220: Chapter 100, Volume Two, The End!

Meng Li didn't pay much attention to Guo Jing's disbelief that the Great Desert would take the opportunity to invade the Song Dynasty to the south.

Because whether the other party believed it or not, it didn't matter much.

However, the matter of the Great Desert invading south could not be ignored.

Leaving Nanshan Village, Meng Li did not return directly to Shanyin County, but instead went to Linan Prefecture to see Zhao Guicheng, briefly explaining the matters concerning Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke, while also informing him of the possibility of the Great Desert moving south after destroying the Jin Dynasty.

After hearing this, Zhao Guicheng hurriedly went to the palace.

The current Emperor took this very seriously, which left him no choice but to take it seriously.

If the Great Desert truly marched south and the Song Dynasty was unprepared, it was highly likely the country would fall.

At that time, he would become a monarch whose nation was destroyed, and both his achievements in life and his reputation after death would be ruined.

To prevent things from developing to that stage, he had to take precautions.

Meng Li felt slightly relieved knowing that the Song Dynasty was making preparations, but he still felt it wasn't entirely safe, as the Song Dynasty was inherently weak.

Thus, he decided to travel north.

"Why the sudden decision to go north?" Mu Nianci asked, confused.

Meng Li gave a cryptic answer: "Just in case."

Mu Nianci didn't understand, but out of trust, she didn't press further.

Some time later, the Great Desert destroyed the Jin Dynasty and then truly took advantage of the situation to march south, heading straight for Linan Prefecture.

But the Song Dynasty was prepared early, and fighting a defensive battle within the city negated the cavalry's advantage. Furthermore, the Great Desert army had traveled a long distance, so the situation was completely unlike the swift victory the latter had anticipated; instead, they were repeatedly blocked.

Even so, the overall situation remained that the Great Desert was strong and the Song Dynasty was weak.

At the critical moment, a major event occurred in the Great Desert Royal Court—the fall of a Prodigy!

Rumor had it that he had waged too many wars, causing widespread devastation, and Heaven could not bear to watch, sending down thunder and fire as punishment.

As soon as this news broke, the rear of the Great Desert fell into chaos.

The descendants of the Prodigy leading the Great Desert army south were forced to retreat.

The Song Dynasty's immediate crisis was temporarily resolved.

Meng Li, who controlled the thunder and fire and 'executed Heaven's will,' received the news, left the Great Desert with Mu Nianci, and disappeared without seeking fame or recognition.

However, the two still did not return to Shanyin County but headed toward Mount Hua.

This was because the Hua Shan Sword Conference was about to begin.

As a grand Martial Forest gathering held only once every twenty years or so, it naturally attracted many people.

Along the way, Meng Li and Mu Nianci encountered many skilled Jianghu experts, some of whom they recognized.

For example, Old Man Liang, Sha Tongtian, Hou Tonghai, and Master Lingzhi.

These four were deeply impressed by Meng Li's methods, even suffering psychological trauma. Seeing him and Mu Nianci from afar, they actively avoided them and did not formally greet them.

Meng Li and Mu Nianci also held no affection for them; after a glance, they paid them no more mind and continued on their journey.

As they got closer to Mount Hua, the acquaintances they met grew more numerous.

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen and the Jiangnan Six Monsters.

By the time they reached the foot of Mount Hua, they ran into Old Imp, Medicine Master Huang, Hong Qi, Guo Jing, and Huang Rong.

This made Meng Li sigh inwardly that the Jianghu was just a circle, and the higher one climbed, the smaller the circle became.

The next day, everyone ascended Mount Hua together.

Halfway up, they encountered a group of people with a peculiar lineup.

A white-haired woman wearing a bright blue long dress.

A white-robed monk with a long beard.

The remaining four were dressed as a fisherman, a woodcutter, a farmer, and a scholar, respectively.

When Meng Li saw them clearly, he understood; these six must be Ying Gu, Yideng, and Yideng's four Disciples: Yu, Qiao, Geng, and Du.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Old Imp.

Old Imp first froze, then his expression changed drastically, and he turned to run.

How could Ying Gu agree? She hurriedly chased after him, shouting: "Tong, don't go! I've finally found you, I've looked for you so hard!"

Old Imp didn't respond, but instead ran faster.

Ying Gu sped up her pursuit.

One fleeing and one chasing, the two quickly ran down Mount Hua.

Seeing this, everyone present, except for Meng Li and Yideng, was stunned.

Immediately afterward, The Seven Masters of Quanzhen exchanged bewildered glances.

A moment later, Hong Qi cupped his hands toward Yideng and greeted him: "Great Master Yideng, long time no see. I hope you've been well."

Yideng returned a Buddhist salute: "Amitabha, many years have passed. Brother Qi, your demeanor is unchanged."

Medicine Master Huang, however, was a bit bewildered: "Royal Lord Duan, why did you become a monk?"

Yideng replied: "Past events fade with the wind; no need to mention them. Royal Lord Duan is long gone; now I am just the monk Yideng."

Hearing this, Medicine Master Huang recalled the reactions of Ying Gu and Old Imp and vaguely guessed something, so he didn't ask further.

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen and the Jiangnan Six Monsters, along with the others, were curious but couldn't interject.

Soon after, Yideng exchanged a few words of reunion with the two before taking his leave.

He came only to help Ying Gu find Old Imp, to settle the old grievance from that year, and had no intention of competing for the title of the world's number one.

Hong Qi and Medicine Master Huang felt a little regretful but did not insist on him staying.

Next, the group continued up Mount Hua.

Upon reaching the summit, the Hua Shan Sword Conference officially began.

Medicine Master Huang glanced at the people present, and without a word, he immediately started playing the Azure Sea Rising Tide Melody.

Hong Qi joined in by playing his sheng.

Meng Li took out a suona from his personal space and started playing 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'.

All three infused their Internal Energy into their respective music, engaging in a contest.

Invisible sound waves scattered, and the Jiangnan Six Monsters, Old Man Liang, Sha Tongtian, Hou Tonghai, and Master Lingzhi—this group was the first to be unable to withstand it and reluctantly withdrew.

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen persisted for a while before also retreating.

Next was Huang Rong. She had some understanding of sonic attacks, but her skill was shallow, forcing her to Move away.

After them came Guo Jing and Mu Nianci.

Finally, only Meng Li, Medicine Master Huang, and Hong Qi remained on the field.

Seeing this, Meng Li immediately increased his output. Relying on his deeper Internal Energy and the unique timbre of the suona, he decisively overpowered Medicine Master Huang and Hong Qi.

Medicine Master Huang and Hong Qi admitted defeat, feeling both amazed and helpless.

Amazed at the depth of Meng Li's power, and helpless about the instrument the other party chose.

The suona—the ruffian among musical instruments.

After one round of competition, the two realized their Internal Energy was inferior to Meng Li's. They then switched to comparing their Moves, where they were also defeated.

Afterward, Hong Qi stroked his short beard and sighed: "The waves behind drive the waves ahead. This Old Beggar is truly getting old."

Medicine Master Huang also said: "Talented people emerge in every generation; each dominates the scene for decades."

Thus, Meng Li became the new World's Number One.

With the result of the Hua Shan Sword Conference decided, Meng Li stayed for a short while before separating from Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and the others, taking Mu Nianci back to Shanyin County.

Several years later, the reigning Emperor of the Song Dynasty passed away, and a new monarch ascended the throne.

Meng Li was a bit stunned when he received the news.

Because the new monarch who ascended the throne was actually Zhao Guicheng!

Then, Meng Li was enfeoffed as a Prince!

It was only when he went to Linan Prefecture to receive the enfeoffment and chatted with Zhao Guicheng that he understood the throne situation was related to court struggles.

The former Crown Prince, Zhao Hong, was at odds with the powerful Chancellor Shi Miyuan.

When the current Emperor died, Shi Miyuan feared that if Zhao Hong took the throne, he would be purged. So, he colluded with the late Empress Dowager to forge an imperial edict from the late Emperor, deposing Zhao Hong and establishing Zhao Guicheng as the new Emperor, changing his name to Zhao Yun.

Meng Li was speechless for a long time.

First, he provided assistance that acted like cheating, then he gained a peerage for free, and now he reaped the benefits as the Emperor ascended the throne.

This Luck was no weaker than Guo Jing's. Could it be that his 'cheap elder brother' was the true Son of Luck?

After finishing the story, Zhao Guicheng—no, he should be called Zhao Yun now—cleared his throat lightly: "You once said that one should manage the affairs of the office one holds. Now I am the Emperor of the Great Song, and you are the Martial King of the Great Song. Isn't it time to do something?"

Meng Li glanced at him and asked: "What do you want to do?"

Zhao Yun said: "First, set a small goal: attack from south to north and reclaim all lost territories."

Meng Li pondered for a moment and replied: "I am not skilled in warfare, but I can recommend two people to you."

...

A few days later, two imperial edicts were sent separately to Nanshan Village and Peach Blossom Island.

Not long after, Guo Jing and Yang Kang gathered at the Martial King's residence where Meng Li was staying.

After meeting, Meng Li cut the pleasantries short and tossed two booklets to the pair.

"The Essentials for Breaking the Jin?!"

"Yes, it also has another name: the Wu Mus Testament."

Guo Jing and Yang Kang: "?!"

A moment later, the two left as if they had found a priceless treasure.

Mu Nianci, dressed in the attire of a Princess Consort, walked over: "They have never led troops. Can they succeed?"

Meng Li smiled: "To repel external threats, one must first secure internal stability. The matter of the Northern Expedition must wait until the court's problems are resolved. The time required during this period is enough for them to grow."

In the original story, Yang Kang and Guo Jing also received the Wu Mus Testament.

Yang Kang was clever and quickly put what he learned into practice.

Although Guo Jing was not as quick-witted as Yang Kang, he had Huang Rong as his strategist.

Therefore, Meng Li was not worried.

...

Two years later, Yang Kang and Guo Jing, fully prepared and supported by Zhao Yun, led the army on the Northern Expedition and achieved swift victories.

In less than five years, all the lost territories of the Song Dynasty were recovered, and the nation's strength continuously grew, attracting tribute from various states, recreating the prosperity of the Han and Tang Dynasties.

As for these achievements, Meng Li, one of the behind-the-scenes orchestrators, paid them no mind.

He felt he had done what he needed to do, so he found an opportunity to slip away, found an island in the East Sea to renovate, and lived in seclusion there, spending his days with Mu Nianci, raising their children, and studying Martial Arts.

Occasionally, when he felt like it, he would travel with his whole family...

Volume Two, The End!