Li Lingsu's romantic battlefield (1)

Bai Ji curled up on the rock, feigning a sleeping posture. A few seconds later, a terrifyingly powerful will awakened within her.

At that moment, all the beasts and birds in the forest fell silent, some crawling on the ground, others spreading their wings to cover their heads.

The oppressive aura emanating from the higher beings caused nearby creatures to tremble in fear, as if facing the end of the world.

The old scoundrel Kou Yangzhou sensed something amiss at the half-collapsed main peak of Quanrong Mountain and frowned as he gazed into the distance.

Such a strong Yao Qi! Xu Ningyan stared intently at the white fox beside him for a while, then slowly withdrew his gaze and ignored it.

On the other side, after the overwhelming will descended, Bai Ji opened her eyes. One of her eyes overflowed with clear light, while the other eye was dark, clear, and innocent.

"Your Majesty!"

Bai Ji called out in a sweet voice.

Then, it spoke again, its voice transforming into the magnetic tone of a mature woman:

"The one surnamed Xu isn't here, little bitch, what do you need to report?"

Bai Ji's voice seamlessly switches back to a childlike voice:

"Your Majesty, I am currently at the Martial Alliance in Jianzhou. There has just been a battle for Dragon Qi here, involving the Buddhist School, the Rain Master of the Witch God Sect, and the Warlock of Yunzhou."

The nine-tailed celestial fox was silent for a moment, then smiled:

"It seems this fight was quite intense, otherwise you wouldn't have come to me on your own initiative."

Bai Ji nodded vigorously and said in a sweet voice, "Xu Yinluo won. The Buddhist School suffered heavy losses this time."

The nine-tailed celestial fox's voice held a hint of solemnity. "What was the outcome?"

Bai Ji said, "The two Vajra warriors, Du Fan and Du Nan, have perished."

After speaking, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox fell silent for a long time. Bai Ji couldn't help but speak up:

"Your Majesty?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox then spoke, "Tell me the details of what happened."

Bai Ji then relayed the information she had heard from Xu Qi'an to the Empress in detail. She kept it brief, as Xu Qi'an's account was also very brief, only giving a general outline of the battle.

"I can imagine the thrilling and terrifying events involved. With Du Nan's death, the Buddhist School's current high-level combat power is reduced to only three Bodhisattvas: Gara Tree, Guangxian, and Liuli, as well as the Arhat Du'e."

"In just over a month, the Buddhist School has lost more extraordinary masters than in the past five hundred years. Truly worthy of being a man who bears the weight of half a year's national destiny."

Bai Ji heard the joy in the Queen's voice, raised her paw and patted the stone, saying sweetly:

"It's time to launch a counterattack on the Hundred Thousand Mountains and reclaim the territory of our Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons."

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox sneered:

"It's not even mating season yet, and you're already so arrogant. Newborn fox cubs aren't afraid of Buddha."

"But you're right, the chance to reclaim the Hundred Thousand Mountains isn't far off."

She paused, then didn't continue the conversation, and sighed:

"I didn't expect the Supervisor to be willing to bear the backlash from Heavenly Dao for him. I'm starting to doubt his motives."

From Bai Ji's feedback, she saw no signs that Xu Qi'an was suffering a backlash.

Bai Ji tilted her head. "Backlash from Heavenly Dao?"

The "Blessing" Divine Ability of the Witch God Cult can summon the spirits of ancestors and the spirits entangled with oneself through karma. Generally speaking, it can only summon spirits of the same realm; for those higher, it must rely on external forces.

"During Wei Yuan's attack on Jingshan City, he used the Confucian sage's carving knife and the Confucian sage's hat to summon the spirit of the Confucian sage. He must pay the price for this."

"The cost here is not only that he, as the vessel, will have his physical body destroyed by the power of a higher level, but also the backlash from the Heavenly Dao, because this practice violates the rules."

"Whether Wei Yuan succeeds in sealing the Witch God or not, he is doomed to die."

Bai Ji suddenly realized, and was taken aback:

"That Xu Yinluo."

The nine-tailed fox laughed, "Emperor Gaozu wasn't a Confucian sage, so the backlash wasn't that severe. As a first-rank Warlock, the Supervisor could withstand it, but what about Xu Qi'an, a third-rank one?"

Even if he is lucky enough to survive, he will pay an unbearable price.

"Will the Vajra of Salvation, which carries the Vajra Dharma image, also suffer a backlash from the Heavenly Dao?" Bai Ji thought of the Vajra of Salvation, which was also "powered up".

"This is not a summoning of heroic spirits, so it will not be countered by the Heavenly Dao. It's just that as a third-grade Vajra, he will receive the blessing of a first-grade Dharma Image, and he will pay an unimaginable price afterward. It's like killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own."

"Furthermore, the reason he was able to receive the Essence Blood of the Gara Tree Bodhisattva is because he was also a Vajra. An Arhat would not be able to manifest the Vajra form."

Bai Ji nodded obediently.

After finishing their business, it asked in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, have you found your own kind overseas?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox shook its head:

"The overseas world is vast and the ocean is boundless; finding one of my kind is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, I met a descendant of Gods and Devils, and learned something interesting from him."

Bai Ji pressed on with great interest, "Descendants of Gods and Devils?"

"It's the same person who appeared in Baidi City, Yunzhou. He told me some secrets from the era of Gods and Devils, and subtly hinted at the real reason why the descendants of Gods and Devils fled the Nine Provinces Continent."

Before Bai Ji could ask further, she said with a smile:

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. Your current cultivation level is insufficient to pay the price for knowing the answer."

"Alright, take me to see him."

Wen Chengbi returned to the council hall and pushed open the door to enter. Cao Qingyang and the others immediately stopped talking and turned to look at him.

What did our ancestors say?

Cao Qingyang's gaze lingered on the vice leader's face for a moment, then he smiled and said:

"It seems the ancestor's reply suits your taste."

Fu Jingmen and the others immediately curled their lips. Wen Chengbi advocated building the headquarters on the mountain. Building a city on flat land and building the headquarters in the mountains are not the same thing.

Wen Chengbi smiled and said:

"Our ancestors said that great chaos is coming, so the headquarters must be built on the mountain to take advantage of the terrain."

Qiao Weng of the Jianzhou Chamber of Commerce pinched his brow and said with a wry smile:

"Our ancestors didn't manage the household, so they didn't know the cost of food. You all shouldn't ask for anything more; from now on, tighten your belts and live frugally."

The group of fourth-rank sect leaders and gang chiefs were frowning.

It's not that they're unwilling to pay, it's just that gangs can't collect taxes like the government; they have their own businesses to run.

Due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, the sect's businesses suffered severe blows and business was very sluggish. However, those who relied on the sect for a living still had to be supported. In addition, they also had to cooperate with the government in distributing porridge and providing disaster relief.

The financial pressure is enormous.

Now they also have to bear the cost of building the headquarters, so you can imagine how difficult things must be for them.

At times like these, setting the moral bottom line too high becomes a burden.

If it were an ordinary martial arts sect, who would care about the lives of ordinary people? That's a problem for the government to worry about.

Seeing everyone's long faces, Wen Chengbi smirked:

"Don't worry, everyone. The hardest part of building headquarters is manpower and money. Once we solve these two problems, everything will be fine."

Fu Jingmen glanced sideways and sneered:

"But we just can't solve the money problem, can you conjure it up for me?"

Everyone stared expressionlessly at the vice leader.

Wen Chengbi remained calm and spoke eloquently:

"Each of our factions and groups must contribute money and grain to cooperate with the government in distributing porridge and providing disaster relief."

"Since that's the case, let's gather the disaster victims together and have them build the headquarters for everyone, exchanging their labor for relief. This way, we can solve the manpower problem, and we won't have to spend extra money on construction."

"This is called, um, work relief."

The council hall fell silent for a moment, and the gang leaders and sect masters were stunned for a long time before discussions broke out immediately.

"That seems like a good idea. That way, we won't need to spend extra money, since we definitely need to provide funds and supplies for disaster relief anyway."

"Yes, yes, there are so many disaster victims, might as well use them. No need for extra money, just enough to feed them."

"Work-for-relief programs. Was this an idea our ancestors came up with?"

The principle is actually very simple; it's easy to understand.

The reason they didn't think of this wasn't because they were stupid, but because their thinking was limited. In this era, if the imperial court wanted to carry out infrastructure construction, the people had an obligation to provide unpaid labor.

This is called corvée labor.

In other words, infrastructure construction doesn't require spending money; it's a responsibility that ordinary people should bear.

If you can get something for free, why would anyone willingly pay for it?

It's not that we couldn't think of ideas for work relief, but that we simply didn't need them.

As for why no one came up with a similar solution during the disaster, it was also due to the limitations of the times.

The reason is simple: the imperial court isn't a construction fanatic; it might not repair city walls or build roads for decades.

Since it is not needed, there is no background for work relief.

But right now, this idea perfectly solves the predicament facing the Martial Arts Alliance.

Suddenly, things took a dramatic turn for the better.

"As expected of our ancestors, they lived so long; they must have been wiser and smarter than us."

"Our ancestors were people who had lived through turbulent times; they were people of great wisdom."

Qiao Weng, Yang Cuixue, and others were generous with their praise, their faces beaming with joy. A troublesome problem had been easily solved by their ancestor.

Wen Chengbi was stunned for a moment, then waved his hands repeatedly:

"This wasn't our ancestors' idea."

Everyone looked at him suspiciously. "You?"

Wen Chengbi still shook his head:

"It wasn't me."

Xiao Yuenu's eyes lit up immediately.

Sure enough, Wen Chengbi said:

"It was Xu Yinluo's idea. He happened to be talking about the old ancestor and casually gave me an idea."

"Tsk tsk, no wonder Xu Yinluo is proficient in military strategy, poetry, and both literary and military tactics; he has the talent to govern a country."

Xu Yinluo and the others exchanged bewildered glances, with a feeling of "So it was him, then I'm not surprised at all."

"I should have just asked Xu Yinluo directly, instead of wasting my brain."

Fu Jing slammed her hand on the table in a sigh.

There's such a powerful figure here, yet they're completely oblivious and have been arguing about it for so long.

Yang Cuixue sighed:

"He certainly possesses the talent to govern a country. Xu Yinluo is Wei Yuan's disciple, and he has surpassed his master."

The atmosphere in the council chamber immediately became relaxed and cheerful.

Rongrong, along with her fellow disciples from Wanhualou, was responsible for brewing medicine and directing soldiers to clear away the ruins, so that the military town could restore order as soon as possible.

"Master, why are you so unhappy?"

Rongrong turned her head and looked at the beautiful woman picking out medicinal herbs.

The Martial Alliance suffered a great calamity, which was indeed saddening. However, the enemy was successfully repelled, and Xu Yinluo shone brightly. The members of the Martial Alliance were fortunate to witness this earth-shattering battle. Apart from a few who lost their relatives and friends, most of them were still excited.

The disciples of these affiliated forces, in particular, were relatively more relaxed.

After all, headquarters isn't one's own backyard.

The woman had been frowning ever since the battle ended, clearly preoccupied with something.

"I'm fine, don't say anything more, go do your work."

The beautiful woman frowned and lectured her.

Rongrong pouted, muttering to herself as she helped sort the medicinal herbs:

"I looked around but didn't see Xu Yinluo. He probably doesn't live in this area."

The beautiful woman frowned even more deeply and said earnestly:

"Rongrong, don't have any unrealistic fantasies. There are countless girls who like Xu Yinluo, but you can't handle a man like him."

"Would you be willing to be a slave or a concubine?"

At this point, the beautiful woman looked saddened.

Upon seeing this, Rongrong was startled and her face paled.

"Master, I'm not sad, why are you sad? Could it be that you also have feelings for Xu Yinluo? He could be your son."

The beautiful woman was furious and was about to speak when she suddenly saw a sword flash overhead, and several figures flew on swords, landing in a certain place in the military town.

The beautiful woman stared blankly at the sky, her expression complex.

A courtyard south of the military town.

Chu Yuanzhen, Li Miaozhen, and Li Lingsu pressed down on their flying swords and landed lightly in the courtyard.

In the courtyard, on a small stool, sat a woman of average appearance, washing clothes.

He glanced at them casually, then turned and called out towards the house:

"Hey Xu, your cronies are here looking for you."

"How dare this woman talk like that?" Li Miaozhen said, her face full of displeasure.

Princess Consort? Chu Yuanzhen repeatedly tapped the plain-looking woman, unsure of her identity.

He knew that the legendary Princess Zhenbei had wandered the world with Xu Qi'an.

But the unremarkable face before him made it hard for him to associate it with the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng Dynasty.

Xu Qi'an was changing the sheets inside the room, came out upon hearing the sound, his smile as familiar as ever:

"Is everything taken care of?"

His gaze lingered on Dongfang Wanqing.

Li Lingsu coughed and said:

"Brother Xu, Sister Qing has no intention of being your enemy; we are simply serving different masters."

Xu Qi'an waved his hand. "Considering your help, I won't make things difficult for her."

Dongfang Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief.

His main enemies are the Buddhist School and Xu Pingfeng. Although the Dongfang sisters are also enemies during this journey through the martial world, they do not have much interaction with him.

Compared to her older sister Dongfang Wanrong, Dongfang Wanqing had a very low profile.

Xu Qi'an didn't harbor much hatred towards her; in reality, she was just not good enough for him.

Li Lingsu stood with her hands behind her back, exuding an extraordinary air, and smiled:

"Sister Qing, I told you, you have to believe me, I still have some face."

Xu Qi'an glanced at him, then turned his head expressionlessly and shouted into the house:

"Chai Xing'er, come out for a moment."

Li Lingsu's expression froze instantly!

PS: Updated first, revised later.