126: The great general who listens to music in the brothel! The second-rank beast king!

Li Mu, stationed at the northern border, was also exceptionally happy, as the Demon Barbarians, for once, were sensible enough not to invade the frontier.

Most importantly, his wife was away visiting their son, and Li Mu had been living an exceptionally comfortable life for the past half-month.

Although he sometimes missed his son and wife, all his worries were cast aside as his brothers handed him their wine cups.

At first, he was a bit reserved, but gradually he got used to it.

He could drink more wine than the usual limited amount, and in the evenings, he could listen to music to relax…

However, as a public figure, he needed to disguise himself every time he went out, which was a bit troublesome.

Li Mu was pulled into the brothel by his seemingly refined and amiable strategist.

This old fellow, despite looking gentle and elegant, had experienced more than anyone and was incredibly cunning; otherwise, he wouldn't have become Li Mu's strategist.

Many of the trusted confidants the King of Yan had placed in Shanhai Pass, the northern border fortress, were systematically removed with his help.

Currently, everyone in Shanhai Pass, from top to bottom, was either promoted by Li Mu or had followed him for a long time.

Li Mu's hands were somewhat resistant, pulling his strategist away from the brothel, yet his feet were disobediently moving inwards.

However, at the last moment, Li Mu looked at his strategist with a serious expression and said,

“Old Fan, are you sure everything is fine?”

His strategist, Old Fan, patted his chest and smiled confidently, saying, “Don’t worry, my General Li, all defenses are operating steadily. According to intelligence, both Demon Barbarian tribes have been busy clearing out fierce beasts within their territories during this period and have no time to move south!”

“Besides, Shanhai Pass doesn’t only have you, a great general; the generals below can also handle things.”

“That’s good…” Li Mu nodded in satisfaction, then glanced nervously at the people around him and whispered,

“I told you not to call me ‘General,’ keep your voice down! Do you want me to die?!”

Old Fan rolled his eyes, somewhat exasperated, but still appeased him, saying,

“I know, I know, you’re such a pathetic great general!”

“You know my wife’s temper!” Li Mu sighed.

“It’s settled, tonight we only listen to music, no other activities, alright!”

“Naturally.” Old Fan nodded with a smile, teasingly saying,

“Among the nearly ten million people in Shanhai Pass, who doesn’t know that you, General Li, are a doting husband! Don’t worry, I won’t let you ‘lose face’!”

“My disguise technique is still pretty good, isn’t it? Several acquaintances walked right past us without noticing anything.” Old Fan said with a confident smile.

Li Mu unceremoniously pushed away Old Fan’s hand from his shoulder, but he did feel much more at ease.

If the people of Shanhai Pass knew that the dignified General who guards the North was openly enjoying himself in a place of pleasure like a brothel, such a socially embarrassing scene would be enough to make Li Mu want to crawl into a hole.

It probably wouldn’t be long before the news spread throughout the entire Great Qian, and he wouldn’t have the face to continue living in the territory of Great Qian…

Many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital had dozens of wives and concubines, and no one said anything, although occasionally they would visit the Jiaofang Division for “life experience,” but they always went in disguise and secretly. If they were exposed, they would lose all face.

It was acceptable to keep mistresses, but what was it to frequent brothels?

High-ranking officials could swallow their pride, but the Emperor could not, so naturally, someone would help them maintain their dignity.

Li Mu and Old Fan found an inconspicuous corner to sit down, and soon artists came onto the stage to play instruments and sing…

The audience below applauded and cheered.

Li Mu quickly spotted several generals from his own command.

It was normal for them to come here to relax when not on duty.

Gradually, Li Mu also relaxed, listening to the music with a slight smile.

After drinking a cup with Old Fan, he smiled and said, “This artist must be new, the music she plays is quite good!”

“It seems she came from the Joyous Union Sect; she has some skill.” Old Fan smiled.

No sooner had he spoken than a loud bang came from the north.

The entire brothel hall immediately erupted in a commotion, with the artists and guests causing a stir.

Li Mu and Old Fan rose with grim faces, exchanging a serious glance.

They had both received urgent messages from their subordinates!

“Demon Barbarians are attacking, return quickly!”

Li Mu said in a deep voice, “Let’s go!”

Old Fan also cursed, “These damn Demon Barbarian tribes! We finally get to relax a bit, and they just have to attack in the middle of the night!”

“Let’s kill them!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the two left a silver ingot, and their figures vanished from the corner of the brothel.

Several generals who were relaxing in the crowd also quickly disappeared into the night.

At this moment, the person in charge of the brothel stepped out to appease the guests.

“Everyone, don’t be nervous, it’s just a common Demon Barbarian incursion. With General Li here, the Demon Barbarians won’t amount to anything!”

“That’s good, but why are these barbarians going crazy again? Attacking in the middle of the night!”

“Who cares! Madam, bring out Miss Huaiyu, let the music and dance continue!”

“…”

At the same time, Li Mu and his strategist Old Fan had shed their previous scholarly robes and changed into their battle armor.

Li Mu looked at the city defense general with a stern and solemn expression and asked,

“What’s the situation? Why are the Demon Barbarians attacking now?”

However, the city defense general looked terrified, “General, it’s not the Demon Barbarian tribes, it’s fierce beasts…”

“A beast tide of fierce beasts has arrived!”

Li Mu’s expression darkened, and he instantly flashed to the edge of the city wall, only to see an endless horde of brutal, low-intelligence fierce beasts surging towards Shanhai Pass under the cover of night.

The city defenders were continuously bombarding the fierce beasts using city defense artifacts produced by the Imperial Observatory on the city wall.

As the fierce beasts in front fell, those behind them mindlessly charged forward…

“Old Fan, why did the fierce beasts suddenly gather and charge towards Shanhai Pass?” Li Mu asked in a deep voice.

His strategist, Old Fan, stood beside him, looking at the continuous, fearless fierce beasts, his face ashen, and said,

“Fierce beasts are all solitary creatures. Even if they cultivate to the Seventh Grade and above, their intelligence remains low, and they are incredibly irritable. It’s impossible for them to travel together, let alone form a beast tide!”

After a moment of contemplation, he continued, “…There’s a very high possibility that a Beast Emperor has been born among the fierce beasts!”

Li Mu’s face instantly turned pale with shock upon hearing this, “How could a Second Grade Beast Emperor suddenly be born among the fierce beasts? There was no news of it before!”

“And even if a Second Grade Beast Emperor was born, they should first deal with the territories of the Demon Barbarian tribes, right? Why would they suddenly move south to attack Shanhai Pass?!”

Fierce beasts are distributed throughout various places Outside the Pass in the northern region, in vast numbers, covering the territories of both Demon Barbarian tribes.

The constant harassment by fierce beasts caused great suffering to the various tribes of the Demon Barbarians, which is why they wanted to invade the territory of Great Qian to the south.

At certain specific times, the Demon Barbarian tribes would organize strong cultivators to hunt fierce beasts, and this period was also a time of peace for Shanhai Pass.

According to past situations, at this time, the Demon Barbarian tribes should be locked in a fierce battle with the fierce beasts!

Old Fan sighed deeply, “Besides the appearance of a Beast Emperor, I can’t think of any other possibility.”

“To know the true reason, we can only go deep into the Demon Barbarian heartland to investigate.”

Li Mu immediately said, “I’ll go and be right back!”

But Old Fan held him back tightly, “You can’t go! You are the commanding general here. If you leave, who will lead?”

“Then what do we do? Even for me, going there is fraught with danger. For anyone else to go deep into the Demon Barbarian heartland is tantamount to suicide!” Li Mu said in a low voice.

Old Fan said expressionlessly, “Report to the Imperial Court. A beast tide caused by a Second Grade Beast Emperor—Shanhai Pass needs reinforcements!”

…