A gentle woman's voice came through, laughing as she said:
"Rarely do I see you, Er Lang, so interested."
The girl with the dragon and phoenix appearance raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Naturally, it is because I have encountered a talent of the world, just like discovering a rare flower. I always want to bring such a person under my command and into my fold. Speaking of which, it was your second brother who found such a person for me outside."
"Back then, taking you from your elder brother and bringing you into my residence was indeed the right decision!"
The girl grinding ink blushed slightly and said softly, "Second Miss, you only know how to talk nonsense."
The girl smiled sweetly and said, "Anyway, I am pretending to be a boy outside, and I need you to help cover for me. Let’s not talk about this. Wu Gu, you continue grinding the ink. I will go find my elder brother and father. The world is changing, and such a good opportunity cannot be missed."
She adjusted her attire, wearing a white round-collared robe, the hem embroidered with large peony patterns in gold thread. A skilled craftsman had woven a crown from golden threads. With a pair of phoenix eyes and a red vertical mark on her brow, she walked with an upright posture, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword, exuding a spirited aura.
Her father and elder brother were discussing important matters.
After the girl entered, she expressed her suggestion, but just as she proposed sending a fierce general with a small elite cavalry to battle, she was interrupted. The current Duke of Longxi frowned slightly and sighed, "National affairs should not be treated lightly."
The girl paused, stepped forward, and pointed at the topographic map, saying:
"Now, the Tuyuhun are taking advantage of the Southern Dynasty's defensive changes and have already marched south. The Western Regions are vast, but they lack sufficient fertile land. The terrain in the Western Regions is complex, and facing the heavy cavalry of the Northern Turks, they also lack enough vertical depth."
"Whether for self-preservation or to accumulate strength, they will certainly seize this area of the Chen Kingdom. Currently, the Ying Kingdom and the Turks are in a standoff to the north, and the Dangxiang people are lying in wait. For them, even if there is danger, they will not give up this piece of fat meat. Father, the opportunity is right before us."
The Duke reprimanded, "Absurd! National affairs, how can we be like a child such as you?"
"In the past, you disguised yourself as a man, rode horses, and traded with various nations, even bringing the daughter of the Changsun family into your residence to raise. I have allowed you to do so. My daughter should not be timid like others, embroidering and playing the zither. But how can you be so arrogant, meddling in national affairs at such a young age?"
A refined young man beside them laughed:
"Er Lang, at your age, do you understand military strategy and the greater situation?"
"Come, elder brother has brought back some fine items from the capital, crafted from ivory and quite exquisite. I will give them to you."
The Li family of the Duke's residence has the surname Ji, as their ancestors were granted the national surname, hence the Ji surname.
Her elder brother's formal name is Ji Jianwen, but he can also be called Li Jianwen.
At this moment, he teased his younger sister, handing her a trinket and laughing, "Come on, at fifteen for boys and thirteen for girls, we can discuss marriage matters. You should go paint and play the zither. The national situation, my third brother and I can assist father."
The girl looked at her father earnestly and said:
"Only eight hundred cavalry, father, if it succeeds, it would be greatly beneficial. Why not give it a try?"
The Duke frowned, hesitating in his heart.
Li Jianwen said, "At such a time, to rashly send troops, how can we have such military strength?"
"And who can bear such a responsibility?"
The Duke exhaled, his cautious nature causing him to hesitate for a while. Ultimately, he decided to be prudent, waving his sleeve and reprimanding, "Children's talk should be avoided in national affairs. Do not be reckless, Er Lang, do not speak further."
The girl finally clasped her hands and left.
Li Jianwen watched his sister depart, seeing her extraordinary demeanor and captivating presence. For some reason, a hint of jealousy arose in his heart towards this sister of unmatched grace, as if whenever they stood together, his own brilliance was overshadowed by hers.
The girl returned to her room, thought for a moment, and began donning armor.
Beside her, Changsun Wugu, who was grinding ink, asked in confusion:
"Er Lang, weren't you just rejected?"
The second Miss of the Li family raised her eyebrows and said:
"It doesn't matter. If they refuse, I will go out myself."
Changsun Wugu was quite puzzled and said, "But didn't they say the generals cannot execute the plan?"
"Divine General?"
With a red vertical mark on her brow, the girl with phoenix eyes slightly raised her eyebrows and said:
"I am the Divine General!"
Having just turned fourteen, the phoenix donned black armor, holding a long spear in her right hand, and said, "Xiao Wuliang can go to battle at thirteen; am I not as good as him? I am also a natural法相 and have already reached the third level of cultivation. In this world, I can already serve as a general."
"If father and elder brother ask, just say I am feeling stifled and have taken a group out to hunt."
When this news reached the Duke, he was taken aback.
He inquired how many people she had taken, and the minister replied it was three hundred.
Thus, the Duke felt relieved, sighed, and smiled at his eldest son, "Jianwen, your second sister has a fierce temperament and has been angered. However, three hundred people can accomplish what?"
"Let her be."
At this moment, the Duke was quite fond and concerned for his children, advising:
"Remember, do not go too far."
"Be careful."
The phoenix of the Duke's residence agreed and dashed out, but no one knew that she would not return even in her twilight years.
A fourteen-year-old who dared to lead troops into battle is a rare existence in history.
And for this Er Lang of the Longxi Li family, it was a matter of course.
As night fell, the stars rose in the sky.
The Tuyuhun's battle line had reached the borders of the Southern Dynasty, having sharpened their blades and prepared for years, waiting for this moment.
Yet, no one expected that the Seven Kings of the Turks would quietly appear at this moment, taking the upper hand over the Tuyuhun. The western winds blew down, and the Broken Army, leaning on his war spear, grinned as he looked towards the Western Regions. Behind him, the so-called King of Heavy Cavalry, the Iron Floating Tower, readied his cavalry spear.
The guiding elder rode a thin horse, trembling in the night wind, and approached the Broken Army.
The region where the Turks resided was high in elevation, but the area bordering Tuyuhun was difficult to traverse.
Unfortunately, this Broken Army had stolen the war spear from the sacred mountain of the Dangxiang people and had fled through the Western Regions, reaching the Turkish grasslands. He knew this path, and now, this path would become the reason for his escape in the Western Regions.
Riding exotic beasts, both man and horse were clad in heavy armor, the knights were warriors of the second level.
They were the centurions of the grasslands.
Elite, heavy armor, exotic warhorses.
Ultimately transformed into a steel behemoth, weighing a full ten thousand jin, charging forward in formation, the ten-thousand-jin monster rushed ahead at an incredibly high speed, its hooves pounding the ground, shaking it enough to break through city gates, the undisputed king of armored heavy cavalry that had ravaged this battlefield for three hundred years.
It was not until twenty-two years ago that the old general of the Chen Kingdom, General Zhou, bloodily fought with a hooked lance to break the heavy cavalry, defeating the Turks, which slightly tarnished the reputation of this king of heavy cavalry. The people of the Central Plains proved their bravery and valor, forcing the Turks to retreat.
Afterward, that great general returned to the capital from Jiangnan, his grace unmatched. However, fifteen years ago, when King Puyang rebelled, this general, who had stabilized the nation, had already succumbed to hidden injuries after killing the then commander of the Iron Floating Tower, passing away early.
Otherwise, if this tiger, who had roamed the battlefield for decades, were still alive, there would be no regent in the Chen Kingdom. Unfortunately, history is merciless; renowned generals and beauties rarely meet a good end. The Broken Army licked his lips, gazing at the distant Western Regions.
Today's wind carried a bloody scent.
He raised his war spear, on which hung a banner. The flag bore neither names nor patterns, only the stars of the sky, as if the Seven Stars of the White Tiger were rising in the west. This was a banner passed down through generations, even placed alongside the battle flag of the Seven Kings.
The Broken Army grinned, his palm gripping the spear, gently tapping his chest.
Behind him were the Seven Stars of the White Tiger that had risen to the sky.
He thought to himself.
My lord, this is my first battle to make a name for you.
The guiding elder felt the murderous aura of the soldiers making his body tremble and said, "Aren't you afraid that the Seven Kings of the Turks won't allow you to return by holding another person's banner?"
The Broken Army looked at him.
The elder hesitated for a moment but lowered his voice and said, "The Turks are greedy; the more heroic figures among them are, the more they wish to keep everything for themselves. If you display your strategy and fail in the Western Regions, they will kill you. But if you succeed, they will certainly use gold and jewels, beauties to win you over."
"If you still wish to leave, they will still kill you and throw you into a pot to cook."
"Even if they burn you to death, they won't let you return to the Central Plains."
The Broken Army looked at the guiding elder and smiled:
"It doesn't matter; I naturally have ways to make him obediently send me back."
"If I can't even do this, I am not worthy of being called the Broken Army."
"At night, we will go down to kill, without supplies, using the cattle and sheep of the Tuyuhun as provisions, plundering their land..."
He said, "I am not skilled in slaughter; the efficiency of slaughtering is too low."
"The battlefield, the battlefield is my true home. Let heroes kill heroes, let heroes kill heroes. The flames of chaos will naturally ignite the greatest hero capable of subduing the world. Only then can there be true peace."
"The ideals of the Yaoguang lineage are too naive; the peace of this world can only be forged through blades and guns. Before that, we are all blood-stained thugs."
The Iron Floating Tower moved, these machines of slaughter charged towards the Tuyuhun tribe, heavy iron spears wrapped in internal energy, tearing through walls and wooden stakes, piercing through all who dared to resist, then tossing them aside. The bloody scent was thick, and the elder trembled, watching the handsome strategist take a deep breath, his face intoxicated.
Then suddenly, he shouted.
This calm and clever strategist drew the long spear beside him.
He actually joined the battlefield.
The old guide was dumbfounded, urging his horse, "You, you, you, weren't you not skilled in slaughter?"
The Broken Army replied, "Not skilled."
"But I really enjoy it."
"Which strategist doesn't want to join in their own plans? How can I let those warriors gain fame? My lack of skill in slaughter and my enjoyment are two completely different matters, ah hahahaha."
He laughed heartily, solemnly declaring in the battle array:
"Lord of the Western Chen, master of war."
"Endless in the long sky, the origin of the overlord."
Then, with the long spear in his hand, he pierced through a resisting Tuyuhun warrior, the fiery light in his eyes was blood-red, like a tyrant burning the world, handing over a torch and oil to a madman.
As the emperor of the Southern Kingdom embraced the waist of a beauty, listening to the zither with his officials, the phoenix of Longxi flapped its wings, the accumulated sharpness of the Tuyuhun after eight years descended upon the Southern Kingdom, the Dangxiang people suppressed their blood feud, and the battle flag of the White Tiger Clan rose again under the starry sky after five hundred years.
The iron hooves of the Iron Floating Tower shattered the dreams of the Western Regions' overlord.
The great situation of the world shattered in this peaceful night of the Southern Dynasty, amidst the whispers of beauties in the ears of the Chen Kingdom's emperor, the beautiful and gentle zither music of the Southern Dynasty, and the fierce winds of Longxi all converged in this world.
That night, Li Guanyi suddenly opened his eyes.
In the sky above, the Seven Stars of the White Tiger shone brightly.
The White Tiger法相 manifested directly and naturally, then roared towards the sky, as if responding to something. This time, without needing Yaoguang to say it, Li Guanyi saw the fourth star of the Western Palace shining brightly. The White Tiger法相 could not suppress its ferocity; it raised its head and roared, starlight falling and then reflecting back into Li Guanyi's body.
As intense as fire.
"This is... what Yaoguang said?"
"The second son of the Duke's residence, could it be that he truly ascended?"
"He chose my strategy, and then my fate intertwined with his, so the changes in the starry sky indicate that I am the mastermind behind all this?"
"Western chaos, White Tiger overseeing the soldiers?"
"I have become the mastermind?"
Li Guanyi reacted.
The internal energy in his meridians began to surge violently, naturally refining according to the methods of the Jade Arm Divine Bow Technique and the Tiger Roar Bone Tempering Technique—changes in the great situation of the world would cause alterations in the starry sky, producing omens, and the starry sky of the Seven Stars of the White Tiger was closely related to the White Tiger法相, naturally providing a feedback akin to star light refining the body.
Never before had there been such a young person at such a realm, causing the great situation of the world to shift like the White Tiger Clan.
The degree of feedback for the generations of the White Tiger Clan had never caused ripples.
But for Li Guanyi, it was far too intense.
He felt the internal energy surging wildly, rapidly circulating, and faintly, it seemed he was about to break through.
However, the White Tiger法相's eyes were crimson, seemingly immersed in a dream of slaughter and battle. At this moment, breaking through might have side effects. Li Guanyi clenched his right hand, the Red Dragon法相 sang long, controlling the White Tiger法相, while the Mystic Turtle leisurely lay on the White Tiger法相.
He did not allow this aura to erupt.
But this was only a temporary obstruction; such interception was a hard block, and the eventual degree of eruption might be even greater.
In the face of such a strong omen of his impending breakthrough.
Li Guanyi's first reaction was not to seek out Xue Laoshi.
Instead, he mounted his horse and directly left the Xue family. The sky was already dark, and the gates of Guan Yi City had closed, but the side door was still open. The city guard was about to reprimand Li Guanyi when he recognized the unique horn belt that only sixth to third rank military officials possessed, shivering in fear and daring not to stop him.
He opened the side door, allowing the young man to gallop out of the city.
His meridians ached, the roar of the White Tiger was fierce, and due to the turmoil in the Western Regions, Li Guanyi's realm was too low, the young man was affected, and in his ears, he seemed to hear the whistling of swords and blades, seeing images of slaughter and battlefields. As his consciousness immersed in this dream of slaughter, relying on his last bit of rationality, he rushed into the place where Yaoguang was.
The girl knelt in front of the campfire.
A bun was skewered on a wooden stick.
She attempted to learn Li Guanyi's method, with honey and milk beside her, dipping the roasted bun in honey, her expression blank but her eyes filled with anticipation, holding it in both hands, opening her mouth slightly.
The sound of hooves thundered!
Li Guanyi burst in.
"Yaoguang!!!"
The wind stirred, causing the campfire and the girl's hair to flutter slightly. She looked up at the bright Seven Stars of the White Tiger in the sky. The White Tiger Clan galloped in, with the campfire and stream before him, bright stars overhead. The young man reined in his horse, his brows raised.
The girl took a bite of the bun.
Crunch.
Then she knelt in front of the campfire, holding the roasted bun in both hands, her emotions stable, expressionless as she looked at Li Guanyi.
Li Guanyi's previously tense nerves relaxed, and he suddenly laughed.
The young man dismounted.
Sitting cross-legged in front of the campfire like a martial general, he reached out and pulled the roasted bun from the girl's mouth.
It took a couple of tugs to get it down.
Then, pressing his hands on his knees, he said:
"Yaoguang!"
"I am about to break through, so I came to find you."
(End of chapter)