When Li Molin, Liu Li, and the other two demons returned from Queqiao Town and arrived at the Beirong camp, they learned that the Beirong cavalry had now attacked the third checkpoint on the only road from north to south to Yingyang City, the Thorn Pass.
The Jingji Pass is bordered by the Jishan Mountains to the west and the Jing River to the east, hence the name Jingji Pass, which is a homophone of the mountain. The Jingji Pass is about six li long from north to south and ten li wide from east to west. The city wall is about ten zhang high and three zhang thick, with two city gates on the north and south sides.
The Jishan mountain range to the west of Jingji Pass stretches for about ten miles. The terrain is gentle and not particularly steep, but the dense forests make it unsuitable for large armies to march through. The Jing River to the east is the widest section of this river, about five miles wide.
The guard of Thorn Pass is Jiang Zuning, a descendant of Jiang Long, a famous general of the previous dynasty. Jiang Zuning is about thirty years old and is one of the few capable generals in the Great Sheng Kingdom.
Upon receiving news that the Northern Rong army was about to attack, Jiang Zuning and his soldiers adopted a scorched-earth policy, using only a force of about 10,000 men to hold off 30,000 Northern Rong soldiers and 50,000 surrendered soldiers from the Dasheng Kingdom outside the pass, relying on the easily defensible and difficult-to-attack Jingji Pass.
Since Yelü Yan led his troops to attack Jingji Pass, the pass has been impregnable by force, and the Northern Rong army has suffered heavy casualties. Three days have passed, and Yelü Yan has been summoning his generals every day to discuss strategies for breaking through the pass. Unfortunately, while his generals are all brave and invincible warriors, there is not a single strategist with wisdom and resourcefulness, and so far they have come up with no solution.
When Li Molin, Liuli, and the other two demons arrived at the Northern Rong camp, Yelü Yan was overjoyed. He took Yu Ke's hand and welcomed her into the central military tent. Liuli was stunned by his enthusiasm.
After observing the situation in Guanzhong, Yu Ke presented Yelü Yan with a perfect plan. Yelü Yan was overjoyed and held a grand banquet that night to entertain Li Molin and Liu Li. The banquet was lively and filled with toasts and laughter.
When the wine was half-finished, Liuli, who was sitting behind a table with Li Molin, suddenly took Ahua and went to Yu Ke and Ji Jue. She first said to Yu Ke, "Yu Ke, your young master is calling you, go quickly."
Yu Ke looked up at her suspiciously, then turned his gaze to Li Molin across from him, just in time to see Li Molin looking at Liu Li with a puzzled expression. After a moment's hesitation, Yu Ke stood up and said, "Okay."
Liuli quickly sat down in Yu Ke's seat and said to Ji Jue, who was still eating and drinking, "Ji Jue, stop eating, I have something to ask you!"
Ji Jue took a large gulp of wine, swallowed the food in his mouth, and mumbled, "What is it?"
Liuli took a piece of roasted meat from a plate full of sliced meat and ate it casually. While chewing, she mumbled, "Where's your axe? Where do you usually keep such a big axe?"
Ji Jue replied in a deep voice, "The weapons of my demon race are all bound to their masters by blood essence, and then placed in the dantian and nourished by demonic energy."
"Oh?" Liuli frowned and said, "Are all weapons like this?"
"Not exactly," Ji Jue explained in detail. "Demonic artifacts are divided into four levels, which are related to a person's cultivation. Someone with my cultivation level can only have low-level and mid-level magical artifacts recognize them as their master. Only people with higher cultivation levels can truly make weapons recognize their masters, such as high-level and top-level artifacts."
"What about the Binding God Rope?" Liuli pressed. "What level of demonic artifact is the Binding God Rope considered in your demon race?"
Ji Jue replied, "Of course it's top-notch."
Liuli breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask, "Where does your young master usually keep that Binding God Rope?"
Ji Jue, without any suspicion, readily replied, "Young Master has a storage bracelet, and the Binding God Rope should be placed inside... Although the bracelet is not a particularly advanced weapon, our demon race is not skilled in making storage treasures, so the bracelet on Young Master's hand is a rare item in the demon realm."
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Liuli subconsciously glanced at Li Molin's arm, but his sleeves were wide, and she couldn't see any bracelet. Her gaze shifted upwards, and she immediately saw Li Molin's probing eyes. Her eyes flickered a few times, and she quickly looked away.
Li Molin withdrew his gaze from Liuli, a smile playing on his lips. He leaned closer to Yu Ke and whispered, "Yu Ke, ask Ji Jue carefully later what Liuli said to him."
Yu Ke's face showed slight anger as he said in a deep voice, "That fool Ji Jue, if Miss Liu Li asks him, he will definitely tell her everything without keeping any secrets!"
"I've said it," Li Molin said calmly. "You don't need to blame Ji Jue."
Yu Ke paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."
After thinking for a moment, Liuli asked again, "Ji Jue, does that storage bracelet also require an incantation?"
"Of course." Ji Jue chewed his mouthful of food and mumbled, "Without the incantation, you can't take anything out."
"Oh..." Liuli frowned, pondered for a moment, and turned to Ji Jue, saying, "Ji Jue, if Yu Ke and Li Molin ask you what I asked you, you mustn't tell them!"
Ji Jue was stunned for a moment, forgetting to chew the food in his mouth, and said somewhat belatedly, "Did I...did I say something wrong again?"
"No." Liu Li looked at Ji Jue with a wicked smile and said, "But if you dare to tell Yu Ke or Li Molin that I asked you these questions, I guarantee you'll be punished! Even if they don't punish you, I'll have A Hua scratch you! Understand?"
"Meow!" Hearing this from Liuli's arms, Ahua cooperated by flashing its sharp claws and baring its fangs, letting out a fierce meow.
Ji Jue recalled the scratches Ah Hua had inflicted on his cheek, and a chill ran down his spine. His face fell, and he said with a pained expression, "Yes, I understand, young lady."
"Alright, I'm leaving." Liuli nodded in satisfaction, got up and ran back to Li Molin's desk, saying without any politeness, "Yu Ke, you can go back now, I want to sit here."
Yu Ke turned to look at Li Molin inquiringly, and only after seeing Li Molin nod with a faint smile did he stand up and say, "Yes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
