A large ship with a dragon head carved on its prow sailed out to sea, followed by nearly a thousand ships of varying sizes, each carrying at least several dozen people, with the larger ones carrying over a hundred. Such a fleet size was truly remarkable for the Ming Dynasty, which had been under a maritime ban for many years.
Li Daoyi did not choose to travel by ship, but instead stood on his flying sword, circling and inspecting all the ships. Countless people couldn't help but look up at the sky, their eyes filled with reverence. This was an immortal! With an immortal in charge, this voyage was sure to be a triumphant return.
"Huh?" Just then, when Li Daoyi flew to the stern of the fleet, he seemed to hear someone calling out. He looked up and saw a small boat following them in the distance.
He was a young general, about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in armor. He was sitting on a small boat, rowing vigorously. The boat bobbed with the waves, but he was clearly strong, managing to keep up with the main force just by rowing.
"Did I miss boarding the boat?" Li Daoyi thought to himself. Then he flew towards the small boat.
Soon, the young man on the boat spotted Li Daoyi flying towards him and immediately dropped his oars and knelt down.
"This humble one pays respects to the Great Immortal," the young man shouted. His skin was dark, his face was covered in the marks of the sun, and his lips were chapped, indicating that he had just come from a long journey.
"Who are you? Where do you come from?" Li Daoyi asked.
"Reporting to the Great Immortal, my name is Qi Jiguang, a native of Penglai, Shandong. I am currently a military commander in Dengzhou Garrison. However, due to my mother's illness, I arrived a little late and missed boarding the ship," the young man explained.
Upon hearing this, Li Daoyi showed a surprised expression. Qi Jiguang? Qi Jiguang, the anti-Japanese hero? That famous general who was both a scholar and a warrior, comparable to Yue Fei? Li Daoyi carefully examined Qi Jiguang. Although his face was weathered, his eyes were bright and piercing, and his expression was resolute. He was tall and strong, which showed that he had practiced martial arts since childhood. Although he was only a third-rate martial artist, he was still a talented commander.
"Good lad, not bad, you're quite good, both scholarly and martial. The Ming Dynasty is very fortunate to have you," Li Daoyi laughed heartily.
Qi Jiguang was completely bewildered; he couldn't understand why the immortal would give him such a high evaluation.
Confused, he found himself floating. Qi Jiguang exclaimed in surprise and quickly grabbed his baggage and precious sword.
“Come on, I’ll see you onto the ship,” Li Daoyi said, grabbing the other man’s collar.
"Ah... thank... thank you, Immortal," Qi Jiguang stammered.
Soon, the two flew onto the dragon boat and saw Li Daoyi flying up with someone, which surprised Zhu Houcong and the others.
"Alright, open your eyes, we've arrived." Li Daoyi put Qi Jiguang down.
Yes, yes.
Qi Jiguang opened his eyes and was immediately startled. He saw that he was surrounded by people, one of whom was wearing a dragon robe.
"Thump." Qi Jiguang reacted quickly and instantly realized where he was.
"This humble general, Qi Jiguang, the Vice Commander of Dengzhou Guard, pays his respects to His Majesty."
"What is this, Daoist Master?" Zhu Houcong asked in confusion.
Li Daoyi then recounted what had just happened, moving everyone around him. To row a small boat into the sea all by himself—what courage that was!
"Very well, get up, get up. I am very pleased." Zhu Houcong was deeply moved and personally helped Qi Jiguang up.
"Your name is Qi Jiguang? Is your father Qi Jingtong?" Lu Bing stepped forward and asked.
"This humble general greets Commander-in-Chief. My father is Qi Jingtong," Qi Jiguang replied.
“Your Majesty, this son comes from a military family. His father once served as the commander of the Shenji Battalion in the capital, and he also fought against the Mongols and Japanese pirates. Unfortunately, he did not live long. I remember receiving a report from the court two years ago that Lord Qi had passed away. I was saddened for a long time at that time,” Lu Bing sighed.
"Thank you for your concern, sir. My father has also mentioned you to me," Qi Jiguang quickly replied.
"I remember now, in the nineteenth year of Jiajing's reign, he retired to his hometown, and I bestowed upon him a precious sword," Zhu Houcong said with sudden realization.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the sword," Qi Jiguang said, kneeling and raising the precious sword in his hand.
Zhu Houcong was even more moved at this moment, his eyes became moist, and he stroked the precious sword with trembling hands.
"Good, good, you're great."
"Your Majesty, this son is a man of both literary and military talent. If he is properly nurtured, he will be no less than Yue Fei of the Song Dynasty or Wei Qing of the Han Dynasty. He is a military genius," Li Daoyi reminded him from the side.
These words shocked everyone even more. Who was Li Daoyi? He was a god-like figure. How could his words be wrong? At this moment, everyone's gaze towards Qi Jiguang changed.
Zhu Houcong was overjoyed. As the saying goes, it is easy to find a thousand soldiers but difficult to find a general. Little did he know that a commander-in-chief is even more difficult to find. He never expected that Heaven would send him one.
They helped Qi Jiguang up again.
"Qi Jiguang, you are truly remarkable! I hereby appoint you as General. You shall lead the Ming Dynasty navy to conquer Japan in one fell swoop."
"hiss…"
Everyone gasped in astonishment. This was a promotion of five ranks in a row, reaching the rank of a second-grade official, and he wasn't even twenty yet.
"Your Majesty..." Qi Jiguang was also stunned and couldn't speak for a moment.
"What? You intend to defy the imperial decree?"
"This humble general obeys the order," Qi Jiguang said excitedly.
"That's right. If you don't understand anything, just ask Lu Bing." Zhu Houcong nodded in satisfaction. The reason he promoted him so much was firstly because he had a good impression of the man and found him to be loyal, but the main reason was Li Daoyi. Even the immortals said that he was a brilliant strategist, so how could he be stingy?
Over the next few days, Qi Jiguang completely won over the many ministers on the ship with his knowledge. Even Lu Bing called him a genius, and Zhu Houcong was very happy for himself.
On this day, the fleet passed Ryukyu and only needed to travel a few more days by sea to reach Japan. The journey was smooth and calm, which made people feel fortunate.
Suddenly, Li Daoyi, who was flying ahead, stopped. He saw a large patch of dark clouds approaching the fleet in the distance.
Meanwhile, many ships sailing ahead also spotted this scene.
"Oh no, it's a storm!" an old man exclaimed.
Having lived at sea for a long time, he knew all too well what encountering a storm meant.
The news spread quickly, and even those unfamiliar with the ocean knew something was wrong when they saw the dark, billowing clouds.
Just then, Li Daoyi's voice came from the sky.
"Don't panic, keep moving forward."
Soon, the emperor's dragon boat also began to issue orders for all ships to continue moving forward, as Zhu Houcong had complete trust in Li Daoyi.
"Sister, the Taoist priest will have a way, right?" Yilin asked softly on the boat.
"Of course, he's a god," Dongfang Bubai comforted him. However, when he looked up at the sky, a trace of worry still appeared in his eyes.
Soon, a strong wind began to blow around them. People clung tightly to everything heavy on the ship, afraid of being blown away, while also looking up at the sky.
Li Daoyi continued to fly in the air on his sword, seemingly unaffected by the wind.
Gradually, the fleet got closer and closer to the storm, and the waves on the sea became more and more violent. The martial arts practitioners were better off, as they had practiced martial arts for many years and had a very stable stance, but the soldiers were not so lucky. They swayed and some even fell directly onto the deck.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should go into the cabin and take shelter?" Lu Bing suggested.
"No, I want to stand here. The soldiers are all watching." Zhu Houcong shook his head.
Just as the storm was getting fiercer and many smaller ships were about to give way, a flash of light appeared in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, a loud voice rang out.
"The profound origin of Heaven and Earth, the root of all Qi. Through countless eons of cultivation, I have attained divine powers. Within and beyond the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme. My body is enveloped in golden light, invisible to the eye and inaudible to the ear. It encompasses Heaven and Earth, nurturing all living beings. Recite this ten thousand times, and your body will radiate light."
"The wind disperses!" Li Daoyi shouted.
In an instant, the surrounding wind suddenly disappeared.
"Guards of the Three Realms, welcomed by the Five Emperors. All gods pay homage, commanding thunder and lightning to terrify demons and monsters, causing spirits to vanish. Within lies thunder and lightning, the Thunder God conceals his name. Penetrating wisdom and insight, the Five Qi surge forth. Golden light swiftly appears, covering and protecting the True Man. Hasten, hasten, as the law commands!"
Then Li Daoyi's voice came again.
"The clouds part." As the incantation was finished, the last sound rang out, and the originally gloomy sky dissipated at a visible speed. Finally, the dark clouds disappeared, and the sun shone brightly on the sea once again.
"I am here today by the mandate of Heaven to exterminate the evil kingdom. All gods of the five directions and spirits of the four seas shall not obstruct me. Those who violate this order shall be punished by me." Li Daoyi's voice resounded across the entire sea, stirring the souls of all who heard it.
"bite…"
"bite…"
As expected, the system's notification sounds continued incessantly.
Li Daoyi smiled slightly, secretly pleased with himself.
"Whoosh..."
Everyone cheered instantly. How could they not be excited that such a miraculous thing had happened before their eyes?
"I knew it, I knew it, immortals are the most powerful." Zhu Houcong was also very excited.
"Is this the power of immortals? This old Daoist has truly broadened his horizons," Master Chongxu sighed, stroking his beard.
"Amitabha, the Daoist priest has immeasurable merits." Fang Zheng put his hands together in prayer.
"The fleet continues onward," came Li Daoyi's voice.
At this moment, people cast aside all their apprehension and anxiety, and everyone's heart was filled with fighting spirit.
However, an awkward scene unfolded: all the boats stopped moving because there was no wind.
"Taoist Master, there's no wind!" Zhu Houcong shouted, putting his hands to his mouth and looking up at the sky.
"Ah...?" Li Daoyi quickly put away the panel, as he was just about to look at it.
"Coming right away," Li Daoyi replied.
He then made a hand seal and pointed towards the sea below.
"Whoosh..."
The wind came, and the sails were hoisted once more.
"I hadn't thought of that," Li Daoyi muttered to himself. He had just used a wind-stopping spell to stop the wind within a ten-mile radius.
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