Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 235 The Banished Immortal (Part 2)

The four realms of human immortals are: indestructible, immortal, indestructible, and eternal.

When Lü Shang first entered the realm of indestructibility, he possessed the supernatural powers to subdue dragons and tigers. Even earth immortals and arhats who had endured the three calamities had to fear him.

However, what Lü Shang had to face was a reincarnated deity, a deity descended from the upper realm, whose cultivation level was at least that of a pure yang deity.

Among them, Yang Lin, the former king of Kao Shan, was Ji Du; Qin Qiong, the former king of Zuo Tianpeng; and Yuchi Gong, the Black Demon God, were all top-tier gods in the Three Realms, possessing the merits of a Grand Immortal of the Primordial Chaos. Their prestige as the Eleven Great Luminaries of Shangqing and the Four Holy Marshals of the North Pole was enough to sweep away all evil.

According to Lü Shang's calculations, to be completely unrestrained, even immortality wouldn't suffice; at the very least, one would need to cultivate an indestructible body to roam freely.

Laughter still lingered under the eaves inside, but Lü Shang's figure had quietly disappeared into the courtyard.

Just as Lü Shang was leaving, Fang Qiao, whose mother was wiping her mouth, frowned slightly and turned to look out of the courtyard.

“Mother, I think I saw a light under the tree, flickering.”

"Ok?"

Following Fang Qiao's gaze, Li saw only old trees swaying in the courtyard, bathed in the clear moonlight.

"Where does the light come from?"

She shook her head, thinking it was just her son's imagination, and chuckled as she playfully pinched his nose, saying, "Eat quickly, then go study."

Fang Qiao blinked, and when she looked again, there was indeed nothing there. She could only nod, hold the bowl, and continue to sip her soup.

As night deepened, the candlelight on the desk inside the Fang family's house flickered dimly.

Fang Yanqian sat at the desk, his fingers stroking a smooth white jade pendant.

Madam Li brought over a bowl of warm tea. Seeing him staring at the jade pendant in a daze, she gently placed the teacup on the table and asked, "What are you thinking about now?"

Fang Yanqian looked up at her and said, "I was thinking about Father."

Upon hearing this, Li paused slightly and whispered, "Father-in-law?"

Fang Yanqian said softly, "The Fang family has produced five generations of prominent officials, but in my generation, the family has declined. It is my fault for being unfilial."

Don't be fooled by the Fang family's appearance; they seem no different from ordinary poor families. In fact, the Fang family has been prominent for four generations and has extremely deep roots.

His great-grandfather, Fang Fashou, was the governor of Qing and Ji provinces during the Northern Wei Dynasty and inherited the title of Zhuangwu Marquis. His great-great-grandfather, Fang Bozu, served as the governor of Qi and Pingyuan prefectures. His grandfather, Fang Yi, was the governor of Song'an. His father, Fang Xiong, started as a state clerk and eventually became the governor of Qinghe.

If Fang Yanqian hadn't had such a father and grandfather, he would never have been able to marry Li, a woman from the Longxi Li family.

The daughters of the five prominent families and seven prestigious clans were notoriously picky and demanded high social standing when choosing a husband. Ordinary nobles rarely caught their eye.

Seeing this, Li's tone softened, and she said, "What nonsense are you talking about? When your father-in-law was alive, he often said that you were calm and composed, and had a deep understanding of things. It was just that your time hadn't come yet."

"Besides, we still have A-Qiao. That child is exceptionally bright and intelligent. You can tell a lot about a person's future at three and their character at seven. She will definitely be able to restore the Fang family's honor in the future."

Fang Yanqian nodded heavily and said, "Yes, I also have A-Qiao."

Just then, the soft sound of turning pages came from the next room, mixed with Fang Qiao's soft recitation of the Analects.

After listening for a while, Li smiled faintly and said, "When you go to serve under Duke Lu tomorrow, don't be too reserved. Just let things take their course."

While the Fang couple were having their nighttime conversation, Lü Shang had already quietly returned to the prefectural capital.

Inside the study, candlelight shone brightly, and a mirror reflecting one's inner thoughts hung in mid-air.

Lu Shang sat in front of the mirror, letting the precious mirror reflect his entire body, where divine light danced everywhere.

Each time these divine lights flickered, he felt the corresponding acupoints and the spirits within them tremble.

The 48,000 apertures and 84,000 spirits are all faintly visible in the mirror.

Nothing was said that night. The next morning, Lü Shang raised his hand, and the Mirror of the Mind immediately lost its divine light, turning into a stream of light that fell into the treasure picture on his chest.

"Men, put on your armor!"

As the morning light pierced the thin mist outside Shanggui City, the North Camp drill ground was already filled with cavalry.

Lu Shang, clad in armor made of wild antelope, stepped into the training ground, where sunlight streamed in.

"Gentlemen," he said slowly as he stepped onto the command platform, his left hand resting on the bamboo whip at his waist, his gaze sweeping over the array of cavalry.

The warhorses pawed the ground, the knights' hands gripped their lances, and their eyes beneath their helmets gleamed like those of tigers and wolves.

"Gentlemen, we were ordered to quell the rebellion, and today's greatest achievement lies in this!"

Lu Shang's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the training ground, each word striking the hearts of everyone present.

"Yan Rui, Huo Xiao, Ling Yue,"

After saying this, he raised his hand and pointed to the left side of the formation, where three Qiang prisoners were standing.

"They know where the Qiang bandits' grain stores are, and can be recruited as guides. Each of you will lead two hundred cavalrymen, and you must reach the designated camp before noon,"

"promise,"

The three guards responded in unison, causing the flags beside the platform to flutter loudly.

After responding, they dismounted, walked to the Qiang prisoners, took the simple map handed to them, and glanced at it.

Then, he mounted his horse, pulled on the reins, and turned towards the school gate of the training ground.

Lu Shang watched the three cavalry units leave the camp one after another, then turned to Fang Yanqian behind him and said, "The military advisor's strategy will be revealed today. If we can burn this batch of grain, the Qiang rebellion will be quelled."

Fang Yanqian cupped his hands in response, saying, "Lord Lu's command is skillful, and his cavalry is elite and swift; they will surely succeed."

"However, the border fortresses and villages still need to be closely monitored to prevent the Qiang bandits from scattering and then looting the prefectures and counties again,"

Lu Shang looked at the rising sun and said in a deep voice, "You are right."

"Come on,"

He called out to his personal guards, saying, "Take my orders and go to Tao and Min prefectures to deliver the message."

"Have the governors of these two prefectures send out more scouts. If any scattered Qiang people are seen approaching the fortress, drive them away with arrows and crossbows. Anyone who dares to charge the fortress should be killed without exception."

"promise,"

The guard clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, turned around, and strode away.

After his personal guards left, Lü Shang solemnly said, "The rest of you, follow me out of Shanggui and patrol along the west bank of the Tao River."

"promise!"

Thousands of people responded in unison, and the sound surged up, making the copper bells on the eaves ring.

Fang Yanqian followed beside Lü Shang, watching Lü Shang mount his horse. The two rode side by side out of the city and headed west along the Tao River.

After half a day, a scout returned with a report. Covered in dust, the scout rode up and shouted, "My lord, General Yan has succeeded at Black Ox Stronghold, burning down three of the Qiang bandits' grain depots!"

"During the retreat, we encountered a counterattack from several hundred Qiang people, which we defeated, but lost three riders!"

"OK,"

Upon receiving the military report, Lü Shang's face lit up with joy. He said, "With the granaries destroyed, the Qiang bandits have been cut off from their food supplies. Let's see how they manage to cause trouble now."

As they were talking, two more scouts galloped up one after the other, their horses covered in dust, clearly having come at breakneck speed.

The first scout nearly fell over as he reined in his horse, and cried out urgently, "My lord, General Huo has utterly defeated Baishi Village and captured the Qiang chieftain alive!"

"My lord,"

Before he could finish speaking, another scout hurriedly reported, "General Ling stormed Eagle's Beak Cliff and burned five grain depots."

"In the Battle of Eagle's Beak Cliff, we routed over a thousand Qiang bandits and captured three minor chieftains alive."

"Okay, okay,"

After receiving the military report from the two men, Lü Shang laughed heartily and said, "Excellent!"

He turned to look at Fang Yanqian and said, "Look, Advisor, three victories in half a day! Your strategy of 'cutting off supplies and trapping the enemy' is already showing initial results!"

(End of this chapter)