Chapter 436: Making Friends, Setting Off, Sword Head of Beining, Arriving at Jin Yang

Among the seven people present at this moment, the one who had taken the heaviest blow was undoubtedly Lu Yun.

Lu Yun is twenty-one years old this year and has been apprenticed under Lu Yang for nearly five years. Not only does he have the longest tenure, but in terms of strength, he is the undisputed number one among Lu Yang's seven disciples.

The second junior brother, Han Li, who joined last year, is two years older than him. His cultivation is currently at the Mid-stage of Frigid Defense, with a strength of 5 bristles. Although his strength is extremely close to his, the two of them had already crossed swords in Dongling, and the final result was that Han Li lost by a slight margin.

It can be said that the biggest reliance Lu Yun has to sit firmly in the position of the Eldest Senior Brother of Dongling is his strength.

Having been apprenticed under Lu Yang for nearly five years, let alone the Jingxi District, he has even entered Beishuocheng several times. Because he has seen many geniuses of the same age and has even crossed swords with quite a few of them in recent years, Lu Yun's confidence has been expanding more and more in recent years.

Especially this April, Beishuo, likely to offset the influence brought by the Great Xia Martial Arts Tournament, specifically had the Supervisory Institute take the lead in organizing a martial arts competition, gathering all young geniuses under the age of 25 from the garrison city and the seven administrative districts.

Lu Yun also participated, and ultimately, with a strength of 4 bristles, he ranked 12th. It can be said that, except for the Yang clan and a few children of noble families in the garrison city, the young geniuses of the seven administrative districts of Beishuo all lost at his hands.

His master, Lu Yang, has risen to fame in Beishuo in recent years. Especially in March of last year, in a battle against Zhu Yang, the Institute Head who supervises the Jingxi administrative district, he defeated the opponent in three sword strikes, which won him the title of "Sword Head of Beining."

Because his master Lu Yang is so renowned, as his eldest disciple, Lu Yun also achieved the good result of 12th place in this year's Beishuo martial arts competition, and was also crowned by busybodies with the title of "Little Sword Head of Beining."

These events undoubtedly accelerated the expansion of Lu Yun's self-confidence drastically.

In May of this year, when his master Lu Yang completely revealed his Great Xia identity to the seven of them and explained that he would take them back to Great Xia to participate in the martial arts tournament, Lu Yun immediately patted his chest and guaranteed that he would definitely do his best to strive for the top three, or at the very least enter the top ten, so that his master could gain some face in Great Xia.

Upon hearing his words, his master only smiled with a strange expression.

At the time, Lu Yun did not understand why his master would show such a reaction. Now that the martial arts tournament was over and the results were out, he suddenly realized.

With his meager strength, he had actually boasted shamelessly about entering the top three. That his master did not mock him to his face at the time was already an extreme effort to maintain his dignity.

78th place!

"If it were purely a competition of cultivation, my 78th place would even have a certain amount of water in it. The second junior brother also has a strength of 5 bristles, which is not much different from mine, yet he ranked 99th. Not to mention those behind, I saw that beyond the 100th place, there are even those with a strength of over 5 bristles. In other words, the reason I could rank 78th is by relying on martial arts and combat talent."

As soon as Lu Yun opened his mouth, the others immediately fell silent.

After listening, Han Li shook his head and gave a bitter smile, saying: "The Eldest Senior Brother is still unaware. The Great Xia children participating in the martial arts tournament all had their strength restricted. If the restrictions were lifted, their true strength could rise by another thirty percent."

"What?"

Upon hearing this from Han Peng, not only Lu Yun, but Zhu Bai Xu and the other five also immediately stood up with a start, looking at him with disbelief on their faces.

"It was Little Uncle-Master Lu Dong who told me personally just now during the martial arts tournament. I don't think he had any reason to lie to me."

Upon hearing this, the six of them, including Lu Yun, all fell into silence.

Strength could rise by another thirty percent—what did this mean?

Zhu Bai Xu and the other five were one thing; they hadn't entered the top hundred to begin with. The key was Lu Yun and Han Peng. This meant that if the Great Xia children hadn't been restricted, the two of them, in all likelihood, wouldn't even have been able to enter the top hundred.

"Everyone, why are you all sitting here in a daze?"

Just as the seven were silent, Lu Dong, dressed in black, walked in quickly from the doorway of the side hall. He wore a kind smile on his face, and as soon as he entered the hall, he quickly sized up the six people other than Han Peng.

"Greetings, Little Uncle-Master!"

Seeing Lu Dong walk in, the seven people in the hall, including Lu Yun, immediately bowed to him with respectful expressions. Lu Yang was their master, so by seniority, they should address Lu Dong as Little Uncle-Master.

After bowing, except for Han Peng, who had already met Lu Dong, the six of them, including Lu Yun, then looked up to carefully size up this Little Uncle-Master who was younger than them but whose strength was unfathomable.

Lu Dong was dressed in black Great Xia clothing and was not wearing the long sword he used during the competition. He had a faint smile on his face. Although he was not emitting any aura at this moment, and not a trace of arrogance could be found on his face, thinking of his heroic performance on the arena just now, as well as the title of champion of the youth group, a sense of inferiority still rose in the hearts of the six of them, including Lu Yun, and they unconsciously lowered their heads slightly.

"Brother Han, didn't I say just now? Why are you calling me Little Uncle-Master again?"

Lu Dong spoke again at this moment. He first looked at Han Peng with a look of reproach, then looked at the six of them, including Lu Yun, and smiled: "Although you are all my brother's disciples, he is him, and I am me. There isn't much difference in our ages. From now on, let's address each other as brothers. Please don't call me Little Uncle-Master again; you're making me feel old."

Looking at Lu Dong's young face, which was seventy percent similar to their master Lu Yang's, the seven of them, including Lu Yun, naturally felt a sense of closeness. Hearing such approachable words from him, their inner favor naturally grew even more.

"I only met Brother Han in the arena just now, and this is my first time seeing the rest of you. Let me guess, you should be Brother Lu, Brother Zhu, Brother Bai, Brother Wan, Brother Nie, and Brother Yang, right?"

Seeing that Lu Dong had accurately stated all their surnames, the six of them, including Lu Yun, immediately showed a look of astonishment on their faces, clearly very puzzled.

"Hahaha..."

Lu Dong laughed and said: "My eldest brother had already introduced you to me long ago, and he also said that this is your first time coming to Xia City, so I must treat you well. We have all been busy with the martial arts tournament these past few days, so I didn't go to find you. Now that you have finally entered the inner city tonight, and the martial arts tournament is over, I have already asked my sister-in-law to prepare a banquet for you in the main hall. Follow me, let's eat first. After eating, I will take you to have a good look around the inner city!"

After speaking, without waiting for the seven to respond, Lu Dong took the lead and walked towards the direction of the main hall.

The seven of them, including Lu Yun, looked at each other on the spot, all showing a hint of surprise on their faces, but soon followed behind him.

Their master's younger brother, this proud son of heaven of Great Xia, was clearly much more approachable than they had originally expected.

Especially Lu Yun, who was walking at the very front, thinking of the noble children he had encountered in Beishuocheng before, and then looking at Lu Dong's back in front, a sentence couldn't help but pop into his mind.

"Compared to those people in Beishuo whose eyes are on their foreheads, someone like the Little Uncle-Master is the true child of a noble family!"

Even Han Li, who was of a calm and unhurried temperament, couldn't help but feel a sense of favor rising in his eyes as he looked at Lu Dong in front;

"Brother Lu, how big is the territory of Great Xia? We came down from the secret passage in Dongling and walked a full hundred kilometers before arriving at Xia City. I heard from the master that this is only a tiny part of Great Xia's territory. Is that true?"

"Brother Lu, the Master has an Eastern Sun Army under his command. We saw it the day we descended to Cold Jade; there were at least five hundred Cold-Resistant level soldiers. The Master says that among all the military branches in Great Xia, the Eastern Sun Army's strength is at the very bottom. Is that true?"

"I don't believe it. Half of them are at the Frigid Defense level; this is even stronger than the Garrison Army of Beishuo. How could it be at the bottom? The master must be being humble."

Zhu Bai Xu and the other five were even more so. They followed quickly behind Lu Dong and directly opened their mouths with smiles to ask him about things in Xia City.

"The territory of Great Xia totals over twenty thousand square kilometers. Since your Big Brother has brought you to Xia City to participate in the martial assembly, you will gradually come to know everything in the future. As for the Eastern Sun Army's strength being at the bottom, it is highly likely to be true. Our Great Xia currently has a total of fifteen great armies..."

Since his eldest brother Lu Yang had brought all seven disciples to his home in the inner city, they were all considered formal members of Great Xia from now on. Lu Dong naturally would no longer hide anything. Hearing the questions from Zhu Bai Xu and the other five, he answered directly.

Hearing his answer, the seven of them, including Lu Yun, were naturally full of astonishment, having a deeper understanding of Great Xia's strength, and at the same time, they threw out more questions.

Lu Dong took the seven people to the main hall and took their seats. He still answered every question asked, which could be considered as completely satisfying the curiosity of the seven.

"Come, come, come, have a drink first. After you finish eating, I will take the seven of you to have a look around the inner city. My eldest brother has already given instructions that the seven of you will stay at the mansion tonight. My sister-in-law has already prepared guest rooms for you."

Lu Dong raised his wine cup and drank it in one gulp. Watching the seven also raise their wine cups to start drinking, his heart moved slightly.

"After the martial arts tournament ends, I will also formally join the Eastern Sun Army. My eldest brother should put me in the Scout Battalion. From now on, I will also change my appearance and go to Dongling to operate. Making friends with these seven disciples of my eldest brother first will make things much more convenient when I get to Dongling."

Ninth Year of Great Xia, August 6th, Daytime

North of Xia City, Arrow Bamboo Forest area.

A team of four people was slowly advancing northward through the bitter cold.

The person leading the team was dressed in black cotton clothing and carrying a yellowish-brown bundle. Although he was not dressed very well, every gesture revealed a sense of dignity of a superior. He looked back at the person who was half a step behind him and asked with a smile: "I heard from Xia Chuan that you have mixed up a title of 'Sword Head of Beining' and are renowned throughout the entire Beishuo territory. Is that true?"

"A false name created by busybodies, let the Lord laugh!"

Hearing Lu Yang's slightly humble reply, Xia Hong smiled immediately, waved his hand and laughed: "No need to be humble. With your current strength of 46 bristles, even without counting the Holy Mark, there aren't many people in the three northern towns who can defeat you, except for those few at the Manifestation level. The title of Sword Head of Beining is not loud enough. If you ask me, at the very least it should be called the Sword Head of Jingxi, or be a bit bolder and call it the Sword Head of Beishuo directly. That's not impossible, hahaha..."

When he left the pass last night, Xia Hong had already seen that Lu Yang's strength of 46 bristles, in terms of cultivation, meant that the only ones at the Frigid Defense level in Great Xia who could steadily defeat him were Xia Chuan's 57 bristles and Director Yu Wen Dao's 54 bristles. Yuan Cheng and Xu Ning's strength was basically on par with his, with not much difference.

It is no exaggeration to say that, counting the Great Xia Holy Mark, Lu Yang's true strength, if placed in Beishuo Town, would definitely be invincible below the Manifestation level.

The title of Sword Head of Beishuo, added to him, is not excessive!

Upon hearing this, a look of confidence immediately appeared on Lu Yang's face, but he heard the implication in Xia Hong's words and immediately bowed his hands and said: "Lord, rest assured. Although my title is Sword Head of Beining, in these six years, the scope of infiltration into Beishuo that I have led the Dongling group in is not limited to the Beining Mountain area..."

As Lu Yang told everything he had done in Dongling in the past six years one by one, the brilliance in Xia Hong's eyes grew richer, and his expression as he looked at Lu Yang became more and more satisfied.

The Hanqiong secret passage was opened up in the third year of Great Xia. Calculating by this time, Lu Yang's lurking time in Beishuo Town had already reached six years.

In six years, backed by Great Xia, there were too many things Lu Yang could do.

According to what Lu Yang said, he had currently firmly controlled all seven villages of Beining Mountain. As for the other 28 villages in the Jingxi administrative district, not only had he planted his own people in all of them, but he had also grasped the weaknesses of a large number of high-level officials in these villages. Although they were not controlled by him like the seven villages of Beining Mountain, these villages basically dared not sing a different tune from Dongling now.

Moreover, the tentacles of Dongling had initially extended to the two administrative districts of Linya and Hegua. Coupled with the incident of Chen Yiqing in March of this year, in April, he had even sent people to lurk in the Dongchuan administrative district.

After listening to Lu Yang's general introduction, Xia Hong lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then asked: "I remember that Beishuo has a total of seven administrative districts, namely Zhongyang, Dongchuan, Bai Mu, Kuling, Hegua, Linya, and Jingxi. The administrative districts that Beishuo Town focuses on expanding northward are Zhongyang, Dongchuan, and Linya, right?"

Lu Yang immediately nodded and said: "Lord has a good memory. These three administrative districts are actually to the north of Jingxi, but in terms of orientation, Linya is due north; Zhongyang is due north and east; Dongchuan is further east, which can be considered the far northern border of Beishuo, almost touching the Mangshan Mountains."

【Starting from the northern border of Beishuo Town, walking about 50 kilometers northward along the Mangshan Mountains, one can see a giant lake named Yanzehu. Passing through Yanzehu, one can see an area shrouded in red mist named Blood Miasma Plain. After passing the Blood Miasma Plain, one arrives at Chen Cang.】

Xia Hong recalled Chu Yan'er's words from last year in his mind, and then connected it to the identity of Chen Yiqing from Guyang Village, and a sneer immediately appeared on his face.

"You said last night that Chen Yiqing had already returned to Chen Cang in late June?"

Lu Yang immediately nodded: "According to the news left by Ji Hong before he left, before Chen Yiqing returned on this trip, people from Chen Cang had come. It should have been a Manifestation-level expert specifically sent to escort them back. As the Lord expected, the route to Chen Cang should be very dangerous. It is highly likely that those at the Frigid Defense level cannot cross it."

Speaking of this, a look of worry appeared on Lu Yang's face, and he hesitated: "Lord, on this trip, why not take your subordinate with you? If there is any real danger on the road, it would be better for your subordinate to go and scout the path first!"

Xia Hong shook his head and smiled lightly: "Who said I was going to Chen Cang?"

Hearing this, Lu Yang was stunned.

Not just him, including Xia Chuan and a group of Great Xia high-level officials, all unanimously believed that Xia Hong must be going to Chen Cang first.

Only at this moment did he react that Xia Hong's goal at this moment was not Chen Cang.

Lu Yang pondered for a moment in his mind, and a look of approval immediately appeared on his face. He nodded heavily and said: "That's right, the Lord is thoughtful. August is just the time for Cai Qiu's superior to come to Jin Yang Village to ask Han Peng for information. Today is only the 5th. People from Cai Qiu should be coming to Jin Shan Town very soon. As long as the Lord waits in Jin Yang Village first, once Cai Qiu's people arrive, following them to the Cai Qiu vassal town will indeed be much safer."

Lu Yang also knew about Chu Yan'er's matter. ===== CHAPTER 437 =====