Chapter 92: Ye Tian

Mu Jiaoman descended from the sky. Below, the tribesmen and shamans immediately knelt, respectfully calling out, "Great Commander!"

Mu Jiaoman ignored the people around him. He tilted his head and watched Li Jingting for a moment, making her subtly lower her eyes and head. It was then that he realized his own left eyelid was twitching.

He had been practicing Qi for over a decade, his body perfectly controlled and fluid, never having made an involuntary movement. This current state, unable to look away and breathing with difficulty, was entirely unprecedented.

"She..." Mu Jiaoman awkwardly uttered a single word. The tribesmen and shamans around him nodded repeatedly, smiling obsequiously and saying in unison, "We understand, we understand, Great Commander!"

Having been among the tribe for so long, Mu Jiaoman knew exactly what these people meant. He looked at Li Jingting, who was angrily raising her head, eager to explain himself, but the words caught in his throat, inexplicably swallowed back.

The tribesmen below quickly led Li Jingting away. Mu Jiaoman turned his head with a cold expression and rose into the air under everyone's gaze.

Floating lightly through the air, Mu Jiaoman suddenly felt so happy he wanted to dance. Fortunately, this time he controlled himself and walked without stopping towards the tent.

Li Jingting was pulled into the stockade. Her restraints were removed, the mud and water were washed from her face, and she used fruit and leaf pigments, commonly used by the Shanyue, to draw various patterns on her neck and face.

She was then dressed in a set of Shanyue attire, adorned with numerous bird feathers, animal teeth, and flecks of jade. The entire ensemble was wild and untamed, but combined with her heroic and beautiful face, it surprisingly added a sense of majesty. This made the elderly attendants pause, and their movements became much gentler.

After the elaborate preparations were complete, darkness had fallen. Li Jingting was led into a military tent, flickering with dim yellow light. As soon as she approached the curtain, she heard a rough male voice:

"The Great King gave his orders and then headed west. He said he wanted to guard against unusual movements in Shazhou. He instructed the Great Commander to organize the rear troops and escort these living slaves to the Great Jue Ting first, and that I, your subordinate, should lead a thousand soldiers to pursue that group of living soldiers..."

"What was the result?" The voice was deep and hoarse. Li Jingting recognized it as the long-braided Shanyue Great Commander from earlier in the day.

"...I went to pursue them. But I saw that person leading his troops deeper into Mount Li without looking back. I feared disturbing the great demons in the mountains, so I led my troops back..."

Mu Jiaoman frowned, his grip on the bone cup tightening slightly, and he spoke with doubt: "You personally led the pursuit, yet you still let that person escape? Didn't you say that person only had Fetal Breath cultivation?"

The Shanyue tribesman kneeling on the ground quickly looked up. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Li Jingting being pushed into the tent from outside. The beast bones and jade on her body clinked together, making pleasant jangling sounds.

The tribesman turned back to look cautiously, but he and Mu Jiaoman, who was at the head of the tent, both stared in stupefaction at the same time.

The Shanyue people lived in the mountains year-round. The Shanyue women they usually saw were fierce like wolves, covered in fur and mud, with tangled, messy hair. They had never seen a woman with such bright eyes, white teeth, and a clear, intelligent gaze. Both men stared blankly, thinking: "Damn it, no wonder our ancestors have always praised the beauty of outsider women!"

Li Jingting, however, quietly watched the two men, making their gazes shift away from hers. The dagger she had hidden on her person had been confiscated during her cleansing. She had vaguely heard news of her father outside the tent, and her heart was filled with anxiety, but then she was pushed inside. The presence of the two men in front of her made her hold her tongue.

"Gulp." The tribesman on the ground swallowed, which startled Mu Jiaoman awake. He glared angrily at the man, coughed loudly, and was about to order Li Jingting to withdraw, but the words that came to his lips turned into: "You may step aside."

Seeing Li Jingting turn and exit the tent, the tribesman then stammered in reply: "I... I... he... he."

After calming himself and gathering his thoughts, the tribesman finally gritted his teeth and spoke, under Mu Jiaoman's angry gaze: "That person was simply blessed by the gods. He bypassed every trap we set, and even lured a demon. That demon ignored the hundreds of people and relentlessly attacked us..."

"Enough! Get out!" Mu Jiaoman had no desire to listen to his excuses. He waved his hand, dismissing him. Seeing him lingering reluctantly even after leaving the tent, Mu Jiaoman let out a cold snort, his level four Qi cultivation spreading out, which frightened the man into fleeing in panic.

Watching Li Jingting being pushed back into the tent by the shamans outside, Mu Jiaoman quickly stood up, then sat down dumbfounded. His heart was as restless as when he was seven and being tested for a shamanic aperture. Looking at Li Jingting, who was gazing up at him, he spoke hesitantly: "You..."

Li Jingting, however, showed no fear. She calmly stared at the bulky Mu Jiaoman at the head of the tent and said through gritted teeth: "If you lay a hand on me, I will bash my head against this tent and die."

As soon as these words left her mouth, her heart felt a little lighter. Li Jingting thought to herself: "Once I am dead, Xuanling won't have to worry about me, and it will be easier for him to escape alone..."

Mu Jiaoman quickly waved his hand and spoke in a gentle, placating tone: "What is your name?"

Li Jingting immediately became wary upon hearing this. Her beautiful brows furrowed, and she said softly: "Ye Tian."

Her real name, of course, could not be used, so she casually made up a name. Li Jingting looked at the seemingly expressionless Mu Jiaoman before her, wondering to herself: "Why is this Shanyue leader breathing so heavily..."

Mu Jiaoman, however, looked at Li Jingting's furrowed brows. A complex and crazy thought flashed through his mind, a mind that had been fiercely loyal to Ganixi for thirty-six years. This made him tremble with fear and unable to calm down. "No, I absolutely cannot let Ganixi see this woman."

"Young Master! The Shanyue have all retreated!"

Li Xuanxuan was anxiously looking towards Mount Lijing. The tribal soldiers below called out loudly. Hearing this, he was overjoyed. He looked up and glanced at the people around him. All of them were looking at him expectantly. He was suddenly galvanized. "Uncle Zhong has already gone west to search for Uncle's whereabouts. Everyone in the family can only look to me now. This is a critical moment, Li Xuanxuan! You must not be careless!"

He clenched his fists but found the situation unusually dire. Li Qiuyang and Chen Donghe had both accompanied Li Xiangping into Shanyue territory with the army. Besides a few children who had just begun their cultivation path in recent years, only his fourth-level Fetal Breath aunt Liu Rouxuan and Li Xuanfeng remained at home.

"First, send people to Lishankou and Lijing Town to appease the populace and assess the casualties and losses."

Liu Rouxuan was now over thirty years old. Due to her immortal cultivation, she still looked to be in her twenties. She was looking west with a worried expression, and upon hearing this, she nodded and said: "Leave Lishankou to me."

"Tianchou." Wan Tianchou immediately stepped forward upon hearing his name, listening as Li Xuanxuan instructed: "You have been stationed at Lishankou for many years and are familiar with the situation, so you will accompany Aunt there."

Watching Wan Tianchou nod and withdraw, Li Xuanxuan exhaled and said in a deep voice: "As for Lijing Town, I will go myself."