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It was mid-February. That afternoon, Li Mu accompanied Nie Yunzhu shopping, and Yuan Jin'er followed behind them like a dog-skin plaster.

These days, she was very conflicted. She was jealous of Nie Yunzhu's internal strength and wanted to learn it from him, but she was also aware of the requirements for learning the Great Music of Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth. Wouldn't she be in a hurry to give away her innocent body?

Although Li Mu was very outstanding and she didn't say it, she still admired him very much, but she had been keeping herself clean all these years. She always felt that it was not right and too hasty to give herself up just to learn internal skills.

He has been struggling with this and follows Nie Yunzhu like a little tail every day.

Several people were walking along the street by the Qinhuai River. The area was quite lively. Not only were there passers-by like them strolling around, but there were also many merchants coming and going. There were people walking through the street leading horses, and there were also fully equipped escort teams of merchants, escorting carriages and horses in a mighty procession.

It is early spring now, and the willow trees by the Qinhuai River have not yet sprouted, but some birds have already flown over and are singing melodiously along the riverside. From time to time, pleasure boats pass by, and the sound of music and singing can be heard.

Yuan Jin'er suddenly pointed to the beautiful painted boat approaching and said, "Look... it seems to be the boat of Mingyufang. I wonder if it is Yin Xue or Huaping..."

A few people turned their heads and looked. They saw the exquisite and elegant pleasure boat sailing on the Qinhuai River, which had a pleasing style.

"Jin'er is quite knowledgeable." Li Mu said with a smile.

Mingyuefang was also a brothel in Jiangning, and it was quite famous. Yin Xue and Huaping were its signature girls.

Yuan Jin'er snorted and said, "Do you think everyone is as ignorant as you? Just ask the scholars in Jiangning City and see how many of them don't know."

Li Mu laughed and said, "I am ignorant. I should go to brothels and pleasure boats more often in the future."

Yuan Jin'er rolled her eyes at him: "It's up to you, Yunzhu will worry about it, I don't care!"

Li Mu laughed.

As the pleasure boat slowly approached, apart from the sound of singing and dancing, the passionate voices of several scholars could be heard. It was hard to make out clearly, but they were probably arguing about something in the north.

Yuan Jin'er suddenly remembered something, looked around, and whispered, "Have you heard about it? It is said that the Black Water Alliance in the seventh year was a plan set up by Qin Siyuan for the Jin and Liao countries, and the contradictions between the Jin and Liao countries were also planted at that time."

Li Mu smiled and said: "Oh! How do you say..."

Yuan Jin'er showed a proud look, glanced at Li Mu, and continued with her chin raised: "It is said that the Black Water Alliance seven years ago did not need to be so harsh. The total amount of annual tribute added up to almost double. Seeing that my Wu Dynasty is so generous, the Liao people also agreed that the extra annual tribute can be offset by ceramics, treasures, and various luxury goods."

"Since the Black Water Alliance, the Liao Kingdom has become more and more hedonistic in recent years, especially the nobles, who have become more and more arrogant and extravagant. The demand for these rare and luxurious items has been increasing. It is said that in recent years, our dynasty has been buying a lot of them. This is one of the effects of the Black Water Alliance."

"In addition, when the Black Water Alliance was signed, the Jin Kingdom was also considered to be growing stronger. It had repeatedly requested trade rights from the Liao Kingdom but failed. The two countries had frictions from time to time, so they designed to send a large number of luxury goods as bait to provoke disputes between the two countries and benefit from it."

"I heard that there was black market trade between our dynasty and Jin a few years before the Black Water Alliance was signed. After the Black Water Alliance was signed, the imperial court not only paid tribute to Liao, but also secretly shipped a large amount of porcelain, antiques, luxury goods... and even rouge and powder to Jin."

"There is even a rumor that for this plan, the government selected a batch of items from the palace and sent them out..."

Li Mu said: "Jin'er knows a lot."

Yuan Jin'er said, "Of course, I know a lot! I also know that during the peace talks between Jin and Liao, Liao made great concessions. Liao Emperor Yelu Yanxi even canonized Wanyan Aguda as the Great Saint Emperor. He not only recognized Jin, but also recognized the land and population seized by Jin. Liao Emperor Yelu Yanxi was willing to take such a big step back, Jin should be satisfied, and the north might not fight anymore."

Li Mu said: "That's not necessarily true!"

Yuan Jiner said, "Why not? How long did it take for the Jin Kingdom to grow from a tribe to such a large country? The speed was too fast and the foundation was not solid. It needs some time to sort out the country and lay a solid foundation. The Liao Kingdom has been defeated repeatedly by the Jin Kingdom in recent years and has lost so many places. With our dynasty eyeing us covetously in the south, it will not start a war unless it feels that its military strength has surpassed that of the Jin Kingdom and our dynasty."

Li Mu said: "What you said does make sense. Take the Jin Kingdom for example. Its territory and population have expanded dozens or hundreds of times over the years, and it is still expanding. It is not without problems internally. On the contrary, there are many problems, but they are suppressed by the rapid expansion externally."

"According to the thinking of our Central Plains Dynasty, since the Jin Kingdom has negotiated with the Liao Kingdom and gained so many benefits, it should stop while it is ahead and take this opportunity to sort out its internal problems, lay a solid foundation, and slowly look for opportunities in the future."

"But this is the situation and style of the Central Plains Dynasty. They are a fishing and hunting nation, and their ideas and concepts are different from ours. They don't like to stop when they see a good opportunity, and they like to take unconventional actions. They have not been taught by saints, and they don't have any morality. As long as they see an opportunity, they will take a bite."

"Don't expect them to follow the rules, especially the barbaric Jin Kingdom, which has just developed from a tribe. It seems that they have reached peace with the Liao Kingdom, but as long as they can digest their current territory and have the ability to launch the next war, they will not hesitate to start the war again."

Yuan Jin'er said, "So, there will be another war in the north soon. Can't we just avoid it?"

Li Mu nodded and said, "It will be difficult for the North to have peace in the next few decades!"

"However, there are ways to achieve peace. Whether it is our dynasty, the Liao Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, or other countries, as long as we eliminate all other countries and completely unify all surrounding areas, there will naturally be no war."

Yuan Jin'er's eyes widened: "Which country has such strong power? It's impossible."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Maybe!"

A few of them chatted and laughed, discussing the situation in the north all the way, and unknowingly walked to a very elegant teahouse nestled in the mountains and beside the water.

"Li Heng!" Someone on the second floor of the teahouse suddenly called out with a smile.

Li Mu looked up and saw that it was Qin Siyuan. He smiled and said, "Mr. Qin, I heard that your doorstep has been almost broken down recently. How do you have time to come out?"

Qin Siyuan pointed at him and smiled: "You... there are indeed many people visiting our home recently, so why don't I have time to come out? Can't I just go out and have some free time?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "Of course you can go wherever you want."

The two of them joked for a while, and Qin Siyuan said, "There are many talented people here today. If Li Heng is interested, come up and sit for a while."

Before Li Mu could speak, Yuan Jin'er beside him said, "Great! I'm thirsty after walking for so long, so it's a good time to go in and have some tea and snacks."

Li Mu could only nod and lead the two women inside.

The teahouse was quite spacious and elegant. Upon learning that there were private rooms on the second floor, they asked the waiter to lead the way and went upstairs.

This private room is beautifully decorated and well located. Sitting by the window, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Qinhuai River. The room is also elegantly and quietly decorated, with several potted plants placed in the room and several ink paintings of poems hanging on the wall, creating a scholarly atmosphere.

When everyone sat down in the room, several maids immediately served them tea and snacks. Yuan Jin'er was probably really hungry, so she didn't hesitate to sit down, took a sip of tea, and started eating a piece of snack.

After settling Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jiner, Li Mu was about to leave the private room to meet Qin Siyuan, but Yuan Jiner put down her snacks and snorted, "Are you going to meet those talented men? You men, what do you mean by a gathering of talented men? There must be a lot of women there, and maybe many of them are top girls."

"It's called a gathering of talented people, but in my opinion, they just get together to show off in front of women. Do you want Yunzhu and I to go and cheer you up later?" Li Mu glanced at Yuan Jiner unhappily and said, "You little bitch, you are angry. It was you who wanted to come to the teahouse to rest just now, and now you are talking about these things. Are you itching for trouble? I'll go back and treat you tonight."

Yuan Jin'er raised her head and said proudly, "Who's afraid of who? I'm not afraid of you! Come over here at night and try..."

Li Mu said with a half-smile: "You want to learn internal skills. If you really want to learn, I will teach you when I go back tonight."

Yuan Jin'er's face instantly turned red, and she stamped her feet and said, "I'm not going to pay attention to you anymore."

Li Mu laughed and walked out of the private room. He was about to go to the small hall where Qin Siyuan and others were having a party, but he saw someone looking at him furtively from the corridor not far away. Li Mu suddenly remembered something: Qin Siyuan should be assassinated during this period.

Although the time and place have changed, the assassination itself has not changed. Qin Siyuan has finally managed to get out of his home. If someone really wants to assassinate him, they will not miss this opportunity.

Thinking about it, he walked towards the sneaky man. The man turned out to be a tall and burly man. Judging from his clothes, he should be from the north. When Li Mu walked over, the man just entered a private room a few feet away.

With his inner strength, he calmed his mind a little and the sounds in the private room came into his ears.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Such an opportunity is really rare..."

"Is it too hasty this time..."

"How can we avoid being hasty? We should cut the Gordian knot and start as soon as possible. Once we are done, we should leave the city immediately..."

……

After listening to the conversation in the room, Li Mu confirmed that it was indeed the assassination of Qin Siyuan. In theory, with his martial arts skills, it would not take much effort to take down these people quietly.

But, we can't do that.

Firstly, although the two have a good relationship now, the future is uncertain. Although they are not enemies, their positions are bound to be opposing.

Secondly, once he started fighting, his unique martial arts would be exposed. It was not that martial arts could not be revealed, and being an ordinary master was nothing. He did not hide the fact that he had martial arts skills, but he could not show it so powerfully. He could explain his talent, after all, he had been studying since he was a child. But he could not explain his unique martial arts, which could not be achieved by practicing casually.

Qin Siyuan was a smart man. Once his curiosity was aroused and he asked someone to investigate secretly, Li Mu's secret cultivation of power might be exposed. As a loyal minister of the Wu Dynasty, if he knew that Li Mu was secretly raising troops, he would inevitably develop resentment and even start a war.

This was not what he wanted to see. The two could actually be friends, just like the friendship between gentlemen. Qin Siyuan was actually a good person. If they really fell out because of their positions, it was not what Li Mu wanted to see.

After thinking about it, Li Mu saw one of Qin Siyuan's personal guards, waved his hand to call the man over, and told him what happened. The man's expression instantly became solemn, clasped his fists and saluted Li Mu, then hurried to the small hall, probably to report to Qin Siyuan.

In just a moment, Qin Siyuan, accompanied by two guards and several talented people, went down the second floor and walked towards the lobby on the first floor.

On the other side, the door of the private room opened silently, and a nobleman in fox fur walked out, glanced at him, and walked downstairs, followed by a tall and thin man, who also walked downstairs.

Before the two people in front walked downstairs, the door opened silently again, and several people walked out again. The first one was the burly man who had just entered.

The other two were also quite tall, wearing fur coats and short clothes. One of them had a scar on his face, and the other was a little fat, but he also looked strong and sturdy.

Before the three men went downstairs, a fight had already started downstairs. There was a loud bang, and a table was suddenly slammed into the air and exploded. All kinds of debris flew in the dust. There were many guests in the lobby on the first floor, and they were all startled and scattered in all directions with a bang.

There was a sudden chaos in the teahouse.

The three people behind heard the noise, roared, and jumped directly from the second floor. They instantly fought with Qin Siyuan and his two personal guards, as well as the servants and guards brought by the talented men.

Yuan Jin'er and Nie Yunzhu heard the noise and ran out. They were also stunned to see the fight going on below. Everything was fine when they came just now, but it has become so chaotic in just a few minutes.

Yuan Jin'er looked at the long sword in Nie Yunzhu's hand with envy. Nie Yunzhu has been practicing the Jade Girl Pure Heart Sword recently and never leaves the sword every day. Seeing the chaos in front of him, he couldn't help but clench his sword.

Although her martial arts skills were quite good, she had never fought before, so she was inevitably nervous for a moment.

At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from downstairs: "Old thief Qin, watch me kill you!" In the chaos, the most burly man shouted loudly, knocked away a servant who was blocking in front of him, and slashed at Qin Siyuan with a knife. The guards blocked it desperately, but they were already confused.

These five assassins were all very skilled in martial arts. Except for the two guards Qin Siyuan who could fight them on equal terms, many of the remaining servants and guards brought by the talented men had already fallen, and some had even lost their courage.

After all, two fists are no match for four hands. If the situation continues like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out for long.

Li Mu turned to look at Nie Yunzhu: "Do you want to go down and try the sword?"

Nie Yunzhu suppressed the tension in his heart and clenched the sword in his hand: "Okay!"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Don't worry, no one can hurt you with me here."

Nie Yunzhu nodded, gritted his teeth, used his lightness skills, and jumped down first. The tall and thin man with a sword among the five people saw him, swung his sword and rushed forward, and the two of them fought in an instant.

Nie Yunzhu's swordsmanship is exquisite, and the tall and thin man has rich fighting experience. For a while, the two are evenly matched.

Li Mu then flew down, drew his sword, and faced the man with the highest martial arts skills and the largest physique. He did not use any other martial arts, but only used the Yangwu sword technique to fight with the big man.

The Yangwu Sword seemed slow and didn't seem to have much power. Li Mu just used it casually and suppressed the big man. But he didn't want to expose his martial arts too much in public, otherwise it would take more than two swords to kill the man.

Two of them were taken away, and two of the five were taken away. The remaining three quickly fell into a disadvantage facing Qin Siyuan's two personal guards and a large group of servants guarding the house.

As Nie Yunzhu's swordsmanship became more and more mature, the tall and thin man was finally injured and captured, and Li Muyue took the opportunity to capture the big man.

Everyone worked together and quickly captured the remaining three people.

The assassination was finally declared over.

(End of this chapter)