Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

While lost in thought, Lianxing suddenly realized something was wrong. The large hand holding her palm was unusually warm.

Moreover, the pulse in his wrist beat in a very strange way; it seemed steady, but in reality, it would pause very slightly every few breaths.

Lianxing herself is a top expert who is close to a grandmaster. How sensitive is her perception of true qi and meridians?

She looked at Qin Han's calm profile, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt: "Your injury...isn't healed yet?"

Lianxing stopped in her tracks, no longer caring about being shy, and placed two fingers on Qin Han's pulse point.

A wisp of clear, pure Mingyu Gong true energy probed in.

The moment she touched Qin Han's meridians, the extremely powerful and yang golden true essence automatically protected its master, blocking her true energy back.

Lianxing's expression changed: "What is this thing? How come it can't even let my true energy in?"

Qin Han stopped and looked at the beautiful woman in front of him who looked nervous.

The Second Palace Master of Yihua Palace is a soft-hearted person. She only helped her cure her lameness, and she started to worry about herself.

With a flick of his wrist, he enveloped her entire hand as she took his pulse in his palm.

"It's just a little trouble, it won't kill anyone." Qin Han smiled, looking at her watery eyes. "But if Ninja really wants to help me, your Jade-like Body and Bone-like Brilliant Jade Skill is a rare and valuable remedy."

"A good medicine?"

Lianxing was stunned for a moment, not understanding the deeper meaning in his words. Although Mingyu Gong could preserve youth and conceal one's aura, it was not a technique for healing injuries. How did it become his medicine?

Before she could think it through, Qin Han had already pulled her across the threshold of the second gate and headed straight for the backyard.

"Come on, come with me to the study to grind ink."

"The game in Shandong is only halfway through, and some people are probably already getting restless."

......

Meanwhile, eight hundred miles to the north...

Yanjing (Beijing). The Forbidden City.

The midday sun shines on the square paved with white marble.

Outside the Meridian Gate, two rows of imperial guards, clad in gleaming silver armor and holding long halberds, stood straight with solemn expressions.

At the end of the empty imperial road, a rapid, hoarse sound of a copper bell suddenly rang out.

"Get out of the way! Urgent dispatch!!"

"Shandong Military Situation! Anyone who blocks the road will be executed!!!"

A warhorse, its body soaked in black blood and white foam, rammed through the deer enclosure outside the Meridian Gate like a madman.

The red-feathered messenger on horseback had his uniform tattered by the wind and sand, and two of the three red pheasant feathers stuck in his back were broken.

From Sanfeng Valley in Shandong to Yanjing City, it was a full 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers). They changed horses but not riders, and didn't close their eyes for three days and three nights, not even having time to drink a sip of water.

"Whoa...!"

The warhorse charged to the towering red wall of the Meridian Gate, its forelegs suddenly buckled, and a large amount of blood foam mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed from its mouth and nose.

The massive horse crashed onto the bluestone slab with a thud, its limbs twitched twice, and it died on the spot!

The messenger on horseback was thrown off by inertia, rolled seven or eight times on the ground, and slammed his head hard against the edge of the white marble steps.

The guard captain's expression changed drastically, and he led a group of men forward at breakneck speed.

"Quick! Cut the rope!"

Blood was gushing from the messenger's forehead; he was on the verge of death and it seemed he would not survive.

But his bloodshot, bulging eyes remained fixed on the direction of the main hall inside the Meridian Gate. With his last ounce of strength, he raised the blood-stained bright yellow copper tube in his arms high.

"Shandong... Shandong Urgent Report..."

"An army of 100,000...gone! Utterly wiped out!!"

"Commander Tu Hai...Deputy Commander Nalan, both have perished in battle!!!"

A hoarse, painful roar echoed across the empty Meridian Gate Square.

The moment the words left his mouth, the messenger's raised arm slammed down, his head lolled to the side, and he died, just like his warhorse.

Splash...!

The imperial guards who had rushed over stopped in their tracks.

The commander of the guards' outstretched hand, which had been reaching for the copper tube, froze in mid-air. He was drenched in cold sweat and his breath caught in his throat.

A hundred thousand troops, all gone?

Commander Tu Hai, killed in action?!

How is that possible?! That's a full 100,000 elite Eight Banners and Green Standard Army troops, along with dozens of cannons!

......

Qianqing Palace.

Incense burned inside the palace, and wisps of smoke drifted out from the gilded crane's beak.

Kangxi, dressed in a bright yellow robe, stood before a map of the Qing Dynasty's territory, holding a bamboo stick with a jade handle in his hand, and gently tapped the borders of Shandong and Yunnan. Ever since he eliminated Aobai and consolidated the military power of the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain White Banner, this young emperor had developed an air of absolute power between his brows.

Below the imperial desk, on the left and right, were two rosewood armchairs.

With his white hair, Sony half-closed his eyes and tucked his hands into his sleeves to rest, while Ebilun beside him held a teacup and occasionally glanced at Kangxi's expression out of the corner of his eye.

After Ao Bai's downfall, in order to stabilize the powerful and respected ministers of the Manchu Eight Banners, Emperor Kangxi specially invited these two wavering regents back to the Qianqing Palace for discussions.

"Judging by the days, Tu Hai's army should have already trampled Qing Shi Pass."

Kangxi turned around, placed the bamboo stick in his hand on the imperial desk, and smiled.

Ebilun quickly put down his teacup, bowed slightly, and smiled, "Your Majesty is wise. Tuhai is a renowned general of our Great Qing, commanding 100,000 elite Eight Banners and Green Standard Army troops, as well as the firearms battalion under the command of Sabsu."

"Those rebels from the Golden Snake Camp in Shandong are nothing but a rabble. Once the main army arrives, they will surely be crushed."

Sony, still half-closing his eyes, raised another matter: "This old minister thinks that the minor ailments in Shandong are not a concern. On the contrary, the memorials sent by the Prince of Pingxi in the southwest are becoming increasingly disrespectful."

Emperor Kangxi walked down the imperial steps with his hands behind his back.

"How could I not know that old traitor Wu Sangui harbored treacherous intentions?"

"The reason I sent Tu Hai with 100,000 troops south was ostensibly to annihilate the Golden Serpent Camp, but in reality, it was to use the battle in Shandong as a pretext..."

Let's show the might of the Qing Dynasty to those three old geezers in Yunnan, Guangdong, and Fujian!

Kangxi stopped in his tracks, his voice radiating a confidence that he was in complete control.

"Once Tu Hai returns to the capital with the head of that Golden Serpent King Ye Wudao, I will issue an edict ordering Tu Hai's army to move south and garrison in Huguang!"

"First, we'll make an example of him, then we'll strip Wu Sangui of his military power!"

"I want to see if Wu Sangui dares to accept the imperial decree when faced with a hundred thousand battle-hardened soldiers who have just drunk blood!"

Ebilun nodded repeatedly, and was about to praise the emperor's unparalleled civil and military achievements when a chaotic commotion suddenly arose outside the hall.

Immediately following was a series of hurried, heavy footsteps that overturned several blue-and-white porcelain stools under the eaves.

Emperor Kangxi frowned, his face showing displeasure. In the solemn Qianqing Palace, which servant would dare to be so unruly?

Before he could even open his mouth to reprimand, the carved wooden door of the Qianqing Palace was smashed open from the outside with a bang.

The chief of the imperial guards, Duolong, scrambled in.