Film and Television World Life Record

However, these internal energies are generally used only as an auxiliary force, primarily to nourish and warm the body, in conjunction with boxing and stance training.

When they actually fight, they rely more on physical strength and rarely use internal energy.

At the same time, Li Mu studied the so-called internal energy cultivation methods that Lu Hongti had brought out, which broadened his horizons. There was almost nothing about meditation, breathing exercises, or circulating true energy.

More often than not, through long-term practice of breathing techniques, the body generates a small amount of internal energy, and then, according to the frequency of the breathing techniques, this internal energy circulates within the body, with very little active intervention.

The methods for channeling and guiding internal energy are extremely rare, perhaps because internal energy cultivation is too difficult in this world. The precious amount of internal energy makes people afraid to waste it, let alone use it casually.

The different concepts and training methods of martial arts not only broadened Li Mu's horizons, but also taught him many methods for using and tempering his body.

Therefore, what Li Mu taught was only a lower-middle level martial art that could be easily applied in this world; anything too advanced would be unusable.

Even so, Lu Hongti reaped huge rewards.

Besides martial arts, Li Mu also compiled some of the Demonic Sect's methods for training and deploying troops.

After all, the Ming Cult's foundation and the Five Elements Flag's methods of training and deploying troops were also inherited by the Demonic Cult.

The Ming Cult was able to overthrow the Mongol Yuan dynasty using these methods, demonstrating their practical effectiveness, especially against the Liao, Jin, and nomadic peoples who possessed cavalry.

Based on his memory, Li Mu sorted through these things and wrote them into an easy-to-understand booklet, which he then passed on to Lu Hongti, so that she could test it out in the Lüliang Mountains to see if it could form an army and how powerful it would be.

In the future, adjustments and improvements can be made as needed.

In this way, more than ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and Lu Hongti's injuries were basically healed. She had an excellent talent for martial arts, and in such a short time, she had already mastered the basics of all the martial arts that Li Mu had taught her, and her combat strength was rapidly increasing.

If Li Mu hadn't promised to help her, she would have been unable to resist and continued her assassination attempt on Song Xian a few days ago.

Now that her injuries have healed, it's time for her to get moving.

Over the past few days, we've gathered fairly much information about Song Xian, such as his daily schedule, favorite places to go, where he lives, where he stays at night, and the state of his security.

As a garrison force guarding the Jiangning area, the Wulie Army was stationed in a prosperous region and its overall combat strength was not strong. The only units that could be considered capable were the personal guard battalion led by Song Xian.

However, compared to Chen Yong, the commander of the Wu Lie Army, Song Xian's abilities were not inferior. His position in the Wu Lie Army could be considered second only to the commander.

Since the assassination attempt on the Lantern Festival, Song Xian has become more vigilant. He not only takes many guards with him whenever he goes out, but also has a team of guards patrolling his house every night.

But none of this mattered to Li Mu. As long as he knew where Song Xian was, killing him would be easier than killing a chicken.

However, Jiangning is, after all, one of the top cities in the south. Considering the consequences, executing someone in public during the day, while impressive, is not advisable. It's better to do it at night, when there are fewer scruples, and also to give the government face and avoid making a big fuss.

Before the operation, Lu Hongti wrote another article exposing how Song Xian used the pretext of amnesty to lure everyone over, kill innocent people and claim credit for it, and signed his own name at the end, explaining that killing Song Xian was for revenge.

Although the handwriting is a bit messy, the writing is fairly fluent and it clearly explains the cause and effect of the matter.

It took another two days to copy the article onto more than a dozen sheets of paper before I finally started working on it.

Late at night, watching Su Tan'er fall into a deep sleep after exercising, Li Mu quietly got dressed, got out of bed, opened the door, walked out along the path, glanced in the direction of the academy, and with a light touch of his toes, he floated away.

Arriving at the courtyard where Lu Hongti was resting, she was already prepared. Li Mu changed into black night clothes and officially began the operation.

The process was extremely simple, so simple that Lu Hongti found it a bit unbelievable. Li Mu simply told her to wait outside while he casually entered Song Xian's house.

Before half a cup of tea could be brewed, and without any sound from the Song family, Li Mu silently carried someone out and threw them at her feet.

Lu Hong looked closely and saw that it was indeed Song Xian, but he was immobilized by having his acupoints pressed.

He exclaimed in shock, "So easy? They caught him so easily. Where are the Song family's guards? Why didn't they hear a sound?"

Li Mu said, "We didn't disturb them, so as to avoid committing a bloody crime."

He then pointed to Song Xian on the ground and said, "I've brought him back to you. How to deal with him is up to you."

He yawned and said, "I have to go back to my wife now. Goodbye."

With a wave of his hand, he vanished without a trace.

Chapter 599 Happy grudges

The following morning, Li Mu was teaching a class at the academy when news of Song Xian's murder spread like wildfire in Jiangning.

It is said that vegetable farmers who went to town early in the morning to sell vegetables discovered Song Xian's body hanging outside the city wall when the city gates opened. At the same time, more than a dozen notices appeared inside and outside the city, clearly explaining the reason for Song Xian's murder.

Everyone then realized that Song Xian's official position was actually obtained by currying favor with the Liao people and killing innocent people to claim credit, and now they were being taken revenge.

Because these dozen or so notices were posted throughout the city and beyond, the news had already spread by the time the government received it. Everyone was overjoyed at Song Xian's execution, and even if the government wanted to suppress the news, it was too late.

After all, it was a court official who was killed, and in such a blatant manner that even his name was left behind. Although many people disliked Song Xian, the proper procedures still had to be followed.

When Li Mu came out of the academy, he could clearly feel that there were more soldiers and yamen runners on the street, and many people had to be checked.

However, judging from the soldiers' and yamen runners' perfunctory attitude, Li Mu figured that the higher-ups probably weren't taking it too seriously either. After all, the real culprit was Lu Hongti, the leader of Qingmu Village in Lüliang Mountain, and he had already given his name, so what was there to investigate?

The important thing is who can catch the murderer. The Liao people have a headache just looking at the Lüliang Mountains, let alone the local officials of the Wu Dynasty.

Just go through the motions, report the matter to higher-ups, and let those above have a headache.

……

After killing Song Xian, Lu Hongti felt much better. For the next few days, she stayed in the courtyard, learning martial arts and the battle formation of the Five Elements Flag from Li Mu.

To improve the combat power of Lu Hongti's men, Li Mu taught her several relatively simple martial arts techniques: the Wild Bull Strength, the Eight Forms of Blood Battle, and the Ten Directions Step. These were all simple, direct, and easy-to-learn martial arts techniques with no qualification requirements.

After a few months of training, they can develop a certain level of combat capability.

Li Mu also offered some plans and suggestions regarding the future development of the Lüliang Mountains.

For example, the only source of income for the Lüliang Mountains was robbing caravans, which was simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Nowadays, very few caravans dare to travel near the Lüliang Mountains. Unless absolutely necessary, the detour is too long, and no caravans choose this route anymore. Even when caravans do pass through, they hire a large number of guards, and intercepting these caravans in the Lüliang Mountains sometimes results in heavy casualties.

Li Mu suggested that in the future, not only should caravans not be robbed, but protection should also be provided for caravans passing through the vicinity, and Qingmu Village should only collect tolls.

With enhanced security, people avoid taking detours, leading to an increase in businesses along the route, and the tolls collected become more lucrative than robbery. It also prevents injuries and fatalities, avoiding blood feuds and public outrage.

They even went a step further, building several footholds along the trade routes of the Lüliang Mountains, including inns, restaurants, gambling dens, and various entertainment venues.

There were no government taxes in the Lüliang Mountains, and it was located in a strategic area. As long as safety was guaranteed, there were many travelers and caravans passing through, making it easy for the area to develop.

These businesses, once established, could potentially earn more than the toll fees.

With more caravans, various supplies and food naturally arrived, and more businesses were created.

Even rare military equipment and fine horses in the Lüliang Mountains could be sold to well-connected merchants as long as the money was right.

Lu Hongti listened intently to what Li Mu said, taking notes carefully in her notebook, and then asking Li Mu how to operate it.

Seven or eight days later, Lu Hongti finally took his leave, unable to resist the urge to return and renovate Qingmu Village.

That noon, Li Mu taught her the Returning Wind and Willow Swaying Movement Technique one more time, and instructed her, "Alright, that's enough for now! You've now learned this movement technique. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me for help."

Lu Hongti picked up the short sword and the small package she had packed, seemingly a little reluctant to part with them. However, her personality prevented her from saying anything soft or meek. After a while, she clasped her hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Young Master Ning. We'll meet again someday."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Until we meet again."

Watching Lu Hongti's departing figure, Li Mu withdrew his gaze, "The task ahead is arduous and the road is long!"

……

Another period of time passed, and it was now early spring. With Li Mu's financial support, Zhu Ji's business had developed extremely rapidly. All thirty food carts had been completed and put on the streets, becoming a beautiful sight in Jiangning.

Jiangning is, after all, a large city of over 300,000 people, the epitome of the province, with considerable spending power. Based on feedback from the food trucks and after conducting extensive research, Nie Yunzhu, in consultation with Li Mu, decided to order another fifty food trucks to strive for full coverage of Jiangning.

However, with eighty food carts, the food cart snack business will likely stop here; there's not much room for further expansion in Jiangning.

Next, if you want to expand your business, you'll need to expand into other areas.

Li Mu already had plans for these things, but Zhu Ji was still too young to be considered a proper organization, despite Nie Yunzhu's enthusiasm. There wasn't enough time to discover and cultivate talent. Recruiting from outside was also difficult, as Zhu Ji's current scale was too small to be very attractive.

We can only develop and train the Zhuji team at the same time.

As for other aspects, Li Mu lived a very comfortable life.

After consummating their marriage with Su Tan'er, their relationship progressed further and they became truly intimate.

Su Tan'er finally felt at ease and relaxed. Although the two had gotten along well in the past, Su Tan'er always felt that she, as the young lady who ran away from her wedding day, was a bit unconventional and was afraid that her husband would harbor resentment.

As a result, they always try their best to maintain the appearance of their home; at the dinner table, they also take the initiative to find topics and weigh what the other person is interested in and what words are likely to cause the other person displeasure.

Now, the two have taken their relationship a step further, spending every day together and naturally no longer caring about such trivial matters, making their time together quite easy and enjoyable.

Every day after breakfast together, Su Tan'er would take a carriage to the trading company, while Li Mu would go out shopping or to the academy.

Xiao Chan sometimes felt troubled. When her son-in-law went out, she followed him as his maid. But if he went to the academy, she didn't know whether she should go with him or not, since it was a place for studying.

At this time, the son-in-law would mostly have her and Juan'er and Xing'er serve the young lady, which Xiao Chan was happy to do, as she didn't want to be separated from her two sisters every day.

Every day when she got home, Su Tan'er would snuggle up to him and share all the interesting things that had happened to her. At this time, she was in a particularly relaxed state, as if all the pressure had disappeared. Sometimes Li Mu would gently hug her and let her slowly narrate, occasionally teasing her, which made Su Tan'er blush with coquettishness.

Li Mu understood the pressure Su Tan'er was under. In this day and age, as a woman, taking over the family business, the pressure she faced was unimaginable. People were more demanding in some aspects, and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes; she always had to perform better.

Li Mu was willing to be her stress reliever. In the Su family, there were some things Su Tan'er could only tell him. For example, she knew all about the cousins ​​who were sabotaging her behind her back, or the shopkeepers who were making underhanded moves with the support of which branch of the family. However, she couldn't be too petty and ruin the overall situation, so she could only talk to Li Mu in private.

Sometimes, Su Tan'er would say something strange or make a joke.

For example, it is said that some scholars or literati invited Li Mu to a poetry gathering or to drink wine and women, but he declined.

Su Tan'er would ask in a serious tone, "Husband, I heard from Xiao Chan that many people have recently invited you to poetry gatherings at brothels. Why didn't you agree? I heard there are many great beauties there."

Li Mu immediately feigned remorse: "Is that so? Then I'll definitely see these beauties next time."

Su Tan'er gently pinched him: "Husband..."

Li Mu said with a mischievous smile, "What's wrong? Does my wife not want me to go?"