Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Great Uproar at Black Cliff Pass

Previously, it was told how Li Yiqing failed to steal the magical treasure and was instead captured and thrown into a cell.

He watched as the demon soldiers walked away, chuckling with a strange laugh, twisting his neck twice and shrugging his shoulders. Not long after, he managed to break free from the ropes binding him. Approaching the cell door, he squeezed his head between the iron bars. The gap was only five inches wide, impossible for others to squeeze through! But Li Yiqing was different—his ears fluttered, and he slipped through. With another twist of his body, he found himself outside the prison.

Glancing around and seeing no one else, he tapped his feet lightly and was instantly atop the roof.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

...

He moved like the wind, heading straight toward the old demon's bedchamber!

Soon, he arrived at the roof of the sleeping quarters, peering through the gap in the tiles he had opened earlier. He saw the old demon sprawled across the bed, snoring loudly.

This time, wary of falling into a trap, Li Yiqing was much more cautious. He surveyed the room below and, finding no one else, gently picked up a small stone and tossed it inside.

Clatter...

The stone rolled far, yet no one noticed. Only then did Li Yiqing relax. With a gentle tap, he leaped down from the roof. Just as he entered the room, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. Startled, he quickly scanned the room for hiding places.

He saw that the space beneath the bed was about a foot high, empty. With a swift move,

"Swish!"

he slipped underneath.

Lying beneath the bed, he watched as a small demon entered, carrying a teapot—it was there to deliver water.

Li Yiqing quietly breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for the small demon to set down the teapot and leave so he could resume his theft.

But, unexpectedly, after setting down the teapot, the small demon glanced under the bed, instantly alert. Looking around to ensure no one was nearby, it rushed forward in a few quick steps.

Li Yiqing was so frightened his scalp tingled, his hair standing on end. He was about to crawl out and kick the small demon aside.

Yet, as the demon approached, it simply picked up a copper coin.

Li Yiqing let out a long breath.

Just as he relaxed, a head suddenly peered beneath the bed, meeting Li Yiqing face to face!

Their eyes locked, wide and startled.

"Help! A thief!" the small demon shouted, causing Li Yiqing to kick it squarely in the stomach.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The small demon staggered back several steps,

Plop!

and collapsed onto the ground.

Li Yiqing, meanwhile,

"Whoosh!"

darted out from beneath the bed.

Again—

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

...

He dashed out of the room, leaping onto the rooftop, vanishing without a trace!

The cry immediately woke the old demon, who

"Bang!"

jumped up!

---

"Who?! Who?! Where did the thief come from?!"

He spotted the small demon, still on the ground, and demanded, "Tell me, where did that thief come from?"

The small demon, holding its waist and rubbing its belly, struggled up and bowed. "Commander, it was that little scoundrel again. I don’t know how he escaped, but he came here to steal from you!"

The words stunned the old demon, his mouth agape, dumbfounded.

He thought to himself: Oh dear! This is serious! Who would have expected that little scoundrel, tightly bound, would still escape? It seems the rebel army has plenty of capable people! No wonder Prime Minister was defeated by them! Enough! Tonight, I won’t sleep. I’ll wait here and see how you try to steal again! If you come, I’ll capture you alive, skin you, and tear out your tendons to vent my rage!

With that, he ordered, "Go, call General Kite and his squad to guard the perimeter. Do not let the thief enter again!"

The small demon bowed, "Yes!" and withdrew.

Soon,

Clatter...

A general, feathered from head to toe with a sharp beak and round eyes, led a fully-armed squad into the room. They surrounded the chamber, layer after layer, sealing it tight.

The old demon, abandoning sleep, grabbed the teapot,

Gulp, gulp, gulp...

and drank fiercely. He had indeed drunk too much last night, and now his throat was parched. Drinking the tea revived him, ready to wait for Li Yiqing’s next attempt.

Meanwhile, after being frightened away, Li Yiqing regretted his cowardice. He blamed himself for not being bold enough. When discovered by the demon soldiers, the old demon hadn’t reacted yet—why didn’t he snatch the treasure and run? Now, it would be far harder to steal it!

No, he had to try again. Otherwise, this infiltration would have been for nothing!

So he turned back.

From a distance, he saw the demon soldiers surrounding the sleeping quarters, layer upon layer. Even getting in would be difficult!

Li Yiqing broke out into a cold sweat—the old demon was truly alert now! Even if he managed to get inside, stealing would be almost impossible. He feared that the moment he entered, before he could even attempt theft, the old demon would smash him to pieces with a hammer!

Oh dear! What to do?!

Suddenly, he saw the small demon who had discovered him earlier carrying another teapot toward the sleeping quarters.

Hmm, looks like the old demon did truly drink too much last night—he’s drinking tea to sober up!

Li Yiqing's eyes gleamed. Got it! Why not try this way? It’s risky, but I might succeed and steal the treasure!

With that, he took a silver coin from his pocket, focused his will, and hurled it at the small demon’s head.

Thump!

The coin struck the demon’s head.

Clang...

It rolled off and away.

The small demon, delighted, put down the teapot and chased after the coin, praying as if fortune had descended upon him.

Li Yiqing seized the moment, leaping in front of the teapot. With one hand, he lifted the lid; with the other, he took a packet of sleeping powder from his pocket, opened it, and poured it into the tea.

His hand replaced the lid, the powder packet slipped back into his pocket. He picked up the teapot, shook it twice, swirled it twice more, and returned it to its place.

This series of actions was something Li Yiqing had practiced since childhood—swift as lightning!

By the time the small demon returned, Li Yiqing was already gone, and the demon, oblivious, carried the teapot inside.

Li Yiqing hid outside, snickering, and, judging the timing, set fire to the nearby granary. Then he shouted to the guards, "Fire! Help!"

This immediately caught General Kite's attention. He dared not ignore it, leading his squad to fight the blaze, leaving only two soldiers to guard the sleeping quarters.

At that moment, a shadow flashed by—Li Yiqing, unseen, slipped into the chamber.

He saw the old demon, fully dressed on the bed, holding the Thunderbolt Fire Cone, now utterly unconscious.

Li Yiqing could not help but cackle, "Old... old... old demon, how... how... how is it? Got... got... got hit by your grandpa’s sleeping powder! Let’s see how long you can be arrogant! Killing you now is no feat—let’s meet again on the battlefield!"

Saying this, he took the Thunderbolt Fire Cone from the demon’s hand and turned to leave.

Suddenly remembering he had suffered two slaps from the old demon, he turned back and scolded, "Old... old... old demon, your grandpa spares your life, but I haven’t forgiven those two slaps! I’ll settle that now!"

---

With that, he raised his hand high,

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

Two resounding blows landed on the old demon’s face with such force that his face swelled and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. The blows were audible even outside!

One demon soldier remarked, "Hey, brother, something’s wrong—why do I hear slapping from the sleeping quarters? Who is Commander hitting?"

Another replied, "Yes, I heard it too. Those slaps are loud! But there’s no one else in the room! We’d better check!"

The first protested, "Check? What if the Commander gets angry and beats us?"

The other said, "Nonsense! If it’s just slaps, fine—but if that scoundrel thief got inside, we might lose our lives!"

As they talked, their footsteps grew closer.

Li Yiqing shivered, his head spinning—this was bad, he’d be discovered! Then he thought: Hey! I’ve done everything I came for—why stay here? Time to flee! Once I start running, who on earth can catch me?

With that, he lifted his legs,

"Whoosh!"

and dashed out the door.

He collided headlong with the two demon soldiers.

"Hey! It’s the little scoundrel!"

One pointed at Li Yiqing, about to shout, but Li Yiqing

"Thud!"

knocked him flat.

The other soldier had just opened his mouth to shout, "Catch—" but before he could finish, Li Yiqing covered his mouth, pushed him aside,

"Stumble, stumble, stumble..."

He retreated ten steps,

"Plop!"

and fell to the ground.

By the time they got up, Li Yiqing was already gone!

Meanwhile, Murong Yan and Ye Feng were waiting for Li Yiqing in the command tent.

They waited and waited, but still Li Yiqing didn’t appear. As the sky began to pale, he had not returned, and both of them wrung their hands, pacing anxiously.

Suddenly, a soldier reported, "Reporting! General Li has returned and awaits outside!"

"Bring him in! Hurry!" The two were overjoyed, hastening to summon Li Yiqing.

Before the soldier could turn, Murong Yan and Ye Feng were already on their feet, ordering, "Lead the way—we’ll greet General Li ourselves!"

In a few hurried steps, they rushed outside.

There was Li Yiqing, dressed in black, waiting respectfully. They clasped their hands in salute, "General Li, you’ve worked hard!"

Li Yiqing, flattered, quickly returned the salute, "Not at all! Not at all! To be greeted by both Marshals—I am unworthy!"

Murong Yan and Ye Feng ushered Li Yiqing into the command tent, offered him a seat, and asked for a detailed account of his adventure.

Li Yiqing recounted everything, and when he spoke of the dangers, both Marshals listened with hearts pounding.

At last, Li Yiqing presented the Thunderbolt Fire Cone with both hands, saying, "Marshals, here... here... here is the Thunderbolt Fire Cone used by the demon general—I managed to steal it! I present it to you!"

Murong Yan nodded repeatedly, "General Li, your labor and merit are great. I have no reward for you now but will record a great service to your name. As for this magical treasure, you should keep and use it yourself."

Ye Feng ordered, "Bring wine!"

Soldiers brought out hot wine, ready and waiting.

Ye Feng poured a full cup for Li Yiqing, saying, "General Li, you’ve worked hard! I have no reward for you, but offer this cup to show my respect!"

Li Yiqing took the wine, chuckling, "Deputy Marshal Ye is too modest. For the sake of driving out demons and reclaiming our land, I, Li Yiqing, am willing to risk everything!"

He raised the cup and drained it in one gulp.

The three were in conversation when suddenly, a soldier reported, "Reporting! Marshals, a demon general is outside the camp, challenging and hurling insults. He claims to be the Commander of Black Cliff Pass, Nine-Headed Vulture, and demands a duel with General Li Yiqing to avenge the stolen treasure!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yiqing clenched his teeth in rage, smashing his cup to the ground and cursing, "Old demon! Wait... wait... wait for me to take... take your life!"

He strode out at once, but Murong Yan stopped him.

She said, "General Li, you worked hard last night! Leave the duel with Nine-Headed Vulture to us two!"