A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 187 Gathering Yin Water Formation

Without the common people accompanying them, the three of them rode their horses faster than they could walk, with Jinghua Shuiyue following lightly behind, occasionally sitting behind Xiang He and Zeng Yunqing's horses respectively.

After rushing for more than a day, they finally caught up with the main group.

The closer they got to Jiayang Pass, the more desolate the mountains and grasslands became. Xiang He had previously used words, but now he needed to use blood from his fingertips, which was truly exhausting.

The army stopped to rest and recuperate when they were only ten miles away from Jiayang Pass.

Xiang He and He Sui'an climbed to a hilltop, with Jing Hua Shui Yue following beside them. They looked up at the starry night sky, but the moon was nowhere to be seen tonight.

"Young lady, are you here again?"

Xiang He looked up and saw the dark clouds slowly drifting by, obscuring the crescent moon but still shining brightly. "Don't worry, it's not right now, it's just that the dark clouds happen to be blocking it."

"I was so frightened..."

He Sui'an looked at her profile from the side. Her brows were relaxed and she was free of worries. She smiled slightly and said, "You guys are pretty fast. There are still ten miles to Jiayang Pass. There must be enemy soldiers guarding the city gate."

“I know that,” Xiang He said, his hands behind his back and his fingers lightly stroking the umbrella handle. “We will not travel with you. We will enter the city after we have won the battle.”

"Ah."

The two fell silent, gazing at the clear, dark night sky. Xiang He slowly squatted down, placing her palms on the ground.

The earth's veins faintly flow with life force; the mountain god is exerting his power, but it's uncertain whether he can hold on.

With the large umbrella in her hand open, Xiang He slowly closed her eyes, muttering incantations in a soft and moving voice. He Sui stood quietly to the side listening, while Jing Hua Shui Yue followed suit, closing her eyes to listen.

The night wind swept across the mountain peaks, creating ripples that touched someone's heart.

-

With the recapture of Jiayang Pass imminent, our army is ready to march. Xiang He, with the wounded, stands on a distant mountain overlooking the landscape.

Shouts of attack came from ahead, and countless arrows rained down from the city walls. Xiang He suddenly remembered that night; if she had killed living people, she wondered what her mindset would have been.

"Girl, what are you thinking about?"

"Thinking... Have Father and Mother arrived in the capital? Did they run into that Xiang Lianhua who's wearing Ye Shuyao's skin? Are they all doing well...?"

Zeng Yunqing's shoulder was bumped, and her bright eyes looked at Xiang He excitedly, "After this matter is over, I will go to the capital with you!"

"You're already missing your Rongxing?"

Her pretty face flushed, and Zeng Yunqing said reproachfully, "What are you saying! You're all in the capital, while I'm all alone in Shuiyun City. It's so lonely!"

"It's not impossible for me to take you back to Beijing, but your grandfather has to agree, right?"

"When I return to Shuiyun City, I will definitely talk to Grandpa about it."

On the mountaintop, the girls were talking, while Zhu Nan, a man, stood far away, his heart filled with concern for the battle to capture the city.

The battle to capture the city didn't take long, indicating that the enemy didn't have many troops in the city.

As dusk fell, hearing cheers from the city, Xiang He and his companions descended the mountain, mounted their horses, and galloped towards Jiayang Pass.

The city gates were wide open, and He Sui'an, dressed in simple clothes, was waiting.

Many soldiers were helping the wounded soldiers inside. Xiang He smiled at him and said, "You go ahead and do your work. We'll help take care of the wounded soldiers."

He Sui'an's eyes remained gentle as he walked a few steps to her and said, "Don't overwork yourself."

"I know, go ahead and get busy."

After he left, the girls went into the wounded soldiers' camp in the city. When the soldiers saw the girls come in, they immediately pulled their clothes over their shoulders to cover their bare chests, but Xiang He pulled his clothes off.

"What are you thinking about? You might aggravate your wound."

The soldier's face flushed red, and he could only turn his head away, saying, "Thank you, young lady..."

"Don't be so polite, just treat us like doctors."

"Yes."

The girls helped bandage the wounds and treat the arrow wounds. They dared not move around and could only wait for Xiang He to do it himself.

Just treating the wounded soldiers took everyone quite a bit of time. The soldiers went from being unaccustomed at first to chatting fluently later on, and the wounded soldiers' camp was filled with laughter.

Zhou Ziyue led 30,000 troops this time; these were his personal guards, brave and skilled in battle.

The thousand elite troops that were separated were even more invincible, and He Sui'an made good use of them to maximize their effectiveness.

Xiang He didn't understand the tactics of troop deployment in warfare; all she could do was help take care of the wounded soldiers, and everyone else contributed their share.

-

The army marched towards Houde Pass, but the place became increasingly desolate. It seemed that the evil spirits lingered there for a while. Xiang He and Zhu Nan did not follow the army but instead explored the area.

Zeng Yunqing had a beautiful dream, and she stayed with the army until the end, serving as a female doctor.

"What are you looking for, young lady?"

The two wandered around a hillside. Xiang He didn't know what she was looking for. Perhaps it was because the place was too desolate that she wanted to see what was going on.

"Let's take a look. After those 30,000 soldiers passed through Houde Pass, they must have stayed here for a long time. I wonder what's here."

After searching for most of the day, the two finally found a clue in a relatively deep mountain area.

"Look, girl!"

They are now deep in a mountain ravine, a very secluded place where even ordinary people dare not approach easily, lest they be unable to escape.

At this moment, the two looked down into the ravine. There was only a little clear water flowing through it, and beneath the water was a stone array.

Looking at the key point of the formation, Xiang He's eyes darkened, and his face turned icy. "Gathering Yin and Hanging Water Formation..."

"Young lady, what does this mean?"

Xiang He stared intently at the formation's core. "It's a place where Yin energy gathers. As long as a large amount of Yin energy from outside arrives, it can gather more Yin energy from the surrounding area through this formation core. I suppose the Yin energy of those 30,000 soldiers was enhanced by this formation core, forming an even larger Yin energy."

Even Zhu Nan, who knew nothing about this, couldn't help but feel a chill. "Who would do this..."

“We’ll have to ask Xiaoyao then,” Xiang He said, without reaching out to destroy the array’s core. “If they set up an array core here, there must be others elsewhere as well, and more than one.”

"There are more around here?!"

Xiang He shook his head. "There should only be this one nearby. If the array eye is too close, it can easily produce other effects. This is a long-distance array eye, and the core that truly activates the array eye is not here."

The two remained silent for a long time, gazing at each other in quiet contemplation.

Xiang He only stood up and moved his feet when his legs were a little numb from squatting. "Don't move it yet. According to the enemy soldiers' movements, there might be more outside Houde Pass. Let's go look for them."

"Are you so certain, young lady?"

The two quickened their pace, and Xiang He pulled up the hood of his cloak to cover his icy eyes. "To utilize so many puppets, there must be a powerful Yin energy controlling them; but according to General Pang, the enemy's expedition seemed to appear suddenly, which can only mean that they gathered outside the city and did not march for a long time."

"What about those human soldiers?"

"Have you forgotten?" Xiang He pulled his collar tighter, his eyes under the brim as cold as ice. "Didn't Sui An observe Houde Pass earlier? There was only a small disturbance. It was probably those disturbances that made us not notice that they were secretly setting up defenses outside the city, very discreetly."

"The puppet that suddenly appeared was secretly brought by those people. After receiving orders, they went to the Yin Gathering Array Eye, and only then did they discover that enemy troops were attacking."

That explanation does make sense.

It turns out that the other party had already made plans long ago, but they didn't expect to run into Xiang He.

This matter must be investigated as soon as possible, otherwise, if another one suddenly comes along, it may not be as difficult as this time when there is an enemy.