The Villain's Counterattack

"Ji Qian (Yin Xiaoji) pays homage to His Excellency the Duke of Liao."

Yang Xuyan put his left hand behind his back and read the bamboo slips carefully in his right hand. The sound from behind him woke him up. He slowly turned around and looked at two beautiful girls not far away in front of him, who looked a little immature but were rare.

"No need to be polite. Although you are young, you are already a natural talent. Not bad." Yang Xuyan nodded slightly. This world is somewhat weird. It seems that people with handsome looks are more likely to become masters, but among the top masters, there are rarely those with outstanding looks.

Be it the sword master Fu Cailin, the Turkic martial arts master Bi Xuan or the independent man Ning Daoqi, none of them are handsome guys. Instead, Shi Zhixuan, who has never been able to reach the top in the original work, is extremely handsome.

Well, of course there are exceptions, and Song Que is one of them. Although he has the combat power of a grandmaster, he has never been called a grandmaster. It’s weird to think about it.

But it is different for women. In the original novel, the ultimate strength of Kankan and Shi Feixuan is definitely at the grandmaster level, and their looks can be said to be the best in the world.

"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Duke of Liao. We still have a long way to go." The two women were not modest at all, and they were grateful to Yang Xuyan from the bottom of their hearts. After all, half of what they learned came from the Yingui School (passed down by Empress Xiao), and the rest came from Yang Xuyan (inherited from the ancient tomb and Peach Blossom Island).

There were many eunuchs and palace maids in the harem. Yang Xuyan trained a large number of eunuchs who could ward off evil spirits. In order to balance the power, he also trained a number of palace maids and sword girls. When he was in Yangzhou, he was somewhat cautious. Since arriving in Luoyang West Garden, with Yang Guang's tacit approval or even encouragement, the team expanded more than ten times, but the core was still the earliest batch, including Ji Qian and Yin Xiaoji.

They were still young when they learned martial arts. They had no shortage of resources in the harem and all the food and drink were provided like the disciples of aristocratic families. Not only had their martial arts skills reached the innate level at a young age, but they were also extraordinary. They had carried out several missions in Luoyang City and its surrounding areas. This time they were ordered to come, and they were more likely summoned by Yang Xuyan.

Yang Xuyan didn't hesitate to offer any formalities to these two young palace maids, who weren't even of the fifth rank, and directly issued his instructions: "Here is a map. Follow it north to Xuanwu Bingzi No. 307 Stronghold. Someone will take you to find a skilled young warrior named Yin Xianhe."

Hearing the name Yin Xianhe, Yin Xiaoji suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief. Yang Xuyan nodded slightly and smiled, "Yes, this Yin Xianhe is Brother Yin Xiaoji. He learned a lot of skills by chance and has been tracking down your whereabouts. He didn't expect to end up in the Northern Frontier."

"Yin Xiaoji, your brother has many complaints against the Great Sui Dynasty because of you. While this is understandable, I still hope he can repent and return to the Great Sui Dynasty. Go find him and recognize him as your kinsman. Then recruit him into Tianluo. While you're there, lurk in Longquan and gather information about Bai Ziting, preparing for a future Liaodong attack on Longquan."

Yin Xiaoji was overjoyed when she heard this, and hurriedly bowed down and said respectfully, "I will obey your order and live up to your trust!"

"Your martial arts skills are still a little lacking. Go to the Sutra Library to receive two half-step master martial arts. There will also be someone to give you three days of special training, with plenty of medicinal food and baths every day. You will set off in three days. You can leave now." Yang Xuyan waved his hand slightly, and the two women were overjoyed and bowed to leave.

As soon as they stepped out of the door, several figures came towards them. The one leading the group was stunningly beautiful, and two maids followed closely behind them holding soup and tea. Ji Qian and Yin Xiaoji immediately stepped aside, bowed their heads, and dared not look at them any longer.

Shi Qingxuan swept her beautiful eyes over the two women, but nodded indifferently and smiled. She went to the study and put the soup and tea on the desk. She waved her hand to send the maid away, then walked forward with a smile and hugged Yang Xuyan.

"Brother Bufan, the girl just now was Xiao He'er. Are you going to take action against Longquan?" As a person from the Duke's Mansion, Shi Qingxuan knew every move of Yang Xuyan clearly.

Yang Xuyan tapped her brow, looking at the plum blossom mark he had personally branded with his own hands, and chuckled softly, "The Imperial Seal is truly a divine artifact of Chinese national destiny. Just by conquering Baekje and Silla, it has accumulated a great deal of national destiny, successfully pushing Lu Miaozi, the Minister of Works, to the level of Grandmaster. Now Liaodong has a strong army and sophisticated equipment. It's time to wipe out the external threat and prepare to march south."

Shi Qingxuan smiled sweetly and said, "Master Lu has done a lot for my husband. Liaodong's military strength is the best in the world, and Master Lu has made an indelible contribution. Being the world's best craftsman is no small feat. He was able to be promoted to Grandmaster, and this title of the world's best is the most important thing."

Yang Xuyan raised his eyebrows. "That's true, but becoming a Grandmaster isn't that easy. If one wants to draw inferences from one instance to another and reach the Great Dao, the Dao alone isn't enough. Even a great reputation is useless if the body can't keep up. Lu Miaozi's reputation is already high enough, and he's also had thirty years of hard training, breaking down and then rebuilding, and his assistance to Liaodong. His excellent equipment is renowned in battle, but all he lacks is his body. And this..."

This is exactly what the He Shi Bi can help improve, but it needs the help of the Changsheng Zhenqi. Otherwise, the pros and cons are mixed. For an old man like Lu Miaozi, without the Changsheng Zhenqi, the disadvantages will naturally outweigh the advantages. Only with the Changsheng Zhenqi can one improve boldly without any worries.

However, the Heshi Bi was a treasure of the Han national destiny, and ordinary people could not enjoy it unless they made great contributions to the Han Chinese nation. Lu Miaozi, who served as the Minister of Works under Yang Xuyan, who always claimed to be a minister of the Sui Dynasty, met this condition. That's why he got the Heshi Bi and was able to cleanse his bones and marrow, and broke through to the realm of Grandmaster in one fell swoop.

Although he, as a grandmaster, relied almost entirely on the Wudang tonic soup, the "Wisdom Sutra of the Origin of Controlling All Things", the Heshi Bi, and the world's best craftsman, and his own strength was at the bottom among the grandmasters, a grandmaster at the bottom was still a grandmaster, and was not comparable to ordinary grandmasters.

"My husband wants to conquer the Mohe tribe, strengthen the country's fortune and add another grandmaster, then what about Goguryeo?" Shi Qingxuan stirred the spoon gently. She was Shi Qingxuan in this body. She was at the extraordinary level of Xiaoyin Tiannu. She re-cultivated the Xiao Wuxiang Gong and had countless unique skills to comprehend. By analogy, she was now a half-step grandmaster. It was just that she was still young and had not accumulated enough experience. She was also unwilling to consume the Heshi Bi's national fortune, so she did not become a grandmaster.

She was exceptionally gifted and unwilling to cut corners to achieve Grandmaster status, while also providing some motivation to Kankan to prevent a rift between the sisters. Meanwhile, she was quietly working hard to improve her own academic realm so as not to be left behind by Lin Bufan.

"My husband is planning the fortune of Buddhism, hoping to achieve the goal of becoming a goddess? But..."

"Madam, are you worried that Martial Master Bi Xuan will disrupt the situation?" Yang Xuyan did not hide it from Shi Qingxuan. She naturally knew that the so-called Buddhist disciple Yin Zhao was also a member of the Yang family. No matter whether Kankan or Buddhist disciple Yin Zhao became a grandmaster, their goals would be achieved. But if the situation was disrupted by Martial Master Bi Xuan, then it would be a real failure and not worth the effort.

"Don't worry. My father-in-law has already gone to Chang'an City. If Bi Xuan arrives, he will definitely not get away with it. After all, Chang'an is our home turf, isn't it?" Yang Xuyan looked forward, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "With Liaodong's current strength, sweeping across the Central Plains and unifying China is not a problem. However, if the hidden dangers are not eliminated, there will be endless troubles. The cycle of dynasties every two or three hundred years is not a good thing after all. Since we are going to do it, we must do it to the best of our ability!"

"My husband is using Feng'er as a tool to help my youngest brother become a Grandmaster. She won't have any complaints, right? Besides, can this really be accomplished?"

"The great scholar Wang Tong entered Liaodong and became the chief academic officer of the Liaodong Academy. He previously claimed credit for his teachings and was promoted to Grandmaster with the help of the Heshi Bi, which is enough to prove that this strategy is feasible. Feng'er is a complete martial arts fanatic. The Sword Test World is her resource. As for being a stepping stone for her youngest brother, she doesn't care at all."

"She has the confidence to achieve Grandmaster status through her own efforts! As for Goguryeo, Madam, do you think I need to care about it? Keeping it is nothing more than a reassurance to the heroes of the Central Plains and the various tribes on the grasslands. If I want, Goguryeo can be taken at the flick of a finger."