Chapter 147: Preparing for Battle

Any blade cherishes life. Seeing that I easily pursued him, he surely didn’t realize that my realm surpassed his.

So, he decided to confess everything.

“I belong to the Dong family. I came today to monitor your every move.”

To be safe, I asked again, even though I already knew some details.

“How many are coming tonight? What’s their strength? Which routes are they taking?”

I fired off several questions, and he answered each one.

“Around thirty, at least at the Spirit Blossom Realm. All of these Spirit Blossom Realm experts are masters invited from various sects, coming from three routes. The main road has the most people.”

It seemed the information from Cui Yuyao was accurate and quite detailed.

“So… should I leave now?”

He asked tremulously, but there was no way I could let him go.

“No.”

After saying that, I slashed his neck with a single stroke.

Since this was a desolate wilderness, it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to find the body. Let the wolves have their feast.

“Where to now?”

Chen Chen asked me, and I quickly replied.

“Let’s check out the other routes, get familiar with the situation.”

Naturally, they had no objections and followed behind me.

In truth, apart from this main road, I hadn’t explored the others much.

Since the mountain path on the left was nearby, I chose to scout there first.

We walked swiftly. Though I didn’t know the exact spots, we managed to find the path.

Near the left mountain trail, I realized this was the most defensible place.

The path circled around a mountain, ending at the summit, and the mountain trails themselves were difficult to traverse.

I glanced around. Although there were not many plants for concealment, if someone ambushed from either side of the path’s flickering shadows, it could trap the enemy completely.

After a thorough investigation, we understood the terrain well and then turned toward the back mountain trail.

The second elder often went that way, mostly to gather herbs.

Behind this mountain lay a river. According to old sayings, the front is yin, the back is yang, and this place produced many medicinal herbs.

The grass beside the trail was thick, so concealment wasn’t a problem.

Having surveyed all three routes and devised corresponding countermeasures, the four of us returned to the mountain.

At this time, Nangong Xi had already returned to his room, and the second elder calmly sat on a stone bench sipping tea. Seeing us back, he immediately stood and asked,

“How is it?”

I nodded and said,

“There’s a way to ambush on every route. Holding them off outside shouldn’t be a problem.”

The second elder grunted in approval, said nothing more, and went back inside.

Now, the stone table was occupied by the four of us, bored enough to nod off.

...

By six in the evening, sounds came from below the mountain.

Tianyang Mountain was not close. Even traveling by the fastest carriage, they couldn’t arrive so soon.

I only hoped we would reach before the Dong family’s arrival.

I also believed the Dong family wouldn’t foolishly come out before nightfall; they would wait until deep night to move in full force.

Perhaps because a fierce battle was imminent, the second elder didn’t prepare a grand feast, only a few simple stir-fried dishes for dinner. Nangong Xi didn’t come out to eat; I wondered what he was doing inside.

The second elder sat with Old Li, drinking quietly. The three of us paid little attention to their conversation.

“Sigh, Yao Ge, are you confident?”

Li Zijian picked up a piece of food and took a small sip of bamboo wine.

“I suppose so. Why, are you scared?”

Li Zijian didn’t react much to other things, but for him to utter 'scared' was impossible.

“Yao Ge, you don’t know me well. Although I, Li Zijian, am not powerful, if you let me fight, I won’t back down.”

I patted his shoulder, signaling him to continue eating.

After dinner, Old Li and the second elder kept chatting, as if they were old friends reunited after years, with endless topics.

After a while, footsteps echoed outside.

I immediately tensed, drawing my Snow Blade in an instant.

But it was a false alarm; it was the disciples from Tianyang Mountain arriving.

They passed through the grass in single file, each wearing a white robe, neat and orderly, looking like a well-trained unit.

I counted seventeen in total, all no lower than Spirit Blossom Fifth Grade, including some former senior brothers.

They smiled upon seeing me, and I quickly stood up.

At that moment, one more person emerged from the grass. I looked closely—it was the venerable elder I hadn’t seen for a long time.

“Oh, you’ve come, sir. Thank you for the trouble.”

Since we were asking for a favor, politeness was necessary.

“Hahaha... When did you start speaking so politely?”

I smiled slightly and invited the elder into the courtyard.

The yard wasn’t large and had few seats, so the disciples had to stand outside.

“Long time no see, brothers.”

Seeing the old comrades with whom I had shared countless days and nights filled me with joy.

One of them said,

“It’s only because Tianyang Mountain doesn’t have enough carriages now, or else all the disciples would be here, hahaha...”

Seeing the second elder and me still held some standing at Tianyang Mountain, but now was not the time for nostalgia. Night was approaching, and I had to make arrangements.

“We’ll split into three teams. I’ll lead the first team and select three disciples.”

“The second team, led by the elder, will ambush on the back mountain trail with seven men.”

“The third team, led by the second elder, will ambush on the left mountain trail with seven men.”

“Remember, no mercy for anyone from the Dong family. Kill if you can.”

These disciples hadn’t been active in a while and were both nervous and excited about the upcoming battle, just like me.

Checking the time, I jogged inside to change into my white brocade robe.

When I returned to the yard, the second elder was gone. The elder told me he had gone inside to prepare.

Nangong Xi also came out wearing a red robe, looking like a celestial being.

“Are you afraid?”

I whispered to Nangong Xi, who shook her head.

“With you all here, I’m not afraid.”

“When we move, be sure to stick close to the second elder and don’t get hurt.”

This time, Nangong Xi didn’t answer directly, only nodded.

With the sound of a door opening, the second elder stepped out.

I was surprised the first time I saw him dressed like this, as I had never seen him wear this garment before.

It was a gray-white robe, layered yet not hot, actually warm in winter and cool in summer.

The outer robe was embroidered, less ornate than mine but still imposing.

This time, the second elder had his hair tied up with a golden hairpin.

In his hand, he held a three-foot long sword, radiating an overwhelming aura.

As the second elder approached, I laid out my plan. After hearing it, both he and the elder agreed it was sound and prepared to set out.