Somewhere in a secluded cave on Zhongnan Mountain.
The cave stretched dozens of yards deep, its interior as spacious as a hall, large enough to hold a hundred people.
Vines screened the entrance. Unless someone deliberately searched for it, it would be almost impossible to find.
A campfire burned inside.
Its light illuminated more than a dozen figures.
Li Lingkui sat cross-legged, both palms pressed against Hei Chijun's back, pouring a steady stream of True Qi into him.
Hei Chijun's eyes were closed and his breathing was weak, but he was already much better than when they had first left the Princess's Residence.
Liu Jin stood guard nearby, his wary gaze sweeping over the cave entrance.
A group sat deeper inside the cave. The three imposing men at their head stood out like cranes among chickens.
All three were at the fourth realm peak, only a hair's breadth from the fifth realm's Heaven-and-Human Resonance.
The tallest and strongest was about forty, with resolute features, a tiger's back and a bear's waist, and eyes that held a restrained brilliance. His name was Dou Yanshan. His grandfather, Dou Kang, had been an elder male cousin of Emperor Gaozu's Empress Taimu and had risen to governor of Liangzhou. During the Wude era, he had been implicated in Li Jiancheng's case and exiled to Lingnan by Emperor Taizong, dying far from home. From then on, the Dou family had harbored a deep hatred for Li Tang.
The man on the left was lean, pale, and clean-shaven, dressed in blue robes and holding a longsword. His name was Du Ruhai. His great-grandfather, Du Fuwei, had commanded the Jianghuai army in the late Sui, his might shaking the region. He had later surrendered to Tang, only to fall under Li Yuan's suspicion and ultimately die suddenly.