The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 8: Invincible in the North
"Not much time left?" Zhao Ti looked at Tong Guan solemnly, "I heard that Mr. Li is a master of martial arts, how could he be infected with a serious disease?"

Tong Guan wiped away his tears and said, "Your Majesty, my foster father is indeed good at martial arts, but he has been ill for many years, and I don't know why."

Zhao Ti pondered and said, "In that case, take me to see Mr. Li as soon as possible."

Tong Guan quickly turned around and opened the door: "Please come in, my king. I will go and report to my foster father right away."

Watching Tong Guan trotting in, Zhao Ti asked Zhou Tong, "Guang Zu, how good is this man's martial arts?"

Zhou Tong shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I think Tong Guan's ability is just average, and he doesn't seem to have any internal energy."

Zhao Ti said, "He didn't lie to me. When I was in the palace, I asked him about his martial arts and asked him to demonstrate his punches and kicks. He looked quite ordinary... By the way, how many godsons does Li Xian have?"

Zheng Fu replied: "Your Majesty, it seems that there is only Tong Guan."

"Just one?" Zhao Ti asked in confusion, "Li Xian was an extraordinary martial artist and had never suffered a defeat in his life. Why didn't he pass it on to Tong Guan?"

Zheng Fu said, "I have heard Tong Guan complain about this before. He said that his adoptive father had no disciples and he was his only adopted son, but he hid his powerful skills and didn't teach them to him, which made him sad."

"I'm afraid that Li Dahuan's martial arts is passed down from one person to another. He is very cautious and will not leave his legacy until the very end." Zhou Tong pondered, "This kind of inheritance is not uncommon in the martial arts world."

"If something unexpected happens, wouldn't it be possible that it will be lost in the end?"

"That's true. Many powerful martial arts in ancient times were not passed down to later generations. They were probably lost for this reason." Zhou Tong sighed, "I have heard that in the Spring and Autumn Period there was a magical sword skill that could break three thousand armors with one sword, but I can't see it today."

"This is indeed a miraculous skill." Zhao Ti thought for a moment and said, "It is possible that it is preserved in some ancient caves or sect ruins, but it is hard for people to find it."

Zhou Tong said: "What the king thinks makes sense."

At this time, several people walked into the house and looked around. They saw that it was extremely shabby. The house was not small, but there was no decoration, not even a flower bed. Several old trees grew wildly, the abandoned fish pond became a dry pit, a broken tank was thrown next to it, the middle corridor was covered with moss, and weeds grew on both sides, and insects and grasshoppers were jumping around.

How did he live like this? Zhao Ti was puzzled. Li Xian was supposed to be a retired inspector, but his salary was not low. The Song Dynasty had a pension, which should be more than enough to maintain this house. Moreover, Li Xian was known for his greed, which was one of the reasons why the court officials criticized him. He must have embezzled a lot when he led the army in the northwest, but where was the money?
There are three entrances to the house. When they reached the first entrance, Tong Guan ran out, sweating profusely, "Your Majesty, my godfather wanted to come and greet you in person, but, but... he can't get out of bed now, so he can only change his clothes reluctantly. I apologize for this."

Zhao Ti waved his hand and said, "Mr. Li is so seriously ill, didn't you ask the Imperial Medical Bureau to take a look?"

"I have repeatedly asked my foster father for this, but he said it would be useless to ask him, and told me not to disturb the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and let the world think he had died a long time ago."

"In that case... take me to see him." Zhao Ti was puzzled. If he was really a patient, why shouldn't he see him?

Then he walked through two houses and came to the last room. Before he entered the door, he smelled a strong smell of medicine.

"My adoptive father bought some medicine and asked someone to make it for him. He took it for a few years, but his illness didn't get better. Instead, it got worse. Almost all of his life's wealth was spent on this."

Zhou Tong sniffed carefully and said softly, "Your Majesty, these should be famous and powerful medicines that can replenish blood and qi, and prolong life."

Zhao Ti pondered for a while, if it was really a thousand-year-old ginseng or a hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum or Ganoderma lucidum that he bought every few days, he was afraid that even if Li Xian had embezzled a lot of money in the past, he would eventually run out of money.

But what kind of illness would require taking these? To put it nicely, these are medicines to prolong life, but to put it bluntly, they are actually things to keep you alive.

Tong Guan opened the door of the third room and Zhao Ti led his men in. It was a flower hall, but it was old and shabby, not worthy of its name.

Then he entered the east room, which was spacious but still run-down. Not only was there a strong smell of medicine, but there was also an indescribable smell of decay. At the back of the room, there was a couch with an old man half leaning and half lying on it.

Even without standing up, one could tell that the old man was very tall, with a head full of white hair and a face full of wrinkles as deep as walnut skin. He was extremely skinny and looked completely lifeless, as if he was in his seventies or eighties and was about to die.

Zhao Ti couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he saw this. In his memory, Li Xian was only about fifty years old at this moment. How come he looked so old?

The old man on the couch was wearing a brand new purple official uniform, but it was obviously just put on. The collar was crooked, the sleeves were uneven, and the hem was pressed under his legs.

"I, your humble servant Li Xian, am here to see the King of Yan. Please forgive me for my serious illness and my inability to dress properly and perform the rituals."

Zhao Ti looked at Li Xian. He had met him when he was a few years old, but he had already left the palace at that time. He saw him because he was meeting with Emperor Shenzong to report military intelligence.

"It doesn't matter."

Tong Guan brought a chair over and Zhao Ti sat down. "I dreamt of the late emperor last night. The late emperor talked about his old ministers, and he first mentioned Li Xianggong. He asked how Li Xianggong was doing. I didn't know, and I felt deeply guilty. Today, I found Li Xianggong's residence and came to visit him immediately."

"The late emperor... sent a message to Prince Yan in his dream?" Li Xian was trembling all over on the couch. He struggled to sit up, but he was powerless and fell down several times. Tong Guan hurried over to support him and he barely straightened his back.

"Yes, the late emperor also mentioned several people, and I answered them one by one. Only Li Xianggong was unknown. The late emperor scolded him. Li Xianggong bowed in the inner court, managed the northwest, recovered Hehuang, and fought bloody battles against the bandits. He has made great contributions to the country. How could he not know where to go?"

Zhao Ti said slowly. This was a phrase he had thought of before. Li Xian had been demoted since Emperor Shenzong's death, so he must have felt resentful. If he asked him what martial arts he knew and how many he would teach him, he might not agree. Even if he agreed, what he gave him might not be a good thing.

Li Xian burst into tears upon hearing this. His throat churned a few times, and he raised his hands to the sky and saluted: "My lord, I am seriously ill and will not live for many days. I will go to continue to serve you. I am guilty of keeping you waiting for so long!"

After he finished speaking, blood actually flowed out from the corner of his mouth. The blood was not bright red, but had white rainbow light flashing in it, which was quite strange.

Zhou Tong whispered, "Your Majesty, Mr. Li must have suffered serious internal injuries and has not recovered yet. This is not an ordinary illness."

Zhao Ti nodded, and saw Tong Guan run to the cabinet nearby to take out a black pill, gave it to Li Xian, and then fed him a few sips of soup, before Li Xian's breathing stabilized.

"I am sorry to offend Your Majesty. I am dying, and I feel bad that Your Majesty has visited me."

"Mr. Li has made great contributions to the country. If no one in the royal family visits him, wouldn't it be heartbreaking? However..." Zhao Ti said, "I heard that Mr. Li is a very skilled martial artist. He was nicknamed the invincible in the north. How could he have such serious internal injuries that have not healed for years?"

Li Xian was silent for a while, and then he said, "Where did Wang Jia hear this?"

Zhao Ti said, "I have loved martial arts since I was young. This guard Zhou beside me is a disciple of Master Jin of Jintai. He admires Li Xianggong and told me this."

"Master Jin's disciple?" Li Xian looked at Zhou Tong and moved his lips as if he wanted to ask something, but he stopped in the end. After a moment, he spoke again: "Wang Jia actually likes martial arts? This is really rare. I wonder what kind of martial arts he practices?"

Zhao Ti was delighted when he heard this. He was about to lead the topic to martial arts, but he didn't expect the other party to ask about it on his own initiative.

"This king practices sword, and only practices the fast sword. There is no advanced internal strength in the palace, so I have been using external force."

"Fast sword? A fast sword without internal force?" Li Xian looked at Zhao Ti, his face gloomy and thoughtful.

Zhao Ti nodded: "That's right, I wonder what kind of martial arts Mr. Li has practiced?"

(End of this chapter)