Li Yan quickly arrived at the north city gate. He swiftly passed through the gate tunnel and headed out of the city. As he walked, his mind raced. "Apart from a slight delay when I confronted Liu Chengyong at the back gate of the military supply depot, the rest of the time was very short. And that time was also taken into consideration before. Roughly calculated, from entering the military camp to now, it has been about the time it takes for three-quarters of an incense stick to burn. At this time, Chen An and Li Yin will not yet be suspicious, and Strategist Ji should still be in the Marshal's Residence."
As he was thinking, he had already left the city gate tunnel and was outside the city gate. Sure enough, he did not see Chen An and Li Yin there to intercept him. If the two of them had already reacted by this time, they would definitely be at the south or north gate to intercept him. He would not be able to get out from anywhere else. He smiled and greeted the city guards, then quickly left.
The city guards were a little surprised. First, why was this Lord Li walking out? He had just entered the city on horseback. Second, where were his two guards who were never far from him? But they did not dare to ask more and could only greet him and let him go.
After leaving the city, Li Yan only walked for half a li before he turned and darted into the Great Green Mountains to the west. He would not be so stupid as to walk a little further on the main road and then change direction. That would only increase the chance of encountering the enemy, which was not what he wanted now.
Inside the Marshal's Residence, Strategist Ji looked at Marshal Hong's furrowed brow and helplessly took another sip of tea. It was already over an hour past noon. The two of them had spent about a quarter of an hour just discussing the military situation, and then they had repeatedly discussed countermeasures.
"This is already the fourth plan. Alas," Strategist Ji said after taking a sip of water, and then leaned back in his chair. Although these matters did not require the use of spiritual power, mental exertion was also very draining.
After a while, seeing that Marshal Hong was still in a thoughtful state, he said, "Marshal, this plan has already comprehensively considered all the possible accidents that could occur in the first three plans. Although military strategists talk about 'leaving no stone unturned,' the use of troops can only be based on the situation. There is no such thing as a foolproof plan..."
As he was speaking, Strategist Ji's expression changed. He looked up towards the door. Marshal Hong was listening to him. Seeing him stop halfway through, he looked up at him and saw Strategist Ji looking up towards the main hall door. But he could not see anything, nor could he hear any sound. As he was wondering, his ears twitched again. This time, the faint sound of footsteps came from outside the door. His expression immediately became grave. 'This fellow's internal energy is becoming more and more formidable. But looking at his complexion, it is even worse than before. It can be seen how fierce this poison is. If this happened to me, I would probably have to use eighty to ninety percent of my internal energy to suppress it. Then, with the little internal energy left, I would only be a second-rate fighter in the martial world. But this fellow's remaining internal energy after suppressing the poison is still far superior to my own at my peak. It is truly shocking.'
A voice came from outside the main hall door. "Marshal, the tax gold and silver collected in the city this month have been loaded onto the carts. They are waiting for the Marshal's personal inspection before being escorted to the rear garrison camp."
Hearing this, a trace of a scornful smile appeared on Strategist Ji's face, but it was fleeting. He knew this Marshal well. Besides his fondness for the martial arts manuals of the various sects of the martial world, he was also very fond of gold and silver. Because this border had been relatively peaceful in recent years, and the imperial court had long since issued a decree that the local people in the border areas were not allowed to migrate, to show the people's patriotism, so there was still a large demand for daily necessities. This had caused many merchants to come here to seek their fortune. As a result, the economy here had become very prosperous.
And since this Marshal Hong had arrived here, he had taken control of both military and political affairs, holding all the power and also controlling the local taxes. But he also knew that he could not go too far, as it would be bad if it caused public resentment. Besides leaving forty percent for the local yamen, he would convert the remaining sixty percent into gold and silver every month and directly incorporate it into the army, calling it "military pay."
He was definitely not at ease with this "military pay" being placed in this most frontline city. If it was not transported away and accumulated over the years, it would be a considerable amount. If this city fell, how could there be time to transport it away? So, every month, he would find time to transport it to the rear garrison camp. And every time, he had to personally inspect it and put a seal on it before it could be done.
Strategist Ji naturally looked down on this practice. As a cultivator, he looked down on the gold and silver of this mortal world.
After hearing this, Hong Linying grinned at Strategist Ji. "Lord Strategist, what you just said is absolutely right. There is no foolproof plan in the world. I have also thought it over and over, and I will go with your last plan. I will summon the assistant commanders and advisors to discuss it later."
Hearing this, Strategist Ji naturally knew that his mind was no longer on this matter. He stood up and bowed. "Since it has been decided, then this subordinate will no longer participate in the subsequent matters. My health has been getting worse recently. I will go back and recuperate."
"Oh, good, good. Strategist, you must also take care of your health. If you need any medicinal herbs, just ask. I will send people to do their best to find them. It's just that I am also helpless with this poison you have been afflicted with. It's just that my own martial arts are shallow. Alas!"
Hearing this, Strategist Ji just smiled, cupped his hands again, and walked out of the main hall.
Watching his departing back, Hong Linying's face slowly darkened. After a short pause, he looked towards the back of the main hall.
"Junior Brother, since the report has come, let's go to the back and see that boy." Then his figure flickered and flashed towards the main gate. A figure also quickly swept out from the back of the main hall and followed him.
In a room in the back garden of the Marshal's Residence, "Mm, why did you come alone? What on earth is going on?" As soon as Hong Linying entered the room, he closed the door behind him. The figure behind him did not follow. But there was also no one to be seen in the garden outside, as if they had disappeared.
After entering the room, he swept his round eyes around, and his face immediately darkened as if it were about to drip water. He saw Liu Chengyong waiting alone in the room, with a look of apprehension on his face. Seeing him come in, he quickly stood up.
Liu Chengyong knelt on one knee with a look of shame, cupped his hands, and saluted. "Marshal, this subordinate is incompetent and was unable to bring Li Yan here. Please punish me, Marshal."
Hong Linying said coldly with a grim face, "Speak!"
After half a cup of tea's time, Hong Linying held two pages of a letter and looked at them again and again. On the table was the small porcelain bottle. After he had looked at the letter several times, his face changed from sunny to cloudy. A moment later, he put the letter in his robes.
"So, Li Yan's martial arts are even better than yours?"
"Yes, this subordinate can guarantee it with my head. His aura is extremely profound. If one blow does not hit, then it will inevitably attract the attention of others," Liu Chengyong said, thinking and still with a look of confusion. He still could not figure out how a person could cultivate their internal energy to such a level in just a few months. How could there be such a martial arts technique in the world?
Hong Linying held his chin with one hand and thought for a while, also with a look of disbelief. If the person before him was not a loyal subordinate who had followed him for more than ten years, he might have slapped this person who was talking nonsense to death. But he also knew very well that this person would not lie to him.
"You may go back first," he said to Liu Chengyong after a pause.
Liu Chengyong couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He quickly took his leave and walked out quickly. At this time, his back was already soaked. 'So Brother Li didn't lie to me. After the Marshal read the letter, his anger subsided. I wonder what was said.'
Hong Linying stood in the room for a while, then took out the letter from his robes again. "Junior Brother, come and take a look."
A figure floated in from outside the room, silently. After it stood still, it was an extremely large man. Such a large body was yet so light, which gave people a very uncomfortable sense of contrast.
The large man took the letter and looked at it for a while, then repeatedly looked at one of the pages again and again. "Hiss, Senior Brother, this boy has really given us the cultivation method."
"Yes, this is the first layer's cultivation method of the 'Woodyin Art.' Junior Brother, can you tell if this 'Woodyin Art's' cultivation method is genuine or fake?"
The large man heard this and picked up the piece of paper again, looking at it carefully once more.
"Junior Brother, I have also looked at it carefully just now. Some of the methods of circulating the energy are unheard of. With my current knowledge, I can't tell if it's true or false for a moment," Hong Linying said.
"But this boy has only given us the first layer's cultivation technique. We have to help him complete the rest of the matters before he will give us the rest. Mm, I also can't judge the authenticity of this cultivation technique... Mm, should we try this cultivation technique?" the large man said, looking up at this time, his eyes flashing with an expectant gleam.
Hong Linying did not answer immediately. He held his chin and considered for a while, looking at the large man's expectant gaze. "I have also considered what Junior Brother said. But in the path of internal energy, it is not something that can be effective with just one try."
After a moment of silence in the room, Hong Linying said again, "But we can give it a try. Maybe we can experience his path of circulating the energy. Who knows, we might gain some enlightenment. It's just that that boy is using the subsequent cultivation technique to coerce us into helping him," Hong Linying said, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
"Senior Brother, I will try this cultivation technique. If it is real, then it is worth helping him. We can just kill him afterwards. He is just a mountain brat. How dare he be so presumptuous? Hmph."
"Alright, Junior Brother, let's go to the secret room. I will stand guard for you. You can try it," he said, reached out and took the small porcelain bottle on the table, put it in his robes, and turned to walk outside. As he walked, he said, "But this boy does have some tricks up his sleeve. To be able to put this thing on Ji Wenhe without being detected. Hehe, I'm actually a little reluctant to kill him. It's just that this boy is too cunning. If he were to do this to us, if we were not careful for a moment, wouldn't we also fall into his trap?"
Chen An and Li Yin were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. They rushed out of the military camp and hurried away.
The two of them had been chatting with their old comrades in the military camp for about two hours, but they still hadn't seen Li Yan come out. They couldn't help but feel anxious. They frequently looked towards the direction of the central command camp and would look at each other from time to time, both feeling uneasy in each other's eyes. After a while, the two of them looked at each other again, stood up at the same time, apologized to the few people, and then walked to the side to discuss in a low voice.
The two of them braced themselves and walked towards the central command tent. They might lose their heads for trespassing on a military restricted area without a military order. When the two of them were still some distance from the central command tent, they were discovered by a patrol squad. They were immediately reprimanded and asked to show their passage tokens. Fortunately, the two of them were also old hands in the army and had an excuse. They stated that they had an important matter and needed to see Lord Ji, and hoped that they could pass on the message.
The patrol squad saw their situation and could see that they might have an urgent matter to see Lord Ji. Moreover, some people also recognized them as people from the Strategist's Manor. So, someone went to the central command tent to report. In a short time, the soldier who had gone to report came back and said to the two of them unpleasantly, "Are you two making fun of me? Lord Ji has never been in the army today. Leave quickly."
Hearing this, the two of them immediately felt that something was wrong. They quickly thanked him and rushed towards the camp gate.
This made the patrol squad look at their frantic figures with some astonishment. "It seems that looking for Lord Ji is really a matter of life and death."
Chen An and Li Yin knew that there was only one exit to the military camp. As for the exit of the supply depot camp at the back, they had not considered it at all. What kind of place was that? It was the most important place in the army. Moreover, it was not a place for people to enter and exit.
After arriving at the camp gate, the two of them hurriedly asked the guards at the camp gate again. In the end, they got a result that greatly shocked them. "Lord Li went out alone more than two hours ago." How could they know that the soldiers on duty today had also been arranged by Marshal Hong to wait here for them to come and ask for the result?
The two of them were greatly shocked. They knew that they had made a big mistake this time. Lord Ji had given them a death order to not leave Li Yan's side.
They almost lost their composure and were about to fight with the guards at the gate. The guards at the gate just said lightly, "Lord Li wants to go out. Do I have the authority to detain him? Are you trying to make us commit insubordination?"
Chen An and Li Yin could only gallop out in a rage, one towards the south gate and one towards the north gate. If Li Yan were to leave the city, it would definitely be from these two places. As long as they could confirm whether he had left the city, it would be fine. If he hadn't left the city, then it would be easy to handle.
A quarter of an hour later, the two of them met again at the agreed place. After each of them had stated the result, they rode together and rushed back to the Strategist's Manor.
Just now, at the north city gate, they had easily gotten the news that Li Yan had gone out alone two hours ago. This made the two of them feel a little apprehensive, but also a little expectant.
In a short while, the two of them rushed back to the Strategist's Manor. They jumped off their horses and rushed into the valley, which made the group of people in the clearing outside the valley very strange.
The two of them also forgot the warning not to enter the valley without an order. After entering the valley, they went straight to Li Yan's room. After entering the room, the room was empty. There was no one there.
The backs of the two of them were already soaked. They hurriedly left the room again and looked carefully into the valley. The valley was not big, and one could see the whole picture at a glance. At this time, besides the swaying hundred flowers, the slowly flowing spring water from the rock wall, there was only the gentle breeze blowing in the valley.
Just as they were about to search the valley carefully, hoping that Li Yan was currently lurking in the pool or lying in the flower bushes, even being in the latrine would be excellent, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Why is it just you two? Where's Li Yan?"