Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 914 - 754: Don’t Touch the Horse’s Butt

Chapter 914: Chapter 754: Don’t Touch the Horse’s Butt

Just as the entire Beijing celebrated the splendid victory in the North with drums and joy thundering, Prince Yi, Yu Jianshen, far in Xi’an City, also received news from the North.

By that time, The Court’s army had gradually advanced toward the city of Xi’an from the north and east.

The secret spies that Prince Yi Yu Jianshen commanded were already few, with his intelligence network torn and barely intact.

Nevertheless, Jin’s northern expedition involved the hearts of people across the realm, and Yu Jianshen was keenly focused on this battle.

Although he was currently in a predicament, he could still manage to spare a dozen men to observe the situation in the North.

After receiving the reports from the north, Yu Jianshen secluded himself in the sleeping chamber, continuously sitting silently within the palace.

His complexion was pale, his eyes lifeless, his pupils lacking focus, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

It wasn’t until nighttime, sensing something amiss, that the Iron-faced Man, former Shaanxi Governor Zhuang Yi, and several trusted advisers from the prince’s court, came together waiting outside the sleeping chamber.

The faces of everyone present were also grim and troubled, as they too had received the news that Li Xuan had crushed Meng Wu at Podi Mountain, decapitating five hundred thousand enemies.

The situation in Shaanxi was already dire and bleak, and The Court’s grand victory in the North was undoubtedly adding frost to snow.

After the disastrous defeat at Podi Mountain, it was predictable that not to mention threatening the northern borders of Jin, even the survival of the Khan Court was in question.

Jin could then withdraw millions of border troops from the north and divert massive military resources for other uses.

This could make all ambitious persons within Jin territory silent as cicadas in winter, retracting their hearts of disloyalty.

Only late into the night did the great doors of the sleeping chamber violently open.

Yu Jianshen, appearing calm, walked out from the door. He looked at the few advisers in front of him and then chuckled, "What’s the matter? Did the County Prince Fenyang scare you?"

Taken aback, former Shaanxi Governor Zhuang Yi then showed a relieved expression. He thought to himself that this was indeed the wise lord he was willing to serve with all his heart.

"The battle at Podi Mountain indeed took me by surprise," said the former governor of Shaanxi, Zhuang Yi, as his complexion returned to normal. "One point is that Khan of Vala Yexian gave up their traditional combat tactics against the Central Plains’ army, and the second is that rebel Li Xuan dared to strike proactively in foreign lands, facing an enemy twice his size with four hundred and thirty-thousand troops and winning with minimal casualties."

The Iron-faced Man then spoke with a tense voice, "Yexian had to engage with Jin’s forces. The great drought on the steppe continues to this day, and soon it will be harsh winter. The Oirat People’s pastures cannot sustain millions of people and countless herds of livestock."

"Hence, the County Prince Fenyang is frightening. Ancient generals, skilled in military formations and able to use the terrain wisely, are deemed great generals. That County Prince Fenyang, however, understands the timing, knows the terrain, and masters the hearts of people."

Zhuang Yi sighed, "This man advanced his troops northward at the beginning of May, clearly having seen through the Oirat People’s vulnerabilities, possessing a comprehensive battle strategy with an assured victory."

His heart filled with anger, the greater the military merits Li Xuan earned, the more invincible he was in battle, the more it infuriated him.

This Prince Fenyang claims to be a Protector of Neo-Confucianism, does he not know where the true orthodoxy lies?

This man persists in aiding tyrants. Not using his unparalleled cunning and military might for the righteous path.

If only he could understand reason, stand with Prince Yi, and within three to five years, the realm could look forward to a golden age.

"I am actually quite pleased; after this battle, our Jin Dynasty can claim to have avenged its past humiliations."

While speaking, Yu Jianshen sat down on the steps, "To tell you the truth, when I first received the battle report, I was incredibly downhearted. But after careful contemplation for half a day, I realized that this battle has limited impact on Prince Yi’s mansion.

Consider this, after The Court’s campaign in the North, the main forces will inevitably be weakened. I predict that before early spring next year, The Court would not likely use border troops in Shaanxi. Then there’s Prince Fenyang, unbeatable in every battle he commands, yet precisely because of this, officials like Chen Xun would never allow him to manage Shaanxi’s military affairs again.

"Your Highness is profoundly insightful!"

The Iron-faced Man showed a look of admiration; he was as satisfied with Yu Jianshen’s nature and depth as he was surprisingly pleased with the prince’s wisdom.

"Prince Fenyang is like an unparalleled divine knife in the hands of The Court; it can hurt others as well as ourselves. If Chen Xun and the others do not want this divine knife to go out of control and wound its owner, they must not let him be drawn easily."

The corners of Yu Jianshen’s mouth slightly lifted, his voice filled with resonation, "Exactly! And even if Prince Fenyang comes, how would that matter? We have already bet everything we have, would we simply surrender if Prince Fenyang arrives? Prince Fenyang may be undefeated in every battle he fights, but I, Yu Jianshen, am also ready to stake my life and fight him."

He waved his sleeves, signaling the few advisers present to sit down, "You all came just in time, as I was about to discuss the upcoming situation with you and plan for our next moves. First of all, military morale—news from the North cannot be concealed, so we need to think of ways to stabilize the troops’ emotions—"

He was speaking when suddenly, a talisman paper flew in from afar.

Prince Yi Yu Jianshen, not very concerned, caught it in his hand, but no sooner had the talisman paper touched his hand than Yu Jianshen’s face turned shades of pale and white.

The Iron-faced Man initially didn’t care much, thinking, at this point, what more could be worse news than the battle at Podi Mountain?

But soon after, he saw a trickle of blood emerge from the corner of Yu Jianshen’s mouth.

It wasn’t long before the Iron-faced Man learned the reason for this.

A day before, Shaosiming had returned to the Jinque Palace and waged a great battle against Dasiming at the summit of Tian Mountain, resulting in the division of the palace.

In the end, Shaosiming controlled seven parts of the Heaven Palace, still ruling Tian Mountain. Dasiming, however, held only three parts, relocating the palace to Kunlun.

The situation was clear, it was a devastating defeat for Dasiming—

※※※※

Li Xuan learned the details of the battle at Tian Mountain shortly after he had slain Yexian.

He was somewhat disappointed that Yuan Taiwei had not fully succeeded, failing to capture the entire Jinque Palace.

This was because Yuan Taiwei was injured and lacked the strength to confront Dasiming directly.

Even though Yuan Taiwei had the help of Zhu Mingyue, Qiu Qianqiu, and Master Zhongliu, he still only managed to secure about seventy percent of the suspended floating islands of the Jinque Palace.

The second thing that Li Xuan regretted was that the "Book of Jinque" was not in the Palace, and it was unknown where Dasiming had hidden it.

This meant that the hundreds of immortal treasures and nearly ten fake divine treasures Yuan Taiwei had reclaimed from the Jinque Palace could not be utilized.

Most of these items had been integrated into the system of the "Book of Jinque." Only the officially sanctioned person of the Book of Jinque could access them, with only a few exceptions.

However, the fact that these immortal and divine treasures could not be used by Dasiming was considered a gain for them.

Moreover, the battle was not without gains: Yuan Taiwei had rescued six heavenly level subordinates from the celestial prison of the Jinque Palace, and gained the allegiance of five heavenly level individuals led by Si Shenhua, the Lord of Qinglong Palace.

This significantly reduced the pressure faced by the Liudao Fumo Division, allowing Yuan Taiwei, who was based in the Beitian Temple, to recover and then deploy these numerous heavenly level experts in the restoration of the First Emperor’s Seal.

Then there was another piece of news, which Li Xuan wasn’t sure whether to consider good or bad: Shaosiming had personally written him a talisman paper, preparing to borrow money from Li Xuan again.

This time it was eighty million silver yuan, to be repaid after three years, with a monthly interest of three percent per annum, using part of the Palace treasures as collateral.

Dasiming had clearly learned from the previous battle on East Island and had concentrated all the treasures of the Jinque Palace in her "Heavenly Mandate Divine Palace."

After the split of the Jinque Palace, this Heavenly Mandate Divine Palace remained under the control of Dasiming and was taken by her to Kunlun.

So Yuan Taiwei was still very poor, in fact, even poorer than before.

Most of the subordinates she had rescued from the celestial prison were also severely injured and urgently needed elixirs for aid.

The "Nine-square Divine Array of the Large Circle" of Jinque Palace was also severely damaged and in urgent need of repair.

Yuan Taiwei was clearly also uneasy about keeping this formation in its previous state.

Besides, she had to maintain twelve heavenly levels and hundreds from The Fourth Gate in the Jinque Palace, which required even more financial support due to its large size.

Li Xuan agreed without a second thought, as the money wasn’t being borrowed from him directly.

Borrowing money from The Court and then flipping it, he made several million silver yuan a year; why would he not do it!

Li Xuan also conveniently agreed to Yuan Taiwei’s request to change the collateral and retrieved the "Immortal Slashing Order."

The greatest value of the "Immortal Slashing Order" to him was the authority it granted to activate the "Zhoutian Stars Array," and now Mr. and Mrs. Yue had already replicated an "Immortal Slashing Order" for him.

Although this item did not have the extreme power of the true Immortal Slashing Order, the parts related to the Zhoutian Stars Array were completely embossed out.

Therefore, this item was not of much value to him anymore.

With a replicated Immortal Slashing Order in hand, Li Xuan could still command the Zhoutian Stars Array.

At this moment, he had already handled all matters after the battle at Podi Mountain and was feasting with his soldiers.

Li Xuan did not put on airs like a County Prince; he ate meat heartily, drank, and boasted just like everyone else.

However, he soon noticed that the generals in the tent were not very comfortable, looking very constrained.

Li Xuan immediately understood that it was no longer possible for him to blend in completely with the soldiers. This method of winning over the military’s heart was outdated for him.

He wisely chose a moment to leave, then visited each camp in turn, toasted the soldiers, spoke a few courteous words, and merely injected some motivational talks before considering it done.

As a result, the atmosphere in the camp was exceptionally lively; every camp was festive, singing and dancing.

And just after Li Xuan had visited the last camp, he left the camp alone, flew stealthily, and traveled about thirty li away.

This was a small hill by the river, where a snow-white, strong and graceful ’Dragon-blood Horse’ was lying next to a green rock at the riverbank, idly swishing its tail.

Seeing this, Li Xuan could not help but feel a surge of intense delight.

He thought as expected, Meng Qingfan couldn’t stay away from him beyond five hundred li. For a major battle like at Podi Mountain, Meng Qingfan couldn’t possibly ignore it.

The ’Divine Blood Thunder Phoenix’ also didn’t disappoint him this time, helping him find Meng Qingfan’s whereabouts.

With a movement of his hand, Li Xuan used the "Divine Power" of the Haotian Seal to conceal his aura, then stealthily advanced towards Meng Qingfan’s position.

"Damn it! My appetite has really become picky, I so want to eat that North Sea icefish, and crave those Yuhanzhu Shrimps; nurtured by the pure waters of North Sea, they are devoid of any fishy smell—"

When Li Xuan approached, Meng Qingfan was using her summoned flames to roast a few fish.

But Meng Qingfan looked listless, drooling while muttering to herself, "I can’t keep doing this! Qingfan, oh Qingfan, you must have some dignity, you must suppress these animalistic instincts. Otherwise, what will become of you? Where will you put your face?"

Li Xuan couldn’t help but laugh silently upon hearing this; he had already approached Meng Qingfan from behind and was about to speak.

However, Meng Qingfan suddenly sensed something, leapt up startledly, and violently kicked backwards with the back legs of the horse.

Li Xuan’s heart raced, instinctively bracing himself.

But with this kick, Meng Qingfan actually used the Qilin Sacred Technique and the Power of Temporal Order, instantly freezing the part of space-time behind her.

Li Xuan was completely unable to react in time, and before he knew it, he was kicked in the chest by those rear hooves, then soared through the air like a shooting star, flying far away.

At that moment, the only thought in Li Xuan’s mind was that indeed, one should never touch a horse’s rear.