Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 12: Entering The Valley

After hearing the order from the Military Advisor Ji, the people immediately answered in unison.

“Yes, sir!”

Military Advisor Ji shifted his gaze away from Li Yan, turned around and waved to those people, and said in a gentle voice.

“Chen An, Li Ying, you two stay behind. The rest of you, go about your business.”

After those people dispersed, the two soldiers who had been standing in the middle walked over.

Li Yan looked at the two of them. One was around thirty years old, and the other was around twenty. Both were around seven feet tall.

The older one had a square face, a ruddy complexion, and an upright demeanor. The younger one had a round face, big eyes, and slightly pale skin, giving off a sense of agility.

Both wore standard, lightweight armor.

Military Advisor Ji pointed to the older one.

“This is Chen An!”

He then pointed to the younger soldier with big eyes.

“And this is Li Ying. They are responsible for handling miscellaneous tasks within the valley and are familiar with military affairs. If I’m not around, you can give them orders to take care of things for you.”

He paused before continuing.

“Also, if you need to go into the city to take care of something, have them accompany you. With them by your side, you’ll find it much more convenient. Moreover, they will be responsible for your safety. After all, this is a border city, and enemy spies often infiltrate to gather information. If they find out you’re my disciple, they’ll definitely have you in their sights.”

Li Yan’s heart skipped a beat, then warmed up, and he bowed in response.

“Thank you, Teacher.” This time, the “Teacher” came from the heart, unlike before when it felt a bit forced.

Chen An and Li Ying also bowed to Military Advisor Ji.

“We will take good care of him, sir. Please don’t worry.”

“Very well, prepare some daily necessities for him and send them over later.”

“Yes, sir!”

Military Advisor Ji said, and beckoned Li Yan to follow him, and Li Yan did so. However, Li Yan didn’t notice that Chen An and Li Ying exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering with uncertainty as they gazed at his back.

Li Yan originally thought he would be living in one of the houses on the square, but his teacher didn’t even glance at the houses on both sides, and instead walked straight forward.

When they reached the end of the row of houses and turned right, a valley suddenly appeared before them. On the stone wall at the entrance of the valley, several large, bright red characters were engraved.

“Military Advisor’s Residence!”

Li Yan thought to himself, ‘This is a valley, why is it called the Military Advisor’s Residence?’ But his feet couldn’t stop, and he followed Military Advisor Ji into the valley. After entering the valley, Military Advisor Ji finally stopped.

The valley was not very large, surrounded by three towering mountains that pierced the clouds. The slopes of the three mountains were almost vertical, making them appear extremely steep and treacherous.

The trees and bushes on the slopes were dense, with branches stretching from the foot of the mountain to the top. Even if someone wanted to climb up, they wouldn’t be able to find a foothold, and the only way in and out was through the valley entrance.

At this time, the sky had already darkened, and the scenery in the valley was becoming increasingly blurry. On the right side of the valley entrance, there was a row of about three or four blue stone houses.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind, and Li Yan turned to see two people, Chen An and Li Ying, walking towards them. They were carrying some items, which were probably the daily necessities that Military Advisor Ji had instructed them to bring.

The two of them quickly walked past Li Yan and Military Advisor Ji, heading towards the blue stone houses. Soon, lights began to turn on in the houses, and the valley became brighter.

Military Advisor Ji turned to Li Yan and said, “It’s getting late today. Chen An and the others will come to familiarize you with the place, and then we’ll have dinner and rest. You’ve traveled hundreds of miles from home today, so it’s better to get some rest early. Tomorrow morning, come to my place, and I’ll tell you about some matters concerning the sect.”

Just then, Chen An and Li Ying returned, and Chen An smiled and said, “Young Master Li, this place usually has servants to clean up, so we just need to bring some daily necessities.”

Military Advisor Ji looked at them and instructed, “Take Li Yan with you, and have dinner sent over here later.”

After saying that, he smiled and nodded at Li Yan, then walked towards the first house near the valley entrance. His figure disappeared into the doorway, and Li Yan stared at his back, thinking to himself, ‘My teacher really is simple and straightforward.’

Chen An smiled and said, “Young Master Li, let’s go with us.”

Li Yan thanked him and followed Chen An and Li Ying, but they slowed down significantly.

Chen An was very talkative, with Li Ying occasionally chiming in. As they walked, Li Yan began to learn more about the situation here.

Originally, General Hong had arranged a residence for Military Advisor Ji in the city, but Military Advisor Ji preferred a quiet and solitary life, unwilling to live in the noisy city.

Later, he found this valley outside the city and lived there alone.

However, General Hong couldn’t let an official live in such a simple place, so he sent people to renovate the valley and built a hundred-acre open space outside the valley, as well as houses and barracks to station troops. He also arranged for servants to take care of the daily needs.

But in the end, Military Advisor Ji only kept twenty soldiers and three women responsible for cooking and cleaning, sending the rest back.

According to Military Advisor Ji’s own words, he preferred to be alone, but he couldn’t reject General Hong’s kindness. As for the name “Military Advisor’s Residence”, it was naturally named after the residence.

There were four houses in the valley, with the first one near the entrance being Military Advisor Ji’s residence. The adjacent house was used by Military Advisor Ji for practicing martial arts, and the other two were empty.

As Chen An said, this place was normally off-limits to them, unless Military Advisor Ji had something to discuss, otherwise, they could only enter to deliver food and clean the place.

If someone broke the rules, they would be driven out of the valley by Military Advisor Ji, and it was easy to imagine how General Hong would treat them afterwards.

In addition to the four houses, the valley also had a toilet and a bathing room, built on the side of the houses.

Li Yan finally chose a blue stone house built against the mountain wall at the innermost part of the valley. The stone house was very spacious, giving a sense of stability.

It was likely built by soldiers, who prioritized practicality and durability in their constructions.

Li Yan looked around the house and saw that the floor was made of blue stone and gravel, clean and bright. The furniture was simple but complete, although it looked insignificant in the large room.

There was a large wooden bed against the north wall, a washbasin and some washing utensils on the east wall, and a four-tiered bookshelf on the west wall with some books on it.

A wooden desk was placed by the south window, with a few teacups and a water jug on it, and two chairs.

On the table, there were two large, dark-brown wooden chests, placed side by side on the floor, almost level with the table surface. They seemed to be used for storing clothing and other items.

The stone house was built against the mountain on its north and west sides, with its east wall connected to other houses. Therefore, there was only one door and one large window on the south side, facing the valley.

Li Yan noticed that the window was very large, with intricate wooden latticework, and was currently open.

Although there was only one window, the room didn’t feel stuffy at all. Instead, there was a refreshing autumn breeze blowing in, making one feel relaxed and comfortable.

“Young Master Li, please take a rest first. There’s hot water in the teapot, and someone will bring food soon. We can’t stay here for long, as Advisor Ji doesn’t like outsiders lingering. If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.”

Chen An and Li Ying put down their things and said to Li Yan.

Li Yan was examining the room and when he heard their words he quickly turned to face them.

“Thank you both!”

The two of them bowed and retreated.

Li Yan walked to the table, took off the bundle on his shoulder, and placed it on the table. Then, he walked to the dark-brown wooden chests at the head of the table and opened them one by one.

The chests were empty, with a black cloth lining the bottom of each one, seemingly used for storing clothing.

Li Yan took the bundle from the table, opened it, and carefully placed the few sets of coarse cloth clothes inside one of the chests.

These were made by his fourth sister and mother.

Although the fabric was very coarse, and some of it was even cut from old, worn-out clothes, Li Yan felt as if he was back in his small mountain village, feeling warm and comfortable, as if he saw his mother and fourth sister.

He didn’t bring much, and the chest was spacious, so he only occupied about a third of the space with his clothes.

Li Yan thought for a moment, then took out the dried vegetables, dry rations, and other items from the bundle and arranged them neatly on the table, but didn’t put them in the other empty chest.

After closing the chests, Li Yan pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, taking the teapot and cup to pour himself a cup of hot water. The water was quite hot, and it seemed that someone came to change the water and clean the room every day.

Li Yan was truly exhausted today, having traveled over 200 miles, only stopping to eat some dry rations and drink water along the way. Now, he was both hungry and thirsty, and his body felt weary.

It was dark outside, and he didn’t have the heart to go out and take a look around. He sat there, drinking water and lost in thought.

As Li Yan sat there, thinking about the events of the day and his current surroundings, everything still felt like a dream. After a while, he drank some water, but it only made him feel more hungry and tired. He thought to himself:

‘Fortunately, the teacher didn’t arrange any tasks for me to do, otherwise, I would have been too exhausted to do anything. That would have been embarrassing in front of the teacher.’

Just as he was thinking, he heard footsteps outside the door. The door was not closed, and the sound of footsteps was very clear in the quiet of the mountain valley.

Li Yan looked up to see a woman standing at the door, holding a wooden tray.

Li Yan got up and walked to the door, seeing the woman standing outside with a respectful demeanor. He said:

“Where is the kitchen? I can go get it myself next time.”

The woman’s face turned pale, and her body trembled at his words.

“Young Master Li, you can’t do that. If Advisor Ji finds out, it would be a huge disaster.”

Li Yan took the wooden tray, feeling surprised and puzzled. He asked:

“Why is that?”

The woman hastily replied:

“It’s because the kitchen is where the servants live, and it’s not suitable for masters like you to go there. Advisor Ji would definitely not allow it.”

Li Yan was confused at first, but then he understood. He realized that his identity had changed, and he was no longer used to it.

He took the wooden tray and said:

“Next time, just put the food on the table inside the room.”

The woman looked at him, as if remembering something, and said:

“Young Master Li, in this valley, we’re only allowed to deliver food and clean the room. We’re not supposed to enter the room casually. Advisor Ji has instructed that these four rooms are off-limits, and we can’t enter them without permission.”

“When Advisor Ji returns, he usually closes the door. If we see a wooden sign on the door, we’ll leave the food on the stone table outside. We’ll come back later to collect the dishes.”

“If the food isn’t eaten, we’ll take it back, remake it, and send it again. The cleaning of Advisor Ji’s room is only done with his permission, and since you’re living here now, we can’t enter the room casually anymore.”

Li Yan listened, feeling a bit bewildered.

Li Yan listened to the woman’s words and only then noticed that there was a black wooden sign hanging on the door handle inside the room. He thought for a moment and realized that it was probably Teacher Ji who had hung the sign to avoid being disturbed while cultivating.

Although Li Yan didn’t understand the intricacies of martial arts, he had heard that during meditation, one must not be disturbed, lest they fall into a state of confusion or even demonic possession.

The woman reminded him to put the dishes on the stone table outside after finishing his meal, and someone would come to collect them later. She then bowed slightly and quickly left.

The food, although not exquisite, was still unfamiliar to Li Yan. He ate with relish, but soon thought of his family’s dinner back home.

“I wonder if Father and Mother have eaten yet, or if they’re still thinking of me?”

For a moment, Li Yan felt a pang of homesickness.

He got up, gathered the dishes, and put them on the tray. He walked outside and saw a stone table in front of the door, where he placed the tray. Across from the stone house, there seemed to be a small pond.

Looking up, he saw a dense forest stretching out before him, with trees covering the surrounding mountains. Above, the starry sky twinkled, and Li Yan gazed at it for a while, his heart filled with longing for his family’s old house.

After a simple wash, he closed the door and windows, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep, his mind filled with thoughts of his parents and the village.