The Villain's Counterattack

After the test in the Grinding Knife Hall, Song Que threw Kou Zhong out and handed him over to Song Zhi for treatment. He personally announced that he recognized Kou Zhong's qualifications to be the son-in-law of the Song family. As for whether he could win the heart of his daughter Song Yuzhi, it would ultimately depend on his own ability, and as a father he would not interfere.

Kou Zhong was both surprised and delighted by Song Que's words.

He was happy that he finally got Song Que's recognition, but he was surprised that Song Que, the head of the Song clan and whose words were law, actually respected his daughter's opinion so much. This was something he had never thought of before.

But for him, he was still more happy than surprised, probably because he had already confirmed that Song Yuzhi had feelings for him.

As the second-in-command of the Song clan, Song Zhi is nicknamed Earth Sword. He has extraordinary martial arts skills and is an authentic senior master. His swordsmanship is unmatched in the Song clan. Since Song Que has been in charge of the Grinding Knife Hall all year round, he is often in charge of the Song clan's external affairs.

In terms of dealing with people, Song Zhi is the best in the Song clan, even above Song Lu. He greeted Kou Zhong with a smile but made his attitude clear. He was more optimistic about the Duke of Liao, but he also had hope for Kou Zhong.

And the fact that he could make Kou Zhong feel good about him instead of ill will when he said such ambiguous words showed that he was quite capable. After all, Song Zhi also expressed his attitude very directly, that he would not interfere with his relationship with Song Yuzhi, and even had the intention of bringing them together.

Song Zhi: Regardless of whether he can conquer the world or not, how could he possibly push away his nephew-in-law who just passed the test of his elder brother Song Que and was recognized by him as having the potential to become a grandmaster? I am not a fool who looks down on others.

"Duke Liao visited my elder brother before you, and sincerely asked to marry Yuhua's niece. It was precisely because of his excessive sincerity that he invisibly raised the value of the Song family's legitimate daughter." Song Zhi's words made Kou Zhong frown, and he asked cautiously, "I wonder if Duke Liao..."

"Three master-level martial arts, two skills that can make a second-rate family prosperous for a hundred years." As soon as Song Zhi finished speaking, Kou Zhong couldn't help but slap his forehead and said with a hint of regret: "If I had known this earlier, I would have learned a few more profitable skills from Master Lu. I miscalculated, miscalculated."

Song Zhi couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, and said with a laugh: "Fortunately, neither my elder brother nor my direct descendants of the Song family have become arrogant because of this. They still see the situation clearly and know what is important. However, because of the incident with the Duke of Liao, Yuzhi's value cannot be too low. However, it is not a good thing to ask her husband's family to give her so many benefits, so..."

Get married!

Song Zhi said with a smile, since you have passed the test of the eldest brother, your strength is naturally beyond doubt. The so-called levels to be passed are just a formality. The three levels are the one for the elders represented by Song Lu, the one for the peers represented by Song Shidao, and the last one for Song Yuzhi's bride.

Kou Zhong was overjoyed when he heard this, because these three people happened to be the ones who had the best relationship with him in the Song family. This was his first meeting with Song Que, and although he had met Song Zhi twice, their conflicts of interest were more than personal relationships. On the contrary, Song Shidao and Song Lu had a close personal relationship with him, and took good care of him and Xu Ziling.

It's just that the two of them have a bit of love for each other. Song Shidao is very caring towards Kou Xu because he likes Fu Junchuo, and Song Lu admires their talents and temperament, and secondly, it is difficult to take back the feelings once they have been invested. Kou Zhong thinks that it is not difficult for the two of them to pass the test, and it can even be said to be a real formality.

As for Song Yuzhi, Kou Zhong felt less confident, likely because he had initially pursued her with ill intentions, only to develop true feelings for her later. Yang Xuyan wasn't even half the reason for his recent trip to Lingnan. Before the Sui Emperor's faked death, the empire was in chaos, with numerous warlords vying for supremacy. After the Emperor's death, countless others claimed the throne. Although Kou Zhong held off Du Fuwei for ten days in Jingling City and even assisted Wang Shichong in defeating Li Mi of the Wagang Army in Luoyang City, his late start and humble background put him at a significant disadvantage.

If he wants to conquer the world, he needs both strength and reputation. In the past few years, he has survived many life-and-death struggles and built up many relationships. Both the Dongming Sect and the Pegasus Ranch have close ties with him, but neither of them fully supports him. The Heshi Bi was taken away by his master Xiaoyaozi (Yang Xuyan). If he wants to establish his authority and gain tangible benefits, the Yanggong Treasure is the only choice.

However, Yang Gong's treasure was hidden in Chang'an, the core area of ​​Li Tang, which was the enemy's base camp. Kou Zhong's life or death was uncertain if he went there, so he wanted to improve his strength and resolve his worries before that.

But the person he couldn't let go of the most was not Li Xiuning, but Song Yuzhi. This led to his trip to Lingnan. Even if his master Xiaoyaozi did not make any arrangements, he would come to visit the Song family without hesitation.

Kou Zhong felt grateful and close to Song Lu and Song Shidao. As for Song Yuzhi, his admiration and exploitation had turned into deep love. Since he had received the help of his master Xiaoyaozi to reach the realm of a grandmaster and had learned many advanced martial arts, he believed that his strength was still above Song Lu, let alone Song Shidao and Song Yuzhi.

During this trip to Lingnan, he trained under Tiandao Song Que for five days, and his martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds. At the same time, he resolved his mental problems and his strength increased in all aspects. Naturally, he was not afraid of any test.

Kou Zhong, who was full of confidence, was almost beaten into a dog by the smiling Song Lu.

"This stick technique is called the Dog Beating Stick Technique. It has a total of thirty-six moves and twelve techniques with an eight-character formula. The moves are exquisite and quite desirable. Although the upper limit is not high, it also has the ability of a master." Song Lu fought with great pleasure, and only stopped after completing a complete set of Dog Beating Stick Technique.

Win or lose?

Does winning or losing really matter?

This was just a test. Song Lu patted Kou Zhong on the shoulder and announced with a smile that he had passed. He also mentioned that this was a gift from the Duke of Liao to him.

Faced with the Dog Beating Stick Technique, a martial art that requires a lot of skills, although Kou Zhong felt frustrated, he also gained a lot. However, compared with the gains, he felt more depressed.

"This sword technique is called the Thirteen Swords of Shenmen. It has a total of thirteen moves, each of which is different, but the target point is the Shenmen acupoint on the enemy's wrist." Song Shidao's swordsmanship is not bad, but it is still inferior to Song Zhi and Dugu Feng. His martial arts realm is also much inferior. If it were not for the help of his brother-in-law Yang Xuyan, who used the Wudang tonic soup twice and gave him personal guidance, he would have barely entered the realm of a grandmaster. Naturally, he could not be a match for Kou Zhong.

"The Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate? Could it be the Thirteen Swords of Mr. Gentleman Sword Yue?" Kou Zhong was greatly surprised. There were many extraordinary people in the world, but there were only a handful of truly top figures. His own master Xiaoyaozi could be said to be the best, and Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun's reputation was even higher than his master's, but his martial arts talent was slightly inferior, and he was only half a step away from being a grandmaster.

"It is the Thirteen Divine Swords of Mr. Yue, the Gentleman Sword. My strength is insufficient and my realm is slightly lower. I failed Mr. Yue's test and have not yet inherited the Yangwu Sword Technique. Otherwise, I would have been able to hold out under Xiaozhong for a while longer."

"Brother Song and Mr. Junzi Jianyue have such a good relationship? Could it be..."

"Xiao Zhong thinks too highly of me. The one who has a close relationship with Mr. Yue is not me, but the Duke of Liao."

Kou Zhong: ...Is this what Uncle Song Zhi said about inflating the value of the Song family's daughter? The Duke of Liao is so terrifying.

Song Yuzhi: Why hasn't that damn Kou Zhong come yet? I've been thirsting for the White Python Whip Technique for a long time. The Xiao Wuxiang Gong is abstruse and difficult to understand. In comparison, the Nine Yin Scriptures is much easier. Yang Xuyan will naturally not be stingy with this sister-in-law. He taught her what was appropriate. Now she is also a master who has reached the level of a half-step grandmaster.