Author's note: I realized that there are still people with the surname 'Jialan' in this world. Hence, I've decided to change the name to Jialan Bing Rong.
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"Not long from now, we will be training our troops in Sky Incense Valley." It was obviously a provocation, but Jialan Bing Rong said it coldly, as though she was merely stating an obvious fact.
"What did you say!" Ji Yaoyue's beautiful eyes seemed to be spitting fire.
Jialan Bing Rong replied, "Once the three year period is over, the demon army will march into Sky Incense Valley. Those who surrender will live, those who defy will die. I sincerely advise you not to be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
Ji Yaoyue retorted, "Thank you for your kind intentions. It's a pity that your Jialan Mountain Wolf Tribe is born with the ability to wag your tail. Heaven Incense Peony, you will never be able to learn it!"
"This big mouth, please don't say anymore." Madam Scorpion thought to herself as she listened to Jialan Bing Rong's words. She wished she could cover Ji Yaoyue's mouth.
Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine as the temperature dropped. A black shadow flashed before her eyes. It was Jialan Bing Rong who had grabbed the long lance behind her seat. She leaped down from her wolf mount and with one hand, she smashed it down!
"Clang!" A crisp sound of weapons clashing could be heard as a cold wind blew. Ji Yaoyue crossed her blades above her head, blocking Jialan Bing Rong's attack.
Although her weapon was blocked, the force of the Iron Spring was too much for her to handle. The moment they clashed, Ji Yaoyue's knees went soft, and her body sank down.
But then she used the skill she learned when she was learning to dance. She bent her waist and straightened her back, releasing the force on the ground in time. The ground cracked and grass flew. When the dust settled, Ji Yaoyue's knees were bent but she was still half a foot off the ground.
Seeing that her attack had failed, Jialan Bingrong's brows twitched as a trace of surprise appeared on her face. However, she didn't continue her attack. She tossed the lance back into her seat and turned around, "Only with strength will you have the qualifications to stand. If Bei Longtian was the one who took that attack, I hope you would still be able to stand straight."
"Mistress, let's go!" Madam Scorpion let out a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Ji Yaoyue would cause more trouble, so she quickly advised her.
Ji Yaoyue's purlicue was hurting from the shock and her breathing was agitated. Only then did she regain her composure. She knew that her provocation just now was not a wise move. She nodded her head and urged her horse forward. Madam Scorpion quickly followed.
"Although you've improved, you're still too naive." Jialan Bingrong coldly snorted and leaped back to his seat.
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"Mistress, that really scared this servant to death. We actually offended the Jialan Bingrong in her territory. I was truly afraid that we would be fed to the wolves." After they left, Madam Scorpion spoke with a look of lingering fear on her face.
She had said that this was the territory of the Jialan Bingrong and was not wrong at all. The two of them had already left their seclusion and were no longer in the territory of the Great Tang. Instead, they were in the territory of the Turkic Khaganate.
The Turkic Khaganate was founded by the nomadic Turkic people. The Turkic people used the wolf as their totem and considered themselves to be the descendants of the wolf. The Helan Mountains were their holy land. They carved their totem, their sacrifices, and their daily lives on the rocks of the mountains.
Jialan Bingrong came from the wolf tribe of the Helan Mountains. The relationship between the Turkic people and the Turkic people was self-evident. It was said that Bei Longtian borrowed the influence of the wolf tribe of the Helan Mountains to secretly control the various tribes of the Turkic people.
When the Tang Dynasty was founded, the Northern Dragon Tribe was the vanguard of plundering the lands of the Turkic people. They tore a hole in the lands of the Central Plains and this also confirmed this rumor.
Ji Yaoyue was indignant and stubbornly replied, "What Jialan Bingrong? What Northern Dragon Tian? This is obviously the entrance to the Sky Incense Valley!"
"Yes, yes, yes. If you say so, then so be it. That's why I don't understand what you're after. Kneeling down to live is still living. Surrendering to Bei Longtian is better than giving up your lives. What's the point of being so stubborn …" Madam Scorpion pouted her lips.
"We've arrived at the Sky Incense Valley. Once we enter the valley, don't let me hear you say such things again!" Ji Yaoyue turned her horse around and arrived at a valley.
"This is it?" Madam Scorpion looked at the empty valley and felt a little suspicious. She then saw Ji Yaoyue reining in her horse and forming a spell with her jade-like hands. She then mumbled something and pointed her finger forward. "Open!"
It was as if a curtain had been pulled open before her eyes, revealing a scene of a paradise. Suddenly, a myriad of colors and colors appeared before her eyes.
On the walls of the valley, there were still traces of a huge fire burning the place. It was a scar that the Sky Incense Valley would never be able to erase. But now, all sorts of peonies were blooming stubbornly, decorating the entire valley into a sea of flowers.
"What a beautiful place!" Madam Scorpion was a lady as well. Seeing the beautiful scenery, her eyes lit up. However, she soon felt sad for the beautiful scenery. Now that she knew where the Sky Incense Valley was located, she finally understood why the Sky Incense Valley had suffered so many disasters.
As it was located on the border between the Great Tang and the Turkic Khaganate, maintaining its independence naturally meant that neither side could tolerate it.
During Empress Wu's reign, she had sent troops to the Turks many times. As the saying went, "Burning the peony in anger" clearly had a military significance. Furthermore, if the North Dragon Tian were to invade the South in the future, the Sky Incense Valley would be at his throat. Therefore, the North Dragon Tian could not tolerate the existence of the Sky Incense Valley.
Just as Madam Scorpion was thinking, a few wooden arrows suddenly shot down and nailed themselves in front of the two demon horses. Madam Scorpion was startled and saw a few silhouettes peeking out from the high platform of the mountain gate. One of the silhouettes was a pretty girl. She shouted, "Who are you?"
Ji Yaoyue urged her horse forward. "Wei Meng'er, it's me!"
"Sister Ji, ah no … Incense Lord Ji!" The girl called Wei Meng 'er cried out in surprise and ordered for the gate to be opened, allowing Ji Yaoyue to enter. She then hurried forward and said, "Incense Lord Ji, long time no see. Why did you come back at this time?"
Ji Yaoyue dismounted her horse and nodded her head, "Nonsense. I am the Incense Lord. Why would I not come back? As for you, how old are you and you're already guarding the gate? "
Wei Meng'er's face darkened and said, "I'm already fifteen years old. I'm not young anymore. Besides, the three year period has passed. The North Dragon Tian's army is just outside. Our Sky Incense Valley only has a few demons and we've already used all of them. Even my grandmother has joined the defense team and is guarding the North Gate."
But soon after, he felt that his "military" heart was shaken. He straightened his thin and small body and said generously, "However, don't worry, Incense Master Ji. The Heavenly Fragrant Peony is unyielding and unyielding. We all have the determination to die for the valley. Among the flower kings, we can only die standing, we absolutely cannot live kneeling!"
Madam Scorpion couldn't help but twitch her mouth as she gazed into the valley. She saw that there was a fortification built within the valley. Even if the Wolf Riders were to charge in, they wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow. Furthermore, there were old and young people patrolling the area. Every single demon that had taken form had been used. Even so, the difference in strength between them and the demon army outside was obvious.
Ji Yaoyue's heart turned sour as she caressed Wei Meng'er's head and said, "What do you mean die for the valley? Don't worry. I've already found a way out. No one in Sky Incense Valley will die."
"Really?"
Ji Yaoyue replied gently, "Of course. Where are your father and the other elders? Bring me to see them quickly! "
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"Pa!" A loud slap could be heard, followed by an urgent question, "What did you say?"
Looking at the yellow robed man, Madam Scorpion was taken aback. At this point, she and Ji Yaoyue were in the Sky Incense Valley's meeting hall. Around them were the five elders of Sky Incense Valley, dressed in yellow, purple, white, pink and green robes.
Sky Incense Valley was governed by the Ji Family. The Yao Family, Huang Family, Wei Zi Family, Zhe Bai Family, Zhao Fen Family and Zhang Qing Family were in charge.
At this point, the elder of the Yao Family stood up and slammed the table.
Ji Yaoyue couldn't hide her excitement as she repeated, "I've already asked for Young Master Peacock's help. Our Peony Family can move to the Emerald Valley near the Splendid Manor. From now on, we won't have to worry about the Northern Dragon Sky anymore. Our Sky Incense Valley will be saved!"
Ji Yaoyue's beautiful eyes shone brightly, as if she could see a hopeful future. "Pa!" Another slap shattered the light in her eyes.
"Nonsense!!!"
Ji Yaoyue was taken aback as she asked suspiciously, "Elder Yao, what do you mean by that?"
Elder Yao's face turned red as he asked loudly, "I should be the one asking you what do you mean. Abandon Sky Incense Valley? Sky Incense Valley is our root! Even Wu Zetian's fire couldn't burn our roots. And now you want to abandon Sky Incense Valley and hand our roots over to the Northern Dragon Sky before running away? "
This unexpected rebuke caused Ji Yaoyue to lose her sense of propriety. "But … If we don't leave, how will the Sky Incense Valley defend against the Northern Dragon Sky?"
Elder Wei, the purple robed elder, snorted, "So what if we can't defend against them? The Sky Incense Peony is the king of all flowers. For thousands of years, it has been the most honorable and glorious. How can this glory be destroyed in our generation? To throw the noble Sky Incense Valley to those barbaric demons outside and let our ancestors' glory be trampled on by them? Hmph, to think that you can say that? "
Ji Yaoyue's face turned pale as she shook her head stubbornly, "No, you're wrong. Our people are our glory. The place where our people are is our root. As long as everyone is alive, we can create a second Sky Incense Valley. If we were to be buried with the Sky Incense Valley, that would be cutting off our roots and destroying our glory!"
The Elders of the Zhao Family and the Si Family were both women. When they spoke, each of them was more unkind than the other. "Heh, you put it nicely, but you're just afraid of death. You're from the most ancient and honorable Ji Family. Your ancestors have produced many peerless Demon Kings. That's why the Sky Incense Valley is so strong. As a descendant of the Ji Family, you don't even have the courage to die for the Sky Incense Valley!"
"This generation of Ji Sisters is really unfilial. As the elder sister, she's in cahoots with Northern Dragon Sky's subordinates. If she hadn't died early, she would have led the Sky Incense Valley to submit to Northern Dragon Sky. As the younger sister, she's even worse. As a Commander, she hasn't returned to the Valley even once in three years. The moment she returns, she wants us to abandon the Sky Incense Valley and run away.
What a joke, what a joke! "A green robed elder from the Zhang Family didn't say a word. However, he looked at Ji Yaoyue with disdain and disdain. He had already made his stand clear. Although he didn't say a word, his words were more painful than any other words!
One after another, harsh accusations and sharp sarcasm were directed at Ji Yaoyue. Ji Yaoyue had never expected such a scene to unfold. Even when facing God Ling Tian and the Demon Wolf Riders, Ji Yaoyue was fearless. However, under the criticism of her closest family members, her tough facade was shattered. Her eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry. Her pitiful look reminded everyone that she was a girl who wasn't even 20 years old!
"Enough, I can't stop anymore. Are you guys done?!" An unexpected roar came from Madam Scorpion.
Perhaps it was to please the mistress, or perhaps it was because she couldn't bear to see Ji Yaoyue's hard work, but Madam Scorpion had one hand on her waist and the other pointed at the group of elders. Like a shrew, she shouted, "You keep talking about glory and dignity, it's so f * cking irritating. I was born in the Shu region, and the monsters there have to do their best just to live. I don't understand your bullsh * t glory, but now I understand. If you want glory, you have to drag her down. If you want dignity, you have to trample on her face. All of you are proud and unyielding, putting on airs higher than anyone else. My lady has to do her best, bend her back, and risk her life to get you a way out. Even a dog would have to wag its tail, but you guys are so good, your tails are even up in the sky!"
Madam Scorpion scolded a whole bunch of them in one go. She couldn't help but spit at them. "Pei!"
She caught her breath and was about to continue when Ji Yaoyue grabbed her hand and said, "Madam Scorpion, that's enough …."
The few elders were suppressed and looked at each other in dismay. After a moment of silence, Elder Zhao gave a 'hmph' and looked at Ji Yaoyue and said, "Look, she's confessed. The Peony Flower King's bloodline went around begging people. First, she was a servant to First Madam Gong Sun. Now, I don't know how she managed to get close to Young Master Ling. She might have promised some benefits to that Peony Flower Peacock. I hereby propose that the five families come to a consensus and remove Ji Yaoyue from her position as the Sky Incense Valley's Incense Valley Master, and banish her from the Valley forever!"
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