How did I, a mere son-in-law lying down, become a "Fenglang Juxu" (a legendary martial art

Upon seeing this, Chu Lan clapped her hands and laughed. The gold bracelets on her wrists clashed together with her movements, producing a clear and melodious sound.

The laughter echoed in the hall, breaking the previous silence: "Issue the decree! The Nine Bestowments ceremony will be held in three days. The Ministry of Rites is to prepare the ceremonial procession."

She suddenly leaned close to Liu Shan and whispered in his ear, "I want you to receive the ceremony in this blood-stained robe, so that the whole world can see what happens when you oppose me."

Her eyes revealed an undeniable authority and determination.

That night, the moonlight shone like water on the roof of the Star-Picking Tower.

Jiang Ruolan stood lithe and agile, like a nimble night owl, quietly waiting for Liu Shan's arrival on the rooftop.

The silver bell on her wrist, adorned with the seal of the Northern Di Wolf King, gleamed with a mysterious, eerie blue light under the moonlight.

A gentle breeze blows, and the silver bells ring softly, as if telling a secret that no one knows.

"I will be returning to Langjuxu Mountain tomorrow. Do you really want to accept this death warrant?" Jiang Ruolan's voice broke the silence of the night, her eyes revealing worry and anxiety. "This Nine Bestowments ceremony, seemingly glorious, actually hides deadly dangers. Once you accept it, you will become the target of everyone's attacks, and all forces will be eyeing you covetously."

Liu Shan frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the darkness in the distance, as if he were deep in thought.

"Fang Mingzhe said before his execution, 'On the day the Nine Bestowments ceremony is completed...'" He suddenly fell silent, his eyes instantly becoming sharp as an eagle.

He watched a dark shadow flash across the palace wall and sneered, "Look, the death knell is here."

Just then, three poisoned crossbow bolts, like black lightning, pierced through the air.

Jiang Ruolan reacted quickly, spinning around and throwing off her cloak, which unfurled in the night sky like a black shield.

With a crisp sound of silver bells shattering arrowheads, the three crossbow bolts instantly lost their threat.

At the same time, Liu Shan's knife cleaved through the assassin's mask with lightning speed, revealing the assassin's face in the moonlight—it was the servant of the official who had remonstrated with him during the day.

“The Northern Di royal court needs you more.” Liu Shan looked at Jiang Ruolan with unwavering eyes.

At dawn, the Chengtian Gate slowly opened.

The black leopard banner of the Nine Bestowments ceremonial guard fluttered in the morning breeze, brushing against Cui Yan's still-damp bloodstains, as if telling the story of last night's bloodshed and cruelty.

Liu Shan was wearing armor, on which the blood had congealed into red beads that shimmered eerily in the sunlight.

As he received the golden axe, a symbol of supreme glory and power, Chu Lan's armor suddenly dug into his wrist, and he could feel the sharpness and force of Chu Lan's nails.

Chu Lan said softly, "Does my dear minister know that none of those bestowed the Nine Bestowments by the Emperor Gaozu lived past three years? This Nine Bestowments is both an honor and a curse. Do you have enough courage and wisdom to break this curse?"

Liu Shan looked up, and his gaze met Chu Lan's in mid-air.

He saw the flame flickering in Chu Lan's eyes, a flame that seemed to be both ambition and expectation.

Without hesitation, he replied, "I am willing to be the first. Even if the road ahead is full of thorns, I will rely on my loyalty and wisdom to forge a path to survival for the Great Xia and protect the stability of our Great Xia's land and society."

……

In the southern part of Cangzhou, the sky was stained gray by the smoke of war, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning corpses.

The scent drifted on the breeze, creeping into the Dragon Army's command tent like the tentacles of a demon.

Liu Shanzheng stood in the command tent, his brows furrowed, intently pouring the last half bowl of medicine into the charcoal brazier.

When the medicinal liquid meets the charcoal fire, it sizzles and emits a pungent smoke.

Han Chengjia hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered. His iron armor was covered with eerie blue phosphorus, which shimmered with a ghostly light in the dimly lit command tent.

His face was filled with anxiety and anger: "The barbarians nailed the pregnant woman to the boundary marker, and her intestines were dragged half a mile away. The horrific scene was simply unbearable to witness, and the soldiers were all filled with righteous indignation."

His voice trembled slightly with anger, and his hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

Liu Shan's eyes instantly turned icy cold, and his voice was deep and authoritative: "Get the map."

His finger swept quickly across the map, his gaze fixed on the area of ​​the Ten Thousand Mountains. "The Five Streams Barbarians are good at driving away poisonous insects, the Yelang tribe is skilled in traps, and the most troublesome are the Guifang tribe entrenched in the miasma forest. We must have a thorough understanding of their troop distribution and tactical characteristics in order to formulate an effective countermeasure."

Upon hearing this, Lü Ding smashed the ceramic bowl in his hand.

The ceramic bowl instantly shattered into pieces, which scattered like projectiles, some embedding themselves in his scabbed palm.

Old wounds hadn't healed before new ones appeared, and blood mixed with dirt seeped from his palms, but he felt no pain at all: "What do I care about demons and monsters? I'll smash them into mincemeat with this cauldron!"

His roar echoed within the command tent, filled with fearless courage and pride.

……

At midnight, all was silent outside the camp, with only the wind whistling in their ears.

Suddenly, the scout rushed back with a hunter covered in sores.

The hunter was ghostly in appearance, and his body reeked of a nauseating stench.

As soon as he entered the tent, he grabbed Liu Shan's battle robe and roared, "They're using young boys and girls to raise Gu poison! The stream water... the stream water is undrinkable..."

Before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly trembled violently, then turned into a pool of black water that spread across the ground.

Instantly, the tent was filled with a stench like rotting pears, a suffocating smell that seemed to permeate the air with the scent of death.

Upon seeing this, Liu Shan immediately and decisively ordered: "Order the entire army to switch to rainwater. We must not allow our soldiers to be poisoned by drinking stream water. Ensuring the safety of every soldier is our top priority."

He quickly cut off a corner of his robe and threw it into the fire without hesitation.

The corner of the robe burned quickly in the brazier and turned to ashes.

"Han Chengjia will lead a light cavalry force to detour through Eagle Sorrow Gorge. We must find the Witch Doctor's Village within seven days. Only by finding the Witch Doctor can we hope to develop an antidote and resolve this crisis."

Seven days later, time seemed to stretch on endlessly in the anxious wait.

When Han Chengjia carried the unconscious witch doctor into the main tent, a battalion of Longxiang soldiers had already fallen ill from the miasma.

The witch doctor's silver bracelet was engraved with a lifelike scorpion, which suddenly sprang up and lunged at the crowd with its fangs bared.

However, Liu Shan reacted quickly. He grabbed the scorpion with his bare hands and squeezed it hard, instantly turning the scorpion into a pool of pus and blood.

His eyes revealed authority and intimidation: "If you don't want to end up like that, you'd better cooperate with us."

Upon hearing this, the witch doctor's pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes filled with fear.

Suddenly, he began chanting a spell in ancient language. The spell was obscure and difficult to understand, as if it were a summons from hell.

Suddenly, a cold wind arose outside the tent, and the sick soldiers who had collapsed due to the miasma slowly stood up like puppets.

Red-headed centipedes crawled out of their eye sockets and slithered across their faces, creating an extremely bizarre and terrifying scene.