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As an experienced general who has fought countless battles, Li Jing can be considered a cornerstone of the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. Frankly speaking, elders like him are the foundation of this flourishing age; they yearn to protect this land of peace and prosperity more than anyone else, as they understand the hardships of life and thus cherish the current tranquility even more.
When foreign nations provoke, it is something he cannot tolerate or allow. Therefore, when the Sage hinted at inviting him out of retirement, Li Jing, despite nearing seventy, stepped forward without hesitation.
According to ancient wisdom, one stands firm at thirty, is free from doubt at forty, and understands destiny at fifty. Li Jing believes he has seen countless people, yet he finds himself unable to comprehend the Xu Zhen. He feels that the young man before him possesses an ethereal and profound demeanor. He has also heard that he practices Zoroastrianism and has many followers while dabbling in supernatural arts, which leaves him with a lingering discomfort.
The saying goes that a gentleman does not speak of strange forces or chaotic spirits. Li Jing does not consider himself a disciple of Confucius; his studies have all been devoted to military strategy. He wields weapons more than he engages in literary pursuits; thus, he does not see himself as a scholar. What he firmly believes in are his long spear, two bronze hammers, and a three-foot broadsword.
With the bloody aura accumulated from years of warfare, it is said that even ghosts and spirits dare not approach him. Even living beings tremble before him and dare not speak freely.
The Old General cannot sit for long and does not rely on the footstool Huzhuang. He kneels with Han dignity and reads by lamp light for a while, but soon his spirit begins to wane. His hair is gray, his beard sparse, his teeth shaky, yet his eyes shine brightly with wisdom and depth.
The Xu Zhen is no different from ordinary soldiers; upon seeing this legendary Great Tang War God, she does not dare to look up for fear that the old man will see through her little thoughts.
The Old General does not engage in pleasantries or unnecessary greetings; it seems that every word costs him great effort. Each word is precious and directly addresses the essence of matters. The Xu Zhen answers every question without daring to be verbose, leading to a quick silence falling over the main tent.
Li Chunfeng does not dare to speak out of turn, and even the eccentric Yan Lide sits upright like a schoolboy with a serious expression. The old man's unspoken authority is evident; this is a result of years of accumulated respect that cannot be underestimated.
He lacks Li Daozong's cunning sophistication, Hou Junji's dark treachery, and Gao Zhensheng's false sincerity. Instead, he is straightforward and honorable; though physically frail, he exudes an impression of boundless strength.
This is the dignity of those in power!
Li Jing closes his eyes to gather his spirit, seemingly accumulating strength for his next words. After a moment, he slightly opens his eyes and trembles as he stands up from the couch. Li Dejiang hurriedly offers support, but the Old General waves his hand to decline his son's kindness.
He walks step by step to stand before the Xu Zhen but focuses his gaze on the scabbard at her waist. After all, even if he were too old to move, he remains a warrior; as such, he naturally takes an interest in weapons.
"Xu Shaojun," he says, "your weapon is quite unusual; may I borrow it for a look?"
"I dare not!"
The Xu Zhen lowered her head slightly, unfastened the scabbard, and presented it with both hands, reverent and respectful.
Li Jing's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile. His slight displeasure towards the Xu Zhen seemed to fade a little. After taking the long knife, he gently stroked the scabbard, as if it concealed not a sharp blade but a beating heart.
He closed his eyes to sense it for a moment before drawing out half of the blade. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he glanced at the inscription on the hilt and thought to himself, "Just as I expected!"
"Swish!"
As the long knife was drawn, the tip buzzed and vibrated. Even someone as accomplished as Li Chunfeng could not help but silently praise, "What a fine blade!"
Li Jing held the long knife horizontally in front of his chest. His slightly closed eyes suddenly opened wide, and in that instant, an incredibly powerful force seemed to surge through his body. His entire demeanor transformed; he felt as if he had reverted from a frail old man back to the unparalleled warrior he once was, capable of conquering thousands of miles!
At that moment, the Xu Zhen experienced an extremely subtle illusion; even the strong Zhou Cang might not be able to defeat this elderly man who appeared to struggle with movement!
While the Xu Zhen was still in shock, Li Jing suddenly swung the long knife down towards her head!
"Has this old man lost his mind? This is truly troubling!" Xu Zhenxin felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively prepared to dodge and draw a throwing knife for retaliation. However, an absurd thought crossed his mind, suppressing that instinctive impulse. He stood there motionless, not even blinking.
The long knife stopped just before his forehead, nearly touching his skin. If Li Jing's wrist trembled even slightly, he could draw blood from the Xu Zhen. Yet his hand remained steady as iron!
"Since ancient times, heroes have emerged from youth. Xu Shaojun truly has a resilient heart and firm will; one day he may achieve great things..." Li Jing sheathed the knife again and returned it to the Xu Zhen. She was still shaken, her back soaked with sweat and her forehead dripping with cold perspiration!
While the Xu Zhen was cursing inwardly, Li Jing remained unfazed. He waved slightly and summoned his son Li Dejiang over. After whispering a few instructions in his ear, Li Dejiang's expression changed slightly, but he nodded in agreement and entered the inner chamber. Before long, he emerged holding a Wooden Box.
The Wooden Box is exquisitely carved, with a fragrant scent of sandalwood and an antique tone that makes it enough to entice anyone to buy it.
"Xu Shaojun is young and strong, full of vigor, clearly not lacking in skill. However, his breath is chaotic, and there is much stagnation within him. The heavy aura of killing is not conducive to health and longevity. Since this is our first meeting and there are no formalities, I have a method for cultivating energy and regulating breath that I will gift to you, as a token of our meeting."
Li Jing said this as he handed the Wooden Box to Xu Zhen. She dared not accept it and was about to refuse in panic, but somehow she ended up taking the box, clasping her hands in thanks: "I am new here and should not receive such an unearned gift. However, having long admired Old General's guidance, I cannot let this opportunity pass. Today, I will shamelessly accept it; please do not hold it against me, Old General!"
Li Chunfeng, well-versed in the ways of the court, thought Xu Zhen would be clever enough to decline at least a little. Seeing her boldly accept it surprised him, and he frowned for her sake. However, Li Jing chuckled, clearly pleased with Xu Zhen's response.
Li Jing was straightforward and came from a wealthy family. He had displayed both literary talent and martial prowess from a young age. Although he held a lowly position during the Sui Dynasty, he was well-known for his abilities. The former Minister of Personnel, Niu Hong, praised him as having the talent of a king's advisor, while Yang Su, the Left Minister, also favored him. In the late years of the Sui Dynasty, as chaos erupted and heroes rose to power across various regions, Li Jing was merely the County Magistrate of Mayi. He joined Gaozu Li Yuan's ranks to combat the Turkic people.
At that time, Gaozu was just holding down Taiyuan. To ensure his own safety amidst the chaos, he began secretly recruiting soldiers and buying horses to prepare for action. However, Li Jing noticed this and disguised himself as a prisoner to go to Jiangdu to report to the Sui Emperor. Yet upon reaching Chang'an, he found the region in turmoil with blocked roads and could not proceed. Later on, Gaozu raised an army in Taiyuan with overwhelming force and captured Chang'an along with Li Jing.
Gaozu intended to execute him, but Li Jing was filled with strategies and martial skills that could fill five carts. Unwilling to die without fulfilling his ambitions, he shouted before leaving: "You rise against tyranny for righteousness' sake! To eliminate violence and bring peace to the nation—how can you execute Warriors out of personal grievances?"
Gaozu was astonished by his words. Qin Wang Li Shimin recognized his courage and talent; thus he released him. Soon after, he joined Qin Wang's court as one of the Three Guards and began following the current Sage on campaigns.
Li Jing always cared deeply for his people and could be said to be worthy of the great Tang people. When Qin Wang supported Li Zhi's rise, Li Jing did not participate; perhaps it was this selflessness that made the current Sage value him even more.
It was precisely because of this honesty and childlike heart that he changed his view of Xu Zhen. He had always trusted his instincts and adhered to his principles; his intuition told him that Xu Zhen was a rare talent. Thus he willingly gifted her the box he had treasured in his youth.
After leaving the Central Army Tent, Xu Zhen sent off Li Chunfeng and others before lighting a candle to examine the Wooden Box closely. After some time admiring it like a treasure, she finally opened it.
A simple scent of ink wafted out as she discovered within a slightly thin ancient book. Carefully taking it out, she saw a line on the cover that seemed to penetrate through the paper: "Expanded Explanation of the I Ching's Inner Workings!"
"My heavens! This is truly remarkable!" Xu Zhen felt her scalp tingle. In her previous life, she had often heard wild tales claiming that Li Jing had written a preface for the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic and had deeply mastered this alchemical family's secret teachings. She never expected today would confirm this legend—and now she even had the chance to practice this breathing technique for body refinement! It was truly astonishing!
Xu Zhenxin's excitement was hard to contain. After cleaning his palms, he quickly browsed through the thin ancient text. Although some of the language was not entirely clear, the accompanying illustrations allowed Xu Zhen to understand about seventy to eighty percent of it.
After a rough reading, Xu Zhen couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. This was not some unparalleled martial art, nor was it as miraculous as the Shaolin techniques depicted in films. In simple terms, it was a method for cultivating inner strength and self-discipline. It contained Taoist breathing techniques and was similar to the yoga practices from the Western Regions.
However, for Xu Zhen, this Inner Strength Cultivation Method had significant benefits. The breathing techniques and yoga practices could help her mitigate the side effects brought on by the Seven Sacred Blades, complementing each other perfectly.
Within Ganzhou City, Xu Zhen was immersed in the Inner Strength Cultivation Method, while outside Ganzhou City, another person was also studying late into the night—Murong Hanzhu.
However, what he was reading was not an internal martial arts method but an urgent military report from Zhangye!
The wax seal on the letter had already revealed the identity of the sender. The assassination plan in Chang'an had originated from Princess Guanghua of the Sui Dynasty, now under the control of Empress Guanghua during the Tuguhun, or perhaps it was Murong Hanzhu's own scheme.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the target did not appear. To recover from this setback, those executing the plan captured Li Mingda, who had accidentally intruded during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and took him out of Chang'an. Murong Hanzhu had no choice but to play along with this plan and spread false news of Li Mingda's death to create the current situation.
As this matter grew increasingly complicated, Xu Zhen intervened and protected Li Mingda all the way to Qibi Helix, who was loyal to Li Shimin. This forced a change in their grand scheme.
Moreover, with Ganzhou under prolonged siege, it clearly posed more harm than good to their grand plan. Although Li Jing was wise and brave, Ganzhou could not hold out much longer. Murong Hanzhu's Secret Letter revealed why Ganzhou City could still barely survive despite being besieged for so long.
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