A Long River Myth

In the cellar, Li Hong was flipping through the records of various vassal states.

Then Yao's voice came from the ground:

"Hong'er, your aunt and cousin are here!"

He closed the book, completely unfazed, as he had already anticipated this.

This time, he put in a lot of effort to show off his talent, intending to gain attention and speed up his entry into the inner city.

Now that he's made a name for himself, his uncle-in-law Zhou Tingshan has probably found out.

"When you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, distant relatives come rushing in, and they arrive very quickly!"

Li Hong sighed, tidied up the things on the wooden table, stuffed the hundred-tael silver note into his pocket, and leaped out of the cellar.

Inside the main room.

Li Hong strode over, a faint smile playing on his lips.

His tone was neither warm nor cold; he gave a perfunctory bow and said:

"Ah...it's my aunt!"

"Oh my... our Hong'er, he's only been a few months, but he's become even more handsome!"

Li Hongyu's eyes lit up, her smile widened, and the corners of her eyes even turned up.

The tall and burly Zhou Wei wore an awkward smile and held his breath.

Then, somewhat hesitantly, he stood up, his voice a little weak, and said, "Cousin!"

Li Hong nodded slightly, sat in the armchair, and crossed his legs, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Looking at his cousin now, several months have passed and he is still stuck in the middle stage of external strength, with little progress.

The family chatted for a while, and Li Hongyu kept trying to make up for the last time they visited each other.

They have been trying to exonerate Zhou Tingshan.

As for Zhou Wei, he kept smiling obsequiously, but couldn't find a reason to talk to Li Hong from beginning to end.

He learned from his father, Zhou Tingshan, yesterday that his cousin had actually become an internal strongman!

He even managed to rise to the position of deputy envoy on temporary assignment in the patrol and inspection department. The shock and impact of this was unimaginable for him!

The sense of loss was so great that Zhou Wei couldn't sleep all night...

How difficult it is to strengthen both external forces and internal ones? Does he not know this?

Moreover, the fact that he is appointed as a deputy commissioner on secondment by the Inspection Office shows how highly regarded he is.

The situation inside was truly unbelievable, and even from Zhou Wei's perspective, it seemed like an absurd and untrue bizarre tale.

But seeing is believing, both inside and out, and considering Dad's frustrated face at home yesterday...

After chatting for a while, I noticed that Li Hong's attitude was neither warm nor cold, neither close nor distant.

Li Hongyu grew increasingly uneasy and left with Zhou Wei.

As long as the old man is alive, this relative won't die. We can only hope that in the future, she can slowly win back her nephew...

A moment later, in the shop, Yao was holding the jewelry that Li Hongyu had given her, her heart filled with joy.

Then, Li Fulin and the other person began to examine the red ginseng in the brocade box together.

Li Hong smiled at his mother and grandfather, but didn't say anything more.

This little incident passed in an instant, leaving no ripple in his heart.

...........

Five days later.

The reward for the river channel case is in sight.

Li Hong's outstanding achievements were reported by the patrol inspectorate, and it was initially planned that he would receive the "Zhaowu" honor in the future.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, the third level of the 30-level martial merits, "Zhaowu," represents outstanding martial virtue and commendable bravery, and is a relatively junior merit.

Although it is just an ordinary honorary title, it does not correspond to any actual position.

However, it should not be underestimated. Every year at the end of the year, the government would bestow five bolts of silk, each worth approximately three taels of silver.

More importantly, the Zhaowu Xun had a special privilege: if the Xun himself committed a crime punishable by exile or less, he could redeem his merits, which was equivalent to a one-time pardon.

In short, some minor offenses can be offset by pardons.

With this honor by his side, Li Hong is no longer an ordinary martial artist.

If one pursues a career in government in the future, this will be a great asset, providing solid qualifications.

That day, the patrol and inspection department held a celebratory banquet at Yangchunlou Restaurant, and almost all the chief and deputy envoys from each team, except those on duty, attended.

Although Jiang Tao was the initiator and organizer, everyone knew it.

Li Hong, a young deputy envoy on temporary assignment.

He will surely become a person of great achievement in the future, and will never be confined to this small area outside the city.

It should be noted that there are only a dozen or so people in the department who hold meritorious service records.

Everyone wants to come and get to know each other.

As for the Martial Arts Hall, the inner disciples were rewarded with cultivation resources equivalent to twenty taels of silver.

However, with the change in objectives, these twenty taels of resources were already a drop in the bucket for Li Hong.

...........

For the next period of time.

Life returned to its usual routine.

Li Hong continued to keep a low profile, shuttling between the Martial Arts Hall and the Inspection Office.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Before the morning mist had even dissipated, Li Hong, already feeling sore all over, got out of bed and, as usual, went to the courtyard to practice his stance training.

【Iron Wall Skill - Elephant Mountain Strength (260/1000)】

[Mastery of Hundred Refinements of Stance Training (495/1000)]

【Mastery of the Hundred Refinements Fist Technique (365/1000)】

[Introduction to the Shuofeng Spear Technique (416/500)]

[Introduction to Finger Flicking Technique (360/500)]

I've been working myself to the bone for days, and I've completely run out of Tiger Bone Qi-Nourishing Pills.

The various rewards for the river channel case were also included.

"Neither the Marrow Nourishing Powder nor the Blood Qi Pill from Huichuntang are as effective as the Tiger Bone Nourishing Qi Pill from Baicaoxuan..."

Li Hong muttered to himself, moving his body around; three hours of sleep had not completely relieved his fatigue.

The effects of medication and tonics on physical health are still quite noticeable.

Fortunately, progress has been rapid in the past two weeks.

I thought it would take another month to reach the middle stage of internal strength, but I never expected that only half a month has passed and I am already very close.

Li Hong only practiced the stance training once as a warm-up before heading straight to the martial arts hall.

The West Courtyard was bustling with activity early in the morning, as all the disciples were doing their morning exercises.

"Being lax and sloppy will only lead to getting beaten up!"

"Stand at attention! You've mastered the Hundred Refinements Fist, and you can't even break a block of tofu. Shout out every punch you throw!"

In front of the crowd, Huang Shan stood with his hands behind his back, instructing his disciples.

During the time He Song was visiting his family, he was the one leading the disciples in the front hall.

Upon seeing Li Hong, the disciples who had received his guidance all greeted him.

"Good morning, Senior Brother Li!"

"Senior Brother Li!"

"Um."

Li Hong walked through the training ground in the front hall, nodding and smiling as he responded.

These days, he has become the most popular person in the martial arts hall. Although he has not yet reached the middle stage of the inner strength stage, most of the disciples regard him as the person most likely to pass the first-class martial arts exam.

Naturally, every move he makes attracts attention.

Huang Shan glanced sideways at Li Hong, who was walking past in front of the crowd, his expression turning cold, and his voice became more forceful as he turned back:

"What are you looking at! Focus on practicing your skills. What help can others possibly be?"

During this period, if we were to talk about who in the martial arts academy was the most upset.

Only in Huangshan did Li Hong's sudden rise cause such a huge contrast in his fortunes.

Even when Shi Liang was still alive, Li Hong knew his character: jealous of talent and envious of others, with an excessive competitive spirit.

When Shi Liang was injured last time, did he still remember what this person said and did when he went to visit him?

However, he's used to it; there are people like that everywhere.

Instead of focusing their energy on improving themselves, they always pay excessive attention to those close to them and cannot stand seeing others surpass them.

Li Hong smiled calmly, shaking his head inwardly, not taking it seriously at all, and simply walked towards the back hall.

The people and objects in this small, shallow pond did not evoke any emotion in him.

.......

"Junior Brother Li!"

In the back hall, several disciples who had recently reached the mid-stage of the Inner Strength realm smiled.

Many of them were close friends from Huangshan. Even though Li Hong was outstanding, he pretended not to see them after spending more than a year with them and continued to practice martial arts with his head down.

Good morning, senior brother.

Li Hong didn't care much, replied to the people who greeted him, and went straight to Shen Hezhi's room.

"Li Hong, you're here so early, is there something you need?"

Inside the house, Shen Hezhi was eating breakfast.

"Head Instructor, I would like to participate in the martial arts examination."

Li Hong clasped his hands in a fist salute, his words concise and to the point.

With six months left until the martial arts exam, he only has the autumn and spring exams left.

If you wait until the spring examination to take the test, and you don't get the first-class martial arts student award, you'll have to wait another three years.

Therefore, he must wade through the waters to see how deep the waters are in the autumn examination two months later.