A Century Early in the Battle of Dou Qi

Zhao Li casually made up an identity to get past the situation.

Hearing this, Zhao Yannian's eyes lit up and he asked, "Since Brother Ye calls himself a Wandering Cultivator, you must have been to many places, right? Could you tell me about some good places to visit in the Great Qian territory?"

Zhao Li glanced at him but didn't reply. Instead, he pointed to the small path ahead and said, "Little brother, there's a village ahead. I'll rest my feet there. Let's part ways here."

Within the range of his Soul Power, an area of a hundred thousand miles held almost no secrets for him. Naturally, he saw the village within it, which was slightly different from the outside, so he decided to go in and take a look. Saying this, he turned onto the small path.

As expected, Zhao Yannian followed. He had no specific destination anyway, just going wherever he ended up. With his Master backing him, he wasn't afraid at all.

Both sides of the small path were full of maple trees. The bright red leaves drifted down with the wind, rustling as they fell onto the path.

After winding for several miles, the small path led to a dense bamboo forest. Even though it was approaching deep winter, it remained green.

Passing through the bamboo forest, the view suddenly opened up. In front of Zhao Li was a relatively wide, flat area.

Zhao Li looked over and saw several large pots set up in the area. Some villagers stood around in twos and threes, chatting and laughing, while others were adding firewood under the pots.

Seeing Zhao Li and the other person, an old man led a few young men forward and asked, "What brings the two of you to Huang Family Village?"

Zhao Li cupped his hands and said, "We were traveling leisurely and saw that it was getting late, so we wanted to borrow your esteemed village to rest our feet. Is there a happy occasion here?"

The old man smiled, nodded, and said, "Tomorrow, my granddaughter and the village's Mister will be tying the knot. It's fate that the two of you arrived in the village at this time. Since that's the case, why don't the two of you stay and have a cup of wedding wine?"

The old man briefly explained the situation to them.

Zhao Li nodded, cupped his hands in congratulations, and said, "Then I thank you, elder. Congratulations, congratulations."

"Dazhuang, arrange lodging for our two distinguished guests."

Hearing this, the old man's face broke into a wide smile, filling his entire face. All his laugh lines appeared at once, and his eyes and brows were full of warmth as he spoke to the young man behind him.

Although the old man was enthusiastic, Zhao Li still sensed a hint of wariness deep in his eyes.

He didn't think much of it; it was just human nature.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhao Li followed the young man named Dazhuang, not forgetting to call out to Zhao Yannian.

"Little brother, let's go."

Hearing this, Zhao Yannian withdrew his gaze from the large pots and quickly followed Zhao Li's footsteps. Since entering the village, he hadn't said a word, as if he had become a different person.

Under the cover of night, walking along the small paths in the village, they could occasionally hear laughter coming from the houses along the roadside.

After walking for about a mile, Dazhuang stopped in front of a two-story small building and said, "You two, please bear with staying at my house for a night."

Saying this, he pushed open the main door, and Zhao Li and the other person walked in. It was extremely spacious inside.

After arranging lodging for the two of them, he said he still needed to go back and prepare the dishes for tomorrow and then left.

Seeing Dazhuang disappear into the night, Zhao Yannian's eyes flickered. He followed Zhao Li into his room and asked in a low voice, "Brother Ye, did you notice anything strange about this village?"

Although he hadn't traveled much, he wasn't completely ignorant of the outside world.

Normally, a village of twenty or thirty households, even with heaven's favor, would only have one or two Dou Disciples among a hundred or so people. The vast majority would remain in the Dou Qi Stage their entire lives, unable to break through.

But along the way, he had actually sensed several auras that could faintly pose a threat to him.

Although Zhao Li also knew there had to be something unusual here, he didn't know the specifics. He feigned confusion and asked, "Oh? What's strange?"

Zhao Yannian gave a wry smile and didn't reply for a moment. He couldn't just say that he thought the village shouldn't be this strong. What if he was just assuming things?

Seeing this, Zhao Li smiled lightly and said, "If you feel something is off, it's best to leave early."

Zhao Yannian was somewhat tempted, but looking at the already dark sky outside, he dismissed the idea of leaving. Moreover, driven by curiosity, he was also interested in seeing if this village held any secrets.

Then, he returned to his own lodging.

The next day, the weather was beautiful, with plenty of sunshine!

As night turned to day, the not-too-harsh sunlight filtered through the dense forest, dappling into scattered points of light that dispelled the chill in the mountain village.

Zhao Li finished his cultivation, flashed back to the village, and saw the villagers gathering in twos and threes towards the open area.

Arriving at the area, smoke curled up from the chimneys of a few houses near the space, and the laughter of women could be heard from within.

Under the large pots near the edge, the firewood continued to burn. After simmering all night, the aroma from the pots could already be smelled.

Beside the large pots, several tables were set up. Some people were playing finger-guessing games and drinking, others were betting on insect fights, and it was extremely lively. There were even dice and Pai Gow...

"If they added a few mahjong tables and some poker, it would be exactly the same."

Seeing this familiar scene before him, Zhao Li's thoughts drifted to the day his sister got married in his previous life. This thought couldn't help but rise in his heart.

He gently shook his head, clearing his mind. After watching for a while, Zhao Yannian arrived late.

It seemed this harmonious and lively scene dispelled the doubts in his heart. He no longer had the idea of leaving and quickly reverted to his naturally familiar disposition, blending in with the crowd.

"The bride is here!"

Soon after, a loud shout came.

The crowd instantly parted, all looking in the direction of the sound. The children even scrambled up the small hill by the roadside, just wanting to see what the usually beautiful sister in the village looked like today.

Zhao Li looked over. The woman wore a large red wedding gown, seemingly heavily made up. Holding up her skirt, she walked gracefully, truly worthy of the description: 'Her feet stepped on silk slippers, her head shone with tortoiseshell. Her waist was like flowing white silk, her ears adorned with bright moon earrings. Her fingers were like peeled scallion roots, her mouth like it held cinnabar. Her steps were delicate and slow, her exquisite beauty unparalleled in the world.'

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, then it grew lively again, with people discussing and offering blessings in twos and threes.

Many of them had watched the bride grow up. Now that she didn't have to marry far away and could have a good home, they were naturally happy for her.

"Hmm? They're here!"

Zhao Li's expression turned serious. He withdrew his gaze and looked beyond the bamboo forest.

Over there, several figures were speeding towards them. Further away was an armed army, holding long spears, their iron armor gleaming coldly.

Soon, the others also heard the commotion, and their faces changed drastically.

The Village Chief's expression was solemn. He walked in front of his granddaughter, shielding her behind him, then stared intently at the village entrance.

Not long after, two figures passed through the bamboo forest and appeared before everyone.

The man walking in front wore a sky-blue brocade robe, belted with a jade sash. Against the sunlight, the sky-blue brocade robe seemed to be covered in a layer of frost.

He walked slowly, his steps steady, his gaze arrogant, revealing an imposing aura of sharp dominance, making everyone know he possessed supreme power, capable of life and death.

But the people in the village overlooked him, their eyes uniformly fixed on the young man beside him.

The Village Chief already had a guess in his heart, but he still somewhat refused to believe it. He asked:

"A Niu, what's going on?"

Meeting the gaze of the many villagers, the young man named A Niu felt a heavy pressure. His eyes darted away, and he slowly lowered his head.

Seeing this, the man in the ornate robe took a step forward, chuckled, and said coldly:

"Old man, you should know what the situation is now. Hand over the Divine Technique, and I will allow you to continue existing. Otherwise, with the army at your doorstep, under the iron cavalry, your families will be destroyed and your people killed."

Today should be the end.

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