The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 207, 222, Kou Zhong: Brother Lu is truly unworthy of being my father!
When the diners at the restaurant saw "Divine Sword Prince" Lu Chen appear with Princess Pingyang, Li Xiuning, they immediately became 70-80% confident in the claim that Lu Chen was going to form a powerful alliance with Prince Qin, Li Shimin.

At that moment, someone on the street below shouted:
"Young Master Lu, I heard that you intend to personally confront Martial Venerable Bi Xuan. Is this true?"

As Lu Chen rode slowly along, he called out loudly:
"of course."

Someone in Fujulou asked:

"Young Master Lu, I heard that Bi Xuan has brought an army of 100,000 this time!"

Lu Chen said calmly:
"It's alright. I'll take care of everything."

His tone was calm, yet it inexplicably possessed a convincing aura.

Everyone who heard his words felt a sense of relief, realizing that even Martial Venerable Bi Xuan and the 100,000 Turkic cavalry were not so terrifying after all.

Even Dugu Feng and Li Xiuning to his left and right, as well as Wanwan, Shi Feixuan, and Lianrou behind him, whose faces were veiled by heavy gauze, couldn't help but cast their gazes on Lu Chen, their beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration.

Then someone else shouted:
"Young Master Lu, the fate of Guanzhong rests entirely on your and the King of Qin's shoulders! You must hold off Bi Xuan!"

"Block?"

Lu Chen smiled:
"You have so little confidence in me? Why not be bolder?"

"Then... defeat the Turkic army?"

Lu Chen chuckled:
"The people of Chang'an today are still not bold enough! What is defeating the Turkic army? If half of the 100,000 Turkic cavalry escape back to the grasslands, that would be my defeat."

Upon hearing this, the entire street fell silent.

Then someone else asked:
"What about Martial Venerable Bi Xuan?"

Lu Chen said leisurely:
“Since Martial Venerable Bi Xuan has declared that he will drink from the Wei River, then let him be buried on the banks of the Wei River. Considering that he is a Grandmaster, I will choose an auspicious burial site for him on the banks of the Wei River.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire street became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long silence, deafening cheers erupted.

The entire street was cheering loudly, the clamor like a surging tide, the buildings along the street trembled slightly in the sound, and the air seemed to become scorching hot. The title of the Divine Sword Prince resounded through the sky for a moment.

The Fujulou restaurant was filled with cheers at this moment.

Listening to the deafening cheers that echoed from one end of the street to the other, looking at the fervent and excited faces, and seeing the handkerchiefs and flowers raining down from the buildings on both sides, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were both shocked, yet their expressions were also somewhat subtle.

Their senses were exceptionally sharp, and they had already sensed that the auras of two of the masked riders behind Lu Chen seemed familiar.

It seemed to be the demoness Wan and Shi Feixuan.

Wan Yaonu had once followed Lu Chen in the Battle of Mangshan alongside Dugu Feng, so it wasn't surprising that she was with Lu Chen now.

On the night that Empress Yin led the elders and experts of the Yin Gui Sect to launch a large-scale invasion in an attempt to seize the He Shi Bi, Shi Feixuan joined forces with Kou Xu and Dugu Feng to fight against Wanwan and other experts of the Yin Gui Sect, thus helping Lu Chen and thus having a relationship with Lu Chen.

but……

Aren't Shi Feixuan and Wanwan sworn enemies who fight every time they meet?
Why are they riding side by side now, and the atmosphere seems quite harmonious?

Is it because of Lu Chen?
"Brother Lu's charm is truly captivating..."

As Xu Ziling was muttering to himself, he suddenly heard a muffled thud. Turning his head, he saw Kou Zhong with a depressed look in his eyes, slamming his fist on the windowsill.

"What's wrong?" Xu Ziling asked, a little puzzled. "Young Master Zhong, why are you suddenly angry?"

"Li Xiuning, she and Brother Lu..."

"You mean she's traveling with Brother Lu? There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Li Xiuning is a princess of the Tang Dynasty, and she has considerable prestige in Guanzhong. Traveling with Brother Lu is just to reassure the people of Chang'an, isn't it?"

"No! Young Master Ling, you didn't see it, the way Li Xiuning looked at Brother Lu, that kind of look..."

Kou Zhong, who had already slept with several girls, was all too familiar with that look in his eyes.

Especially Chu Chu, who adored him, would always look at him with that kind of gaze.

Xu Ziling whispered:

"Could it be that you're being too sensitive, Young Master Zhong?"

"There's no mistake! I saw it very clearly!"

Kou Zhong angrily pounded the windowsill again, gritting his teeth as he said:
"You stole what I loved... Brother Lu is utterly unworthy of being a father!"

"..." Xu Ziling was speechless, and reminded him, "You haven't called him 'Dad' yet."

"No?"

Kou Zhong was taken aback. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that he had never actually called out to him.

This is embarrassing!
Xu Ziling then said:
"Although you fell in love with Li Xiuning at first sight, Li Xiuning has never said that she likes you. Who she likes is none of your business, Young Master Zhong, is it?"

"..."

Kou Zhong's expression shifted for a moment, then he said dejectedly:
"Although what you said makes a lot of sense, I still feel terrible. What do you suggest we do?"

Xu Ziling thought for a moment and said:
"Why don't you think more about Song Yuzhi?"

"Oh right!" Kou Zhong exclaimed, rubbing his face with both hands and letting out a long sigh. "I've fallen in love with Yu Zhi again!"

Well, it has to be Lu Chen. If it were anyone else, he would definitely be very dissatisfied.

But since Lu Chen was the one who sank, Kou Zhong had nothing to say.

There's no way around it; just look at the reaction of the entire West Market street right now, and it's no surprise that Li Xiuning has fallen for Lu Chen.

Xu Ziling then asked Kou Zhong:
"Should we visit Brother Lu's residence again?"

Lu Chen's residence was a gift from Li Shimin, and given Lu Chen's great reputation, it was no secret where he lived. Kou Xu found out as soon as he arrived in Chang'an by asking around in the market.

Kou Zhong didn't hesitate and nodded:

"Go! Of course we have to visit Brother Lu. Brother Lu not only saved our lives and helped us defeat and kill Li Mi, but he also taught us the divine skill of altering acupoints and meridians, and he even shielded us from so many demonic sect masters who coveted the Evil Emperor's Relic..."

“If it weren’t for Brother Lu, it would probably have been the two of us who were besieged by that group of experts from the Demonic Sect. So, if the Evil Emperor’s Relic is really in Yang Gong’s Treasure Vault, then it should be handed over to Brother Lu for disposal.”

In the original timeline, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling never coveted the Evil Emperor's Relic. Instead, they regarded it as a hot potato. It was only by chance that they obtained a portion of its essence.

Now they have no interest in the Evil Emperor's Relic, only in the treasures inside.

……

Lu Chen and his group returned from the Lishan Hot Spring Palace.

He went back to the Legend of the Condor Heroes world for a two-week vacation and only returned to the Twin Dragons world today.

Upon returning, he heard the news that Ning Daoqi had personally explored the grasslands, challenged Bi Xuan to a duel but failed and was instead besieged and severely injured.

They also learned that the Turks had sent an envoy who openly threatened the Tang dynasty in the Taiji Hall, intending to provoke the Tang to fight against him.

He originally wanted to stay at the Hot Spring Palace for a few more days, but the people of Chang'an were in a state of panic, and even the court was somewhat unstable. So, at Li Xiuning's request, he returned to Chang'an and even made a point of parading through the city to reassure the people.

As it turns out, his prestige is indeed no less than that of the three grandmasters.

His deterrent power on the battlefield is even greater than that of the three grandmasters. After hearing his personal confirmation that he would personally go to the battlefield to fight Bi Xuan, the people of Chang'an were greatly reassured wherever he went.

Storytellers in restaurants and teahouses also began to recount old tales of "the Divine Sword Prince killing the Garuda King with a single sword and utterly defeating the Garuda army; and how the Five Thunder Hammer shattered the Wagang army with three blows, thus destroying Li Mi's dream of becoming emperor."

Although the people of Chang'an had heard these old stories many times before, at this moment, as long as a storyteller tells these stories, he will surely win applause and generous rewards.

It seemed that after hearing the story of Lu Chen's sweeping victories a few more times, Bi Xuan and his 100,000 Turkic cavalry wouldn't seem so terrifying. Back at his residence in Yong'anfang, before he could even warm his chair, Li Shimin personally came to visit him.

"Brother Lu!"

As soon as Li Shimin entered the main hall of the house, he bowed deeply to Lu Chen:
"I am ashamed, for the survival of the Tang Dynasty depends entirely on Brother Lu!"

Lu Chen raised his hand and with a gentle force, lifted Li Shimin from the air:

"Your Majesty, there is no need for such formalities. The Turks' invasion of the south was caused by me, and it is my duty to confront Bi Xuan."

Li Shimin said solemnly:

"The Turks have always harbored ambitions to rule the Central Plains. Before Yang Guang died, they had already been supporting the northern lords and deliberately supporting the weak while suppressing the strong. They wanted to watch the heroes of the Central Plains fight each other and bleed continuously until the Central Plains were extremely weak, at which point they would launch a large-scale invasion. Even if they don't come this time, they will definitely come in the future. Since our Great Tang is facing the Turks directly, we will have to fight them sooner or later."

"Shimin also hoped to delay the start of the war, so that our Great Tang would be stronger and more confident. But the situation is not on our side. Since the Turks are so eager to march south and their troops are aimed directly at our Great Tang, then Shimin has no choice but to go all out and take a gamble."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Lu Chen:
"Brother Lu, this time Shimin will lead three thousand iron cavalry, along with all the experts and generals of my Qin Prince's Mansion, to follow in your footsteps and fight the Turks to the death!"

Lu Chen nodded and smiled:

"The King of Qin is quite bold."

Li Shimin also smiled:
"I'm not afraid of Brother Lu laughing at me. It is because of Brother Lu that I have this courage. If I were to face the army of 100,000 led by Martial Venerable Bi Xuan alone... then I would at least need to be given the same number of elite soldiers before I would dare to fight."

Lu Chen nodded:
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I intend to go to Jingzhou and take the initiative to fight, so as to prevent the Turkic cavalry from ravaging Guanzhong. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

Should they take the initiative and advance to meet the enemy?

So confident?
Li Shimin was also incredibly audacious; he could be as steady as a rock when necessary, and as reckless as a tiger when the time was right. At this moment, without hesitation, he said in a deep voice:
"Very well! We shall follow Brother Lu's advice and march out of Jingzhou to meet the enemy head-on!"

"The King of Qin's cavalry has just returned urgently from Qin Province and needs to rest for a few days. I wonder if the King of Qin thinks it would be appropriate to set out on the expedition in a few days?"

"Five days! We only need five days to rest before we can set off!"

"Alright, let's set off together in five days."

……

night.

Two figures emerged from the Yong'an Canal and had just reached the waterside dock in the backyard of the Lu residence when a deep male voice rang in their ears:

"Come to the second floor of the waterside pavilion."

The two figures were startled and looked up, but they did not see Lu Chen. However, the voice rang in their ears, and it was obviously directed at them.

To their astonishment, even with their extraordinary spiritual senses, they still could not detect Lu Chen's aura.

The two exchanged a glance, filled with awe, and first used their internal energy to dry their clothes before going to the waterside pavilion, entering the room, and going up to the second floor.

The second-floor hall was brightly lit.

Lu Chen sat on a rosewood couch, flipping through a book.

It was sent by Ning Daoqi through someone, containing his insights from his battle against Bi Xuan. Although Ning Daoqi was only hit by Bi Xuan's surprise attack this time, he had a proper battle with Bi Xuan many years ago.

At that time, Bi Xuan's "Flaming Sun Miracle Skill" had already reached its peak. Compared with now, the only difference was that his skill was more refined and profound. In essence, his martial arts level was no different from now. Therefore, his past experience and insights were still useful.

Ning Daoqi was seriously injured and not skilled in battle, so he could not participate in the battle personally. He could only return to Zhongnan Mountain to recuperate and provide some assistance to Lu Chen in this way.

This combat manual not only contains detailed descriptions of Bi Xuanyan's extraordinary skills, fist and foot techniques, and weapon skills.

Ning Daoqi risked his life to personally test Bi Xuan's resolve.

The old Taoist knew that Bi Xuan not only intended to destroy the Tang Dynasty in one battle, but also to stay in Guanzhong and use it as a base to conquer the Central Plains, thus realizing his wish for a powerful Turkic Khaganate.

Therefore, if this battle is lost, the Central Plains may relive the dark history of the Five Barbarian Invasions.

To help Lu Chen increase his chances of winning, Ning Daoqi even wrote down the essence of his "Eight Strikes of Freehand Combat" in this booklet.

Since Ning Daoqi was so generous, Lu Chen asked Shi Feixuan to deliver a copy of "Old Man's Fist" to Ning Daoqi on his behalf, along with some of his handwritten insights and reflections on the principles of Yin and Yang and life and death.

This is called reciprocity, or giving and receiving gifts.

now.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling approached the couch and respectfully clasped their hands in greeting.

"Brother Lu."

"sit."

After the two sat down, Lu Chen asked:
What brings you to Chang'an?

Kou Zhong knew that Lu Chen disliked idle talk, so he got straight to the point:
"Our purpose in coming to Chang'an is to explore the Yang Gong Treasure Vault. We would like to ask Brother Lu to explore with us. If the Evil Emperor's Relic is in the treasure vault, we will entrust it to Brother Lu for disposal."

"You are quite generous."

Lu Chen put down his book and looked at the two of them:
"After obtaining the treasure trove, will Kou Zhong still strive to dominate the world?"

Kou Zhong's initial motivation for conquering the world was Li Xiuning.

But today, it was discovered that Li Xiuning had fallen for Lu Chen.

This left Kou Zhong somewhat conflicted.

Then Lu Chen said:

"Kou Zhong, if you want to dominate the world, I won't stop you. Even if you want to take Yang Gong's treasure trove, with me here, no one in Chang'an can stop you. But I hope you think carefully: are you capable of bearing the weight of the world?"

Kou Zhong was shocked:

"What does Brother Lu mean?"

Lu Chendao:
Do you think Yang Guang was wrong to conquer Goguryeo?

Kou Zhong didn't hesitate:

"Of course it's wrong! Unjustified invasions of other countries not only caused immense suffering to the people of Goguryeo, but also brought devastation to the people of the Sui Dynasty. Countless families of Sui people were destroyed and their lives were lost! The Sui Dynasty perished after only two generations, and the three campaigns against Goguryeo were a major contributing factor!"

"So, you think Goguryeo shouldn't have been attacked?"

"Wouldn't it be better for the two countries to live in peace?"

"Then why do you want to conquer the world? Why not become a peace envoy, traveling among the various lords and calling on them to live in peace, so as to avoid war and the suffering of the people?"

"This is different, the Central Plains are unified..."

"You talk about unification? Then do you know that most of Goguryeo's territory was originally part of the Han Dynasty?"

"..."

Lu Chen looked at Kou Zhong, his tone calm:
"Yang Guang's three campaigns against Goguryeo were a mistake because he was too incompetent and overreacted. But the campaigns against Goguryeo were not wrong in themselves. A unified dynasty in the Central Plains would inevitably have to conquer Goguryeo. Any qualified emperor would not allow a foreign tribe to occupy Liaodong, this 'golden corner,' and to constantly threaten the Central Plains."

“You are not well-educated but value loyalty, and I don’t want to call you naive. But I hope you can read some history books and carefully check what the present territory of Goguryeo was called during the Han Dynasty and who ruled it.”

“Let’s examine the history of Goguryeo’s rise and expansion, and see whether Goguryeo was a friendly country that valued peace or a country that constantly conquered and expanded whenever it had the chance.”

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(End of this chapter)