The Counterattack of the Villains

When Li Mu and Ruan Xingzhu went to Tianlong Temple, Azi brought Wu Yong, Zhu Dian, and Lei Heng to the Zhennan Palace.

Duan Zhengchun was not only the King of Zhennan of Dali, but also the general who protected the country. He was in charge of the Dali Shence Army, so there were soldiers on duty outside the Zhennan King's palace.

Seeing four young men and girls approaching with long swords in their hands, a soldier took a few steps forward to meet them, clasping his fists and saying, "This is the Zhennan Prince's Palace. What do you have to do with these young knights?"

Although the Duan family of Dali is a royal family, because he comes from a martial arts family in the Central Plains, he has always dealt with people in the world according to the rules of the world.

Although Azi was in charge among the four, it was Wu Yong who stepped forward to answer at this moment.

He cupped his fists and returned the salute, and said loudly: "A member of the Changkong Sword Sect of the Great Song Dynasty is here to send a greeting card to the leader of our sect. Please inform me."

The soldiers on duty were shocked. Li Juxia, the leader of the Changkong Sword Sect, was coming to visit Zhennan Palace? That was a big deal.

The soldier did not dare to be negligent. He stretched out his hand sideways and said: "Please invite some young heroes to serve tea at the concierge. I will inform you immediately."

"Good work."

Several people were politely invited to the concierge, and soon a servant served them fragrant tea.

Not long after, Zhu Danchen came to the concierge and invited the four people in.

After all, it was only a few Changkong disciples and not Li Mu who came in person, so Duan Zhengchun naturally did not have to go out to greet him in person, so sending Zhu Danchen was already a big deal.

When Ah Zi and the other two followed Zhu Danchen to the palace hall, Duan Zhengchun was greeting them at the door of the hall.

Dao Baifeng, Mu Wanqing, Chu Wanli, Fu Sigui and Gu Ducheng were also present and stood behind him.

"Several young heroes have come to visit me. I'm sorry to hear you come from afar, but I hope you'll forgive me."

After hearing Duan Zhengchun's usual polite greetings, Ah Zi tilted her head slightly, looked at him and said crisply: "Since you knew you were missing someone to greet him from afar, why didn't you go out to greet him in person just now?"

As soon as she said these words, Wu Yong and others secretly laughed, knowing that the junior sister was deliberately causing trouble.

However, both Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu have extremely high tolerance when facing beautiful girls.

Seeing Ah Zi's innocent and cute look, Duan Zhengchun and others didn't care about her rudeness.

Duan Zhengchun chuckled and said: "Because I have to make arrangements to entertain all the young heroes! I haven't asked a few distinguished people for advice."

Ah Zi looked at Duan Zhengchun with a smile and said, "My name is Ah Zi, my surname is Duan, and my father is Duan Yanqing. According to generations, I should call the prince my uncle."

The expressions of Duan Zhengchun and others changed drastically. Dao Baifeng looked at her with complicated eyes, feeling a little panicked.

This is Yu'er's real half-sister. He is really coming. I wonder how he will treat me?

Yu'er said that he would not expose this matter for the time being, but that was only for the time being.

Now he is visiting the palace with the leader of the Changkong Sword Sect. He is here for the throne and has reached the last moment.

If Yu'er's identity is really revealed, she will not survive.

When Mu Wanqing heard Ah Zi reveal her identity, a sense of intimacy suddenly appeared in her eyes. This was her future sister-in-law!

Compared to Duan Zhengchun, she is actually closer to the Changkong Sword Sect.

Not only because Duan Yanqing is Duan Yu's biological father and his future father-in-law.

The most important thing is that he made her and Duan Yu happy, which Duan Zhengchun could not do no matter what.

Duan Zhengchun asked cautiously: "I wonder what Miss Azi has learned here?"

His name was Miss Azi, and he did not address her by name or call her his virtuous niece, which showed that he did not acknowledge this kinship.

Azi didn't care either. She didn't pay attention to these so-called relatives in Dali at all, and she didn't even pay attention to them.

She tilted her head slightly and called "Senior Brother". Wu Yong took out a post from his arms, stepped forward and handed it to Duan Zhengchun.

Duan Zhengchun took the post and opened it, his expression suddenly became solemn.

The main message written on the post is: Tomorrow at noon, the leader of the Changkong Sword Sect, Li Mu, will lead his eight hundred disciples to visit the Zhennan Palace.

The bad intentions of the visitor were overwhelming, because if it was just a friendly visit, why would he bring 800 disciples with him?

Duan Zhengchun looked at Ah Zi seriously and said, "May I ask, young lady, if your father will come with us?"

Ah Zi said: "Of course, the prince has no idea why my father is here?"

Duan Zhengchun does not recognize this relationship, and she does not call her uncle, only prince.

Duan Zhengchun naturally knew what he was doing, and secretly sighed in his heart. It was a blessing, not a disaster, but it was a disaster that could not be avoided. The worst that could happen would be that soldiers would come to block it, or water would come and earth would cover it up.

"You guys have come a long way to work hard. I've prepared some food and wine to help you with the wind and dust. Please."

Ah Zi smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to give me face like this. Just let these two sisters and this scholar brother take us there. Your Majesty, you should go and do your own business!"

Two sisters?

Mu Wanqing looked at Dao Baifeng beside her, and it was quite funny. When she said "sister", she unintentionally made her a generation higher.

Duan Zhengchun was stunned and asked in confusion: "What am I busy with?"

AhZi said matter-of-factly: "It's time to send messages, and it's time to mobilize people! Aren't you afraid that we won't be able to reach an agreement and start a fight, and you will suffer a loss?"

"..."

Duan Zhengchun and the four ministers felt quite speechless. This girl's confident attitude made them feel a little aggrieved.

Duan Zhengchun smiled bitterly and said: "It's not too late, let's help a few of you first!"

Ah Zi said nonchalantly: "It's up to you!"

Duan Zhengchun winked at Chu Wanli, and then personally led Ah Zi and others to the side hall.

Dao Baifeng, on the other hand, excused herself from feeling unwell and went back to the room instead of going to the side hall with them.

Chu Wanli had a tacit understanding with Duan Zhengchun. After the group left, he immediately sent his men to Tianlong Temple to report the news to Duan Zhengming. At the same time, he went to invite Dali Sangong and Shanchanhou Gao Shengtai.

Gao Shengtai was in charge of Dali's 10,000-strong Royal Forest Army, and Duan Zhengchun was in charge of the Shence Army, which also had 20,000 people.

These 30,000 soldiers and horses are the direct army of the Duan clan of Dali, and they are also the elite and foundation of the Dali country.

But if a war really breaks out, with the addition of local soldiers and barbarians, Dali can also muster an army of 200,000.

The Baiyi tribe represented by Dao Baifeng alone can attract 70,000 to 80,000 horses. This is why Duan Zhengchun married Dao Baifeng.

If the Changkong Sword Sect really wants to go out in full force, start a war with the Duan clan in Dali, defeat the 30,000 elites in Dali City, and seize the power of Dali, there is no problem.

Because the Changkong Sword Sect can also recruit ten thousand capable disciples, plus two thousand outer disciples, eight hundred inner disciples, and five hundred elite disciples.

Even with a strong frontal attack, he could kill thirty thousand Dali elites without leaving a single piece of armor behind.

What's more, the Changkong Sword Sect doesn't have to fight against the Royal Forest Army and the Shence Army. The role of martial arts masters in war is like that of special forces, who have always used beheading tactics.

But the throne seized in this way is absolutely unstable, just like Yang Yizhen back then.

Therefore, Li Mu did not intend to seize the throne by force, but chose to use force to coerce him. As long as Duan Zhengming, Gao Shengtai and others were not stupid, they would never choose to resist stubbornly.

"Miss Azi, don't you have a brother? Why would your father let you do such a thing?"

At the banquet, after Duan Zhengchun offered Wu Yong and others a glass of wine, he suddenly asked Azi this way.

AhZi, who was chatting with Mu Wanqing while eating, heard this and glared, and said to Duan Zhengchun, "Does Your Majesty look down on women?"

Duan Zhengchun laughed and said, "Of course not. Anyway, if I had a daughter, I would definitely not be willing to let her run around."

Ah Zi curled her lips and said, "So if you are asked to raise a daughter, you will definitely raise a loser."

"In my father's words, it's just a vase. It has no use except to look good. It will break if you drop it. Fortunately, Sister Wan'er didn't grow up beside you."

Mu Wanqing added the knife and said: "Not to mention the daughter, even the son was almost raised like a vase."

"Uh..." Duan Zhengchun was stunned. He found that he really couldn't refute this, because it seemed to be the truth.

After refuting Duan Zhengchun, Azi added: "I have no elder brother or younger brother, only a few sisters, so what? Who in the world dares to look down on us?"

Duan Zhengchun's eyes lit up. Ah Zi's words were the situation he really wanted to induce.

It turns out that Prince Yanqing has no sons, which means that even if the throne is given to him, it will still be passed to Yu'er in the end, which is really wonderful.

Duan Zhengchun chuckled and said, "That's natural. Who in the world dares to look down on the disciples of the Changkong Sword Sect, regardless of whether they are male or female?"

…

To Duan Zhengchun's relief, just after noon, Duan Zhengming came back with Duan Yu who was already safe and sound.

After Ruan Xingzhu absorbed all Jiumozhi's internal energy, Jiumozhi was eventually seriously injured and died soon after.

The people he brought did not enter the Muni Hall and did not know the inside story. They only knew that Jiumozhi came to Tianlong Temple to obtain the scriptures, but his skills were inferior to others and died under the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

Then one by one, they took Jiumozhi's body back to Tubo, as if they were mourning for their heirs.

As for whether they can successfully return to Tubo, it's hard to say.

Li Mu and Ruan Xingzhu immediately said goodbye and left, making an appointment to meet at noon tomorrow.

After returning to Dali, Duan Zhengming immediately summoned a group of important officials and told them exactly what happened in Tianlong Temple.

After everyone listened, they all fell silent. With the martial arts and power displayed by Prince Yanqing, if Dali insisted on resisting to the end, there would be no chance of winning.

Maybe he won't be able to secure the throne, but by then, I'm afraid all of them will be dead, and Dali will also decline.

Duan Zhengchun said helplessly: "If it really doesn't work, we can only abdicate the throne to Prince Yanqing. Fortunately, he has no son, and the throne will still fall into Yu'er's hands in the end."

"And by doing this, we can also make good friends with Li Juxia. With the support of the Changkong Sword Sect, it will be beneficial to Dali without any harm."

Duan Zhengming nodded in agreement, looked at Gao Shengtai and others, and said, "What do you think?"

Gao Shengtai asked: "Has Prince Yanqing said anything about how he plans to govern after he takes the throne, and whether he will make any changes to the court?"

Duan Zhengming said: "This matter has not been made clear yet. This is what needs to be discussed with Prince Yanqing tomorrow."

"The situation is stronger than the people. This throne must be abdicated. The only thing we can do is to ask Prince Yanqing not to act recklessly."

Everyone sighed when they heard this. Their fate will depend on tomorrow.

…

At noon the next day, when Li Mu and Ruan Xingzhu brought eight hundred Changkong disciples to the Zhennan Palace, they did not see a single soldier stationed around the palace except for the soldiers on duty.

Li Muzi was very satisfied with this. It seemed that the ministers in Dali were very wise and did not make any stupid decisions.

This is why he is so powerful now. If he were alone, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he might be greeted by thousands of troops today.

Brothers Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun personally took Duan Yu and others to greet them outside the gate. Naturally, Ah Zi and his party were also there.

The two brothers looked left and right, but did not see anyone who looked like Li Juxia. Li Mu was not in a hurry to tell the truth, but just suggested to go in and talk.

Duan Zhengchun looked at Ruan Xingzhu with some doubts in his eyes, and he always felt as if he had seen her before somewhere.

But after all, twenty years had passed, and there were no serious entanglements at that time. Naturally, he couldn't remember clearly, but he just felt that Ruan Xingzhu looked familiar.

Entering the palace, among the eight hundred disciples, only Chao Gai and a few disciples, together with Ah Zi and others, followed Li Mu and his wife into the hall, while the others were waiting in the vast courtyard outside.

After entering the hall, Li Mu glanced at Dao Baifeng who lowered his head and did not dare to look at him. He didn't say anything and sat down without saying anything.

Ruan Xingzhu looked at it carefully and secretly praised Dao Baifeng's beauty. Her appearance and her dress did look a bit like Guanyin Bodhisattva.

"I dare to ask brother, what important matter does Li Juxia have? Why..."

Hearing Duan Zhengming call him brother, Li Mu knew that Duan Zhengming had made a decision, and he couldn't help but feel good, and started to think of a joke.

"Based on my relationship with Li Juxia, my arrival is equivalent to his arrival."

"This..." These words made Duan Zhengming a little unsure of how to respond.

Mu Wanqing, who was standing behind Duan Zhengchun, couldn't help but said: "What is your relationship with Li Juxia? Can you represent him in everything?"

Although according to the current situation, Mu Wanqing is not qualified to speak.

But Duan Zhengming and others knew that she was a country girl who didn't understand the world. Seeing that Li Mu didn't mind, they didn't say anything. This was also a question they wanted to know.

Li Mu smiled at her and said, "Li Juxia and I have the closest relationship in the world, so good that we can wear the same pair of pants."

"What's his is mine, and what's mine is his. We can share everything, even my wife."

This sentence was quite shocking, and Duan Zhengming and the others looked at him with horrified faces.

Ruan Xingzhu turned her head and looked out of the hall, the smile on her face could hardly be hidden.

Azi and Chao Gai's faces were also flushed, and they had to work very hard to hold back their laughter.

But Li Mu grabbed Ruan Xingzhu's shoulders and said seriously: "Actually, this is Li Juxia's wife, Ruan Xingzhu, who is known as the 'female swordsman' in the world, but at the same time, she is also my wife."

If those words just made everyone shocked, then they would all be petrified by now.

It is true that two brothers marry the same wife in this world, but this kind of thing happens in very poor or isolated places, where the population is not prosperous and there are few women.

With the status of Prince Yanqing and Li Juxia, it is naturally impossible for those problems to exist. Is their relationship really so good?

When Duan Zhengchun heard about Ruan Xingzhu's origin, he naturally thought of Lu Xi. A flash of lightning flashed in his mind, and he finally remembered where he had seen Ruan Xingzhu.

The look he looked at Ruan Xingzhu was a bit strange. So, he had unintentionally made plans for Li Juxia and Prince Yanqing's wife back then?

He was very happy in his heart. Fortunately, Li Juxia and Prince Yanqing were not around at that time, otherwise maybe the saplings on his grave could have been used as beams.

"Ku..."

A muffled laugh suddenly sounded from behind Li Mu. Li Mu's face darkened, he slowly stood up and turned around, looking at Azi and the others with their heads down and suppressing a smile.

"Is it funny? Don't forget, you are all elite disciples of the inner sect who have been carefully selected and have practiced peerless martial arts. No matter how funny it is, you shouldn't laugh."

After saying this, he turned around, sat down again, and added, "Unless you can't help it."

"Pfft...chuck..."

"Kukuku..."

AhZi held her belly and bent over laughing. Her sweet and delicate laughter filled the hall, mixed with the suppressed laughter of Chao Gai and others.

Even Ruan Xingzhu couldn't help but smile from the bottom of his heart, covering his mouth and shaking his shoulders violently.

"..."

Duan Zhengming looked at the boys and girls who were laughing together, and felt that his head was full of mush now.

Duan Yu suddenly looked at Li Mu with wide eyes, stood up suddenly, looked at Duan Zhengming and others who were all confused, smiled bitterly and said: "Uncle, father, haven't you turned the corner yet?"

"Li Juxia and Prince Yanqing are basically the same person. He is Prince Yanqing and he is also Li Juxia!"

suddenly see the light.

The Duan Zhengming brothers were dumbfounded. Gao Shengtai and others felt that they should be angry because Li Mu was teasing them like this, but they couldn't.

They also saw that Li Mu's move was actually to ease the atmosphere and get closer to His Majesty and the Prince, so they made a harmless joke.

They are brothers of the same race after all! Their hearts suddenly felt relaxed.

Duan Yu was even more pleasantly surprised. It turned out that his biological father was really a great man who served the country and the people.

Duan Zhengming laughed and shook his head: "Brother, you are really... very funny."

Li Mu looked at Duan Zhengming and said, "If you are willing to call me brother, then we are all members of your family. If anything happens between brothers, just discuss it behind closed doors."

"Joking aside, let's talk about business now. When I return to Dali this time, I must get the throne back."

"This has become an obsession of mine. If it cannot be resolved, it will be of no use to my martial arts practice. But once I return to the throne and my thoughts are clear, it doesn't matter how long I sit there."

"Even if it's just a formal Zen position, it will be fine if all the officials pay homage to me once they wish."

"As long as you add my name, Duan Yanqing, to the lineage table of Dali emperors in the future, it will prove that I existed."

After hearing what Li Mu said, Duan Zhengchun, Gao Shengtai and others were overjoyed, but you should have said this earlier! It made everyone nervous.

However, they immediately thought that the main purpose of Li Mu's move was that he wanted to see the attitude of himself and others.

Obviously, their attitude satisfied him very much, which is why they were so easy to talk to. Otherwise, Dali would have shed some blood.

Duan Zhengming asked: "Is this really all my brother wants? In fact, with my ability, I will definitely do better than me. Dali will definitely prosper under my management."

Li Mu shook his head and said: "I am really not humble with you on this point, but when you have reached my level of martial arts, what you pursue is different."

"What I seek now is to climb the peak of martial arts and see the scenery from higher places. Worldly power has no meaning to me."

After listening to his words, Duan Zhengchun and others were completely relieved, only Duan Zhengming was a little melancholy.

Among all the people, he was the only one who sincerely hoped to give the Zen throne to Li Mu and let him govern the Dali Kingdom. He went to Tianlong Temple to become a monk and practiced martial arts diligently and practiced the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

In a sense, he and Li Mu are actually the same kind of people, completely different from Duan Zhengchun and others.

Compared to the throne, he prefers martial arts training, otherwise he would not have given up on martial arts practice even after becoming emperor.

This is something that even Duan Yanqing in the original plot admires very much.

…

After understanding Li Mu's request, Duan Zhengming and others immediately made arrangements.

Li Mu, on the other hand, followed what he said before and asked Chao Gai to lead eight hundred disciples to secretly go to Tubo and assassinate important Tibetan figures.

All logistical and intelligence support was borne by the Dali Kingdom. In addition, Chao Gai and the others could support the war with war, so there was no big problem.

This operation can not only solve the Tibetan problem, but also train the disciples. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone. Even if there are some casualties, it is still worth it.

Regarding this matter, everyone in the Dali court raised their hands to support it.

Tubo is the country that poses the greatest threat to Dali. If they are defeated, Dali will no longer have to worry about threats from the west.

Half a month later, once all the necessary matters were prepared, Duan Zhengming formally proposed at the court meeting that the Zen throne be given to Li Mu.

The court officials have already been informed and will not say anything more.

Li Mu finally put on the dragon robe, and after the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, he officially became the emperor of Dali, changed his name to "Shenwu", and was worshiped by hundreds of officials.

During his first court meeting, Li Mu decreed that Ruan Xingzhu be consecrated as queen, his four daughters as princesses, Ruan Xiong as the country's father-in-law, and Ruan Baiming as the country's uncle.

Of course, it’s just a name, just for fun.

However, although it was just for fun, their identities were nothing in the Song Dynasty, but when they came to Dali, these identities were real and everyone would recognize them.

In addition to these, he appointed Duan Yu as the crown prince of Dali, but after he abdicated, Duan Yu did not need to succeed immediately. Duan Zhengming would still temporarily take over the throne, and when the time was right, he would pass the throne to Duan Yu.

In this way, Li Mu played the role of emperor for a short half month, slept with Ruan Xingzhu on the dragon bed for a few days, and then announced the Zen throne and Duan Yu, proclaimed himself the Supreme Emperor, Ruan Xingzhu became the Queen Mother, and returned the power to Duan Zhengming. 1

This made all the civil and military officials in Dali laugh and cry. Duan Zhengchun was also speechless. Li Mu proclaimed himself the Supreme Emperor. What will he do next?

Fortunately, all this is not meaningless. It has an inseparable relationship with the Changkong Sword Sect, which has greater benefits than becoming a vassal of the Song Dynasty.

Ruan Xingzhu had also talked with Dao Baifeng in private these days. Ruan Xingzhu was only grateful to her for what happened back then.

If it hadn't been for her, Li Mu might have ceased to exist, and she wouldn't have this wonderful husband today.

Li Mu also said that he would not tell anyone the truth before Duan Zhengchun passed away, and Dao Baifeng was extremely grateful for this.

Duan Yu proposed to Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun that he would follow Li Mu back to the Changkong Sword Sect, study with him for a few years, and then come back to inherit the throne when the time is right.

The two brothers were naturally happy to see this happen and agreed wholeheartedly. In order to satisfy him and Mu Wanqing, Ruan Xingzhu also decided to accept Mu Wanqing as his disciple and take her back to the Changkong Sword Sect for teaching.

After being far away from Dali, to put it bluntly, even if the two of them were killed and had a child, there would be no problem.

While Li Mu was resolving Duan Yanqing's obsession in Dali, the turmoil in the Central Plains regarding the way of giving back to others became more and more intense, and Qiao Feng's wheel of fate began to turn.