Martial arts mastery? But I'm just a spoiled brat!

But Yan Fengqi's smile had barely appeared when he sensed something was wrong. After a moment of surprise, he put the pen down again and opened the drawer.

Inside is a cooperation document proposed by Japan after he met with the Japanese.

Yan Fengqi had been entrenched in Shanxi Province for too long. Various warlords around the province took turns waging war, but Yan Fengqi always remained neutral and quietly developed his power.

In the past, things were fine. They catered to both sides, neither taking sides nor offending anyone. In addition, Shanxi Province had a unique terrain, so other warlords, though envious, were unwilling to provoke this tough nut to crack.

However, as time went on, Shanxi Province developed rapidly and became increasingly powerful, which attracted more and more forces from the surrounding areas to covet it. Even foreigners began to offer incentives to win it over.

Japan is a good example this time. Yan Fengqi has long been used to playing both sides over the years. He originally wanted to do what he always did: neither refuse nor accept, and try to delay as much as possible.

Then he would lead his army to deal with the other major powers. He would take advantage of any opportunities and leave if there were none. Although there were dangers, Yan Fengqi believed that based on his past experience, everything should be under control.

But Yan Qing's words, "Times have changed," made him think of this incident.

He didn't know if his son Yan Qing knew anything, but judging from his son's recent changes, he would never talk to him about trivial matters.

Looking at the documents in the drawer, Yan Fengqi thought a lot, but in the end, he closed the drawer.

"Maybe I really am getting old and can't keep up with the times..."

Yan Fengqi picked up his pen again, but his mind was no longer on the documents. Instead, he was thinking about the changes over the years and whether he should delegate his power.

……

Yan Qing ignored Yan Fengqi's thoughts and, after leaving his father's residence with Wanxing, headed towards his own residence in the courtyard house.

Yan Qing has his own residence, which is very private, so very few people know that he practices martial arts.

Even his concubine Xu Tinglan and his second brother were unaware of it.

Upon returning to his residence, Yan Qing had someone summon Chief Steward Cao.

"Old Cao, I have a bad feeling about my father leading troops out this time, so I would like to trouble you to personally lead a group to accompany my father."

Although Yan Qing kept to his duty and did not send anyone to investigate his father Yan Fengqi, he always paid attention to the surrounding situation.

Jin Province is located in the Central Plains. The northeastern cities of Jin Province have been occupied by the Zhang family for many years. However, the Zhang family has recently suffered some setbacks in their wars, and many cities have been occupied.

The west was occupied by the Cao family, but the west is sparsely populated and relatively barren, so it is not a big concern.

The main problem now is that the south is divided among various warlords, and there are constant battles and they are all annexing each other.

Yan Qing guessed that Yan Fengqi was going to the south without even taking his second brother with him this time, and that he was definitely going to participate in the war.

However, Yan Qing knew that Yan Fengqi had been used to playing both sides for years and was definitely not the kind of person with great ambitions. Otherwise, he would not have refused to defend Jin Province for so many years. Therefore, Yan Fengqi must be fighting in alliance with multiple forces this time.

However, Yan Fengqi was blinded by his own involvement, while Yan Qing, an observer, saw things clearly. He knew that Yan Fengqi was eyeing other people's territories, but others might be eyeing Yan Fengqi's home base.

This is not only Yan Fengqi's stronghold, but also Yan Qing's stronghold. Yan Qing knows very well what he relies on. If his father Yan Fengqi is captured, the entire Jin Province will change hands. Therefore, his father Yan Fengqi must not suffer any mishaps.

Shanxi Province, on the other hand, is not a big problem. With its advantageous location, Shanxi Province is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, the Yan family has been operating in Shanxi Province for more than ten years. As long as Yan Fengqi is still around, Shanxi Province will not be lost.

"good!"

Chief Steward Cao didn't ask any more questions, only hesitated for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll leave it to you! As for the candidates... take all the others above the Dark Strength level, except for Wanxing Lanyue."

Yan Qing smiled when he saw that Steward Cao had agreed.

When Steward Cao heard Yan Qing's instructions, he wanted to speak, but after thinking about it, he nodded and left.

Yan Qing has only been here for a year, and has only really developed martial arts skills for half a year. Therefore, he doesn't have many martial arts masters above the Dark Force level under his command. Most of them are trained by Steward Cao with resources provided by his father, Yan Fengqi, over the years.

However, this time, Yan Qing had all these people taken away by Steward Cao, clearly determined to ensure Yan Fengqi's safety.

"Young Master, here is some important intelligence from recently!"

After Steward Cao left, Wanxing handed some intelligence to Yan Qing.

Yan Qing took the report and flipped through it casually. The intelligence was divided into two types: one was information reported by members of the Yan family who were protecting them. This information was quite complicated, and Yan Qing just flipped through it casually.

The other type is information collected related to martial artists.

"Recently, a large number of martial arts practitioners from the south have appeared in Tianjin..."

"Xin Rong, a true disciple of the Tianjin Xingyi Quan School, is suspected of having broken through to the Huajin level at the young age of 28..."

"Wu Feng, the grandmaster of Bajiquan in Tianjin, has accepted his eighth true disciple, named Tian Guan. It is said that he has excellent aptitude, completed the training of internal strength in two months, and perfected the Ming Jin (manifested strength) in six months. He is expected to break through to the An Jin (hidden strength) level this month..."

"Shao Mu, a master of internal energy cultivation from Tianjin, is suspected of being seriously injured; the cause is unknown..."

"Master of Bagua, Gong Baosen, has appeared in Chancheng; his purpose is unknown..."

……

Yan Qing only glanced at these reports. Most of the information was vague or based on rumors, and it was mostly about some martial arts genius or some genius breaking through.

However, he paused for a moment when he saw Xin Rong, the true master of Xingyi, and Gong Baosen, the grandmaster of Bagua.

Yan Qing thought that would be all for today, but when he scrolled to the end, he unexpectedly saw another piece of information:

"I heard that in the past two days, martial artists were selling tiger pelts and entire tiger skeletons in a market at the foot of the Taihang Mountains..."

Seeing this, Yan Qing paused for a moment, then pulled it out, handed it to Wanxing, and asked:

"When was this information obtained, and is it accurate?"

"This information came in today, but the specifics still need to be confirmed."

Wanxing glanced at it and then gave her answer.

"Have someone investigate the whereabouts of these tiger bones. Tomorrow, I'll be with you all..."

Yan Qing originally intended to say that he would go with the two women to retrieve the tiger bones tomorrow, but remembering his earlier statement about keeping a low profile, he paused and then changed his words:

"Fine, tomorrow you take a squad of soldiers to buy the goods. Remember, make sure you pay the full amount, and don't ruin your reputation."

Tiger bone is an extremely important cultivation resource because it can greatly accelerate the cultivation of Ming Jin martial artists and strengthen their bones and physique.

Although Yan Qing himself doesn't need it, he urgently needs to train a large number of martial artists, and with news of the tiger bone, he certainly can't give it up.

It's a bit of a pity that he can't go there in person.