Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 95 - 94 Planning an Escape
Li Xuanling had been doing hard labor in the fortress for over ten days, and while the slaves beside him were exhausted and lamenting nonstop, his Fetal Breathing second-layer Cultivation Level made the work a breeze for him. He just had to pretend to be both in suffering and fatigue.
These slaves ate and lived in an area enclosed by Shanyue, akin to a sheep pen, where feces and urine piled up like mountains, and the stench was unbearable. Around a dozen soldiers watched over them. On the very first night, Li Xuanling desperately wanted to kick off his shackles and sneak away, but he was still waiting for news from Li Jingtian and, as such, endured these many days.
It seemed these Shanyue were preparing to establish a large fortress here, to monitor and defend against the Li Family. Li Xuanling examined carefully and realized that escaping while out of the fortress transporting timber would be most convenient. He would be far from the experts within the fortress and could escape by killing a few soldiers without worrying about being caught by the few masters inside the fortress.
"It's easy for me to just leave, but it's very difficult for elder sister to escape."
Li Jingtian had been frequently going in and out of the tents these days, which made Li Xuanling extremely nervous. He constantly loitered around, looking for an opportunity to help Li Jingtian escape.
While moving timber around the fortress, Li Xuanling covertly surveyed the layout, but overheard two Shanyue witches murmuring beside him:
"We will start the journey back to Great Jue Court tomorrow, won't we?"
"Exactly... I've heard that our king plans to build a large Stone Platform at Great Jue Court. It's said to be for offering sacrifices to All Witches, to validate the achievement of unifying North Foothills..."
"Finally, after several hundred years of chaos, we are going to have days of peace."
Li Xuanling was taken aback and thought to himself:
"I must act, no matter what. Once the journey to the Shanyue's great city begins tomorrow, it would truly be a dead end with no route to heaven and no door to the earth!"
As he gently set down the timber in his hand, Li Xuanling brushed the Dharma Mirror hidden in his chest and immediately located Li Jingtian, hurrying to find a way to her.
In the mirror, Lu Jiangxian had a strange expression on his face. As Li Xuanling continued westward, a breath seemingly connected by blood slowly emerged in the distance.
"How can this be?"
Confusion filled Lu Jiangxian's mind as he felt that powerful presence in the distance, like a torch in the darkness, and he was profoundly shocked.
"Talisman Qi?!"
Deep in the mountains, the source was emitting the familiar breath of Talisman Qi, that profound sense of kinship immediately made him realize that it was a piece of Talisman Qi dispatched by the Dharma Mirror.
It wasn't the Grey Talisman on Li Xiangping's body, but a glittering Yellow Talisman.
Talisman Qi has grey, white, blue, yellow... corresponding to the cultivation realms of Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Zifu, Golden Core... This Yellow Talisman is formed only after the Dharma Mirror has received sacrifices and a vast amount of incense offerings during the Golden Core Stage.
As Li Xuanling moved slowly, Lu Jiangxian was able to establish a connection with that piece of Talisman Qi, yet he was filled with doubts and chose to remain silent.
"This..."
Lu Jiangxian pondered for a moment and a name slowly emerged in his mind.
"Immortal Mansion Descendant, Li Jiangqun!"
Then this thought was quickly dismissed, and more doubts arose in his mind.
"Li Jiangqun seems to have only Zifu Cultivation Level. When he was besieged, his actions were merely those of several Zifu Monks from the Three Sects and Seven Doors. How could he have dispatched a Yellow Talisman? Dispatching one isn't just about presenting the body of someone at the Golden Core Stage – it requires a living sacrifice of a demonic being and an enormous amount of incense."
Despite thinking hard, Lu Jiangxian couldn't understand it and vaguely sensed danger, thinking to himself:
"No matter what, I cannot easily go to Great Jue Court. There might be some demon or monster lurking inside. The matter with Li Jiangqun is a lesson from the past! The force targeting the Dharma Mirror is certainly not just the Three Sects and Seven Doors – there must be a greater power behind this."
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Li Xuanling had been fussing outside the tent for a long time when he finally met Li Jingtian. He switched tasks with the slave delivering water and slowly carried the water to the large tank, timing it to bump into Li Jingtian and her group.
Li Jingtian was draped in animal skin, accompanied by Jade Stone. She cast a quick glance at the clumsily water-carrying Li Xuanling and suddenly said:
"Hold on a moment."
The Shanyue followers around her immediately smiled obsequiously, listening to Li Jingtian say softly:
"Count him in."
Instantly, two Shanyue tribesmen stepped forward and escorted Lu Xuanling away. As he walked with his head down for a while, he overheard the two men laughing and saying:
"You're a lucky kid, a stranger's child. The commander has agreed to gift ten slaves to this little mermaid lady, and you're the first one."
Lu Xuanling realized then that Li Jingtian had also found a way to communicate with him, and he obediently went with them.
After a brief rinse, Lu Xuanling was stuffed into Li Jingtian's tent. The Shanyue paid no attention to etiquette, and Lu Xuanling, still dripping wet, stepped onto the mats and looked around, seeing only Li Jingtian, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Jingtian put down what he was holding and hurriedly approached, whispering in his ear:
"I've found out news about the Family Head!"
It turned out that during these past ten or so days, Li Xiangping had actually managed to hold off multiple pursuing forces and made his way west into the heart of Shanyue territory. He'd been seen moving between various Shanyue villages, rallying the Shanyue refugees who had nowhere to turn on Ganixi territories, causing turmoil throughout the area.
Ganixi, who was leading troops to plunder several families under the control of the Tang Jin Sect in the north, heard the news and ordered Mu Jiaoman to send troops back to suppress the unrest, hence the departure scheduled for tomorrow.
Lu Xuanling was stunned, raising his head in disbelief and murmured:
"What is the Family Head trying to do...?"
Quickly shaking his head to regain his composure, Lu Xuanling whispered:
"Never mind that for now! At the peak of dusk when the crescent moon is at its highest, I will be cutting wood far from the village to find an opportunity to escape. When I return to the forest on this eastern side and make a sound, you pretend to leave the tent to relieve yourself. I will kill the few Shanyue attendants around you and take you away."
Li Jingtian was taken aback for a moment, then replied softly:
"Is that possible? Watch out for Shanyue patrols."
"Don't worry!"
Lu Xuanling nodded and said in a deep voice:
"Over the past ten or so days, I've been observing the tents of the Shanyue Fetal Breathing Unit Generals. They won't be alerted."
Li Jingtian pondered for a moment, then nodded vigorously and asked softly:
"What if we startle a large number of soldiers...?"
Lu Xuanling hesitated, then muttered:
"Then I will leave you heading east, and I will lead them away."
Li Jingtian shook his head and said in a gentle voice:
"If I'm captured and brought back, Mu Jiaoman wouldn't do much, but your possession of the Spirit Aperture is far more important; nothing must happen to you."
Seeing Lu Xuanling looking down in silence, Li Jingtian opened his mouth, hesitant to ask:
"What if Mu Jiaoman himself comes after us...?"
"What if that Qi Cultivating General comes after us?!"
Lu Xuanling touched the Dharma Mirror tucked inside his clothes, unsure of the strength Mu Jiaoman possessed after a hit from Taiyin Profound Light, and said in a grave voice:
"The Shanyue are our family's sworn enemies, with unrestrained hair and tattoos, barbaric and rude. Falling into their hands, you and I would certainly face dire consequences. We might be defiled or exploited to blackmail our family."
Gazing deeply at Li Jingtian, Lu Xuanling clenched his teeth and declared fiercely:
"If it really comes to that! I'll kill you first and then take my own life!"
