Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 143: What will convince you?

"That would mean we will have to go out looking for army now?," Wuyi frowned.

"I can't call for their assistance without solid reason," she stated.

Wuyi leaned back, feeling the weight of his heavy cloak. He was on edge. He suppressed a sharp reply, then another.

"What will convince you?" he inquired.

She shrugged. "I believe you, but I need to be certain."

Wuyi sighed and spoke, "You believe I will not just leave you and your fort after taking your payment?"

She replied, "I believe you would. But taking your warriors out there again when a demonic army is around is not safe either."

He responded, "You believe I will not just end your pavilion and then take away your fort to protect my men?"

She replied calmly, "I believe you, but the fortress needs our pavilion if you want to stand any chance against the demonic army if they are really coming."

He nodded.

She spoke, "Young Master Black, I believe that you are more powerful and mature than you show. I also believe even if this fortress were run by demonics, you have ways to survive. I know you do not believe in fate, but believing that you are totally hidden from it would be a very big mistake. Fate is not your enemy; it will be only if you make it so.

You believe that you have control over yours, but let me tell you, no one can escape it."

"Very well," he said, standing up and bowing. She reached for his hand.

He stepped back. "No time to waste," he said tersely. "Young man," she said, "you're not a child." Saying that, she went to the corner, pulled out a manual, and brought it to Wuyi.

Wuyi gave the manual a brief look. It was essentially a manual of demonic beings, mentioning types of demonics he and his group might encounter in the forest. He nodded, she could have given this to him long ago, but she had waited until now. Holding back his irritation, he left the room.

"What did she say?" Baijian asked.

"She wants us to locate their actual army, not just evidence of it," Wuyi replied.

Baijian grinned. "That's going to be a monumental task," he said.

When they decided to come out of the fort, he saw the Chief Warrior of the fort standing at the gate with only a small door open. They would have to lead their horses out on foot. Despite being annoyed by the delay, Wuyi admired the old woman's caution. She was taking his warning to heart.

"Young Master Black!"

He turned to see Liwei sprinting barefoot across the yard.

"Let's move," Baijian muttered. "I'll assemble a team."

"Form twenty groups. Each should have one adept, two initiates, and some archers," Wuyi instructed.

"As you wish," Baijian replied, giving a sly wink as he departed.

Liwei reached him, and he sensed her worry through the Statue of Harmony. "Lady Xueyan can be difficult at times," she said calmly, "but she assures immediate action, so don't feel overlooked."

"Thank you," he said, managing a smile. "I'm worn out and irritable."

"You've battled a demonic," she said, locking eyes with him. "Battles can be exhausting."

He could have corrected her; it wasn't really him who had done the fighting. Still, summoning was tiresome. Besides, her voice was filled with unwavering belief. She genuinely cared. Perhaps this was an opportunity; he could use romance to convince her to join his group, where simple persuasion had failed. Her deep belief in the heavens was a hurdle.

Wuyi decided it wouldn't be bad to cultivate a relationship. If nothing else worked out, he could use statue of harmony.

"Special Lady, your words are like a healing potion to a weary man," he said, bowing.

She chuckled. "I'm no special lady, just a humble apprentice of the Lotus Pavilion," she clarified.

As he rode down the path from the main gate to the Lower Town, he read the manual given by the Pavilion Mistress.

But soon, he was distracted by the path. He had not paid close attention to it before, but now he looked at it from the perspective of war. The path was walled, and some sections were even paved, forming a fortified road that served as another layer of defense. Clearly, a significant investment had been made in fortifying this fort. If they prepared well, they could actually face an army.

Wuyi was uncertain about facing an army of demonics, though. He had faced many demonics by now, but an army? Was he ready for such a thing? In his search for immortal cultivation, he had bitten off more than he could chew. Ever since he had arrived here, he had not even had a minute to meditate and contemplate. Things were moving too fast, going out of his control.

Upon reaching the camp, the first thing Wuyi did was call a meeting of his warriors; they needed to find some real proof for the Pavilion Mistress that the demonic army was on the move.

"Pay attention," Wuyi spoke. "Jin, it's likely their base is somewhere between us and the Xiang stronghold."

Jin glanced around. "Because we didn't stumble upon it last night?"

"Exactly, just the footprints. So the army marched to somewhere else," Wuyi confirmed. "The farm that was attacked is to the southwest of the fortress."

Yun Ming interjected, "But you discovered the deceased Talon to the northwest. He was probably heading back to their main location."

Wuyi paused, then shook his head. "You're right; I hadn't considered that."

Baijian chimed in, "It can't be to the south; they wouldn't be across the river."

"Most likely west or north," Jin suggested. "I sense there's a high Summit in that direction, parallel to the one the fortress is on."

"This could take a while," Yun Ming remarked.

Wuyi addressed the group, "Listen, here's the plan. Qi adepts will ride ahead, maintaining a distance of ten horse lengths between each other. We'll halt at my command signal and listen. Archers will trail far behind, also spread out. If a skirmish breaks out, archers will move closer to the action, while Qi Warriors stay under my command.

Our primary objective is not to engage in combat but to find evidence of a demonic gathering. The only reason to fight would be to rescue one of our scout teams if anyone gets caught." His tone was concise, professional, and carried the confidence of a leader. Even Yun Ming had to concede that his strategy was sound.