Chapter 80

In the grand hall of the General's Office, General Hu was speaking eloquently, but Lin Sha's mind had long wandered away, lost in thought...

At this moment, he had already reached the level of internal martial arts' hidden strength, and the training of his limbs and muscles had been ongoing for some time with significant results. He could be considered a peak practitioner at the initial stage of hidden strength, just waiting for the completion of his limb and bone training to directly break through to the intermediate stage of hidden strength!

He truly hoped to meet the supreme martial arts master, the Venerable Nine Difficulties, from the world of "The Deer and the Cauldron" as soon as possible. If possible, even engaging in a test of skills would not be out of the question.

Uncertain about the level of internal martial arts' hidden strength in this martial arts world, he was eager to have a renowned expert to spar with and verify his skills, so he could adjust his future training plan accordingly!

The fighting spirit in his heart was now burning fiercely!

...

It is said that last year, Kangxi, along with a group of young eunuchs and attendants, overthrew the powerful minister Ao Bai.

Not long after, the name of Wei Xiaobao, the Deputy Director of the Imperial Guards, began to spread throughout the official circles.

There was no choice; a Han Chinese entering the official circles as a Deputy Director of the Imperial Guards, a second-rank official, was unprecedented in the entire Qing Dynasty. The imperial favor he received was so great that even the Manchu nobles could not compare.

Old Wu had not yet made preparations to rebel against the Qing, so he was particularly attentive to the developments in the capital. A figure like Wei Xiaobao, the Deputy Director, could not be ignored, and it was said that the crown prince Wu Yingxiong had a good relationship with this Wei Director, though the specifics were unknown.

When Lin Sha first heard the name of "Deputy Director Wei," he did not have much of an emotional reaction. Just a clever, smooth-talking street urchin, if you took him too seriously, you would be the one to lose.

Perhaps Kangxi found Wei Xiaobao's speech amusing, his flattery knew no bounds, and he was not as stiff and boring as the other officials. Moreover, he was capable and could be kept around as a court jester for entertainment.

This guy, who had mixed with the common people, was adept at reading people and had excellent skills in making money and spending it lavishly, truly fitting in like a fish in water in the Qing official circles.

Lin Sha had seen many such people in modern times. When he first started in underground boxing, he had no shortage of experience with the lower echelons of society. Although Wei Xiaobao's character was not bad and he was loyal to his friends, Lin Sha did not want to form a deep relationship with such a smooth-talking character, as a slight misstep could lead to trouble.

Moreover, he was under the command of the Pingxi King, Old Wu, and had nothing to do with Wei Xiaobao, who might even become an enemy in the future. There was no need to go out of his way to curry favor.

Unless he wanted to change his allegiance, Lin Sha naturally did not want to serve under Kangxi, kneeling all day long, which he found disgusting. Currently, he saluted his superiors with a military salute under Old Wu's command and held considerable power in Kunming, so why should he go elsewhere to be a slave?

...

By the time he left the General's Office, the sun was high in the sky. He declined the invitations to banquets from his colleagues, mounted his horse, and led a group of capable soldiers back home. He also instructed his subordinates to inform the camp commander outside the city to keep the troops under control, as there would be significant developments in Kunming soon, and anyone who angered the higher-ups would face severe consequences!

Upon returning to his residence, he immediately learned that the young and plump Hu Dasha had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Ha, Lin Sha, I have some good news for you!"

Seeing Lin Sha enter, the young and plump Hu Dasha did not get up but laughed and said something that left Lin Sha puzzled.

"What, does Young Master Hu have some good news for me?"

Lin Sha was not angry, but he laughed and sat down opposite Hu Dasha, taking a small bite of a delicate pastry on the table and casually asked, "Is it related to the return of the crown prince Wu?"

"It has nothing to do with him!"

The young and plump Hu Dasha waved his right hand and leaned in with a smile, whispering, "Didn't you always want to spar with a Cangshan Sect expert? Now you have the chance!"

"What, is this true?"

Lin Sha was overjoyed and quickly put down the half-eaten pastry, his face full of eagerness as he asked.

It was no wonder he reacted this way. Previously, he thought that with his promotion and increased power, he would have more opportunities to interact with Hu Guozhu, and he could connect with the Cangshan Sect experts guarding General Hu, then take the opportunity to propose a sparring session or even further, to learn some basic knowledge of internal martial arts from them.

But now he realized that he had been too naive...

Indeed, with his rank as a third-rank Commander and a fourth-rank Colonel, commanding three battalions, he could be considered a mid-level power player in the Yunnan army.

He had more opportunities to interact with General Hu, and as long as there were no unexpected events, he almost had to report to the General's Office every day. Occasionally, he would be invited to stay for a meal to deepen their relationship, so there were plenty of opportunities to meet.

Unfortunately, having more opportunities to meet General Hu did not help much. The Cangshan Sect expert personally dispatched by the Pingxi King was unwilling to engage with him, and he could not force the issue.

Previously, he had hinted to General Hu several times that he hoped to spar with the experts around him, preferably those dispatched by the Pingxi King.

General Hu did not object to this, as Lin Sha's reputation as a martial arts enthusiast had already spread. However, he also pointed out that since they were dispatched by the Pingxi King and were responsible for his personal safety, he could not force them to comply. Lin Sha would have to approach and negotiate with them himself.

With the help of the young and plump Hu Dasha, he had become familiar with the Cangshan Sect guards around General Hu. They could greet each other and chat a bit when they met, but that was about it.

However, every time he actively challenged them, they ignored him. Eventually, they avoided him altogether, and Lin Sha was at a loss.

Later, after asking the young and plump Hu Dasha, Lin Sha learned the reason for their reluctance, which left him both amused and frustrated. At the time, he had just entered the hidden strength stage and had not yet delved deeply into it, so he still appeared to be at the peak of external strength.

The problem was that his appearance, which could easily mislead experts, made the Cangshan Sect guard unwilling to spar with an external strength practitioner, as it would not benefit his internal strength training and could damage their relationship.

What could Lin Sha say? He could only close his door and practice in frustration.

Never did he expect that the young and plump Hu Dasha would suddenly visit today, informing him that the Cangshan Sect guard around General Hu was willing to spar with him. His mixed feelings were understandable.

Given his relationship with the young and plump Hu Dasha, there was no need to hide his doubts, so he directly asked what the guard's intentions were.

The young and plump Hu Dasha laughed heartily, patting his round belly, and only revealed the truth when he saw Lin Sha's displeasure: "He said your external strength has reached a certain level, and you have started to transition from external to internal, showing significant improvement recently..."