Chapter 30: Entering the City Once More
When Strategist Ji heard Li Yan speak with such apparent sincerity and obedience, he was deeply gratified.
"Perhaps once I'm recovered, I won't need to risk another trip into those deadly mountains. But… if this boy can reach the peak of first-level Qi Condensation quickly, and I break through to the fourth layer, I may still venture to the location marked on that map."
Having reached that conclusion, Ji rose to leave and focus on his recovery. But as he stood, he noticed Li Yan hesitating, as if he had something more to say.
He smiled slightly.
"Anything else?"
Li Yan's face showed visible conflict. After a moment, under Ji's prompting gaze, he seemed to muster his courage and said:
"Teacher, I… I'd like to make a trip into the city."
Ji's face, still smiling, froze slightly. His brow arched.
"Why?"
Seeing his expression shift, Li Yan quickly put on a look of apprehension.
"Please don't be angry, Teacher. It's not that I don't want to continue cultivating. I just… I wanted to send some silver back to my parents in the village, through someone I know in the city.
And… I've been shut in this valley for so long, my mental state has grown unstable. I feel that taking a walk outside might help me calm my heart and regain focus in cultivation."
Ji remained silent.
From his point of view, the ideal disciple would spend every moment of every day cultivating and even then, it wouldn't feel like enough.
But Li Yan's explanation was reasonable, and if he refused outright, the boy might grow frustrated or even rebellious. Cultivation with a troubled heart would only slow progress.
After weighing it briefly, Ji smiled and nodded.
"Very well, then. You may go. You've been secluded for a while, getting some air may do you good. Chen An and Li Yin will accompany you. They're familiar with the city and can assist you as needed."
Li Yan's unease had been real, he had no idea how Ji would react to his request.
If Ji had become suspicious, any future escape would be all but impossible.
So when he was granted permission, he was momentarily elated until the second half of Ji's response landed like a stone in his stomach.
He understood immediately: this wasn't for his benefit, it was surveillance. There was no doubt Chen An and Li Yin had been ordered to watch his every move.
Any hope of slipping away in the city now seemed incredibly naive.
Still, he kept a smile on his face and bowed.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Ji nodded.
"Go and prepare. I'll notify Chen An and Li Yin. If you need anything, just tell them."
With that, Ji turned and left.
Li Yan stood in silence for a while, then opened his chest and took out the silver he had stashed.
'All I can do now is take it one step at a time. If a chance to escape appears, I'll seize it. In any case, I must carry the silver with me. If I escape, I'll need it to survive. If not, I'll give it to Li Shan or Li Yu in the city to send home.'
When Li Yan reached the valley entrance, Chen An and Li Yin were already waiting, hands respectfully at their sides.
Behind them, the stone door to Ji's residence was shut, a black wooden sign hanging on the handle.
But Li Yan knew: if he attempted to escape now, Ji would appear instantly, no matter how deep in rest he seemed.
"Young Master, are we heading into the city now?"
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Chen An smiling obsequiously.
Li Yan sighed inwardly. One was slick and shrewd, the other rigid and meticulous. Escaping the eyes of these two wouldn't be easy.
"Let's go."
With that, Li Yan strode out onto the plaza beyond the valley.
"Young Master, shall we ride or walk?"
Chen An caught up and asked.
Li Yan stopped and looked back.
"Oh? We can ride? Why does the teacher always walk then?"
"That's just his personal preference," Chen An replied. "It's only about two li, not far even on foot."
Li Yan considered, then said, "Then let's ride."
"Yes, Young Master." The two bowed in unison.
Soon, Chen An and Li Yin returned from the woods with three strong, well-bred horses, clearly elite mounts from the military stables.
Li Yan stood in the plaza, glancing back at the characters carved on the gate: "Military Advisor's Mansion."
He felt like he was stepping back into the human world.
Though the plaza, the stone houses, the soldiers and servants looked unchanged, it felt like he'd passed into another realm, breathing a different air.
Indeed, spiritual energy outside the valley was nearly gone, the clear freshness in his breath now absent. But this air had something more precious, freedom.
The soldiers guarding the stone houses watched him. It was his third time out, but they still felt a sense of mystery around him.
Chen An and Li Yin helped him mount. Then, three horses clopped down the winding mountain path, flanked by towering trees now colored with late autumn's green-gold hues.
Sunlight filtered through thick canopies, dappling their path.
The sound of hooves echoed through the woods, clip, clop... clip, clop...
Though it had only been two months, Li Yan's mindset had changed drastically.
He now looked at the world beyond the valley as a vast sky, full of possibilities.
Whether he could truly fly free, that remained to be seen.
Before long, they emerged from the forest path and turned right onto the main road.
Riding north toward Great Qing Pass, Li Yan tried several times to subtly adjust his speed, hoping to create distance between himself and his escorts.
But his clumsy village-learned riding skills were no match.
Chen An and Li Yin, both clearly seasoned military men, kept up with him effortlessly.
Though Li Yan had now reached first-level Qi Condensation, he hadn't learned any actual immortal techniques, not even proper martial arts. At best, he had a few basic peasant-style moves.
He suspected he could enhance those moves with spiritual energy and possibly overpower them…
But it was broad daylight. To attack two uniformed imperial soldiers on a public road would draw even more attention, and only bring disaster.
Besides, it was only a guess that spiritual energy would boost his crude martial arts to deadly levels.
In the valley, he never dared test it, for fear Ji would sense it and grow suspicious.
Furthermore, both Chen An and Li Yin were clearly battle-hardened veterans. Even against one of them, Li Yan wasn't confident. Facing both at once? The chances of success were slim to none.
After several attempts to observe and test them discreetly, Li Yan had no choice but to abandon the idea of escaping outside the city.
The distance to the city was just over two li, on horseback it took only moments.
They passed numerous travelers and merincantation caravans also heading toward the city gate. Soon, the northern gate of Great Qing Pass came into view.
At the gate, two lines of armed soldiers were inspecting travelers and merchants entering and leaving the city.
Though the three riders weren't galloping, their pace was brisk enough to draw attention. Already, some gate guards were gathering with weapons drawn, staring them down warily.
Li Yan hadn't intended to draw attention, but being sandwiched between Chen An and Li Yin, he'd been pulled into their rhythm without realizing it.
Naturally low-key by nature, Li Yan tugged on his reins to slow down. But it was too late, the horses were already speeding toward the gate.
"Who dares ride so recklessly at the city gate? Are you looking to break military law?!"
One of the guards at the gate let out a sharp shout, drawing his saber with a cold metallic "clang" and leaping out in front of them.
Behind him, soldiers leveled long spears, their cold tips glinting threateningly, all pointed at the horses' necks and bellies.
Li Yan's eyes were dazzled by the sudden flash of steel. If his horse took even two more steps, he'd be skewered like a sugar-coated hawthorn on a stick, along with the horse.
Suddenly, a hand shot out beside him and yanked on his reins.
The three warhorses reared up with loud whinnies before stepping back and coming to a stop.
"Old Liu, you're a bit too hot-headed today! Hahaha…"
Chen An laughed loudly as he dismounted, while Li Yan saw that it was Li Yin who had pulled both his and Li Yan's reins to stop them.
The officer who had stepped forward narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, it's you 'Steward Chen' from the Military Advisor's Residence. What, planning to force your way through the gate now?"
His tone was mocking, even hostile.
"Come now, Old Liu. I went from a squad leader to a house soldier in the Advisor's residence. What's there to scold? I'm just escorting Lord Li into the city for some matters. It was Lord Li's horse that ran too fast. Don't take it to heart, don't take it to heart!"
"Lord Li? Which Lord Li?" The officer frowned, puzzled.
At that moment, Li Yan had already dismounted, deeply embarrassed by his clumsy riding, nearly causing a scene at the city gate.
As he let go of the reins and looked toward the officer, he recognized him and froze.
The officer was Liu Chengyong, the very man who had checked his identity the first time he entered the city.
Liu also hesitated, squinting as though he were trying to recall.
Then, Chen An tossed over a bronze badge.
"Here's Lord Li's credential."
Liu reached out and caught it, glancing down to see it was a Vice Commander of Resistance insignia, a much higher rank than his own ninth-rank position.
Startled, he immediately looked up at Li Yan again who now stepped forward, cupping his fists in a salute:
"Greetings, Captain Liu. I apologize for the earlier disturbance. My riding is unsteady and caused trouble for you all, please forgive me."
Liu stared at him, then his eyes widened in recognition.
"Wait, you're that kid from the Li family village in the Great Qing Mountains!"
The words slipped out before he could stop them. Realizing his mistake, Liu quickly saluted.
"Forgive me, my lord! I spoke out of turn. I await your punishment."
Li Yan was stunned, then turned uncertainly toward Chen An and Li Yin.
Li Yin said nothing, still holding the reins with a stern expression.
Chen An, more experienced and politically savvy, immediately stepped forward with a bow.
"My lord, please forgive Captain Liu's error. Did you two know each other from before?"
"Yes," Li Yan said. "He was the one who let me into the city the first time I came to enlist. But... why the sudden change in tone, Captain Liu?"
Chen An understood instantly. He leaned closer to Li Yan and said in a low voice:
"My lord, you now hold the title of Vice Commander of Resistance. Captain Liu is technically your subordinate.
The badge we showed him is yours. It had always been kept by Lord Ji since your appointment, since you seldom left the residence. He only gave it to me today so you could use it freely in the city.
Captain Liu spoke without recognizing your status, he didn't mean disrespect."
Chen An looked slightly worried. After all, Li Yan's recent temper had been unpredictable, and no one knew whether he'd lash out again today.
Besides, he and Liu Chengyong were old acquaintances, they had once fought side by side on the battlefield.
Back then, they both served in Battle Battalion B, Second Squad, and had risked death together more than once. Now, Chen An served Ji, while Liu remained loyal to Marshal Hong.
Li Yan finally understood. Though he knew he held a military title, he hadn't known how high it actually was.
It turned out he outranked Liu by several levels, though he was unaware that the post was purely symbolic.
Marshal Hong had granted it only as a favor to Ji, who didn't care much about titles to begin with.
Truth be told, even if Marshal Hong had handed over the title of Military Advisor itself to Li Yan, Ji wouldn't have objected but whether Li Yan would live long enough to enjoy the rank was another matter entirely.
(Chapter End)