Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 8: Military Advisor Ji and General Hong (Part 1)

Military Advisor Ji took a few steps forward, then stopped, as if waiting for Li Yan to catch up. He slowly turned his head, and his gaze towards Li Yan became extremely calm.

“You’re still worried about the upcoming Imperial Guard assessment, aren’t you? You don’t need to be. You’re now my disciple, and as your master, I’m in the military camp. You’re now a military strategist by my side, which is far better than being an Imperial Guard.”

As he spoke, his expression became extremely proud. Then, he paused and continued, “You’ve decided to join my sect, so you don’t need to address me as ‘sir’ anymore. From now on, just call me ‘teacher’.”

Li Yan’s expression changed upon hearing this. He thought to himself, ‘Following Teacher is much better than being an Imperial Guard. This is a blessing I’ve cultivated!’

He then remembered something and looked hesitant, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Military Advisor Ji looked at him and furrowed his brow. “What’s on your mind?”

“Te… Teacher, about the monthly salary… I still have my parents to support…”

Li Yan stuttered, unsure of how to express himself.

Military Advisor Ji smiled faintly. “Oh, I see. You’re still a filial son. From now on, your monthly salary will be equivalent to that of a small team leader in the camp, which is four times more than an Imperial Guard’s salary.”

Military Advisor Ji looked at Li Yan with a hint of a smile.

“Thank you, Teacher!” Li Yan exclaimed, overjoyed. He felt like he was on cloud nine, and everything seemed like a dream.

He could now send more silver back to his parents every month, and calling Military Advisor Ji “Teacher” felt much more natural.

…

Outside the tent, General Hong was leaning against the back of a large chair, his right elbow resting on the armrest, and his hand forming a half-clenched fist, supporting his forehead.

He looked sleepy, with his eyes half-closed, exuding an air of elegance. Occasionally, he would turn his head to glance at the assessment area inside the military camp, and then turn back to his original position, gazing towards the tent.

General Hong, also known as Hong Linying, was the Western South Commander-in-Chief of the imperial court, in charge of over 200,000 troops guarding the southwestern border.

He was originally a wandering orphan who, by chance, joined the famous Fadou Temple at the age of eleven or twelve. He became a secular disciple, which meant he shouldn’t have been able to learn the temple’s advanced martial arts.

However, he was ruthless and had an unyielding personality, even towards himself. To learn martial arts, he had pushed himself to the point of injury.

In the five years he spent in the temple, he managed to reach the level of a second-rate expert in the martial arts world, which was extremely rare for a secular disciple.

The martial arts techniques he learned were only the basic entrance techniques and fundamental fist methods taught to secular disciples, not the temple’s secret, advanced arts.

In the martial arts world, the stages of martial arts proficiency, from highest to lowest, are: Transcendent Expert, Supreme Expert, First-Rate Expert, Second-Rate Expert, and Third-Rate Expert. Anything below that is considered inferior.

It’s said that the current emperor’s ancestor, the founder of the dynasty, relied on his external martial arts skills, specifically the “Taizu Long Fist,” to conquer the land with his brothers.

Legend has it that whenever he fought an enemy, he would defeat them with just one set of “Taizu Long Fist” moves. It wasn’t that the martial arts technique was extraordinary, but rather that the emperor’s ancestor had mastered it to perfection, making it swift and unbeatable. As the saying goes, “In the world of martial arts, only speed is invincible.”

If an opponent’s martial arts skills have reached the Transcendent Expert level, their movements would be as swift as lightning, making it impossible to dodge.

Although Hong Linying hadn’t reached that level, he had still achieved a high level of mastery.

Later, a senior monk in the temple discovered his talent and realized that he had the potential to become a great master. However, he also knew that Hong Linying’s personality was not suited for the Buddhist path.

Feeling pity for him, the senior monk used internal skill to treat Hong Linying’s hidden injuries caused by his intense training. He also taught him internal martial arts, including the “Buddha’s Golden Body” and various fist, footwork, and staff techniques. Although these were not the temple’s secret, top-level martial arts, they were still not easily accessible to secular disciples.

Hong Linying continued to practice martial arts in the temple for four more years, during which time he refined his internal and external skills. With his innate intelligence, diligent practice, and the senior monk’s guidance, he eventually became a First-Rate Expert in the martial arts world.

At this point, Hong Linying decided to leave the temple and make a name for himself in the world.

Before he left, the senior monk warned him, “Lin Ying, remember that your martial arts skills are not to be used for evil. Do not kill innocents or engage in banditry. If you use your skills for evil, the temple will send a monk to take your life, regardless of your rank or position.”

Hong Linying promised to remember this.

After leaving the temple, he did keep his promise, but he knew that to achieve greatness, he needed to experience life-and-death battles. Therefore, he joined the military, starting as a soldier and working his way up through numerous battles. Due to his bravery and fearlessness, he was repeatedly promoted, eventually becoming a general.

When he was appointed as the Western South Commander-in-Chief, he was tasked with guarding the southwestern border. Green Mountain Pass was a strategic city on the border, with a garrison of around 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers. Although he should have been stationed at the central military camp, about 30 miles north of the pass, he preferred to be at the front lines, leading his troops in battle.

His generals knew his personality and didn’t dare disobey him, so they left the deputy commander in charge of the central camp, while Hong Linying personally guarded Green Mountain Pass.

Six years ago, Ji Wenhe, also known as Military Advisor Ji, arrived at Green Mountain Pass, where General Hong Linying was stationed.

On that day, Ji Wenhe entered the city and went straight to the general’s mansion, demanding to see General Hong. The guards at the gate refused to let him pass, hoping to extort some silver from him.

After a few exchanges, Ji Wenhe understood the guards’ intentions and didn’t say anything more. Without making a move, he simply swept his sleeves, and the guards were unable to move.

He then walked into the mansion, encountering several patrol teams along the way. However, they were all frozen in place, unable to move, after just a glance from Ji Wenhe.

General Hong was resting in the great hall when he heard the commotion outside. He was about to get up to take a look when he saw a black-robed scholar suddenly appear in the hall.

The scholar’s movements were as silent as a ghost, and General Hong was startled. He couldn’t even see how the scholar had entered the hall, and what surprised him even more was the scholar’s extraordinary lightness technique, which he had never seen before.

The scholar’s movements were so silent that not even a rustling sound could be heard, which was unprecedented for General Hong.

When the scholar finally stopped moving, General Hong saw that he was a black-robed scholar, about thirty years old, with a slender face, pale complexion, and a hint of redness on his face. He had a long beard that reached his chest.

The scholar introduced himself as Ji Wenhe, a member of a hidden sect in the martial arts world. He had been injured by an unknown poisonous insect while collecting herbs in the mountains a few months ago.

In the vast mountains of the southwestern border, there were countless unknown poisonous insects and beasts, even for the local hunters. Therefore, General Hong didn’t find Ji Wenhe’s story unusual, as he had also ventured into the Great Green Mountain and was familiar with the dangers that lurked within.

Ji Wenhe explained that he had spent several months recovering from his injuries and had visited many friends and famous doctors, but none of them could cure the poison that had slowly spread to his internal organs.

As a result, he had decided to join the military as a strategist, with the condition that he could choose a disciple from the military. His sect had a tradition of single succession, and he had not yet taken a disciple. With the poison slowly taking its toll, he was anxious to find a way to pass on his sect’s legacy.

Hong Linying was greatly surprised, originally thinking that with Ji Wenhe’s exceptional martial arts skills, he would either come to demand something or be an enemy assassin. But Ji Wenhe’s request was beyond his expectations.

With Ji Wenhe’s extraordinary abilities, finding a disciple would be an easy task, whether it’s one, ten, or a hundred. So, why would he come to the military?

Ji Wenhe explained that his martial arts skills were unique, possibly unmatched in the world, which was why he wanted to find a disciple in the military.

Hong Linying thought for a moment and agreed, partly because he couldn’t see through Ji Wenhe’s intentions and didn’t want to offend him. Moreover, the military already had many officials, and as long as Ji Wenhe didn’t interfere with important military decisions, it wouldn’t be a problem.

As for selecting a disciple from the military, it was a minor issue. With tens of thousands of soldiers, it was up to Ji Wenhe to choose.

However, the subsequent events left Hong Linying increasingly astonished.

Firstly, there were several enemy attacks, and during the first attack, after receiving intelligence reports, Hong Linying discussed countermeasures with his generals in the military. When he returned to his residence, Ji Wenhe unexpectedly arrived at midnight, revealing the enemy’s attack plans and deployments.

Although Ji Wenhe’s information mostly matched what Hong Linying already knew, there were some details that Hong Linying was unaware of or hadn’t obtained through espionage. Despite Ji Wenhe’s new role as an advisor, Hong Linying couldn’t easily trust him.

However, considering Ji Wenhe’s exceptional abilities, it was possible that he could gather information from afar, even if he was stationed outside the city.

Hong Linying laughed and thanked Ji Wenhe, saying he would discuss the matter with his generals later. Ji Wenhe smiled and left without another word.

At dawn, the enemy launched a surprise attack, and Hong Linying led his troops to engage the enemy outside the city. This was an expected attack.

The two armies clashed in a fierce battle, with corpses scattered all over the battlefield. By dawn, both sides were exhausted and began to retreat, with Hong Linying withdrawing his troops into the city.

Apart from the main attack, Hong Linying had also stationed troops on the eastern and western mountains to prevent the enemy from launching a flanking attack from the forest. This was all part of their plan.

Just as they were retreating to the city gate, the ground suddenly shook, and a loud, rumbling sound echoed from afar.

The exhausted enemy soldiers, who were withdrawing in a sluggish manner, suddenly split into two groups, revealing a broad road. A massive cloud of dust followed, emerging from behind them.

A team of heavy cavalry suddenly emerged, killing their way to the front of the retreating Imperial Army soldiers in just a dozen breaths.

This caught the retreating Imperial Army soldiers off guard, leaving them no time to organize a defense. The killing sounds filled the air, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Hong Linying saw the dire situation and immediately made a decision, ordering the city gates to be closed immediately. Unfortunately, there were still over 10,000 soldiers outside the city who couldn’t retreat back in.

All they could do was desperately fight to the death outside the city, but without the protection of heavy armor, how could they resist the charging heavy cavalry? In just half an hour, the Imperial Army soldiers outside the city were completely annihilated, slaughtered to the last man.

However, during that half-hour, Hong Linying had organized the remaining 20,000 troops inside the city, deploying them heavily on the city walls and sending a fast horse with an order to the main camp to request reinforcements.

But before the reinforcements arrived, the enemy launched a desperate attack on the city, with several waves of soldiers almost reaching the top of the city walls.

Hong Linying personally led the defense, fighting bravely on the city walls as wave after wave of soldiers fell, only to be replaced by new ones. They barely held on until their reinforcements arrived.

As their reinforcements continued to pour in through the north gate, the enemy realized they couldn’t prevail and sounded the retreat.