The villainous bosses from their past lives have all been reborn.

Liu Mansion.

Liu Qingqing looked at her father, puzzled, and asked:

"Father, why did you betroth me to Yuan Xiu?"

Liu Jing was sitting by the window, reading a book, when she heard her daughter's words and smiled:

"What's wrong? Did I make you feel aggrieved?"

"I just think he's awful, and I don't want to marry him!"

Hearing this, Liu Jing put down his book, stroked his beard, looked at the moonlight outside the window, and said:

"Actually, your father doesn't want you to marry him either!"

After hearing this, Liu Qingqing became even more puzzled and asked:

"Then why do you need me to do this?"

Liu Jing shook his head, somewhat helplessly.

"You must understand that some things are beyond my control. Many people in the six northern prefectures, and even some in the imperial court, hope to see the Liu and Yuan families unite through marriage. Only in this way can the strength of the six northern prefectures be united to the greatest extent."

"Who are those people Grandpa was talking about?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jing, who was deep in thought, realized what was happening and said:

"Qingqing, you don't need to know. Just know that this is a test. If you pass it, Yuan Xiu will be one of us."

"So, does Grandpa hope he won't pass?"

"There are many things you don't understand, and you don't need to understand. Go back to your room and wait!"

Having said that, Liu Jing didn't offer any further explanation. Seeing this, Liu Qingqing stamped her foot and left.

The night was clear and bright, with the moon hanging high in the sky.

Liu Jing did not have to wait long before Yuan Xiu arrived.

"Sixth Brother, come, sit down!"

"Uncle Liu, did you call me over so late because you have something to tell me?"

Liu Jing nodded, looked at Yuan Xiu sitting opposite him, and asked:

"Currently, calls for war with the Northern Kingdom are growing louder within the court. What is your opinion, Sixth Prince?"

"The barbarians of the North have always harbored ambitions and intended to invade the South. Sooner or later, we will have to fight this war. But the current debate among the officials of the court is a bit premature. We are not yet fully equipped with weapons and supplies. If we start a war rashly, we will probably not be able to win."

Liu Jing neither confirmed nor denied this, only saying:

"The officials of the court have their own ideas, and the six northern prefectures have their own situation. Some things should be done quickly rather than late. Otherwise, we will lose everything."

Upon hearing Liu Jing's words, Yuan Xiu frowned and asked:

"I don't understand what Uncle Liu is saying. Is there any way to win?"

Liu Jing smiled and took out a box from his sleeve. When the box was opened, it contained a fiery red pill.

"This item is called the 'Fire Elixir,' you must have seen it before, Rokuro!"

Yuan Xiudao:

"Never seen it before!"

Liu Jing squinted for a long time, then smiled and said:

"It doesn't matter if you've never seen it before. As long as Liu Lang knows that this is a divine object, ordinary people can prolong their lives by consuming it, and those with profound cultivation can increase their cultivation. As long as three hundred are refined, three hundred ninth-rank experts can be created. At that time, what can the mere Northern Kingdom and the mere Demonic Sect do?"

"To be honest, Uncle Liu, I have never heard of such a miraculous herb in the martial world."

"It didn't exist before, but it does now. Because the material used to create this is human beings!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu's eyes widened, and she looked at Liu Jing in astonishment. Seeing that he wasn't joking, she immediately stood up and said:

"This is a demon! How can you do this!"

"Mukuro..."

"Uncle Liu, there's no need for further words. Consider today's events as a dream. Even if Xiu were to die, he would never let this happen!"

After saying this, Yuan Xiu left.

As Liu Jing watched this scene, his smile grew even wider.

"You all heard that, didn't you!"

Inside the room, a slight ripple of space rippled, as if a sheet had been lifted to reveal a strange space within. The two elders of the Xia family, one fat and one thin, seemed to emerge from this space. The fat elder sighed:

"Leader Yuan, why bother with this?"

The thin elder looked at Liu Jing, who had a slight smile on his face, and asked:

"Is this what Commander Liu wanted?"

Liu Jing did not hide anything and said:

"Xiahe is too focused on past life relationships. He can win over everyone in the six northern states, but not Yuan Xiu."

Why?

"The Demonic Sect has been keeping an eye on Yanzhou for years without noticing anything amiss with Yuan Liulang. If he's not faking it, why have we gone to all this trouble to win him over? We should support Yuan Cai; he's easier to control, and we can quickly consolidate the power in Yanzhou as well."

Upon hearing this, the thin elder asked again:

"So he was faking it?"

"Then that's even more unacceptable!" Liu Jing looked at the two people in front of him, a hint of fear on his face. "No one in the six northern states wants to see that leader of the righteous path reappear in this world."

The fat elder and the thin elder exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of worry on each other's faces. This worry stemmed from their memories of their past lives.

The leader of the righteous path is a huge boulder weighing down on everyone's heads; they cannot break free or drag it away.

"Now you've all seen it, Yuan Xiu herself refused, so Xia He can't blame me!"

Liu Jing relaxed completely, a hint of ruthlessness appearing on his face.

……

The little white snake crawled out from Yuan Xiu's collar, looked at the face so close to his, and asked:

"Master, what does Liu Jing mean?"

"It's both a test and an attempt to win them over!"

The little white snake was new to the human world and was unfamiliar with everything, only having a general impression.

"What are you testing? What are you trying to win over?"

"Naturally, they're testing whether I'm the chosen one, trying to recruit me into their group!"

The little white snake, somewhat bewildered, asked:

"Then why doesn't the master agree?"

Yuan Xiu put her hands behind her back and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

"As human beings, we should have principles of what to do and what not to do!"

"Master is so amazing!" the little white snake exclaimed, then asked, "But what does this mean?"

Yuan Xiu explained:

"That old man has no good intentions. If I agree, he'll make me eat the [Fire Pill] next. This [Fire Pill] is a flawed product that wasn't fully developed, and it has serious side effects. Can I eat it? If I don't, won't I give myself away?"

"Oh, I see. You people are really complicated!"

The little white snake sighed and then slithered back into Yuan Xiu's collar.

"So what should we do next?"

"Naturally, I took my leave and departed."

……

In the darkness, in front of the Liu residence, three or five shadowy figures crouched on the rooftops, some muttering:

"Boss Shu Fang, who is this guy that warrants our Black Guard coming all the way here? Wouldn't it have been easier to just send a few 'crows'?"

"Ya Zi" means eyeliner.

Shu Fang was dressed in a dragon-and-fish robe, and was a hundred general of the Black Guard. As the most elite force in the imperial court, the Black Guard was tasked with monitoring the martial arts world and balancing the various factions.

The leader was tall, with a knife at his waist, a square face, and eyes that looked into the distance, as if they could see through the fog.

"He's different!"

……