approached Li Guoxing, who was beaming with anticipation, and pulled him to the side of the crowd.

At this time, many people had already turned to look in their direction, but Li Guoxing didn’t recognize Military Advisor Ji, so he didn’t notice anything unusual.

As soon as the two of them stopped at the edge of the crowd, Li Yan began to whisper to Li Guoxing.

Li Guoxing was initially calm, but as he listened, his mouth slowly opened wide, and he let out occasional “ah… ah…” sounds, and was unable to speak.

When Li Yan finished speaking, Li Guoxing stood there, stunned.

“Uncle Guoxing, Uncle Guoxing!” Li Yan had to call out several times.

Seeing that Li Guoxing was still dazed, only responding with “oh oh”, Li Yan knew that he was in a similar state to before.

Li Yan glanced at Military Advisor Ji in the distance, seeing that he was also looking over, and noticing that Uncle Guoxing was still in a daze, he could only bow to him.

He then quickly walked to the carriage to retrieve his luggage, and then turned to head towards the military training ground entrance.

Li Yan came in front of the teacher, and before the teacher could speak, he bowed and said, “Disciple has finished saying goodbye to my uncle.”

Military Advisor Ji smiled upon hearing this.

“Very well, then let’s head back to the residence.”

He then walked straight along the school’s wall in one direction, but after taking a few steps, he felt Li Yan’s gaze on him and slightly slowed down.

“I don’t like to be surrounded by a large entourage, so it’s just the two of us going back. There won’t be any grand procession or luxurious carriages.”

He saw Li Yan’s expression and knew what he was thinking. Li Yan had indeed been looking for Military Advisor Ji’s escort.

He had heard the villagers talk about how officials would go out in grand processions, with some even clearing the streets and driving away the common people.

Military Advisor Ji spoke, and with a flick of his sleeve, he began to walk swiftly, his long sleeves fluttering at his sides.

Li Yan looked at his teacher’s back, then glanced around.

‘He really walked back!’

He didn’t have time to think too much, so he quickly tightened his luggage on his shoulder and chased after him.

After Military Advisor Ji and Li Yan left, the crowd in the waiting area erupted into a commotion.

Earlier, when Military Advisor Ji stood at the gate, many people had already recognized him, and seeing Li Yan come out with him, and Military Advisor Ji even whispering to Li Yan, it had already attracted a lot of attention.

Although Li Yan had only whispered to Li Guoxing, it wasn’t a secret conversation, and those who were close by could still hear some of the content.

Adding to that, Li Guoxing’s stunned expression, even if someone didn’t think much of it before, would still have some suspicions after seeing that expression.

Li Guoxing took some time to recover, thinking to himself, ‘So that person was Military Advisor Ji, but is what Li Yan said true? Li Yan went in and came out, and became Military Advisor Ji’s disciple, and even got a high-ranking position, is this real?’

Li Guoxing wasn’t someone who hadn’t seen the world, and he knew about the military ranks.

He remembered that this was probably a lower eighth-grade position, which wasn’t something a new recruit could get, even if they were a seasoned soldier, it would be hard to get promoted to that rank.

Li Guoxing’s mind was in a whirlwind, unsure of what to do, and he had a question in his heart – why did Military Advisor Ji take a liking to Li Yan?

Li Yan grew up in the village since he was a child, and he watched him grow up, but he never saw his extraordinary qualities.

If one had to say what Li Yan’s greatest characteristic was, it would be that he was more calm and composed than his peers, but this shouldn’t be the reason why Military Advisor Ji took a liking to him.

Just as Li Guoxing was thinking deeply about this, the people who had been standing next to him earlier were already spreading the news, whispering and guessing, to the people around them.

As soon as Military Advisor Ji left, the crowd erupted in shock, with many people finding it hard to believe.

They began to ask Li Guoxing about his background, and no one believed that he could be so lucky as to get Military Advisor Ji’s attention.

Many people even surrounded Li Guoxing, asking him questions, and Li Guoxing’s head was spinning.

He hastily replied to a few questions, then pushed his way out of the crowd and quickly left, deciding to find an inn to stay at and process this news.

He would hurry back to the village tomorrow to tell Li Yan’s parents, no, to tell the whole village, that this kid had taken a huge step forward.

As for the people left behind, after verifying the reliability of the news, many of them began to think about whether they could explore this opportunity further.

They wondered if they could get a share of the benefits, and each of them began to think about how they could take advantage of this situation.

Meanwhile, Li Yan followed Military Advisor Ji to the North City Gate.

Military Advisor Ji walked silently, seemingly strolling, but actually moving very quickly. Fortunately, Li Yan had grown up following the adults on hunting trips, so he could still keep up.

However, they were walking very fast, and Li Yan had to use about 70-80% of his strength to keep up. Seeing his teacher’s effortless pace, he couldn’t help but feel even more admiration for the martial arts he would learn in the future.

As they approached the North City Gate, Li Yan couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder, wondering if the Military Advisor’s residence was nearby, but he quickly realized he was wrong, as Military Advisor Ji didn’t show any intention of stopping or turning. Instead, he walked straight towards the city gate.

Li Yan had a belly full of questions, but he remained silent, following closely behind his teacher.

When the two of them reached the city gate, they saw seven or eight soldiers led by a small-headed commander, inspecting the passing pedestrians.

Li Yan looked up, but it wasn’t Liu Chengyong’s group of soldiers. It seemed they had changed shifts and gone back.

The small-headed commander-like person saw Military Advisor Ji approaching and saluted him from a distance, cupping his hands together.

Military Advisor Ji nodded slightly and walked past the inspection team, not saying a word. Li Yan followed closely behind, looking around but not noticing anything unusual.

After Military Advisor Ji and Li Yan exited the north gate, the commander-like person gazed at Li Yan’s back and muttered to himself, “This person is quite mysterious, but he’s not one of the guards from General Ji’s mansion. I wonder who he is and how he can follow Military Advisor Ji so closely.”

Li Yan followed Military Advisor Ji out of the city, and saw that he didn’t say a word, just walked ahead with his sleeves fluttering in the wind. Li Yan’s confusion grew.

Outside the city, there was only one main road heading north, which was the same road Li Yan had taken to enter the city. The road was flanked by deep mountains and dense forests.

‘Could it be that the Teacher’s residence is in a town dozens of miles away? I’ve heard that there are also military troops stationed there, but it’s a bit too far. How can we travel back and forth every day without a horse or carriage? Although dozens of miles are not a big deal for me, it’s still quite tedious.’

On the road, Military Advisor Ji didn’t say a word, as if lost in thought, walking ahead without hurry. Li Yan followed behind, lost in his own thoughts.

About two miles after exiting the city, Military Advisor Ji suddenly turned left towards the western mountain range.

Li Yan took a closer look and saw that there was a mountain path leading into the western mountains. This main road was the same one they had taken to enter the city, and there were many small paths like this one on the roadside that ordinary people wouldn’t notice. But Military Advisor Ji had turned into this one.

The western mountain range was much deeper than the eastern mountains, which stretched for about three to four hundred miles before giving way to the vast plains of the central region, where one could gallop freely on horseback.

But heading west, no one knew how far or deep it went. The locals only knew that going west for about four to five hundred miles would lead to unknown territories, where many demonic beasts roamed.

Anyone who ventured in would have a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying, even if they were a Supreme Expert in the martial arts world.

General Hong had once led his elite troops westward for about four hundred miles, only to encounter many unknown poisonous insects and fierce beasts.

Even though he had retreated quickly, many of his men were killed or injured, and he himself was left with a gruesome scar on his face from a beast’s tail.

If he had hesitated for a moment longer, the beast’s tail would have pierced his brain, and he would have died on the spot.

Military Advisor Ji led Li Yan up the mountain path, and the two of them walked among the tall trees. The trees were densely packed, and the sunlight was already dimming, even though it was still daytime in early autumn. The sound of birds chirping and returning to their nests could be heard in the distance, echoing through the forest.

After walking for about a mile, Li Yan saw a large open area before him. The area was surrounded by tall trees, with a stone path leading up to it. It was difficult to find such a large flat area in the mountains, and it seemed to have been deliberately cleared.

In the center of the area, there were two rows of high, green stone houses, each with four or five rooms, arranged in a straight line. The area was clean and tidy, with stone fragments paving the ground. There were also sandbags and sandpits, all arranged in an orderly fashion.

Li Yan saw eight soldiers standing guard, divided into two rows, holding spears and watching the entrance to the stone stairs. When they saw Military Advisor Ji, they saluted in unison.

“Greetings, Military Advisor!”

After that, they stood up straight, looking at Li Yan, but didn’t ask any questions.

Military Advisor Ji nodded slightly and walked forward, stopping after a few steps. He turned to one of the soldiers and said, “Go and call everyone out, I have something to say.”

“Yes!”

The soldier answered and quickly walked to the center of the area, shouting, “The master is back, everyone come out!”

Soon, over a dozen people came out from the green stone houses on both sides.

Li Yan had been following Military Advisor Ji since they arrived at the platform. He had seen that there were many people coming and going from the green stone houses, and there was even smoke rising from the roof of one of the houses, carrying a fragrant scent. However, the light was already dim, and he couldn’t see clearly from a distance.

When everyone was gathered, Military Advisor Ji came to the center of the area and beckoned Li Yan over. Li Yan walked over, and as he approached, he saw that there were twelve soldiers in uniform, in addition to the eight soldiers he had seen earlier. There were also three middle-aged women.

The three women and two soldiers standing in the middle of the group were staring at Li Yan curiously, while the others were expressionless. Military Advisor Ji pointed to Li Yan and said, “This is my new disciple, Li Yan. He will be living here from now on.”

Then, he turned to Li Yan and said, “This is where I live. The twenty soldiers are here to guard and protect us, and the few women are responsible for our food and laundry.”

Li Yan looked at them, but he was surprised to see that some of them were looking at him with an inexplicable, strange gaze, which made him feel puzzled and uneasy.