Chapter 1 Special Approval

"Sister, this expenditure requires special approval."

Yue Xin placed a list on Si Niang's desk.

Si Niang was applying medicated oil to her forehead. Her injuries had healed, and she had been planning to start her baby-making project once the master returned.

However, the master came back with news of a campaign against Chu, and as the head housekeeper, she was immediately swamped.

Everything, big and small, needed her attention. She had a thousand things on her mind.

After all, it was the family's business. She didn't trust anyone else to oversee everything, even if they had the ability. She couldn't risk handing over the foundation they had built up over the years to an outsider.

To be honest, Si Niang was a little envious of that bastard Xue San. He was still in Liang and hadn't returned. Was he really going to become a General Tu Xingsun of Great Liang?

Maybe he'd marry a Liang princess and return home in glory?

After applying the medicated oil, Si Niang reached for the list.

It detailed a batch of specially made armor, leather armor, and short blades.

Currently, the Xue Hai Pass's workshops were working day and night, hoping to provide the soldiers with more armor and sharper weapons before the war. However, producing this batch of small-sized leather armor and short blades was actually quite troublesome, and could easily disrupt the workshops' original schedule and pace.

Yue Xin explained beside her, "Sister, this is for the Righteous Brigade."

The Righteous Brigade, also known as the Righteous Sons Brigade, had a tradition dating back to Sheng Le City. If a fallen soldier had no family, his compensation would go to the school to support an orphan.

The orphan would take his surname, repaying the kindness of raising him by continuing his family line.

In recent years, the battles in Jin had been constant, and the people had been displaced. There were countless orphans. Since establishing this system in Sheng Le City and later in Xue Hai Pass, the Righteous Brigade had grown to nearly eight hundred.

But…

Si Niang frowned slightly and said,

"They're all half-grown kids."

"Half-grown kids" referred to those who were no longer children but hadn't yet reached adulthood.

Si Niang felt it was a little too early for them to go to the battlefield.

Yue Xin said, "My husband believes they are the future of our Earl's Residence. This great war should give them a chance to see the world."

The Righteous Brigade could be said to be the purest reserve force. These children were all orphans, raised by the compensation of fallen soldiers and the support of the Earl's Residence.

In their lives, they had no family burdens, only the purest loyalty.

Si Niang knew that, according to Blind Man's aesthetic, the Righteous Brigade was his favorite place.

Since Blind Man insisted, Si Niang had no reason to refuse. The demons had an unspoken understanding, which included the master: as long as it didn't affect the overall situation, he could do whatever he wanted.

"Alright, I'll approve it."

………

The small courtyard next to the Earl's Residence.

The Sword Saint was feeding chickens. The majestic old hen strutted, lowered its head to peck, looked around, and then pecked again.

Its eating posture was exactly like those unmarried young ladies from noble families.

In the corner, a duck cowered, visibly depressed.

Liu Dahu came back, saw the Sword Saint, and called out,

"Dad."

Liu Dahu was the Sword Saint's stepson, but he never hesitated to call him "Dad."

The Sword Saint was a little puzzled and asked, "Isn't school still in session at this hour?"

Going to the school every day was Liu Dahu's duty.

The Xue Hai Pass school basically taught nothing about morality or literature. They learned to read, write, and do arithmetic. When they reached a certain age, they could choose to join the army or enter a workshop.

After a short adjustment period, joining the army led to rapid promotion, and entering a workshop allowed one to quickly become a foreman.

No matter which path they took, they could quickly raise their family's living standards in Xue Hai Pass.

Of course, most of the children in the school chose to join the army, partly influenced by their headmaster, Earl Pingye, and partly because becoming a standard household meant they were considered part of the Earl's Residence. They didn't understand "political treatment," but they and their parents knew that becoming a standard household was like eating from the "royal farm."

"Dad, I want to tell you something."

Liu Dahu walked up to the Sword Saint.

"Speak."

The Sword Saint found a stool, sat down, and listened carefully to his son.

The Sword Saint had never received genuine family care as a child. He and his younger brother had relied on each other to grow up. Later, he had a master and took up the sword, which allowed him to rise above others.

Because of his own lack, he hoped that the next generation wouldn't have the same regrets.

"Dad, the school is taking sign-ups. I want to go to the battlefield with the Righteous Brigade and fight the Chu slaves."

The Sword Saint was a little surprised and said, "You're still young."

"Dad, I'm not young anymore! No one in the school can beat me in wrestling! Even that Wolf Cub, if he doesn't cheat, isn't as strong as me."

Because of the Sword Saint's demands, Liu Dahu could eat well every day. As the saying goes, a growing boy can eat his father out of house and home, but in this family, Liu Dahu had meat almost every meal.

Living like this was quite wasteful, but the Sword Saint insisted, and his wife and mother-in-law couldn't say anything, because he was good to Liu's child. What could they say?

Every night, the Sword Saint would meditate with Liu Dahu, teaching him breathing techniques.

Liu Dahu didn't know this was cultivation, but he liked spending time with his "Dad," and he slept very soundly after meditating every night. Gradually, he became accustomed to and liked this routine before going to bed.

As a result, Liu Dahu's physical fitness was very high for his age.

The Sword Maiden didn't participate in wrestling.

If Wolf Cub didn't use roundabout methods,

No one in the school

Could withstand him.

"It's too dangerous on the battlefield," the Sword Saint advised.

"Dad, I have to go. The teacher said that if we lose this battle, our days in Xue Hai Pass might be over. The Chu slaves might invade!"

The Sword Saint was well aware that this was the Earl's Residence's propaganda.

From a very early time, the Sword Saint understood that the Xue Hai Pass military and civilians' propaganda deliberately demonized the barbarians and the Chu people, the purpose of which was simple: to eliminate the conflict between the Yan and Jin people.

Some time ago, when the Sword Saint was drinking with the Barbarian King, the Barbarian King said that this trick was used very skillfully, because if there were no common enemies from the outside, the infighting would begin.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Xue Hai Pass military and civilians, the barbarians could invade again at any time, even though their Earl Pingye could beat the barbarians' brains out every time he went out to the snowfields. They still felt that the barbarians were likely to invade Xue Hai Pass again in the near future.

Even though the Chu Kingdom's Great General was forced by Marquis Jingnan to only dare to huddle there and build cities, the Xue Hai Pass military and civilians still felt that the Chu people would soon be under the city.

But, how should I say it, the Sword Saint was one of the few "commoners" who knew the inside story.

Moreover, on the way back from Yanjing, Zheng Fan had personally told him about the significance of this campaign against Chu.

The Sword Saint didn't care about the significance of the victory in the campaign against Chu, which was nothing more than the Yan Kingdom taking a step further towards unifying the Xia.

What the Sword Saint cared about was that if the campaign against Chu failed, the Yan Kingdom would collapse, and then the Chu people would inevitably enter Jin, and then, under the city of Xue Hai Pass.

Therefore, strictly speaking, this campaign against Chu could not fail.

"You should still study now," the Sword Saint still insisted on his opinion.

"Dad, I want to go to kill Chu slaves," Liu Dahu insisted. "Besides, the school has approved our registration. They will select a group of people to go to the front line with the Righteous Brigade. Since I think I can go, I should go."

"I'll let you go in a few more years," the Sword Saint relented.

"Dad, I want to go now. The Earl needs me."

The Sword Saint opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Dad, I've already told you in advance. I've already signed up myself. Wait a few days, and then you can help me talk to Mom and Grandma. Anyway, the rice will be cooked by then."

"It's cooked rice."

"Yes."

"You really have to go?"

"I have to go."

"What if the Earl doesn't let you go?"

"The school's notice has already been issued."

"If you study for a few more years, grow for two more years, you can kill more Chu slaves on the battlefield," the Sword Saint taught patiently.

"No, I want to go. I can't wait, Dad. I want to make my family a standard household, so that Dad, Mom, and Grandma will never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. Your son is grown up, and your son wants to go out and make something of himself.

"This is your son's home, Xue Hai Pass is also your son's home. We all know how chaotic it is outside now, how many people can't afford to eat, and how many people outside feel like crossing the gate of hell just to get through the winter.

"The Earl has given us a stable life. We must stand with the Earl, protect our lives, and create our tomorrow!"

The words

Were spoken fluently.

The Sword Saint knew that these were things that the teachers in the school taught every day.

The Sword Saint felt that this was like practicing swordsmanship. If you practice a set of sword moves for a long time, it will become an instinct.

"Okay, Dad agrees to let you go."

"Thank you, Dad."

Liu Dahu was overjoyed and said, "Dad, I'm going to talk to Wolf Cub. I'm going to campaign against Chu with him, hahaha."

Watching his son leave happily,

The Sword Saint stood up silently.

His son

Was still too young.

It wasn't that he didn't agree with his son joining the army, but he genuinely felt that his son was still too young.

Those half-grown kids from the Righteous Brigade would run drills in the city every morning and evening, and he had seen them many times. They were a group of children with a murderous aura.

But every so often, they would voluntarily come out to help the people in Xue Hai Pass, either by plowing the land, delivering goods, or repairing houses, because their leader said that they were eating the "hundred family meals" of Xue Hai Pass, so they naturally needed to work to repay everyone.

This was a group of very good children.

The Sword Saint shook his head,

Walked back into the house, and pulled out Long Yuan, which had been placed back in its original position to support the table leg.

He walked out of the house again and glanced at the duck still cowering in the corner.

The Sword Saint came outside,

Turned around,

And closed the door.

Zheng Fan had led his army to the snowfields, but the Sword Saint knew that there must be people staying behind in the Earl's Residence.

If he went to speak, he could definitely have Dahu's name taken off the list.

He stood at the gate of the Earl's Residence, but didn't rush in.

It could be seen that

He was hesitating.

In the end,

The Sword Saint didn't walk into the Earl's Residence,

But instead, he gripped his Long Yuan,

And walked step by step towards the south.

The Sword Saint

Left Xue Hai Pass.

……

Before the war began, the first to move were not only supplies, but also scouts.

The Great Yan Emperor issued an edict in Yanjing City,

Shocking Yingdu;

Subsequently,

The Great Chu Phoenix Nest Inner Guard dispatched most of its forces to begin reconnaissance of the war situation.

Lying in front of Great Chu's Zhennan Pass were two important military towns.

One was Fengxin City, because Marquis Jingnan, now King Jingnan, Tian Wujing, his banner, had always been erected on the city tower.

The other was Xue Hai Pass.

First, Xue Hai Pass's geographical location was absolutely important, not only defending against threats from the snowfields, but also acting as a very important restraining force in Jin's eastern region.

Second, everyone knew that Earl Pingye was Marquis Jingnan's personally taught disciple. When Marquis Jingnan was preparing to fight the main force of the barbarians in Wangjiang, Earl Pingye led his army to raid the rear and capture Xue Hai Pass;

When Earl Pingye was lurking in Chu to seize the princess, Marquis Jingnan led his army to pressure Zhennan Pass;

Although Earl Pingye was far from being comparable to Marquis Jingnan in terms of size and status, the two often worked together with tacit understanding;

Therefore, Xue Hai Pass became the top priority of the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard's monitoring.

Of course, infiltration and monitoring had never stopped before.

Not only the Phoenix Nest but also the Silver Armor Guards, and even the Secret Spy Division would habitually place a nail here.

But under the leadership of Blind Man and Xue San, Xue Hai Pass had extremely strong counter-infiltration capabilities. There was even a Jin scout who had been bought by the Phoenix Nest who voluntarily surrendered after listening to a few conferences in Xue Hai Pass, leading to the extraction of another Phoenix Nest scout in Xue Hai Pass.

Now that the war was imminent, there was no need to infiltrate. The scouts could be used as outposts, directly monitoring Xue Hai Pass's military movements.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Two crossbow bolts shot out, hitting a running man. The man fell to the ground, wailing.

Dai Li immediately shouted, "Pry open his teeth, don't let him take poison!"

Xue San wasn't there, so Dai Li was in charge of this small special affairs yamen in Xue Hai Pass. Dai Li was extremely grateful for this, not knowing that he was only taking advantage of the light of his name.

However, at this moment, two men in black holding short blades slid down from the trees behind Dai Li and others, instantly killing two of Dai Li's subordinates.

"Come back with us, and we'll spare your life, and you'll have wealth and glory."

One of the men in black said.

Dai Li spat on the ground and said, "Damn, you wish!"

This was Xue San's catchphrase, which Dai Li had learned.

The men in black prepared to attack;

These days, Xue Hai Pass's outposts and scouts had been fighting with them in the outer areas of Xue Hai Pass every day. Both sides had suffered heavy losses, but Xue Hai Pass was, after all, fighting on its home ground, so the Phoenix Nest Inner Guard suffered even greater casualties.

Especially this man, who should be the leader of the scouts on the Xue Hai Pass side. His martial arts were mediocre, but he was very skilled at setting up traps, causing them to suffer several losses.

One man in black approached with his blade, but Dai Li blocked him. The two exchanged a few hard blows, while the other man in black disappeared.

Dai Li knew that the other person must have gone around behind him, but his martial arts were too ordinary, and he couldn't pay attention to his back at all.

At the moment, Dai Li also became fierce, wielding his knife even more fiercely, trying to die together with the man in black, pulling a back cushion. The other party clearly knew Dai Li's intentions, so he immediately began to retreat.

"Puff!"

This was the sound of a weapon entering flesh.

Dai Li's heart "thumped," and then he looked down, only to find that he had no wounds on his body.

"Thud!"

Behind Dai Li, the corpse of a man in black fell to the ground.

Dai Li quickly turned around and saw a sword-wielding man in an old long shirt standing behind him.

Old Dai didn't recognize the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint was like Schrödinger's cat to Xue Hai Pass.

Many people knew that the Sword Saint might be in Xue Hai Pass, but not many people knew exactly where he was. Outsiders who wanted to confirm it had to try it themselves.

Moreover,

The Sword Saint in a white shirt was easy to recognize;

In plain clothes worn while feeding chickens, it wasn't so easy to recognize.

People depend on clothes and horses depend on saddles. This had been the case for a long time, and not everyone had the ability to recognize the user's identity from the sword energy.

The Sword Saint walked past Dai Li and towards the man in black, asking,

"Do you want him alive?"

Dai Li was, after all, someone who had been brought out by Xue San, and immediately said, "Yes, there will be poison in his teeth!"

The Sword Saint nodded.

The man in black turned around and tried to run,

But how could a person run faster than a sword? Long Yuan whistled out, directly hitting the other's calf and pinning him to the ground.

The Sword Saint quickly stepped forward and chopped the other's jaw off with a palm-sword before he could bite through the poison sac.

Dai Li immediately came over happily and took out the poison sac hidden in the other's teeth.

The Sword Saint said;

"Interrogate him."

"Okay, don't worry, this is my specialty. By the way, are you the legendary one…?"

The Sword Saint glanced at Dai Li, and Dai Li immediately shivered, not daring to say anything else, and began to interrogate the man in black.

There were quite a few spies who were determined to die.

But there weren't many spies who were both determined to die and skilled in martial arts.

Any event, just add a limiting condition, and the probability will be reduced a lot.

This was what Xue San had once said to Dai Li and the others. Although Dai Li didn't understand the meaning of limiting conditions and probability at first, he still felt that he understood.

Coincidentally,

This man in black was a hero determined to die;

Therefore, he used the information he knew in exchange for a quick death.

………

In a dilapidated courtyard in a deserted village,

A woman dressed as a beautiful villager was sitting by the well, holding a basket in her hand, chewing on flower petals.

In front of her, a man was kneeling, having just finished reporting the situation. He looked at the barefooted woman in front of him, a hint of desire flashing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

The woman in front of him was too fascinating, yet he dared not defile her.

Because she was Qin Yueting, the leader of the Great Chu Xinian Manor.

Once, the most powerful secret service agency in the four major countries of the East was the Great Qian's Silver Armor Guards, which were not only powerful in internal surveillance but also excellent in external infiltration.

The Yan Kingdom's Secret Spy Division and the Great Chu's Phoenix Nest paled in comparison to the Silver Armor Guards;

The reason was simple: the growth of the scholar-official class in the Great Qian certainly led to a decline in the status of military generals, but to a certain extent, the Great Qian maintained a relatively meaningful "great unity";

The Zhong family once relied on the Western Army to control the southwest region, but they still couldn't be considered warlords, because the scholar-officials were watching them closely.

This also meant that the Silver Armor Guards in the Qian Kingdom were a unified agency, unlike the former Yan Kingdom and the current Chu Kingdom, where the soil environment for the growth and development of the special service agencies belonging to the court and the emperor had always been very narrow due to the gatekeepers and the feudal lands of the great nobles.

Xinian Manor, in secret, did have a Phoenix Nest background, but on the surface, it was actually a Jianghu sect that would usually take on some Jianghu work and enjoy greater autonomy.

But in the context of the national war, Xinian Manor stood on the side of the imperial court.

At the same time, rumors had always circulated that Qin Yueting and the Regent had once had an unknown relationship, but because the Empress Dowager didn't agree, Qin Yueting hadn't been able to enter the palace.

Once, when the First Prince launched an uprising, he contacted Xinian Manor. Xinian Manor agreed to help him, but when the Fourth Prince sent troops to deal with the First Prince, Xinian Manor betrayed the First Prince, causing the First Prince, the most powerful among the princes except for the Fourth Prince, to have no chance to exert himself and was directly captured and brought back to the capital by General Nian Yao.

"Alas, it's strange. These days, a small team has been lost every day. It shouldn't be."

Qin Yueting thought while eating the flowers.

A small team didn't actually have many people, but this time Xinian Manor was led by her personally, and they were all elites from the manor, including many experts.

Although this was Yan's home ground, and the Xue Hai Pass army was there, if a large number of troops were sent out, the well-trained scouts would definitely detect it in advance and avoid it;

In small-scale scout battles, they should be able to advance and retreat freely.

It was unlikely that an entire team would be lost at once.

"Order the other teams to retreat. Now that we know that Li Fusheng's unit and that Jin battalion have entered Xue Hai Pass, they should be under the orders of King Jingnan to wipe out the barbarians in the snowfields before the war."

"Manor Lord, if the Yan people dare to divide their forces to sweep the snowfields at this time, does it mean that this time the Yan people…?"

"Confused."

"Your subordinate…"

"The Yan people are doing this not because they don't take the campaign against Chu seriously, but because they want to temporarily eliminate the existing hidden dangers in order to focus on using troops against my Great Chu.

This time, the Yan people are going all out. You must quickly pass this message back, saying that this time the Yan people are really going to start a national war."

"Yes, Manor Lord."

After this subordinate left,

Qin Yueting sat by the well for a while.

Inside the well was the corpse of a Yan messenger soldier, whom she had interrogated last night.

In fact, she knew what her mission was this time, bringing people to Jin. The reconnaissance of the movements of various troops was not their main job. Of course, if they had it, it would be better, but if they didn't find it, it wouldn't have much impact.

Because unless the Yan people were really crazy, they wouldn't be able to advance from Mengshan. Small groups of troops could infiltrate, but if a large army passed through there, not to mention that the Yan people would be exhausted by the rugged and winding mountain roads of Mengshan, as long as Great Chu chose a partial division to guard the exit of Mengshan, the Yan people would be unable to advance or retreat.

Moreover, that place was organized by Qu Shi to keep an eye on it to ensure nothing went wrong. There was also a line in Liang that had troops specifically watching it. Liang could not be destroyed temporarily, but the Yan people should not try to repeat their old trick of borrowing the road to open up Jin in the past.

Therefore, no matter how superb the troop movements were, they would eventually have to land in front of Zhennan Pass.

The Yan and Chu countries were well aware of this.

Guarding Zhennan Pass meant that the Great Chu's territory would be worry-free. If Zhennan Pass was broken, Chu would be reduced to the same as the Silver Wave Prefecture of the Yan Kingdom, which was like a flat plain for the Yan cavalry. Moreover, the Chu people didn't have the three borders that had been operated for a century to rely on.

Qin Yueting thought of what she had said to him during the chaos of the princes. She was willing to help him to cut another layer off the strength of the Great Chu nobles.

Because she knew what he wanted, especially after learning that the Yan Emperor had crushed the gatekeepers. He drank all night;

But in the end, he still chose to negotiate with the great nobles and held a grand ceremony in exchange for the rapid stability of the country. At the same time, Qu Tiannan, the Pillar of State, ordered the Qingluan Army to go north.

Thinking about it now, Qin Yueting had to admit that he was right. He could always see further than others.

If Great Chu hadn't taken advantage of the situation to take Zhennan Pass at that time, and waited for the Yan people to defeat the barbarians and take Zhennan Pass, the northern gateway of Great Chu would be completely open to the Yan people.

Even if the Great Chu infantry was unparalleled in the world, the Yan cavalry was even more swift and agile.

As soon as she thought of him, a smile appeared on Qin Yueting's face.

She was cold and aloof all her life, addicted to eating blood-stained flower petals, but only to him, she smiled like a flower.

Qin Yueting left this small, deserted village. Next, she was going to Yingdu. She was going to see with her own eyes how heavy the Yan Kingdom had invested in this campaign against Chu.

She knew that Yingdu was the logistics center for the Yan Kingdom in this war.

However,

She hadn't gone far when a middle-aged man appeared in front of her. The man was wearing an old long shirt and holding a sword.

The man's posture of holding the sword was like holding a fire stick. His image was overly simple and wooden.

But Qin Yueting's eyes narrowed. She sensed a threat, a threat from death.

After becoming the Manor Lord of Xinian Manor, she had never had this feeling again.

This feeling clearly told her that

She might die soon.

Qin Yueting's gaze fell on the sword in the other's hand.

On the way to Yanjing, Earl Zheng had shared a carriage with the Sword Saint. Earl Zheng, who was always known for his poetry but rarely wrote poems, recited a poem for the Sword Saint:

"Do not worry about having no confidants on the road ahead, who in the world does not know the Lord!"

"Who in the world does not know the Lord" was indeed the best description of the Sword Saint.

People who didn't know him would know him after a sword strike.

And a master of Qin Yueting's level, a person of this status, could guess his identity without waiting for the other party to draw his sword.

Letting himself feel a clear threat of death,

Using a sword,

And being here;

Who else could it be but the former Jin Sword Saint, who was said to be beside Earl Pingye?

In fact, Qin Yueting was also a master. Back then, when the Regent confronted the Fifth Prince Xiong Tingshan by the river, Qin Yueting had also stood for the Regent.

But although there were not as many masters in this world as carp crossing the river, counting the ones standing in the court, wandering in the Jianghu, and hiding in the countryside in the four major countries of the East, it would take a long time to count;

But not many people dared to face the Sword Saint alone without trembling.

Although the Sword Saint had once been defeated by Tian Wujing, at that time the Yan army was pressing down on the border. How could a Sword Saint reverse the situation?

Under Xue Hai Pass, one person galloped through thousands of troops and killed enemy generals. This feat was amazing, and at the same time, people in the true martial arts realm tasted something;

That was:

That one might have glimpsed the level above the third rank peak.

In the midst of thousands of troops and horses, the so-called strong are nothing more than slightly larger ants, which is a consensus;

But right now, it was a deserted wilderness, a small path, with him standing at the front and her standing at the back.

Panic was real, but Qin Yueting still covered her mouth and smiled:

"What's the matter, the former Jin Sword Saint, is he going to personally strike at this little girl?"

For a moment, Qin Yueting had a guess in her heart, that the three teams that she had completely lost contact with were not the work of the person in front of her, right?

He,

How could he?

He,

How could he be able to?

A strong man like the Sword Saint would be treated with respect even by a king. For example, when Bai Lijian was a martial arts teacher for the prince, the Qian Emperor personally greeted him on the White Jade Bridge when he entered the upper capital.

Would someone as proud as him be willing to lower his stature so much and do this kind of work for dogs and hawks?

The Sword Saint sighed,

Said:

"It's obviously my sword, obviously the sword is in my hand, but it's like anyone can come and tell me how to use my sword."

When he appeared beside Zheng Fan,

The people on the opposite side would exclaim or sneer: Your Jin Sword Saint is actually a running dog for the Yan people!

At first,

The Sword Saint would be a little sad,

Slowly,

After more times,

The Sword Saint became a little annoyed,

With no kinship or reason, his sword wasn't taught by them, and he hadn't even eaten half a bowl of porridge that they had given him when he and his brother were living in poverty in the capital of Jin;

But they had to wait until his swordsmanship was accomplished before they "acted as teachers" in front of him.

"I just feel a little surprised that the Yan people invaded the land of the Three Jins, destroyed your Yu family's territory, and moved the ancestral temple of the capital to Yanjing. Even so, you Sword Saint can still serve the Yan people."

The Sword Saint shook his head and said:

"I am not a member of the court."

He had never eaten from the king's salary.

Moreover,

The King was in the Jin Palace in Yanjing City. According to Earl Zheng, he was doing well, and the Empress Dowager was also well maintained.

Qin Yueting grabbed a petal and put it in her mouth, eating it while saying:

"What about the Jin people? The Yan people are superior people in this land of the Three Jins, and you Jin people and Jin soldiers are all inferior people. Can you, Sword Saint, tolerate this?"

The Sword Saint nodded and said:

"Indeed, I cannot tolerate it."

Qin Yueting frowned slightly.

The Sword Saint said again:

"Since that's the case, then let's calculate together. Under Yupan City, Qu Tiannan treated my Jin people as two-legged sheep as food. Can this be tolerated?"

One was an inferior person,

One was a two-legged sheep,

Which was more serious?

The Sword Saint raised his voice and said:

"Eight hundred years ago, there were barbarians in the west, barbarians in the north, and hundreds of tribes of the mountain Yue in the east, who were different from my Xia in writing and kind. They invaded the borders every year, plundering my Xia people as rations, calling them two-legged sheep;

Therefore, the Great Xia Emperor issued an edict, and the three marquises held the festival and opened the borders to drive out the barbarians.

You Chu people have been in the land of the mountain Yue for a long time, perhaps you have already regarded yourselves as barbarians."

Qin Yueting raised an eyebrow,

Said:

"I didn't expect that the Sword Saint's words were as sharp as the adult's sword."

The Sword Saint shook his head and said, "I didn't want to say these things."

"Then why waste your breath?"

"Because you like to talk about this."

"Is that so?"

"And I slowly realized that saying some great principles before killing people can indeed make me feel a lot more comfortable."

The Sword Saint drew out Long Yuan, his eyes slightly condensed;

Killing intent,

Was extremely clear.

The words were finished,

It was time to kill.

Qin Yueting also decisively threw the flower basket in her hand forward. In an instant, flowers fell in profusion, and at the same time, the poisonous powder in the petals began to spread.

If the Sword Saint rushed over at this time, even if he didn't inhale the poisonous powder, his body would inevitably be corroded.

However,

The Sword Saint struck with his sword, and the tyrannical sword energy directly shattered the flowers in front of him, dust to dust, earth to earth, only in an instant.

But it was precisely this sword that gave Qin Yueting an opening. She didn't hesitate to fly down.

Yes,

From the beginning, she hadn't thought about fighting the Sword Saint head-on. Although she was also a third-rank master, she had only just entered the third rank, and even among the third ranks of the same realm, their cultivation was different, and the difference in actual combat was also extremely large.

What's more,

She was facing a swordsman who was best at fighting one-on-one among all the techniques!

Her body was very fast,

The Sword Saint was not as fast as her, but the foundation of the Sword Saint lay in a sword.

This Long Yuan, which was forged by the Great Chu sword maker, had already sped out, pointing directly at Qin Yueting, the leader of the Great Chu Xinian Manor.

Qin Yueting could gamble now,

Gamble that her figure was faster than Long Yuan, so that she could escape;

She could also not gamble, and then she had to turn back and respond, and once she turned back to respond, there would be no chance to widen the distance.

In the end,

Qin Yueting turned around. She didn't choose to gamble. She was a woman, yes, but she was a leader of a Jianghu sect who relied on her own skills and abilities.

Her fingertips flickered, forming seven diaphragms in front of her.

Long Yuan penetrated five layers in one breath, but eventually stopped after penetrating the sixth layer.

However,

The Sword Saint had already caught up at this time.

"Seal!"

Locking Phoenix Hand!

Legend has it that the founding Chu Marquis used this technique to seal the Fire Phoenix and finally took it for his own use.

This was a secret technique of the Great Chu royal family that was not passed down. Qin Yueting knew it, and if outsiders saw it, it would inevitably be ironclad proof that she had a close relationship with the Regent!

Qin Yueting's fingertips had essence blood flowing out, instantly turning into countless red threads, wrapping Long Yuan in it.

Then her palm was pressed down, hitting Long Yuan's sword body, and Long Yuan sank into the ground.

First, use the Locking Phoenix Hand to seal the Sword Saint's Long Yuan, just like when Tian Wujing fought the Sword Saint, scattering the Sword Saint's swords, and finally forcing the Sword Saint to use sword energy and blood to fight her hard.

The next moment,

Facing the Sword Saint who had already approached, Qin Yueting didn't retreat but advanced, and two daggers fell out of her sleeves, one thrown directly at the Sword Saint, and the other in her hand, stabbing diagonally at the Sword Saint from the other side.

Everything happened in an instant.

One was the leader of the Great Chu Xinian Manor, the other was the Jin Sword Saint;

This was not a balanced contest,

But if there were no accidents, it would inevitably be an extremely exciting duel, and the ruthlessness and decisiveness that the Manor Lord of Xinian Manor had shown before was indeed admirable.

However,

Accidents,

Often happened when they were least likely to happen, otherwise, it wouldn't be called an accident.

A duel,

Which should have been very exciting and talked about with great enthusiasm by the outside world in the future, was forcibly ended in a way that neither side had ever imagined.

Qin Yueting didn't expect,

Even the Sword Saint,

Didn't expect it.

After sealing Long Yuan and hitting it into the ground,

Qin Yueting had already pounced on the Sword Saint.

However, at this moment, Long Yuan suddenly burst out from the ground, piercing through Qin Yueting'