Mountain and River Festival 242. Martial Arts Conference

Mo Xiuyao finally persuaded Xu Qingchen to stay in Nanzhao to handle the follow-up matters. He was contented and left Nanzhao with Ye Li to start a carefree trip.

Unlike Ye Li, Mo Xiuyao had no guilt or worry about leaving Xu Qingchen in Nanzhao. In fact, Mo Xiuyao still believed that Master Qingchen was too low-key. In other words, he was working without putting in effort.

Master Qingchen became famous when he was young, and was once a talent for governing the world that many great scholars valued. Unfortunately, since he resigned from office and traveled around, Master Qingchen's name has been more often seen in rural legends and rumors. I'm afraid that in the eyes of the world, Master Qingchen's immortal demeanor is better than his strategic means. But Mo Xiuyao knows that Xu Qingchen's ability is far more than that. Princess Anxi can achieve what she has today, at least half of it is due to Xu Qingchen. In the past few years, the southwest of Da Chu was sandwiched between Xiling and Nanzhao and was attacked from all sides. It can still have the current situation, and it is also inseparable from Xu Qingchen's maneuvering.

Perhaps they have learned from the lessons of their predecessors who were too popular, the two generations of the Xu family like to keep a low profile. The Xu family is definitely the first to contribute to the development of the northwest in recent years, but when people talk about it, they only praise the wisdom of Prince Ding and the Princess, and rarely mention the Xu family. It can be seen that the Xu family has been quite successful in this move. This also makes Mo Xiuyao very helpless. Keeping a low profile will inevitably limit the display of talents. If these people work hard, how much time can he save to play with Ah Li?

In the inn, Xu Qingchen sat alone behind his desk, closing his eyes and resting his mind. The words Mo Xiuyao said before he left were still ringing in his ears: Brother Qingchen, I dare not guarantee that the Xu family will be rich and prosperous for thousands of years, but as long as I am alive and Mo Yuchen is alive, I will definitely ensure that the Xu family will be peaceful.

Mo Xiuyao rarely called Mo Xiaobao by his full name, but usually called him Mo Xiaobao. This made some people who didn't know the truth think that the young master of Ding Wangfu was named Mo Xiaobao. Therefore, Mo Xiuyao's sincerity and determination can be seen in his words. The Xu family didn't distrust Mo Xiuyao, but they didn't trust the royal power. For this, the price paid by the Xu family was too high. Although the whole family was not executed and the blood did not flow, several generations of the Xu family were suppressed, and many family members died in depression. Even if the grandfather was a famous scholar of the time, how could he really live a free day? Such a blunt knife is actually more torturous than a direct chop.

"Master Qingchen." Qin Feng said in a deep voice outside the door.

"What's the matter?" Xu Qingchen opened his eyes, his eyes calm and without any sleepiness. Qin Feng said, "Prime Minister Liu of Great Chu and Concubine Liu Guifei want to see you."

Xu Qingchen pondered for a moment and said calmly, "You are welcome."

Soon, Prime Minister Liu came in with Consort Liu in white. Seeing the man in white sitting behind the desk without even the intention of moving, Prime Minister Liu's cloudy old eyes flashed with jealousy and anger. He couldn't help but be jealous of Xu Qingchen. Young Master Qingchen became famous at a young age and held power before he was thirty. Although Young Master Qingchen did not have a specific official position in the northwest, those who really cared knew that Young Master Qingchen's status among the civil servants in the northwest was second only to his father Xu Hongyu. Thinking of himself at this age, he was still struggling hard in the court, using all kinds of shady methods to climb up. How could Prime Minister Liu not be jealous and resentful of the man in front of him who was elegant and graceful.

Like her father, Concubine Liu also disliked Xu Qingchen. Not only because he was Ye Li's cousin, but also because she always felt ashamed in front of this man. It wasn't that Xu Qingchen looked better than her. No matter how handsome Xu Qingchen was, he was still a man. His appearance was definitely not more delicate and beautiful than Concubine Liu, who was known as the most beautiful woman in Chujing. But Xu Qingchen's natural temperament always made people feel that the darkness and filth in their hearts could not hide in front of him.

"What's the purpose of Prime Minister Liu's visit?" Xu Qingchen frowned as he looked at the two people staring at him in silence and asked.

Prime Minister Liu finally came to his senses and said, "I heard that Prince Ding and Princess had already left the Nanzhao Royal City this morning?" Xu Qingchen nodded but did not speak. Prime Minister Liu's gray brows wrinkled a few times. "Then I wonder what Prince Ding and Princess think about Princess Anxi's succession to the throne?"

This morning, the news that the King of Nanzhao had been found came out of the palace, but he was injured by the rebels and was too frightened to handle the government affairs. Princess Anxi will soon ascend the throne as the crown princess and become the new Queen of Nanzhao. Such news is not good for Da Chu. Princess Anxi has always been very close to Xu Qingchen and has a good relationship with Princess Ding. If she ascends the throne, it will only be bad for Da Chu.

Xu Qingchen smiled calmly and said, "The prince has already handed this matter over to me to handle."

Prime Minister Liu's face changed slightly, "Can Master Qingchen represent Prince Ding?" After hearing this, Prime Minister Liu secretly groaned in his heart. When the emperor was angry with the Xu family, he had completely offended the Xu family. Now Prince Ding has handed the matter over to Xu Qingchen. Even if Xu Qingchen is not a friend of Princess Anxi, he can't stand on their side. Xu Qingchen smiled calmly and said, "Since the King of Nanzhao is no longer able to govern, it is natural for Princess Anxi to ascend the throne as the crown princess. Even if the prince is here, what objection can he have? Prime Minister Liu, you and I are just waiting for Princess Anxi to ascend the throne on an auspicious day." Prime Minister Liu's face turned pale and blue, he just didn't want Princess Anxi to ascend the throne! Xu Qingchen didn't even look at Prime Minister Liu's expression,

He lowered his eyes and sipped the tea in the cup, hiding the flash of disdain in his eyes. He thought too highly of himself to want to influence the succession of the throne of Nanzhao with just a prime minister. "I still have some things to deal with, so I won't accompany Prime Minister Liu." This meant serving tea to see him off. Prime Minister Liu's face changed, and he finally snorted and left.

Just after seeing off Prime Minister Liu, someone came to the door to report that the Prince of Zhennan wanted to see him. Xu Qingchen frowned and said, "I'm closing the door and thanking you. I won't see you today."

The guards retreated to pass on the order. Qin Feng, who was sitting on the side, asked curiously, "Master, is it really okay to close the door and not see you?"

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "What's the problem? Anyway, it's just about those things. When Princess Anxi ascends the throne, they will naturally have nothing to say." Even if all the people are unwilling to let Princess Anxi, who has a good relationship with the Northwest, ascend the throne, these people are all brought by envoys, and there are no more than a hundred people at most. Do they still have the ability to forcibly stop it? Picking up the pen and writing a few lines, Xu Qingchen calmly folded the paper and put it in an envelope and handed it to Qin Feng, saying, "Please ask someone to deliver it to Princess Anxi." Qin Feng didn't ask any more questions, took the letter and immediately turned around and left.

Half an hour later, Xu Qingchen's letter was already spread out on Princess Anxi's desk. The elegant handwriting carried a hidden edge and murderous aura - "If you don't make decisions when you should, you will suffer the consequences. The way of being a king is that those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish!"

After looking at the letter for a long time, Princess Anxi finally asked, "Where is Shu Manlin?" The guard beside her replied, "Princess, she is locked up in the dungeon."

Princess Anxi was silent for a moment, then said, "Send her off, and send those tribal leaders who helped Shu Manlin off as well."

"Yes, Princess."

No matter how bloody and violent the battles were in the Nanzhao Royal City, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were relaxed and at ease, which was rare in recent years. They did not bring any guards with them, and left Qin Feng, Zhuo Jingfeng and the others in Nanzhao to assist Xu Qingchen. They rode a wild horse that Mo Xiuyao had just tamed and took some luggage with them and headed northwest. In order to avoid being disturbed along the way, Mo Xiuyao dyed his white hair, which he had been used to for several years, into black hair, and changed into ordinary clothes of people in the martial arts world. The two of them really looked like a pair of immortal lovers walking in the martial arts world.

Just when everyone thought that Prince Ding and Princess Ding must have hurried back to the northwest, Mo Xiuyao leisurely brought Ye Li across the northwest border of Nanzhao and entered the territory of Xiling.

Originally, Xiling and Da Chu were one a few hundred years ago, so even after a few hundred years, the language and customs of the people in the two countries have not changed much. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li just disguised themselves a little and blended into the border of Xiling, without causing any suspicion along the way.

Both of them were important figures who always got involved in the entire northwest. No matter where they went, they were always surrounded by people and never had a moment of freedom. This time, they did not bring any guards with them. They traveled light and traveled along the way. Even though they did not deliberately visit any famous mountains and rivers, or fairyland holy places, they felt extremely free and happy. Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li's relaxed brows every day, and the faint but relaxed smile on her face made him feel extremely guilty.

Over the years, Ah Li's pressure was no less than anyone else in the Northwest, or even more. It was all because of him. If she hadn't married him, it would have been easy for Ah Li to live any kind of life she wanted. But he was trapped in the Northwest dealing with endless political affairs and facing enemies that seemed to be the whole world. This was definitely not the life he wanted for Ah Li. He wanted Ah Li to be the most noble and happiest woman in the world, who could do whatever she wanted and go wherever she wanted at any time.

"What are you thinking about?" Sitting in a corner of the inn, Ye Li looked up at Mo Xiu Yao who was staring at her in a daze and asked softly.

Mo Xiuyao blinked, looked at Ye Li and said softly: "Ah Li, do you like your current life?"

Ye Li raised her eyebrows and nodded, "Not bad." Seeing Mo Xiuyao's apologetic look, Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "It's good to travel around when you have time, but if you want me to travel around the world like my elder brother and enjoy the beautiful scenery, I can't stand it."

Ye Li was not lying. She was not a romantic and talented person like Xu Qingchen, who was devoted to the mountains and rivers. Traveling was a way for her to relax, not a way of life. In terms of life, it was easier to accept if she was closer to ordinary people. In essence, Ye Li felt that she was still a very vulgar person.

Even if he wanted to travel around the world, Ye Li felt that it should be something he should do when he was at least 40 or 50 years old. Basically, special forces is still a career that requires hard work, so when you are young, you should do things that young people should do. Otherwise, what should you do when you are old? Just stare at each other in a daze?

"I thought A'li liked to live a leisurely life. The busy life in the past few years is not what A'li wanted, right?" Mo Xiu Yao asked.

Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, "We have discussed this issue before, and I thought you understood what I meant. But I don't like fighting for power and profit. It's best to live a stable life. But in this world... unless I live in seclusion in the mountains, it's not always so easy to be satisfied, right? What's more, I am not alone. Even if it's not you, I will always have a husband and children. If my husband is not Prince Ding and my son is not the prince of Ding, will he still be safe and worry-free now? He may look at other people's faces because of his status, and he may be bullied by others, and I can't protect him everywhere. In addition, compared to retreating to the backyard and having fine clothes and food but no freedom, I prefer to walk freely and openly outside. If you want something, you must pay something. Compared with the freedom and casualness now, it's not unacceptable to be a little busy, right?"

Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li seriously and said, "No matter what Ah Li thinks, I hope Ah Li doesn't have to worry about anything. As long as Ah Li wants something, the best in the world will be immediately presented to Ah Li. But... I can't do it."

Ye Li helplessly held up Mo Xiuyao's face, and saw the sincere regret, helplessness and grievance in his handsome eyes. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "You mean you want to build a cage made of gold and gemstones to lock me in? Then eat dragon liver and pheasant marrow, wear gold and silver silk, and even use fairy dew and agarwood for mouthwash? Xiuyao, this is not what I want. What I want is that no matter where you want to go, no matter how high you want to go, you and I can walk hand in hand. Do you understand?"

"Anything else?" Mo Xiuyao looked at her eagerly, as if expecting her to make more requests. Ah Li's request was too difficult for many people, but too simple for Mo Xiuyao. He wanted to give Ah Li the best, everything she wanted. Even if he didn't have it now, he would get it in the future and he would snatch it for her.

Ye Li tilted her head to look at him, and after a while she smiled and said, "Also...if there is another woman along the way, don't blame me for kicking you off."

"There will never be another A'li in this world." Mo Xiuyao sighed softly. There is only one A'li, so there will never be a second woman in their lives.

After calming down the irritable person, Ye Li added some vegetables that Mo Xiuyao liked to eat to his bowl and asked him to eat. The lobby of the inn is not a good place to express one's true feelings. Fortunately, the business in the inn was not very busy and there were not many people in the lobby at this time. The two of them sat in the corner and no one noticed their interaction. While they were eating, they discussed the next journey. A large group of people walked in at the door of the inn, each of them carrying a weapon in their hands. Just by looking at their attire, you can tell that they are not ordinary people. The shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward to greet them attentively, and the lobby became lively for a while.

Ye Li frowned and whispered, "Why are there so many people from the underworld in this place?" This is just a little-known town in Xiling, and it is rare to see a few people from the underworld at ordinary times. Not to mention that they come in groups like this now.

Mo Xiuyao pondered and looked at those people for a long time before saying, "Come to think of it... this year seems to be the martial arts conference that takes place every nine years."

"Martial Arts Conference? To elect the leader of the martial arts world?" Speaking of the martial arts conference, the first thing that came to Ye Li's mind was to seize the leader of the martial arts world.

Mo Xiuyao smiled softly and said, "Ah Li has never been interested in the affairs of the martial arts world. Where did you hear that? What martial arts leader... In the martial arts world, each sect is independent. Who will listen to whom?" Even if the world's best martial artist is not popular, everyone will buy into him. If the world's best martial artist is a loner, then let alone leading the heroes, I'm afraid he can't even command some small sects. The martial arts leader is just something imagined in those storybooks.

"I remember that the prince seemed to have participated in the martial arts conference eighteen years ago. So, this so-called Wushu Conference is the conference where people in the martial arts world compete for rankings?" Ye Li quickly remembered that Mo Xiuyao won the title of one of the four great masters in the world at the martial arts conference eighteen years ago. At that time, Mo Xiuyao was only fourteen years old. Mo Xiuyao has just turned thirty, but he has already experienced the third martial arts conference. Of course, Mo Xiuyao did not participate in the second time for some reason.

"Is this session held in Xiling? Are you going to Xiu Yao?" Ye Li asked with a smile, "You didn't participate last time, but this time you might be able to take the life of the world's number one expert and go back with him."

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and smiled, "If Ah Li is interested, we can go and see. But forget about the title of the best master." The best master means that from now on there will be countless people who want to challenge you and defeat you. Mo Xiuyao doesn't think he has the time to deal with those endless Jianghu masters. If he has that time, he might as well accompany Ah Li to bully Mo Xiaobao.

Ye Li smiled and said, "It seems that the prince and the Lingge Master have not yet had a battle. Do you think we will run into the Lingge Master this time?"

Mo Xiuyao frowned. What Ah Li said might really happen. Now that he was healthy and free, if he ran into Ling Tiehan, he would have no chance of escaping. Although he also wanted to fight with a master like Ling Tiehan, but...

"Ling Tiehan may not have the time to pay attention to me." Mo Xiuyao said with a smile.

Ye Li was puzzled. Is there a better opponent than Mo Xiuyao in this world? Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "There may not be a better opponent, but...between the opponent and the enemy, which one do you think Ling Tiehan will choose first?"

"Enemy?" Ye Li frowned, and counted all the masters in the martial arts world in her mind, and asked in confusion: "Ling Tiehan and Lei Zhenting have a grudge?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said, "Ah Li, didn't you notice that Ling Tiehan and Lei Zhenting are both masters of Xiling, so they should have a better relationship. But in recent years, Ling Tiehan would rather go to Da Chu to find masters to learn from, and has never learned from Lei Zhenting?"

Ye Li raised her eyebrows, "Isn't it because Lei Zhenting has a special identity?"

"No, it's because once they start, it will be a fight to the death. Ling Tiehan won't take action until he is sure that he can kill Lei Zhenting." Mo Xiuyao said calmly.