Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 32: Let’s Do It

Li Yan sat in a chair, deep in thought, unsure of what to do. One moment, he thought about how to escape, and the next, he thought about his family, including his parents and siblings.

After a while, Li Yan suddenly stood up, his face slightly distorted, and muttered to himself.

“Even if I escape, my family’s fate is still uncertain. Perhaps because of me, they will suffer a great disaster. If that’s the case, why bother searching for a way to escape? I might as well do it.”

After a while, Li Yan’s expression slowly calmed down, and he sat back down, thinking carefully.

In a deep forest, hundreds of thousands of miles away from Green Mountain Pass, a majestic palace was hidden in the clouds. Inside the palace, an old man in a dark green robe was reporting to a scholar in a blue robe.

“Peak Lord, today we received a message from our law enforcement disciples. They have found some clues after searching for a while.”

“Tell me more,” the scholar said, sitting in a large, intricately carved chair.

“They searched the area around the traitor’s death and found no ordinary towns within a radius of tens of thousands of miles. However, they did find some rogue cultivators active in the area. After eliminating a few of them, they received feedback that someone from the ‘Seeking Immortality Lineage’ had appeared in the area about six or seven years ago, searching for herbs.”

“After further investigation, it was confirmed that the person was searching for the same herbs mentioned in our sect’s entrance exam.”

“It seems likely that this person is the one who took the items from the traitor’s body,” the scholar said, his long fingers tapping the armrest in a rhythmic motion.

The old man’s body was surrounded by a dark aura, and his voice was cold and menacing.

“It’s almost certain that this person is the one. The ‘Seeking Immortality Lineage’ is known for searching for opportunities everywhere. Once they obtain a cultivation method, they won’t hesitate to cultivate it. But according to the message, no one has seen this person in the area for several years, so they must have found a place to cultivate. If we find this person, we’ll make them suffer the pain of the soul-devouring silkworm.”

“What’s the next step?” the scholar asked.

“I’ve ordered our disciples to disperse and expand the search area, covering multiple directions. I think we’ll receive news soon…”

In the following days, Li Yan secluded himself and cultivated diligently, as if he had become more stable after returning from the city. His aura grew slightly stronger each day, although the increase was minimal. However, it was enough to make the divine sense that detected him every day tremble slightly.

But as Li Yan continued to cultivate, he became increasingly irritable after ten days, and he couldn’t help but stop cultivating halfway through the day.

Sometimes he would soak in the pond for half a day. Although this place is located in the southwest, the temperature would not be very low even in winter, but soaking in the cold pond in this late autumn is not something that ordinary people can bear.

At other times, he would lock himself in his room and write furiously, scattering paper and ink everywhere.

Chen An and Li Ying would keep a safe distance, afraid that Li Yan would suddenly call them over and scold them mercilessly. But fortunately, Li Yan’s mood would improve significantly after soaking in the cold water or writing furiously. Otherwise, the two of them would be summoned to the valley and scolded for no reason.

Cultivation was progressing day by day, and before he knew it, another month had passed. During this time, Li Yan had gone into the city twice, accompanied by Chen An and Li Ying, while Military Advisor Ji remained in seclusion.

Every time Li Yan returned from the city, he would buy some new clothes, belts, boots, and other items. Military Advisor Ji would always use his divine sense to scan them, but he would find that they were just ordinary objects, so he wouldn’t pay much attention to them.

It was strange, but every time Li Yan returned from the city, his mood would be good, and his cultivation would progress significantly in the following days. This made Military Advisor Ji’s divine sense scan him with even less concern.

One day, Li Yan called Chen An and Li Ying, saying he wanted to go into the city again. The two of them naturally agreed and accompanied him, leading their horses.

The three of them quickly arrived at the North City Gate, but the person on duty was not Liu Chengyong, but the captain of the first team of the War Tiger Regiment.

The North City Gate was rotated among the War Tiger Regiment’s teams, while the South Gate was rotated among the Second Battle Regiment’s teams, and the patrol on the city walls was rotated among the First Battle Regiment’s teams.

After the previous two trips to the city, Li Yan had also sought out Liu Chengyong and invited him and his brothers to gather at the “Natural Wine Residence” for a meal, which had brought them closer together. This made the other teams in the War Tiger Regiment envy them.

Now, Li Yan was considered a familiar face in the War Tiger Regiment, and many people recognized or had heard of this “Lord Li.”

The three of them arrived at the city gate, and the captain on duty was Zeng Wen, the captain of the War Tiger Regiment’s first team. He was a sturdy man with a strong physique, and he had also seen Li Yan before, who had been a topic of conversation among Liu Chengyong and his men during their leisure time.

“Ah, Lord Li, you’re entering the city today?”

Zeng Wen, of course, recognized Chen An and Li Ying, and knew that Li Yan always had them accompany him on his outings. Moreover, he had also met Li Yan before.

“Oh, Captain Zeng is on duty today. Where is Captain Liu?”

Li Yan’s memory was truly impressive, especially after he had cultivated the immortal arts. He could basically remember everything he saw.

He had seen Zeng Wen from a distance in the military camp before. At that time Liu Chengyong had even casually introduced him at the time.

Without saying much, he directly asked the question.

Seeing that Li Yan could call out his name, Zeng Wen was delighted in his heart.

“Captain Liu is resting today and should still be in the military camp.”

“Good, I’ll go find him then!”

Li Yan smiled at him, then led his horse into the city. Chen An and Li Ying also bowed to Zeng Wen and followed Li Yan.

“Captain, Liu Chengyong has been boasting about how Lord Li invited his team to drink with him, and he’s been showing off in front of the other teams,” one of the soldiers behind Zeng Wen said in a sour tone.

“These bastards are so lucky. Next time we meet Lord Li, we should be more respectful, and maybe we’ll get some benefits too.”

“Besides, didn’t Liu Chengyong tell us that if we see Lord Li entering the city, we should inform him and he’ll give us some benefits?”

“But I won’t say anything. He’s just trying to find an opportunity to get closer to Lord Li, and I won’t help him, haha…” Zeng Wen whispered to the soldier, causing the surrounding soldiers to burst into laughter.

Li Yan, of course, didn’t know about this conversation. The three of them entered the city and rode their horses directly towards the military training grounds.

The military camp was located next to the training grounds, and Li Yan had been there before to find Liu Chengyong, so he was familiar with the route. Even without Chen An and Li Ying guiding him, he could find his way.

As they rode through the city, they didn’t hurry, and Li Yan sat on his horse with his eyes slightly narrowed, looking somewhat arrogant. Chen An and Li Ying followed behind him, half a horse’s length away, and didn’t dare to say much.

At this time, Li Yan was thinking about his plans. Since his first trip to the city, he had entered the city twice more, and Chen An and Li Ying had been following him closely.

Even when he had invited Liu Chengyong to drink and intentionally brought his team along, Chen An and Li Ying had sat by his side, not leaving his left or right.

Even when he had pretended to be drunk and gone to the toilet with Liu Chengyong, Chen An and Li Ying had wanted to follow him, but he had kicked them away, making them stand still, and then he had asked Liu Chengyong some questions.

This had allowed him to basically confirm that Liu Chengyong was General Hong’s man. Although he also respected Military Advisor Ji, his loyalty was undoubtedly to General Hong.

His purpose for entering the city this time was to see if Liu Chengyong had received any instructions from someone…

According to Dong Fuyi’s words, General Hong was very interested in obtaining Military Advisor Ji’s “martial arts secrets,” and this was likely true.

His plan was to first determine Liu Chengyong’s loyalty and whether he could be used as a medium. Second, he wanted to send a signal to General Hong that he had the opportunity to contact him.

But at this moment, he was still uncertain, and these were just his plans and speculations… the truth was still unknown.

If this encounter didn’t yield any results, and Liu Chengyong still didn’t react on the next trip to the city, then he would have to find another way.

He had thought about other methods in recent days, but after considering it, he still felt that Dong Fuyi was right, and that borrowing General Hong’s power was the most likely way to complete his plan.

So, Li Yan rode his horse with his eyes narrowed, his body swaying with the horse’s movements, until they arrived at the military camp gate.

At the gate, dozens of armed soldiers had already seen the three of them approaching, and one of them stepped forward, blocking their way.

“Restricted military area, no unauthorized entry!”

He was a keen-eyed person. Although he didn’t recognize Li Yan, he vaguely felt that Chen An and Li Ying looked familiar. Since they were wearing military uniforms, he spoke in a relatively polite tone.

As Li Yan and the others approached, they dismounted their horses, and Li Yan simultaneously raised his hand, tossing a waist token towards the soldier.

The soldier caught it, examined it carefully, and then walked forward, bowing deeply and returning the token to Li Yan.

“Sir, what brings you here?”

“Oh, I’m here to see Liu Chengyong from the third team of the War Tiger Regiment!”

Li Yan took the badge and said softly. He now knew that he had a certain official position, and as a military officer, he was allowed to enter the military camp, as long as he didn’t enter the central command tent or restricted areas without permission.

“Understood, I’ll go inform Captain Liu.”

The soldier said, turned around, and walked towards the military camp gate, stopping in front of another soldier, and saying a few words. The soldier then quickly ran into the camp.

Li Yan didn’t hurry, and simply stood outside, waiting patiently.

Liu Chengyong had been quite anxious lately. Ever since he had drunk with Li Yan and returned to the military camp, he had been summoned by General Hong.

At the time, he was confused. Although drinking was not allowed in the military camp, he was an old man, and he didn’t have any military duties at the time, so it was usually overlooked by the higher-ups.

But now, being summoned by General Hong, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, wondering if someone had been secretly plotting against him, and he couldn’t help but feel hatred in his heart.

“Who was the rat that stabbed me in the back? Damn it, there are so many people drinking in this army. If I knew who was behind this, I would peel off his skin and break his bones!”

When he arrived at General Hong’s mansion, still drunk, he was directly called into the rear hall, where he saw only General Hong sitting alone, and he quickly knelt down and kowtowed.

“Your subordinate reports to the General. I don’t know what task the General has summoned me for.”

“What task? Can you handle it in your current state?” General Hong said with a pair of round eyes staring at him with a green glow on his bald head.

“Your subordinate met a good friend and couldn’t help but accompany him, haha… and accidentally drank a bit too much…” Liu Chengyong said, trying to make excuses. General Hong didn’t seem too angry, so he continued to speak with a smile.

He knew that their General was a strict but kind leader, and as long as they didn’t delay important military matters, they would usually be let off easily.

General Hong didn’t say a word, just stared at Liu Chengyong. Feeling uneasy, Liu Chengyong stole a glance and saw that General Hong’s eyes were still fixed on him, making him feel even more nervous.

“General, if you have something to say, just say it directly. If I’ve made a mistake, just take me out and give me a beating.”

General Hong looked at him for a while, then suddenly asked, “Who did you drink with today?”

“Uh, I drank with Lord Li, the disciple of Military Advisor Ji. But it was all my idea; I dragged him along.”

It had to be said that Liu Chengyong was a man of great loyalty. He was afraid that drinking would cause trouble and implicate Lord Li, so he took full responsibility for the matter.

“Oh, so you’re quite familiar with Lord Li?”

“Yes, we’re familiar. We met when Lord Li first entered the city, and we’ve had a few interactions since then. We get along quite well. However, General, this drinking matter has nothing to do with Lord Li. It was all my fault; I was possessed by the wine demon and dragged him along.”

“Oh, that’s good to know!”

General Hong nodded, then said, “You can stand up now.”

Hearing the General’s tone soften, Liu Chengyong couldn’t help but feel relieved. He had already prepared himself to be punished and was planning to investigate who had reported him and give them a hard time later.

But now, he felt at ease, stood up, and stood at attention, waiting for General Hong’s next instructions.