Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 90 - 89: Heading West

Having sent his daughter Li Jingtian away, Li Xiangping felt restless and anxious, like a thorn in his side. Even when he tried to meditate on his couch, he couldn’t calm his mind, and after failing to achieve a meditative state several times, Li Xiangping finally rose to his feet and spoke in a deep voice:

"Someone come!"

Chen Donghe, who had been clad in armor and standing guard in front of the tent, heard the call and entered, responding:

"Family Head."

"Have the scouts discovered any news?"

Chen Donghe shook his head and replied: 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"None."

"It has been an hour since anyone was sent from Lichuan Entrance to report back, hasn’t it? Send someone to ask."

Li Xiangping shook his head, watched as Chen Donghe obeyed and left, and thought to himself:

"Ganixi just launched a surprise attack and defeated the enemy the day before yesterday. Could he really be advancing east today? Where’s the sense in that? Are the troops under his command immune to death and fatigue? Furthermore, the western mountains are full of my scouts; there’s no way there would be no sign at all."

Getting up and donning his armor, Li Xiangping glanced at the blazing brazier, the red glow reflecting in his eyes. His heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself, this is bad.

"This man has been fighting wars in the North Foothills for over a decade, emerging victorious time after time. I fear he cannot be judged by conventional wisdom. It’s best to begin moving the troops back across the river first."

Tucking away his long sword, Li Xiangping shouldered the Green Crow Bow, and commanded loudly:

"Sound the drums!"

At once, an order was given and the thudding of drums resonated, stirring a commotion, and as Li Xiangping was leaving the tent, he ran straight into Chen Donghe, rushing in a panic.

"Family Head!"

Chen Donghe stepped forward, his voice filled with shock, and whispered into Li Xiangping’s ear:

"Family Head! Lichuan Entrance has already been seized by the Shanyue. Those sent there were all killed, and two to three thousand troops are stationed on the opposite bank of the river. They have destroyed several pontoon bridges, and our retreat has been cut off!"

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, and Li Xiangping was immediately shocked, staying silent for two breaths, clenching his long sword tightly enough to make that screeching sound, his knuckles turning white.

"The news hasn’t spread, has it?"

Chen Donghe hastily shook his head and whispered:

"No, I’ve sealed off the news, not daring to let the troops know, for fear it would shake their morale."

Taking a deep breath, Li Xiangping murmured:

"Go muster the troops."

Chen Donghe, with a solemn face, withdrew, and Li Xiangping closed his eyes, silently starting to make calculations.

"It’s impossible to use these thousand troops to cross the river eastward and recapture Lichuan Entrance. Ganixi couldn’t have only brought these two thousand troops with him either, especially since he’s at the Qi Cultivation Level..."

"Ganixi defeated the enemy and then rushed here immediately. His rear must be unstable. It might be better to probe westward. Every moment we stay here, the danger increases by a fraction!"

Li Xiangping paced slowly, walking to the back of the tent, gazing at the tall piles of grain, carefully calculating for a while. The storage bag at his waist rose up, and the mountains of rice and beans all flowed into the brocade pouch at his side. The old storage bag was the size of a courtyard, just enough to hold these grains.

Approaching the clan soldiers, Li Xiangping took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and then loudly uttered two words:

"Advance west!"

Troops upon troops broke camp one after the other, eight hundred clan soldiers along with two hundred Shanyue soldiers, making a total of a thousand men, disappeared into the woods to the west without a backward glance.

————

As soon as Ganixi’s soldiers stepped into the boundary of Lijing Village, their Qi Cultivation Level was without a doubt exposed, awakening Lu Jiangxian. His Divine Sense swept down from above and he secretly thought:

"It seems Ganixi has taken control of the Lichuan Entrance and is moving East to take over Lijing Town."

With his Divine Sense expanding to its limit, Lu Jiangxian immediately found several members of the Li Family.

Li Tongya was with his wife, Liu Rouxuan, in the reeds, collecting the River Essence Qi necessary for his younger brother, Li Xiangping, to break through in Qi Cultivation. They were pinching their spells, waiting for the moment at dawn when the pure Qi rises and the murky descends.

Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanfeng had just finished dealing with supernatural creatures at the Lidao Entrance and were comforting the injured villagers. The creatures had destroyed the streets, which now needed to be repaired by people.

On Lijing Mountain, Tian Yun and the Ren Clan were sitting around the stove chatting; both were getting on in years, especially the Ren Clan woman who was over forty and could not sleep well.

Li Jingtian leaned against the window, her round eyes looking anxiously into the distance. The night breeze gently lifted her black hair, while Li Xuanling slept obediently on the bed beside her.

Though his Spiritual Sense had seen all of the Li Family cultivators, Lu Jiangxian’s Divine Sense could only roam within the confines of Lijing Town. After a brief moment of thought, he pinched an Illusion Technique and projected it into the mind of Li Xuanling, who was on the bed.

Lu Jiangxian’s Divine Sense far surpassed the Spiritual Sense of ordinary cultivators, not to mention that Li Xuanling was only a little cultivator at the second level of Fetal Breathing and the Chengming cycle. He smoothly took over Li Xuanling’s dream.

————

"Crack."

In a daze, Li Xuanling heard the grating sound of porcelain shattering and awoke suddenly, sitting up drenched in sweat and staring blankly at the empty windowsill.

A pair of tender white hands were carefully picking up fragments of teaware from the ground. Li Jingtian’s voice softly apologized:

"Ling’er, I disturbed your sleep."

Li Xuanling, dripping with sweat, was startled awake by the cold breeze and replied hoarsely:

"Sister, I dreamed... so many dead people. Ganixi defeated our uncle and led his soldiers up the mountain, killing many of our family."

Li Jingtian’s expression grew even more worried, as Li Xuanling’s words hit the very heart of her restless night. She forced a smile and softly comforted Li Xuanling.

Li Xuanling nodded absentmindedly, pondered for a moment, and stammered:

"I need to pee."

With those words, he slipped out of bed, stepped over the threshold, and quietly walked towards the backyard, out of Li Jingtian’s line of sight.

Just as he entered the backyard, he noticed a solitary broken wooden chair placed in the center. Li Xuanling’s lips puckered slightly as he remembered Li Mutian.

Pushing the door open with force, Li Xuanling was greeted by the strong smell of sandalwood and dim candlelight. In the faint light, he could barely make out the cold and grand Stone Platform with a small Dharma Mirror on top, revolving with pale white moonlight.

He tiptoed and carefully passed his hands through the slightly cool moonlight, cradling the Dharma Mirror with care. Only then did he realize the Magic Artifact felt warm and immensely comfortable in his hands.

Recalling his father’s words, Li Xuanling held the Dharma Mirror and spoke earnestly:

"Disciple Li Xuanling of the Li Family implores the Xuan Ze, respectfully requesting the profound and subtle Dharma, to reveal the Taiyin Profound Light, to slay the wicked and capture the malign spirits."

Lu Jiangxian nodded silently, broadening his view. Li Xuanling immediately felt as if he were light as a feather, rising into the air and flying high above, quietly overlooking Lijing Town below.

The night moon was tranquil, with Lijing Town sound asleep in its dreams. Li Xuanling extended his gaze far and saw at the distant Lichuan Entrance, Shanyue warriors with shaved heads and tattoos covered the ground. Even two troops of Shanyue soldiers in Leather Armor were marching southward. Their destination, pointed straight towards Lijing Town, was self-evident.

Li Xuanling broke out in a cold sweat from fear, shook his head, and eventually fell out of the viewpoint. He hurriedly stuffed the Dharma Mirror into his chest and rushed out of the backyard.