Chapter 114 World Three [End]
Jing Ke demonstrated it in a very direct way. She poured her internal energy into the weapon and then attacked the ground. A straight tunnel appeared in front of her and her little apprentice.
If Jing Ke used all his strength, it would not be a big problem for him to cut a tunnel of a hundred meters with his sword. If he used it continuously, Jing Ke would be exhausted after using twenty moves and would need to rest for about an hour.
Twenty hundred meters equals four miles. If you work four miles per hour and five hours a day, that's twenty miles. It only takes three days to change the course of a river fifty miles away.
This is the power of a top master, moving mountains and filling the sea. Although it is a bit exaggerated, it is not completely fabricated out of thin air.
After seeing his master's brief demonstration, Luo Yuezhu, who had never seen such a scene before, opened his mouth wide and took a while to calm down.
"Master, are you going to open a river channel by yourself?" Luo Yuezhu asked. This was truly beyond her comprehension. She had only seen such powerful sword energy in storybooks.
But then again, a fight between top masters could raze a large courtyard to the ground, so using sword energy to blast a tunnel a hundred meters long didn't seem particularly outrageous, did it?
"No, it should be you and me." Jing Ke calmly put away his sword. "Not to mention a hundred meters, but twenty meters, you should be able to do it, right?"
Luo Yuezhu looked at the hundred-meter-long tunnel on the ground, then looked at the sword in his hand. "Master, can I try it?"
"Let's give it a try." Jing Ke said as he took a step back, wanting to see to what extent his young disciple could use his sixty years of internal energy.
Luo Yuezhu was taught by Jing Ke. The way she used the sword was almost the same as Jing Ke's, except that the mud and sand stirred up by her sword energy was much smaller than Jing Ke's, only more than ten meters, less than twenty meters.
"Master, I have already used all my strength." Luo Yuezhu estimated the distance and for the first time clearly realized the gap between himself and his master.
"That means you haven't mastered your internal energy well enough yet. You can practice these few days." Jing Ke patted his apprentice on the shoulder. "I've already decided on a general route. The river will pass through some villages that are also short of water. They will also work with you to divert the river."
"Master, should we notify the authorities in advance about this kind of thing?" Luo Yuezhu asked.
Changing the river course is a big deal. If I don’t inform the government, it will probably cause some unnecessary trouble.
"It's okay, we just want to get water, and the river originally passes through Feng'an City. What we did did not violate any relevant laws. We just helped some people for free." Jing Ke said.
Before making this suggestion, Jing Ke had already studied the specific laws. Small-scale modifications to river channels to divert water are allowed by law.
The law only stipulates that one cannot privately recruit a team of more than 100 people to artificially modify the river course, but it does not stipulate that two people cannot build a river course with a straight length of 50 miles and a total length of nearly 70 miles.
With Jing Ke's assurance and encouragement, Luo Yuezhu began to work honestly.
However, Luo Yuezhu was far inferior to Jing Ke in strength. She used up all her internal energy, but could only create a rough tunnel on the ground, which was only a little over a hundred meters long.
But this thankless task did help improve her control over her internal strength. After three days of hard work, she could cut a twenty-meter tunnel with one sword.
-
Almost all the people in Feng'an City suffered from the drought. After hearing that there were kind people willing to dig a canal to divert water for free, they all became very active and came to help with hoes.
In this way, before the farmland bought by Luo Yuezhu dried up completely, she successfully diverted water from fifty miles away, which not only prevented her crops from dying, but also helped more than a dozen villages save the crops they planted after surviving the snow disaster.
The government offices in Feng'an City naturally received news of such a big commotion, but there are some things that the local officials cannot interfere with, and they must report it to the court layer by layer.
Even if the imperial court gave the Feng'an County Magistrate the privilege of reporting directly to the emperor, the time it took to go back and forth was enough for the master and disciple to figure out the river channel.
This life-saving behavior can win over more people's hearts than selling low-priced grain before. The court was already restless before, and it was even more restless this time.
But Jing Ke and Luo Yuezhu have already solved the problem. Even if the court sends people over, what can they do? They can't change the river course that is beneficial to the people, right?
After deliberating for more than half a month, the court appointed the deputy head of Sihai Pavilion as the court's special envoy, who rode a fast horse to Feng'an City and handed a visiting card to Luo Mansion in a proper manner.
"What? The emperor wants to give us a reward?" Jing Ke did not drive away the court envoy, but chose a time to meet with her.
"Miss Jing, to be more precise, the emperor wants to reward Young Master Luo and confer the title of county lady on him so that he can enjoy the court's offerings." The envoy said politely.
The special envoy was well aware of Jing Ke's identity and strength. From the beginning, he did not act like a special envoy, but instead put himself in the position of a junior and subordinate.
This also gives us a rough idea of the court's current attitude. They are very wary of Jing Ke and Luo Yuezhu, but they don't want to turn against them at all.
Being able to take heads from an army of tens of thousands was a great danger to the emperor, and he did not want to use his own life to prove the truth of this statement.
"There is no need for a county lord. If the court really wants to show its sincerity, it only needs to confer the title of Xiaoyao Hou on my little apprentice. We don't want a fiefdom or any salary from the court. We just need to allow her to move freely within the territory." Jing Ke said.
Jing Ke didn't completely reject the court's overtures. After all, she wasn't really interested in rebellion. If the court insisted on using something to bribe her, Jing Ke would still prefer to make her apprentice a marquis.
County princesses and the like are usually children of princes, which sounds like they are one generation lower. However, being granted a title of marquis is different, it sounds very impressive, and the status of a young marquis is many times more useful than that of a county princess.
"This..." The envoy was a little embarrassed. She was very clear about the difference between the county lady and the marquis. This was beyond her ability to handle.
"I'm not in a hurry to answer. You can go back and discuss it with your master." Jing Ke smiled and said, "Please do as you please."
After hearing this, the special envoy politely took his leave. Without wasting a quarter of an hour, he immediately sent a pigeon back with Jing Ke's reaction and request written down in great detail.
When the imperial court heard Jing Ke's request, their first reaction was to refuse. Granting a title of nobility to a sixteen-year-old child was a bit too absurd! A nobility is not a cabbage!
The court's thinking was simple. Generally speaking, those who could be granted the title of county lord were the children of princes. According to the saying, "once a teacher, always a father," if Luo Yuezhu was a county lord, Jing Ke would be equivalent to a prince of the court.
Considering Jing Ke's status as a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty, it is not too much to confer the title of prince.
But if Luo Yuezhu is Xiaoyao Hou, then the concept is completely different. The titles of duke, marquis, earl, and viscount are all fixed and can be inherited. For ordinary people, it takes a lot of merit to exchange for a title.
If it was given to Luo Yuezhu so lightly, the titles below the marquis in the court would be downgraded, and the court officials who were also granted the title of marquis would also feel dissatisfied.
The emperor himself actually didn't care. He was just a nominal marquis. The most he would do was give him a set of official uniform and a few thousand taels of silver every year as salary.
However, those powerful people who hold real power have different ideas. They think Jing Ke did this on purpose and just wanted to test the bottom line of the court. They must act tougher, otherwise if they retreat step by step, the other party's ambition will only grow bigger.
-
In this way, after delivering the message, the envoy did not wait for a reply from the court until it started to rain and the leaves in the suburbs began to turn yellow and fall, and then the court gave a reply.
It is possible to confer the title of nobility on Luo Yuezhu, but she is not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict, and her title cannot be passed down to her descendants. In addition, she has no opportunity to interfere in state affairs.
Perhaps because the two's fighting power was a little too high, the court later stated that Xiaoyao Hou could assist the Wulin Alliance in managing the people in the martial arts world, and gave her a token as proof of her identity.
"Master..." Luo Yuezhu couldn't believe it. She didn't do anything, but a marquis fell on her head like that.
"Just take the token. With the token, you can go anywhere except the capital." Jing Ke said with a smile.
For her, who has no ambition, this deal is quite a good deal. Maybe she can even let her little apprentice leave her name in history books.
Just like that, with the imperial edict officially issued a few years ago, Luo Yuezhu transformed from an ordinary citizen into the Marquis of Xiaoyao in the court, attracting the attention of many people.
There was an endless stream of people wanting to visit her at Luo's house, and it was even more lively than when she won the championship at the martial arts conference.
Luo Yuezhu didn't want to deal with these people, so she picked a time and ran away with her master, leaving Xiaomu to look after the house.
It was not until after the Chinese New Year, when Jing Ke celebrated his apprentice's seventeenth birthday, that the two of them slowly rode back on horseback.
"You're such a good fellow, Jing Ke! You quietly got a title for your little apprentice! You're putting me on the spot! The leader is almost chasing me and putting a knife to my neck, asking me what's going on!"
Yin Honglian was the first to jump out. She didn't care whether she could beat Jing Ke or not, and just rushed forward.
Jing Ke dodged lightly and said calmly, "If you are willing to accept the imperial canonization, I don't think they will be stingy with a marquis."
"Forget it, our leader is just short of proclaiming himself king. If I really dare to accept the imperial court's appointment, I probably won't see the sun tomorrow." Yin Honglian sighed.
Yin Honglian: "You are really bold. I heard that many people in the martial arts world who are dissatisfied with the court's policies are planning to use your little apprentice as a scapegoat."
"I know." Jing Ke said, "But no one should think so now."
"What did you do?" Yin Honglian asked.
"The owner of Luosha Tower accepted the order, so I went to the headquarters of Luosha Tower and borrowed his brain to make other killers understand that there are some people who cannot be provoked." Jing Ke said with a smile.
"So far, the effect of this approach is very good. The top killer organizations no longer accept orders related to us." Jing Ke added.
Yin Honglian looked at Jing Ke hesitantly, wanting to say something. In the end, she could only silently give him a thumbs up and express her admiration.
After comforting Yin Honglian with some local specialties they brought back, Jing Ke and Luo Yuezhu's lives became peaceful again.
The former is very leisurely every day, no trouble will find her on her own initiative, and she can live a very free and relaxed life every day.
As for the latter, Luo Yuezhu has a hundred acres of land that he needs to check on from time to time, and he also turns over two pages of the account book every month. The rest are various festival gifts given by local officials because of his title.
Luo Yuezhu was thinking about giving a return gift at first, but after hearing her master say that they gave gifts to feel at ease, she quietly gave up the idea of returning the gift.
Otherwise, you give me something, I give you something, and you give me something again, and it becomes an unbreakable vicious circle.
Spring went and autumn came, and after another year passed, Luo Yuezhu finally waited for her long-awaited 18th birthday.
Luo Yuezhu still had no idea of making a big deal about it, nor did she ask her master for any gifts. She just nervously handed over a piece of red paper.
"Master, you said you were willing to marry me after I turned eighteen," Luo Yuezhu said nervously. "I don't know Master's birth date, but this has mine, as well as the auspicious date I asked them to calculate. Master, when do you think it would be best for us to get married?"
"Get married?" Jing Ke was stunned. She had already trampled on the principles and bottom line she had set on her little apprentice's seventeenth birthday.
"Didn't Master say that when I turned eighteen, Master would be willing to be my wife." Luo Yuezhu licked her lips.
"Yes, I promised you." Jing Ke smiled lightly, remembering the words his little disciple said while kneeling on the ground under the influence of alcohol that day.
"I don't remember my birth date. As for an auspicious date, just pick one you like." Jing Ke said. She had already trampled on her principles and bottom line, so how could she refuse to marry her young disciple?
As for whether he loved his little apprentice or not, Jing Ke figured it out when his little apprentice went on a long journey for the first time. This was also the reason why he wavered in his principles and bottom line at that time.
"Master, how about setting it for winter this year?" Luo Yuezhu asked. She always remembered what her master said, that her birthday was in winter.
"Well, it's possible, but we have been living together for a long time. Do we need to change the marriage process?" Jing Ke did not object.
"Master, don't worry. I have already consulted the matchmaker about the marriage process. We can skip some unnecessary procedures and get married directly in the hall, and then entertain the guests!" The joy in Luo Yuezhu's tone and the raised corners of her mouth could no longer be suppressed.
"Okay, you are already an adult, so I'll leave it to you." Jing Ke chose to let go and wait for his little apprentice to arrange the wedding.
-
"What, getting married?" Yin Honglian jumped up from her chair upon hearing this and subconsciously glanced at Ye Wenxin beside her.
"Yes, I'm getting married to my master. Here's the invitation." Luo Yuezhu said with a smile and handed over the invitation she had written herself.
Eighteen-year-old Luo Yuezhu can already write beautifully, and the window decorations with the word "囍" that she learned more than two years ago have finally come in handy.
"November 9th, I will definitely be there with gifts." Yin Honglian opened it and took a look, then quickly agreed.
In this way, Luo Yuezhu personally sent invitations to people she thought she had a good relationship with, and also sent a copy to officials who often gave her holiday gifts.
The officials tried hard to suppress their shock and sent the news to the capital at full speed.
Marquis Xiaoyao, who was conferred the title two years ago, is getting married, and his wife is again Jing Ke, who has the royal blood of the previous dynasty.
At this time, the imperial court did not care about the marriage between women at all. They sent many gifts out of respect and also gave Luo Yuezhu many honors.
It would be great if women could marry each other. As long as it lasted long enough, the bloodline of the royal family of the previous dynasty would be cut off!
Of course, the imperial court could not say this explicitly, but they expressed their approval of the marriage with a gift worth ten thousand taels of gold, and specially appointed the current emperor's sister, the eldest princess, to come to Feng'an City.
When members of the royal family arrive, there will naturally be a lot of pomp and circumstance.
However, this eldest princess is also quite interesting. After coming to Feng'an City with great fanfare, she attended the wedding of Jing Ke and Luo Yuezhu in casual clothes, and suddenly became low-key in her behavior.
Jing Ke didn't delve into the reasons, but he still saw some clues from the eldest princess's slightly familiar luck method.
The emperor's fear of Tianyanmen was not simply because of "rumors". It was probably because when the emperor was a child, he witnessed with his own eyes how powerful the disciples of Tianyanmen were.
This eldest princess was most likely an old acquaintance of her mother, and perhaps they had a brief master-disciple relationship.
As for who his biological father is, Jing Ke didn't want to delve into it and even gave up thinking about it.
"I have no other intentions, I just came to take a look." The eldest princess took the initiative to pick up the wine glass. "Also, please rest assured, whether it is my brother or my nephew, they have no intention of becoming an enemy of Tianyan Sect."
"I wish you two a long and happy life together." The eldest princess said with a smile.
Jing Ke also laughed, "Thank you for your good wishes."
Luo Yuezhu did not recognize the eldest princess and thought that she was someone her master knew before. She just followed her and clinked glasses with her, then took a small sip of the water in the glass.
There was no way. Luo Yuezhu's alcohol tolerance did not increase with age, and he could still get drunk with just one glass.
After receiving more than thirty guests, Jing Ke and Luo Yuezhu returned to their room together.
Neither of them wore a red veil, and their wedding dresses were specially designed by someone, making them relatively easy to move in and different from ordinary styles.
You can use water to confuse the audience when toasting with guests, but you cannot fake the wine for the wedding ceremony.
Luo Yuezhu drank a glass of long-lasting wine in one gulp, and then, taking advantage of his drunkenness, he played around with his master and newlywed wife until dawn, and then he closed his eyes with a satisfied smile.
-
After getting married, Luo Yuezhu's long-awaited ambition for career suddenly became stronger. Not only did he double the number of shops he owned, he also took the initiative to bring his master and wife to exercise her privileges as Xiaoyao Hou.
That was clearly written in the emperor's decree. Marquis Xiaoyao was not allowed to participate in politics, but he could punish those people in the martial arts world who violated the law by using force on behalf of the court.
Jing Ke guessed the reason. It was simply that those people who were expelled from the Wulin Alliance and refused to repent had fled from the south of the Yangtze River to the relatively remote central region.
On the way, he also kidnapped the shop owner who was going to Luo's house to purchase goods, causing the shop owner to lose half his life. He had to rest at home for a long time before he recovered.
This bullying has come right to her doorstep. If Luo Yuezhu has any temper, she will not sit idly by.
Not to mention that Luo Yuezhu was also a victim of violating the law by using martial arts. What she hated most was those people with high martial arts skills treating the lives of ordinary people as a joke.
You should know that now the people of the Demon Cult have given up their habit of killing people indiscriminately, and the lives of the people are getting better and better.
"Just do it if you want to. I will be with you." Jing Ke chose to support him. The little apprentice was less than 20 years old, so it would be good for him to start a career.
In this way, Luo Yuezhu plunged in and devoted himself to expelling those martial arts cancers from the central region.
Then, through Yin Honglian, they reached a cooperation with the Demon Cult, arrested those people who were not even accepted by the Demon Cult, crippled their martial arts, and handed them directly over to their former victims.
It is worth mentioning that Yin Honglian and Ye Wenxin also got married.
They got married when Luo Yuezhu was 20 years old. They did not hold a grand wedding, but only invited good friends to be witnesses. They wore unique wedding dresses and went through the wedding ceremony.
In this way, the only two people who could continue the royal bloodline of the previous dynasty chose to marry women, which reduced the court's vigilance again and again.
However, the two parties involved did not care much about their identities. After hearing that the leader of the Demon Cult had declared himself king, Yin Honglian still stayed in Feng'an City as an idle person who occasionally worked hard.
Ye Wenxin had no intention of inheriting the position of alliance leader, but she became Luo Yuezhu's helper and occasionally cleaned out the so-called gangsters who killed innocent people within a radius of 100 miles.
When Luo Yuezhu was 25 years old, the person sitting on the dragon throne was replaced.
As a nominal marquis, Luo Yuezhu went to the capital for the first time after becoming a marquis and entered the palace.
The new emperor was quite friendly to Jing Ke and Luo Yuezhu, and even tried to make Jing Ke the king of the opposite sex.
Jing Ke didn't know whether the new emperor did this because of his biological father's identity, or because he wanted him to compete with the leader of the evil cult who was already the King of Zhou and chose to make him king.
Jing Ke, who didn't want to cause trouble for herself, rejected the emperor's proposal very directly. Looking at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne who looked a bit like her, she reiterated the principle of keeping out of one's own way.
However, Jing Ke did not refuse the other party's offer to confer titles on Luo Yuezhu, nor did he stop the new emperor from posthumously conferring titles on his young disciple's deceased family members.
"Master, will we enter the palace again in the future?" After leaving the palace, Luo Yuezhu looked at her master.
"Maybe. We will still be young in thirty years. Maybe we can even watch the new emperor ascend the throne." Jing Ke smiled and looked at his little apprentice.
Practicing good internal skills can prolong your life.
The young disciple cannot live to be nearly two hundred years old like the master, but living to one hundred and twenty or thirty years old is no problem at all.
By this calculation, the two of them still have a full hundred years left.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
