Li Molin sneered, "With Emperor Rui's character, it's no surprise that the Central Plains are in chaos. With Yelü Yan and this Heavenly Gifted General, it's probably almost time for the Imperial Seal to be produced."
"Yes." Yu Ke nodded and said, "Young Master, there is another piece of news. Some clansmen said they saw Liang Yihan heading to Donghai Prefecture and also met Hai Linqin."
After a moment of contemplation, Li Molin smiled faintly and said, "He's trying to bring this force under the Jade King's command!"
“That’s right.” Yu Ke nodded and said, “That’s what I guessed too.”
Li Molin smiled faintly and said, "If Liang Yihan goes to recruit talent, we'll go too!"
"Young Master, are you referring to that demon?" Yu Ke asked.
“Indeed. The time has come, Yu Ke, it’s time for us to go to Bei Rong.” Li Molin said in a deep voice, “Release a few more Demon Feather Birds to monitor the situation in the palace, and be on guard against Jiang Tao’er tricking her into getting the Imperial Seal. If she really succeeds, we can seize it as soon as possible.”
Yu Ke nodded and replied, "Yes."
A faint smile slowly appeared on Li Molin's thoughtful face. He lowered his eyes and muttered to himself, "He said he'd come back when he was done playing, but it's been over twenty days and he still hasn't returned. Has he gone too far with his fun? In the end, I'll have to come and get him..."
Yu Ke listened quietly to Li Molin's whispers, her heart sinking. It seemed that Liuli was becoming increasingly important to Li Molin, which was not a good sign.
He sighed softly and shook his head helplessly.
--
Yin City is a small town within the territory of Moyan Prefecture.
This small town was not located in a strategically important military area of Moyan Prefecture, and its city walls were simple. There was no grain stored in the city, and the Northern Rong troops were not numerous to begin with. Therefore, no Northern Rong troops were stationed in this city to guard it.
Yincheng is close to Qizhou. Before the Northern Rong army passed through the city, Yelü Yan had already been warned by Shi Chan, so the people in the city did not suffer any looting or humiliation. Only a few livestock were captured and eaten by the Northern Rong army.
Liuli followed Shichan to Yincheng. Seeing Shichan's relaxed and joyful face upon seeing the city in peace, she herself inexplicably became happy as well. These past few days, wherever she went with Shichan, they often saw a scene of desolation. At those times, Shichan always wore a heavy and sorrowful expression, looking very unhappy.
They toured around Yin City, and along the way, they encountered a storyteller recounting a historical tale. Liuli listened with great interest for a while. Seeing that there was nothing in the city that required their help, Shichan decided to set off for the next destination. After much urging from him, Liuli reluctantly left, but she still seemed reluctant to go, turning back every few steps to look at the storyteller surrounded by a large crowd.
As dusk fell, Liuli, carrying Ahua, and Shichan walked out of the north gate of Yincheng, chatting and laughing. They walked side by side on an ancient road, intending to reach the next city or town before dark so they could rest.
These past few days, Liuli had been staying by Shichan's side. Her cheerful and lively smile kept flashing before his eyes, warming and softening his heart day by day. He was almost drowning in her smile, unable to escape. He wanted life to continue like this forever. He hoped she would always be by his side, that she would be right behind him in the blink of an eye. Perhaps that would be the greatest fortune?
Because she was right in front of him, he often forgot about the Bodhi Temple and Buddha. That would always make him feel flustered and at a loss, but whenever he saw her, he would unconsciously lose his usual composure and become unable to control his thoughts, making him seem like a completely different person.
Having walked halfway along an ancient path, Liuli, her face beaming with smiles, chattered on and on: "...The storyteller's tale was so interesting! How could he be so amazing? He could tell such vivid stories with just his mouth. It felt like I was watching from the sidelines!"
With a smile on his lips, Shi Chan replied gently, "Storytellers develop this skill from a young age. If you like it, young lady, we can listen to a storyteller whenever we encounter one."
"Right, you also think it's a pity, little monk?" Liuli gestured as she spoke. "You kept urging me to hurry up, and we only listened to a short part of the story. Why were you in such a rush? We could have listened to the whole story and rested in Yincheng later."
“I’m sorry, young lady,” Shi Chan said apologetically. “Moyan Prefecture is too big, and we haven’t been to all the places yet. I feel anxious thinking about the many people who are suffering. Only by rushing over as soon as possible and doing our best to help them can we feel a little more at ease.”
Liuli shook her head and smiled, "It's alright, little monk, let's hurry on our way to the next place!"
She ran forward laughing, then turned around after a few steps, calling out with a smile, "Little monk, hurry up, hurry up!"
"good."
Shi Chan smiled gently and quickened his pace to catch up with Liuli, but suddenly a black rope descended from the sky and silently bound Liuli tightly.
"Miss Liuli!" Shi Chan's expression changed. He quickly ran forward, trying to rescue the screaming Liuli. But when he was only a few feet away from Liuli, the rope suddenly shone with a bright black light and dragged Liuli into the sky.
The rope was moving incredibly fast. By the time Shi Chan looked up, it had already dragged Liuli far away, leaving only Liuli's angry scream: "The Binding God Rope! It's the Binding God Rope again!"
"Li Molin, you bastard, I'll steal your Binding God Rope sooner or later!"
Liuli's angry and shrill voice faded into the distance, and several streaks of black light disappeared into the dark horizon in the blink of an eye. Shichan stared blankly in the direction where Liuli had disappeared, wanting to chase after her, but unable to take a step. He wanted to stay, but felt a pang of sorrow, as if a piece of his heart had been missing.
After a long, long time, Shi Chan turned his gaze back to the ground. His eyes were lowered, his face sorrowful, and he murmured, "So be it... so be it. Miss Liuli has left, it's for the best..."
These past few days, he'd often felt guilty, afraid that his fellow disciples would discover he was traveling with a woman and misunderstand, accusing him of breaking the precepts. But if he really had to leave Liuli, he was extremely reluctant. He was caught in this dilemma, feeling uneasy and restless. Now that Liuli had been taken away, perhaps it was for the best.
Despite thinking this, the emptiness in his heart made him extremely uncomfortable, and he remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch until it was completely dark.
Finally, he raised his head, took a deep breath to suppress the feeling of loss in his heart, and began to walk slowly forward.
It was a cloudy day, with no stars or moon in the sky. An ancient road stretched out into the distance, seemingly without end, and only a tall, thin figure walked slowly along it. Perhaps it was the silence of the ancient road, or perhaps the darkness of the night, that figure appeared exceptionally lonely and desolate.
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