knife

Chapter 265 It turns out to be you
Duanmu Miaomiao looked at the group of people walking towards her with a little nervousness.

Of course she knew that Zhou Zhi was a master of innate cultivation, just like her.

But the other old man next to Zhou Zhi was also one of them.

Two experts at the Innate level, this is a bit troublesome.

Duanmu Miaomiao was willing to come for two reasons. First, because of the friendship between Princess Chang Le and Fu Qingzhu. Second, because she was confident that even though she was seriously injured, she could still escape when facing Zhou Zhi.

But if there are two equally matched opponents, then there's no way to escape!

Unless Fu Qingzhu is subdued immediately and then used as leverage to escape.

"Duanmu, your injury is quite troublesome, so I went to find some helpers!" Fu Qingzhu was too lazy to pay attention to Duanmu Miaomiao's little scheme. "I have never treated a master of innate level before, so I can only learn by trial and error!"

Zhou Zhi walked over with a smile, "Duanmu, do you remember me?"

Duanmu Miaomiao stared at the old man in front of her. Judging from his tone, he seemed to have known her for a long time, but she really didn't remember him at all.

She shook her head somewhat awkwardly.

“We met back in Chang’an. He Qingqiu introduced you to me!” Zhou Zhi said.

"You're He Qingqiu's admirer! But He Qingqiu doesn't reciprocate your feelings and only sees you as a friend." Duanmu Miaomiao blurted out, "Oh my god, how did you become like this? I remember you were so handsome back then!"

Zhou Zhi's face darkened instantly, as unbearable memories flooded his mind.

"That's the difference between men and women! Decades have passed, and I've become a decrepit old man, but you, Duanmu, haven't changed much; you're still the same as you were back then!"

Chang Jian, who was standing to the side, did not have much affection for Duanmu Miaomiao, who practiced the Blood Jade Technique: "Those who practice the Blood Jade Technique naturally retain their youth, but it is too harmful to people."

"Who are you?"

“Chang Jian from Pingzhou!” Chang Jian said.

Duanmu Miaomiao sneered: "Judging from your appearance, you seem to have just entered the Innate Realm, and your realm is still unstable. Didn't Zhou Xingxing tell you? At this moment, if you fall from your realm, it will be as difficult as climbing to the heavens to come back!"

"If it were Duanmu at his peak, I would naturally give way, but at this moment, I don't have such worries!" Chang Jian chuckled.

"Should we give it a try?" Duanmu Miaomiao's face gradually turned rosy.

"Alright, alright!" Fu Qingzhu interrupted the two: "In Changchun Valley, I am the master. It's fine to just argue, but you really want to fight! Old Zhou, look at Duanmu's condition!"

Zhou Zhi sat down opposite Duanmu Miaomiao and extended his hand. Duanmu remained silent for a moment before finally extending her hand as well. Their hands clasped together, and Zhou Zhi's true energy transformed into a warm current that entered Duanmu Miaomiao's body.

When external forces invaded, the Blood Jade Technique naturally began to resist, but it was immediately suppressed by Duanmu.

Duanmu Miaomiao trusted Fu Qingzhu, and secondly, she saw that Zhou Zhi was the same Zhou Xingxing from back then. Out of respect for He Qingqiu, she was willing to take the risk.

After a long while, Zhou Zhi released his grip.

"How about it?"

“Basiba is indeed stronger than me!” Zhou Zhi said. “Fortunately, we have two of us. Duanmu, Chang Jian and I will work together to extract the foreign true energy that Basiba left in your body first, and then it’s up to Old Man Fu.”

How long will it take you?

"I'm afraid it won't be short!" Zhou Zhi pondered. "To capture the true energy of such a powerful guy as Phagpa, we can only do it little by little. If we're not careful, we'll damage Duanmu's foundation. Fortunately, Duanmu still has He Qingqiu's Phoenix Flame as a base, otherwise, I'm afraid Duanmu wouldn't have survived. What about Phagpa?"

"The Blood Jade Technique did not harm him, but he did not expect that I knew the Phoenix Flame. He was injured by the fire poison and will need to recover for at least a year and a half."

"The fire entering the body is indeed deadly!" Zhou Zhi laughed. "Kou Zhong of the Black Ice Platform spends most of the year underground at the fifth level, completely cutting off his spiritual travel path. Although you don't have He Qingqiu's skill, you are still a Xiantian (innate) cultivator, enough to give Phagpa a hard time! If Phagpa wants to advance further, perhaps a year or two won't be enough!"

"Once I've recovered from my injuries, I'll go kill him!" Duanmu Miaomiao said murderously. "By the way, where's that little rascal Li Dachui? He orchestrated such a grand scheme in Yandu, making a fortune. He must be gloating, right?"

“Of course!” Zhou Zhi said smugly when talking about Li Dachui, “Duanmu, let me tell you, the Yuan emperor Yingzhuo was indirectly killed by Li Dachui. Now that he has released Zhebie back, the three princes of Yuan have no future in their struggle for the throne. After you recover from your injuries, you don’t have to go back. Come and work with us!”

Duanmu Miaomiao snorted, "Tiele isn't without hope of unifying the Yuan Kingdom. He's a child I watched grow up, so of course I'll help him! Besides, I've known Chang Le for decades. Do you think I would help you?"

"Don't forget, He Qingqiu saved your life!"

"I've already spared Li Dachui and that Xiao Changche's lives, so I've repaid my debt!"

"Bullshit! If He Qingqiu hadn't saved you back then, you would have been dead long ago. What's this talk about forgiving anyone? Duanmu, you can never repay this debt! Besides, you're going to owe me one now!"

"Help me or not, it's up to you!" Duanmu roared, stood up, and turned to leave.

"Still the same as before, not much bigger than a pinhead!"

"And how much better are you? If you're truly magnanimous, why didn't you go to He Qingqiu's wedding? Instead, you went to Baoyue Tower and booked seven or eight girls, drinking with them until you were completely drunk and unconscious." "Who went to Baoyue Tower?" Zhou Zhi roared in anger.

"You didn't go?" Duanmu Miaomiao glared at him. "Do you dare to swear in He Qingqiu's name?"

Zhou Zhi's face immediately fell.

Chang Jian and Fu Qingzhu were both looking at Zhou Zhi.

Seven or eight girls?
Was Stephen Chow this energetic when he was young?

"What a beast!" the two exclaimed in unison.

Seeing the meaningful look in their eyes, Zhou Zhi angrily said, "We just drank, we didn't do anything else!"

"They're worse than animals!" the two said again.

Zhou Zhi turned and left.

"Duanmu, Brother Chang, let's go for a drink. It's the freshly brewed 'Human World' wine. It's different from other wines; the newer it is, the better it tastes!"

Zhou Zhi, who had already reached the door, immediately turned around and came back.

The people inside the room exchanged glances and then burst into laughter at the same time.

The slight resentment vanished amidst the laughter.

Outside, the cold wind howled, and snowflakes drifted down.

Although it was a little late, it finally arrived.

This also brought a huge sigh of relief to everyone in the area outside the Great Wall who had been looking forward to the snow.

The Juma River and the Qingshui River were covered with thick ice, so boats could not travel. However, on the ice, many more sleds were being pulled by horses, carrying loads of supplies across the ice.

The wide river channel, at this moment, has become a road leading to the heavens.

In just one year, the State of Aquarius has undergone tremendous changes. The closer one gets to the State of Aquarius, the more large buildings appear along the coast.

These large buildings are mostly warehouses.

The contents inside were naturally bulk goods such as grain, salt, cloth, and tea.

Taking advantage of the geographical advantages of Baoping Prefecture, Li Dachui transferred all of his bulk commodity transactions here in just one year.

When we saw the City of Aquarius, we also saw that the river within a radius of more than ten miles around the city was shimmering with light.

It's not because the temperature here is higher and there's no ice, but because the navy stationed here has to break the ice every day to ensure that if anything happens in Baoping Province, the navy can be effective and not just a decoration.

When the Yan clan was destroyed, it was because the two rivers were frozen over, and the ships were frozen in the harbor. The sailors, who were technical troops, were brought into the city and turned into infantry to defend the city.

Making such a mistake once is enough.

"Finally back!" Li Dachui shook off the snowflakes from his clothes, looked at Xiao Changche beside him, and laughed, "In the blink of an eye, more than half a year has passed. Fortunately, we have had a good harvest, and we can have a peaceful and prosperous year this year!"

Xiao Changche smiled and nodded, then turned around and said to Gu Xiaoman and the others behind him, "Tell the soldiers that they can disperse now and go home to prepare for the New Year!"

Gu Xiaoman turned his horse around, and a moment later, a deafening cheer came from the procession that stretched for more than ten miles behind him. These soldiers had been on the expedition for a whole year. Now that they were back, they could rest at home for at least a year. How could they not be happy?

Xiao Changche and Li Dachui stood on their horses, watching as their troops transformed into small teams of a hundred men each in a very short time, rushing off in all directions. Many of these teams waved their arms and shouted and cheered as they passed by.

"Not counting Chen Liang and Chang's troops, we alone mobilized over 30,000 infantry and cavalry, suffering over 2,000 casualties." Xiao Changche sighed, "Amidst this deafening cheer, there are also unheard cries and unseen sorrows!"

"They say a merciful general cannot command an army, but I'm afraid no one would believe that you, Xiao Changche, could be so soft-hearted?"

“When fighting a war, of course we don’t show mercy, because showing mercy at that time would only lead to more deaths. But after the war, especially at times like this, seeing some people return home while others never return home, it’s natural to feel sad!” Xiao Changdao said.

"We will not forget them, nor will the people of the border region!" Li Dachui said. "We need to draft a proposal later, not just a one-time compensation, but also a long-term plan for the lives of the soldiers' families and the wounded soldiers!"

"I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money again!" Xiao Changche felt a headache coming on at the mention of money.

“We won’t lack money!” Li Dachui said, “I’ve got you covered! Look at what we have now: fertile land stretching for thousands of miles, millions of people, and no powerful enemies around us. Just watch how I manage it and make it incredibly rich!”

Xiao Changche glanced at Li Dachui, who was holding a riding whip and exuding confidence, and a sense of pride welled up in his heart.

This man is always so confident.

(End of this chapter)