It was evening, and a medium-sized house in Xifang, Lin'an city, was brightly lit.

The servants in the courtyard were busy coming and going, but when they passed by the study, they subconsciously lowered their footsteps, for fear of disturbing the two people who were talking by candlelight in the study.

After a long conversation, the older of the two sighed and said, "I wish I had known you twenty years earlier."

This man was dressed in cloth, his hair and beard were all white, and he was a little thin. Although he was old, his face was still ruddy, he was energetic, and his eyes were bright. It was obvious that he was also a master of internal skills.

Opposite him, a middle-aged man in his forties chuckled and shook his head: "Twenty years ago, I was still a wild Taoist priest obsessed with Taoism, wanting to become a disciple of my master, Master Chongyang. If Master Xin had recognized me at that time, he would probably be greatly disappointed!"

"hehe!"

The old man surnamed Xin chuckled and immediately asked curiously, "Excuse me, what caused such a big change in the Cavalry Commandant?"

Wang Chuyi said seriously, "Because I found that learning Taoism cannot save the people of the Song Dynasty..."

The old man surnamed Xin was slightly stunned, then he looked at Wang Chuyi and suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

When the hearty laughter gradually died down, the old man said with a smile: "As expected of you, you are the famous Li Pan Zhenren. I have long heard that there are only wrong names in the martial arts world, but no wrong nicknames. Now I see that it is indeed true. But to be honest, compared to your master who lives in seclusion in the mountains and does not care about worldly affairs, I like you, the rebellious Taoist general, more!"

Wang Chuyi smiled and looked at the old man whom he had only seen in textbooks. He said softly, "Master Xin, you really flatter me. My father-in-law invited you to be the governor of Shaoxing Prefecture and the pacification envoy of East Zhejiang, and also invited you to serve as the Privy Councilor of the Imperial Court, but you declined both. You gave up the high position and chose to come to my Dingyuan Army and condescend to serve as a deputy general. It is really a great honor for me, Wang Chuyi, and the Dingyuan Army... Please accept my greetings, Master Xin!"

After saying this, Wang Chuyi took a half step back, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply with a solemn expression.

The old man was startled and quickly reached out to support Wang Chuyi's arm. At the same time, his internal force surged out of his hand, trying to stop Wang Chuyi, but a more subtle internal force emerged from Wang Chuyi's body, easily resolving the old man's intention.

There was nothing the old man could do but watch him bow down to him.

"The Quanzhen Heart Method is indeed worthy of its reputation!"

The old man exclaimed, then helped Wang Chuyi up and said softly: "Captain of Cavalry, there is no need to be like this. Although we have known each other for a long time, we are close friends regardless of age. You should understand that as long as we can go north to attack the Jin Dynasty and recover the Central Plains, let alone be a deputy general, even if I can be a horse stirrup for the commander of the cavalry and serve as the vanguard of the army, I, Xin Qiji, will be happy to do it!"

The old man spoke decisively, boldly and unrestrainedly.

Wang Chuyi sighed and said, "Master Xin is so righteous that I am ashamed to be inferior to him..."

Xin Qiji smiled and took Wang Chuyi's wrist. The two sat at the tea table again and continued to discuss the Northern Expedition.

This great poet, who frequently appeared in Chinese textbooks in later generations and was known together with Su Shi as "Su Xin", was also a famous military general in the Southern Song Dynasty.

He was also a young hero with swords and spears, and was as bold as a tiger. At the age of 22, Xin Qiji led 50 cavalrymen to rush into the 50,000 Jin army, captured the rebel Zhang Anguo alive in the Jin army camp, and got rid of the pursuing enemies, rushed back, presented the prisoners to Lin'an, and beheaded Zhang Anguo for public display.

"In my prime, I led thousands of men with banners and flags, and crossed the Yangtze River in brocade robes. The Yan soldiers prepared their silver Hulu at night, and the Han arrows flew towards Jinpugu in the morning."

This is the emotion Xin Qiji expressed when he recalled this heroic feat as a teenager.

Unfortunately, after returning to the Southern Song Dynasty from the Jin Dynasty, Xin Qiji's enthusiasm to fight against the Jin Dynasty and conquer the Central Plains fell on deaf ears due to the Southern Song Dynasty's policy of seeking peace. The court was more interested in the real talents and hard work he showed in his memorials than in his well-thought-out plan of the Northern Expedition.

Therefore, since the fourth year of Qiandao, Xin Qiji successively served as the Tongpan of Jiankang Prefecture, the Zhizhou of Chuzhou, and the Chief Justice of Jiangxi. Frequent job transfers and promotions could not satisfy Xin Qiji. What he longed for was to gallop on the battlefield and recover lost territories, but his heroic and stubborn character and his persistent enthusiasm for the Northern Expedition made it difficult for him to gain a foothold in the cowardly officialdom of the Southern Song Dynasty.

In 1181, Xin Qiji was dismissed from all his official positions, and he called himself Jiaxuan Jushi, living in seclusion in Shangrao. After that, he came out of seclusion to serve as an official several times, and lived in seclusion several times in disappointment.

Before the Kaixi Northern Expedition, he was living in seclusion near Qianshan, Jiangxi Province, leading a life of sightseeing, drinking, writing poetry, and living a carefree life in the mountain village. Suddenly, he heard that the current Prime Minister Han Tuozhou advocated a Northern Expedition and would once again employ pro-war figures. The 65-year-old Xin Qiji was cheered up, and immediately wrote to Song Ningzong and Han Tuozhou, supporting their Northern Expedition. He also listed various reasons why the Song Dynasty would win and the Jin Dynasty would be in chaos and perish.

Later, Han Tuozhou wanted to invite him to come out of retirement, and Xin Qiji originally planned to agree. However, when he arrived in Lin'an and saw Wang Chuyi and the new army he had formed, Xin Qiji was shocked and immediately changed his mind. He took the initiative to find Wang Chuyi and expressed his desire to join the Dingyuan Army.

Wang Chu had long been acquainted with this legendary figure who was both a man of letters and a man of martial arts, and he had a long conversation with him that night.

The two discussed the Northern Expedition for a long time and felt that they had met too late.

As the court was more inclined to advocate peace, even though Han Tuozhou pushed for the Northern Expedition after coming to power, preparations for the Northern Expedition were still quite hasty, and the help of a capable and pro-war official like Xin Qiji was urgently needed.

Wang Chuyi agreed to Xin Qiji's request without hesitation, called him Master Xin, and planned to give the position of commander-in-chief to Xin Qiji.

But Xin Qiji refused to accept it, because he knew that his experience was not applicable to this new army equipped with new weapons.

Just as Xin Qiji was humbly asking Wang Chuyi for advice on the new army's tactics, there was a slight knock on the door.

"Master, there is a guest outside the mansion."

“…”

Wang Chuyi frowned when his thoughts were interrupted and said softly, "Didn't I tell you that I won't see any guests tonight? Please ask him to go back!"

The voice outside the door suddenly trembled, as if about to cry: "Master, that guest can't be asked to leave, he...he called in!"

Wang Chuyi stood up suddenly, his brows furrowed, and his right hand pressed on the sword at his waist like lightning.

He said something was wrong. There were two types of servants in the Wang family. One was the servants brought by his wife from her father-in-law's house, and the other was the disabled veterans he took in from the army. The housekeeper and guards in the house were the latter type. They obeyed Wang Chuyi's orders and knew that he would not see guests tonight. They would never let anyone knock on the door, even if it was his wife's family members brought by her father-in-law...

Seeing Wang Chuyi's solemn expression, Xin Qiji realized that something was wrong and immediately drew out the sword on the table.

Wang Chuyi glanced at his right hand and saw that his wrist was stable and his legs were rooted to the ground. He was obviously not panicked at all and was even a little excited.

"Cavalry Commander." Xin Qiji stopped in front of Wang Chuyi and said softly, "If someone assassinates us, let me stay behind to cover their retreat!"

Wang Chuyi was stunned and said, "Master Xin, how can this be possible?!"

Xin Qiji smiled and said, "I am old, and even if I want to kill the enemy, I am no longer able to be driven. But you are still young, and you are the main force of this anti-Jin Northern Expedition. How can you die in the hands of villains..."

Before entering the study, Xin Qiji had observed Wang Chuyi's Cavalry Commandant's Mansion and found that the guards in the mansion were all veterans of many battles with decent combat capabilities. He was able to break into the Cavalry Commandant's Mansion under their guard without making any noise that disturbed the conversation between the two people in the study. He was definitely the top masters in the world!

Even Wang Chuyi, who is known as the 'Iron-footed Immortal', is probably no match for such a master.

Wang Chuyi hurriedly said: "Master Xin, you..."

"No need to say more." Xin Qiji interrupted him and shook his head, "I have made up my mind. If the Cavalry Commander really feels bad, then after this disaster, just concentrate on fighting the Jin army and the Northern Expedition. I'll leave my unfinished ambitions that have wasted more than 60 years to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young and helpless voice came from outside the door.

"I've already said that I don't want to do it, why do you have to force me?"

Hearing the strange voice coming from outside the door, Wang Chuyi immediately closed his mouth and swallowed back the words he had not yet said. Then he drew the sword at his waist and looked at the study door with a vigilant and solemn expression.

The next second, the servant that my wife brought from her parents' home tremblingly opened the door.

A young man in casual sportswear walked in from the door, and behind him were the unconscious guards lying on the ground in the yard.

Looking at the familiar sportswear on the young man, Wang Chuyi, who was about to take action, suddenly froze.

At the same time, a cold light suddenly shot out from behind the door. It was Xin Qiji who was hiding behind the door and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The sword flashed, but the young man was not panicked at all. He slightly turned his head to avoid the sword, then clamped the blade with two fingers, his eyes followed the snow-white sword body, and looked at Xin Qiji's old and astonished face.

Seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar face of Xin Qiji, Deng Yougang felt a surge of excitement in his heart. He almost took out a pen and paper and asked the idol he had admired in his youth to write a poem and then sign his name, Xin Qiji.

Of course, ideas are ideas, but Deng Yougang's actions are still unambiguous.

He just flicked his fingers lightly, and the exquisite force immediately made Xin Qiji, who was holding the sword, retreat repeatedly.

When the other person's body stopped against the wall, Deng Yougang straightened his messy sleeves and bowed to Xin Qiji.

"I am a member of the Changbai Mountain Deng family. I am honored to meet you, Lord Xin!"

Hearing Deng Yougang's respectful yet excited tone, the surprise on Xin Qiji's face gradually disappeared. He put away his sword, frowned, and looked at Deng Yougang's overly young face thoughtfully.

Deng Yougang smiled back at him. He then turned around and looked at Wang Chuyi, who was stunned. He said in a gloomy tone, "Brother Wang, officials appointed by the imperial court are different. It would be too much trouble for me to meet you openly, right?"