Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 60 "Dayu Mo"

At 3:45 AM, the morning mist had not yet cleared.

A large group of people were walking at the foot of a low hill in the northeast of Cixijian.

All that could be seen was the dew-covered armor and the spear piercing the tattered flag.

Most of the soldiers were covered in mud and looked exhausted.

You Hongda was worried that Li Mi had laid an ambush, so he only gave a retreat order. With the help of Prefect Zhao, the soldiers fled in one place and did not get separated, thus saving most of them.

Before the army, You Hongda held a whip in one hand and Zhao Tuo's head in the other.

Even at this moment
Zhao Tuo remained glaring angrily.

"Prefect Zhao, you just won't believe what I say. You insist on seeing it with your own eyes. Look at the mess you've made now!"

You Hongda looked at Zhao Tuo and complained incessantly:
"I told you that guy was a jinx, and I should have avoided him like the plague, but you insisted on risking your life for him."

"Last time they set fires, this time they flood! What damn bad luck!"

"Giddy up!"

Just then, the sound of two horses being harnessed rang out beside them.

The cavalrymen had just arrived beside You Hongda, glancing back at the remnants of the defeated army with worried expressions.

"Captain, how are we to explain this to General Zhang?"

The righteous man said, "If we fall into this trap, won't General Zhang also lose face?"

Upon hearing this, You Hongda, who had been complaining, immediately became furious.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

He shouted angrily.

The captain avoided eye contact, unsure of what he had said wrong. "Then the captain thought..."

You Hongda brandished the dead head of Zhao Tuo in his hand:
"Prefect Zhao colluded with Li Mi, intending to surrender a prefecture; his rebellious intentions are obvious to all."

"Huaiyang County was almost captured by Li Mi, but now I have recovered it."

"I have also taken the head of that traitor Prefect Zhao, and used it to coerce and persuade many of the retainers and soldiers of the Prefectural Governor of Huaiyang to surrender. Hasn't this thwarted Li Mi's conspiracy?!"

"How could I have ever disgraced General Zhang!"

Upon hearing this, the team member perked up.

It sounds like nonsense, but every word is true!
Zhao Tuo was indeed plotting a rebellion!

He exclaimed excitedly, "The captain is brilliant! This is a great achievement!"

"That is certainly a great achievement."

Yu Hongda calmly gave further instructions:

"Zhao Tuo has dominated Huaiyang for a long time, bullying men and women and doing whatever he wants. The people suffer from his cruelty. Now we will destroy him at Cixi Ravine. We should confiscate his property to appease the people's anger, and then hang his head at the east gate of the city to deter the bandits in the Central Plains and boost our military morale."

"Yes!"

The captain responded happily, then asked, "What about Li Mi?"

You Hongda thought for a moment and said, "Quickly spread the word that Li Mi was seriously injured by our troops and his whereabouts are unknown."

"Let's return to Shangcai for now, regroup our forces, and send another message to General Zhang to request the assistance of the elite troops from the Golden Purple Camp. This time, we must pursue Li Mi to the death and give him no chance to breathe."

The captain asked another question: "A major rebel from the Way of Peace has also appeared. Should we mobilize troops from Xihua and Nandun to send an additional team?"

You Hongda shook his head: "Our forces cannot be dispersed. We should eliminate Li Mi first."

The team leader agreed and made the arrangements.

Immediately, a troop of light cavalry sped off towards Shangcai.

You Hongda turned and looked towards the direction of Cixijian.

He thought of that fire again.

Last night, after that jinx said something to Zhao Tuo, a torrent of water immediately surged down the ravine.

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

He immediately cracked his whip, urging his horse onward and shouting orders for the army to speed up.

……

On the way from Cixijian to Runan, there is a dilapidated roadside inn.

"Master Mi—!"

The gloom that had hung over Pushan Public Camp all night finally dissipated, and Li Mi, who had been unconscious, opened his eyes.

Shen Luoyan, Wang Bodang, and many other experts gathered around.

Li Mi reached out to block Wang Bodang, who was trying to help him, and braced himself against a dilapidated wooden bed.

"Where is Master Zhou?"

"He escaped."

“It’s a pity,” Li Mi said, coughing several times. His injuries were quite severe; what had been a fake cough before was now a real one.

“This is a rare talent. If we can’t recruit him, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.”

At this point, a chill ran through me, and I couldn't help but sigh softly.

Shen Luoyan advised, "Right now, we should prioritize Lord Mi's health."

"It's alright, but where is Sect Leader Ma?"

"He's hiding himself quite well, actually colluding with Zhou Tianshi. Cough, that palm strike was quite powerful. If I hadn't slightly avoided a vital spot, I might have been killed by him with one blow."

Perhaps due to his injuries and weakness, Li Mi did not show anger, but only looked puzzled.

Wang Bodang said, "That scoundrel escaped in the chaos, but I shot him with an arrow, so he probably won't survive."

Li Mi frowned:

"I really hope he can survive. I'd love to hear him explain the origin of that palm strike himself."

Once Shen Luoyan confirmed that Li Mi was unharmed, she regained her composure. She first sent a group of experts to keep watch outside, leaving only a few people behind:

"Lord Mi, news has come from the north that Hao Xiaode is indeed in contact with Zhai Rang."

"Yes, it's only a matter of time."

Li Mi's eyes were deep and thoughtful.

"Hao Xiaode and Zhi Shilang's allied forces were broken up by Zhang Xutuo. He lost his base in Pingyuan County and can only rely on Zhai Rang now."

"It's all because he didn't listen to me earlier. He only coveted Zhi Shilang's power and ignored the fact that he was being targeted by the Sui army. My good advice was misinterpreted as me having ulterior motives."

He shook his head: "How can someone like that achieve great things?"

Shen Luoyan asked, "Shall we make contact with Zhai Rang now?"

“It’s not time yet,” Li Mi said. “Hao Xiaode has lost Zhao Tuo, a great help in secret, and he is no longer of any importance.”

Everyone understood what Li Mi meant.

They need Zhai Rang's help to succeed.

Although the power of the Pushan public sector was numerous, it was relatively scattered, while Zhai Rang had a renowned reputation in the Xingyang and Liangjun areas, with many martial arts heroes relying on him.

Li Mi had his eye on Xingyang. Xingyang was a strategic location in the Central Plains, with a plain to the east and Hulao Pass to the west.

Gongxian County, west of Hulao Pass, has Luokou Granary, a major granary of the Sui Dynasty. Acquiring Luokou Granary would not only provide access to a large amount of grain, but also bring one closer to the Eastern Capital.

Although they have some reputation, it is difficult for them to fight against Zhai Rang, the big boss, since they suddenly intruded into his territory.

Furthermore, being specifically targeted and pursued by Yang Guang, their situation became extremely awkward.

Hao Xiaode might get closer to Zhai Rang, so now, taking advantage of the conflict between the two, he plans to cripple one of Zhai Rang's legs.

In the future, it will not have a significant impact on their plans.

This scheme was both far-sighted and ruthless.

Shen Luoyan said from the side, "Mi Gong, focus on healing your wounds. Let's avoid Zhang Xutuo for now."

“Yang Guang’s ambition to join the Liao Dynasty remains undiminished. He is just waiting for the incident to happen so that the whole country will be in an uproar and the Sui army will no longer pay attention to the dead Yang Xuangan. At that time, Mi Gong will be able to handle things with ease.”

Upon hearing this, Li Mi did not show any joy. Instead, he touched his wound with a deep gaze.

"I was teaching in Huaiyang, thinking I was quite shrewd, but Zhou and Ma taught me a lesson I'll never forget."

……

Zhou Yi rested for only two hours that night, and arrived at the border of Huai'an County the next day.

To avoid potential spies along the way, he didn't take the main road but instead followed a small path around the mountain.

Deep into Ciqiu, near the source of the Ru River.

Zhou Yi was about to fetch water from the stream by the mountain when he suddenly smelled a bloody odor coming from the stream.

He frowned and walked several dozen steps toward the source of the stream.

Then they saw a person sitting by a rock in the stream, with his back against a magnolia tree, and an arrow beside him, which had obviously been pulled out recently.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Yi was startled.

"Old horse?!"

At this point, his breath was intermittent.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi arrive, Ma Shouyi opened his cloudy old eyes.

He spoke in a weak and aged voice:

"I was fortunate enough to meet an old friend from Yongqiu before I died, so I am not so lonely."

Zhou Yi glanced at the arrow, then at the chest he was clutching.

Judging from Ma Shouyi's injuries, what he said didn't seem to be a lie.

"Sect Leader Ma, aren't you one of Li Mi's men?"

"hehe."

Ma Shouyi said, "If you say I am Li Mi's man, then I can only be his enemy."

Zhou Yi frowned: "Then why did you help the people from Pushan Public Enterprise in Yongqiu?"

“Li Mi’s martial arts skills far surpass mine. How can I kill him without gaining his trust?” Ma Shouyi leaned against the tree behind him and sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m still a little short. It’s just that my skills are not good enough.”

What grudge do you have against each other?

Ma Shouyi said, “I have an old friend who died on the way to conquer Goguryeo. He died because of Yang Xuangan, and Li Mi was Yang Xuangan’s strategist.”

"He died because of Li Mi's scheme. I'm seeking revenge on Li Mi. I haven't made a mistake in choosing him."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi suddenly remembered something.

Mu Daoren once explained why he accepted Ma Shouyi's invitation to join the Hunyuan School.

A senior who had been kind to Mu Daoren had a disciple who had left the monastic life. This disciple was on good terms with Ma Shouyi and later died on the way to conquer Liaodong.

It was actually this person!
Zhou Yi tentatively asked, "Is your old friend related to the Wood Taoist?"

"It's truly astonishing that Master Mu even told you this." Ma Shouyi's body trembled slightly, and his breath became even weaker.

Zhou Yi was still puzzled: "Then why did you hunt me down after the fire at Fuzishan?"

Ma Shouyi said bluntly:

“If I kill you, the Heavenly Master will kill me if he has the ability. I will say that I was instructed by Li Mi, and then he will go and kill Li Mi.”

“My old friend died because of Li Mi. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Li Mi died because of me?”

"What a load of rubbish! Am I completely innocent?" Zhou Yi glared at him.

Ma Shouyi said calmly:

"It's just that I'm weak and have no choice but to rely on others. This is cruel to you, but I'm getting old and can't care about that anymore."

Zhou Yi said he would like to say more.

Ma Shouyi suddenly blushed and shook his head at Zhou Yi: "Don't ask anymore, I'm about to die."

"I'm a man of principle, and I always keep my friends in mind. You played a part in Li Mi's serious injury, so I owe you a favor."

"Now, I'm returning this favor to you."

"Hmm?" Zhou Yi was slightly taken aback.

Ma Shouyi quickly said, "My old friend of mine studied the 'Great Yu's Plan' under his master, and even my Flowing Water Rock Shattering Force was inspired by him."

"Enough of idle talk, I'll teach you a technique from the 'Great Yu's Plan': 'Being meticulous and single-minded'."

Zhou Yi didn't have a chance to interrupt, and then heard him say:
"There is an acupoint on the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin called Yunmen. Yun means the state of Qi about to turn into rain."

"There is also a mortal acupoint called Lieque. Lieque is the name of the Thunder God, hence it means swift and fierce thunder."

"The combination of Yunmen and Lieque is like the thunder before the rain, which is the most intense."

“Practice these two acupoints into energy channels, and repeat the practice nine times. Then, from Yunmen to Lieque, once the energy is released, it will have the power of water striking stone, which can break through many protective true energies and protective energies.”

“Li Mi’s skill far surpasses mine; that’s how I broke through his Earthly Fiend True Qi.”

"When practicing this method, thunder will rumble in your mind due to inner demons, making it very easy to be distracted. It must be combined with the 'Great Yu's Plan' method of focusing on oneness and maintaining a single-minded mind in order to master it."

"Cough cough cough, it's been a long time since I've spoken to anyone like this,"

"Your martial arts skills have improved beyond belief; I am no match for you."

"However, there's no need to fight anymore."

For some unknown reason, Ma Shouyi suddenly smiled and said slowly, "After Zhou Tianshi... farewell forever..."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

Zhou Yi sighed slightly, stepped forward, and struck the magnolia tree behind Ma Shouyi with his palm.

The magnolia blossoms, nearing their end, curled up on the branches.

As the flowering trees swayed, the petals fluttered down to the ground, a fitting end for the fading blossoms. At this moment, the falling petals presented Old Ma with a final, rainy farewell.
"Farewell forever, Old Ma..."

……

……

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P.S.: Over 6,000 words, awesome! Please give me some monthly votes! ('-'*ゞ)

(End of this chapter)