Sword Aura to the Heavens
Chapter 44 Li Mountain

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Li Mountain

The territory of the Da Li Dynasty is vast, with humans, demons, ghosts, and gods coexisting.

Humans live in cities, while the spirits roam the wild.

Only a few humans live in villages outside the cities, but they try to stay as close to the county as possible to avoid disasters caused by demons.

A thousand miles away from Lin’an County, amidst the vast wilderness, lies a mountain range, seldom visited by people.

At this moment, two steeds are galloping through the mountains.

"Giddy up."

The horses gallop, with a young man on the lead horse, urging it forward, his heart longing for home like an arrow.

On the horse behind him is an enchanting woman, her eyes alluring, her figure enticing, her prominent features bouncing with the horse’s gait.

"Hurry up." The young man glances back, catching a glimpse of the impressive scenery, and quickly averts his gaze.

This Snake Demon is fierce.

The two are Li Fan and Liu Ji.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Liu Ji lazily says, as if after that day, she has returned to her former self, hiding her thoughts deep inside.

Looking at the figure ahead, Liu Ji is somewhat puzzled. Along the way, they encountered many challenges and met numerous spirits.

So, how did Li Fan manage to reach Lin’an County all by himself before?

Or perhaps someone was secretly escorting him?

The world has many rumors about Li Mountain, but few truly understand it. All they know is that the Li Mountain Practitioner is very powerful, especially the Li Mountain Sword Cultivator, who is renowned across the land.

Over a decade ago, during the demon turmoil, it was the Li Mountain Sword Cultivator who descended from the mountain, astonishing the world with their sword.

Perhaps those top sect families, along with the court, have a deeper understanding of Li Mountain.

Anyway, she wants to see this time, what the Li Mountain, which imprisoned her master for over a decade and demanded sacrifices, is really like.

Furthermore, what is Li Fan’s identity at Li Mountain, and why was he chosen as the sacrifice?

Judging by her master’s last words, he seemed very pleased with Li Fan.

The steed gallops through the mountain canyon. Although Li Fan hasn’t been away for long, he is eager to return.

He misses his senior sister.

The two pass through the canyon, emerging into a mist. Li Fan continues forward, charging directly into the canyon’s mist, with Liu Ji following closely.

Breaking through the foggy canyon, the two pull back on their reins. Liu Ji looks ahead and is stunned to see smoke curling from the chimneys of numerous scattered houses, forming a large village.

Further ahead, surrounded by towering immortal mountains, it seems like a land beyond the world.

"We’ve arrived," Li Fan says.

"Is this Li Mountain?" Liu Ji gazes into the distance, feeling particularly small amidst the mountains.

Li Fan continues ahead, urging his horse towards the village.

"The village ahead is Li Mountain Village. Once there, don’t speak carelessly, stay close to me, otherwise, I’m afraid something might happen to you," Li Fan says. His senior sister mentioned the village as the gate to Li Mountain, existing for thousands of years, nurturing Li Mountain on this land.

Liu Ji pouts.

Entering Li Mountain Village, the air is filled with more smoke and fire.

The rooms in Li Mountain Village are not connected but are built randomly, scattered throughout the mountain range.

Li Fan dismounts at the village entrance and says to Liu Ji, "Get down."

Liu Ji glances at him but dismounts anyway.

Leading their horses into the village, Liu Ji observes the village and town, which differ from the ones outside. The town here seems full of vitality.

"Are all the villagers Li Mountain Disciples?" Liu Ji asks.

"No," Li Fan shakes his head, replying, "Most are just ordinary villagers."

Liu Ji nods. It seems the villagers are likely ordinary people, and the true Li Mountain Practitioners are probably in the mountain range ahead.

Passing by a house, a bare-chested man is chopping meat with a large knife at the door, blood splashing all over him. Liu Ji pulls the horse farther away, afraid of getting blood on her.

Li Fan, however, smiles and calls out, "Uncle Lu."

The bare-chested man looks up, sees Li Fan, grins broadly, and shouts, "Oh, the son-in-law is back, come on in, come on in."

He then calls into the house, "Xiao Ya, your man is back."

"Tsk." Liu Ji stands aside, smiling and looking at Li Fan. He even has a fiancée?

With a fiancée, he’s still flirting around?

That red-clad girl was reluctant to part when leaving.

Li Fan, however, gives an embarrassed smile and says, "Uncle Lu, I’m still young..."

"Brother Xiao Fan." A crisp voice responds from inside the house, and a girl aged fifteen or sixteen emerges, catching Liu Ji by surprise.

Her voice is sweet, but her figure... is rather plump.

"Xiao Ya." Li Fan calls out weakly.

"Pfft..."

Liu Ji can’t help but laugh out loud, covering her mouth with her hand but failing to suppress it.

"Who are you?" The girl notices Liu Ji laughing, and her smile vanishes, her gaze turning hostile: "What are you laughing at?"

"Where did this enchantress come from, seducing my son-in-law?" The bare-chested man also glares at Liu Ji.

The term ’enchantress’ leaves Liu Ji unsure of how to respond.

Liu Ji remains silent, glancing at Li Fan, remembering his warnings.

Though it’s a village, it’s at the foot of Li Mountain. She doesn’t want to cause trouble.

Moreover, she doesn’t want to stoop to the villagers’ level.

"My daughter asked you, why are you laughing?" the bare-chested man continues.

Liu Ji frowns. A mountain villager, so arrogant?

"What does my laughter have to do with you?" Liu Ji isn’t in a good mood and refuses to be mistreated.

The bare-chested man thrusts his knife into the chopping board and says to the girl beside him, "Xiao Ya, go boil some water, make the flames strong, boil a lot."

"Okay." The girl gives Liu Ji a glare and nods.

"Uncle Lu..." Li Fan wants to say something, but the bare-chested man interrupts, saying earnestly, "Son-in-law, outside enchantresses can’t be trusted. Only Little Ya truly cares for you. You grew up eating Uncle Lu’s meat, and I won’t lie to you."

Indeed, Li Fan grew up on Uncle Lu’s meat. When he was a child, he was sick, and the illness could have killed him. Uncle Lu hunted for game in the mountains every day, and he ate a lot of meat back then.

Xiao Ya also ate with him and... got plump.

So, Li Fan knows Uncle Lu is kind to him.

But to call him a son-in-law... that’s absolutely impossible.

Marriage isn’t a game!

The bare-chested man strides toward Liu Ji, and Liu Ji frowns, saying to Li Fan, "I’m not the one causing trouble here."

With that, her eyes turned cold as she stared at the bare-chested man approaching.

This butcher is quite arrogant.

The bare-chested man steps before Liu Ji, reaching to grab her.

Liu Ji snorts coldly, demon energy swirling on her arm, gathering in her fist as she strikes at the bare-chested man, intending to teach him a lesson without using her full strength.

Li Fan looks away, unwilling to watch.

The bare-chested man doesn’t resist Liu Ji’s punch, and her fist solidly hits him, yet he remains still. His calloused hand continues to reach for her, grabbing her throat and lifting her into the air with one hand.

Liu Ji kicks her legs, and as the bare-chested man applies force, she feels drained and on the brink of choking.

"To fight a snake, aim for its weakness," the bare-chested man states, "Son-in-law, stay for dinner today. Snake soup is very nourishing."

Liu Ji: "......"

So, that’s why he sent his daughter to boil water?

The bare-chested man carries Liu Ji towards the house. She glances at the meat on the chopping board.

Could that be... demon meat??

"Uncle Lu, please go easy," Li Fan weakly calls out.

"What, you can’t let go of this snake-smelling enchantress?" The bare-chested man looks at Li Fan.

"Uncle Lu misunderstands. This enchantress was captured by Senior Brother and is following to escort me," Li Fan explains.

"Ah, on Mr. Wen’s orders."

The bare-chested man seems to respect Wen Ruyu. Only then does he release Liu Ji, warning her with a glare, "Don’t seduce my son-in-law, or I’ll chop you up."

"Cough, cough..." Liu Ji bends over, coughing violently. Once she recovers, she looks up at the bare-chested man, who steals a glance her way, emanating a murderous aura.

Liu Ji quickly averts her gaze, afraid to meet his eyes, and looks at Li Fan with an innocent expression.

Ordinary, villagers???

She’s never been humiliated like this.

"Xiao Ya, we won’t be having snake soup, no need to boil water," the bare-chested man says, "Son-in-law, we have other meat here. Stay for a meal."

"No, Uncle Lu, I have matters to discuss with Senior Sister." Li Fan dares not linger, afraid Uncle Lu might actually...

"Alright, feel free to visit. Xiao Ya often thinks of you," the bare-chested man says.

"Alright." Li Fan nods, saying to the nearby girl, "Xiao Ya, I’ll come to see you another day."

"Okay." The girl nods and gazes at Li Fan’s departing figure with a hint of reluctance.

After Li Fan leaves, the bare-chested man says, "Xiao Ya, how about we find another man? The older he gets, the more handsome he becomes, probably a flirt."

"I just like Brother Xiao Fan," the girl protests.

"Alright, alright..." The bare-chested man nods, "Next time he comes, we’ll seal the deal."

Li Fan, not far off, stumbles at his words.

"You call this an ordinary villager?" Liu Ji looks at Li Fan, her eyes full of resentment.

"I don’t know either," Li Fan says innocently.

Growing up in the village, everyone took care of him, and they truly were ordinary villagers back then. Back then, everyone was stronger than him, so he didn’t find it strange.

But after a trip away, returning to the village.

It seems... a bit different??

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.