Taiping Inn

The Jianghu is so big that there are more than just twenty-two sects of good and evil. In addition to the ten people on the Taixuan list, there are many hidden masters, and even people in the temple who are not in the Jianghu. But when it comes to the top few people in the Central Plains, there is a consensus that these five people are located in the southeast, northwest, north, south, and center, namely: Li Daoxu of the East Sea, Tan Taiyun of the Northwest, Zhang Jingxiu of the South Country, Qin Qing of the North Ming, and Xu Wugui of the World.

Among the five, Qin Qing ranked last because he had not yet entered the realm of immortality. Tan Taiyun was promoted to the realm of immortality too recently and was generally recognized to be slightly inferior to the other three immortal earthly immortals. However, there was no definite conclusion as to who was superior among the Great Heavenly Master, the Earthly Master, and the Old Sword God. After all, the Great Heavenly Master and the Earthly Master had fought several times but they had stopped at a certain point and could not determine the winner. The Old Sword God had never fought against the two of them. However, the more unified opinion was that the Great Heavenly Master had two immortal objects in his hands, while the Earthly Master and the Old Sword God only had one immortal object. If they fought to the death, the Great Heavenly Master might have the upper hand. However, these were all speculations in the martial arts world and could not be taken seriously or counted.

On the other hand, these five masters are not reckless men who fight alone. All of them are local lords with great wealth and power. In terms of their respective power, Tan Taiyun is the most powerful on the surface, but in fact, the five are almost the same. Although Qin Qing did not come forward in person like the other four, everyone knows that the reason why Zhao Zheng can dominate Liaodong, reorganize the army, and settle and guard the border is because of the strong support of a group of Liaodong tyrants. The Liaodong tyrants are headed by the Qin family. In addition, the five Liaodong clans headed by the Butian Sect, Qin Qing's status in Liaodong is self-evident. That's why some people call Qin Qing the "King of Liao" who has not been canonized by the court.

Li Xuandu didn't feel deeply about this before, until he entered Yuguan, he really felt the power of Qin Shishu. The guard of Yuguan was named Fang Zhixin, who was Zhao Zheng's confidant. The Wei court was divided into honorary officials, scattered ranks, and actual grants. Take Zhao Zheng for example. His full title was Governor-General of Liaodong and other places, supervising military affairs, food and salary, and concurrently serving as governor. He was given the title of Minister of War and concurrently served as the Left Vice-Chief Censor of the Inspection Office, Special Advancement of Guanglu Doctor, and Pillar of the State. Among them, the Governor-General was an actual grant, that is, an official position with real power. Because he had to lead troops, he was given the title of Minister of War. Special Advancement of Guanglu Doctor was a scattered rank, without real power, but symbolizing salary and treatment. Special Advancement of Guanglu Doctor was the first rank. Civil officials had a total of 42 ranks from Special Advancement of Guanglu Doctor to General Assistant Officer; military officials had a total of 30 ranks from Special Advancement of Guanglu Doctor to Zhongxian Colonel. Each rank was divided into initial grant, promotion, and additional grant. They were granted by the Ministry of Personnel's Seal Verification Department and the Ministry of War's Military Selection Department respectively. The Shangzhuguo is a meritorious official, with ten levels of civil merit and twelve ranks of military merit. The first rank is the left and right Zhuguo, and the second rank is the Zhuguo. The biggest difference from the title is that the title can be passed down to descendants, and the honor can be extended upward. Take Zhao Zheng as an example. The court conferred him a Zhuguo of the first rank, so his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather can get the corresponding title. If it is a military officer, there is also the saying of hanging seals. In the event of a major war, the generals or generals, front generals, and deputy generals will be hung, and the troops will go out to fight. When the war is over, they will return and be called generals with seals. There are three seals of generals, namely: General Conquering the Enemies, General Suppressing the Enemies, and General Suppressing the Shuo. When Qin Xiang went to the northwest as a military officer, he hung the seal of General Suppressing the Enemies.

Fang Zhixin's official position is deputy general, which is the deputy general second only to the general officer. The deputy general and the general officer, like the governor and the governor, were not official positions at first, but were temporarily added, so there was no rank, but he also held the official position of the commander, which was the third rank, and the scattered rank of the general of the country, which was the second rank. At the same time, because of his meritorious service in the war against the Golden Horde, he also had the honor of the third rank upper light car captain, which was a veritable second rank official. But such a person, after meeting Qin Su, still flattered her, and treated Qin Su as a princess. From this point of view, Qin Qing was called "King of Liao" not for nothing.

Li Xuandu was disappointed when he saw this scene, but it was also expected.

The world of great harmony and eternal peace envisioned by Confucian scholars do not exist, and Liaodong is not Li Xuandu's ideal pure land after all. But there is no pure land in the world. It is just to find a less bad one among the bad ones. Li Xuandu has always been riding a donkey to find a horse. He may never find the thousand-mile horse he wants in his life, but he still has to go on the road. It is better to ride a donkey than to walk.

At nightfall, Li Xuandu climbed up the top of the city alone, put his hands on the icy battlements, and looked at the Liaodong land on the other side. There were naturally patrol soldiers on the top of the city, but because Fang Zhixin had already greeted them in advance, they did not disturb Li Xuandu.

Li Xuandu's mood was a bit complicated at this time. He knew the purpose of his trip to Liaodong, but he was confused about where the road ahead was. The two did not conflict. Just like practicing martial arts, he created a method and began to practice according to the law, but he was not sure whether he would practice a peerless magic or go crazy.

At this moment, someone suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Li Xuandu turned his head and saw that someone had appeared beside him. He was wearing a wide-sleeved stone-blue robe, not made of brocade, but cotton with a hidden pattern. Looking at his appearance, he was already over 40 years old, with eyebrows like flying swords, and a heroic and extraordinary appearance, but there was a hint of desolation between his eyebrows. Such a man, whether in appearance or temperament, is perfect. Even the handsome Yan Feiqing, because of his young age, is far from being majestic and calm. Among the people Li Xuandu has seen, Zhang Jingxiu and Li Daoxu are already old men, leaving them aside, only Xu Wugui can be compared with him.

Li Xuandu calmed down and did not ask the identity of the visitor, but said: "I am thinking about the people of the world and the love between men and women."

The man laughed and said: "One big and one small, one public and one private, how to take care of both?"

Li Xuandu said: "I am going to meet a senior in the martial arts world. That senior is not only a lord who can influence the general trend of the world, but also my future father-in-law. Naturally, I will take care of both public and private matters."

"Father-in-law?" The visitor paused slightly: "Since you have not met him yet, and he has not agreed to this marriage, how dare you call him father-in-law?"

Li Xuandu smiled faintly and said, "Because the person I want to marry is his daughter, not this Liaodong tyrant. As long as his daughter agrees, it doesn't matter whether she meets him or not?"

The visitor said, "How can we decide our lives privately with the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words?"

Li Xuandu said, "There is nothing to fear about natural disasters, ancestors' rules, and people's words. What's more, it is the parents' orders?"

The visitor shouted lightly, "What an arrogant young man."

Li Xuandu smiled and said, "It's not arrogance, but sincerity. Sir, can you see my sincerity?"

The visitor remained silent.

Li Xuandu gently tapped the battlement and said, "You asked me just now, and now I want to ask you a question, too. May I?"

The visitor said, "You can ask as much as you want."

Li Xuandu pointed to Liaodong and asked, "If one day, the Liaodong cavalry passes through this pass and goes south to the Central Plains, what do you think?"

The visitor said concisely, "It is the general trend."

Li Xuandu nodded and asked, "Since we have to enter the pass, we must enter the capital. After entering the capital, what should we do with the old dignitaries? Should we live with them or clean up the house to welcome guests?"

The visitor frowned and said, "It depends on the situation. If the world is not settled, we must treat it well. One is to avoid making enemies, and the other is to buy horse bones with a thousand gold. As for the world after it is settled, we have to rebuild the country."

Li Xuandu said: "When you drive a nail in, you're afraid it's not strong enough, and when you pull a nail out, you're afraid it won't come out. It's easy to drive a nail in today, but it's hard to pull it out tomorrow."

The visitor didn't continue the topic, and said, "You came to Liaodong for these things? Did you marry someone's daughter to show your ambitions?"

Li Xuandu said, "The things in this world are like the water of a long river, with mud and sand in the river. How can you distinguish mud and sand from river water? People's hearts are like turbid water, with the word 'love' and the word 'profit' entangled together, who can cut them apart?"

The visitor was silent for a moment, and said, "What a great Li Zifu, you are really eloquent, I can't compare to you."

Li Xuandu said modestly, "Sir, you are too kind."

The visitor imitated Li Xuandu and tapped the battlements lightly. The battlements were intact, but this ten-foot-long wall trembled silently, and countless dust fell from the gaps.

Li Xuandu looked at the visitor and asked, "Sir, are you going to test my martial arts?"