The Villain's Counterattack

The battle between Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling at Longquan and Shangjing shocked the world.

The Turkic army of more than 300,000 was defeated. The two dragons displayed their divine power and became famous. They first defeated the Turkic army and then defeated the Mohe people of Bohai Kingdom. The Bohai national teacher, the crazy monk Fu Nanda, was also killed by Kou Zhongdao as in the original story, but this time because Liaodong and Emperor Yang Guang of Sui intervened, Bai Ziting successfully established the country and did not die.

However, although the Bohai Kingdom successfully established its country decades ahead of schedule, its strength plummeted. The attack of 300,000 Turkic troops was no joke. Later, because it wanted to get rid of the donkey after it had served its purpose and plot against Shuanglong, it suffered a backlash and suffered a great loss. Not only did it lose soldiers and generals, but many of its capable men were also very disappointed with Bai Ziting and even defected to the Young Marshal's army.

Shuanglong returned to the Central Plains with great victory and abundant harvest. He not only gave an explanation to Zhai Jiaojiao, but also gained a large amount of wealth and horses. However, when he entered the pass, he was inevitably exploited by Liaodong.

Private merchants had to pay a lot of tariffs when entering the country, so Kou Zhong had no choice but to accept it. Only by seeing it in person could one truly understand the power of Liaodong.

Passing through Liaodong, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had to disguise themselves and conduct some reconnaissance. Zhuo County had a strong commercial atmosphere, and the cavalry and infantry were all elite. Even Kou Zhong did not dare to claim victory. After all, it was the existence that could stabilize the border trade and keep the grassland cavalry out of the country.

Hebei is a land of vitality. Tillers have their own land, merchants come in an endless stream, the elderly are well cared for, and the young have access to education. The wealthy families are very different from those in other places. They are more cultured and do not do so many dirty things. There are many patrolling soldiers on the streets, and dude is almost never seen. Instead, there are many more women than in other places.

What shocked Shuanglong the most was Liaodong City. This magnificent city built by the Duke of Liao was as rich and magnificent as Chang'an, and was even cleaner and tidier. The men and women walking in it were younger and more energetic, and there were more masters. Shuanglong actually saw a semi-public library here.

The two of them took great pains to blend in, and unexpectedly saw no less than a thousand martial arts books of the innate level and below, and almost popped their eyes out.

Is this something that can be made public?

There aren't as many fights here as in Chang'an, and the order is stricter. Xu Ziling doesn't know if it's an illusion, but he always feels that many people here are practicing the martial arts of the Demon Sect. Even the disciples of the Demon Sect can walk openly on the streets and fight fiercely with the merchants and soldiers in the city.

Xu Ziling was concerned about martial arts and aura, while Kou Zhong saw more about equipment, morale, and wealth. In addition, they also noticed that there were a lot of women here, even more than the number of men, and each of them was not only graceful, but also had some unique skills.

"It was a close call, a close call. This Duke of Liao's Mansion actually has a grandmaster, and more than one." Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling fled from Liaodong City overnight, with sweat dripping from their foreheads, not from tiredness, but from fear.

The two relied on the special skills of the Changsheng Jue to sneak into the Duke of Liao's Mansion. It would have been fine if there were only two or three masters in the front yard, but as soon as they entered the back yard, they encountered a great master. Sensing danger, they fled in a hurry, which alarmed other great masters. At least two of them were female, which made them feel incredible.

"Young Master Ling, do you feel that the female Grandmaster who appeared last looks a little familiar, and her clothes..." Kou Zhong has ambitions for the world and knows a little about the upper class. After all, he is the young marshal who is going to marry the legitimate daughter of the Song family, so it is impossible for him to really stay away from the nobility.

Xu Ziling thought for a moment, his eyes narrowing suddenly. "Madam, that female Grandmaster is extremely young. The jewelry she wears and some of the features of her clothing are standard for a Madam. And..."

"Shi Qingxuan, the goddess of flute music!" Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other and exclaimed at the same time.

The two ran for more than a hundred miles before stopping. Kou Zhong murmured, "Could it be that after the music competition, that kid Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liao, took Shi Qingxuan into his backyard? But..."

The two did not know much about Shi Qingxuan, but they were quite familiar with the Evil King Shi Zhixuan. They had come into contact with this great master of the Demon Sect in Luoyang and Chang'an, and even fought with him. The other party seemed to have no ill will towards them. Each time he mostly tried to test them, and even deliberately gave them some advice, which made them somewhat suspicious.

But there is one thing they are very clear about, Shi Qingxuan has an extraordinary background. Her father, the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, is the number one grandmaster of the Demon Sect. Her mother was born in Cihang Jingzhai and was already a half-step grandmaster a few years ago. No one knows how strong she is now, at least they don't know. But seeing that Shi Qingxuan became a grandmaster without saying a word, she must be no weaker than her.

When they thought of their family of three, including three great masters, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling shuddered.

Xu Ziling's face was solemn, and he suddenly said in a deep voice: "Mr. Zhong, do you still remember the news you got earlier? The Evil King is hiding his identity."

"Are you talking about the unknown Pei Ju? Wait, Pei Ju seems to be the teacher of the Duke of Liao and also his father-in-law. His legitimate daughter married the Duke of Liao as his legal wife. If Pei Ju is really Shi Zhixuan, then his daughter can only be Shi Qingxuan. So..."

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other, somewhat unable to accept it.

"There are many masters in Liaodong City. It is not an exaggeration to say that the first-rate ones are as numerous as dogs, and the innate ones are everywhere. Many of them have a strong aura of the Demon Sect. I am talking about the aura of the Demon Sect's martial arts." Xu Ziling found that the two of them might know some incredible secrets.

Kou Zhong said with a gloomy expression, "There are many auras from the Demon Sect, the Taoist Sect, and the Confucian Sect, but there are no Buddhist disciples. Wait, why haven't you discovered the existence of the Duke of Liao?"

There has always been very little information about Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liao. His whereabouts are uncertain and he does not live in Liaodong all the time. He is not bound by the constraints of a local official and can even send troops on his own.

"Maybe he is not in Liaodong City at all, but outside the Great Wall. The Turkic army was defeated because perhaps the Duke of Liao took action personally. If it weren't for him, I really can't think of anyone else who has such ability." Kou Zhong was very confident in his abilities, but no matter how confident he was, he didn't dare to say that he could defeat the Duke of Liao, Yang Xuyan. The Duke's record was too brilliant.

He defended Jingling with a motley crowd of ten men and fought against Du Fuwei's elite troops. He assisted Wang Shichong in defeating Li Mi of Wagang. He broke through the Wei Dynasty and killed Yu Wenzhi. He defeated the 300,000-strong Turkic army in Longquan and Shangjing.

These achievements are remarkable and remarkable in the entire Central Plains, but what about Yang Xuyan, the Duke of Liao?

Before he was young, he accompanied the emperor in the expedition against Goguryeo, and faced the master of Yijian, Fu Cailin, without being defeated. In his first year, he was granted the city of Liaodong, and three years later, he was granted the title of marquis and fought against Goguryeo alone. Not only was he undefeated, but he also gained the upper hand.

He defeated the 500,000-strong Turkic army at Yanmen Pass, defeated Dou Jiande and captured Hebei, defeated Liu Wuzhou and captured Linyi, and defeated the Turkic army more than once during this period. This time, at the Battle of Longquan, he sent troops to take advantage of the situation at the last moment and swept across the grassland for thousands of miles. The troops dispatched were also mainly from Liaodong. No matter how you look at it, it seemed like the work of the Duke of Liao.

Kou Zhong couldn't think of anyone else who could control the situation except the Duke of Liao himself. After all, it was a coalition force of Liaodong and Luoyang. How could it be possible that there was no commander who could control the situation?

He could never have imagined that Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was still alive, and that he could still gain the trust of Duke Yang Xuyan of Liao and be entrusted with military power.

"Young Master Zhong, we previously speculated that the Duke of Liao had a close relationship with Master. If that woman is indeed Shi Qingxuan, the Fairy of Xiaoyin, then the Duke of Liao's identity is not simple, and Liaodong's strength..."

Xu Ziling's words gave Kou Zhong a headache. "Although I really don't want to admit it, that woman is definitely Shi Qingxuan, the goddess of flute music. After all..."

After all, it is impossible for anyone who has seen such a remarkable woman like Shi Qingxuan to mistake her. They had heard her flute music and seen her beautiful figure at Wang Tong's birthday banquet.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other in bewilderment for a moment.

If the Duke of Liao truly had the support of the Five Hermit Elders and the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, then who in the world could be his rival? Moreover, they knew that the eldest daughter of Heavenly Blade Song Que was also the wife of the Duke of Liao. The mere thought of these experts gathering together made their scalps tingle.