Longzang

Chapter 319: Keep a low profile and bide your time
Taichu Palace.

Ji Liuli walked into the familiar courtyard and looked around.

She hadn't been gone long, but those few months felt like years. So much had happened during that time, and the constant battles alone had left her exhausted.

The young Taoist priest was neither sitting in the courtyard nor meditating on the cloud bed. He stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing north, silently calculating something.

The courtyard was no longer as relaxed as before; instead, it was filled with an inexplicable sense of oppression, making it difficult to even breathe.

Only when Ji Liuli walked up behind him did the young Taoist-looking True Lord Yanshi turn around and say, "You're back."

Ji Liuli said, "This disciple should return, but... I would like to postpone it for a while longer."

"Oh? Now is the time for your return and breakthrough, why change your mind?"

Ji Liuli said, "I have recently gained some new insights and feel that my Dao foundation can be further improved, so I want to stay in the Western Regions for a while longer."

"Why the Western Regions?" True Monarch Yan Shi frowned slightly.

"I have the opportunity to attain enlightenment in the Western Regions, and my foundation for enlightenment should also be perfected there."

When Yan Shi Zhenjun returned to the courtyard and sat down, the world in the courtyard seemed to have changed completely in just a few steps, unlike when Ji Liuli first entered.

Yan Shi Zhenjun said slowly, "Your Dao is basically close to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, with many wonderful uses and supreme power. After years of refinement, your power has reached a new level. But precisely because of this, the difficulty for you to achieve the Dharma form has also increased. With each additional wonderful use and each additional bit of power, achieving the Dharma form will become more and more difficult. The saying 'too much of a good thing' is probably referring to you now."

"Disciple knows."

True Lord Yan Shi nodded and said, "It's good that you know. Let me see what wonderful application you've grasped this time."

Ji Liuli released the Demon-Suppressing Nine-Layer Pagoda. At this moment, the small pagoda was faintly transparent, like a glass treasure, giving people a particularly lively and agile feeling. Getting closer would make people clear-headed and quicken their thoughts.

Ji Liuli said, “In the Western Regions, I used the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda to simulate the properties of heaven and earth, and to deduce changes, adding the meaning of exquisiteness. I plan to make more deductions and continuously strengthen this function. Eventually, I should be able to deduce tens of thousands of changes in properties at the same time, thus proving the Dao of exquisiteness. When I reach the Dharma Form stage, I can complete the Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Exquisite Pagoda.”

"The Dao of Exquisite Path is no small matter. As a result, the difficulty for you to achieve the Dharma Aspect will increase exponentially. Have you thought this through?"

"Don't worry, I have unparalleled talent and can bear this burden."

"That being said, you should still try to stay by Wei Yuan's side as little as possible. If you must stay, you should come back from time to time."

"Why?"

Lord Yanshi casually scooped up a handful of white sand from the flower pond and sprinkled it from his palm.

White sand gathered in the air to form a mountain peak, surrounded by a bottomless abyss. Grains of sand constantly slid off the peak and fell into the dark abyss. New grains of sand were constantly being generated at the top, creating a very eerie scene.

Yan Shi Zhenjun said, "This mountain peak is like Wei Yuan now. For some reason, his true fortune is rising higher and higher, and this is something that ordinary people cannot perceive. And the area around him is like the area around this mountain peak, which has become a valley of fortune. Even his closest relatives are like grains of sand on the mountain. Even if they don't fall down for a while, they can't stay on the mountain for long. As time goes by, they will inevitably fall into the abyss."

If you stay by his side all the time, you won't feel the impact, but a major accident might happen when you're preparing to advance to the Dharma Aspect level. And right now, most of my attention is focused on the North, so I'm afraid I can't help you in time. Therefore, you need to come back frequently to cleanse yourself of negative energy.”

"I will be careful."

True Lord Yan Shi nodded and said, "Then let's go."

Ji Liuli was preparing to leave, but still had some worries, and asked, "Is the North important?"

"The current national master of Northern Liao wants to diminish the fortune of my northern sect, but how can I let him have his way? He has already done two such things recently, and there may be a third one soon."

Yan Shi Zhenjun's voice was filled with relaxed yet powerful confidence, which improved Ji Liuli's mood, so he took his leave.

The hunting grounds during the Western Jin Dynasty.

As dawn broke, Wei Yuan, guided by an official, found the camp of his cavalry and reunited with the knights.

He went to the central command tent and spread out a map on the table. The map had only been given to Wei Yuan that morning. It showed the starting position of Wei Yuan's troops, and there was a small sword mark on each of the three central mountain peaks.

These three small swords conceal hidden treasures: one contains celestial silver, another is the seal of a vacant fourth-rank official, and the third is a treasure bottle containing a small amount of the Western Jin Dynasty's national fortune. Although the national fortune is not abundant, it is enough to enhance a person's luck by three feet. If this person already possesses only seven feet of luck, then upon receiving this national fortune, they will surpass one foot, becoming a child of destiny.

These three secret treasures were quite attractive even to military governors like Xu Tongshou and Fan Wenbai, as they could create a powerful subordinate out of thin air, or elevate a mediocre junior in their family to the ranks of geniuses. However, compared to the national fortune rewarded after sweeping through the hunt, the fortune in the treasure bottle was utterly insignificant.

Nine factions are participating in this hunt, each limited to 500 troops, with no restrictions on troop type or equipment. Apart from Wei Yuan's own location, the positions of all other factions are unknown on the map.

Those participating in the hunt included three princes, three military governors including Wei Yuan, troops from the Ying and Cheng kings, and a border army from the north. Essentially, all the powerful figures in the Western Jin military were present.

The target of the hunt was over ten thousand Liao people, most of whom were able-bodied men and women captured from their tribes, with some also being prisoners of war. They were scattered throughout the vast mountainous region, where several secret armories containing weapons and supplies were set up. Which Liao people found what was entirely up to fate.

Looking at the map, Wei Yuan immediately ruled out the three marked secret vaults. He aimed to finish last in this hunt, so there was no way he would attempt to rob a secret vault.

Wei Yuan was positioned in the very center of the north, just a few dozen miles south of a secret vault. This location was practically cheating; as long as Wei Yuan charged at full speed, it would be difficult for any of the other factions to reach the vault before him.

However, Wei Yuan was considering heading west or east, not south. He felt that their current location was too close to the center, and some troops were bound to pass through, so they needed to move to the edge.

But Wei Yuan couldn't go too far. He had to at least give the Prince of Jin some face and do some superficial work. So he planned to choose a mountain to guard and wait for anyone who came to him.

With a quick glance at the map, Wei Yuan noticed a small river in the northwest corner, with a small hill beside it, making it an ideal campsite for both offense and defense.

This place is so nice, so naturally we should stay away from it. So Wei Yuan decided to head east. There's a barren mountain to the east that looks like it's been abandoned by everyone, perfect for a few days of quiet rest and to avoid the hunt.

As dawn broke and horns sounded continuously, Wei Yuan led his troops out of the camp and headed straight for the selected hilltop, officially beginning the hunt.

Wei Yuan brought mounts from the Xu family's private army, all tall and magnificent horses, a grade even better than those of the regular cavalry of the Western Jin Dynasty. Although they were marching through undulating mountainous terrain, they had covered more than a hundred li in less than an hour and arrived at the designated area.

They only encountered a few scattered groups of Liao people along the way. Wei Yuan did not waste time on them, quickened his pace, and finally climbed the small hill.

This mountain is not high, only a few dozen feet high, but it is the only mountain within a radius of twenty miles.

Wei Yuan was very satisfied after inspecting it and said, "Climb the mountain, set up camp, and first build fortifications to store horses!"

The knights rode their horses up the mountain, then dismounted and found a depression at the summit to build a horse-storage fortification, gathering their warhorses together. Wei Yuan then conjured a large number of flat cauldrons and distributed them. Although called flat cauldrons, they were actually used as shovels, less than a finger's width thick, with sharp outer edges.

Regardless of its shape, this thing contains the true meaning of a ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel), therefore it is a ding.

Now that the vast land of Wei Yuan is silent, the things he manifests have lost all their mystique and can only be used as shovels. But at least the soldiers no longer need to carry an extra tool.

The five hundred knights immediately began to dig with all their might, and trenches stretched out at an incredible speed. In just one hour, the mountaintop was riddled with holes and pits.

Wei Yuan checked the weather and sensed that there might be heavy rain that night, so he conjured several large cauldrons and placed them in the center of the hunting grounds to collect rainwater. There was no water source on the mountaintop, and the hunting rules prohibited bringing food and water; they could only search for pre-hidden food within the hunting grounds.

However, this did not affect Wei Yuan much. All five hundred knights he brought were Dao Foundation cultivators. They could go seven or eight days without eating after a full meal, but they still needed to drink water.

During the Body Forging stage, they actually eat even more and are very susceptible to hunger. Therefore, elite human troops place great importance on food, and there are many historical examples of battles being lost due to food shortages.

The hunt wasn't going to be a one- or two-day affair; it could easily last three to five days, so water needed to be prepared in advance. Wei Yuan scanned the surrounding area with his divine sense, but found no supplies within ten miles, so he stopped bothering to search further.

As the fortifications on the mountaintop gradually took shape, the knights opened their backpacks, took out steel-barreled guns and ammunition wrapped in oil paper, and placed them on the position. Following Xu Wenwu's advice, it would be best to place several layers of barbed wire and landmines in front of the position.

However, Wei Yuan felt that these two items were quite useful, and there was no need to show them to the King of Jin now. He could use them to give the Jin army a good surprise when a conflict arose in the future.

The knights are now quite skilled at constructing fortifications, and the entire army of the realm knows that before fighting, one must first dig. Dao Foundation cultivators are also adept at digging, shoveling hundreds of pounds of soil in a single stroke. If Yue Jinshan's iron cavalry hadn't arrived so quickly last time, giving Wei Yuan half a day to dig three trenches, even three hundred casualties could have been avoided.

Wei Yuan inspected the area repeatedly, becoming more and more satisfied with what he saw; even he couldn't find any fault with it.

As Wei Yuan observed, he said, "Very good! Everyone, keep up the good work. Once the position is dug, set up the tents and rest. We won't go anywhere for the next few days; we'll just stay here and guard the position, trying to avoid any casualties. After the autumn hunt, we'll go home... Hmm??"

Wei Yuan suddenly saw a troop appear more than ten miles away, passing in front of him horizontally. It seemed that they were going straight to one of the three secret vaults to seize the reward.

Upon seeing the banner of that unit, Wei Yuan's face instantly turned murderous. It was the army of Lü Wenbai, the military governor of Yunxiang!
Wei Yuan turned around and said, "Grab your weapons, mount your horses, we'll ambush them from behind and wipe out that force! Anyone who resists, kill them on the spot, no mercy!"

Wei Yuan pulled out his blue horse and mounted it. The eunuch accompanying the army quickly grabbed Wei Yuan's leg, pleading, "Lord Wei, please think it over! Fighting among yourselves will damage your reputation! My lord, the greater good is at stake!"

Wei Yuan kicked him away and said, "To hell with the big picture, I always settle personal scores first!"

(End of this chapter)