Call to Arms

"Daoming, you're back!" Everyone's faces lit up with delight.

"Yes, I just got back. Little Wei told me you were discussing matters in the inner courtyard, so I hurried over. Where is Master going alone?" Xia Daoming asked.

At his words, the delight on Yuchi Xiao and the others' faces vanished at once, replaced by worry.

Liang Jingtang alone remained open-minded. "Daoming, you came back at just the right time. I have some matters to entrust to you. Sit down first."

"Alright." Xia Daoming nodded and sat beside Liu Xiaoqiang.

What had happened at Jade Flower Pavilion more than three months ago had clearly dealt Liu Xiaoqiang quite a blow. Once alluring and enchanting in every gesture, she now looked far more haggard, with faint crow's-feet appearing at the corners of her eyes.

"This morning, the Xu Family issued a call to arms to many forces in Li City, conscripting men to enter the Vast Mountain Range for a mission. Your master is among those conscripted, and whether I return alive is uncertain.

"You are my last disciple. Whether you have any hope of reaching the Fifth-Rank realm in the future or not, I hope you can stay behind and assist your Senior Brother Yuchi in managing the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School. At least it will give you a means of making a living." Once Xia Daoming had taken his seat, Liang Jingtang spoke slowly.

"The Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School isn't part of the Xu Family. Why should we obey their conscription order?" Xia Daoming was startled at first, then frowned.

"The Xu Family is Li City's only Grandmaster Lineage. Moreover, Xu Shangdong, the current head of the Xu Family, holds the official post of Li City's governor in the imperial court. They are Li City's undisputed foremost power. If they wish to conscript men, aside from the Lin Family, the Ding Family, and the Hegemon Blade Sect, who else would dare defy them?" Liang Jingtang said with a bitter smile.

"Wouldn't they fear arousing public outrage by acting so tyrannically?" Xia Daoming asked.

"Under normal circumstances, each force would only be drafted once every five years, and their leaders would not be implicated. Thus, even if the various sides harbored dissatisfaction, they could endure it.

"But this time is somewhat unusual. Not only has it come two years early, but they also require me, a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master, to go personally," Liang Jingtang explained.

"Hmph, what's so unusual about it? Xu Shisen is clearly settling a personal score through public means, trying to send Master into a dangerous place!" Yuchi Xiao said indignantly.

"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, things wouldn't have come to this..." Tears welled in Liu Xiaoqiang's eyes, and her face was full of self-reproach.

"This has nothing to do with you. Even without what happened at Jade Flower Pavilion, the Xu Family would still have singled me out this time." Liang Jingtang waved a hand, cutting her off.

"That's right. The Lin Family, the Ding Family, and the Hegemon Blade Sect are all powerful. The Xu Family's ancestor does not wish to fight them until both sides are left battered and broken. But as long as he remains alive, the Xu Family can still keep the three factions suppressed.

"Those conscripted by the Xu Family this time are mostly forces that have close dealings with the Lin Family, the Ding Family, or the Hegemon Blade Sect, yet are not true subordinate forces of the three.

"The Xu Family's ancestor wants to force us to declare our stance and make us sell our lives for them while he is still alive and able to suppress the three factions.

"He also intends to use this mission to weaken the potential allies of the Lin Family, the Ding Family, and the Hegemon Blade Sect. Killing two birds with one stone, as it were. It has little to do with what happened to you, Junior Sister Liu," Zhuo Xingji added.

"That old ancestor of the Xu Family really is insidious and vicious. He has calculated people's hearts down to the last detail. If he moved openly against the three factions' men, it would be like taking a blade and slicing their flesh. The three factions would likely rise up and fight to the death.

"But if he moves against people like us, then the blade has not fallen on their own bodies. It will not truly hurt or itch, and they certainly will not stand up for us. In this way, he also drives a wedge between us and them." After hearing this, Xia Daoming finally understood and spoke coldly.

The meeting hall fell silent at once.

Everyone looked at Xia Daoming with astonishment and surprise.

Xia Daoming came from a small northern city. In everyone's eyes, his knowledge and insight had to be limited.

Furthermore, Xia Daoming's cultivation had basically no hope of reaching Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master. More than three months ago, he had even brought back four pretty maidservants in one go, making Liang Jingtang and the others all the more certain that he was mediocre.

Yet they had never expected Xia Daoming to suddenly speak such sharp words that struck directly at the heart of the matter.

For a moment, everyone looked at him in a new light, as though they were meeting him for the first time.

"Was I wrong?" Seeing everyone staring at him, Xia Daoming shrugged and asked.

What a joke. His previous life had been an age of exploding information. The internet was overflowing with these conspiracy theories!

"You were not wrong. On the contrary, you saw it very clearly. I had originally planned to entrust the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School to your Senior Brother Yuchi, but I was deeply worried.

"He is upright and honest, with more than enough sincerity, but he lacks the polish and maturity needed to navigate the world. If the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School were left in his hands without someone at his side to advise him and keep watch, it would sooner or later decline.

"Now that you are there to assist him, I can rest easy. Though you are still young and likely have no hope of becoming a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master in this life, your eye for matters is sharp, and you possess considerable scheming and depth." Liang Jingtang stroked his beard. For once, a trace of gratification showed in his gaze toward Xia Daoming.

"What mission is Master carrying out in the Vast Mountain Range?" Xia Daoming neither agreed nor disagreed with Liang Jingtang's praise, instead turning to the mission itself.

"Hunt Ice Rabbits and gather Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma," Liang Jingtang replied.

"Ice Rabbits? Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma?" Xia Daoming was taken aback.

Naturally, he knew about Ice Rabbits.

They were precisely the demonic beasts needed to brew Golden Crow Returning Origin Soup.

As for Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma, he had managed to purchase a single hundred-year-old specimen during this trip.

Its medicinal potency was fierce, but it was a great tonic. Unfortunately, he had only chanced upon one.

"According to Wen Yue, a medicinal soup brewed from Ice Rabbits and Golden Crow Grass can help a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master at the peak of the realm break through to become an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master. It can also greatly increase an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master's cultivation.

"Could the Xu Family also possess Golden Crow Grass, which is why they deliberately arranged such a mission? And what is the story with the Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma? Why does the Xu Family specifically want to collect such a potent medicine?" After his initial surprise, Xia Daoming quickly sank into thought.

"Young Ice Rabbits are First-Tier Mid-Rank Demonic Beasts and can grow into First-Tier High-Rank Demonic Beasts. Hunting them is extremely dangerous.

"Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma has fierce medicinal properties, but it is a precious herb that can be consumed directly as a tonic. Ice Rabbits enjoy eating Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma, and where Ice Rabbits are active, Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma generally grows nearby.

"Since the Xu Family intends to hunt Ice Rabbits, they naturally want to gather Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma in the surrounding area as well." Seeing Xia Daoming frown in thought, Liang Jingtang did not suspect anything and explained specially.

"So that's how it is." Xia Daoming nodded, somewhat relieved, then immediately added, "The Xu Family should know where the Ice Rabbits live, right?

"Otherwise, the Vast Mountain Range stretches for tens of thousands of miles, with towering mountains and deep forests. Searching for Ice Rabbits inside it would be like fishing for a needle in the sea. Not to mention that many places in the Vast Mountain Range are filled with poisonous miasma, teeming with insects and snakes, while powerful demonic beasts roam about.

"If one searched aimlessly, one might lose one's life before even seeing the shadow of an Ice Rabbit."

"Of course! Thirty years ago, the Xu Family also organized people to enter the Vast Mountain Range to hunt Ice Rabbits, and it should have only been in the outer regions of the mountain range.

"Legend has it that third-tier and even fourth-tier demonic beasts dwell in the depths of the Vast Mountain Range. Those are existences even more terrifying than Grandmasters. Entering the depths of the Vast Mountain Range to hunt Ice Rabbits would simply be courting death.

"If they knew they were being sent to die, then no matter how powerful the Xu Family was, those conscripted would certainly fight desperately rather than answer the summons," Liang Jingtang replied.

"But even if it is only the outer regions, it is still extremely dangerous. Young Ice Rabbits alone are comparable to Fifth- or Sixth-Rank Great Martial Masters. Master, you should take me with you. At the very least, I can be an extra hand.

"As for the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School, you said it yourself—Junior Brother Xia has sharp judgment, schemes, and depth. There should be no problem if he manages it for the time being." Yuchi Xiao took over.

"Our grand Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School cannot even have a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master holding the fort. What kind of state would that be? Enough. Say no more. I have made up my mind. I will go alone." Liang Jingtang waved a hand and cut him off.

"Master, besides our side, who else will be going on this mission?" Xia Daoming glanced at everyone, hesitated briefly, then asked.

"I do not yet know exactly who will be going. But aside from the Xu Family, there should be at least seven or eight Sixth-Rank Great Martial Masters from other forces, while the Xu Family will certainly send some Great Martial Masters along as well.

"Not only that, there will surely be a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master, perhaps even an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master, leading the party and overseeing the battle. With so many people traveling together, you need not worry too much." Liang Jingtang replied, though a trace of loneliness was hidden in his eyes.

He knew very well that among those Great Martial Masters who had been conscripted, he was likely the only one without anyone accompanying him.

"Senior Brother Yuchi is right. This mission is dangerous. Having one more of our own by your side always means one more person to watch your back. This disciple is willing to accompany Master on this journey." After weighing it in his heart, Xia Daoming finally rose to his feet.

As soon as Xia Daoming said this, the meeting hall fell silent once more.

Everyone again looked at Xia Daoming in surprise.

Yuchi Xiao and the other four had followed Liang Jingtang for many years. Their feelings ran deep, and their interests were closely tied together.

Even so, in the face of such danger, they needed tremendous resolve and courage before they could speak of accompanying him.

Yet Xia Daoming had been under Liang Jingtang for less than a year, and his cultivation was only Fourth-Rank. That he could resolutely offer to accompany him truly surprised everyone.

Very soon, the way Yuchi Xiao and the others looked at Xia Daoming changed once again.

"Your willingness alone greatly comforts me! However, your strength is still too low. The Vast Mountain Range is not a place you can go at present." Liang Jingtang waved at Xia Daoming, signaling him to sit down. The loneliness in his eyes vanished completely.

Though his disciples were in an awkward gap, with none particularly outstanding, how many martial arts school masters could possess such genuine devotion and filial respect?

"This disciple's strength should not be considered low anymore." Xia Daoming smiled faintly. The force auras of five meridians, each possessing different attributes, spread from his body and intertwined, forming a powerful presence.

After stepping into Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master, Xia Daoming had become ever more adept at using the Flood Dragon Concealment and Hidden Form method, thoroughly restraining and concealing the force aura of his sixth meridian.

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