Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 33: Initial Actions

“Tell me in detail how you met Li Yan and what happened during your recent encounters with him. Don’t omit or hide anything, and speak the truth,” General Hong said, gazing at Liu Chengyong.

Liu Chengyong’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. 

‘Could it be that Lord Li has offended the Marshal in some way? I need to say more good things about him.’

He didn’t dare to hide anything, so he recounted Li Yan’s words and actions when he first entered the city, as well as their subsequent interactions. Liu Chengyong also added some subjective and biased comments, describing Li Yan as “young” and “inexperienced,” but the facts he spoke were all true.

General Hong listened intently, occasionally furrowing his brow or asking questions, which made Liu Chengyong even more anxious. He felt that the general was asking such detailed questions because Li Yan must have made some mistake.

After Liu Chengyong finished speaking, General Hong thought for a moment.

“So, it seems you and Li Yan have a good relationship.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Hmm, have you discussed his life in the military advisor’s residence, such as his daily routine and martial arts training?”

“No, we haven’t. I just felt that Li Yan’s spirit was a bit down during our recent encounters, and I heard that he hasn’t been in a good mood lately. I’m not sure if it’s related to his training or living arrangements.”

“Ah? Tell me more.”

General Hong sat up straight upon hearing this.

“I heard this from Chen An, who told me that Li Yan’s mood has been fluctuating recently. He advised me to be careful not to offend Li Yan unintentionally. However, from my interactions with Li Yan, I think we get along relatively well, and I haven’t noticed anything unusual.”

Liu Chengyong shook his head, trying to clear the wine-induced dizziness.

“His mood has been fluctuating, which is similar to the rumors about his recent erratic behavior.”

General Hong murmured to himself.

Liu Chengyong stood at a distance, unable to hear the general’s muttering. He didn’t dare ask what he was saying.

After a while, General Hong looked up at Liu Chengyong.

“Is there anything else?”

“There’s just one more thing… Li Yan in the valley…”

After about half a cup of tea, Liu Chengyong had recounted all he knew about Li Yan.

“Alright, next time he comes to the city, you’ll need to find him and tell him that his registration information is incomplete and he needs to come to me to rectify it. Yes, it’s best to handle this matter quickly.”

Liu Chengyong was confused, wondering how Li Yan had received his official position with incomplete registration information. However, he didn’t dare ask, knowing that some things were better left unasked in the military.

But if the general said so, then Li Yan really did need to come to the general’s office. After all, the position of Deputy Lieutenant was not a trivial one, and it was directly under the military commander’s jurisdiction.

Liu Chengyong, an old hand in the military, understood that General Hong’s intention was to have him privately contact Li Yan, rather than issuing a direct order.

But why was the general doing this? What was the reason? Liu Chengyong didn’t want to know, as the more he knew, the more trouble it would bring.

After some consideration, Liu Chengyong spoke up.

“General, the military advisor’s residence is not a place where anyone can enter freely, especially when it involves Li Yan’s other identity. Military advisor Ji has privately told us in the military that without his permission, no one is allowed to disturb the disciples’ training. So, we can only wait for Li Yan to come out of the residence himself. As for the timing, I’m afraid I have no control over it.”

Liu Chengyong said anxiously.

“Oh? Then you figure it out yourself. This matter needs to be handled as soon as possible. And tell you, I have no ill intentions towards Li Yan. There are just some things that need to be explained to him. You understand, don’t you?”

General Hong glared at him with a piercing gaze.

“Yes!”

Liu Chengyong’s face turned bitter, like a frost-bitten eggplant, and he replied weakly. However, he also felt a bit relieved for Li Yan.

He knew that if the general had a prejudice against someone, he wouldn’t be so indirect. As a veteran who had followed General Hong for over a decade, Liu Chengyong knew that some things were better left unasked, and he should just follow orders.

After Liu Chengyong left, the hall fell silent for a long time. Suddenly, a loud, resonant voice echoed through the room.

“Brother, aren’t we being too hasty? Won’t this arouse Ji Wenhe’s suspicion?”

“We are being a bit hasty, but what other choice do we have? I’ve been thinking about it, and no matter when we make a move, Ji Wenhe will always be on guard. These things are inevitable, and now that Liu Chengyong has a good relationship with that kid, maybe we can give it a try.”

“Brother, our original plan was to wait for two or three years, and by then, Ji Wenhe’s body might be weaker, making it easier to take action.”

General Hong listened to this and paused for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“We’ve seen his body deteriorate over the years, but he’s still alive and kicking, and his martial arts skills haven’t declined at all. In fact, they’ve even improved. This contradicts what he said about being poisoned. Have you ever heard of someone being poisoned and their martial arts skills increasing instead of decreasing?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but I still can’t figure it out. If we wait for two or three more years, and he’s still alive and his martial arts skills continue to grow, we’ll have no chance of winning.”

…

Since returning from the general’s office, Liu Chengyong had been thinking about how to get in touch with Li Yan, but he didn’t dare disobey Military advisor Ji’s orders and go to the military advisor’s residence to find Li Yan.

So, whether he was on duty in the north city, looking out for Li Yan’s horse, or in the military camp, waiting for news of Li Yan’s arrival, he was anxious like an ant on a hot skillet.

To get news of Li Yan’s arrival, he had even asked his brothers on duty at the north gate to notify him as soon as possible, promising to reward them.

Little did he know that his actions had been seen by others as an attempt to curry favor and climb the ranks.

People like Zeng Wen would think that Liu Chengyong was trying to get ahead by using this opportunity, and they wouldn’t dare to tell him directly. If Liu Chengyong knew about this, he would definitely curse those heartless brothers.

Time passed, and the matter remained unresolved. Fortunately, General Hong hadn’t pressured him yet, but Liu Chengyong knew that the sooner he completed the task, the better. Otherwise, it would leave a bad impression.

Today, he wasn’t on duty, and he was thinking about whether to ask Chen An to deliver a message to Li Yan. However, he had been thinking about this for days and still couldn’t come up with a good reason to write the message. He wasn’t a naive young man, and he knew the ways of the officialdom. He couldn’t afford to mess up this task.

Just as he was getting anxious and flustered, not knowing how to quickly meet Li Yan, a soldier suddenly rushed in from outside.

The soldier reported that Lord Li had arrived to see him, and Liu Chengyong’s face lit up with joy. He hastened towards the camp gate, leaving the soldier who had brought the message behind, which made the soldier feel a bit puzzled.

“Even when your father came you didn’t behave like this!” the soldier muttered to himself.

Liu Chengyong rushed to the camp gate and saw Li Yan and his two companions from a distance. He quickened his pace, his laughter echoing loudly.

“Lord Li, how have you been lately? Ha ha ha!”

The loud laughter attracted the attention of the soldiers on duty, who couldn’t help but feel that Liu Chengyong was being overly enthusiastic today.

“Thanks to Captain Liu’s blessings, everything is fine, ha ha ha!” Li Yan replied with a smile.

Seeing Liu Chengyong come out of the camp, Li Yan’s face also lit up with a smile.

“I don’t know, what wind has blown you here today, Lord Li? Do you have any business?”

Liu Chengyong saw Li Yan being so polite and couldn’t help but feel happy, although he was eager to get to the point. However, he still maintained a polite demeanor.

“No big deal, I’ve just been feeling a bit bored at the military advisor’s residence lately, so I came out to take a stroll and clear my mind. I don’t know many people in the city, so I came to look for Captain Liu to catch up. Am I disturbing you?”

“Not at all, not at all. I’m free today, ha ha ha… So, where do you think we should go?”

Liu Chengyong laughed and then hesitated, thinking of a place to talk to Li Yan.

“Oh, how about this? Let’s take a look inside the camp. Although I’m a military officer, I’ve never really been inside the camp. Can we enter?”

Li Yan thought for a moment.

“That’s possible, but there are some areas in the camp that are off-limits without General Hong’s permission. What do you think?”

Liu Chengyong hesitated, thinking that it wouldn’t be a problem.

“It’s no big deal, I just want to take a look inside. It’s just to get a sense of what the camp is like.”

Li Yan said, but what he was really thinking was how to shake off Chen An and Li Ying’s surveillance.

Outside, the two of them had many reasons to protect him, but once they entered the camp, would they still need to be protected?

“Then, Lord Li, please!”

Liu Chengyong gestured for Li Yan to lead the way.

Chen An and Li Ying followed closely behind, and Li Yan couldn’t help but furrow his brow, turning back to scold them.

“What’s the point of you two protecting me even inside the camp?”

His tone was laced with hidden anger.

Chen An handed the reins to Li Ying and took two steps forward, bowing and smiling.

“Young Master, we’ve also been away from this place for a long time and want to enter the camp to catch up with our old brothers. Please, Young Master, allow us to do so.”

As soon as he said this, Li Yan was speechless. Couldn’t people just go back to the camp to catch up with old friends? These two were really oily.

So, the four of them entered the camp, with Liu Chengyong and Li Yan leading the way, and Chen An and Li Ying following behind, leading their horses.

At this time, some soldiers at the camp gate had already learned of Li Yan’s identity from their conversation earlier and had also recognized Chen An and Li Ying, who had left the camp many years ago.

Li Yan had a certain status here, and Chen An and Li Ying were also military personnel, so no one would stop them. As for the restricted areas inside the camp, there were other soldiers guarding them, so they didn’t need to worry.

After entering the camp, Liu Chengyong led Li Yan to his quarters, while Chen An and Li Ying familiarly made their way to the stables.

After tying up their three horses, they went to “catch up” with old friends, but the people they were looking for were heading in the same direction as Li Yan.

Even so, this was enough to give Li Yan the space to have a private conversation with Liu Chengyong.

After arriving at Liu Chengyong’s quarters, Li Yan looked back and saw Chen An and Li Ying chatting with a group of old soldiers in the distance. Once he was sure of the distance, he walked towards the quarters.

This quarters was just one of the many in the camp, and as a small team leader, Liu Chengyong already had a single room, no longer needing to squeeze into the large communal barracks.

Liu Chengyong’s quarters were very simple, with a simple military bed, a long table, a wardrobe, and a weapon rack with knives, swords, and spears on it.

After entering the room, Liu Chengyong looked at Li Yan with some embarrassment.

“The military quarters are all like this, please don’t laugh at me, Lord Li.”

Li Yan didn’t mind and said, “The military doesn’t care about these things, Captain Liu. Why are you being so restrained? You don’t need to call me ‘Lord Li’ either, just call me ‘Brother Li ‘. Otherwise, I won’t get used to it, ha ha ha…”

Liu Chengyong’s face turned red upon hearing this.

“How can this be? It’s absolutely not allowed to overstep the ranks!”

Li Yan waved his hand.

“It’s nothing, you also know that I’m an official because of my teacher’s reputation, and I don’t care about these things. When you call me ‘Lord Li’, I feel very distant.”

As he spoke, he began to walk around the room, seemingly interested in the weapons on the rack. He pulled out a precious sword and examined it carefully in the light.

“This sword is really a good one.”

He wasn’t flattering, as he had often gone hunting with the adults in the village and knew a thing or two about weapons.

Liu Chengyong heard Li Yan’s words and, as a military man, didn’t like to show off. Seeing Li Yan’s interest in the weapons, he immediately smiled.

“Brother Li, you have a good eye! These weapons aren’t standard military issue, but are some of the best spoils I’ve obtained on the battlefield. If you like them, feel free to take them.”

As he said this, he also had a self-satisfied look on his face, as these weapons were truly exceptional.

Li Yan carefully examined the precious sword in his hand, which shone brightly in the light, emitting a cold aura and a faint scent of blood. It was clearly a deadly weapon.

Upon hearing Liu Chengyong’s words, Li Yan’s eyes lit up.