Strength (Part One)
Zhang Xingfeng did not return to the Ming Army camp, nor did he immediately return to the Star Peak Manor. Instead, he went to the nearby clouds. The battle had still affected him somewhat. Although he had just recovered his body in Zhu Li's camp with the help of Biling Pill, he still needed to be treated immediately after being injured again, even if it was a minor injury.
With a casual wave of his hands, Zhang Xingfeng created a small illusion. Zhang Xingfeng sat cross-legged on the clouds, closed his eyes slightly, and focused his mind into the Purple Gold Yuan Venerable, guiding the Chaos Power to restore his body.
Due to the illusion, even if a master passes by, they can only see a drifting white cloud.
The sky darkened, and the weather seemed to be getting worse.
After Zhang Xingfeng had fully recovered from his injuries, he opened his eyes and looked down at the Taihang Mountain from high above. Zhang Xingfeng thought of the honest and heroic General Yuchi again and said with a smile, "This General Yuchi is really a good man."
His Spiritual Sense unconsciously searched the area. Zhang Xingfeng wanted to see what General Yuchi was doing right now. Was he having dinner with his wife? Training Mountain Bandits? Or talking to Li Tianxiang?
As he unleashed his Spiritual Sense, the entire army of the Taihang Mountain appeared in Zhang Xingfeng's mind. Suddenly, Zhang Xingfeng's expression changed, becoming extremely ugly.
"How is this possible? So many experts! There are so many experts in the entire Taihang Mountain!" At this time, the Taihang Mountain were still under martial law, and the Ming Army at the foot of the mountain had not yet left. Similarly, the second level of the three-level army in the Taihang Mountain was already in a state of assembly. Zhang Xingfeng observed these 150,000 people immediately!
"150,000 experts, what a powerful force! It's probably comparable to the Ming Army's 600,000-strong force." Zhang Xingfeng was already shocked by the strength of the Taihang Mountain.
Suddenly, Zhang Xingfeng's face turned dark and looked even worse.
"Fifty thousand Innate Master! Fifty thousand Innate Master! Who in the entire world could gather so many Innate Masters? Even the Zhang Family, the Aristocratic Clan with the most Innate Master, only has a little over five thousand. The Li Family seems to have only around five thousand as well. It's estimated that only by gathering the Innate Master of the Ming Dynasty's millions of troops could one have fifty thousand! Fifty thousand Innate Master, how could there be so many? How is that possible?" Zhang Xingfeng still found it hard to believe.
This isn't surprising. Aristocratic Clan develop their Innate Master secretly, and the larger the scale, the greater the chance of being discovered by the imperial court. At that point, the court, sensing the crisis, will certainly eliminate the Aristocratic Clan swiftly. What use are a few thousand Innate Master against an attack by hundreds of thousands of troops?
Similarly, for thousands of years, no one has restrained the Taihang Mountain, allowing them to train openly and relentlessly. They have developed excellent training methods, and with a large number of Mountain Bandits available for training, it is not surprising that there are so many Innate Masters.
Zhang Xingfeng suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis. He wasn't sure if the Mountain Bandits in Taihang Mountain weren't from the Li Family. Who knew? Besides, the leader of Taihang Mountain was Yuchi Gong, Li Shimin's number one general back then, and Li Tianxiang was still in Taihang Mountain.
Suddenly, a strange light appeared in Zhang Xingfeng's eyes. "Since you all have such strong abilities, then..." Zhang Xingfeng instantly disappeared into the clouds!
The dark clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, creating a sense of oppression that made people feel a little suffocated. Anyone with a little experience knew that it was going to rain.
"Boom"
With a clap of thunder, the rain suddenly began to fall heavily, and the entire Taihang Mountain were bathed in its moisture.
In Dazhai, within the Taihang Mountain.
"Duke Yuchi, what about you and Zhang Xingfeng?" Li Tianxiang hesitated before speaking.
Yuchi Gong smiled slightly, slowly sat down, and looked at Li Tianxiang, saying, "Tianxiang, you know that I have a thousand-year-old friendship with my eldest and second brothers. There are some things I must tell you. You'd better not offend Zhang Xingfeng. I feel that his strength is even greater than he has shown."
A deep pain suddenly welled up in Li Tianxiang's eyes, and he slowly said, "Excuse me, ha... ever since he came into my life, everything that belonged to me has been taken away by him!"
Yuchi Gong listened attentively to Li Tianxiang's account, but he really didn't know anything about the matter between Li Tianxiang and Zhang Xingfeng.
"At only eight years old, his skill had reached a terrifying level. In the graduation assessment, he demonstrated the strength of a third-grade student, but I now know that he held back at that time. I have been a genius since I was a child, and no one can compare with me, but I was wrong. He can compare with me, and is even stronger than me."
Li Tianxiang let out a long breath, as if gathering a great deal of courage before saying, "But that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is my wife, Rou. Duke Yuchi, you don't know, from the first time I saw her as a child, I was attracted to her. Perhaps because I matured early, I thought from a very young age that my wife should be Rou. But it was him. Although he had only met Rou a few times, it seemed that he and Rou had developed a kind of feeling that they themselves probably didn't even know they had."
"However, he disappeared for ten years. I finally persuaded the Yuwen Family Head to let him marry Rou to me, and Rou agreed. But on the day of the marriage proposal, he reappeared. The priceless 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix' also appeared, but he still failed. What's most hateful is that he actually went mad and defeated the two ancestors! This caused the prestige of my Li Family to plummet."
"Eldest brother and second brother!" Yuchi Gong's expression suddenly changed. He had a deep affection for his two elder brothers that had lasted for a thousand years, and he never expected such a thing to happen. "That humble and polite child attacked my eldest and second brothers!" Yuchi Gong found it hard to believe.
"That's not all. Rou still became my wife, but she vomited blood on her wedding day and fell ill and was bedridden ever since. She had been weak and had poor health since childhood, and this illness was irreversible. I took care of her day and night, but one night, Rou actually called out someone else's name in her dream." Li Tianxiang took a few breaths, and Yuchi Gong had already guessed who it was.
"That name is 'Zhang Xingfeng'." Li Tianxiang's expression was one of extreme pain. He had painstakingly cared for his wife, but she was calling out someone else's name in her dreams.
Yuchi Gong slowly walked to Li Tianxiang's side and patted Li Tianxiang on the shoulder reassuringly.
Li Tianxiang controlled his emotions, and suddenly his expression turned terrifyingly ferocious. "What drives me crazy the most is that after Rou died, Zhang Xingfeng openly and forcibly took Rou's body away. The ancestors were injured when they tried to stop him. Rou's body is still in the Star Peak Manor to this day."
Li Tianxiang suddenly looked at Yuchi Gong with tears streaming down his face and said, "Duke Yuchi, tell me, how humiliating it is that my wife's body was forcibly taken away! How can I live as a human being if I don't kill him! How can I bear to live in this world! How can I bear it..." Li Tianxiang couldn't help but bury his face in Yuchi Gong's arms and burst into tears.
Yuchi Gong's feelings were also complicated. He gently patted the back of the heartbroken Li Tianxiang in his arms. After listening to what had happened, he finally understood everything.
"Both children are unfortunate. One lost his true love, leaving him heartbroken and gray-haired. The other's wife loved another, and even her body was taken from him, leaving him helpless!"
Yuchi Gong suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh: What should we do? Help Tianxiang deal with Zhang Xingfeng. Zhang Xingfeng is heartbroken and his hair has turned white. More importantly, this woman clearly loves Zhang Xingfeng.
Not help Tianxiang? Although Tianxiang's kung fu is very high, he is still far behind Zhang Xingfeng. Wouldn't that be sending Tianxiang to his death? Take action yourself? Could you even lay a hand on Zhang Xingfeng?
Throughout his life, Yuchi Gong possessed an extremely strong sense of justice, regardless of whether it was public or private. At this moment, he faced a dilemma; perhaps it's true that everyone has some selfish desires.
"Tianxiang!" Yuchi Gong gently patted the back of the heartbroken Li Tianxiang.
Li Tianxiang instantly dried his tears with his internal energy, looked up at his respected Duke Yuchi, and knew that everything had changed when he saw Duke Yuchi and Zhang Xingfeng acting like friends after their fight. He had no choice but to tell Duke Yuchi everything. He also poured out his heart through tears, hoping to move Yuchi Gong with his emotions.
Although Li Tianxiang did it on purpose, what he said and did was something he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time. Everything was a true reflection of his heart, without the slightest lie.
Having finally spoken what had been on his mind for so long, he felt much better. He looked at Yuchi Gong, knowing that Yuchi Gong was about to make a decision. He understood Yuchi Gong's character very well, so he was very uneasy.
"Tianxiang, you two children..." Yuchi Gong had lost his former boldness and appeared extremely sentimental. "Alright, you two can handle everything yourselves!"
Li Tianxiang was shocked. He had failed. His own Duke Yuchi, was not helping him.
"Your skills are far inferior to Zhang Xingfeng's. I'm leaving the 300,000 Mountain Bandits of Taihang Mountain to you. I'm going to live in the back mountain with your two grandmothers!" Yuchi Gong walked out of the room, leaving behind an incredulous Li Tianxiang.