Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

“Brother Shen, why don’t I go to Lujiang County and you take charge of the martial arts examination?” Zhao Kai immediately objected. He had no idea about the martial arts examination and was afraid he wouldn’t do a good job.

Seeing this, Shen Qing shook his head and said, "The matter of the martial arts examination cannot be left to you."

"Holy crap, why me?" Zhao Kai pointed at himself in disbelief.

"The purpose of holding the martial arts examination is to select a group of junior officers to lead troops, and as the King of Yue, you are the only one who can endorse the examination. Therefore, those people in the martial arts world will only believe in the authenticity of the examination if they see your personal promise. So this task is perfect for you. However, you don't need to worry. You can prepare for the preliminary matters first. I will definitely come back to preside over the examination in person before it begins."

Hearing Shen Qing's words, Zhao Kai could only nod in agreement. Indeed, as the first martial arts examination, how could anyone believe it without his support as the Prince of Yue? Moreover, since Shen Qing had already promised to personally preside over it, he only needed to deal with the transition period before the examination began.

Lujiang County, as the only place in Yuezhou that borders the Guangling River, is also the location of the mountain gate of Dongyue Sword Pool, one of the two holy lands for swordsmen in the world.

Upon entering Lujiang County, Shen Qing immediately sensed a scene completely different from other parts of Yuezhou.

After the plan was set that day, Shen Qing rested for a night and led two hundred local militia and two hundred prisoners to Lujiang County early the next morning. The general in charge of leading the troops was Yang Long, who had offered the plan before.

Although Yang Long is missing an arm, he was once a member of the Eastern Yue Imperial Guard and is proficient in military training. Moreover, even with one arm missing, his strength is comparable to Pan Yang's, which is why Shen Qing promoted him exceptionally.

Logically speaking, apart from Kuaiji and Yuzhang counties which have restored order, the other four counties should be in chaos. Along the way, Shen Qing saw many chaotic scenes while traveling through Danyang County and killed many opportunists.

However, upon entering the territory of Lujiang County, Shen Qing noticed a scene quite different from what he had expected. In the countryside, the villagers lived in peace and contentment, and the roads were bustling with travelers and merchants, a far cry from the chaos he had anticipated.

As the saying goes, if something seems out of the ordinary, there's something fishy going on. While sending people to gather information, Shen Qing led his men towards Lujiang City, intending to take over the city first.

However, on the way to Lujiang, Shen Qing encountered a swordsman dressed in white with a sword in hand, who was chasing a thin man with a sallow complexion. The two used their lightness skills to fly over from a distance at an extremely fast speed.

The encounter was so sudden that the gaunt man who had fled first paused for a moment when he saw Shen Qing and his group, and his pace slowed down involuntarily.

"Halt! Form defensive formation!" Yang Long shouted, drawing his sword as soon as he saw warriors fighting ahead. Two hundred local militiamen immediately formed ranks, with shield bearers on the outside, spearmen behind, and archers ready to fire. The two hundred prisoners of the Chi Yue Tiger tribe behind them obediently squatted on the ground.

"You lecherous thief, Liu Yong, you've met me, Li Yibai, and you're not getting away this time!" Just as the two were a hundred meters away from Shen Qing and the others, the white-robed swordsman shouted, and a sharp sword aura shot out forward.

The next second, the gaunt man, who had paused slightly, suddenly changed his expression. He was unable to dodge in time and was stabbed in the thigh by the sword energy. He immediately cried out in pain and fell to the ground, blood gushing from his thigh.

"Li Yibai, so it was him." Upon hearing the white-robed swordsman reveal his family background, Shen Qing recalled the man's information: the senior disciple of the younger generation of Dongyue Sword Pool, a man of great strength who had represented Dongyue Sword Pool at the martial arts tournament at Kuai Xue Manor in the original story.

Just as Shen Qing was deep in thought, Li Yibai stepped forward and stabbed the gaunt man to death on the spot with his sword. He then sheathed his sword and turned to walk towards Shen Qing and the others' army formation.

"I am Li Yibai from the Dongyue Sword Pool. May I ask if you are from the Yue King's Mansion?" Li Yibai clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, displaying an extraordinary demeanor. As expected of someone from a prestigious sect like the Dongyue Sword Pool, his bearing was neither humble nor arrogant, exuding remarkable poise.

Not long ago, Dongyue Jianchi received news that Yuezhou had been granted to King Zhao Kai of Yue, so the appearance of an army in Yuezhou must be from the King's palace.

Although Dongyue Sword Pool is a first-class sect in the martial arts world, it is not a more powerful and transcendent force, and dares not disrespect the powerful vassal kings.

Previously, when faced with the coercion of Zhao Yi, the Prince of Guangling, Dongyue Jianchi could only swallow his anger and submit to his orders. That was only when he was a vassal king near Yuezhou; now, facing a vassal king directly under his control, he dared not offend him easily.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing waved for Yang Long to open the military formation, stepped out from inside, returned the greeting, and said, "Shen Qing of the Yue Prince's Mansion greets Young Master Li."

"Huh, Li... Li Jianshen, he's actually alive... No, senior, that's not what I meant..." Just after Shen Qing walked out, Li Yibai suddenly saw Li Chungang who had followed him. He was immediately filled with excitement, his expression filled with uncontrollable joy, and he also became incoherent.

As the renowned swordsman Li Chungang, his deeds of traveling the world in blue robes with a sword have inspired countless swordsmen to worship him to the extreme.

In the martial arts world today, most swordsmen regard Li Chungang as their spiritual idol. Even Li Yibai, as the senior brother of the Dongyue Sword Pool, has been exposed to many things about Li Chungang since childhood.

In particular, his overwhelming power over the Wu Family Sword Tomb, not only shattering the sword of the current swordsman and the Wu family's ancestor, but also destroying his sword spirit, left the Wu Family Sword Tomb utterly humiliated. This was repeatedly mentioned by the elders of the Dongyue Sword Pool, who often lectured them, saying that the Wu Family Sword Tomb was nothing special, and that the Dongyue Sword Pool would surely be able to trample the Wu Family Sword Tomb underfoot, just like Li Chungang. (They didn't tell them that the Dongyue Sword Pool was also utterly humiliated by Li Chungang to the point of tears.)

"Senior, if you ever run out of money, I think you could consider selling autographs in the martial arts world. I'm sure there would be so many swordsmen asking for your autographs that they could line up from Yuezhou to Beimang. From now on, I'll follow you around, and I'm sure I'll live a life of luxury." Shen Qing witnessed once again the immense popularity of Sword God Li. It seemed that he had fans everywhere in the world; wherever there were swordsmen, there were fans of Li Chungang.

"You brat, how dare you mess with this old man? I think you're asking for a beating." Li Chungang said irritably, then nodded to Li Yibai in return.

After receiving a response from the old sword god, Li Yibai was so excited that his hand holding the sword trembled. If the elders of the Dongyue Sword Pool saw this, they would probably be so angry that they would expel him from the sect.

After a moment, Li Yibai calmed down and bowed apologetically to Shen Qing again, "Lord Shen, I'm so sorry, I was really rude just now."

He was so focused on chasing his idol that he completely forgot that Shen Qing, the envoy representing the Yue King's Mansion, was right there. If Shen Qing held a grudge because of this, it would be an undeserved disaster for the Dongyue Sword Pool.

Shen Qing smiled slightly as he observed Li Yibai's flustered demeanor. The original novel didn't describe Li Yibai much, so it seemed he couldn't rely solely on the book's account. After all, many things in the book were only briefly mentioned or described incompletely. He was now in a living, breathing world where everyone had flesh and blood, their own emotions and preferences.