Chapter 345 Mid-Rank Fourth Grade! (Seeking monthly votes)
This old man is as lonely as snow.
"Great Immortal Bai," Gongye Bai muttered to himself, a phrase that truly reflected his inner self.
When he dominated the martial world, the previous contest between hidden immortals had already been settled—the barbarian land immortal, Great Asa, was the hidden immortal of the time.
Although the Great Asa hardly interfered in the internal conflicts of the Great Wei Dynasty and the Yi tribes, each had its own territory. For example, within the Great Wei Dynasty, the several terrestrial immortals would not allow chaos to break out in the Central Plains.
Firstly, the fighting was too intense, causing mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas to collapse and countless lives to be lost.
Secondly, the exceptionally talented up-and-coming talents must not die an unnatural death, otherwise it would affect the next "discussion and competition".
In fact, which clan a hidden immortal belongs to does not affect the daily conflicts between their respective grandmasters and great grandmasters.
The only positive factor is the conflict between the Great Wei and the barbarians.
When a master or higher-level being makes a move, they can decide the fate of the world in a single battle, posing a great threat to ordinary people.
Just like Han Jue, the "Sword Demon" who killed three thousand Tiger Warriors back then.
Even as a new Grandmaster, he was able to face and defeat a well-equipped army.
If a grandmaster or a terrestrial immortal were to intervene, the power would be even greater.
With a simple gesture, one can decide the life or death of another.
Given this situation, how could we not impose some restrictions on those above the first rank?
Even Gongye Bai was no exception.
With rules in place, even the number one martial artist in the Jianghu was not happy.
Aside from occasionally bullying people like Li Wudang and Chu Xiudao, he almost never had a chance to make a move.
Therefore, thirty years ago, Gongye Bai felt that he had no rivals, so he went into seclusion at Fengyu Tower and stopped caring about the affairs of the martial arts world.
As the "Discussion on the Dao and Competition for Excellence" approaches, he, the number one martial artist, is about to shoulder the banner of the Central Plains.
He traveled north and south, east and west, to ask the thoughts of the dozen or so surviving terrestrial immortals.
Ultimately, we must ask those people whether they participate in the "debate and competition" or continue their carefree, unconventional lifestyle.
Regardless of what others do.
Gongye Bai had wasted half his life; all he wanted was to fight to his heart's content.
Gongye Bai's mind was rarely disturbed, but he quickly calmed down, and his white hair and youthful face remained as ethereal as a banished immortal.
He turned to look at Xiao Jinghong and asked with a smile, "I wonder if my junior brother has heard about my sparring with that brat Ye Guxian?"
Xiao Jinghong hesitated slightly, then nodded and said, "When I returned to the city earlier, I had a chance encounter with 'Snow Sword Lord,' and he invited me to watch the battle."
A strange smile flickered across Gongye Bai's face. "You might as well go and take a look."
"Ye Guxian has entered the realm of terrestrial immortals through the way of the sword. Taking a look at his way of the sword will be of great benefit to you."
"Furthermore, I have already instructed the Wind and Rain Pavilion to send out invitations widely, so that all the rising stars of our Great Wei may attend and have a look, as a way of showing my appreciation to the younger generation..."
Shui He, standing beside him, gritted his teeth and endured the oppressive force of the heavens and earth, while secretly gritting his lips.
Others may not know, but he does know that Master Bai has met with Master Ye, and during the meeting, they talked about Xiao Jinghong and "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu—Chen Yi.
At this moment, Bai Daxian pretended to be unaware and asked Xiao Jinghong, clearly with ill intentions.
As Shui Hetong was secretly grumbling to himself, he heard Gongye Bai continue to ask, "When you watched your master and Chu Xiudao spar, did you fight against other people who came?"
Xiao Jinghong nodded slightly and said, "My master ordered me to test the sword's edge."
"Many prodigies from the Great Wei Dynasty have gathered here today. If I were to let He Tong take action, it would be unfair to others. Why don't you take action instead?"
"I?"
Gongye Bai chuckled and said, "Nephew, your swordsmanship has now reached perfection, but you are still far from the ultimate realm. Take this opportunity to compete with others; perhaps you can gain something from it."
Seeing that Xiao Jinghong was somewhat interested, he continued to persuade him, "I suppose it's been a long time since you've sparred with an evenly matched opponent?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghong pondered for a moment, but still did not immediately agree. He simply said:
"Please forgive me, Senior Uncle, Jinghong is currently engaged in military affairs and I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to attend as promised."
Gongye Bai smiled and waved his hand: "Whatever you wish."
"However, working in isolation is not a long-term solution. Good opponents are hard to find. If you've thought it through, you can come to me anytime."
"Thank you, Master Uncle..."
A moment of silence.
Gongye Bai finally relieved Shui Hetong of the pressure, and the three of them sat at the table, chatting while enjoying the late autumn night breeze.
Most of them are about "discussing the Dao and competing to be the first", as well as the duel and sparring between Gongye Bai and Ye Guxian.
Shui Hetong inevitably felt a bit dumbfounded.
He came to Shu Prefecture with the intention of further improving his martial arts skills.
Taking advantage of the duel between Bai Daxian and "Snow Sword Lord" to test one's skills against other prodigies of the same generation is the best opportunity.
Now that Master Bai has invited Xiao Jinghong, his plan has fallen through.
Fortunately, Shui and Tong have a certain degree of confidence in their own talents, so they can look for other opportunities.
In fact, it was precisely because of these concerns that Xiao Jinghong did not agree immediately.
Since joining the Dingyuan Army, her progress in swordsmanship over the past five years has been slow, if not nonexistent.
One reason was the heavy military workload, and the other was the construction of gun emplacements.
Thirdly, as Bai Daxian said, she couldn't find an opportunity to spar and compete with others.
She was looking for someone, but ordinary experts were simply not good enough for her.
So despite his considerations, Xiao Jinghong made up his mind to go and watch the battle, to see the swordsmanship of "Snow Sword Lord" Ye Guxian.
About an hour later, midnight was approaching.
Gongye Bai stood up and said, "I am going to Wudang Mountain to ask the old Taoist Zhongwu."
"He Tong, will you come with me to Wudang Mountain, or will you stay in Shu Prefecture for the time being?"
Shui Hetong stood up and said with a smile, "You should go alone, sir. I'd like to take a stroll around Shu Prefecture."
Gongye Bai glanced at him, then secretly made a hand seal with a few fingers hidden in his sleeve, and said:
"It's fine if you stay in Shu Prefecture, but remember, you must not act rashly."
Shui Hetong raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt on his handsome face: "Master, what did you see?"
Gongye Bai ignored him and turned to bid farewell to Xiao Jinghong: "I hope you will consider my earlier suggestion carefully."
Xiao Jinghong clasped his hands in a respectful bow: "I will."
"Then, I'll take my leave first."
Before he finished speaking, Gongye Bai disappeared from Wanghe Mountain.
The Chishui River rushes against the cliff face, the roaring sound of the water exploding is deafening.
After watching Gongye Bai leave, Xiao Jinghong and Shui Hetong did not say goodbye.
Shui Hetong looked at Xiao Jinghong, who was equally gifted, beside him, and after thinking for a moment, said:
"I've heard there have been some changes within the Shu Prefecture government?"
Xiao Jinghong nodded slightly, her hair tied back swaying in the wind, and said calmly:
"The provincial governor Liu Hong was the one who betrayed my parents. When my grandfather found out, he was so enraged that he punched Liu Hong to death."
"Zhu Hao was caught selling ironware privately and colluding with the enemy to betray the country. He was beheaded by me."
"In addition, a number of officials of all ranks and powerful families associated with them have also been punished, and some turmoil is inevitable in Shu Prefecture."
Shui He glanced at her sideways, then his gaze fell upon the night sky, and he sighed:
"Although there are petty scheming and underhanded dealings in the martial arts world, they are far less treacherous than the intrigues and machinations in the imperial court."
After a pause, he comforted her, saying, "However, with Liu Hong and the others dead, Junior Sister should be able to breathe a sigh of relief for now and focus on improving her martial arts."
Xiao Jinghong paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Things are still undecided; I need to wait for a letter from the capital prefecture."
At this point, she remembered something, her gaze shifting to Shui Hetong, and she said seriously:
"I have already used the token that my senior uncle gave me to instruct several people from Fengyulou to go to the capital. I hope my senior brother will not be offended."
Shui Hetong smiled and nodded: "Master had this intention all along, so Junior Sister, there's no need to be so polite."
"Moreover, Uncle Li and Master are of the same lineage. Although he has not been involved with Fengyulou, the incense is still burning, and all the people in Fengyulou are at your disposal."
Xiao Jinghong solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Thank you."
Before Shui Hetong could speak, she continued:
"There is one more thing. I originally planned to contact the people of Fengyulou at another time, but since you are here in person, I will speak frankly."
"Please feel free to speak."
“Recently, Shuzhou has been unstable. First, there is the Liu family and Liu Hong from Jingzhou targeting us, and then Du Cang, the ‘jackal’ of the Peacock King Banner, kidnapped my eldest sister. I want to invite a few experts from the Wind and Rain Tower to take charge of the Xiao family.”
"Does Senior Brother have anyone to recommend?"
Upon hearing her words, Shui Hetong revealed a strange smile on his handsome, almost demonic face.
Does the Xiao family need guards?
It seems my junior sister is still unaware of her husband's affair.
That's true.
Otherwise, how could that shameless old man, Master, have come up with such a prank?
Shui Hetong, thinking about these things, turned his head thoughtfully and said in a low voice:
"I really can't think of a suitable candidate right now, but..."
He composed himself and looked at Xiao Jinghong, pointing to himself and saying, "However, it just so happens that I am free for the time being, so why don't I stay at the Xiao family for a few days?"
Xiao Jinghong was taken aback for a moment, "If Senior Brother were to personally intervene, of course..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shui Hetong nodded with a smile: "It's settled then."
"After Master has finished sparring with Ye Guxian, I will ask Master for permission to arrange for someone else to come."
Xiao Jinghong naturally wouldn't refuse, and bowed slightly, saying, "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip yourself, Senior Brother."
"Since we have nothing else to do, I might as well take a look at the prosperity of Shu Prefecture from the city. Besides, there are geniuses from various prefectures coming here recently, so it shouldn't be too boring."
“If Senior Brother needs it, Jinghong can send a message to Grandfather and ask him to send someone to show Senior Brother around the city.”
Shui Hetong waved his hand and said, "I'm not that precious, no..."
Before he could finish speaking, a thought struck him, and he changed the subject, saying, "I've heard that my junior sister's husband is quite knowledgeable?"
"Husband?"
Upon hearing him mention Chen Yi, Xiao Jinghong hesitated before nodding and saying, "My husband does indeed have some insight, but his martial arts are not proficient, I'm afraid..."
"It's alright, it's alright. I'll go and see my brother-in-law."
“In that case… Jinghong will write a letter to her husband later.”
"Thank you for your help..."
Before long, Shui Hetong leaped into the air and headed straight for the prefectural city.
Xiao Jinghong watched him leave, reviewed the events of the day, and then composed himself to return to Xuanjia Army Town.
Upon seeing her return, Su Zhenyue hurriedly came to greet her and said urgently, "General, a letter has arrived from the manor."
As Xiao Jinghong walked back to his tent, he took the letter from her hand and began to read it.
[Feng Erbao has brought back the imperial decree; the punishment is not severe, only three years' salary.]
However, an imperial edict has been issued...
[Additionally, Yang Ye will temporarily serve as the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shu Prefecture, while the candidate for Right Provincial Administration Commissioner has not yet been determined.]
After reading it, Xiao Jinghong felt a little relieved, and her steps became much lighter.
She handed the letter back to Su Zhenyue and said, "Give the order to welcome Eunuch Feng."
Su Zhenyue glanced at the letter and smiled, "His Majesty was not too harsh this time, so you and Master can relax a bit."
Xiao Jinghong hummed in agreement, walked to the table and sat down, asking, "How is the situation of the Xuanjia Army soldiers being assessed?"
Su Zhenyue immediately stopped smiling, picked up a booklet from her desk, and flipped through it, saying:
"Leaving aside the veterans, 70% of the 80,000 new soldiers have broken through to the eighth rank, 20% are close to breaking through, and the remaining 10% are still some distance away."
Xiao Jinghong frowned slightly. "In other words, nearly ten thousand new soldiers are unable to fight adult barbarians one-on-one..."
Su Zhenyue was well aware of her thoughts and hesitated before saying, "General, I have inquired with General Ma, and the talent of that 10% of the new army is too poor."
"Forcibly raising their cultivation level would only be counterproductive."
Xiao Jinghong shook his head. "Time waits for no one. I can wait, but some people can't, and they won't give me much time to wait."
"You mean...Kyoto Prefecture?"
"His Majesty's decree is not hard to understand—he is very clear about the situation in Shu Prefecture and the Xiao family."
Su Zhenyue thought of what she had just seen, "Then he..."
Xiao Jinghong looked at the map on the table and said softly, "It should be related to the situation on the northern border."
Long before she returned to Shu Prefecture, she had heard Li Wudang talk about the Emperor's character and some of his plans.
Looking back now, wasn't His Majesty's tacit approval of others targeting the Xiao family a kind of test?
If the Xiao family can withstand the pressure, the Emperor will still give them important positions.
If the Xiao family had not withstood the previous calamities, His Majesty could have rightfully replaced them with a new Marquis Wu.
Based on Xiao Jinghong's understanding of the current strength of the Great Wei Dynasty, with the Emperor holding a large army, he has no fear of the Xiao family's resistance.
If things really come to that, perhaps His Majesty will use Shu Prefecture as a training ground to hone the skills of the soldiers in the other prefectures.
Just as Xiao Jinghong sent Ma Kui to lead the Xuanjia Army out of Mengshui Pass this time, his aim was to let those new soldiers see the real barbarians.
Even if there are some losses, she can accept them.
Xiao Jinghong couldn't help but feel a sliver of hope; at least the Xiao family could catch their breath.
He pondered for a moment.
Xiao Jinghong stood up and instructed, "Pack your things, let's head to Canglang Army Town."
Su Zhenyue was taken aback. "You just said you were preparing to welcome Eunuch Feng?"
"Let's not wait any longer. Since he's come here to deliver the imperial decree, let him go as far as he can..."
The Xiao family has suffered so much injustice, so what if Xiao Jinghong throws a little tantrum?
...
The Xiao family's Chunhe Garden.
It was past midnight, and the sky was just beginning to lighten.
Chen Yi casually tossed the purple bamboo aside, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and strolled back to the wooden building.
After writing the letter to Xiao Jinghong, he began to practice the Four Symbols Technique. After midnight, he went to the Purple Bamboo Forest to practice the techniques.
Of course, it mainly refers to Kendo.
These days, Chen Yi can be described as diligent and hardworking.
Not only has he mastered the profound mysteries of the Great Perfection Sword Dao, but he has also cultivated the Heavenly Flying Flower Sword Technique to the level of proficiency.
It is comparable to the progress in swordsmanship and footwork.
Chen Yi rested briefly, his mind racing, as he looked at the large golden characters before him:
[Daily Intelligence - Top-Tier Yellow Level: At noon, at the Jishi Pharmacy in the East Market, Wen Xiuyin, the renowned physician from Youzhou, arrives for a consultation. Reward: A small amount of good fortune.]
A renowned physician visits the Xiao family's Jishi Pharmacy for medical consultations...
"One of the people in the invitations Wan'er sent out earlier?"
A playful smile appeared on Chen Yi's lips. "It seems that the outsider monks are trying to scramble for food from the local monks."
"However, Xiao Cheng's medical skills are not up to par..."
That's fine too.
A skilled physician demonstrating some medical techniques might be of some benefit to Yuan Liuer.
Thinking about it, Chen Yi sat cross-legged on the bed and continued to cultivate the Four Symbols Technique.
The divine inspiration of heaven and earth surged forth in an instant.
Along the twelve meridians, the three celestial seas are filled.
In particular, the Qi Sea at the Yintang acupoint—where the four divine positions appear to be breathing in and out—is becoming increasingly solid.
About half an hour has passed.
A booming sound rang in Chen Yi's mind, like the striking of a bell or tripod, and he felt his mind lighten, his whole body feeling somewhat lightheaded.
Immediately, four sounds, some crisp, some deep, and some loud, rang out.
[Successfully cultivated the Four Symbols Technique, cultivation advanced significantly—Mid-stage Fourth Rank…]
(End of this chapter)
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