"Alright, alright!"
Lin Zhao waved his hand, unable to stand Chi Zhongyu's sour disposition any longer. "I'm done bullying, aren't I? I didn't even touch a single hair on her. Satisfied?"
"But Young Master..."
Liu Liying blinked her large eyes. "You were holding my hand when we were flying our swords yesterday..."
"???"
Lin Zhao's head was full of question marks. Didn't Liu Liying fear the situation escalating?
Chi Zhongyu looked devastated and slumped back onto the railing. "Forget it, forget it. How can I, Chi Zhongyu, have the right to be jealous of such things."
"You indeed do not," Lin Zhao said.
Liu Liying nodded. "Mm, Liying's heart only holds Young Master, and has no room for anyone else."
"..."
Chi Zhongyu looked like he wanted to die. "Lin Zhao, let's go find a place to drink? Drink until we're drunk, preferably until we die from it?"
"You wish! Do you think my alcohol is just plain water?"
Lin Zhao glanced at him. "What about your injuries? Didn't you say you were going to Jiangning Prefecture for some business? Was it so troublesome that you, with your cultivation, ended up so severely injured?"
"To put it bluntly, I almost didn't make it back."
Chi Zhongyu frowned. "Jiangzhou Prefecture has been turbulent lately. You should be careful too."
"It's fine. I fought last night too, and I didn't fare much better than you."
"Oh?"
Chi Zhongyu's expression turned solemn. "What happened?"
"Last night, at the Green Hut Inn."
Lin Zhao briefly recounted the events at the Green Hut Inn.
Immediately, Chi Zhongyu slapped his thigh and burst into laughter. But he hit his wound and winced in pain, then continued to grin through the discomfort. "I knew the five thousand cavalry of the Dragon String Iron Cavalry were delayed in reaching Jiangzhou Prefecture. If they had arrived, I might really not have made it back. I didn't expect you all to take care of Xu Beiw ei and that old servant. Humph, those two scoundrels should have died long ago!"
"What do you mean?" Lin Zhao asked.
Chi Zhongyu frowned. "Among the pampered nobles of the capital, Xu Beiwei is the most wicked. Plenty of people want him dead, but Emperor Xu Chen dotes on Xu Beiwei even more than his eldest son, Xu Beilin. He even bestowed the imperial palace's top expert upon Xu Beiwei, who is that old servant. It's said he's an old Flood Dragon. Relying on his Flood Dragon heritage and his own strength, Xu Beiwei has committed countless wicked deeds in the capital. Now that he's dead in the wilderness of Mount Lu, it's truly a cause for celebration."
"What about you?"
Lin Zhao asked, "Can you talk about what happened in Jiangzhou Prefecture?"
"It's fine to tell you a little."
Chi Zhongyu said, "I led the family's juniors to Jiangzhou Prefecture on my father's orders to protect Minister Lu Huaining of the Ministry of Revenue. This morning, Minister Lu's residence was attacked by mountain cultivators and assassins. Fortunately, we were prepared and they didn't succeed. Later, my uncle arrived with reinforcements, which gave me the opportunity to check if you were safe. I didn't expect these two matters to coincide. Xu Beiwei leading five thousand cavalry was definitely heading for Jiangzhou Prefecture. Unfortunately, you intercepted them at the Green Hut Inn. Otherwise, if those five thousand cavalry, along with Xu Beiwei and the old servant, had besieged Lu Huaining's residence, it would have been truly disastrous."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled. "In that case, your luck is indeed quite good."
"Indeed."
Chi Zhongyu smiled. "Thinking about it, I should be treating you to this drink. But there are no taverns here, and I'm not good at cooking over a campfire, so I'll have to rely on you."
"Alright."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "I'm a bit hungry too. Liying, let's head ashore. We'll make something to eat and have a drink to relax."
"Yes, Young Master."
The Fan Goddess smiled charmingly.
...
After landing, Lin Zhao selected a few of the plumpest white fish and翹嘴 to make soup. Additionally, he used his Great Wilderness Ancient Sword to hunt a small deer in the woods. After skinning and gutting the deer, he roasted it. Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air. Chi Zhongyu took out a dagger, eagerly slicing off pieces of meat. He wrapped the meat in lotus leaves and then, with a smile, handed it to the Fan Goddess. "Liying, you try it first."
"Ah?"
Liu Liying took the roasted meat, but turned and walked over to Lin Zhao, who was seasoning the white fish soup. She smiled and said, "Young Master, open your mouth."
"Oh."
Lin Zhao opened his mouth and ate a piece of deer meat fed to him by Liu Liying. At that moment, Chi Zhongyu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his whole body about to split apart. He clutched his chest, realizing he really needed to heal his wounds. Soon, the fish soup was ready. Lin Zhao served a bowl to each of them. They ate meat, drank soup, and had a pot of wine each, feasting heartily.
With delicious food before him, Chi Zhongyu's mood improved slightly.
"What are your plans next?"
"I still want to go to Jiangzhou Prefecture. It was my goal before, after all," Lin Zhao smiled. "Let's just treat it as experiencing the local customs and traditions."
"Jiangzhou Prefecture might not be safe."
Chi Zhongyu frowned. "After you killed the Second Prince, you must be on the Xu Dynasty's wanted list by now. Even if you go to Jiangzhou Prefecture, it's best to change your attire."
"I know."
Lin Zhao instantly changed his appearance to that of Lin Baiyi, clad in silver armor and white robes, with two swords on his back. He tossed aside his bamboo hat, and his entire demeanor changed. He no longer looked like a swordsman wandering the martial world, but more like a Sword Immortal from the mountains. At that moment, Liu Liying stared in amazement. She had never seen Lin Zhao dressed like this before, and now she found it quite stunning.
Chi Zhongyu was also taken aback and couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "This appearance is truly impeccable."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Once we reach Jiangzhou City, Liying, you should hide within my Li Quan sword sheath. Can your white horse be ridden? If so, can I borrow it?"
"Of course," Liu Liying nodded with a smile.
Lin Zhao looked at Chi Zhongyu. "What about you? What are your plans?"
"I still have to return to Jiangzhou Prefecture!"
Chi Zhongyu frowned. "The situation in Jiangzhou Prefecture is too chaotic. As long as Lu Huaining is in Jiangzhou Prefecture, he will be in danger every day. This Minister Lu is a close friend of my father. If we cannot protect his safety, our Lingnan Sword Sect will no longer deserve its name."
"What exactly is happening in Jiangzhou Prefecture now?"
Lin Zhao asked, "It seems like people are in a state of panic."
"It's more than just panic; it's like a storm is brewing," Chi Zhongyu said, taking a gulp of wine. "For several years, the Xu Dynasty has been brewing a new national policy, personally promoted by the National Preceptor Zhao Qian, called 'Changing Grain to Rice.' They want to vigorously implement it in the southern prefectures of Jiangzhou and Longzhou. However, this policy only considers the mountains, not the lowlands. Almost all the upright officials in the court are uniformly opposed, but they couldn't overcome the machinations of the National Preceptor, the immortal Zhao, so the Emperor finally nodded in agreement."
"What does 'Changing Grain to Rice' mean?" Lin Zhao was bewildered.
Chi Zhongyu explained, "Although the Xu Dynasty's territory is vast, the only true land of fish and rice are the two southern prefectures. The south has always grown crops like rice. Eighty percent of the national granary's grain comes from Jiangzhou and Longzhou. But in recent years, the Xu Dynasty has grown stronger by relying on mountain forces like the Cheng Huang Sect, annexing many vassal dynasties. Emperor Xu Chen tasted the sweetness of this and decided to vigorously develop the mountain forces. Thus, National Preceptor Zhao Qian proposed the 'Changing Grain to Rice' policy, aiming to convert all the grain and rice fields in the two southern prefectures into planting spiritual rice. However, one mu of land can at most produce about a hundred grains of spiritual rice. The mountain cultivators will have enough to eat, but what will the common people eat? As soon as this policy was introduced, it was met with strong opposition from the Ministries of Revenue, Works, and Rites. But the Prime Minister's faction is too powerful, and the Minister of War, Xu Changnian, is also a dog raised by the National Preceptor, so the imperial decree was finally issued. The official implementation of 'Changing Grain to Rice' in Jiangzhou and Longzhou began. Amidst widespread public outcry, Minister Lu Huaining of the Ministry of Revenue, Scholar Lu, petitioned the Emperor to travel south to investigate the 'Changing Grain to Rice' matter. If he were to uncover any wrongdoings, it would not only implicate the local officials of Jiangzhou and Longzhou, but even the Minister of War and the National Preceptor would be implicated."
He smiled faintly. "Therefore, many people hope that Lu Huaining will die. With Lu Huaining dead, there will be no obstacles to the implementation of 'Changing Grain to Rice.' The price, however, will be that millions of citizens will starve to death."
Lin Zhao frowned. "The Xu Dynasty is still fighting the Ancient Shu Kingdom on the border, and they are doing this domestically. Are they not afraid of truly provoking divine wrath?"
"They don't care anymore."
Chi Zhongyu let out a cold laugh. "Even Emperor Xu Chen regards National Preceptor Zhao, the immortal, as his master. In fact, this Zhao Immortal is the one who truly holds power in the Xu Dynasty. As for what Zhao Qian is planning, I, as a mountain cultivator, am not privy to such matters."
Lin Zhao took a sip of wine, savoring it. He mused that the Xu Dynasty had grown stronger step by step in the Hundred Flower World, but problems were also surfacing one after another. Who exactly was Zhao Qian?
In fact, Lin Zhao also vaguely felt that the so-called Hundred Flower World originated from his own Stone of Destiny. Who was the master of the Hundred Flower World? Zhao Qian wasn't, Xu Chen wasn't, and those who plotted were not. The true ruler of the Hundred Flower World was Lin Zhao himself, as he was the owner of the Stone of Destiny. Therefore, Lin Zhao wished for the Hundred Flower World to flourish, not to be in such a state of chaos.
...
In the afternoon, after eating and drinking their fill, they boarded the boat again.
Liu Liying sat at the stern of the boat, while Lin Zhao stood at the bow, practicing his fist stances. Chi Zhongyu made a wooden board and placed it horizontally in the middle of the boat, then simply lay down on it. He could look up and see Liu Liying's stunningly beautiful face. What a stroke of luck. It was a pity that Liu Liying was only kneeling to heal her injuries and didn't seem inclined to pay him any attention.
As night fell, wisps of mist rose from the river.
Lin Zhao's powerful fist intent seemed to have reached its limit at a certain moment. He frowned and continued to condense his fist intent, feeling a sense of natural progression and effortless accomplishment. The moment he exhaled, he heard a sound of a shattered bottleneck deep within his body. He had broken through.
He was now a third-realm martial artist.
Eighth update finished. Brothers, recommend me some tickets!!!