The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 51, pages 63 and 64: Wanyan Kang, a man of honeyed words and a dagger in his heart.
early morning.

The study in the Prince's mansion was brightly lit.

Wanyan Honglie, who had gotten up early, was sitting at his desk listening to his servants report.

"So... Master Liang really died like that?"

"Yes. Although Master Liang is highly skilled, he is too old. Last night, he was overcome with anger and could not withstand it. However, Master Liang said that although he is paralyzed on one side and will need to use a cane in the future, his skills are still there. His right hand and right foot are still flexible. He can still throw hidden weapons and kick people with flying kicks. He can easily take on a hundred people and can still serve the prince."

"Master Liang is really..."

Wanyan Honglie's expression was strange, as if he were both amused and moved as he said:
"Despite his physical disability, his will is strong and his loyalty and courage are commendable!"

It wasn't that he didn't believe Liang Ziweng could still fight.

Even if a master of Liang Ziweng's level were completely paralyzed and could only move his mouth, he might still be able to kill people by spitting out hidden weapons. What's more, he is only partially paralyzed now, and he can still move his right hand and right foot.

However, since half of his body is paralyzed and he needs crutches to walk, his agility and martial arts skills will inevitably be greatly reduced.

If we really fight tooth and nail in the future, we might not even be able to beat Hou Tonghai.

“Send Master Liang a hundred taels of gold, ten bolts of brocade, and two jars of Jinlan Imperial Wine.”

Although Liang Ziweng's martial arts skills would inevitably be greatly reduced, he was an expert in medicine, skilled in preparing various wound medicines, tonics, and poisons. He could also use hidden weapons and flying kicks, so he still had considerable value.

Therefore, Wanyan Honglie did not intend to abandon Liang Ziweng. Instead, he wanted to appease him and let the other retainers see his magnanimity so that they could work for him with peace of mind in the future.

After the attendant left to carry out the order, Wanyan Honglie took out another historical document and began to carefully read it.

Now that the Mongol tribes have been unified by Temujin, they may march south to attack the Jin Dynasty at any time.

However, the nobles of the Jin Dynasty remained indulging in a life of extravagance and debauchery, as if the threat from the Mongols would cease to exist simply by closing their eyes.

This self-deceiving behavior made Wanyan Honglie, who prided himself on being clear-headed, feel extremely distressed and indignant.

But he couldn't wake someone who was pretending to be asleep, so he could only work harder and try every means to improve the military strength of the Jin Dynasty in order to deal with the Mongol threat.

He now places his hopes on the legendary "Wumu's Legacy".

The recruitment of experts was precisely for this purpose, and the documents and historical materials being consulted at this time were also related to clues about the Yue Fei Manual.

Once the whereabouts of Yue Fei's military treatise are determined, he will personally lead a team south to the Song Dynasty to search for that military book that may be able to turn the tide of history.

At this moment, someone gently knocked on the study door and reported:

"Your Highness, news of Lu Chen and Huang Rong has arrived."

"Oh?" Wanyan Honglie put down the document and said in a low voice, "Bring it here."

The door opened, and a servant tiptoed in, presenting a small bamboo tube to Wanyan Honglie's desk.

Wanyan Honglie opened the bamboo tube, took out a rolled-up piece of paper, unfolded it, and saw densely packed small characters on it. A smile immediately appeared on his lips.

The note recorded the deeds of "Little Sword Demon" Lu Chen and "Little White Dragon" Huang Rong.

He recruited retainers to plot his grand schemes. Although he didn't care about right or wrong, only about ability, he didn't completely disregard their backgrounds.

Otherwise, what if spies from the Song or even the Mongols infiltrate the Prince's residence? Wouldn't that be terrible?
So, as early as yesterday, when he learned that Lu Chen and Huang Rong had come to join him, he had already made arrangements to find out about them before even meeting them.

At this moment, news arrived, confirming Lu Chen and Huang Rong's true identities.

"Although we cannot ascertain the origins of Lu and Huang, we do know that they wiped out a gang near Xiangyang, killed a Song Dynasty inspector, and even killed a nine-bag elder of the Beggar Clan... This happened more than two months ago and has already spread throughout the Xiangyang area, even reaching Guanzhong via Nanyang, and is quite well-known in the martial arts world of the Jin Dynasty..."

Wanyan Honglie's smile deepened.

Killing a Song state inspector is no big deal.

However, the Beggars' Sect has always been at odds with the Great Jin Kingdom, and the huge Beggars' Sect with more than 100,000 disciples only has four Nine-Bag Elders, whose status is second only to the sect leader.

If they dared to kill even the Nine-Bag Elder of the Beggars' Sect, then they must truly be one of our own.

As for the truth of this matter...

The news has already spread, and since it concerns a nine-bag elder of the Beggars' Sect, it must be true.

If Wanyan Honglie hadn't deliberately inquired, the news might have naturally spread to the martial arts world of Zhongdu before long, and been known to the martial arts practitioners there.

"They dare to provoke even the Beggars' Sect, no wonder they're not afraid of offending Ouyang Ke. These young masters, with their high martial arts skills and fearless attitudes, need to be carefully cultivated... Hmm, Kang'er is close in age to them, perhaps we should have him get closer to them..."

……

Gumbling.

The hot soup in the copper pot was boiling. Lu Chen and Huang Rong sat by the pot, putting slices of crystal-clear snake meat into the pot, swishing them around a few times until they turned snow-white, then taking them out, dipping them in the sauce, and enjoying them heartily.

"Snake blood tastes awful, but I never expected snake meat to be so delicious—sweet, crisp, and refreshing! It's much better than the Bosphorus snake!"

Huang Rong chewed it in small bites, praising it repeatedly.

She was already tired of eating snake meat at Brother Diao's place, but the meat of this precious snake was so good that she didn't feel tired of it at all.

Lu Chen, while chewing on snake meat, said:
"After all, it is a precious snake that Liang Ziweng has carefully raised for many years. It grew up eating old ginseng and other precious medicinal herbs, so its meat quality is incomparable to that of the naturally raised Bosqu snake. Of course, the soup base and dipping sauce that Rong'er made herself also deserve credit."

Huang Rong smiled, her eyes crinkling.
"It's a pity that Brother Eagle is too far away, otherwise we would have let it enjoy this feast too."

"Yes, it's a real pity that Brother Eagle won't be able to enjoy this delicacy."

It started snowing lightly outside sometime during the day.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong were comfortably drinking wine and eating snake hotpot inside the house.

After a hearty meal, they sat on the veranda, watching the snow scene and chatting for a while, and both of them felt a little warm.

"It seems to have some medicinal effect."

"Hmm, it's much weaker than snake blood, but it's better than nothing."

Lu Chen got up and walked into the courtyard. Amidst the swirling snow, he assumed a fighting stance and began practicing the Yi Jin Duan Gu technique.

Huang Rong also flew into the courtyard and began practicing with him.

After practicing the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian twice, the heat dissipated, and they felt cool all over. Their skills had improved slightly.

Huang Rong estimated the amount of snake meat she had eaten and the amount remaining, and said:
"If you finish eating the remaining snake meat, the increase in your power might be equivalent to a third of a bowl of snake blood."

Lu Chen laughed:

"It's already quite good. After all, snake meat is a delicacy."

Huang Rong nodded with a smile:

"Hmm, besides hot pot, you can also make barbecue, stir-fries, meatballs, meat soup... a variety of ways to eat. Eating delicious food and increasing your skills, I wish this could happen every day!"

Lu Chen chuckled:

"I wish I could have such a good thing, but unfortunately it's impossible! There's only one precious snake in the whole world, and it took Liang Ziweng twenty years of hard work to achieve it. Even the Pusiqu snake, which tastes much worse, has to be eaten in small quantities to avoid extinction... The world's rare creatures are ultimately limited."

Just then, a clear, melodious boy's voice came from outside the courtyard gate:
"Young Master Lu, is Young Master Huang here? I am Wanyan Kang, the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhao, and I have come to pay my respects to you both."

Wanyan Kang?
Lu Chen's expression was subtle as he exchanged a glance with Huang Rong. Huang Rong, dressed in women's clothing, gestured that she wanted to go inside to change. Lu Chen nodded, and after Huang Rong went inside, he went to open the courtyard gate. There stood a young man in fine clothes, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was handsome, tall, and elegant, a truly remarkable person.

"This must be Brother Lu, the Little Sword Demon! Indeed, you are imposing and exceptionally heroic! I, Wanyan Kang, greet Brother Lu."

Wanyan Kang smiled and bowed to Lu Chen, displaying a rather courteous demeanor.

However, Lu Chen knew his background very well.

These days, brothers aren't for betraying, and friends aren't for exploiting. Even the ruthless F4 of the Great Jin Kingdom have no shortage of brotherhood and camaraderie.

Therefore, even if the Jin F4 wanted to praise Wanyan Kang, who was fickle, lacked integrity, and betrayed his sworn brother, when it came to his character, they could only manage a weak sentence after a long struggle:
"He is extremely handsome and dashing."

He has both good looks and good character.

Even the Golden F4 couldn't honestly praise his character, which shows just how strong Wanyan Kang's character was.

Of course, Lu Chen was now an undercover agent, so he still had to maintain appearances and returned the greeting:
"Lu Chen greets the young prince. I was unaware of your arrival and apologize for not welcoming you properly. I hope you will forgive me."

Wanyan Kang laughed:
"Brother Lu, you're too kind. I'm sorry for disturbing your peace and quiet. I hope you don't mind."

With a wave of his hand, several servants following behind him stepped forward carrying loads and plates.

"This is?"

"This is a small gift sent by my younger brother on behalf of my father. It includes one hundred taels of gold, ten bolts of brocade, two jars of Jinlan Imperial Wine, two fox fur coats, and medicinal herbs such as ginseng and lingzhi. It is just a humble gift and does not represent my respect."

"This... Brother Huang and I are newcomers and have not yet accomplished anything. How can we accept such a generous gift?"

"Brother Lu, please don't stand on ceremony. Brother Lu and Young Master Huang are both rare martial arts heroes. Since they serve the Prince's Mansion, how could my family not treat them with the utmost courtesy..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Chen feigned an inability to refuse, "ashamed" to accept the generous gifts from Wanyan Kang, and welcomed Wanyan Kang and his servants into the courtyard.

Upon entering the main living room, Huang Rong, dressed in men's clothing, emerged from the inner room and greeted Wanyan Kang with clasped hands.
"This must be the Prince of Zhao's heir? I am Huang Rong, greetings to the young prince."

Wanyan Kang returned the greeting with a smile:
"Young Master Huang, you're too kind."

Huang Rong's disguise as a man was so bad that no one could tell except for Hou Tonghai.

Wanyan Kang could see through it, of course, but since Huang Rong was going to pretend to be a young man, everyone tacitly agreed, knowing that she and Lu Chen were skilled in martial arts, and decided not to say anything.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down for tea and chatted about everything under the sun.

Wanyan Kang was extremely eloquent, praising Lu Chen and Huang Rong with a string of witty remarks, making them sound like they were unparalleled in the world. At the same time, he subtly and overtly inquired about their lineage and background, revealing a hint of admiration and respect in his words, as if he really wanted to become a disciple of the same school as them.

Lu Chen wasn't good at dealing with eloquent people like Wanyan Kang, so Huang Rong did most of the talking.

Although Wanyan Kang was cunning, he couldn't gain any advantage over Huang Rong. After talking for a long time, he couldn't get any useful information out of her, and he was quite frustrated.

He genuinely wanted to find out which master, a reclusive expert, had taught such astonishingly talented young masters.

He knew that Ouyang Ke's uncle was the Western Poison, one of the Five Greats, and had also witnessed Ouyang Ke's profound martial arts skills. Therefore, he wanted to become a disciple of the Western Poison and receive the inheritance of the Five Greats.

Unexpectedly, Ouyang Ke was a year or two older than Lu Chen and Huang Rong combined, yet he was defeated by Lu Chen with a single move of "Formless Sword Finger". Doesn't this mean that Lu Chen and Huang Rong's kung fu is even more powerful and their lineage is even more remarkable?

Wanyan Kang originally boasted that he was exceptionally talented, and among his peers, he humbly claimed to be second, with no one daring to claim the first place.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chen suddenly appeared. He was about the same age as Wanyan Kang, but his martial arts skills were already stronger than Ouyang Ke's.

Even the younger Huang Rong, with her skill of flicking her fingers to shoot hidden weapons, was recognized by renowned masters such as Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu.

Wanyan Kang believed that this must be thanks to the sect of Lu and Huang. Their sect's inheritance was a peerless skill that could enable people to develop amazing abilities at a young age!

If Wanyan Kang could join the sect of Lu Chen and Huang Rong and learn that "peerless divine skill", with his talent, wouldn't he be able to easily surpass Lu Chen and become a great master who could stand out from his peers and even be on par with famous seniors?
Not only that, but you can also get two highly skilled and promising fellow disciples to assist you. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?
Wanyan Kang was making plans in his mind, but Lu Chen was taciturn and Huang Rong was unyielding, so he wasted half a day trying to persuade her and ultimately got nothing. He could only say:

"Brother Lu, Young Master Huang and I are about the same age, so we should get to know each other better in the future."

After finishing, he forced a smile, said goodbye, and left.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong, all smiles, saw Wanyan Kang out of the courtyard. But as soon as they closed the door, Huang Rong's smile vanished.

"This young prince is indeed handsome and speaks well, but I can tell at a glance that he is probably a kind-faced but ruthless and hypocritical fellow."

Huang Rong gave a soft snort and warned Lu Chen:

"Brother Lu Chen, you must not be fooled by that guy's sweet talk and fall for his tricks."

Seeing Huang Rong's earnest expression, Lu Chen couldn't help but smile:
"Rong'er is quite perceptive. Don't worry, I know Wanyan Kang isn't as kind as he seems."

"That's good."

Huang Rong nodded in satisfaction and then went to check the gifts that Wanyan Kang had sent.

She was indifferent to gold brocade, and neither ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, nor two jars of imperial wine could please her.

She was quite satisfied with the two fox fur coats, mainly because one was black and the other white, and one was large and the other small, which suited her and Lu Chen perfectly.

"Come on, try them on."

She draped the large black fox fur coat over Lu Chen's shoulders. Seeing that it fit him perfectly and the style conformed beautifully to his figure, making him appear both imposing and noble, she couldn't help but smile broadly and nod repeatedly.
“It’s really beautiful. For the sake of this fox fur coat, if Wanyan Kang ever gets into trouble with me, I’ll only break his two legs, but leave him with his two hands to eat.”

As he spoke, he rummaged through the brocade again, picking out a piece of black brocade embroidered with cloud patterns, and said with a smile:

"I'll make you a cloak with this later."

Lu Chen laughed:

"A brocade cloak, Rong'er is so elegant."

Huang Rong chuckled:
"Since we probably can't take all this gold brocade with us in the end, we might as well make some simple clothes to wear for now."

As she spoke, she put on the smaller, snow-white fox fur coat and smiled sweetly at Lu Chen:
"Does it look good?"

Lu Chen admired for a moment the adorable sight of her little face nestled in the fluffy collar before smiling and saying:
"Of course it looks good."

Huang Rong smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling, and walked back and forth in front of him twice before picking up the black brocade and going inside to make a cloak for him. Lu Chen then resumed his tedious but highly effective rigorous training.

the other side.

As the gate to Hanmei Garden closed behind him, Wanyan Kang's smile vanished instantly, and he strode away expressionlessly.

After walking a distance, he glanced back at Hanmei Garden, gritted his teeth, and let out a cold snort:
"I don't know how to praise!"

They were both intelligent people, and he could certainly sense Lu Chen and Huang Rong's wariness towards him. He was both puzzled by their sudden and inexplicable wariness and furious at their attitude towards him.

From childhood to adulthood, everyone around him has always been careful to please him, flatter him, and let him have whatever he wants.
As a result, today I condescended to be respectful and humble, only to be met with such a disgrace!

When had Wanyan Kang ever suffered such humiliation?

Out of resentment, he thought for a moment and then turned and headed toward the Cangbai Garden where Liang Ziweng was.

Upon arriving at Cangbai Garden, he first showered Liang Ziweng, who came out to greet him with warm greetings, which deeply moved the old man.

After talking for a while, Wanyan Kang finally revealed his purpose:
"Master Liang, I have long heard that you are a master of medicine. I wonder if you could concoct a medicine that would allow people to answer any questions and speak the truth?"

[Please vote!]

(End of this chapter)