Chapter 417: Jade Qilin

On the hillside, in the Wang family mansion, the martial arts field today was exceptionally lively.

Pan Jinlian, with her big belly, sat under the erected cool shed. Xiao Lan, Cuiping, and another maid were in three directions, each holding a fan and gently shaking it to send a cool breeze. Except for these few women, everyone in the field was a man... and there were also two eunuchs.

There were burly men with thick arms and legs, and also young children who looked strong but hadn't grown up yet. They were all wearing open-chested undershirts, sweat beads rolling down, and their bronze-colored skin shone brightly in the sun, looking exceptionally eye-catching.

More than a hundred people, including Wu Song, stood around the huge martial arts field, staring at the two people in the field who were exerting force with "he-he" and "ha-ha" sounds, moving and shifting with sticks without spearheads, and fighting fiercely.

The one with the most impressive display of martial arts in the old Wang family, whom everyone had been beaten by, was naturally Master Wang. And his opponent was none other than the world's number one master, the Jade Qilin of Hebei, with eyes like two pupils, eyebrows divided into eight characters, a body measured at more than two meters, thick arms and legs, and a general's belly. He was majestic, looking like a heavenly god. He was accustomed to using a stick, and his body-guarding dragon technique was unparalleled. His family in the capital was clean, and his ancestors were wealthy families, generous in wealth and righteousness. He was none other than the world's number one master, double-named Junyi.

Only seeing his stick swing horizontally, brushing aside the attack that Master thrust straight, the two sticks intersected. He twisted his hands, and the stick, which had good elasticity, suddenly tightened and vibrated. His long arms reached out, aiming straight for Master's face.

The benefit of being tall was right here: long legs, long arms, plus weapons, and he originally had no low martial power. It was enough to reach, so how could he not be an opponent?

However, this was basically useless for Master Wang. He lightly shook the long stick, and under the peerless power, he only lightly touched the end of the long stick. With a "pa" sound, he directly deflected the stick that was rushing toward his head, and then kicked the ground with his foot, directly approaching.

Lu Junyi reacted extremely quickly. Just from that one move, he clearly perceived Master's strength and didn't dare to underestimate him, determined to fully exert his strengths. So Master advanced, and he retreated. With long legs and big steps, his speed was not slow, and soon he opened the distance, continuing to fight back and forth with Master.

Master was naturally not serious; he was just cooperating with Lu Junyi. He just wanted to feel what level this world's number one master, who was unparalleled in horse and foot combat, was at. The so-called "a difference of a hair's breadth leads to a thousand miles of error"—with his current strength, if he were serious, the world's number one master would also be knocked down in three moves.

Truth be told, Lu Junyi was indeed not bad, playing the stick flying, and his strength was indeed much stronger than Wu Song a year ago. Wu Song was really not his opponent. But looking at it now, in the case of foot combat, the outcome was really hard to predict. After all, in the past year, Wu Song had taken many secret medicines for strengthening tendons and bones, plus some martial arts taught to him. With natural talent plus acquired supplementation, his combat power soared.

More than ten minutes passed, and the two were still fighting back and forth. Not to mention anything else, the endurance of these people was very sufficient. Wu Song could fight him for more than ten minutes, and Lu Junyi was the same, which also reflected their control over themselves from the side. After all, fighting was a high-explosive job. If they didn't know how to control their strength, and used seven parts of strength as three parts, they would be exhausted after a few moves.

Watching the two in the field, the crowd watching cheered. There was no way, the names of these two were bigger than each other, and they were quite famous in the underworld. However, this reputation was polarized.

In terms of making friends with ruffians, although Lu Junyi was not as good as Song Jiang and Chao Gai, he also had a reputation for being generous with wealth. This was easy to understand. Lu Junyi mixed in the Northern Army, was at the front line of the war with the Liao Kingdom, had some relations in the military, and his ancestors were wealthy, passed down from generation to generation, possessing a large family business. He couldn't stand the filth in the army, so he acted as Squire Lu in the village near Great Ming Prefecture. But he also carried the title of the world's number one master, so it was inevitable that he would have some involvement with those so-called underworld good men. Even if he didn't have involvement, he couldn't stop the good men from coming to the door to fight for autumn wind.

Lu Junyi naturally looked down on those stinky fish and rotten shrimp. To put it nicely, including that bunch of things on Liang Shan, there were not many who could enter his eyes. It was just that the situation forced him, and he was studied. But he was also too lazy to care about those people, basically treating them to a meal and sending them away. This naturally gave him a reputation as a good man who was generous with wealth.

Master Wang was different. He was famous for being rich, and also famous for being fond of martial arts. But when good men came to the door to make friends, many of them joined the labor team of Yanggu County to repair bridges and roads. This made Master Wang notorious in the so-called underworld, and also intensified the bad intentions of many people toward him, just thinking about robbing this rich man who was not in the group.

Of course, they still could only think about it. Because when Master Wang licked the artist earlier and contributed the first profit, from the supervisory eunuchs to Yang Jian above, and to Zhao Ji at the top, they were all very satisfied. At the same time, Master Wang also developed scented dew for both men and women, which talented scholars and beautiful ladies loved very much and was very popular. This business, of course, also had to be contributed to Zhao Ji, earning even more.

Zhao Ji was very satisfied, and two thousand soldiers from the Forbidden Army stationed in Jingxi were transferred to Yanggu to protect this source of income of hundreds of thousands of strings of cash a year, so that no evil thieves would harass it.

At the same time, Master Wang's Xuanjie Captain was also promoted across levels to the Zhengqi-rank Zhiguo Captain, which was an official position bought with money. In fact, it didn't matter whether it was an official or not, the main thing was this attitude, indicating Zhao Ji's satisfaction. With the imperial scroll on his body, no

It was also like this: after pursuing and capturing a few gangs of audacious thieves, there were no more who couldn't see reason. After all, Master Wang's place is not just anywhere; it is a place personally watched by Zhao Ji. Furthermore, from another perspective, those thieves were blatantly robbing the Emperor of the Great Song—how could that be allowed? Without Master Wang needing to urge them, the various levels of chief officials cooperated sincerely; they handled them one by one, which was highly efficient.

After those heroes were left with no other options, inevitably, Master Wang became the archetype of one who is wicked to the core, an accomplice to tyranny, guilty of heinous crimes, and unbenevolent for the sake of wealth. Whenever Yanggu's Wang Yan was mentioned, there was nothing else—just cursing.

To tell the truth, this situation was not what Wang Yan had originally envisioned; after all, he had been thinking of making a fortune in silence. But clearly, he couldn't keep it quiet. Because of his wealth, because of the changes in Yanggu County, and so on, his role in it could not be hidden, so he could only let his reputation grow louder and louder—let it be whatever it may. Anyway, he was backed by a big tree, and the effect of being in the shadow of the lamp was even better, so that was that...

Finally, the top-tier spear shaft in Lu Junyi's hand—made with a base of fine *chou* wood, processed through many stages, and taking three years to craft—could not withstand the fierce battle between the two and snapped, leaving only a small section gripped in his hand. It was also at this moment that Master Wang, smiling broadly, held one hand behind his back and the other holding the spear shaft, its tip hovering in the empty air three inches from Lu Junyi's throat, motionless, striking a fine pose.

Feeling the force of the wind at his throat, Lu Junyi forcefully suppressed the urge to swallow, casually threw away the splintered piece of broken wood in his hand, took a step back, cupped his hands, and said: "Master has excellent martial arts; Lu admires you."

Wang Yan dropped his posturing, casually threw the spear shaft out, and it shot at high speed toward the crowd watching the excitement. A young, sturdy, and agile boy turned sideways, dodged the incoming spear shaft, and simultaneously reached out his right hand, cleanly and nimbly catching it. He then looked at the Master in the field who was giving a thumbs-up, baring his teeth in a silly grin.

Cupping his hands toward Lu Junyi, Wang Yan said with a chuckle: "The Squire's martial arts are not bad either; you are worthy of being the Jade Qilin who comes and goes freely among the Liao army. Come, Squire, now that we've loosened our muscles and bones, let's rest well. Let us first go to the front hall to drink tea and talk, and then have a few good cups of wine."

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"I would be honored to comply."

Lu Junyi laughed heartily and left together with Wang Yan. Wu Song and the others behind them followed. Pan Jinlian had watched the fierce battle and, while talking to her maids about her husband's bravery, slowly strolled back while supporting her large belly.

She was under quite a bit of pressure now, fearing that she wouldn't give birth to a son; even though Wang Yan had already comforted her, it was of no use...

The men arrived at the front hall and sat down. A servant brought tea, and everyone chatted while drinking.

"I heard that the Master first took charge of the family business at the age of capping. Now that Lu observes the magnificent scenery of the Wang family, I truly admire it."

"Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning." Wang Yan smiled and shook his head: "Right now, my Wang family looks like it is soaring, but in reality, it is a castle in the air, with the danger of collapsing at any time. It cannot compare to the Squire's generations of accumulation, with deep roots and a sturdy tree, without so many worries."

Lu Junyi understood the Master's meaning: the family's accumulation was weak, and their connections on all sides were shallow; otherwise, he wouldn't be paying such large tributes to the Emperor. If the family's accumulation were truly deep, they would certainly have to share the profits, but it would definitely not reach such a high amount.

"The Master need not belittle yourself. Just the accumulation of the Master's generation surpasses Lu's ancestors." He continued to smile and flatter: "Over the past half-year, Lu has also relied on the Master's care, sharing some of the stakes in soap and scented soap, which can be considered as revitalizing the family business and regaining some face in Hebei. If not for this, the family business of the Lu family would likely have been ruined in Lu's hands."

Being humble, no need to fear; if nothing unexpected happens, it will definitely be ruined in your hands...

Soap and scented soap spread, and with the endorsement of the royal family, they were naturally even more sought after. As one of the top wealthy families in Great Ming Prefecture, Lu Junyi naturally took notice and specifically sent people to deliver generous profits, along with a very long letter to build a relationship, wanting distribution rights. It was also because he knew this number-one expert in the world that he gave him some face and allowed him to distribute, which could be considered establishing a connection.

This time, he had come precisely because he had found the time, and having made money, he had to thank his benefactor. So he sent a letter in advance to inquire, and after receiving his affirmation, he brought Yan Qing and several bodyguards along, galloping over on fast horses. Yan Qing was currently on the side, sitting with Wu Song, listening to them talk.

"The Squire's family is large and wealthy; how could it be so easily ruined? With the Squire's family business, even if you just sit and eat until the mountain is empty, with only outgoings and no income, it would be enough for three generations to enjoy." Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, not dwelling on this matter, and instead asked: "I wonder how the Squire views the current situation?"

Lu Junyi was stunned for a moment and asked in return: "Does the Master have any high insights?"

"Cai Jing has returned as Chancellor, colluding with Tong Guan and others to suppress dissent. The current Emperor is extravagant and lustful, ignoring state affairs, worshiping Daoism, and valuing calligraphy and painting, while also embarking on massive construction projects, especially loving rockery and garden landscapes. Cai Jing flatters his superiors, creating the 'Flower and Stone Convoy' and various other names for exorbitant taxes and levies. In just a few months, it has caused complaints to fill the roads and the people to live in misery. Tian Hu in Hebei, Wang Qing in Huaixi, Fang La in Jiang Nan, and even the Water Margin at Liang Shan, which is only a few dozen miles from this Yanggu County, now have a gang of strongmen occupying the mountain as kings. If this continues, the atmosphere of the Zhao Song will gradually weaken; I fear it will be difficult to last long."

With a hiss, Lu Junyi glanced at Wu Song sitting nearby. Seeing his indifferent appearance, he exchanged a look of astonishment with Yan Qing and said: "Master, these words come from your mouth and enter the ears of the three of us; they must never be spoken again. If a villain were to hear them, I fear disaster would be imminent."

To tell the truth, he suspected whether this Master was fishing for a confession, but there had been no conflict between the two sides in the past, and they had always been harmonious since they started cooperating; there was truly no need to harm him. If one were to say it was because too much money had been scraped away, leading to resentment, that could still be explained. But if that were the case, this Master would hardly have reached such a position. For a moment, he really couldn't be sure of the intention behind this Master's unprovoked utterance of such treasonous words.

"Heh, just a few complaints from an incompetent person, it doesn't count for anything. It's also because I have an affinity with the Squire; you and I hit it off immediately, which is why I mentioned it." Wang Yan laughed: "The current situation is indeed not good. Take the Liang Zhongshu in the Squire's Great Ming Prefecture, for example; he sent 100,000 strings of cash as a birthday gift to Cai Jing, so openly and aboveboard, without the slightest regard for the majesty of national law. But it was precisely because they were so open and aboveboard that they attracted a gang of strongmen to rob the road, hijacking the entire Birthday Convoy; it was precisely those who went to that Water Margin at Liang Shan.

Oh, right, there is also that instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards' spear and saber, known in the world as 'Leopard Head' Lin Chong, who was from the same school as the Squire. Because his wife was eyed by the son adopted by that scoundrel Gao Qiu, who wanted to force himself upon her...

And what was the result? Instead, Lin Chong was framed by Gao Qiu's design, mistakenly entered the White Tiger Hall with a saber, and was exiled to Cangzhou. Lady Lin could not bear the threats of Young Master Gao and committed suicide by hanging, and her elderly father could not hold on and passed away as well. When Lin Chong arrived at the Cangzhou prison city, I heard he was also targeted by Gao Qiu's poison. Fortunately, Lin Chong was not famous for nothing and had superb martial arts, which allowed him to escape with his life and eventually make his way to Liang Shan. With such two scoundrels occupying high positions and governing the country, plus external enemies, how can the country be well?"

Now the plot has already begun, and things are developing very quickly. Currently, Chao Gai and the others have just arrived at Liang Shan, and Lin Chong has just killed Wang Lun. The next step, the so-called 'Clerk Song righteously kills Yan Poxi', is just waiting to unfold. Yuncheng is not far from Yanggu County, and the transmission of news is quite timely. Moreover, there is public opinion there, and the transmission itself is not slow, so the Master has a good grasp of the development of events.

Lu Junyi couldn't help but sigh: "I won't hide it from the Master, Lu has heard of these things. Last month, I even wrote to my master to plead guilty. Although Lu has never met this Junior Brother Lin, I have the heart to help him. But unfortunately, Lu is an idle person and cannot help him; I feel ashamed of our fellowship. It is just a pity for my Junior Brother Lin, who had a bright future but ended up going up the mountain to become a bandit.

Lu himself has also been deeply harmed by those scoundrels Cai Jing and Tong Guan. If not for those two scoundrels, Lu would have been held accountable and driven out of the Northern Army, let alone losing my thousands of brothers who lived and died together..."

"Enough, enough."

While Lu Junyi's emotions had not been fully vented and he had a bellyful of frustration to express, Master Wang ignored his somewhat bewildered look and looked with a chuckle at Yan Qing, who was pondering things on the side: "Brother Yan Qing is so handsome, and I have also heard of his romantic affairs. In the world, he has even earned the nickname 'The Prodigal'. He is truly romantic and enviable. With Brother Yan Qing's ability, the world is vast, and you can go anywhere. Yet you still follow the Squire, willing to be a servant. Such loyalty is truly unparalleled, respectable and admirable."

Hearing the Master's praise, Wu Song, who was sitting on the side quietly drinking tea, looked unconvinced—just a pretty boy.

Seeing his appearance, the Master shook his head and smiled. Wu Song's temper now is not much different from the original; after all, he is not the one who became a pilgrim. He still carries the temperament of a rascal: the Master is number one, he is number two, and he doesn't submit to anyone. However, he has one good point: he is relatively cold and aloof. Because he doesn't submit to anyone and looks down on ordinary people, he speaks relatively little.

"Xiao Yi thanks the Master for the praise." Yan Qing cupped his hands and smiled: "Xiao Yi has followed my master since I was a child. My parents gave me life, and my master keeps me alive. Over the years, my master has also said that he would let Xiao Yi go out to make a name for myself, but it is Xiao Yi who is unwilling to leave, stubbornly clinging to my master for food and drink."

"You, you..."

Lu Junyi laughed heartily and reached out to point at Yan Qing. He was proud; this Yan Qing was not raised in vain. He was loyal and handled matters properly, and could bring him face wherever he went.

Noticing Wu Song on the side who looked disapproving, he smiled and said: "Brother Wu Song is also unparalleled in loyalty. He also has a great reputation in the two circuits of Jingdong and Hebei, and he never forgets to mention the Master's kindness wherever he goes."

After such mutual flattery and a period of idle chatter, the Master treated Lu Junyi to a sumptuous feast, with fresh food and stir-fried dishes that could only be found in big cities. The group ate and drank together, having a wonderful time.

During the banquet, Wang Yan briefly mentioned Lu Junyi's steward named Li Gu—the one who would cuckold Lu Junyi. Of course, he didn't say it like that; he just said that Li Gu had a rebellious bone at the back of his head and must have done something detrimental to his master's family, giving him a reminder.

It is also interesting to say that a man as fierce as Lu Junyi couldn't even handle a steward, being manipulated by him like a fool; it was truly a case of a wicked slave bullying his master. As for Lu Junyi's wife, that goes without saying; she was another one who killed her husband to prove her path.

As for the Master's reminder, Lu Junyi, after all, had a brain full of mush; whether he took it to heart, I don't know, but Yan Qing took it to heart.

As for how it ends, that depends on fate. Anyway, he had given the reminder he should have. Although he did have the heart to recruit him as a general under his command, this kid was already over thirty, and his physical peak wouldn't last many more years. A player who could be manipulated by a steward certainly didn't have the brains to be a commander, and he couldn't count on him to fight for many more years. So if he still couldn't get past it and ended up on Liang Shan, then so be it; he wouldn't stop him from dying.

After the feast and staying the night, the next day, Wang Yan stood at the main gate and saw off Lu Junyi's party with proper etiquette...

---Side Note---

Thanks to the eight big brothers (zhengjinzong), (Qi Mao Lv De Si 47 Qi), (Lian Nan Xue Lang), (Xing Xing Dian Deng Zhao), (Lan Si De Mu Tou Ren), (Pang Da Yu), (Mg101), and (Ting Yu Guo Qing Ming) for their continued support.

Daily thanks to the good brothers who voted for monthly tickets for their support.

Thanks to all the brothers who voted for recommendations for their support.

Thanks to the big brothers who read the book silently for their support.