98: Chapter 98 Raising an army for a thousand days, using it for one.

Advanced versions of Martial Skills were essentially supplements and optimizations to the original Systems. For example, the advanced version of the Stars Shifting Technique he had obtained previously was already as powerful as a Heaven Rank Martial Skill.

Mu Wanqing looked at Zhao Fangcai, so moved that she almost burst into tears, and instinctively threw herself into his embrace.

This was the supreme Martial Skill of the Duan Clan of the Southern Zhao Kingdom, a treasure never passed to outsiders!

How did Your Highness obtain it? He must have paid a great price, right?

Zhao Fangcai gently held her, smiling, "Sister Wan smells so good."

Mu Wanqing's pretty face flushed even deeper. The scent after the perspiration was rich and unique, like an orchid but not quite, like musk but not quite; it was exceptionally pleasant.

She asked coquettishly, "Does Your Highness like it?"

In her beautiful eyes flowed tender affection, and she shyly whispered, "Your Highness, what you did with Sister Yu Yan, I can do that too..."

Zhao Fangcai blinked, pretending ignorance as he asked, "Do what?"

Mu Wanqing was so shy her cheeks burned. She tiptoed, her eyes full of tenderness closing slightly, and leaned close to his lips: "Your Highness, kiss me..."

Her breath was as fresh as an orchid, and her posture was extremely shy.

The river surface calmed completely, and a crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a hazy moonlight.

The moonlight is truly beautiful.

On the land of Dragon State, within the Great Song Dynasty, Hulong Villa stood tall.

In the evening, the setting sun dyed the sky a sheet of golden yellow.

As a special entity in the Great Song Dynasty whose power surpassed all court institutions, the scale of Hulong Villa was comparable to the Imperial Palace,

its Aura was extremely magnificent—the tall walls stood majestically, glazed tiles covered the roofs, and the halls were solemn and grave, fully displaying imperial grandeur.

Inside the main hall, the 'Iron Gallant Divine Marquis' Zhu Wushi sat upright, stroking his beard, contemplating as if an old monk in meditation.

"Zhao Tianhao!"

"The New Myth of the Great Song?"

He wore magnificent brocade robes and a purple-gold crown. Even while seated, his posture remained straight and tall, possessing an extraordinary bearing.

His fingertips lightly touched the armrest of the chair, stirring up immense inner turmoil.

Just now, he had received a secret letter from the Great Song Imperial Court, learning the details of the battle at Xiangyang's Ten Li Pavilion.

Of course, there were discrepancies between the intelligence and the actual situation on the ground. Key information, such as the appearance of Unrivaled in Solitude, was not mentioned in the secret letter—after all, the spies had not witnessed it firsthand, only vaguely guessing some things from the circulating news in the Martial Forest of the Great Song.

Even people like Zhuge Zhengwo in the Martial Forest of the Great Song only sensed the appearance of a white-haired old man and could not confirm if it was Unrivaled in Solitude.

Zhu Wushi had already received at least ten secret letters, each with different accounts, making it difficult to ascertain the truth.

The only certainty was that Kou Cangshi and Yuan Thirteen Limits were dead, and this matter was related to Zhao Tianhao.

Due to the great battle at Xiangyang and that mysterious weapon, Zhao Tianhao's fame was rising. His name had spread from the Great Song to Dragon State.

The function of Hulong Villa was similar to the Imperial City Directorate of the Great Song: internally protecting the safety of the royal family, and externally defending against foreign invasions.

Looking at the map of Dragon State, the Great Ming, Great Yuan, and the Great Song Imperial Court, along with the surrounding oceans and minor states, formed a situation of mutual restraint. Their territories were close, and covert intelligence activities were extremely frequent.

This kind of uncertain intelligence threw Zhu Wushi into hesitation.

At this moment, footsteps sounded in the hall, and two people walked in, one on the left and one on the right.

On the left was a Young Master in white robes, hair tied up with a crown, possessing fair skin and an extraordinary, detached temperament. His heroism was mixed with a sense of freedom, and his eyes hid both valor and cunning.

Upon closer inspection, there was no obvious Adam's apple; it was a beautiful woman disguised as a man.

On the right was a young man in black robes, with sharply defined facial features, exquisite looks, and eyes as cold as ice, his sharpness like a drawn blade.

"Haitang pays respects to Foster Father!"

"Yidao pays respects to Foster Father!"

The two bowed in unison, cupping their fists.

Zhu Wushi slowly opened his eyes. The light in the hall seemed to fluctuate between bright and dim for an instant before returning to normal, as if it were just an illusion.

He naturally possessed an Aura of majesty that didn't require anger. Anyone looking at his face could read the loyalty and dominance known throughout the Jianghu.

The Great Ming court and the common people knew that Zhu Wushi and Hulong Villa were dedicated to assisting the royal family. Anyone who disrupted the imperial order or endangered the royal family's safety would surely be executed by them.

Seeing Shangguan Haitang and Guihai Yidao, a smile appeared on Zhu Wushi's stern face: "Haitang, Yidao, I have a task for you."

"Foster Father, please command!"

The two replied in unison.

In the Great Song Dynasty, within Canhe Manor in Swallows Nest, the pavilions were built over the water, hidden among painted boats.

Drooping branches could be seen everywhere, and as the breeze blew, ripples spread across the water's surface.

Although it was already October, the lake scenery was still shimmering, the water was clear enough to see the bottom, and the lake wind blowing on the face still carried a refreshing feeling.

By the lakeshore, the four great retainers of the Murong Family—Gongye Qian, Deng Baichuan, Bao Butong, and Feng Boe—were gathered, their expressions full of worry.

"Young Master has been in seclusion for many days. What exactly is his condition?" Deng Baichuan was the first to ask.

Feng Boe said anxiously, "It's driving me crazy!"

Gongye Qian frowned: "I said long ago that the Bixie Sword Manual had a problem; it must be fake!"

"That's not it!" Bao Butong immediately refuted, "The battle at Xiangyang was already perilous for His Highness Zhao. If he truly intended harm to Young Master, why go to such great lengths?"

Bao Butong was not deliberately defending Zhao Tianhao; it was simply his nature.

His nickname was 'No, No,' and he loved to argue with people. He would never admit he was wrong about something he believed in, and even if he were truly wrong, he would stubbornly refuse to admit it—in short, he possessed the attribute of a contrarian.

Of course, what he said was not entirely without reason.

When Zhao Tianhao's achievements at Xiangyang reached the Jiangnan Martial Forest, Gongye Qian and the others were extremely shocked.

Zhao Tianhao had now become a rising star in the Jiangnan Martial Forest. Gongye Qian had originally intended to secretly cause trouble for Zhao Tianhao, but instead, he only made the other party more famous—truly a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice used to lure it!

What worried Gongye Qian and the others even more was Murong Fu's condition—ever since obtaining the Bixie Sword Manual, Murong Fu had been acting as if possessed, only focusing on cultivation all day and ignoring external matters.

"Cough! Cough!"

At this moment, the door was pushed open, and Murong Fu walked out.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

The four retainers were instantly delighted and quickly stepped forward to bow.

Murong Fu's gaze swept over everyone as he asked, "Why are you all here?"

He wore a blue robe, his figure was slender, and he wore jade at his waist. His white clothes were purer than snow, fully demonstrating the refined elegance of a noble Young Master.

Seeing that his expression was normal, with no signs of Qi Deviation, the four retainers secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"There are a few matters that require Young Master's decision," Deng Baichuan said.

"What matters?" Murong Fu asked.

"First, that contingent from Qi and Lu has come again to borrow grain, and the amount is quite large. Should we agree?"

Don't think that Murong Fu only cares about restoring his nation and neglects proper affairs; that is not the case.

His four retainers each controlled estates with five or six hundred people by Taihu Lake, secretly harboring two thousand soldiers; among the thirty-six water bandits of Taihu Lake, twelve had close ties with the Murong Family; furthermore, the Murong Family maintained over a thousand greenwood bandits on the border between Song and Liao.

In other words, if Murong Fu wished to launch an uprising, he could quickly muster five thousand troops.

Murong Fu said lightly, "Raising troops for a thousand days, using them for an hour. This bit of grain is nothing."