Chapter 89: Chapter 89: The Plan Officially Launches

Wudao Prefecture, Lou County.

Fifty li southwest of the county seat was a pleasant place called Upper Yang Mountain, with a nameless river flowing beside it.

Upon entering Wudao Prefecture, Li Xiangwen and Yang Tian followed their planned script. They traveled leisurely, enjoying the scenery, while asking around for good places to settle down in the prefecture.

For half a month, most of the people they met recommended Upper Yang Mountain.

So, they made their way there, donated a sum of money to the County Government to obtain the status of gentry, and then purchased a stretch of forest on the eastern face of Upper Yang Mountain, which received the best sunlight.

"This place is truly wonderful. It has towering mountains and beautiful forests. Looking at Upper Yang Mountain from here is like gazing upon a rare treasure!"

Li Xiangwen sat holding a teacup in a rustic courtyard that resembled a scholar’s retreat, gazing at the lush, jade-green Upper Yang Mountain behind him. A patch of red forest on the peak was especially pleasing to the eye.

"If only I could have a wife and children here..."

Across from him sat Yang Tian. After half a year of training under Liu Shuang, he now carried himself somewhat like a Cultivator. He subconsciously thought of his own wife and children, but swallowed the words before they could escape his lips.

According to the script they had memorized, both of their families were dead. They were now two unattached Loose Cultivators who had started on their path late in life.

After a few breaths of silence, Yang Tian clumsily formed a hand seal to sense the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi in the surroundings. He then looked at Li Xiangwen and said, "I hope that child could also cultivate and attain long life."

"I just hope he can be safe and sound."

Li Xiangwen’s wish was simpler.

The two continued their simple conversation as the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the eastern slope of Upper Yang Mountain, stretching their shadows long behind them.

Li Xiangwen gently rubbed the rim of his teacup, the smooth, warm ceramic a pleasant sensation against his fingertips. He gazed at the distant village where plumes of cooking smoke rose into the air. In a daze, he seemed to see his own small courtyard. His mother would be busy at the stove, and his wife would be sitting on the stone bench by the door, holding their young son, waiting for his return.

Across from him, Yang Tian had also fallen silent. His rough fingers unconsciously stroked the Jade Pendant at his waist—a keepsake his wife had secretly pressed into his hand before he left home. A familiar warmth seemed to linger on the jade, as if reminding him of a past to which he could never return. The mountain breeze rustled past, carrying the sound of children’s laughter from afar, causing him to clench his fists involuntarily.

However, their longing was soon replaced by resolve.

Li Xiangwen set down his teacup, his gaze becoming clear once more. He rose and walked to a stone platform in the corner of the courtyard to feel the state of the Spirit Vein circulating within him.

Yang Tian also stood up and took a yellowed map from his robes. It was a map of Wudao Prefecture’s terrain, which he needed to memorize.

As dusk thickened, their figures appeared exceptionally resolute in the setting sun. They would become the sharpest of blades, ready to shatter into a thousand pieces to complete their final mission.

Suddenly, the mountain wind began to howl, as if wailing in sorrow for a coming separation.

But their eyes remained firm. For in the distant Yongshan County, they had beloved family they were protecting with their very lives. That connection was enough to make them step into the abyss without a second thought.

...

「The Mountain Peak Dojo of Qianmu Mountain.」

After sending Li Xiangwen and Yang Tian off, Wang Ping felt a little unsettled. He shut himself in his woodworking workshop to study puppets.

A month passed like this.

Time soothed all his agitation and anxiety.

On the third day of winter.

Zhao Qing rushed to the Mountain Peak Dojo in a flurry and told Wang Ping that the Court was planning to deploy a massive army to the north, and there was a high chance that Wang Kang would be made the commander-in-chief of this northern expedition!

Hearing this news, Wang Ping found it impossible to reconcile the timid and cowardly Wang Kang he knew with the image of a battle-hardened grand commander-in-chief. He couldn’t voice this thought, so he could only sigh internally at the unpredictability of life.

"Some of the better disciples in the temple are planning to go down the mountain to help Senior Brother Wang Kang, and some of the Foundation Establishment disciples as well..."

"It’s fine. If they want to go, let them."

Wang Ping knew Zhao Qing was asking for his opinion. ’There’s no stopping them,’ he thought. ’Besides, Qianmu Temple has limited resources. If they stay here, most will probably never advance beyond Foundation Establishment. It’s better to let them go out and forge their own path while they have the chance. Who knows? By the end of a major war, half of Qianmu Temple’s disciples might be promoted to generals in the Imperial Guard.’

"Then I understand..."

Zhao Qing breathed a sigh of relief at his words. Although they had the Yin-Yang Body Refining Array to improve the disciples’ innate talent, most of the disciples Qianmu Temple currently accepted were from Noble Clans. It was a good day if even one in a hundred could endure the agony of the body refining process. As a result, the Yige Pavilion was now only operational for half of the twelve double-hours each day, and the wasted materials pained him greatly.

At this thought, Zhao Qing couldn’t help but complain to Wang Ping about the matter.

What could Wang Ping say? ’Cultivation is a personal journey, and everyone has their own path.’ However, after some thought, he did suggest an alternative. "Could we find a way to recruit more children from lower-class families?"

Zhao Qing gave a wry smile. "I’ve considered that, but it would require negotiating with the Prefecture City Government Office, which would be very troublesome. The sons of Noble Clans are sent here voluntarily; it’s different from actively recruiting."

"Let’s leave it for now, then."

Wang Ping didn’t bring it up again. The Court was currently on a powerful rise, and he had no desire to be the nail that sticks out.

...

「After the Spring Festival.」

Yu Cheng Taoist suddenly sent him a voice transmission, summoning him over.

"According to our inside source, two Loose Cultivators who entered the territory have joined the White Water Sect!" Yu Cheng Taoist saw Wang Ping and didn’t beat around the bush, delivering the intelligence directly.

"Is it them?"

"Yes!"

When Wang Ping heard this, he couldn’t stop his hands from trembling slightly.

Yu Cheng Taoist continued, "The White Water Sect is holding an internal Dharma assembly in ten days specifically to welcome them. I believe this is our chance to strike."

Hearing this, Wang Ping’s mind involuntarily pictured a massive explosion annihilating hundreds, maybe thousands, of Qi Cultivators. A chill shot straight up his spine. Sensing his emotional turmoil, Yu Lian crawled onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

"What about the follow-up arrangements...?"

"Their self-detonation will eliminate all eyewitnesses. No one will know it was a premeditated attack. Power Pills are everywhere in Nanlin Road now; many sects have tens of thousands of them stored in their warehouses. They will likely attribute the cause of the explosion to a loss of control over the Power Pills!"

"Taiyin Cultivators can trace what happened at the scene!"

"There’s a time limit for that. Besides, the massive energy wave will surely destroy any spiritual traces at the scene."

Yu Cheng Taoist stared at Wang Ping and said, "The only remaining loose end is you. As it happens, Friend Wen Yang has a difficult case over in Mozhou Road. You’ll leave tomorrow to investigate it."

"What case?"

"Some confiscated Corpse Soldiers recently vanished mysteriously from the Earth Cave Prison in the Daoist Scripture Hall!"