Chapter 1753: Protecting Tingzhou (I)

Li Ximing entered the hall and saw dark light flowing throughout. The man seated at the head had just set down his brush and immediately rose to greet him with raised brows and a smile.

"Brother Ximing, you're here!"

The greeting was remarkably familiar, and only then did Li Ximing remember that the two of them were, after all, relatives by marriage. Yang Ruiyi was clearly not meeting him in his capacity as the grand general, but as a fellow son-in-law of the family.

The grand general had never been particularly distinguished in appearance, and his warm and approachable smile made him seem more like an elder brother-in-law from an ordinary household welcoming a close relation by marriage.

Yang Ruiyi might be acting familiarly, but Li Ximing could hardly respond with equal intimacy. He cupped his hands and smiled. "You are too courteous, grand general..."

Yang Ruiyi smiled and invited him to take a seat nearby, then took out a lustrous jade flask and poured him some tea.

"I've been here for some time, but I've been truly busy, while you've been in seclusion refining pills, so we haven't had a chance to meet. I asked you here today to discuss matters in the north."

Li Ximing answered promptly, "Please, general."

Yang Ruiyi, however, seemed somewhat uncertain how best to broach the matter and said carefully, "This northern campaign was launched under the banner of revenge, but after so many years of conflict between north and south, the Daoist Masters who remain have come to blanch at the mere mention of the Buddhists. None of them are particularly enthusiastic.

"The King of Wei is valiant and skilled in battle. He alone was suited to shoulder such a responsibility and rally the commanders. But he has yet to emerge from seclusion, so the cultivators have grown even more doubtful and uneasy, hesitating over what to do. That is why I specifically invited Protector-General Liu here."

There was no possibility that Li Ximing would allow him to disturb Li Zhouwei. At those words, his eyes reddened slightly as he began recounting just how grievously the last great war had wounded the Li Family.

Yang Ruiyi listened carefully to the end, his expression remaining calm as he said, "I understand the Li Family's contributions. This time, I invited you here because we need to protect Tingzhou."

Li Ximing was slightly taken aback. Yang Ruiyi's expression grew troubled as he continued, "His majesty entrusted the northern front to me, so I can see the situation very clearly. Ch'i Lanyan and the others have yet to commit their full strength, while Guangchan of the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm arrived soon afterward. As for Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain, there is every likelihood that people from Dayang Mountain are among them as well."

He continued softly, "Zhao State is powerful. I understand that perfectly well. To put it bluntly, the Great Song of today cannot even compare with Shu State. Even if the Golden Feather Sect only obeys military mobilization and ignores all other commands, Changhuai alone is enough to match the entire Great Song.

"To put this northern campaign in less flattering terms, it is merely an attempt to preserve Wei and spread out the pressure..."

He fixed his gaze on Li Ximing and said solemnly, "The intentions of Guangchan, Ch'i Lanyan, and Gongsun Bei are obvious to anyone. For now, they are merely divided among themselves and cannot gauge the true strength on my side, so they have difficulty reaching an agreement. But once the three of them decide to move south, I imagine you already know where they will strike first."

Li Ximing sighed softly and replied, "Tingzhou."

"Exactly!" Yang Ruiyi's expression grew slightly somber as he replied, "A great battle is inevitable. If I make a show of taking the initiative and mass troops along this bank, even if I cannot dictate where the main battlefield will be, I can at least tie down their main force... But if the imperial court remains still and merely sends a few people to defend the river, then when the final battle erupts, it will inevitably be somewhere around Tingzhou."

"His majesty's original decision was to recuperate and rebuild in the early years of the new state, while screening the Profound Holders and choosing one of three candidates to guard the north. It was I who repeatedly petitioned the throne and ultimately secured this northern campaign."

His expression was solemn. Li Ximing paused slightly before sighing. "Thank you, general! I had no idea that you had gone to such lengths... to safeguard my clan..."

Yang Ruiyi waved a hand, signaling that there was no need for such empty courtesies. "I am laying everything out plainly to you because I want you to give me a clearer picture of your position and discuss Tingzhou's defenses. I am not doing this to make you owe me a favor!"

With Yang Ruiyi having spoken so frankly, Li Ximing believed him halfway. His expression turned solemn as he replied, "I will hold nothing back!"

Yang Ruiyi then rose and turned to look at him, lowering his brows as he asked, "If the worst comes to pass, can the King of Wei take action?"

A complicated expression crossed Li Ximing's face as he sighed. "To tell you the truth, I don't think he will be able to!"

Had he answered with an unequivocal no, Yang Ruiyi might not have believed him. But this response instead made him study Li Ximing closely.

He walked a couple of steps, and asked with a grave expression, "How much longer does he need?"

Li Ximing remained silent for a long time. After struggling to make an estimate, he finally replied, "Perhaps... six or seven years..."

Judging by Li Zhouwei's cultivation speed, his Immortal Foundation should already be complete, and he should now be elevating his Shenyang. Six or seven years was neither particularly fast nor slow, and was even a somewhat conservative estimate.

Yet Yang Ruiyi frowned. "We cannot wait that long. Five years at most. He must emerge from seclusion by then, or even I will not be able to hold them back!"

Li Ximing was startled. Yang Ruiyi, however, realized that his tone had been rather harsh and sighed. "Brother Ximing is in a difficult position as well."

His expression then grew slightly grave as he asked, "With the formations on the lake behind you, how long do you think you could hold out against Guangchan?"

Li Ximing asked quietly, "Just how capable is this Guangchan?"

Yang Ruiyi paced a few more steps and replied softly, "He can be compared to Zhelu. He is among the very finest Maha among Buddhist cultivators. By my reckoning, he should now be in his Fifth Incarnation, and he is highly favored by the Dharma Master. An ordinary cultivator who has merely crossed into the middle stage would be no match for him."

Li Ximing's heart immediately sank. An ordinary mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator was roughly equivalent to a Third or Fourth Incarnation Maha. Only after crossing the Purple Mansion Threshold and undergoing that enormous leap in strength could one reliably suppress a Sixth Incarnation Maha. By the Eighth Incarnation, a Maha would already be comparable to someone who had perfected their divine ability.

Li Ximing did not overestimate himself in the slightest. He merely shook his head and said, "With the grand formation at my back, I could still hold off an ordinary mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator for a while... But the spirit treasure in my possession is currently being used to safeguard a junior's cultivation. I am still far from capable of facing Guangchan."

Yang Ruiyi clasped his hands behind his back and asked, "Could the Daoist Masters of the Qusi faction lend you a hand?"

Li Ximing knew that he was referring to Kuang Yu, Guo Nanwu, and the others, and repeatedly shook his head.

At last, Yang Ruiyi sighed and said, "I have Tinglan assisting you at Mushroom Forest Plain, which should have been enough, but Qing Jifang is still secretly eyeing the area... How about this? I'll have Sima Yuanli stay with you at the lake..."

Li Ximing's eyes brightened, but Yang Ruiyi looked at him gravely and continued, "If everything proceeds as expected, Guangchan will not remain at the lake for more than four hours. Once we break into Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain, he will have no choice but to return. Zhaojing only needs to hold out against him for four hours."

Li Ximing's expression gradually steadied as Yang Ruiyi lowered his voice and said, "I have only one condition... Once Guangchan retreats, Zhaojing must cross the river with the two Daoist Masters and seize the White River Stream region."

A trace of worry appeared on Li Ximing's face when he heard this. Only after a long while did he reply, "If Guangchan leaves me gravely wounded and I have been pushed to the brink of death, then forgive me, but I cannot risk my life to press onward!"

Yang Ruiyi stared at him in silence. After an indeterminate amount of time, he finally said, "This concerns how much breathing room your esteemed family will have in the future, as well as our cooperation going forward. We will only have this one chance to catch them off guard. Zhaojing, weigh it carefully for yourself."

Li Ximing merely cupped his hands in acknowledgment, indicating that he understood, but deep down, hesitation and doubt still lingered.

General Yang seems to favor my Li Family in everything... Yet even Yang Zhuo himself has always been lukewarm toward my family. Why are we receiving such preferential treatment from him? Is this attack on the north truly a rare chance to catch them off guard...

His heart heavy with thought, Li Ximing soon took his leave. Yang Ruiyi remained seated in the hall for a long time. After an unknown length of time, a patch of dim light emerged from the great void and drifted down onto the desk.

It was actually a black jade slip. Across its surface was a line of small, pale golden words brimming with metallic qi.

Fellow Daoist Yang, I have arrived at Lake Xian.

Yang Ruiyi silently stared at the jade slip for a while before finally picking up his brush.

He wrote, Remain calm and do not act rashly.