At this time, in the Marshal's Mansion in Qingshanai City, Marshal Hong was sitting alone on a wide wooden chair in the huge living room.
Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes moving around, one hand slowly stroking his chin, lost in thought.
"The guards over there reported that Li Yan was called into Ji Wenhe's room this morning. I think he has officially become his disciple. The next step should be to start practicing."
A voice came from a corner of the hall, where there was a huge pillar as thick as a person, but there was no one there.
Only by looking carefully can you find that there is a sturdy man standing in the shadow of the hall, his body overlapping with the shadow of the pillar.
He was not tall, and was dressed in a white robe, piled there like the base of the thick hall pillar.
"I was surprised that he didn't ask this kid to become his disciple right away last night. Considering that his health seems to be getting worse and worse, it's not bad that he can still do it so slowly."
Marshal Hong didn't look over there either, his eyes were still fixed on the ceiling.
"Then Senior Brother, can you tell whether he really can't suppress the poison in his body, or is he just pretending?"
Said the big man in black robe.
"It's probably true. Whether it's the usual news from the guards over there or from his constant search for disciples in the past few years, it doesn't seem fake.
Even so, we have little chance of winning if we use force. His martial arts skills are equal to the combined strength of the two of us, and even in his current condition, we are still no match for him."
Marshal Hong continued.
"Brother, please don't exaggerate. Although his martial arts have reached the highest level, firstly, the poison in his body requires a lot of internal energy to suppress. Secondly, my brother and I have also been at the top level for more than ten years.
He is only one step away from the realm of enlightenment. If we join forces, we may be able to capture him."
The big man in the black robe said in a muffled voice.
"Junior brother, that is our last option. I am now thinking about how to deal with that kid.
His last disciple never came out after entering the Military Advisor's Mansion, and it was difficult to get in touch with him. He died in just over a month.
What the senior brother is thinking now is, is he really practicing improperly? Or is his method really as he said, and cannot be practiced by people without special physiques
If it is the latter, then all our efforts will be in vain.”
Marshal Hong was still looking at the ceiling, frowning.
“Brother, there is no martial arts that cannot be practiced in the martial arts world. Even if it is poisonous or evil, as long as you get the martial arts, you can practice it. It’s only a matter of whether the result of the practice is high or low, not whether you can practice it or not.
I have never heard of any physical requirements for internal energy. Take our sect's mental methods from the basic to the advanced for example. If they were given to our disciples, who wouldn't be able to practice them? It's just that the speed of practice is different."
The big man in the black robe also frowned and said.
"What you said is exactly why I don't want to give up. Even if it is an evil martial art, if we want to practice it, nothing is impossible. It's just a question of whether it's worth it or not.
He made such an excuse probably because he didn't want the story to be spread out, but what was so special about Li Yan and the last disciple
Yesterday, I used my internal force to measure this kid's meridians at the military training ground. It was very ordinary, even worse than many guys in the army.
He spent several years picking among hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This is what really puzzles me.”
The hall fell into silence again.
After a moment, Marshal Hong turned and spoke to the man in the black robe.
"Junior brother, no matter what conditions he uses to accept disciples, and no matter what he accepts disciples for, he must always teach them some methods.
What we have to do is to try to get in touch with Li Yan, and then obtain these methods from him. With our perspectives, we can at least see some clues from these methods, and then we can make further plans."
After a moment of silence in the corner of the hall, footsteps gradually rose and slowly faded away. Marshal Hong was still sitting in the large chair in silence. The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
In the evening, Daqing Mountain.
Chang Bo and his son Li Wei from Lijia Village returned from the fields as usual. Although the harvest was already certain after the locust plague, some of it was still retained.
The feelings that farmers have for food are like those between a loving mother and her child. Every grain of rice is the result of hard work, and this is something that the masters cannot understand.
Every day, people in the village go to their fields to work and preserve the few remaining fruits.
Chang Bo always came back early, before dusk, when it was still light. When he got home, his wife and fourth daughter had already prepared a simple dinner.
They had to finish their dinner before dark so that they wouldn't have to keep the oil lamps lit for a long time after dark. Life had been hard in recent years, so they had to save on lamp oil.
The atmosphere at home has been depressing since Li Yan left yesterday.
"His father, the village chief should be back today, right?"
Li Yanniang looked at the other people, who were eating the sweet potatoes in their bowls bit by bit, but she herself did not move her chopsticks. At this time, she asked her husband with a sad face.
"I wonder why you are so nagging, you have been asking questions since yesterday afternoon.
How many times have I told you? This round trip will take at least two days, and this is still a smooth process. You can enjoy your meal in peace."
Chang Bo raised his head, his face also full of impatience and annoyance, and tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks, making a "ding ding" sound.
"You went to the fields so early in the morning and only came back to say these few words after being gone all day. How come you don't ask this and that from time to time?"
Li Yan's mother muttered softly. Li Wei looked at Li Xiaozhu, who happened to be looking at him. They both wanted to ask a few questions at first, but seeing this, they dared not say anything more.
In fact, they both knew that even if they asked, their father would still not know. They just felt that these words were useless, and they seemed to feel better if everyone talked about it more.
At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the door and a loud voice came in.
"Chang Bo, I'm back, I'm back, hahaha..."
Upon hearing this voice, everyone in the house suddenly became excited. This was Li Guoxin's voice. Immediately, the tables, chairs, benches, bowls and chopsticks made a noise, and several people rushed out of the house.
Looking at the overturned stools and chairs, the chopsticks scattered on the table, and the sweet potatoes left in the bowl after a few bites, Li Yan's mother looked at the three crazy figures and spat.
"You idiot, you're not in a hurry, right? It's almost time for reincarnation."
Then he stood up hurriedly and walked out of the house.
Outside the house, Li Guoxin was walking towards Li Yan's house, followed by a group of children and several villagers from the village. Before he reached the door, three figures rushed out of the house like the wind.
Looking closely, it was Chang Bo and his two children, followed by Li Yan's mother who was also in a hurry.
When Chang Bo saw Li Guoxin, he quickly stopped. Li Wei and Li Xiaozhu also came forward. Chang Bo took a breath, then said with a smile on his face.
"Guoxin, you're back! Come inside, have some water, and talk slowly."
Li Guoxin looked at Chang Bo's face, which was trying to be calm, but his eyes were full of anxiety, and he couldn't help laughing again.
"Hahaha... Uncle Chang, I won't go in. I just entered the village and the carriage is still tied in front. I haven't been to Li Yu and Li Shan's house yet, so I came to your place first. After talking to you, I still have to go to their houses to report the news."
When Chang Bo heard this, he nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes!"
Then, Li Wei and the other two looked at Li Guoxin expectantly.
At this time, Li Guoxin was gently patting a few village children who were playing around him.
"Go, go, go, go back quickly and ask the adults at home to come to my house and take back the things that each family needs."
He not only sent Li Yan and the other two away, but also brought back necessary items for each family in the city.
After hearing this, the group of children left with a cheerful “Oh, Oh…”. Some ran back home, while a few ran to the villagers who came with them.
These villagers, who met Li Guoxin at the entrance of the village, were standing by with their arms folded or patting their children's heads, listening to the news brought back by the village chief from the city with great interest.
Li Guoxin waited until the children left him, then turned to look at Li Yan's family, who were forcing a smile but were reluctant to rush them.
Li Guoxin said with a serious expression.
"Uncle Chang, I came to you first without visiting their two families, but I have great news to tell you."
"Oh, Uncle Guo Xin, what's the good news?"
Li Wei interrupted and the other three also looked nervous and expectant. Several villagers around also asked their children to stop fighting, walked closer, and formed a small circle.
Seeing this, Li Guoxin stopped keeping the secret.
"Chang Bo, the Feng Shui of your ancestral tomb seems to be very good. Li Yan entered the city to recruit the Royal Guards this time, but who knows..."
Li Guoxin then narrated what had happened in the city one by one, and also interspersed some words introducing the deeds and background of Advisor Ji, so that they would know the origins of the person Li Yan was worshipping.
As he was speaking, many villagers from the surrounding area arrived one after another. When they heard what he said, they were stunned at first and didn't understand what he was saying. Then there was a loud bang and everyone started to laugh. All kinds of voices and discussions were heard.
Chang Bo's family stood there in disbelief.
Li Yan actually became a disciple of Lord Ji, who is more famous than Marshal Hong. Does this military advisor Ji really have such ability
But seeing Li Guoxin's confident look, everyone chose to believe him.
The people in the mountains have little knowledge, and the village chief is already the highest official. Occasionally, when a minor official comes from the town, he feels like an emperor. Similarly, the people in the mountains are simple and always believe in the words of the village chief.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..."
Li Yan's mother stood in the crowd and muttered to herself, as if she was in a dream. After Chang Bo stood there in a daze, two lines of tears had already flowed down his face...
In the Military Advisor's Mansion, Li Yan's door had been closed since he finished lunch at noon, and a small black wooden sign was hung on the door handle.
Li Yan did not choose the empty room next door as his practice room. He felt that his own room was fine.
After hanging up the black wooden sign and closing the door, he pulled out a chair, sat down at the table, then picked up the little wooden man and thought carefully about the route of the "Breath Guidance Technique" in his mind.
Then he carefully confirmed the directions of these routes with the little wooden man, and recalled the mantras in his mind over and over again. He didn't want to end up like that senior brother.
Just like that, after about an incense stick of time had passed, he finally put down the little wooden man, sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, and began to practice according to the formula.
However, he had already decided in his heart that if he found something wrong, he would stop practicing immediately.
What Li Yan didn't know was that the practice he started today would change the trajectory of his life, and from then on he would embark on a long journey of quest.