Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 604 A Mature Woman Who Still Retains Her Charm (13,000 words)

Light snowflakes fluttered down, and the night was peaceful.

Occasionally, snowflakes, carried by a gentle breeze, would drift into the pavilion, landing on hair and face, feeling cool and refreshing.

Zhang Long's body trembled slightly.

He was well aware of the power of the Hongyi cannons.

Twenty Hongyi cannons—are they planning to blast the walls of Pingyang City to pieces?
Zhang Long was not in a hurry to leave. He knew that his master must have other plans. Sure enough, after a brief pause, Song Yan let out a long sigh: "I remember that the Prince's Mansion bought all the shops around Fenglai Inn. Is that right?"

"Your Highness, that is indeed the case." Zhang Long immediately replied, "Those shops are mostly staffed by martial artists from the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Sect, who are there to protect Manager Feng and the inn."

Upon hearing this, Manager Feng was deeply moved.

Thinking that he was just a mere merchant, yet the prince valued him so much, he was determined to keep the Fenglai Inn running and try to scam as many people as possible for the prince.

"Then have someone withdraw temporarily to avoid accidental injury. Manager Feng, don't go back tonight either." Song Yan stood up and stretched his arms vigorously. Perfect timing, the effects of the tiger penis wine hadn't fully dissipated yet, and his chest and abdomen were filled with restlessness. He took this opportunity to vent it properly.

"In addition, gather three thousand elite troops from the barracks. They must be armored and equipped with bows and crossbows."

"How many people are there in the Shenji Battalion right now?" Song Yan asked again.

“The production rate of muskets is relatively slow. Currently, only about five hundred have been produced. Two hundred of them are just getting started, while three hundred are already proficient in using muskets.” Zhang Long was clearly very familiar with the situation in the military camp and immediately gave an accurate number.

At this point, Zhang Long looked at Song Yan with admiration. In Zhang Long's eyes, muskets were no less impressive than cannons.

For ranged weapons, the army has powerful bows and crossbows. However, compared with firearms, bows and crossbows have limited range. The best quality bow that can be mass-produced at present has a range of only 150 paces, while firearms have a range of 300 paces. Most importantly, the bow, as the name suggests, requires great arm strength to draw. Very few soldiers can use this bow.

In comparison, muskets were much easier to use; basically, any soldier, as long as he wasn't blind, could use one.

Training archers is also extremely troublesome. It often takes about three years to train a qualified archer, while muskets can be used proficiently in just a few months, or even a few dozen days.

Most importantly, drawing a bow is extremely physically demanding, far exceeding the physical exertion of wielding a sword. An ordinary soldier using a standard military longbow can only draw it twenty times consecutively before needing to rest. Even after restarting the drawing process, the firing rate drops significantly. Muskets, however, have virtually no such problem. As long as there is enough ammunition, they can draw it twenty, even two hundred times. Furthermore, because the physical exertion is minimal, musketeers can concentrate more on aiming, resulting in greater accuracy.

Don't underestimate these three hundred musketeers. When defending a city, if there are shield soldiers blocking their way, these three hundred musketeers can act as three thousand archers, maintaining a continuous barrage of fire.

Song Yan, unaware of Zhang Long's thoughts, simply nodded: "Then let's call them all up. It'll be a good opportunity to see how our muskets perform against the masters of the martial arts world."

"Also, tell these men to wrap a layer of cotton cloth under their boots and not to make too much noise. Go ahead and have them assemble on Willow Flower Street; I will be waiting for them there."

Zhang Long nodded, turned and left. With a few leaps, he disappeared from the palace.

"As for Manager Feng, you can go back to sleep. You don't need to worry about the rest. If the people in the inn are indeed the ones I'm looking for, I will reward you for your great service and will not hesitate to bestow a reward upon you." Song Yan smiled and said to Manager Feng.

Shopkeeper Feng was overjoyed.

If others talk about rewards, it's probably just empty promises.

But His Highness the Prince of Yan is different; he has never broken his word.

He quickly thanked Song Yan again before leaving happily.

Song Yan stretched lazily, turned to look at Zi Yu: "Want to come with me?"

Ziyu smiled, stood up and followed Song Yan. Amidst the swirling snow, the two figures quietly left the palace.

"Your Highness, you shouldn't underestimate the Hehuan Sect." The snow on the ground was already three fingers thick, crunching underfoot. The wind tousled Ziyu's hair, making her fair face even more beautiful. However, the strands of hair kept fluttering in front of her eyes, which displeased Ziyu. She gently tucked them behind her ear with her pinky finger, a small gesture that was exceptionally alluring.

Perhaps feeling that simply walking around like this was a bit dry, Ziyu casually started a conversation: "After all, the Hehuan Sect was once the number one sect in the world. Although it suffered heavy casualties due to the internal strife before, and its status has plummeted ever since, even though all the secret manuals that were looted before have been returned, who can guarantee that the returned manuals are not duplicates? There are countless pills that can help with cultivation, and nearly a hundred senior experts. This is the foundation of the Hehuan Sect."

"Moreover, the Hehuan Sect also has an extremely special secret technique."

"In my opinion, the importance of this secret technique may be no less than that of the Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror and the Plain Girl Classic."

Song Yan asked curiously, "Oh, what kind of secret technique is it?"

"The method of transferring power?"

"Transmit power?"

“That’s right.” Ziyu nodded: “There are always stories in the martial arts world, such as someone falling off a cliff, but by sheer luck, he met a senior martial arts master at the bottom of the cliff, who then passed on his life’s skills to him, and he immediately became a top master in the martial arts world.”

"Most of these rumors are not true."

“At the very least, the method of transferring power won’t work.” Ziyu exhaled slightly: “Your Highness is also a martial artist, so you naturally know that a martial artist’s strength is based on internal energy and physical strength, and neither can be lacking. If you only have internal energy but your physical strength is not up to par, the excessive internal energy can directly tear your physical body apart.”

"Therefore, even when transferring power, the power transferred is only controlled to the limit that the other person's physical body can withstand."

Song Yan frowned slightly, and couldn't help but think of Luo Yuheng.

"However, the Hehuan Sect has a secret technique that can transfer all of its power to someone who has never cultivated before. After the power enters the body, most of it will remain dormant for a while. As the person receiving the power gradually increases their physical strength, their internal energy will also be gradually released, and eventually the power will be fully digested... Of course, saying that it will be fully digested is a bit of an exaggeration, but it will be about 70% or 80%."

So that's how it is. Song Yan understood. It seemed that Luo Yuheng did indeed have a period of time dedicated to tempering his physical body.

"As for the senior members of the Hehuan Sect, before they could no longer resist the invasion of the cold poison and felt that they were about to die, they would find a suitable disciple in the sect and pass on their life's work to that disciple. Therefore, although nearly a hundred people who survived the sect's upheaval died one after another over the decades, the number of eighth and ninth-grade martial artists in the Hehuan Sect has remained relatively stable from beginning to end, and has even increased slightly."

"Your Highness believes that the Hehuan Sect is nothing more than a group of martial artists, incomparable to your army. However, martial artists also have their advantages. Your Highness can imagine that a grandmaster-level expert, or several ninth-rank martial artists, might be lurking in Pingyang City, waiting for an opportunity to ambush and kill you..."

Before Ziyu finished speaking, Song Yan understood her meaning: high-ranking martial artists have countless ways to take a person's life, making it virtually impossible to guard against. The strength of the military shouldn't negate the potential trouble martial artists might cause. Like this time, if they hadn't received advance warning, the presence of a Grandmaster and two at least ninth-rank martial artists secretly watching them would have been incredibly dangerous.

Although Song Yan was always protected by experts, what if the other party found an opening, appeared beside him in a flash, and directly suppressed and kidnapped him with overwhelming strength? Did he really have to go to the Hehuan Sect to serve that group of old women?
"I've gotten a little carried away lately," Song Yan sighed.

Ziyu smiled and said, "I have no intention of blaming Your Highness. I just wanted to remind you not to underestimate the masters of the martial arts world. As long as Your Highness is vigilant, there should be no problem. Moreover, Your Highness is exceptionally talented and has obtained a rare book like the 'Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror,' so your cultivation speed is advancing by leaps and bounds. I believe it will not be long before you can advance to the ninth rank. In the future, becoming a grandmaster will not be a problem."

"By then, Your Highness will naturally no longer need to worry about assassinations by martial artists."

“Grandmaster, how difficult it is.” Song Yan sighed, but a strange thought suddenly arose in his mind: “Ziyu, you said that the Joyful Union Sect is known for its practice of passing on skills, and with your strength…”

"Hmph, this strength of mine is the result of my own hard work and cultivation." Ziyu slightly raised her chin, a hint of pride on her beautiful face. To have such strength at such a young age, Ziyu certainly had the right to be proud: "On the one hand, when I was cultivating, none of those old fogies in the Hehuan Sect died. By the time someone finally felt they couldn't withstand the cold poison and was about to pass away, I had already reached the peak of the eighth rank, so receiving the transmission of power would not have much meaning for me."

"On the other hand, passing on skills is not the same as cultivating oneself, so one's future prospects are basically limited. No matter how hard you cultivate, it is difficult to reach a higher level than the person who passed on the skills. I am determined to become a grandmaster, so I am naturally unwilling to be limited to a mere ninth rank."

"As for the Grandmaster realm, the Hehuan Sect only has four of them, and none of them are dead yet."

Song Yan smiled and said, "I didn't expect Ziyu to have such ambition." After a brief pause, Song Yan spoke again, "Ziyu, what do you think about what we would do if we captured that Grandmaster alive and forced her to pass on her skills to someone in the Prince's mansion?"

Ziyu, who had been feeling a little smug, froze on the spot upon hearing this, her gaze towards Song Yan filled with disbelief and shock.

God.

It must be said that Song Yan truly lives up to his title as the Prince of Yan. Zi Yu would never even dare to dream of such a thing.

Those who achieve the status of grandmaster are all extremely proud individuals.
Capture the grandmaster alive, and then force the grandmaster to pass on his skills?

What a joke! That grandmaster would probably rather sever his own meridians and die than endure such humiliation.

Looking at Ziyu's appearance, Song Yan knew that the success rate of this matter was probably very slim, and he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. The eight supreme elders of the Hehuan Sect, four of whom were Grandmaster level experts, if they could capture her alive and force her to pass on her skills...

If Gao Yang, Ban Xia, Yang Si Yao... could all reach the Grandmaster level, then they would be truly safe and sound, and would never have to worry about being assassinated by martial artists again.

As for Luo Tianyi, Qingluan, Yushuang, and even Buyu, Song Yan believed that with their talent, it wouldn't be difficult for them to become grandmasters in the future.

However, although Ziyu felt that such a thing had no chance of success, Song Yan silently kept it in mind. Whether it would work or not, he had to try first... Of course, the premise of this was that he had the ability to capture a grandmaster alive.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at Willow Flower Street.

Speaking of which, Song Yan has wanted to complain about the name Willow Flower Street for a long time. Why don't you just read it backwards?
When Song Yan arrived, several columns of soldiers had already reached the opposite side, each carrying a torch, resembling a long, fiery dragon winding across the ground of Pingyang City. These were all elite soldiers, and at the very front of the column were twenty Hongyi cannons, their thick barrels gleaming coldly in the firelight, like the gaping maw of some ferocious beast, seemingly poised to devour someone at any moment.

In the middle of the formation were the Three Hundred Divine Machine Battalion.

He held a slender musket in his arms, and a cloth bag at his waist containing ammunition that had been prepared in advance.

The leader was naturally Shi Lei.

Upon seeing Song Yan appear, Shi Lei stepped forward with a solemn expression and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, three thousand elite troops, three hundred Shenji Battalion soldiers, and twenty Hongyi cannons are all in place. Please give your instructions, Your Highness."

Song Yan helped Shi Lei up, his gaze sweeping over the ranks of soldiers in front of him. Although it was the middle of the night, the soldiers were all full of energy, their eyes showing no sign of fatigue, but rather glowing with a touch of crimson in the torchlight.

"Target: Wind Comes Inn".

“One group will follow me, and the other will follow Shi Lei. They will surround Fenglai Inn from the front and the back.”

……

Fenglai Inn.

Although three rooms were booked, Dong Yunshu, Zhang Zhenzhen, and Li Qinghan did not separate. It wasn't out of fear, but pure caution. After all, this was the territory of the Prince of Yan, who was ruthless and cunning. It was better to be careful no matter what.

They did not get any rest.

Highly skilled martial artists don't have a great need for sleep; they usually rest at sunset, which is more of a long-standing habit.

Dong Yunshu sat quietly by the table. She didn't know what was going on. She was originally in a relatively relaxed mood. Song Yan no longer had a grandmaster-level expert protecting her. As long as she found a suitable opportunity tomorrow, kidnapping Song Yan would be an easy thing.

But for some reason, as the snow outside grew heavier and the night deepened, Dong Yunshu felt increasingly depressed. It was as if something was pressing down on her chest, heavy and unsettling, making even breathing difficult.

"The Black-Armored Guards are patrolling the city again," Li Qinghan's voice came from the window.

How many times has this happened?

Even the Imperial Guards of the capital city do not patrol this frequently.

"Huh? Why did they stop?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Yunshu's eyes snapped open. She stood up and, in a flash, was at the window, looking down at the street below. There she saw a row of guards clad in black armor, their torches burning fiercely in the wind and snow. The flickering flames reflected off their dark armor, casting a chilling glint.

"What are those dark iron pipes?" Li Qinghan asked again, sounding suspicious.

There were about a dozen black metal cylinders, one end of which was angled towards the Wind Inn. Dong Yunshu had never seen anything like them before. The indescribable sense of oppression in her heart reached an unprecedented limit the moment she saw those black things, and her heart was pounding almost frantically.

Also, what exactly is behind those iron cylinders?
Are they fireworks?

It was hissing and sparking.

Even Zhang Zhenzhen was drawn by the commotion outside the window and came closer. When her gaze swept over a person below, her expression immediately changed: "Is that Song Yan in the middle?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Yunshu looked towards the center of the black-armored guards, where a tall, handsome young man suddenly appeared before her.

At the same time, Song Yan seemed to sense something and quietly looked up.

Their eyes met in an instant.

tsk...

The Yin Essence Classic truly deserves to be called the number one method for women's health preservation.

The one with the beauty mark on the corner of her lip must be Dong Yunshu, the Hehuan Master mentioned by Ziyu. Although she was prepared, Song Yan was still taken aback by her appearance!
Her jet-black hair was piled high in a bun, with a few strands cascading down her fair neck. Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, her beautiful eyes were like a clear spring, their shimmering light revealing the wisdom and tranquility that time had bestowed upon them. Long eyelashes trembled slightly above her eyes, and a white ribbon gently bound her waist, outlining her slender figure, so delicate it could be encircled with one hand, exuding grace and elegance. Her posture was graceful and dignified, every gesture brimming with the charm and allure of a mature woman, like a flower that had withstood the test of time yet still bloomed, radiating a captivating fragrance.

What is a mature woman?

This is what a mature woman looks like.

She truly deserves the description of "still retaining her charm".

For those who prefer mature women, this woman is undoubtedly a beauty of unparalleled grace.

Unfortunately, Song Yan didn't like that kind of thing.

He grinned and smiled at the upper floor of the Fenglai Inn.

That smile, imprinted in Dong Yunshu's eyes, made her body tremble inexplicably, and her expression changed drastically. Although she didn't know what had happened, it was clear that Song Yan already knew of their existence, and even their purpose. Song Yan had brought so many soldiers; he definitely wasn't just there to set off a few fireworks to welcome them.

This Prince Yan probably has other, even more terrifying methods.

"Oops!"

It seemed like a long time had passed, but in reality it was only a short moment. Dong Yunshu's expression changed drastically, and she shouted sharply, "Go quickly!"

The moment the sound faded, he raised his hands, grabbing his two apprentices by the shoulders with one hand each. He then braced his legs against the ground, and with a crack, the wooden planks beneath his feet shattered instantly. The three of them plummeted downwards almost simultaneously.

pity……

too late.

Just as Dong Yunshu reacted, a violent, thunderous sound echoed across the long street.

Rumble, rumble!

(End of this chapter)