Chapter 124: Teaching the Hard-Body Art! Visitors from the Yan Prince

"Yuer."

Zhu Ying replied in a gentle voice.

The next moment.

The palace door was pushed open slowly. Shen Yuer walked in with a light gait, then carefully closed the door behind her, her movements so soft as if she feared disturbing the stillness of the room.

She moved with lotus steps, slowly walking toward Zhu Ying.

At this moment, Shen Yuer was wearing a deep red floor-length gown, the hem swaying slightly as she walked.

Exquisite and complex patterns were embroidered on the delicate fabric, shimmering under the candlelight.

Her pretty face was meticulously made up with light cosmetics; her brows were like distant mountains, her lips like cherries, and her eyes were bright and filled with affection. Today, she was like a flower in spring, bloomed to its absolute peak, tender and breathtakingly beautiful.

Even though Zhu Ying had seen many beautiful sights, at this moment, he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly, his gaze firmly captured by the beauty before him, his entire being stunned.

"Yuer, you are..." Zhu Ying asked gently.

Shen Yuer did not answer, merely continuing her steps until she reached Zhu Ying's side.

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with deep affection and resolve, then gently extended her arms to embrace Zhu Ying, her movements carrying a trace of urgency and longing.

"Brother Zhu Ying."

Shen Yuer's voice was soft as water, seemingly carrying endless tenderness and worry: "Now that you have enlisted, on that battlefield, swords have no eyes, and dangers are everywhere."

Speaking to this point, Shen Yuer paused slightly, her tone becoming even more firm: "Yuer wants to leave an heir for you."

With a beauty in his arms, such tender and lingering affection was like the warmest breeze of spring, brushing against Zhu Ying's heartstrings.

Zhu Ying felt a surge of heat rush to his heart; his reason seemed to collapse in that instant, and the hot blood in his body began to boil.

"Yuer, I will not let you down."

Zhu Ying's voice was firm.

Having said that, Zhu Ying held her, his pace urgent yet steady, as he strode toward the inner hall.

Tonight!

Everything was understood without words.

The next morning.

In the past, the military camp would already be a scene of clamor at this hour, with the shouts of soldiers and the clashing of weapons mingling together.

But today, those noisy sounds were gone, and the surroundings were quiet—a peace Zhu Ying had not enjoyed for a long time.

Zhu Ying woke up leisurely. He slowly opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was Shen Yuer sleeping soundly beside him.

Her pretty face still carried a faint blush from the exhaustion of last night, and her hair was somewhat disheveled, scattered across the pillow, making her appear exceptionally delicate and moving.

Zhu Ying gazed at her, his eyes filled with pity and love.

With Zhu Ying's current robust physical condition, let alone one Shen Yuer, he could handle dozens more.

But last night, he had ultimately restrained himself quite a bit.

Zhu Ying rose from the bed with light steps, every movement extremely careful, fearing he might disturb Shen Yuer.

He put on his outer robe, tidied his clothes, and took one last deep look at Shen Yuer, who was still sleeping soundly, before turning and quietly leaving the inner hall.

"General."

As soon as Zhu Ying stepped out of the inner hall, Liu Lei immediately came up to greet him.

"Have the brothers been assembled?" Zhu Ying asked, very casually.

"General." Liu Lei said with a smile, very excitedly: "This mansion is truly a hidden gem, it has everything one could need."

"In the outer courtyard, there is even a spacious martial arts arena; the ground is flat and open, and there are many weapon racks."

"One look and it's clear that the former owner of this mansion must have been a general long-experienced in battle. The brothers are all gathered at the martial arts arena now."

Hearing this.

"This mansion used to belong to a Prince of the Northern Yuan."

Zhu Ying replied indifferently.

Then, with his hands behind his back, he walked toward the martial arts arena with steady steps.

Daning Prefecture, like Liaodong in the past, was an important stronghold that the Northern Yuan attempted to firmly control over the Central Plains, like two sharp claws gripping the Central Plains.

Precisely because of this, there were many Mongols in the lands of Liaodong and Daning.

Likewise, many mansions had once stood here, witnessing the shifting winds and clouds of the past.

The martial arts arena!

Seven hundred personal guards were neatly gathered here.

They wore uniform black battle armor; even having stepped down from the battlefield, their imposing aura remained.

The personal guards were divided into seven columns, each with a Battalion Commander standing straight at the front, leading the soldiers under their command.

"Greetings, General."

Seeing Zhu Ying arrive, the seven hundred personal guards bowed in unison, their voices deafening, echoing throughout the entire mansion.

Amidst this orderly welcome, Zhu Ying walked steadily to the front of the personal guard army.

"At ease." Zhu Ying raised his right hand and said with authority.

"Thank you, General."

The seven hundred personal guards spoke in unison, their voices like thunder, echoing over the martial arts arena.

In the eyes of every personal guard looking at Zhu Ying, a fanatical fire burned, filled with awe and reverence.

The selection for this personal guard battalion was extremely strict; first, Liu Lei carefully screened the elite soldiers from the border army.

And then, most crucially, these men had to undergo Zhu Ying's personal examination and approval, confirming their absolute loyalty, before they could be officially organized into the personal guard battalion.

After all, these were Zhu Ying's personal guards, concerning his own safety; naturally, Zhu Ying would not allow anyone to have an opportunity to exploit, not even the terrifying Embroidered Uniform Guard.

There was no chance for them to infiltrate.

"No one is allowed to approach the vicinity of the martial arts arena. Those who violate this order will be executed."

Zhu Ying scanned the surroundings of the martial arts arena sharply, then gave the cold order.

Today's matter.

Concerned Zhu Ying's foundation, so naturally, it could not be leaked by even half a point.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard spies lurking in the mansion naturally could not be allowed to approach either.

"First Battalion, stand guard."

Xiao Han's figure moved, and he immediately shouted loudly.

Immediately.

Xiao Han waved his hand, taking the one hundred personal guards under his command, and quickly spread out around the martial arts arena, taking their guard positions.

The guarding personal guards looked vigilant, blocking every passage tightly, preventing any servants in the mansion from approaching.

"You are all trusted confidants who have followed me in battle for a long time. I have seen your loyalty with my own eyes and kept it in my heart."

Zhu Ying's expression was solemn, his gaze slowly sweeping over the personal guards before him, his voice powerful, echoing in everyone's hearts.

"Subordinates swear to serve the General to the death."

On the martial arts arena, except for the one hundred personal guards on duty, the other six hundred personal guards knelt neatly and shouted in unison.

From the moment they became personal guards, they were bound to Zhu Ying in life and death.

If Zhu Ying died on the battlefield, as his personal guards, they would have no reason to live; if Zhu Ying were to accidentally violate the imperial court's laws in the future, they would not be spared either.

Their fates had long been tightly bound to Zhu Ying.

Having said this, Zhu Ying said no more, but walked steadily to a stone lion on the martial arts arena.

This stone lion was huge.

"Watch me."

Zhu Ying's voice was low, causing everyone's gaze to instantly converge on him.

Zhu Ying turned slightly, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right fist, the muscles on his arm instantly tightening as if cast from steel.

Following that, he exerted force suddenly, carrying an unstoppable momentum, and struck the stone lion fiercely.

"Boom!"

The moment his fist collided with the stone lion, it was as if a thunderclap exploded over the martial arts arena.

The stone lion, which weighed several hundred jin and could not be shaken in the slightest by individual effort, was like a pebble being struck, sent flying directly away.

"Boom!"

The stone lion crashed heavily to the ground, the massive impact creating a deep crater in the earth.

However, after landing.

"Crack, crack."

A heart-palpitating sound of shattering came.

One could see that the massive stone lion had been shattered as if by a powerful force from within, instantly splitting into a pile of rubble on the ground.

Seeing this scene.

Even though the personal guards already knew their General was extraordinarily brave, this shocking scene before their eyes still left them dumbfounded.

"In the past, the Overlord of Western Chu, Xiang Yu, had the strength to lift a cauldron, famous through the ages; this stone lion is probably not much lighter than that cauldron, right?"

"And... the General actually shattered this stone lion with a single punch. What kind of terrifying strength must that be?"

"If this punch were to hit a person, wouldn't they be turned into meat paste with one blow?"

"Too terrifying, the General's strength is simply inhuman!"

"With such bravery, it's no wonder the General kills enemies on the battlefield like cutting melons and vegetables, invincible."

"..."

Witnessing this shocking scene with their own eyes, every personal guard widened their eyes, filled with shock and awe.

Their gaze toward Zhu Ying was as if they were looking at a god who had descended from heaven, or as if they had seen the reappearance of the majestic and invincible Overlord of Western Chu.

"Do you want to possess this kind of strength?"

Zhu Ying slowly turned his head, his gaze like a torch, scanning the personal guards, his voice low but filled with temptation.

This question.

Was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

The personal guards were stunned at first, and then an indescribable fanaticism and shock surged in everyone's eyes.

"What does the General mean by this? Could it be that we can also possess such powerful strength?"

"Impossible, this kind of strength must be the General's innate divine power; how could we, mere mortals, possess it?"

"But why would the General suddenly mention this?"

At this moment, all the personal guards' hearts were tightened, both surprised and confused, and even more expectant.

But just then.

Liu Lei stood out without hesitation, knelt directly, and shouted loudly: "Subordinate, wants to!"

"If I can obtain this divine power, I will surely be able to serve the General better. My descendants are willing to become the General's family retainers forever, and I will not hesitate to go through fire and water!"

Once these words were spoken.

It was like dropping a bombshell.

Without a doubt.

Liu Lei had completely bound himself, and even his descendants, tightly to Zhu Ying's family, vowing to become family retainers.

With Liu Lei as an example, the other six hundred personal guards knelt one after another, their faces solemn, shouting in unison: "Subordinates are willing to swear loyalty to the General to the death. If the General accepts us, our descendants are willing to be the General's family retainers forever, swearing loyalty to the death!"

At this moment!

Everyone keenly realized that this was a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity, an excellent chance to leap over the dragon gate.

Once seized, their fate might be rewritten from this point on.

"Good."

Zhu Ying nodded with satisfaction, revealing a gratified smile: "From now on, you are my Zhu Ying's personal guards on the outside, and my family retainers on the inside."

"Since you are family retainers, I, Zhu Ying, will never treat you poorly. I will share glory and disgrace, and advance and retreat with you all."

Following that.

Zhu Ying waved his hand.

In an instant.

Seven hundred sheets of paper appeared out of thin air on the ground before them. Looking closely, each white sheet was drawn with various human acupuncture point charts, as well as some strange action diagrams.

Clearly, this was the Hard-Body Art that Zhu Ying cultivated, an external cultivation technique specifically used to increase strength and temper the physique.

Considering that few of these personal guards were literate, Zhu Ying had specifically drawn the technique content into diagrams, making it more popular and easy to understand, facilitating their learning.

"This above is the technique I cultivate, named the Hard-Body Art. Cultivating this technique can increase strength and temper the physique."

Zhu Ying said with a serious expression: "Cultivated to the Great Completion realm, strength can reach several thousand jin."

Hearing this, the personal guards all widened their eyes in shock, looking at the technique diagrams on the ground, filled with disbelief and excitement.

Reaching several thousand jin of strength—this was what kind of astonishing power, seemingly existing only in legends.

"From now on, I will give you half an hour to memorize the diagrams. After half an hour, they will all be burned."

"This technique must not be spread! Anyone who dares to spread it will be killed without mercy!" Zhu Ying scanned the circle with cold and sharp eyes, his voice icy and resolute, carrying a chilling majesty.

"We will strictly obey the General's order."

All the personal guards responded in unison, revealing indescribable excitement.

"Liu Lei, take the Battalion Commanders to distribute them."

Zhu Ying looked at Liu Lei and gave the order decisively.

"Yes."

Liu Lei immediately stood up and turned to look at the six Battalion Commanders behind him.

The seven people quickly walked to Zhu Ying, their movements in unison.

They carefully picked up the technique diagrams and distributed them one by one.

Every time they walked up to a personal guard, the guards would respectfully receive the diagrams with both hands, their eyes filled with cherishing and awe.

Soon, all six hundred personal guards were tightly gripping the technique diagrams in their hands, beginning to memorize them with full concentration.

The first layer of this Hard-Body Art was just an introductory foundation, not obscure or difficult to understand.

After cultivating to the first layer, strength could increase by more than double the original strength, and the physique would also be significantly enhanced.

Time passed quietly in the tense and quiet atmosphere.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Have you all memorized it?" Zhu Ying asked, his gaze scanning each personal guard one by one.

Seeing the personal guards put down the diagrams in their hands, they bowed neatly and replied respectfully: "Subordinates have already memorized it."

"Bring the fire basin. Burn them."

Zhu Ying waved his hand.

Several personal guards immediately took action, quickly bringing over a huge fire basin.

In the fire basin, flames were burning fiercely, emitting a scorching temperature.

The personal guards walked to the fire basin one by one, gently placing the technique diagrams into the basin.

Under the licking of the flames, the paper quickly turned to ash.

"Now that you have sworn loyalty to me. As my Zhu Ying's confidant family retainers, I will not treat you poorly."

Zhu Ying's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, carrying a solemnity: "From today on, all personal guards and family retainers under my command, in addition to the salary given by the imperial court, I will give an extra five taels of silver as a reward every month."

Hearing this news, excitement instantly appeared on the faces of all the personal guards, and their gaze toward Zhu Ying became even more fanatical.

In the Great Ming, salaries increased according to official rank, with obvious gaps.

An ordinary soldier's monthly pay was no more than one tael of silver, and as personal guards, their original monthly pay was only two taels of silver.

Compared to the world, compared to the common people, this was already a salary sufficient to support a family.

But now, Zhu Ying had directly given each personal guard an extra five taels, which far exceeded the salary given by the imperial court.

From ancient times to the present!

People die for wealth, birds die for food.

Money can make the devil turn the millstone.

Without a doubt, this generous act of Zhu Ying instantly touched the hearts of all the personal guards, further solidifying their loyalty.

"Subordinates swear to serve the General to the death."

All the personal guards knelt again, shouting loudly, their voices filled with loyalty and enthusiasm.

"Alright. Since the technique diagrams have been memorized, now I will use medicinal baths to help you enter the path of body tempering."

Zhu Ying smiled slightly, his smile carrying a bit of anticipation.

Following that.

His gaze looked at Liu Lei, and he said in a deep voice: "Bring them up."

Xiao Han, who had been guarding on the side, immediately led a group of personal guards to work together to bring up ten huge water vats.

Immediately after.

Buckets of steaming hot water were poured into the vats, steaming and filled with white mist.

Zhu Ying walked to the ten large water vats, took out five bottles of Bone-Tempering Powder from his bosom, opened the caps one by one, and poured the Bone-Tempering Powder into the ten large water vats respectively.

In an instant, the originally clear and transparent water changed rapidly, instantly turning into gray-black medicinal water.

The medicinal water rolled and surged in the vats, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance, mixed with a trace of strange aura.

"Everyone enter in batches to temper your bodies."

"The longer you persist, the greater the improvement to your physique. Cultivate according to the technique diagrams while inside to increase the absorption of the medicinal power."

Zhu Ying's gaze was firm, looking at the personal guards, giving detailed instructions.

"Yes."

The personal guards were all solemn, their eyes flashing with excitement and anticipation, each one eager to try.

"Begin."

Zhu Ying said in a deep voice, his eyes also unable to hide a bit of anticipation.

This Bone-Tempering Powder was a precious medicinal powder that had entered the ranks, having great efficacy for body tempering.

Zhu Ying was also full of curiosity, wanting to see just how much this Bone-Tempering Powder could increase the personal guards' strength.

Under Zhu Ying's order, the personal guards quickly lined up in batches, standing neatly before the water vats.

They nimbly took off their battle armor and clothes, revealing solid muscles and bodies covered in scars from long experience on the battlefield.

Following that.

The first ten took a deep breath and jumped into the water vats without hesitation.

At the beginning of entering the vats, the personal guards felt nothing unusual, only feeling the water temperature was warm and very comfortable.

But suddenly, as the time they soaked in the water increased, the medicinal powder in the vats began to take effect.

"So painful."

"Burning to death."

"Ah..."

The ten personal guards who entered the vats first almost simultaneously let out painful cries.

Painful expressions appeared on their faces, their muscles twitching involuntarily, and their bodies trembling slightly in the vats.

"The longer you persist, the greater the improvement to your physique."

"If you cannot persist, you can come out."

Seeing this situation, Zhu Ying shouted loudly, carrying encouragement and anticipation.

Hearing this.

The personal guards who had subconsciously wanted to jump out due to the pain gritted their teeth, enduring the pain, and continued to soak in the vats, bearing the impact of the medicinal power.

After all, they were all iron-blooded soldiers who had experienced the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the battlefield; their endurance was far stronger than that of ordinary people.

But soon, several personal guards really couldn't bear the bone-piercing pain and jumped out of the vats.

However, after coming out, these few personal guards clearly felt the wonderful changes in their bodies.

"General!"

The personal guard who came out of the vat first, his face flushed red, sweat mixed with the medicinal water from the vat, sliding down his cheeks, while panting heavily, he couldn't hide his excitement and shouted: "I feel my strength seems to have increased a bit, and my body also seems to have become much lighter."

While speaking, he also involuntarily clenched his fists, the muscles on his arms bulging high, as if showing this wonderful change to everyone.

"Me too, I feel my strength has increased."

Another personal guard also shouted, his eyes filled with surprise and shock, while moving his shoulders, looking at his own body up and down, as if re-recognizing this stronger self.

These few personal guards, at this moment, were like discovering a new continent, looking at Zhu Ying with shock, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude toward Zhu Ying.

Regarding this, Zhu Ying had no surprise, only revealing a faint smile, as if everything was within his expectations.

Zhu Ying waved his hand gently and said in a deep voice: "Continue!"

The personal guards jumped into the water vats in batches one after another, accepting the tempering of the Bone-Tempering Powder.

In the vats, the gray-black medicinal water rolled constantly, steaming hot.

The personal guards gritted their teeth, enduring the severe pain brought by the medicinal powder, adjusting their breathing in the vats according to the technique diagrams, striving to absorb the medicinal power.

Time passed slowly in this torment and anticipation.

Nearly an hour passed.

Finally, all six hundred personal guards completed the tempering of the Bone-Tempering Powder.

"How does it feel?"

Zhu Ying walked to the personal guards with his hands behind his back, scanning everyone with concern.

"General!"

The personal guards bowed one after another, one of them responding loudly, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Subordinate feels that my strength has greatly increased."

"Subordinate is the same."

"Subordinate estimates that my strength has increased by a fold."

Everyone echoed in a jumble of voices, and the fanatical loyalty in their eyes toward Zhu Ying became even more intense.

Finally, they shouted in unison: "The General bestowed divine power, subordinates swear to repay it with their lives."

Zhu Ying nodded slightly, his expression filled with gratification.

Then he said: "I have already ordered the purchase of these body-tempering medicinal herbs. As long as there are enough herbs, every ten days, you can accept tempering to increase your strength."

After scanning everyone, looking at their excitement, Zhu Ying continued: "This kind of improvement might not be of much use now, but on the battlefield, when your strength increases to a certain level, each of you will be a fierce warrior capable of killing ten and fighting a hundred."

Speaking to this point.

Zhu Ying paused slightly, emphasized his tone, and warned coldly: "Also, the Hard-Body Art I taught you must be practiced diligently. If anyone dares to spread it, execute!"

"Liu Lei."

Zhu Ying turned his head to look at Liu Lei: "Go do the task I gave you today."

Then, he looked at everyone again: "After dispersing, let Xiao Han take the one hundred personal guards under his command to accept tempering."

"Yes."

Liu Lei immediately took the order.

The personal guards also stood up one after another and dispersed in an orderly manner, each going to their guard positions throughout the mansion; at this moment, they seemed to have been reborn.

The next batch, naturally, was Xiao Han and the one hundred personal guards under his command.

Zhu Ying watched their departing backs, thinking to himself: "The first step in creating my own force is complete."

"Next is to secretly train death soldiers."

"Money!"

Zhu Ying wore a smile: "Having obtained the treasure vaults of Man Jier and Nahachu, let alone raising a thousand death soldiers, even raising ten times that many is affordable."

Furthermore.

Zhu Ying thought of the place where Nahachu hid weapons and armor, calculating silently in his heart: "I must find a way to utilize them in the future."

Nahachu's treasure map had two treasure locations; one hid gold and silver, and the other hid weapons and armor, enough to arm ten thousand men.

The gold and silver had all been taken away by Zhu Ying, but his storage space was already full, so those weapons and armor could only be shelved, waiting to be retrieved later.

As for whether Nahachu had any backup plans, Zhu Ying didn't know, but it would certainly be difficult for the Northern Yuan to take them away in the future; after all, the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in Liaodong were not fake.

Zhu Ying walked slowly toward the main hall of the mansion while thinking.

Just as Zhu Ying was on his way to the outer hall.

Suddenly, an urgent shout came: "Young Master."

Zhu Ying looked toward the sound and saw Lin Fu running over quickly.

"Uncle Lin, what is it?" Zhu Ying stopped his steps, a trace of doubt on his face, and asked with concern.

Lin Fu ran to Zhu Ying, panting slightly, and said quickly: "Outside the mansion, there are people claiming to be from the Yan Prince's Mansion in Beiping asking to see you, and there is also a carriage covered with black cloth. I don't know what it is for."

"Beiping, Yan Prince's Mansion?" Hearing this, Zhu Ying couldn't help but be stunned, a look of surprise instantly appearing on his face.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 125 =====