Film and Television World Life Record

If Li Mu hadn't achieved his breakthrough at the seventh level of the Purple Cloud Skill in the Smiling Proud Wanderer world, it would have taken countless years, or perhaps he wouldn't have been able to break through at all, in this world.

Even so, due to the limitations imposed by the world's rules, the power of the Zixia Skill has been greatly reduced in all aspects.

After the fight, Li Mu also discovered the characteristics of martial arts in this world. Because internal energy is difficult to cultivate and rare, it is only used as an auxiliary skill in many aspects, and more emphasis is placed on the control and application of the body.

It's more like a world that combines traditional Chinese martial arts with internal energy cultivation. And because internal energy cultivation is too difficult to master and has a limited ceiling, it mainly focuses on martial arts similar to traditional Chinese martial arts, with internal energy cultivation as a secondary element.

It's quite interesting to think about how the evolution of martial arts in different worlds is based on the upper limit of internal strength.

In a world like Tianlong, people spread out three feet of qi, use sword qi, and compete in various palm techniques and palm strikes. Martial arts emphasize winning with internal force, and when they start fighting, internal force seems to be used without restraint.

In the world of Swordsman, the upper limit of martial arts has been lowered. Apart from the top few, very few people compete in terms of internal strength. What everyone compares most is the moves, to see whose moves are more exquisite.

In the world of live-in sons-in-law, the upper limit of martial arts is obviously lower. Let alone competing in internal strength, many exquisite techniques, even if taught to them, are impossible to use. For example, the Huashan Morning Sun One Qi Sword, the Hengshan Hundred Transformations Thousand Illusions Cloud Mist Thirteen Styles, and the Hengshan Five Divine Swords. Without profound internal strength to complement them, these exquisite sword techniques simply cannot be performed, unless the swordsmanship reaches an extremely high level and breaks free from the shackles of internal strength.

Therefore, the development of martial arts in this world is completely different from that in the world of Swordsman. The lower the internal strength, the more careful and deliberate the use of internal strength, which means that internal strength in this world mostly plays a supporting role, and the fighting and training methods are more similar to those of traditional Chinese martial arts.

If the world's military strength ceiling were any lower, it would be like regressing from the Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China. People would stop practicing internal martial arts, as very few could master them, and everyone would just practice traditional Chinese martial arts instead.

Chapter 597 The North

Seeing Lu Hongti's inner turmoil but her efforts to maintain composure, Li Mu smiled and said, "I heard you wanted to kill Song Xian?"

Lu Hongti's eyes narrowed: "You...you're a government official."

Li Mu laughed heartily: "Do you think I look like it?"

Lu Hongti shook his head in confusion: "Doesn't seem like it." The person in front of him certainly didn't seem to be from the government, and he had never heard of the government having such an unpredictable and powerful expert.

"What do you want to do?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "I already said that I was there during yesterday's battle. I saw that your skills are quite good, so I came to take a look."

Lu Hongti seemed to sense that he meant no harm, and boldly asked, "Since that's the case, let's keep to ourselves, why do you...?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "Since you made the first move, I had no choice but to take action. Don't worry, I won't send you to the authorities."

Lu Hong clasped her hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, young master. I was recuperating here when I heard someone come in, and I only did it to protect myself... I did not intend to fight."

Li Mu said, "I understand. You are in a bad situation right now. I was indeed rash in coming here."

Hearing him say this, Lu Hongti finally felt relieved, but then she thought of something else: "Young Master just mentioned Song Xian, do you know him?"

Li Mu shook his head: "I don't know him. I've heard some rumors about him. It's said that he used to be a gangster, but... he has a bad reputation. He's said to be ruthless, arrogant, and vindictive. He even killed innocent people and took credit for them. His official reputation is also extremely bad."

"Your assassination of him can be considered eliminating a scourge!"

Lu Hongti looked at him with surprise: "Does the young master also think Song Xian should be killed?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "Of course he deserves to be killed. How about I accompany you on another trip after you've recovered from your injuries and bring back his head?"

Lu Hongti looked at Li Mu intently: "Why did you do this, young master?"

Li Mu chuckled: "Why so many questions? He's not a good person, so why can't we just dislike him?"

Lu Hongti was silent for a while, then suddenly began to recount her experience and the reason for assassinating Song Xian.

“Young master, my surname is Lu, my given name is Hongti, and my home is west of Yanmen Pass, over in the Lüliang Mountains.”

"Ever since we lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, our area has been in complete chaos. The Hu people raid our fields every year, killing and plundering, committing all sorts of atrocities. We live in constant fear and have no peace of mind at all."

"So everyone was like a lost soul, moving from one mountain valley to another every year to avoid the Hu people. Some wanted to go south, while others were reluctant to leave their homeland. Later, they organized themselves and became the bandits of the Lüliang Mountains who have been around for hundreds of years."

Li Mu sighed: "Joyfully on the banks of the Fen River, haphazardly in central and southern Shanxi, weeping and wailing in the Lüliang Mountains, even in death I cannot cross the Yanmen Pass."

Lu Hongti glanced at him, her gaze softening considerably. After a long pause, she sighed softly, “We are caught between the Wu Dynasty and the Hu people. We are all Han Chinese, yet the Wu Dynasty’s army dares not come. On the contrary, the Hu people come south every year and fight against us every year.”

"After all, we are poor and weak. When we encounter small groups of barbarians, we swarm them, but when we encounter large groups, we hide. Poor people have little ambition and lack resources, so we inevitably rob passing caravans. The Han people show some mercy and do not kill people, but the barbarians are not so easy to get away with. That's how the reputation of the bandits in Lüliang Mountain came about."

"The Wu Dynasty has never treated us like human beings for so many years, and we've just gotten by like this. Later, officials came to offer us amnesty, and those who accepted were sent out to fight the Hu people. Although the supplies were very little, just enough to survive, everyone was still happy to risk their lives to kill the Hu people. Many villages that couldn't hold on any longer accepted the amnesty."

"As it turned out, three years ago..."

Her voice became somewhat subdued as she spoke.

"Three years ago, Song Xian led his troops into the Lüliang Mountains, also saying that he wanted to be recruited and offered very good terms. After attracting people from several nearby villages, he suddenly turned on them and killed everyone in those villages, regardless of age or gender."

"It is said...it is said that the Liao Kingdom felt that the Lüliang Mountains were right under their noses, and that they were too troublesome to kill them all. They said that these were all Han Chinese and asked the Wu Kingdom to handle them."

"Many generals on the border knew that the Lüliang Mountains were a place for killing Hu people, so they just pretended to be polite. But when Song Xian heard the news, he saw an opportunity for promotion. He immediately volunteered to come to the Lüliang Mountains and used the pretext of surrender to lure and kill people from several villages. He claimed it as an achievement and was indeed promoted."

"Many people I know have also been killed. This time I came to Jiangning, I must kill Song Xian and avenge the elders of Lüliang Mountain."

Li Mu sighed: "Alas! Jiangning is a scene of peace and prosperity, but the north is still plagued by war and the people are suffering."

Lu Hongti sneered, "Now the Liao and Jin dynasties are vying for supremacy in the north. Sooner or later, one side will emerge victorious. The Wu dynasty thinks that it can get away with nothing by bowing its head and submitting to the enemy. It is underestimating the wolfish ambitions of the Hu people."

"If we don't prepare early, not only Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo, but also the peaceful and prosperous Jiangnan region will be trampled by iron cavalry sooner or later. By then, it will be too late to regret it. Who knows if the fate of Lüliang Mountain today will not be the fate of the Wu Dynasty tomorrow?"

Following this topic, the two chatted for a long time. Lu Hongti had been active near the Lüliang Mountains for a long time, so his understanding of the overall situation in the North was not thorough enough. However, this allowed Li Mu to understand the situation in the North from another perspective, from the bottom level and from the perspective of the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world).

While it may seem that the Liao and Jin dynasties were locked in a power struggle, with the Wu dynasty reaping the benefits, it was actually sitting on a powder keg. If either the Liao or Jin dynasty won, they would be able to march south and feast to make up for their losses.

Moreover, at this time, nomadic tribes were also rapidly rising on the grasslands, and their future power would make the world tremble with fear.

This kind of power is not something an individual can resist; preparations need to be made early, at least having a base of support and one's own influence.

As I reached out and brushed my hand over Lu Hongti's body, the strength that had disappeared returned to her body.

Her eyes were full of curiosity: "What kind of martial arts do you use? Is it the legendary pressure point technique?"

Li Mu nodded. There is no such skill as acupressure in this world. Perhaps it existed in the past and some legends have been left behind, but no one can do it now.

As for the reason, acupressure is not something that can be done by simply pressing with a finger. It requires the use of true qi to inject true qi into the key acupoints of the other person's body, thereby obstructing the flow of qi and blood, making the person unable to move or completely losing all strength.

A more advanced method involves stimulating the acupoints for laughter with internal energy, causing the person to laugh uncontrollably. Another method involves sealing the ear and nose orifices with internal energy, making the person unable to hear or smell anything.

There are also many unique acupressure techniques, each with different effects. And so on, the list goes on.

All of this is predicated on the external release of true qi. Without the ability to release true qi, how can one inject true qi into another person's acupoints?

According to Li Mu's understanding, it seems that no one in this world, except for him, can do this. Naturally, the skill of acupressure has become a mere formality and has gradually become a legend.

"Alright, here's your sword back." With that, he returned the short sword that Lu Hong had been carrying to her.

With her strength restored and the short sword in hand, Lu Hongti finally felt a sense of security and her heart settled down.

"Thank you!"

Li Mu chuckled: "No need to be so polite."

“You need to recuperate these few days. The conditions here are not ideal. I have a quiet little courtyard where no outsiders usually go, and I don’t live there. Would you like to stay there temporarily?”

Lu Hongti hesitated for a moment. The mud-brick house, which had almost collapsed into ruins, was indeed in extremely poor condition. Seeing Li Mu's sincere tone, she nodded and said, "Thank you!"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take you there."

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was located near the academy. Li Mu was now so rich from writing commissions that he was flush with cash, so he spent over eight hundred taels of silver to buy this quiet little courtyard.

It was convenient for him to handle some personal matters, and it was also close to the academy, so he could come back for a short rest anytime.

Lu Hongti was settled in a side room, which was fully equipped with pots, pans, bedding, and all kinds of daily necessities. Since it was inconvenient for Lu Hongti to go out, Li Mu also bought a batch of ingredients and several sets of women's clothes.

"Alright, just stay here and rest to recover. Once you're healed, I'll take you to see Song Xian."

Chapter 598 Revenge

In the following days, Li Mu would come to this small courtyard whenever he had time.

This small courtyard is usually used for occasional rest, and also for trying to make some small gadgets. In the future, Zhu Ji cannot rely on small carts to grow and expand; it must have some novel products.

For example, soap, perfume, glass, distilled high-proof liquor, etc., although they are clichés, can indeed make a lot of money in this era. If you do a good job of keeping secrets and have enough strength, you can even have an exclusive business.

Lu Hongti was initially quite curious about these gadgets. Li Mu gave her a brief explanation of their uses, and aside from finding them quite useful, she didn't realize their enormous commercial value.

I do think that high-proof liquor after distillation is quite good. It can not only clean wounds, but it also has a strong flavor. It may not be popular in the south, but it would definitely be very popular in the north, especially in the Liao and Jin dynasties, or even on the grasslands.

Aside from these minor details, the two have been exchanging ideas mostly about martial arts these past few days.

As one of Lu Hongti's intended future wives, Li Mu was generous with his knowledge of martial arts. He selected some skills that suited Lu Hongti and, based on her own training progress, passed them on to her.

Holding the idea that one should not accept rewards without merit, Lu Hongti was initially hesitant. However, as a martial artist, who could refuse a superior martial art that suited them?

In addition, Li Mu was also interested in the martial arts of this world and proposed the concept of exchange, which relieved Lu Hongti, who readily agreed.

Indeed, the martial arts of each world have their own unique features.

The world of "Laughing at the World" places great importance on various techniques, especially sword techniques, which are as vast as the ocean. Each school and each sword style has its own characteristics, reaching an extremely prosperous state.

Although Li Mu had never been to worlds like Tianlong, when it came to fighting, techniques were secondary; what mattered was internal strength. A simple set of Taizu Changquan (a style of martial arts) was no less than a legendary skill when used by Qiao Feng.

This type of world clearly places more emphasis on the application of internal energy, and various extraordinary skills and techniques have emerged from this, such as the Life and Death Talisman, which is a masterpiece of the application of true energy.

In the world of sons-in-law, internal skills are scarce and difficult to cultivate, resulting in a very small number of practitioners. Those who can master them are all experts in their own right, and there is very little communication between them. Therefore, their application of internal skills is quite rudimentary.

Without profound internal strength as a foundation, one's lightness skill is naturally mediocre, and one cannot execute some powerful and complicated moves.

This has led to a world that places less emphasis on complete sets of sword and fist techniques, and more on practical combat and adaptability.

The fighting became more bloody and less aesthetically pleasing.

Moreover, the internal energy cultivation here is quite different from that in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It's more like a breathing technique than an internal energy cultivation method.

By combining breathing techniques with fist techniques and stance training, one can temper the body and generate some internal energy.