Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Xiyi shifted his gaze from the jagged distribution of forces on the chessboard. He pondered for a moment and said, "Bai Yu, please tell Qi Xianxia for me to go to Yuezhou."

"What does the sect leader mean?" Bai Yu asked thoughtfully.

"One must act in accordance with the natural flow of events; one cannot be deliberate, nor can one do nothing. Qi Xianxia had some prior acquaintance with Shen Qing, making him the most suitable person to go to Yuezhou. If Zhao Kai's side has an opportunity in the future, then with Qi Xianxia's connection, Longhu Mountain can still continue its stable lineage. Even if they don't have an opportunity, it's just a minor step, and there's no real loss," Zhao Xiyi said leisurely. His keen understanding of the world's affairs was what ensured Longhu Mountain's enduring legacy for a thousand years.

Inside a secluded tavern in Tai'an City.

The old scholar Huang Sanjia took a small sip of wine. Sitting opposite him was Sui Xiegu, the Sword-Eating Ancestor.

"Huang Sanjia, I'm currently in seclusion practicing my martial arts. Why did you summon me to Tai'an City?" Sui Xiegu looked at Huang Sanjia with displeasure. He had been defeated by Li Chungang again in the Battle of Iron Gate Pass, which infuriated Sui Xiegu. For many years, he had considered himself no weaker than Li Chungang, but he hadn't expected to be so quickly proven wrong after their actual encounter. Therefore, after the Battle of Iron Gate Pass, he was too ashamed to continue his martial arts journey and could only retreat into seclusion to diligently cultivate his skills, hoping to reach a higher level before seeking revenge against Li Chungang.

"Forget it, Old Monster Sui. Even if you go into seclusion for another sixty years, you still won't be a match for Li Chungang. In fact, the gap will only widen. You're destined to be second best for life." Huang Longshi didn't care about Sui Xiegu's dissatisfaction at all and said calmly.

"Huang Longshi, do you believe I'll turn against you?" As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face, and don't insult someone by revealing their shortcomings. Huang Longshi's words were tantamount to trampling on Sui Xiegu's face, almost making him furious.

"Alright, let's get down to business. If you want to defeat Li Chungang, you do have a chance." Huang Longshi ignored Sui Xiegu's anger and spoke leisurely instead.

"What? Old Huang, you have a way to help me defeat Li Chungang?" Upon hearing this, Sui Xiegu immediately forgot his previous displeasure and hurriedly asked.

For so many years, he had lived in Li Chungang's shadow, and the feeling of being second best for a long time was really unpleasant. Therefore, whenever he had a chance, he wanted to prove that he was better than Li Chungang.

“I can’t help you.” Huang Longshi shook his head, which immediately made Sui Xiegu’s heart sink. But the next second, Huang Longshi continued, “However, as long as you follow my plan, you will have a chance to surpass Li Chungang. It just depends on whether you are willing to take the gamble.” As Huang Longshi said this, he thought of Shen Qing. Ever since Shen Qing appeared, he had been collecting information about him. From the Battle of Iron Gate Pass to what happened in the capital later, Huang Longshi was 100% certain that Shen Qing possessed extraordinary abilities.

A person is cheap when away from home, but hard to leave their homeland. He had been in this world for decades, and he really wanted to go back and see it. So the only way he could have a chance was to befriend Shen Qing. As for the idea of ​​seizing Shen Qing's abilities, Huang Longshi had only entertained the thought for a moment before extinguishing it. Everyone has their own destiny, and he didn't believe that he could seize Shen Qing's opportunities with his strength. If he made the wrong choice, there would be no way to undo it, and he couldn't afford to gamble.

"What do you want me to do?" Sui Xiegu asked hurriedly. Li Chungang was his lifelong demon, and he would do anything to surpass him.

“I need you to teach a wooden swordsman the swordsmanship…” Huang Longshi immediately whispered his plan to Sui Xiegu.

Huang Longshi wanted to befriend Shen Qing, so he had to cater to Shen Qing's preferences. He learned that Shen Qing had a grudge against Chu Lushan, and that Xu Fengnian also disliked him. Therefore, he planned to set a trap to scheme against Xu Fengnian, which would be a way to present Shen Qing with a pledge of loyalty.

Kuaiji City, inside the Prefectural Governor's Office.

"Grandpa..." Li Ying cried her heart out as she looked at Li Ze, who had become a corpse. Hama also collapsed to the ground, wailing.

"Shen Lang, you go ahead with your work, I'm going out for a walk..." Xuan Yuan Qingfeng looked at the familiar scene and thought of the time on the snowy plain of Huishan Mountain when she faced her father, who had sheltered her like this. She couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

"Qingfeng, it's all in the past now, don't dwell on it. I believe Brother Jingcheng will be proud of your achievements today," Shen Qing said, quickly offering words of comfort upon noticing Xuan Yuan Qingfeng's unusual demeanor. Xuan Yuan Qingfeng nodded and left the prefectural governor's residence.

"Hama, tell me, what is the current situation of the Le Viet tribe?" After a moment, Le Ying calmed down and looked at Hama, who was bound.

"Young Chief, the Le Viet tribe is finished..." Hama immediately recounted the news of the Le Viet tribe's invasion by the Chi Yue Tiger tribe.

"Chi Hu, the Nine Chi tribe, I, Li Ying, will never let you live under the same sky!" Li Ying said through gritted teeth. According to Hama's description, apart from the remnants of his army, the Li Yue tribe was almost wiped out. Restoring its former glory was as difficult as climbing to the sky, and seeking revenge against the powerful Nine Chi tribe was completely impossible.

Just as Li Ying was falling into despair, she suddenly looked at Shen Qing beside her, and a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.

She suddenly realized that the remaining strength of the Liyue tribe alone was insufficient to defeat the Jiuchi tribe, but if they could enlist the help of Shen Qing's forces, they would have a chance to take revenge.

Thinking of this, Li Ying immediately knelt down before Shen Qing and said, "Lord Shen, I beg you to spare Hama and the others, and I hope you can help me deal with the Nine Chi tribe. I am willing to pay any price for this, even marrying you."

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Shen Qing was stunned for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. He had never imagined encountering such a situation.

As for Li Ying, putting aside the existence of Xuan Yuan Qingfeng, Shen Qing himself was not very interested in her. He would not stoop to taking advantage of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.

At this moment, he was considering a strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians. If he wanted to develop Yuezhou properly, the Baiyue barbarians would be an obstacle that was always difficult to overcome. If the people of the Central Plains were to develop on their own, it would take several decades for them to develop due to their large population base.

Before this, he had always overlooked the Baiyue people. Only after seeing Li Ying's actions did he begin to consider the barbarians. Perhaps using barbarians to control barbarians or even assimilating them into the Central Plains people would be a better strategy.

“Li Ying, I don’t need you to marry me. However, if you are willing to lead the Li Yue tribe to join the Yue King’s forces, I am willing to persuade the Yue King to help you deal with the Jiu Chi tribe. But you should think it over carefully. The Bai Yue barbarians and the people of the Central Plains have been enemies for hundreds of years. Can you really agree to this on their behalf?” Shen Qing stared at Li Ying with a cold gaze.

The centuries-old hatred between the Baiyue barbarians and the Central Plains people cannot be erased in just a few words. Shen Qing also wanted to see how Li Ying would prove it. At the same time, he was also very much looking forward to the success of this matter. Once there was an example of the Liyue tribe taking the lead in joining Yuezhou, the other Baiyue barbarians would not resist to the death. This would be of great benefit to the future development and stability of Yuezhou.

Upon hearing this, Li Ying fell into deep thought, but she quickly made up her mind. The generations of fighting between the Baiyue barbarians and the Central Plains people were nothing compared to the hatred of the extermination of the Liyue tribe. As long as she could avenge the Liyue tribe, she, Li Ying, was willing to be the sinner of the Baiyue tribe.