Chapter 32: Making an End
Li Yan sat in his chair, brows furrowed, deeply lost in thought. For a time, his mind was blank, one moment pondering how to escape, the next drifting to thoughts of his parents, his third brother, and fourth sister…
After a while, Li Yan suddenly stood up, a faintly twisted expression flashing across his face as he muttered to himself:
"Even if I manage to escape, what will happen to my family remains uncertain! Perhaps because of me, they might suffer calamity. If that's the case, why should I keep struggling to find a way out? I might as well end this once and for all!"
Eventually, his expression gradually calmed, returning to its usual state. He sat back down, beginning to carefully think things through again.
Millions of li away from Great Qing Pass, deep in a forest of towering peaks that pierced the clouds, a colossal palace sat atop a mountain platform, hidden among the white mist. Inside the grand hall, an old man in a dark green robe, hawk-eyed and sharp-featured, was reporting to a scholar in green robes.
"Peak Master, the law enforcement disciples sent a message today. After their prolonged investigation, they've found some leads."
"Oh? Let's hear it," the scholar-like man said, seated on a giant beast-carved throne, his tone calm and detached.
"They searched the area where the traitor died. Within ten thousand li, there were no mortal towns, but some loose cultivators were active there. After eliminating a few ignorant ones, they learned that six or seven years ago, someone from the 'Immortal-Seeking Lineage' had appeared there, searching for herbs.
Upon closer inspection, the herbs matched those found in our sect's introductory Body Tempering manual."
"So, it's likely this person was the one who took what the traitor left behind," the green-robed scholar said, fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest.
Black mist churned around the old man's body as he responded grimly.
"Almost certain, Peak Master. Those from the 'Immortal-Seeking Lineage' are always searching for fated opportunities. If they get their hands on an immortal technique, they'll cultivate it without hesitation.
But the message also mentioned that no one has seen this person in that region in recent years. Most likely, he's gone into hiding to cultivate. If we find him, he must suffer the torment of the Soul-Binding Threadworm."
"And how do you plan to proceed?" asked the scholar calmly.
"I've already ordered the disciples in the area to scatter and broaden their search. We should have results soon."
In the days that followed, Li Yan remained behind closed doors, seemingly focused on bitter cultivation. Ever since his last trip to the city, his inner state had indeed grown calmer.
With each day of cultivation, his aura subtly grew, barely noticeable but enough to cause the divine sense that scanned him daily to twitch in response.
But after ten days of this hard training, Li Yan's mood became irritable again. He had to stop after only half a day's cultivation.
Sometimes he would soak in the cold spring for half a day. Although the southwest region rarely grew cold even in winter, the autumn chill made the icy spring unbearable for ordinary people.
Other times, he shut his door and scribbled wildly in the room, sending papers flying and ink splattering everywhere.
Chen An and Li Yin, watching from afar would immediately hide, afraid they'd be summoned only to get yelled at for no reason.
Fortunately, after every cold soak or ink-flinging tantrum, Li Yan's temperament would mellow out for a while. Otherwise, the two of them would've been dragged into the valley for a scolding at least twice every day.
Time passed like this, and more than a month flew by. During that period, Li Yan entered the city twice more. As usual, Strategist Ji remained in seclusion, so Chen An and Li Yin accompanied him both times.
Each time he returned, Li Yan would bring back some new clothes, belts, or boots. The strategist's divine sense would scan them carefully as always, but finding nothing unusual, gradually lost interest.
Curiously, every time Li Yan came back from the city, his mood improved greatly. And not just that, his cultivation also made slight breakthroughs afterward. This led to Strategist Ji's divine sense becoming increasingly indifferent to his activities.
One day, Li Yan once again summoned Chen An and Li Yin, saying he needed to visit the city. The two men cautiously agreed and prepared the horses.
The trio arrived at the north city gate. This time, the gatekeeper wasn't Liu Chengyong, but another squad leader of Battalion C, a burly man named Zeng Wen.
Zeng Wen had seen Li Yan from a distance before. After all, Li Yan had gained some notoriety among Battalion C recently for inviting Liu Chengyong's squad to a banquet at the "Tianran Wine House."
Now, even other squads envied them and Li Yan had become something of a known figure among them.
"Oh, Lord Li, off to the city today?"
Zeng Wen smiled, recognizing Chen An and Li Yin, and knowing they always accompanied Li Yan.
"Ah, Captain Zeng on duty today? Where's Captain Liu?" Li Yan asked with familiarity.
Indeed, ever since cultivating the immortal art, his memory had grown exceptionally sharp. He remembered seeing Zeng Wen from afar during his visit to the camp and recalled Liu Chengyong casually greeting him.
"Captain Liu's off-duty today, should still be in camp."
"Good, then I'll go find him!" Li Yan said with a smile, tugged the reins, and rode through the gate with Chen An and Li Yin close behind.
Behind them, a soldier sneered and said:
"Captain, Liu Chengyong's been showing off a lot lately, always bragging about Lord Li treating them to a banquet. His men talk about it like they just left the brothel or something."
Zeng Wen chuckled darkly and said:
"Those idiots don't know how lucky they are. Next time we run into Lord Li, we should be more respectful, we might get something out of it. And didn't Liu Chengyong ask us to inform him if we saw Lord Li entering the city? Promised us a little something, too.
Hmph! I won't tell him. What benefit could he really offer us? He just wants more chances to suck up to him. Let him dream on, heh heh heh…"
The nearby soldiers broke into mocking laughter.
Li Yan, of course, remained unaware of this. After entering the city, the three of them rode straight toward the testing grounds.
The Military Camp was located adjacent to the testing grounds. Li Yan had visited Liu Chengyong there before and was familiar with the route, so he didn't need Chen An or Li Yin to guide him.
Though galloping was forbidden within the city walls, they rode at a leisurely pace. Li Yan sat with his eyes half-closed, exuding an air of aloof arrogance. Chen An and Li Yin trailed half a horse's length behind on either side, daring not to speak.
Li Yan's mind was preoccupied with his own thoughts. Since his first visit to the city, he had returned twice more, and Chen An and Li Yin had clung to him like shadows.
Even when he had invited Liu Chengyong for drinks, deliberately asking him to bring his entire squad and ordering extra tables, the two men had remained glued to his side.
When Li Yan finally excused himself to the latrine with Liu Chengyong under the pretense of drunkenness, the pair had even attempted to follow. Only after Li Yan drunkenly kicked them both into standing rooted to the spot did he manage to slip away briefly to subtly question Liu Chengyong.
He was now fairly certain that Liu Chengyong was Marshal Hong's man. Although Liu held Strategist Ji in high regard, his true loyalty undoubtedly lay with Marshal Hong.
His purpose in entering the city this time was to observe whether Liu Chengyong had recently received any instructions from certain individuals.
According to Dong Fuyi, Marshal Hong desperately wanted Strategist Ji's "secret martial art." This claim seemed credible.
His two recent encounters with Liu Chengyong served two purposes: first, to confirm Liu's allegiance and assess whether he could be used as an intermediary; second, to signal to Marshal Hong that he had an opportunity to approach him.
Yet, anxiety still gnawed at him. These were merely his plans and deductions. Whether reality aligned with them remained uncertain.
If Liu Chengyong showed no reaction after this encounter when he next entered the city, he would need to devise a new strategy immediately.
He had considered other methods in recent days, but after careful deliberation, he concluded that Dong Fuyi was right. Only by leveraging Marshal Hong's influence could he realistically achieve his goals.
Li Yan, squinting in the saddle, swayed with the horse's rhythmic gait as they approached the military camp's gate.
Dozens of armed soldiers stationed at the gate had already spotted the trio approaching. One of them stepped forward, raised a hand, and called out to halt them.
"Military camp, restricted area! No unauthorized personnel allowed!"
The soldier was observant. Though he didn't recognize Li Yan, he vaguely recognized Chen An and Li Yin. Moreover, their military attire suggested they were officers, so he spoke with relative courtesy.
As Li Yan's group drew near, all three dismounted. Li Yan flicked his wrist, sending a waist badge flying toward the soldier.
The soldier caught it, examined it closely, then stepped forward and bowed deeply, returning the badge with both hands.
"Lord Li, may I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"I'm here to see Liu Chengyong of the third squad, Battalion C," Li Yan replied softly, accepting the badge. He now understood the general scope of his official position: as a military officer, he was permitted to enter military camps, provided he didn't wander into the central command tent or other restricted areas without authorization.
"Understood. I'll inform Captain Liu immediately."
With that, the soldier turned and headed toward the military camp's gate. He stopped before a sentry, exchanged a few words, and the sentry hurried into the camp.
Li Yan remained outside, waiting patiently.
Liu Chengyong had been on edge lately. The day after drinking with Li Yan, he had barely returned to camp when Marshal Hong summoned him.
He was utterly bewildered. While drinking was generally prohibited in the military, he was an old-timer, and he hadn't been on duty at the time. Normally, superiors turned a blind eye to such minor infractions.
Now, being summoned by Marshal Hong himself, Liu Chengyong's anxiety grew. He wondered if someone was trying to get him in trouble over this, his resentment simmering.
"That damned bastard stabbed me in the back! Son of a bitch! Half the camp drinks! If I find out who's behind this, I'll skin him alive and break every bone in his body!"
When Liu Chengyong stumbled drunkenly into Marshal Hong's Manor, he was immediately summoned to the main hall in the rear courtyard. Upon entering, he found only Marshal Hong present and hastily knelt to kowtow.
"This subordinate pays his respects to the Marshal. May I ask what orders you have for me?"
"Hmph, orders? Look at you! Do you think you're in any condition to carry them out?" Marshal Hong's bald head gleamed with a bluish light as his piercing, round eyes glared at Liu Chengyong.
"This subordinate... this subordinate ran into an old friend and couldn't help but spend some time with him. Heh heh heh... I accidentally drank a bit too much horse piss..." Liu Chengyong stammered, sensing that the Marshal wasn't overly enraged. He grinned sheepishly.
He knew Marshal Hong, despite his stern demeanor, cared deeply for his battle-hardened brothers. As long as no military matters had been neglected, minor offenses were usually overlooked.
Marshal Hong remained silent, his gaze fixed on Liu Chengyong. After a long moment, Liu Chengyong stole another glance and saw the Marshal's round eyes still boring into him. A chill ran down his spine, and he stammered awkwardly, "Marshal..."
"Marshal, if this old subordinate has done something wrong, just say the word and have me dragged out for a beating."
Marshal Hong observed him for a moment before suddenly asking, "Who were you drinking with today?"
"Uh... I drank with Lord Li, Strategist Ji's disciple. But... but it was entirely my idea. I practically dragged him along."
Liu Chengyong was undeniably a man of great loyalty. Fearing that his drinking might lead to military infractions that would implicate Li Yan, he took full responsibility for the incident.
"Oh, so you're quite familiar with Lord Li?"
"We're acquainted. I first met him when he entered the city, and we've had several encounters since. We get along well enough."
"But Marshal, this drinking incident had nothing to do with Lord Li. I was simply overcome by a sudden craving for alcohol and dragged him along."
"Ah, that explains it!"
Hong Linying paused, then added, "You may rise."
Hearing the Great Commander's tone soften, Liu Chengyong couldn't help but feel relieved. He had already braced himself for a beating with the military rod and planned to investigate who had betrayed him upon returning, intending to settle the score later.
Now reassured, he stood up, letting his hands hang at his sides as he quietly awaited Marshal Hong's next words.
(Chapter End)