"Please let me go, Master!" another high priest, Ma Ju, interjected. "Such a petty thief, why should High Priest Mu need to go? Let me go. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I will bring this petty thief's head to you!"
"I'll go! I can kill this little thief in less than an incense stick's time. Don't try to take credit from me, Chief Priest Ma!" Mu Gui stood up, clenched his fists, and glared at Ma Gui, as if he would draw his fist if Ma Gui continued to argue with him.
“I think it would be overkill for either of you to go,” said a young priest sitting at the lowest seat. He raised his head and smiled. “Let me go instead. I can make the first move for the sect leader in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”
"Gan Ping! You little brat, you dare to challenge me?" Mu Gui strode forward, his eyes blazing with anger. Gan Ping, who appeared quite refined, surprisingly stood up defiantly and glared back.
"Alright, alright, if Dingguo were here, neither of you would dare to compete." Tang Gan knew it was his turn to speak, and his words deflated the two men who were on the verge of exchanging blows. Cheng Tian's number one warrior was none other than Zheng Dingguo. If he were here, he would never have given up this opportunity to anyone else. The reason they were arguing so fiercely was precisely because they wanted to show off their skills and display their prowess while Zheng Dingguo was away.
"Besides, I reckon that even if the three of you went together, you would only be captured by the enemy general." Tang Gan beat around the bush, unwilling to state his speculation directly. Cheng Tian gave a soft snort, and Tang Gan glanced at him before saying, "I reckon that the one spying on us on the mountain must be Li Jun himself. Didn't you hear that a purple dragon flag was being raised? The reason he didn't hide was simply to lure our army to send men to capture him, but instead, those who went to capture him were captured by him."
The generals in the camp all showed expressions of dissatisfaction. With their martial prowess, they were all top-notch talents, but according to Tang Gan's words, they seemed insignificant in front of Li Jun. Could it be that Li Jun was even stronger than Master Zheng Dingguo?
"Master Tang is right. The three of you have no intention of attacking, but he is plotting against you. Even if you are not afraid of Li Jun in a one-on-one fight, you will not be able to escape his schemes and tricks," Cheng Tian interjected, trying to reassure his generals, which is the responsibility of a commander.
"So, we're just going to let him see our army's strengths and weaknesses and then retreat unscathed?" Gan Ping asked.
"According to the sect leader's intention..." Tang Gan lowered his eyes, staring at his toes, but asked about Cheng Tian's decision.
"Someone, prepare the horses. I'm going to meet Li Jun myself and see what kind of hero he is." Cheng Tian stood up.
"Master, you mustn't! How can you, with your precious body, waste it fighting with a mere child?" Gan Ping stood up to stop him, saying, "Let me go and kill Li Jun. You can simply wait here."
"Master, what is your opinion?" Cheng Tian deliberately did not answer Gan Ping directly, but instead asked Tang Gan.
“Gan Ping is absolutely right. There’s no need for the sect leader to take such a great risk.” Tang Gan smiled and said, “Why don’t we have someone quietly surround that hill so that Li Jun has nowhere to escape?”
"Hahaha..." Cheng Tian laughed loudly, giving Tang Gan a deep look. This instructor still felt inadequate as a master and probably wanted to become one of the leaders. "Please rest assured, Master Tang, I am only going to meet with Li Junhui and exchange a few words. Master Tang and Chief Instructor Ma, you two stay in the tent and prepare the entire army for pursuit. We will attack as soon as I give the order. Mu Gui and Gan Ping, you two lead your troops and follow me up the mountain!"
After the purple dragon flag was raised, Li Jun and Meng Yuan waited on the mountain for a while. Then they saw the gates of the camp below open, and the soldiers were assembled and waiting for orders. A group of about four thousand men began to swagger towards the hillside. When he first saw them, Li Jun only raised his eyebrows slightly and made a "hmm" in response to Meng Yuan's praise that "the enemy's movements are orderly and they are quite knowledgeable in military strategy." But a moment later, his brows furrowed.
"Why is the enemy advancing so slowly? Could it be a trap?" he asked himself. If they were here to capture him, they would either have caught up quickly on horseback or sneaked around, but would not have been so swaggering and unhurried.
"Scout, turn around immediately and check if there's anything unusual about our retreat route. If there's any disturbance, report back immediately." After ordering the scout to check if there were any enemies lurking along the retreat route, Li Jun thought it over and over again. He felt that his arrangements were flawless, but why was his unease so strong?
"Commander, look at that flag!" a general beside him suddenly exclaimed.
“Master’s teachings…” Li Jun murmured, then his expression changed drastically. He had never been so shocked since he led the Peace Army. He asked, “Among the five masters of the Lotus Dharma Sect, how many are surnamed Cheng?”
“There is only one Cheng Tian. I have reported this to my elder brother.” Wang Erlei’s large body did not resemble that of a young man who came from a homeless background. “Cheng Tian is in charge of the Southern Lotus Dharma Sect and has an army of 200,000.”
"Oh no!" Li Jun exclaimed inwardly, but his expression returned to calm. Meng Yuan, however, sensed the sudden change from the fluctuations in Li Jun's spiritual energy and asked, "What's wrong?"
“You’re right, this must be reinforcements that Lianfa Army has brought from another route.” Li Jun hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to reveal his full speculation. “Cheng Tian was originally fighting Liu Guang on the southern route, but now he’s here. I’m afraid Liu Guang… this was arranged by Liu Guang…”
Meng Yuan was also greatly alarmed. If Liu Guang was secretly colluding with the Lianfa army, it probably wouldn't be as simple as just letting the Lianfa army move away safely. With Liu Guang's intelligence, coupled with the Lianfa army's large numbers, the Peace Army was indeed facing a huge crisis.
"Wang Erlei, have you heard anything from the southern route lately?" Meng Yuan asked.
"There has been no news from the southern route for more than ten days, it seems that a major battle is taking place."
"Unfortunately, there is no definite news about the southern route." Meng Yuan sighed deeply. Although the Kuer Camp played an irreplaceable role in intelligence gathering and information transmission, it was ultimately an irregular intelligence organization for the Peace Army, and its shortcomings were exposed in the increasingly fierce war.
"It's alright, someone has brought us intelligence anyway." Li Jun's demeanor had completely returned to normal, his eyes fixed intently on the approaching Lianfa army. "This must be Cheng Tian. He's only brought a small force; he's not here to fight..."
After waiting a while, the more than four thousand troops finally approached. Two blue banners parted to the left and right, and a white horse emerged from under the banners. The rider on the horse was dressed in bronze armor, and it was Cheng Tian.
"Where is Commander Li Jun?" Cheng Tian asked loudly from a distance. He was only in his early forties, and his long beard swayed slightly in the wind, making him look older than he actually was.
"I am Li Jun." There was no need to register. Cheng Tian's gaze was fixed on Li Jun's face, who was wearing a red dragon helmet. Their eyes met briefly, but no sparks flew. It seemed to be just a casual glance between acquaintances.
"Truly a young hero." Cheng Tian bowed and said, "I am Cheng Tian, the last of the five leaders of the Divine Sect."
"I have long admired the name of Master Cheng." Li Jun suppressed the urge to ask for clarification. At this moment, he needed to remain calm and composed. Judging from Cheng Tian's aura, he was by no means weak. Whether in terms of mentality or combat, he was a formidable opponent.
"Commander Li must be surprised. How did I, who was originally in the southern route of Chen State, suddenly appear here?" Cheng Tian said with a soft laugh. "So that Commander Li may know that I was forced by Marshal Liu to come to the east from the southern route."