Chapter 63: Conquering Cities and Plundering Territories

The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The encirclement and suppression of the Miao people by the major southern sects had already made significant progress.

Ever since Li Miao's departure, the various major sects had returned to their respective headquarters to summon manpower before rushing to the Miao territory.

Initially, they had no intention of making a real issue out of it.

After all, none of their own members had died. As for revenge, while it might be genuine for an individual, for a faction or an organization, without definite benefits, undertaking such an endeavor rarely carried much motivation.

However, the Miao people cared little for such nuances. Seeing a crowd of Han people blocking their doorsteps—and recalling how they had schemed against them beforehand—they became panicked and fearful.

The two sides did not share a common language, and the blood feuds ran deep, leaving no basis for establishing rules of engagement before fighting. Thus, the moment they met, several people were killed.

Once blood was shed and communication channels were lacking, the situation spiraled out of control. It escalated rapidly, and by now, genuine rage and hostility had been ignited.

Lao Qifeng, the leader of the Beggar Sect, also recounted the events in Tai'an City to the others, omitting any parts involving Li Miao. If they truly eradicated the heritage of witchcraft and sorcery, they could claim that, upon hearing of the incidents in Tai'an City, they were filled with righteous indignation and acted to eliminate a public menace.

In this way, both fame, fortune, and vengeance were accounted for.

Consequently, the major sects began resorting to lethal force.

Against opponents residing deep within the mountains and forests, a large regular army was often ineffective. Selecting an elite vanguard accustomed to traversing mountains and wading through rivers was the most suitable approach for dealing with such adversaries.

And the disciples of these martial arts sects all possessed internal martial arts, being accustomed to sleeping in the open while wandering the pugilistic world; they could be said to be the most fitting force to confront the Miao people.

Some major sects, having had commercial dealings with the Miao people in ordinary times by purchasing mountain goods and herbal medicine from their villages, had also sent word to the villages they were familiar with, stating that they were merely seeking the Twelve Clans of the Miao and targeting only the ringleaders, harboring no hostility toward other Miao people.

Upon receiving the message and realizing the adversaries were not imperial court troops, some Miao villages ceased their desperate resistance.

Within just a few days, the major sects had fought their way to the outskirts of the villages belonging to the Twelve Clans of the Miao. For the time being, they did not rush to attack, instead setting up camp of their own accord.

At present, the various leaders had gathered together to discuss their next steps.

"Everyone, should we attack this village or not?"

Lao Qifeng asked.

"Alas... I am also hesitating over this matter. This is a veritable hornet's nest. If we fail to wipe them out completely in one go and leave even a few survivors behind, we will undoubtedly be stung by them in the future."

"Still, since we've already come all this way, we can hardly just turn back and leave like this."

The leader of the漕帮 (Trough/Canal Transport Sect) also shook his head.

"It is like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard."

The leader of the Emei Sect concurred.

They had never expected things to go so smoothly, actually allowing them to reach the very gates of the Twelve Clans' village. According to their previous expectations, since the imperial court's multiple pacification campaigns had yielded no results, they would just put on a show, reap some reputation, and then depart.

Who could have imagined that, lacking the obstruction of the ordinary Miao people, they had charged blindly ahead and broken through like a knife cutting through bamboo.

Sitting near the tent was an old man holding a sword with his eyes closed to preserve his energy—he was a supreme master of the Emei Sect. All the venomous beasts unleashed by the Miao people in the middle had been dealt with by him.

Right now, everyone was feeling a bit at a loss.

To attack? They feared failing to exterminate them thoroughly, leaving behind a few sorcerers who would lurk in the shadows and cast lethal hexes on them, bringing endless misery upon their heads.

Not to attack? Well, they had already come all this way.

"The relationship between the ordinary Miao people and the Twelve Clans of the Miao is actually much less close than we previously imagined. Seeing that we are not the imperial court's troops, they really put on a perfunctory show and allowed us to enter without putting up a fight."

Lao Qifeng said.

The Emei Sect leader let out a cold snort.

"Who likes having an ancestral master sitting on top of their head? The Miao King died hundreds of years ago, and generations of Miao people have passed since then—they don't even know what the Miao King was called. If they weren't afraid of the imperial court's troops wiping them out along the way, the Miao wouldn't care about them at all. These Twelve Clans should have been dead and gone long ago."

Lao Qifeng waved his hand. "Has still no one come out to talk?"

"None," the Canal Transport Sect leader spread his hands.

"I sent teams of disciples in rotation to shout in the Miao language, but there is still no news to this day."

"Tch!"

Lao Qifeng rubbed his chin, finding the situation rather troublesome, and thought to himself:

"Has Lord Li not arrived yet? Surely they don't expect us to shoulder this entire mess alone, do they?"

"Without official authorities present, getting involved in matters of witchcraft and sorcery spells endless trouble for us."

As he was thinking this, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the tent.

"Please come this way. All the sect leaders are inside." A Beggar Sect disciple lifted the door curtain.

Lao Qifeng snapped his head up and saw Li淼 (Li Miao) step into the tent.

"Well, are all of you here?"

"Have you eaten yet?"

Li Miao asked with a bright smile.

Yet everyone present stood up simultaneously, their faces showing expressions of shock.

Because Li Miao's attire at this moment was vastly different from when they had last met.

He wore a dark basalt-black warrior's outfit, secured with a copper-sunflower belt and black-patterned boots. Draped over his shoulders was a black bear-skin cloak, and on his hands he wore a pair of dark iron-threaded black gloves that faintly gleamed with a reddish hue.

The characteristic of heavenly silkworm silk was that it absorbed dyes to a certain degree, which would only slowly fade over time and could never be washed out. Having killed too many people over the past few days, Li Miao's gloves had gradually taken on a dark, blood-red tint.

Setting all that aside... the crucial point was that Li Miao wore a waist token at his belt.

The waist token of a Brocade Guard (Jinyiwei) Thousand-Householder.

"Th-Th-Lord Li, you..."

The Canal Transport Sect leader pointed at the waist token, unable to string his words together coherently.

"Oh, this?"

Li Miao came to a sudden realization, picked up the waist token, and gave it a shake.

"I forgot to wear it before. I just dug it out of my luggage a few days ago, so I put it on."

"I hope I haven't startled any of you?"

The men shook their heads repeatedly.

"No, no."

"Not at all... For Lord Li to travel through the pugilistic world incognito, and for us to make the acquaintance of your lordship, is truly an honor we share."

Li Miao smiled.

This was still assuming the news of Bu Lei's death could not yet be made public. Otherwise, if he were to produce the Pacification Commissioner's waist token, these men would likely be trembling in their boots and fleeing in panic.

"Since our parting last time, I never expected you gentlemen to handle things with such dispatch, having already reached the foot of the Twelve Clans' village."

Li Miao walked over to the seat of honor and sat down of his own accord.

"What is the current plan?"

The men exchanged secret glances, their thoughts racing like lightning, yet they felt utterly helpless for the moment.

What else could they do?

Even if they were being used as tools by the imperial court, they had already fought their way to this point. The blood feud was forged, and the deeds were done. It would be better to honestly cooperate with the Brocade Guard; perhaps they could reap some benefits from official circles later on.

The various sect leaders were clever men, and they grasped the stakes involved in an instant.

Without a shred of hesitation, the Emei Sect leader made a choice born purely of instinct.

"My lord, look here!"

He pulled out a map, shoved the Canal Transport Sect leader aside with his hip, and unrolled it before Li Miao's table.

"Here, and here, are the entrances to the village. We've sent scouts to check—they are guarded by Great Shamans accompanied by venomous beasts. Only supreme martial arts masters can break through."

"Here is where they fetch water. We've already stationed men upstream, and we can cut off their water supply at any time. We just don't know if there are wells inside the village."

"Here, we sent back the bodies of the Mountain-Moving disciples and invited several grave-robbers to investigate everywhere. Only here is there a secret passage. If we breach the village, they will definitely retreat through this route."

The remaining sect leaders also snapped to their senses. While inwardly cursing the Emei Sect leader for his shamelessness, they all crowded forward together.

"My lord, I have several disciples who speak the Miao language and know some of their situation!"

"My lord, I have some mechanisms from the Divine Mechanism Sect that are best suited for storming fortifications!"

"My lord..."