Battle of the Ji River

Yan Nu felt the True Qi in his body surge once more after eating the steamed buns, and he grinned.

He called his initial True Qi "Hammer True Qi." After consuming a few steamed buns, it instantly generated from the acupoints all over his body.

Not only that, but it had grown by ten percent before being depleted.

The only thing that puzzled him was that the True Qi from the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture that the Monster Sister had taught him hadn't recovered. He wondered if he hadn't eaten enough?

"Whatever, I'll just practice again."

Yan Nu happily began practicing, converting the recovered Hammer True Qi once more to form two great cyclones.

After dispersing the energy, these two cyclones were re-condensed. Having lost and regained them, cycling through life and death, they were actually purer and more powerful than when they were first formed.

And as the Hammer True Qi was continuously consumed and converted, the cyclones kept growing.

During this process, his injuries were also slowly healing. By the time the Hammer True Qi was completely depleted, his injuries had improved by another ten percent.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Leling's voice sounded again: "Yan Nu'er, you're practicing very quickly. It wasn't in vain that I taught you the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture."

"This is a genuine orthodox technique, refining essence into qi. You need to eat more tonics to cultivate quickly... It's a pity I don't have any."

"This Tea Mountain Fort is dirt poor. The secret rooms are either filled with scrap metal or useless scriptures. I could only find some healing medicine, which is useful for your injuries but not for your cultivation."

Shen Leling knew the difficulty of orthodox cultivation techniques like the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture. It wasn't a Demonic Path technique that would extract essence based on the body's condition.

Therefore, the less essence the body had, the slower the cultivation. It required Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and potent elixirs to solidify the foundation and nourish the origin.

Even after decades of practice, a commoner would struggle to achieve Primordial Body Tempering.

Yan Nu's current deficiency in qi and blood made things even worse. With such essence-refining-into-qi cultivation, the internal breath produced in each acupoint would be as fine as a gossamer thread, and the cyclones would be unable to grow!

"Come, come, eat all these medicines."

As she spoke, Shen Leling herself appeared.

Yan Nu slightly raised his eyelids and saw "Instructor Ma" standing in front of him, opening a bottle of ointment and applying it to his body.

As the ointment was applied, Yan Nu felt a cool sensation that penetrated to his bones, and his wounds began to itch.

"Here, take these two bottles of medicine. You'll recover faster." Shen Leling then flicked two streams of water, mixed them into two bottles of powder, and poured them all into his mouth.

As soon as the two bottles of medicine entered his stomach, they were digested and disappeared. Instantly, Yan Nu's acupoints were filled with Hammer True Qi again, and his energy surged.

"What medicine is this?" Yan Nu asked in surprise.

Shen Leling calmly replied: "Just Bone-Growing Powder and Blood-Melting Powder. They're to speed up your recovery."

Yan Nu blinked, surprised that he could instantly digest these two medicines and recover his True Qi.

"Instructor Ma!"

Suddenly, a voice called out. Because Shen Leling hadn't been discreet, nearby patrolling Martial Artists had rushed over.

"What crime did this lowborn commit to end up in such a state?" Shen Leling put away the medicine bottles and walked towards them with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, this fool offended Steward Liao and was supposed to be displayed for three days. Huh? He's not dead yet?" the patrolling Martial Artist said, surprised to find Yan Nu still alive.

Shen Leling pondered, "Yes, I thought something was off. With injuries like these, he should have died long ago... Could it be..."

"Could it be what?" The patrolling Martial Artists' expressions tensed. They had all heard that a group of people had been killed by a Monster last night.

Remembering that the deceased were Martial Artists like themselves, registered with the army, yet they still died, it meant the Monster wasn't afraid of their Mortal World Fire!

Monsters that were not afraid of Mortal World Fire – this undeniable fact had the Martial Artists in the fort in a state of panic.

"Could it be that the Monster saved this lowborn, sparing his life?" Shen Leling scanned their surroundings suspiciously.

The Martial Artists also looked around. The surroundings were quiet in the deep night, with a few faint lights twinkling in the distance, accompanied by the cries of night ravens.

In such a scene, the thought of a Monster possibly lurking in the shadows, searching for prey, made them tremble.

Shen Leling's voice trembled slightly: "Something's not right, I have a bad feeling..."

"Clang!"

Shen Leling drew his saber, his posture fierce, but his slightly trembling hand caused the blade to sway slightly, as if revealing his inner fear.

"This execution ground... gulp... the Yin Sha energy is extremely heavy." Shen Leling spoke slowly, pausing mid-sentence to swallow. Everyone saw that he was already covered in sweat.

Seeing that "Instructor Ma," a top expert, was so nervous, a chilling atmosphere instantly spread among the Martial Artists.

"This... what's special about this Yin Sha energy?"

Shen Leling said with difficulty: "Yin Sha energy can nourish evil spirits, so malevolent spirits and ghosts love to hide in such inauspicious places..."

"I suspected the Monster from last night might be here, so I came to investigate. I didn't expect you to still have a dying person here, adding more bloodshed and intensifying the Yin Si energy..."

"Ah..." The patrolling Martial Artists' hearts sank.

"Where... where would the Monster hide?"

Everyone regarded "Instructor Ma" as their backbone, but they saw his gaze drifting, as if avoiding someone's stare.

His eyes darted everywhere except towards Yan Nu, who was chained to the center of the execution ground.

"Could it be..." A Martial Artist quickly glanced at the execution frame.

Yan Nu, like a bloodied man, was locked with his arms diagonally upwards, his body hanging naturally.

His face was lowered, sticking to messy hair, making his expression unclear. The crisscrossing scars on his body looked ferocious and terrifying in the moonlight.

A cold wind blew at an inopportune moment, causing his body to sway slightly.

The martial artist drew his sword and pointed it at Yan Nu, exclaiming, "A monster is hidden inside him!"

"You're asking for death! Don't say it out loud!" Shen Leling cried out in alarm.

The martial artist's face instantly turned pale. It turned out that 'Instructor Ma' had been evasive and vague, afraid to expose the monster's hiding place?

If even 'Instructor Ma' was afraid, wouldn't he be courting death by revealing it?

Just then, a gust of eerie wind blew, and thick mist suddenly filled the execution grounds, enveloping everything in all directions.

This made them, who were about to flee, unsure whether they should run or not.

"Swish!" They saw 'Instructor Ma' dart out and disappear into the mist.

As the crowd was about to follow, they heard a piercing scream: "Let go of me!"

In an instant, 'Instructor Ma' was sent flying back, a bloody hand clamped around his neck, and he was thrown to the ground.

The martial artists were terrified. They then saw 'Instructor Ma' kneeling and crying, "Spare my life, and I will offer sacrifices to you day and night, with unending incense and faith."

The bloody hand immediately turned its attention to a martial artist beside him and flew towards him.

The other martial artists' legs went weak, and they all knelt down begging for mercy: "I'll sacrifice for you too, offer you incense and faith, don't kill me!"

Under their pleas, they found that the bloody hand had disappeared. Their faces lit up with joy, never expecting their pleas to actually work!

"I'll go back and burn incense right away!" the martial artists hastily tried to leave.

But then they heard 'Instructor Ma's' voice, which had changed: "Alas, gods do not favor the unworthy, nor do people worship those outside their kin. If only the incense and faith of all people were useful to me... I occupy a territory and cultivate using incense and faith, wouldn't that be wonderful? Why bother running around?"

Shen Leling sighed softly, took off her eye patch, and water flowed from her left eye like a gushing spring.

The martial artists were terrified and wanted to flee, but they were already entangled by a sinister energy, and then enveloped by the water.

Shen Leling, using Yan Nu, dealt with another wave of martial artists.

She buried all the corpses, erased all traces, and said to Yan Nu, "I'll let you go. If I train you into a World-Shocking Martial Artist in the future, will that be good?"

"Okay," Yan Nu replied.

"It's a small matter, but... from now on, you have to listen to me!" Shen Leling giggled.

Yan Nu, who was already a servant, simply asked, "Are you also a noble?"

Shen Leling paused and said, "I have no father or mother; I was born of heaven and earth, so of course I am noble!"

"Are you more powerful than the Fort Master?" Yan Nu asked again.

Shen Leling was annoyed: "Hahahaha... you compare me to a mortal? Tea Mountain Fort Master is merely second-rate. I'll go eat him in a few days!"

Yan Nu remembered Uncle Hong's words and corrected her: "I heard the Fort Master is a first-rate expert."

"Haha, these martial artists in this poor, remote place love to brag! Are you perhaps still living in a dream?" Shen Leling sneered.

She then explained: "Whether it's Fort Master Zhang Xu, or the three instructors Han Hu Ma, they might have truly been first-rate before, but now the world is in chaos, more so than ever before! Everyone is in danger... and many people practice martial arts!"

"Not to mention the strong among the Hu Barbarians, just the noble families and powerful clans building their own fortifications and vigorously recruiting militia, even using their clan's ancient texts to cultivate martial artists... this alone has caused those who were once first-rate to now only be considered second-rate."

"It's like five hundred years ago, Three Essences Body Tempering was considered the best in the world, until a Hegemon King appeared..."

Yan Nu suddenly understood: "Times have changed. Past strong individuals are not necessarily strong today. And past nobles are not necessarily noble today."

"There are no immutable principles in the world, are there?"

Shen Leling chuckled: "Yes, the laws of heaven are vast, and change is constant!"

"Great disasters give birth to monsters, great chaos breeds demons, and heroes emerge from great calamities! This world is many times stronger than it was in the past!"

"This is what Mencius said: 'This is one time, that is another time!' Every five hundred years, a king will rise, and during that time, there will be famous figures!"

Yan Nu's eyes lit up. Grandpa had always taught him to wait, wait for the imperial army, wait for the court, wait for the noble families, wait for the Immortals... but he ended up waiting for the world to be in turmoil.

Was peace truly something to be waited for? He didn't know, but he yearned for the outside world immensely...

"Yan Nu'er, I'll help you kill that steward and Fort Master, and from now on, you'll follow me. I'll take you to Jiangnan to make a name for yourself, and I definitely won't treat you poorly," Shen Leling tempted him.

However, after hearing this, Yan Nu became dispirited instead. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "You want to take me so far away? I'm sorry, I can't agree to that."

"What!" Shen Leling was taken aback. She could see Yan Nu's yearning for the outside world, so she hadn't expected to be refused.

"Grandpa is coming back soon, I need to wait for him," Yan Nu said firmly.

"Who is your Grandpa? Where is he?"

"At the Ji River battlefield. Uncle Hong said Grandpa is doing odd jobs in the army. He'll be back when they win."

Shen Leling was stunned: "Ji River battlefield? Is it with Governor of Qingzhou Gou Xi's army?"

"Yes, yes, it's this Gou Xi!" Yan Nu was delighted: "You know him too?"

Shen Leling pouted: "Of course I know him. I just escaped from the north... You don't need to wait anymore, Yan Nu'er, your Grandpa is dead."

Yan Nu remained unmoved: "No, Uncle Hong said Grandpa is fine."

Shen Leling shook her head: "Then he must have lied to you!"

"Gou Xi's army suffered consecutive defeats, losing all cities north of the Ji River. He then crossed the river and ordered all the boats burned, which delayed them for more than half a year."

"And just a month ago, the Tu Fa clan finally prepared all the river-crossing boats. Two hundred thousand Jin troops were stationed south of the Ji River, confronting them."

Yan Nu nodded. "I know."

Shen Leling's tone was grave. "But you definitely don't know what happened next."

"The Ji River is Qingzhou's last gateway. Gou Xi decided to defend the south bank to the death, stationing ten thousand troops at each crossing, with countless powerful bows and heavy crossbows prepared."

"If the Tu Fa clan hadn't crossed the river, it would have been fine. But if they forced a crossing, they would have been attacked while halfway across."

"However, what Gou Xi didn't expect was that the Tu Fa clan did cross, but only one person came!"

Shen Leling's voice trembled slightly, as if she still couldn't believe what she had witnessed.

"A young man! He came ashore alone with a sword and a small boat, facing a barrage of arrows. He fought back and forth among ten thousand troops, killing more than thirty times, forcing the Jin army to drop their armor and abandon the crossing!"

"Not only that, but he held the crossing alone, fighting more bravely with each wave, repelling reinforcements from the Jin army again and again for a full six hours."

"At its peak, the Jin army gathered fifteen thousand men in formation, but he alone routed them for two hundred miles."

"In the end, the Tu Fa clan crossed the river without losing a single soldier. The Jin army collapsed and fled south, while that young man, who killed ten thousand men in battle, shocked the world."

Yan Nu murmured, "He killed ten thousand men by himself?"

Shen Leling said solemnly, "Perhaps some were deserters. Anyway, when Gou Xi finally gathered his defeated troops, he found he only had ten thousand left."

"Whether he truly killed ten thousand or not, I believe he must have killed ten thousand. The battlefield was strewn with corpses, and the malevolent aura was so strong that countless evil spirits and monsters were attracted. I was injured by those scavengers, which is why I fled south all the way here."

"The young man is called 'Tu Fa Yak,' the sixth son of the Tu Fa clan chief 'Tu Fa Shujineng.' He's the strongest mortal I've ever seen!"

"I think even cultivators in the Calamity Tribulation Stage, disregarding the Mortal World Fire, wouldn't dare to fight him! That blood-colored Sword Qi is too terrifying!"

"And it was too easy, he only used one hand. I suspect he didn't even use his full strength..."

Yan Nu murmured, "Did Grandpa fight against someone like that on the battlefield?"

"That's why I said he's already dead," Shen Leling replied.

However, Yan Nu forced a smile. "Aren't there still many people who survived?"

Shen Leling shook her head. "Those who survived were the Martial Artists who were quick enough to run when they saw things going south. The army was a sea of people, and many in the rear didn't even see the enemy. They just saw blood-red light filling the sky, the front lines collapsing, and they all scattered and fled."

"Right! Grandpa was just doing odd jobs in the army, so he must have been in the very rear and escaped safely!" Yan Nu said excitedly.

He matched Shen Leling's words with Uncle Hong's, and in his heart, he could already picture Grandpa returning home, even if he was a deserter.

"You... why are you so stubborn! So what if your Grandpa comes back! You're still a lowborn, aren't you?" Shen Leling was very angry.

Yan Nu said with a solemn expression, "Grandpa told me to be well and wait for him here... I can't let Grandpa come back and not find me."

"You'd rather stay here as a servant? You'd rather be tortured to death here than leave with me?" Shen Leling found it incredible.

Yan Nu pondered. "Well, if I'm hung for three days, I won't die."

Shen Leling was furious. "Don't you 'well' me! That guy surnamed Liao will definitely kill you!"

Yan Nu's brow furrowed. "Definitely? No, he doesn't keep his word. If it's really like you say, I'll break free from the chains and escape, hiding in the tea mountains to wait for Grandpa..."

"How could you possibly escape!" The body Shen Leling was possessing, that of Instructor Ma, couldn't help but swell and distort slightly.

Yan Nu said firmly, "I can!"

Having said that, he turned to Shen Leling. "This is also thanks to your divine skill. When I escape, remember to go to the mulberry forest southwest of the tea mountains. I'll dig a spring for you."

"A spring?" Shen Leling was taken aback.

"Didn't you drink the spring water on the mountain dry?"

"So what!"

"You saved me once, but I don't know how to repay you. Ten years ago, there was a clear spring in the mulberry forest, but the Fort Master buried it. Since you like drinking spring water, no matter how deep it is, I'll dig it for you!"

Hearing this, Shen Leling was a little stunned.

Finally, she snorted and hurriedly waved her sleeve, leaving. "Hmph! No need! You just hang there! I don't care about you anymore!"

p.s: Sorry. Tomorrow, I bid farewell to the cage forever.