The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 177 Gentle Township

What pained Li Jingxiao was that the Immortal Binding Rope was also burning red-hot, and its durability had dropped drastically.

Fortunately, after immobilizing Baboerben with a spell, Li Jingxiao, wielding the +2 Demon-Subduing Mace, easily defeated Baboerben with a series of sword techniques.

After the huge explosion, a level 1 spirit stone actually appeared.

Li Jingxiao used the spirit stones on the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan without hesitation.

A flash of inspiration followed.
+1 Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan, Fire Attack +21.

附带空中火+11、石中火+11、木中火+11、三昧火+11、人间火+11.
Just looking at its attributes, this treasure is more powerful than any magic weapon Li Jingxiao currently possesses.

It also comes with five fire attributes, making its attack power even stronger.

The only thing to be careful about is that this thing burns a large area at once, and its area-of-effect damage is excellent, but it may also accidentally injure your own people.

I went to the level 10 and 20 maps and cleared all the monsters and bosses.

Finally, I went to the blacksmith's shop and restored the durability of the Immortal Binding Rope.

Li Jingxiao then tightened his embrace around his wife, Qin Keqing, and kissed her delicate and beautiful face.

This prompted Qin Keqing to mutter, "My lord, no, I still want to sleep."

Li Jingxiao smiled and kissed Qin Keqing on the cheek again. As he carefully got up, Qin Keqing opened her eyes slightly and blushed when she saw her man getting up.

He instinctively got up and helped Li Jingxiao get dressed.

Li Jingxiao offered a few words of advice, but seeing that Qin Keqing insisted on serving him, he let her help.

After washing up and getting dressed, Qin Keqing heard Li Jingxiao say that Yuan Chun would definitely get up early to serve her at the martial arts training ground.

Only then did he heed the advice and return to bed to continue sleeping.

As for Baozhu and Ruizhu, they would get up immediately if they heard any noise in the bedroom.

But today they slept like logs, and even after Li Jingxiao left the bedroom, the two of them were still fast asleep in the side room.

It seems you were really tired last night.

When Li Jingxiao arrived at the training ground, he indeed saw Yuan Chun waiting there with Baoqin, You Erjie, You Sanjie, and several maids.

Holding the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan, which transforms into a folding fan, he casually twirled it in his hand as he walked forward.

Yuan Chun's face immediately broke into a big smile.

He rushed forward, grabbed Li Jingxiao's sleeve, and led him to sit in the main seat.

Turning around, she took a small bowl of ginseng soup that had been simmering over a low flame all night from the wooden tray that Baoqin was carrying and presented it to him.

Li Jingxiao twitched his nose and smelled a rich aroma of ginseng soup.

Looking at Yuan Chun with a puzzled expression, she saw that Yuan Chun's face was slightly red, and she said in a low voice with some embarrassment, "My husband has been fighting on the front lines for half a year, and he must be very tired."

Yesterday, my elder sister and I were sorting through the dozens of cartloads of things that my husband brought back.

There were many tonics such as ginseng, deer antler, bear paw, stone frog, sea cucumber, and shark fin, all of excellent quality.

Then, together with her elder sister, she instructed the kitchen to stew century-old ginseng and the finest deer antler together daily to nourish her husband.

Lee Kyung-hyo glanced at Won Chun, and within seconds her face turned even redder.

Li Jingxiao smiled, knowing that Yuan Chun and Qin Keqing were worried that he was getting too weak from playing with them too often.

Yuan Chun felt embarrassed by the stare and gave a coquettish hum. Only then did Li Jingxiao pick up the small wine cup and drink it in a few gulps.

Before long, he felt a surge of heat in his abdomen, so he quickly sat cross-legged and began to circulate the Longevity and Youth Technique to convert the medicinal power.

Unfortunately, it only increased proficiency by 2 points, which is far inferior to Monkey Spirit Wine.

However, this is also who I am.

If it were anyone else, they would want to drink century-old ginseng like sweet water every day.

Besides the enormous financial cost, it would be impossible to obtain so many century-old ginseng roots.

Even for the Koreans and Jurchens, this wasn't a rare find that could be easily dug up in the mountains.

When Li Jingxiao opened his eyes, he saw that Yuan Chun, Bao Qin, You Erjie, and You Sanjie were all staring at him.

He smiled and said to Yuan Chun, "My cultivation level is high enough that I no longer need these things."

From now on, you and Keqing will drink one cup every five days; this will be beneficial for cultivating the *True Martial Qi Cultivation and Response Manual*.

After saying that, he thought for a moment and added, "Jingyue and Jingrong, the two sisters, and Zhongdi and Baoyu are still young. They must not be given such a potent tonic."

Jingxi, on the other hand, made her drink a cup of wine every ten days.

Yuan Chun nodded hurriedly, feeling quite pleased that her husband was willing to let her take such a precious item.

Even in the Jia family, the tonics given to Grandmother Jia rarely included century-old ginseng.

At most, it will last three to five years, or even ten years.

Grandmother Jia had a century-old ginseng root, which she treasured like a precious gem.

Just one piece of this stuff is enough to keep a dying person alive for a little longer.

If you're lucky, you might be able to stay alive for a couple of days.

Not to mention ordinary people's homes, even the homes of the powerful and wealthy don't have many of these.

As for ginseng that is three hundred or five hundred years old, it is probably only kept in the palace.

However, if not stored properly, ginseng is prone to insect infestation, oil seepage, and mold growth if left for too long.

Once the inside becomes powdery, the ginseng is basically ruined.

Since the three Jingxi sisters and Qin Zhong all went home to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with their parents, they don't need to wait for them to come over today.

Li Jingxiao didn't rush to practice martial arts. Instead, he watched Yuan Chun demonstrate the Zhenwu Long Fist and Quanzhen Swordplay.

After the drill, Li Jingxiao used sparring as an excuse to gain experience while fighting with Yuan Chun.

However, when the two were fighting, Baoqin, You Erjie, You Sanjie, and several maids watching from the sidelines...

It was less about the master instructing his wife in martial arts and more about them flirting.

After an incense stick's time, and about half a year since she had served as Yuan Chun's sparring partner, the girl showed no anger whatsoever even when she was captured in one move during their sparring session today.

She merely gave Li Jingxiao a flirtatious glance, then let out a sharp shout and continued her attack.

While fighting, I actually got 750 experience points from Yuan Chun.

The girl lost 15 times, but she didn't get angry at all.

It was only when Li Jingxiao was teaching Baoqin, You Erjie, and You Sanjie that he realized that Yuanchun and the three of them were not actually focused on martial arts training.

Instead, he used martial arts training as an excuse to spend more time with himself.

Especially Sister You Er; if Yuan Chun hadn't been there, this girl would definitely have collapsed into her arms and wouldn't have moved.

Her shy and delicate appearance, coupled with her beautiful and charming face, made Li Jingxiao's heart flutter.

To be honest, Sister You Er and Sister You San are really beautiful, but it's a pity they're not of marriageable age yet, otherwise Li Jingxiao would have already taken advantage of them.

After continuously switching fighters and gaining 1250 experience points, Li Jingxiao saw that You Sanjie, the only one still seriously fighting, was already sweating profusely and breathing erratically, so he stopped fighting.

He put his arm around the little girl's slender waist and said with a smile, "It seems that among you two sisters, Baoqin, Baozhu, and Ruizhu, you have the best talent in martial arts." After saying that, he patted the little girl's rounded back and asked, "Do you want to practice swordsmanship, fist techniques, palm techniques, or knife techniques, whip techniques, staff techniques, and spear techniques?"

Yu Sanjie, who was being held by Li Jingxiao, blushed even more when she was ambushed from behind.

But deep down she didn't want to leave Li Jingxiao's embrace, and even felt that the master was being disrespectful to her because he liked her.

After a moment of confusion, he regained his composure and looked up to ask, "Does the master know how to use a long whip?"

Li Jingxiao was taken aback. He thought the girl would choose swordsmanship, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the original novel never mentioned You Sanjie dancing with a sword or liking to wield one.

This is a misconception stemming from the original story where You Sanjie commits suicide with a sword.

This girl is naturally feisty and straightforward, and her subconscious liking for long whips only further illustrates her feisty nature.

Li Jingxiao nodded, focused his thoughts on his inventory, and quickly found a level 10 gold and silver silk-wrapped whip.

Just as I was about to take it out, I thought again that Sister You was only a beginner. Although this Golden and Silver Silk Whip was only level 10, its attack power was not low.

If it hits me, I'll definitely get my skin torn and my flesh ripped open.

If her face gets hurt, her delicate and pretty little wife will be ruined.

Therefore, although Li Jingxiao took out the gold and silver silk-wrapped whip, he did not give it to You Sanjie.

Instead, he demonstrated the White Python Whip Technique from the Nine Yin Manual.

In an instant, the long whip moved like a nimble snake, stretching and contracting freely, or like a venomous snake baring its fangs and claws, protecting the entire body completely.

Yuan Chun and the others were mesmerized by what they saw, and their gazes toward Li Jingxiao were filled with admiration.

As soon as Li Jingxiao put away his whip, You Sanjie no longer cared about being reserved and rushed over to hug Li Jingxiao's arm tightly with both hands.

She said in a sweet voice, "Master, I want to learn this, please teach me quickly."

Li Jingxiao laughed and said, "Teaching you is no problem, but it's impossible to reach my level of skill in less than three to five years."

Furthermore, beginners should practice the basics first to avoid injuring themselves before mastering the skills.

After saying that, he reached out and pinched You Sanjie's little face, "If this delicate, beautiful face, like a fairy in a painting, were to be hurt, I would be heartbroken."

Sister You blushed, but she was very happy inside.

However, after the initial joy, I also began to worry that I might have hurt myself.

Therefore, when Li Jingxiao taught her the basic moves of the White Python Whip Technique, she studied them with utmost seriousness.

Fortunately, before Li Jingxiao went to war, he taught Qin Keqing, Baozhu, Ruizhu and Yuanchun the internal energy cultivation methods of the Quanzhen School.

During these six months, Keqing would occasionally answer Yuanchun's questions.

Also included are the True Martial Qi Cultivation and Sensing Chapter, True Martial Long Fist, True Martial Swordplay, and Basic Lightness Skill.

They all passed on their skills to Baoqin, Baozhu Ruizhu, You Erjie, and You Sanjie.

With a foundation in internal strength and prior swordsmanship, Sister You Sanjie learned the basic moves of the White Python Whip quite quickly.

Li Jingxiao could also see that You Sanjie's talent for martial arts was indeed quite high.

She looks taller than both Yuan Chun and Ke Qing.

After Li Jingxiao finished instructing You Sanjie, Yuan Chun took a clean towel and gently wiped Li Jingxiao's sweat.

However, Li Jingxiao's forehead was not covered in sweat. Yuan Chun was somewhat surprised, but she quickly realized that her husband's skills were profound and this amount of exercise was nothing.

But this didn't stop Yuan Chun; she simply wiped the dust off Li Jingxiao's face.

Looking at Yuan Chun, whose eyes were only for him, Li Jingxiao couldn't help but smile and lowered his head to kiss his wife's lips.

This caused Yuan Chun to gasp in surprise, her face instantly turning red with embarrassment. She said, embarrassed and annoyed, "My husband is just playing tricks on me. If the old women or maids in the house saw this, they would be so ashamed they would die."

Li Jingxiao laughed heartily, "What's wrong with that? I'm at home, and I'm still taking care of my wife in the inner quarters. Who can say anything about that?"

Yuan Chun's face lit up with joy, and her gaze toward Li Jingxiao softened even more.

Li Jingxiao recalled that before he went to war, he had taught Qin Keqing the Seven-String Invisible Sword.

Yuan Chun simply taught her the flute, and when her inner strength was more profound, she would teach her the "Blue Sea Tide Melody".

No matter which daughter-in-law he has in the future, he will be able to play the zither and flute together, achieving perfect harmony.

Upon hearing that her husband wanted to teach her to play the flute, Yuan Chun was overjoyed.

Although Yuan Chun was proficient in all the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she acted like a beginner, pretending to learn from Li Jingxiao.

Li Jingxiao quickly saw through his wife's little scheme. Instead of exposing her, he pretended not to know and continued to teach, tease, and flirt with her.

Unfortunately, if the "Song of the Azure Sea" were so easy to learn, it wouldn't be Huang Yaoshi's unique skill.

Moreover, to truly master this skill, one must possess profound inner strength.

Otherwise, once the music is played, it will sound like a complete flute piece, but it will lack the effect of harming people with its sound waves.

If one were to forcibly follow the techniques and energy flow of this martial art when playing the flute, there is a high probability that one would injure oneself due to insufficient internal energy cultivation.
-
After breakfast, Li Jingxiao, accompanied by his guards, went directly to Zhenwu Temple. On the way, he had Lu Erfu take his leave slip to the Palace Guard Office.

When the emperor and the retired emperor received the news, the father and son were initially taken aback.

He then mistakenly believed that Li Jingxiao was the Empress's younger brother, Cao Bonian, the Commander of the Palace Guard, who was unwilling to have too much contact with military power.

To avoid causing unnecessary suspicion and trouble.

The father and son reacted the same way, laughing and joking for a bit before letting it go.

For the two of them, Li Jingxiao's role was more about deterring evil spirits and demons from both inside and outside the grasslands and the capital.

So whether he goes to work or not is not important, as long as he stays in the capital.

Even Li Jingxiao's unwillingness to cling to military power is a good thing for everyone.

The emperor thought for a moment and then ordered Xia Shouzhong to go to Zhenwu Temple.

Having Li Jingxiao preside over the prayer ceremony for the fallen soldiers of the Northern Expedition gave him a legitimate reason not to go to work.

Incidentally, it also serves to win over the morale of the soldiers on the northern expedition.

Meanwhile, Li Jingxiao had already finished playing chess with Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong at Zhenwu Temple, successfully gaining 2 experience points.

Adding the experience gained from Yuan Chun and the other three this morning, that's 3250 points.

Looking at the character's level, 40 (5510/8), Li Jingxiao couldn't help but smile.

At this rate, it will take about twenty days to advance to the next level.

But Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong were already starting to regret coming to the capital with Li Jingxiao.

These past few days at Zhenwu Temple have been not only boring, but I'm also constantly worried that if things go wrong, the Great Master Zhenwu might take a dislike to us and unleash a divine light that destroys us.

So these past few days, the two female demons have been incredibly well-behaved, cleaning the Taoist temple inside and out spotlessly.

Every day, they respectfully and sincerely worship in front of the statue of Zhenwu the Great.

Li Jingxiao finally arrived today, but he dragged the two of them into playing chess. The two female demons had already cursed him countless times in their hearts.

Lee Kyung-hyo could also see the displeasure between the two.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "We've known each other for so long, yet I still don't know how good you are at martial arts. Since we have nothing else to do, how about we have a match?"

(End of this chapter)