Chapter 513: Half-Siblings
The journey to the front lines did not happen all at once.
Under General Li Huxinâs banner, they moved from one subsidiary clan to the next, stopping briefly at each stronghold along the way. Orders were delivered, banners unfurled, and cultivatorsâyoung and oldâanswered the call.
Some came out of loyalty.
Some out of ambition.
Others because this was the only chance they would ever get to step onto a real battlefield.
Each stop added more men to the growing force behind them.
By the time they reached Li Huxinâs assigned military camp, the column stretched long across the plainsâarmored cultivators, spear units, scouts, and reserve forces from dozens of subsidiary clans. Many were not Li Family clansmen at all, but powerful individuals who had sworn temporary military service.
There were six major camps in total, each commanded by a general of the Li Family Clan. Of them all, Li Huxinâs camp was the closest to the front linesâthe one most likely to see blood first. And everyone here knew it.
The camp itself was massive. Rows of tents stretched across the open ground.
There were many powerful cultivators hereâRefiniment realm, Core Realm, even a few in the Profound Realm.
Yet Xiao Fang could tell that hardly any of them had ever seen war.
Their Qi was sharp but untested. Their killing intent was practiced, not proven. Many were young cultivators with bright eyes and restless ambition, hoping this conflict would be the moment their names entered the records of the Li Family Clan.
Li Huxinâs camp was where reputations would be forgedâor shattered.
.
.
.
Li Lian arrived at the camp shortly after, but she wasnât alone.
Beside her walked Xiao Hei, hands clasped behind her head, eyes wandering lazily across the vast military grounds. To anyone else, she looked like a bored young woman that was being dragged somewhere she didnât want to beâbut the faint pressure leaking from her body caused nearby cultivators to instinctively give her space.
The moment they entered the outer perimeter, sentries straightened.
"Miss Li."
"General Liâs daughter."
Even though Li Lian was Li Huxinâs illegitimate child, she had recently gained the most fame after becoming the Matriarch Shi Lanâs direct disciple.
The Black Paradise sect was the best sect in the entire province, while most only dreamed about becoming a disciple of that sect, one could only assume that Li Lian was a peerless genius to become the Matriarchâs one and only direct disciple.
Whispers followed in their wakeâsome respectful, some curious, some wary. Li Lian ignored them all and headed straight for the command pavilion.
Just before reaching it, Xiao Hei suddenly halted.
Her ears twitched.
"...Oh," she muttered.
In the next instant, her body blurredâand vanished.
Li Lian clicked her tongue. "That girl..."
She knew she wouldnât have gone far, so she ignored her for now before heading inside.
...
Inside the command pavilion, Li Huxin stood over a large stone table carved with terrain lines and troop markings. Several officers were present along with his children, quietly debating supply routes and formation spacing.
When Li Huxin sensed Li Lian, he looked up immediately.
Seeing their fatherâs reaction, the others looked to the door as well, then they saw her.
"If it isnât Li Lian," one of Li Lianâs half-siblings commented.
"Long time no see. Have you gotten any stronger since we last saw you?" Li Lianâs half-brother commented as well.
Li Lian ignored their words and approached her father directly.
"Father," Li Lian greeted, cupping her fists.
His stern expression softenedâonly slightly. Li Lian had always been his most rebellious child, so their relationship had never been good.
"You came quickly," he said. "Good, weâll need your strength."
Li Lian stepped closer. "Iâll help any way I can."
Li Huxin nodded approvingly before gesturing toward the eastern markings on the map.
"The Song Family Clan has been pressing forward faster than expected. Their vanguard is aggressive, probing our outer defenses. Theyâre not committing fully yetâbut theyâre testing us."
"Theyâre looking for weakness," Li Lianâs elder half-brother interjected.
"Exactly," Li Huxin replied. "They want to force us into a premature engagement before our alliance with the Gao Family is finalized."
"How sure are we that it will even get finalized?" Li Lian asked.
Li Huxin shook his head slowly, "Regardless if they join us or not, our clan is ready for anything they throw at us."
"So our objective?" Li Lian asked.
"Delay," Li Huxin said without hesitation. "Bleed their scouts. Break their momentum. Force them to expose their hand before a full-scale clash."
"And if they push anyway?"
Li Huxinâs jaw tightened. "Then this camp becomes the shield."
Before Li Lian could respond, a light scoff came from behind.
"Well, well," a womanâs voice drawled lazily. "Talking strategy already?"
Li Lian didnât turn.
Her elder half-sister stepped forward, arms crossed, eyes flicking between Li Lian and the stone war map.
"Crazy Lian, did you hear?" she said, using Li Lianâs old childhood nickname. "A cripple asked for your hand in marriage in front of the Patriarch and the generals." She raised her sleeve, poorly hiding a mocking smile. "It seems our little sister really has no luck with men."
Several officers shifted awkwardly, pretending not to hear.
Li Lian remained expressionless.
"Thatâs enough," Li Huxin said coldly.
His gaze never left the map, but the authority in his voice froze the pavilion.
"I personally requested that the Patriarch place that boy under my command," he continued. "So as long as he is in this camp, I expect every one of you to treat him with respect."
The pavilion fell into silence.
At his words, Li Lianâs heart skipped a single beat.
"Heâs here?" she asked, unable to fully hide the interest in her voice.
Li Huxin finally allowed a faint smirk. "Yes. Southern inner perimeter. Red tent. You canât miss it."
His tone carried the faint amusement of a father revealing a secret to his daughter. Although their personalities often clashed, he never once stopped trying to be a good father to her.
Li Lian immediately turned.
âSo thatâs where Xiao Hei ran off to,â she thought.
"Where do you think youâre going?" her elder half-sister snapped, stepping into her path. "Father hasnât dismissed us yet."
Li Lian scoffed.
In the next instant, a wave of Dragon Perception Qi surged outward.
Her elder sister was blasted backward, her Profound Realm cultivation completely overwhelmed by Li Lianâs Half-Step Heavenly Realm battle power. She stumbled and fell hard onto the stone floor.
The other siblings watched in shock as they felt her dragonâs roar shaking their hearts.
"Thisâ"
Some had their jaws dropped, some had their teeth clenched, and others simply stood in complete disbelief. It hadnât even been half a year since they last saw Li Lian, but for her to increase her battlepower that much in such a short period of time shouldâve been impossible.
Even Li Huxin found it difficult to believe.
Walking past her elder sister now, Li Lian looked down at her with a domineering gaze.
"If Father wants me to stay, heâll tell me himself," Li Lian said coldly.
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Her elder sister shot an indignant look toward Li Huxin, clearly expecting him to intervene.
Instead, Li Huxin spoke calmly.
"Lianâer, wait."
Li Lian paused at the pavilion entrance.
"Tell Fang to report to the main courtyard shortly," he said. "Team divisions will begin in an hour."
Li Lian turned, cupped her fists respectfully, and nodded.
"Understood."
As she left, her sister muttered bitterly,
"Try not to get him killed."
Li Lian didnât slow her step.
As she exited the pavilion, Li Lian heard a familiar voice coming from her soul sea.
"Quite the family you got there."
Li Lian didnât need to ask who it was.
It was Li Xianyuâher ancestorâwho had witnessed the entire exchange while resting within her soul sea.
All her life, her half-siblings had carried themselves as if they were superiorânever letting her forget that, in their eyes, she wasnât worthy of being called their equal. Because of that, Li Lian had never once regarded them as true family.
"Yeah," she replied quietly, "the less I have to deal with them, the better."