The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 268: Level Up, War Breaks Out Again
It's no secret throughout Japan that monkeys like Asai Chacha.

But then another woman appeared in his life, even more beautiful and with a better temperament than Cha Cha.

This surprised Li Jingxiao.

Moreover, this woman was a supporter of the invasion of Goryeo, and even a fanatic who supported the occupation of the Great Zhou.

Li Jingxiao frowned and thought for a long time, but still couldn't guess the woman's identity.

Fortunately, Su Mei didn't try to be mysterious and directly said that this woman was the granddaughter of the Dragon King of Tianchi.

Li Jingxiao immediately understood why the dragon girl hated Goryeo and Da Zhou so much.

Not only was he not angry, but he also felt that the presence of the dragon girl by the monkey's side strengthened his resolve to invade Goryeo.

The intrusion time might even be earlier.

Having obtained such confidential information, Li Jingxiao's attitude towards Su Mei indeed became much closer.

But this woman's dream of unifying the demon world of Japan is just wishful thinking.

At most, when dividing Japan, she could become the leader of a faction.

If she doesn't obey, then we'll capture her and lock her up in the Demon-Sealing Tower too.

After meeting Su Mei, Li Jingxiao waited for Japan to make its move.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Li Jingxiao went to Japan several more times, witnessing firsthand how Japan manufactured weapons and prepared provisions.

They collected seagoing vessels and also built dozens of new ones.

He also heard a lot of information from Su Mei about Japan's invasion plan.

However, for large-scale military operations, the preparation time alone can take up to a year and a half.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao couldn't wait to lead his army to attack the Japanese forces and even invade Kyoto, Japan.

But deep down I knew that this couldn't be rushed.

However, after returning to the capital, he also instructed Zhao Junming and the others to keep a close eye on the daily training of the 5000 Palace Guards.

Almost two years have passed since that war that took us deep into the grasslands and involved more than a dozen battles.

The entire Imperial Guard, from top to bottom, inevitably began to slack off.

Therefore, it was considered normal by the court officials and the emperor that Li Jingxiao had someone in charge of training.

For the next two months, Li Jingxiao waited and waited.

Before Japan officially started the war, his level dropped from 92 (176 million/240 million).

Level 99 (56 million/360 million)
All 7 attribute points were added to Comprehension.

体质50、根骨51+20、悟性59+10
The cultivation speed increased by 1020%, a tenfold increase. The proficiency of the Longevity Technique increased by 12.9 after 1 hour of practice.

It has now been upgraded to Legendary (63110/10).

Ten days later, Li Jingxiao was about to reach level 100.

The next day, I was quite excited when I went to the Demon-Sealing Tower to gain experience.

So much so that Shuten-dōji, the three flower fairies, the Red Serpent Demon, and the Heavenly Pool Dragon King could all tell that something good was about to happen to him.

But what Li Jingxiao never expected was...

After finishing the grind, I successfully leveled up to level 100.

However, when I opened the character level panel, I saw level 100 (——/——).

Everyone was confused.

I had only one thought in my mind: Had I leveled up my character to the maximum level?

Once you reach the maximum level, you no longer need to grind monsters in the Demon-Sealing Tower every day.

In addition to improvements in talent, comprehension, and physical condition, upgrades also provide bonuses to cultivation.

This made Li Jingxiao, who had always enjoyed the benefits of rapid cultivation, suddenly feel a little uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the old dragon of Tianchi had been beaten for three months and had long since given up the idea of ​​escaping or resisting.

So even if Li Jingxiao was stunned, he did not launch a sneak attack.

He even looked at Li Jingxiao with concern.

After being terrified by Li Jingxiao's tyranny, the old dragon had no choice but to change his ways.

She learned to flatter and even took the initiative to resolve the grievances between them, interacting with Li Jingxiao as a friend.

Li Jingxiao wasn't stupid; he knew that this old mudfish was a case of "pragmatism is the best policy."

They had no choice but to lower their stance like this.

But when he finds an opportunity to take revenge in the future, he will definitely retaliate tenfold for all the suffering he endured.

Although Li Jingxiao understood this principle, in order to gain experience, he simply took the opportunity to improve his relationship with the Heavenly Dragon, Shuten-dōji, and the three peach blossom demons.

Only towards the Crimson Serpent Demon, Li Jingxiao's attitude remained as hostile as ever.

Anyway, this snake demon would never commit suicide; it only wants to survive.

She cooperated well when being beaten, so Li Jingxiao didn't need to waste his breath and time arguing with her.

I finish playing each day, earn experience points, and then leave.

To some extent, Lee Kyung-hyo actually likes this kind of "experience pack" the most.

Seeing that his level was stuck at 100, Li Jingxiao calmed himself down.

Soon, a message appeared in the character level section.

"You can ascend to a second world and unlock new levels."

Li Jingxiao's face lit up with joy; ascension was something very difficult for others.

But for me, as long as the 'hanger' is still there, everything becomes much easier.

Previously, when the Lightning Thunder Fist was upgraded to the 'Legendary' level.

I had a vague feeling that I was about to ascend to heaven.

I wasn't prepared at all at the time, and I was thinking that the leveling speed was fast and the cultivation speed was also quite fast.

Instead of rushing to ascend, it's better to wait a few more years until your level and cultivation have improved before ascending.

They went to the new world and became even stronger.

To avoid being bullied, that's why I didn't leave this world.

My character level has now reached the maximum level in this world.

Lee Kyung-hyo was less resistant to ascending to the next world.

However, if he is leaving, he should make arrangements for his wives.

He must leave at least a few wives, each with their own children, before he can leave in peace.

Moreover, with Japan about to invade Goryeo, Lee Kyung-hyo naturally wanted to take the opportunity to wipe out the invading Japanese soldiers.

Then they took advantage of the situation to invade Japan.

If we didn't bring the people of Da Zhou and Goryeo, we could have carried out a large-scale massacre in Japan.

Even if I ascend to another world, I will definitely feel regret and remorse.
-
Since grinding for experience is no longer useful.

Li Jingxiao suddenly lost all interest in anything and started coming to Maoshan every day.

Even their cultivation efforts aren't as intense as they used to be.

He and his wife try to conceive every day, and they also take her on outings and shopping trips from time to time.

When he and Qin Keqing were trying to conceive, they didn't think about using contraception.

Sure enough, just over a month later, the family was having dinner together one evening.

When Qin Keqing smelled the lion's head meatballs that she used to love, she suddenly felt nauseous and quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, gagging several times.

At first, everyone thought there was something wrong with the plate of lion's head meatballs, which frightened the maids and servants so much that their faces turned pale.

Wang Xifeng, who was in charge of the household, was even more panicked.

He hurriedly picked up the plate and smelled it, but found there was nothing wrong with it. He then presented it to Li Jingxiao so that he could smell it.

Li Jingxiao waved his hand, having roughly guessed the reason.

He quickly reached out and grasped Qin Keqing's right wrist, placing two fingers on her pulse.

Seeing his action, a group of women looked over with surprise, anticipation, and envy.

Twenty seconds later, the smile on Li Jingxiao's face grew brighter and brighter.

Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng's expressions grew increasingly conflicted. Everyone wanted to produce an heir for the Li family, but after so much disappointment, all the women began to think about it instead.

It's a good thing for everyone, no matter who gets pregnant first among so many women.

Only after proving that their husbands are healthy can they hope to conceive a second child.

But even if that's the thought, everyone hopes to be the first to get pregnant.

Fortunately, Qin Keqing was, after all, the principal wife and the legitimate wife of the Duke of Xingguo.

Even Yuan Chun herself felt that she could accept it if Qin Keqing was the first to become pregnant.

Not to mention the other women.

After Li Jingxiao nodded in affirmation, everyone rushed to congratulate Qin Keqing, who was overjoyed and weeping.

Li Jingxiao quickly hugged Qin Keqing to comfort her, urging her not to get too excited, lest it affect the baby in her womb.

Qin Keqing took a few deep breaths, and after a while, her mood finally calmed down.

The next morning, upon receiving the news, Qin Ye didn't care about anything else.

When she arrived at his door in a sedan chair, she repeatedly urged the sedan bearers to hurry up.

Upon arriving at the Duke of Xingguo's residence, the gatekeeper, seeing that it was Qin Ye, hurriedly sent someone inside to announce his arrival while also stepping forward to greet him.

Qin Ye was in a very bad mood at this moment. He not only rewarded the sedan chair carriers, but also gave each of the gatekeepers a small silver ingot.

Under normal circumstances, the Li family's gatekeepers would not have dared to accept Qin Ye's money.

But today, everyone received it while saying a string of celebratory words.

By morning, not only the Jia family and other noble families sent people to offer gifts and congratulations.

Even the emperor in the palace, and the retired emperor in the Daming Palace.

They also sent Xia Shouzhong and Dai Quan to visit.

In the following two weeks, even the Xue, Wang, and Zhen families from Jinling sent people over by express horse to deliver gifts.

Li Jingxiao no longer needs to think about grinding experience points, and suddenly he has a lot more free time.

He would chat with Qin Keqing every day, and only after his wife fell asleep would he meditate and cultivate.

In the evening, they took turns working hard in Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng's rooms.

Another month passed, and Yuan Chun also brought good news, which made the Jia family extremely happy.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang almost wanted to move into the west courtyard of the Duke of Xingguo's mansion to take care of Yuan Chun at all times.

Li Jingxiao directly refused Grandmother Jia's offer to send several capable old women to take care of Yuan Chun.

During this period, because Qin Keqing became pregnant first, they picked up the medical skills that they hadn't paid much attention to before.

With me here, there's no need to worry about anything going wrong.

Moreover, there were Baoqin and the maids and servants who had accompanied Yuan Chun as part of her dowry a few years ago.

Having been loyal to Yuan Chun for the past few years, Li Jingxiao naturally preferred to trust these old men.

He also promised the maids and servants around Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun that as long as the child was born safely, each of them would receive a generous reward of at least one hundred taels of silver.

They also promised each person twenty mu of farmland outside the capital.

For the people of the Celestial Empire, land is more important than money.

They're all incredibly proactive and cautious right now.

In addition, Jingxi and Jingyue sometimes take the Li family's offspring more seriously and are even more nervous than Li Jingxiao.

Just as Li Jingxiao was cultivating at home, taking care of his two wives, and dealing with Wang Xifeng, who was a jealous woman, he was...

Japan not only formally invaded Goryeo, but also caught the Goryeo people off guard in the first battle.

Busan Port and Busan City were captured in just three days.

Ten days later, the three armies successively captured several major coastal cities in southern Goryeo.

Many of them crumble as soon as they come into contact with it.

The army's advance northward is already threatening Gyeonggi Province and the capital of Goryeo.

The letter from Goryeo requesting aid from the Great Zhou Dynasty was sent not only by land but also by sea to Liaodong Town and Jinmen Left Guard.

Upon receiving the urgent requests for assistance, neither location dared to delay.

While sending people to Goryeo to verify the authenticity, they also sent a letter requesting aid and an envoy to the capital by fast horse.

Li Jingxiao was also pulled into the palace by Xia Shouzhong, who came to his door.

He was the Right Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions and the hereditary Duke of Xingguo.

He was also the only general in the imperial court who led troops to sweep across the grasslands and the Tatars on his own.

Whether it's the emperor, the retired emperor, or the civil and military officials, they all have to listen to his opinions.

The primary question, of course, is whether or not to support Goryeo.

There's really nothing to say about this; nobody's stupid.

Once Goryeo is destroyed, the Great Zhou will have a powerful potential enemy to the east, whose expansionist ambitions are many times stronger than Goryeo's.

Therefore, anyone with a sane mind knows that providing support is inevitable.

Moreover, although the retired emperor was old, he had led several northern expeditions before the new year and during his prime.

They still possess military capabilities and foresight.

In addition, she felt that with Li Jingxiao as her backup, they couldn't possibly lose.

The issue of sending troops to aid Goryeo was quickly settled.

The problem now is that once war breaks out, money will be poured out like water.

That's why the people in the Ministry of Revenue were arguing so fiercely with others about the amount of troops needed to support them.

The Minister of Revenue even directly suggested to the Emperor and the Retired Emperor that Li Jingxiao lead 5 Tiger Warriors light and heavy cavalry to march north again.

He then took control of 1 border troops in Liaodong and entered Goryeo.

A force of only 15,000 men is not a significant burden for the imperial court.

But nobles like Niu Jizong, who were on good terms with Li Jingxiao, refused to accept it.

With only 15,000 soldiers, they considered it too few.

But for Lee Kyung-hyo, Goryeo was mountainous.

Leading too many soldiers puts more pressure on logistics, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

Moreover, Lee Kyung-hyo did not expect to become the first commander to lead an army into Goryeo.

After all, he had already made significant contributions in the past.

There are no more hereditary dukes to be granted.

To rise above that, one must be granted the title of king.

Not only were the emperor and his son unwilling, but the court officials were also unwilling.

Li Jingxiao was even more unwilling.

The Duke had a high degree of freedom.

But if you become a prince, especially one from a different clan, you're considered a thief in the eyes of the royal family.

Unexpectedly, the court officials thought that as long as they commanded the troops, they would not only need fewer soldiers, but also have less expense and burden.

Maybe we can do what we did last time when we swept through the grasslands: not only did we not lose money, but we actually made a fortune.

In particular, after tens of thousands of warhorses and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep entered the pass, Li Jingxiao handed them over to the imperial court.

Everyone involved, from top to bottom, made a fortune.

Moreover, the fact that Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun were pregnant at the same time gave many people new ideas.

Anyway, it's not like there's no precedent in the Great Zhou for having two dukes in one family.

The Ming dynasty also had a family with two dukes, and the title was hereditary.

Of course, if it was merely a matter of leading troops to repel the three armies of the Japanese in Goryeo, the achievement would be great.

However, given that Li Jingxiao was already a Duke, granting his second son a marquisate was sufficient.

If most of the Japanese could be wiped out, hereditary succession would not be impossible.

No one expected that Li Jingxiao's thoughts went beyond simply repelling or annihilating the Japanese forces.

Once he went to Goryeo, his only goal was to invade Japan.

(End of this chapter)