Chapter 77

Chapter 76: Sweeping the Martial World

As they walked, Song Qingshu intentionally or unintentionally rubbed against the girl’s delicate body. To avoid being discovered, he always separated himself after a brief touch, creating a feeling of closeness and distance that made Song Qingshu feel as if he had returned to the scene of his first love in his previous life.

Shuang'er, a sensitive young girl, soon noticed this. Smelling the strong alcohol on him, she thought he was making unconscious movements due to drunkenness. Blushing, she quickened her pace.

Finally, they reached the room. As Shuang'er gently laid Song Qingshu on the bed, he suddenly reached out and tightly embraced her.

Shuang'er was furious and was about to react when she heard Song Qingshu mumble, "Miss You, your little song was really beautiful. Don't go, stay with me..."

"So he mistook me for a courtesan from a brothel..." Shuang'er thought, lost in thought. Suddenly, her face turned red as his hands began to wander over her body.

"Poof, poof, poof!" Shuang'er quickly pressed several major acupoints on his chest, then jumped off the bed, glared at Song Qingshu, and bit her lip, "Men really do become bad when they drink." She then blushed and quickly ran out.

Feeling her presence fade away, Song Qingshu opened his eyes, brought his hand to his nose, and took a deep breath, sensing the unique fragrance of a young girl. He had always considered the characters in this world as intelligent NPCs, but now he felt confused: such a realistic touch and that unique scent, could this world really be a game? But it was too realistic.

The next day, an imperial edict came from the palace, summoning Wei Xiaobao and Song Qingshu to the palace to meet the emperor. Before leaving, while Shuang'er was helping Wei Xiaobao put on his official robes, she couldn't help but glance at Song Qingshu out of the corner of her eye. Seeing his usual expression, she felt relieved, thinking that last night must have been a misunderstanding.

Song Qingshu, of course, was fully aware of Shuang'er's actions and sighed inwardly: although he had intended to test her last night, a significant part of the reason was that he had been feeling quite frustrated lately. A virgin could endure for twenty years, but for a man who had experienced the world, even twenty days were hard to bear. Thinking about the last time he had been with Zhou Zhiruo, it seemed like a long time ago...

"Your Majesty, you want to sweep the martial world under the Qing Dynasty?" Wei Xiaobao's surprised exclamation suddenly pulled Song Qingshu back to reality.

"Exactly!" Emperor Kangxi said with a serious face, "There are still many sects in the martial world who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and secretly oppose our Qing Dynasty. For example, the reason why Yuan Chengzhi's Golden Snake Corps can't be eradicated is that all the martial artists in Shandong are their eyes and ears. Also, during your mission, you were openly pursued and attacked by a group of martial artists, which is truly outrageous!"

"Indeed, these martial artists are always fighting and killing, refusing to submit to the government's rule. They do need to be disciplined," Wei Xiaobao thought of his previous embarrassing experience of being pursued and felt angry. He thought that since the Heaven and Earth Society's headquarters were in Taiwan, they wouldn't be affected by this sweep.

"But silencing the people is more difficult than controlling a river. Using such harsh measures might cause strong resistance," Song Qingshu thought that Kangxi was making a foolish move. He decided to speak his mind, hoping to leave a good impression, which might be helpful for his future plans.

"Your words are not without merit, but my decision is final. We will not discuss this matter further," Kangxi said, realizing his tone was a bit harsh. He continued, "By the way, yesterday was too rushed. You saved our Qing Dynasty's envoy and indirectly thwarted the Mongol and Shandong rebels' plot. What reward do you want?"

Song Qingshu was speechless: why did every ruler love to do this? He wanted this vast empire, but could he say it? He could only politely decline, "I saved Brother Wei purely by chance. I don't deserve any credit."

"Your Majesty, Song... Brother Song has saved my life several times from dangerous situations and is highly skilled in martial arts..." Wei Xiaobao, grateful for Song Qingshu's life-saving grace, spoke highly of him.

Kangxi had also witnessed his battle with Dongfang Bubai, though... somewhat embarrassed, he could feel that Song Qingshu's martial arts were indeed very high. He had an idea: "Song Qingshu, listen to your appointment."

Song Qingshu knew he should kneel to receive the imperial edict, but as a modern person, he was very uncomfortable kneeling. Seeing Wei Xiaobao constantly giving him signals, he looked troubled.

Kangxi was slightly displeased but thought that in the current chaotic times, any capable ruler would spare no effort to recruit talented people. A little bit of etiquette was not a big deal, so he smiled, "Xiaobao, don't make it difficult for him. Song Xiaoye is used to being free in the martial world. It's not a big deal if he's not used to the palace rules. Let him stand."

Song Qingshu looked at Kangxi in surprise, thinking that he was indeed a great emperor, showing such broad-mindedness at a young age.

"Song Qingshu, with your high martial arts and loyalty to the country... I hereby appoint you as a First-Class Imperial Guard, exempt from bowing to officials..."

All the way out of the Forbidden City, Song Qingshu was still in a daze, thinking that after all his hardships, he had only been appointed as a First-Class Guard?

Seemingly aware of his thoughts, Wei Xiaobao explained with a smile, "Brother Song, don't underestimate this First-Class Guard. It's a Third-Rank official! You've gone from a commoner to a Third-Rank official, and many people will envy you. If it weren't for the current chaos, the Emperor wouldn't have granted such a great favor."

"What rank are Zhang Kangnian and the others?" Song Qingshu asked curiously, thinking that if they were higher, he wouldn't bother with this First-Class Guard.

Wei Xiaobao chuckled, "Brother Song, I know what you're thinking. They are just the lowest Third-Class Imperial Guards. With their abilities, they can at most become Second-Class Guards in their lifetime."

"Ha ha~" The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly...

"Xiaobao, this mission is so dangerous, I want to go with you," Shuang'er pouted, looking at Wei Xiaobao.

"Shuang'er, be a good girl. This time, I have the Three Thousand Brave Riders, Dulong and his Imperial Guards, and Brother Song and the Great Wheel King, all of whom are highly skilled. There won't be any danger," Wei Xiaobao was somewhat tempted but knew that women were strictly prohibited in the army, so he couldn't say it in front of everyone.

"Since Miss Shuang'er is so concerned about Lord Wei, why not let her disguise herself as a soldier and stay by your side?" Zhang Kangnian, understanding his thoughts, suggested, and Dulong and others agreed.

Song Qingshu smiled but thought that this southern campaign to sweep the martial world would likely tarnish his reputation. Fortunately, he was only appointed as Kangxi's deputy, so all the blame would fall on Wei Xiaobao...

A few days later, the army quickly arrived at the foot of Wangwu Mountain. The local official introduced the situation of the Wangwu Sect to Wei Xiaobao in the command tent: "The leader of the Wangwu Sect, Situ Bolai, was once a general under Prince Pingxi Wu Sangui. He was dissatisfied with Prince Pingxi's surrender to our Qing Dynasty and, in anger, led a group of people to wander in the martial world, eventually settling in Wangwu Mountain..."

"Wangwu Mountain has a dangerous terrain, and the path up the mountain is guarded by well-trained subordinates, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack..." The local official said while observing Wei Xiaobao's expression.

It turned out that Situ Bolai had over a thousand subordinates, many of whom were former brave soldiers. Since settling in Wangwu Mountain, local officials had tried to suppress them, but the bailiffs and constables were no match for these battle-hardened men.

Considering that these people had no signs of rebellion, the local official feared that reporting to the court would affect his performance, so he turned a blind eye, leading to the Wangwu Sect growing stronger and even challenging the imperial army.

"Report to Lord Wei, I have already sent people to investigate. Wangwu Mountain is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we launch a direct attack, we will suffer heavy losses," a general of the Brave Riders whispered to Wei Xiaobao.

"Damn, this Wangwu Sect is clearly involved in anti-Qing and pro-Ming activities. I wonder if they have any connection with the Heaven and Earth Society?" Wei Xiaobao felt frustrated and waved his hand, saying, "Tonight, everyone should set up camp and rest. We need to carefully plan the attack on the Wangwu Sect."

The generals left, and looking at Shuang'er in her soldier's disguise, Song Qingshu and Dulong smiled similarly and tactfully...

Chapter 77: Sweet Girl

The army, numbering in the thousands, swept through the martial world, with various sects surrendering one after another. Those who refused to surrender were quickly crushed by the Three Thousand Brave Riders.

At the headquarters of the Feiyun Sect in Hebei, the sect leader knelt on the ground, trembling, while Wei Xiaobao stood in the main position, reading the imperial edict in a muddled manner.

Seeing the regret and unwillingness in the sect leader's eyes, Song Qingshu couldn't help but criticize inwardly: what was in these ancient people's minds? Accepting the imperial edict and declaring loyalty to the Qing Dynasty was just a formality. Although it might be a bit embarrassing, they didn't lose anything substantial. Why did they all act as if their ancestors' graves had been desecrated, and so many sects chose to fight a losing battle, leading to their complete elimination from the martial world...

Song Qingshu, of course, didn't understand how much these ancient people valued such formalities. During the late Ming Dynasty, the Tang and Gui royal lines even fought to the death over who was the legitimate heir to the Ming Dynasty, only to benefit the Qing Dynasty...

Once the Feiyun Sect accepted the Qing Dynasty's edict, they would never be able to join the circles loyal to the Ming Dynasty, as the saying goes, "Those who follow different paths do not plot together."

"Really hard to understand these ancient people's thinking," Song Qingshu shook his head, dispelling his thoughts, and flipped through the documents to find out which sect would be the next unlucky one. The words "Wangwu Sect" caught his eye, and he felt a sudden interest.

A few days later, the army quickly arrived at the foot of Wangwu Mountain. The local official introduced the situation of the Wangwu Sect to Wei Xiaobao in the command tent: "The leader of the Wangwu Sect, Situ Bolai, was once a general under Prince Pingxi Wu Sangui. He was dissatisfied with Prince Pingxi's surrender to our Qing Dynasty and, in anger, led a group of people to wander in the martial world, eventually settling in Wangwu Mountain..."

"Wangwu Mountain has a dangerous terrain, and the path up the mountain is guarded by well-trained subordinates, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack..." The local official said while observing Wei Xiaobao's expression.

It turned out that Situ Bolai had over a thousand subordinates, many of whom were former brave soldiers. Since settling in Wangwu Mountain, local officials had tried to suppress them, but the bailiffs and constables were no match for these battle-hardened men.

Considering that these people had no signs of rebellion, the local official feared that reporting to the court would affect his performance, so he turned a blind eye, leading to the Wangwu Sect growing stronger and even challenging the imperial army.

"Report to Lord Wei, I have already sent people to investigate. Wangwu Mountain is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we launch a direct attack, we will suffer heavy losses," a general of the Brave Riders whispered to Wei Xiaobao.

"Damn, this Wangwu Sect is clearly involved in anti-Qing and pro-Ming activities. I wonder if they have any connection with the Heaven and Earth Society?" Wei Xiaobao felt frustrated and waved his hand, saying, "Tonight, everyone should set up camp and rest. We need to carefully plan the attack on the Wangwu Sect."

The generals left, and looking at Shuang'er in her soldier's disguise, Song Qingshu and Dulong smiled similarly and tactfully...