Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

Chapter 93 Peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is formed beneath them.

During this time, Lin Yuan gradually learned about the Prince of Wanhu.

It is said that hundreds of years ago, Linyuan County was not called by this name. At that time, it was Wanhu City, the capital of Wanhu Commandery, which governed six cities and was once ruled by the Zhao family, the kings of Wanhu Commandery.

At that time, Wanhu Kingdom was a prefecture-level state established by the Great Liang Dynasty. It was a truly independent small prefecture-level state with its own military and political power.

Their financial power was merely dependent on the Great Liang, and they paid tribute periodically.

It is fundamentally different from the fiefdom kings of Wushan today. Fiefdom kings only receive a share of local taxes and have no real ruling power, let alone military, political, or financial power.

It is said that the last Prince of Wanhu became ambitious and rebelled, but was ultimately defeated and killed, and the Zhao royal family was massacred.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Great Liang abolished the Zhao family's fiefdom and converted it into a prefecture and county system. The Wanhu prefecture and kingdom were divided into three parts, which were assigned to Wushan Prefecture, Jiuzhen Prefecture, and Yunhe Prefecture respectively, and were brought back under the jurisdiction of the Great Liang prefecture and county system.

The former capital of the Wanhu Kingdom, Wanhu City, was renamed Wanhu County. Later, as the lakes and lakes gradually disappeared, it was renamed Linyuan County.

It is said that the Zhang, Liang, Chen and Huang clans were all granted titles and honors for their meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion. The Zhang clan ranked first and was granted the title of Marquis of Wanhu County. The Liang clan members were granted the title of Marquis of Ruyu Township and established their own clan in Wanhu County.

The other two families were granted the title of Marquis of the Township, but their residences were located in the county seat that had been relocated.

Later, the Zhang family declined, and after the title was downgraded, the Marquis of Wanhu County was demoted to the Marquis of Jiuling Township. At the same time, Daliang changed Wanhu County to Linyuan County, and from then on, Wanhu County ceased to exist in Lizhou.

However, the Liang family has always maintained the title of Marquis of Ruyu Township.

Those who followed Zhang in suppressing the rebellion and made meritorious contributions included Wu, who was granted the title of Earl of Duting, and Zheng, who was granted the title of Earl of Hongshuiting.

This Wu family is the Jiuling Wu family of Wu Yong. However, over the past century, the Wu family has been demoted in rank and failed to retain their title, falling from a prestigious family to a powerful clan.

The Zheng family has also declined, leaving only the title of Earl of Duting. Their reputation in Linyuan County is gradually fading. Once the head of the Zheng family passes away, according to the regulations on the reduction of rank in succession, the Zheng family may be demoted to commoners.

However, the Li family rose to prominence unexpectedly. Despite not having any known achievements, they suddenly emerged and were directly promoted to the rank of Earl of Duting. Now, they have been further promoted to the rank of Earl of Lishuiting.

The legendary Wanhu Treasure is said to be the treasure that the Prince of Wanhu ordered to be moved away and buried before his defeat, to await the restoration of the kingdom in the future.

It is said that the government and various prominent families searched for a long time but could not find it.

The sudden rise of the Li family led to popular speculation that they had obtained a treasure, which was why they were granted titles and allowed to cultivate immortality.

Everyone has a different version of these rumors, and those with different perspectives say even more different things.

For example, according to Wu Yong, the Wu family had made great contributions, but had been suppressed and demoted to commoners. The villains included the Zhang family, the Liang family, and even the imperial court.

According to the elders of the Li family, the Li family never possessed any treasures; their title was earned through the merits of their ancestors, who were said to have produced a celestial master.

Regardless of the version, Zhang's image doesn't seem very positive, which may be related to the fact that Lin Yuan had very few contacts.

Lin Yuan only listened to it as a legend and didn't take it too seriously.

a few days later.

Before leaving, Liang Yingxiao specially invited Lin Yuan and Wu Yong to his residence to report for duty at Linyuan Immortal Temple. He encouraged the two to strive to pass the Autumn Competition and hoped to meet them at the Immortal Temple in the future.

They also introduced the two to Liang family members who were also participating in the autumn competition.

The two men got the opportunity to get to know many members of the Liang family.

Lin Yuan discovered that most of the Liang family members' martial arts realm was at the Body Tempering Realm, with only a few reaching the Bone Forging Realm. Clearly, these members were not as strong as he had imagined.

This greatly boosted his and Wu Yong's confidence.

On the day Liang Yingxiao entered the Immortal Temple, Lin Yuan and the other man specially saw him off, each giving a small gift to establish a good relationship.

Next to report to Lin Yuan Immortal Temple was Wu Yong.

The reporting time is arranged according to the disciples' status, with the Immortal Seed disciples first, the Registered Disciples second, and the Serving Disciples scheduled for late August.

On the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, Wu Yong went to Linyuan Immortal Temple to report for duty and participate in the autumn competition for registered disciples. Lin Yuan and a group of fellow disciples saw him off.

Five days later, Wu Yong sent a letter to Lin Yuan and the others, informing them that he had successfully passed the autumn competition and become a disciple of Lin Yuan Immortal Temple, studying under Master Qian and becoming a fellow disciple of Master Gao.

Upon hearing that it was an acquaintance, Lin Yuan exclaimed how small the world was, though it seemed that the Lin Yuan Immortal Temple wasn't actually that big.

Wu Yong also brought him two pieces of news about Qiu Bi, one good news and one bad news.

The good news is that this autumn competition will still only involve hand-to-hand combat, not weapons.

The bad news is that this autumn will be very tough.

This year, the Immortal Master issued a decree to conduct rigorous assessments, not only to strictly verify the identity of the person, but also to strictly examine their physical constitution and evaluations. Anyone found to be deceiving will be rejected.

Wu Yong instructed him to make sure he was well-prepared, to prepare plenty of silver envelopes, and not to be vague when giving gifts.

Lin Yuan had almost finished preparing, but as Wu Yong had suggested, he checked everything again, making sure there was nothing left to check. When he found that there was nothing more to add, he gave up.

The time for serving the disciples is August 21st, but the reporting time must be three days in advance.

The day before departure, before dawn.

The Lin family courtyard at the south end of Taoli Town.

Lin Yuan got up early as usual, and his sister-in-law had prepared breakfast in advance.

He had breakfast with Dali, and after leaving, one went to the Carp Pavilion to report for duty, and the other went to the small peach grove at the Li residence.

Lin Yuan arrived at the small peach grove with ease. Now it was an autumn peach grove, and the autumn peaches were gradually ripening. If he got hungry while practicing martial arts, he could pick a peach to eat.

Coach Hong usually arrives a little later, but today he arrived early and was sitting on a peach tree, legs together, taking small bites of a ripe autumn peach.

Lin Yuan suddenly became curious and looked up to see that she hadn't worn a face mask in order to make it easier to eat the peach; the mask was only hanging on her left ear, revealing her face.

It was fine if he hadn't looked, but once he did, Lin Yuan was somewhat disappointed and couldn't help but sigh.

Her face was beautiful, her skin was fair, her features were exquisite, and her demeanor was serene. Unfortunately, large red birthmarks on both faces instantly ruined all her beauty.

At first glance, it even inspires fear.

With such a birthmark, it's no wonder she's naturally indifferent and doesn't like to socialize.

I suppose she wore a face mask because she was afraid of scaring others.

Lin Yuan stared blankly at the bright red birthmark, feeling a pang of regret.

The imagination is always beautiful, but reality is often disappointing.

At this moment, Coach Hong glanced at him but did not immediately put on her mask. Instead, she continued to eat the peach in small bites, already immune to his gaze. Even if her true face was seen, she didn't care.

Lin Yuan composed himself slightly, stepped forward, pointed to an autumn peach above her head, and called out, "Instructor, could you pick one for me?"

Instead of picking the one he pointed to, the Red Instructor lashed out with his whip towards a distant branch, instantly scattering a peach that landed in front of him.

He caught it with one hand, smiled knowingly. It was a ripe autumn peach. He immediately took out a towel to wipe it off, rinsed it with cool boiled water, and took a bite.

The two of them sat on a peach tree eating peaches, while the other stood under the tree eating peaches, and time seemed to pass very slowly.

Lin Yuan ate quickly, finishing his meal in a few bites, while Coach Hong had only eaten half of his.

"Coach, peaches taste better when eaten in large bites; the way you're eating them is missing a bit of flavor."

Coach Hong ignored him, completely immune to what he said.

Lin Yuan ignored her and took the Bone Forging Pill, then began practicing the Gao Family Snake Fist to forge his muscles, bones, and skin.

Gao's Snake Fist is based on the shape of a python. Pythons are strong in their physical body and rely on their great strength and ferocity. Therefore, it is far superior to Taizu Long Fist in tempering the skin, flesh, tendons and bones.

Based on Lin Yuan's current perception, it is at least 20% stronger.

After a while, the Red Instructor finished eating the peach, put his mask back on, jumped down from the peach tree, and landed gently in front of him. He stared at his Gao-style snake fist for a long time but couldn't bring himself to strike with the whip.

The sapling in front of her has grown strong and now it can no longer be pruned or trimmed.

There's nothing left to draw!

She felt a mix of pride and disappointment, watching him frantically train his body, watching him teeter on the edge of his physical limits.

Since Wu Yong left, Lin Yuan has been continuously taking Bone Forging Pills and Bone Forging Medicinal Foods. After mastering the state of forgetting oneself and the world and experiencing high-frequency battle tremors, his training effect has improved by leaps and bounds through constant extreme training.

Every day I can feel my skin, muscles, and bones getting stronger, especially my muscles and bones.

Now, the breakthrough is just a thin veil away.

At this moment, he poured out his sweat, forgetting himself and the world around him, completely disregarding his own safety and entrusting it to Coach Hong.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt a slight creaking and vibration in his bones and muscles.

"Snapped!"

With a crack of the whip, the long whip pulled him back from his limit. Lin Yuan steadied himself, panting heavily, somewhat puzzled, because he could still continue practicing for a while.

"You've just broken through, take it easy," Coach Hong added.

Lin Yuan laughed heartily and immediately bowed, saying, "Thank you, Instructor!"

He thought it would take a few more days to break through, but he didn't expect to break through this barrier just before he left.

He successfully broke through to the early stage of the Bone Forging Realm, catching up with Wu Yong's martial arts realm once again, and the two stood together again.

Only those who are similar can truly appreciate each other.

In terms of actual combat skills, Wu Yong is not even as good as me, but he was able to pass the autumn competition, so I don't think it will be too difficult for me.

It was still some time before noon, but Lin Yuan didn't want to practice anymore. He solemnly bowed to Instructor Hong: "Instructor, I'm going to the Immortal Temple tomorrow to participate in the Autumn Competition! If I pass, I won't be able to ask you for guidance anymore. Over the past year, thanks to your guidance, I've made such progress, and I'm deeply grateful. If I achieve great success in the future, I will never forget your kindness. Take care!"

Having said that, he bowed deeply and remained there for a long time.

"Take care!" Coach Hong uttered two words softly, then vanished in a flash.

Lin Yuan looked up and found that she had long since disappeared. The words he had been holding back for so long were now left unsaid.

He muttered to himself for a while, then gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Coach Red is really quick-witted, leaving me here talking to myself alone—"

He turned around and jumped onto the peach tree where Coach Hong had been sitting, picked the autumn peach that he had pointed to, wiped it, and took a bite.

As expected, it wasn't fully ripe; the peach flesh was a bit hard.

He jumped down from the peach tree and found himself on a bare path that had been trampled all along.

He waved the peach in his hand and suddenly laughed, "Peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is formed beneath them."

Lin Yuan left without looking back.

A shadowy figure suddenly leaped out from the peach grove, watching his retreating figure disappear into the distance.

The ice was on the 18th of August, which was the time when Lin Yuan went to the Immortal Temple.

Lin Yuan and Xu Bin traveled together by boat to Lin Yuan Xian Guan to report, and Li Shibao and his fellow disciples came to see them off.

Lai Ren Lin Yuan Taoist Temple on the outer island.

Many disciples reported for duty today, but fortunately, there were disciples from the Taoist temple there to guide them.

The two were temporarily housed in a small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, arranged by the guiding disciple.

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