Qin Zhao wielded his sword, with the name "Mao Ling", defending the vast and peaceful territory of Southern Dynasty, protecting thousands of families in the north from the suffering of war, and also shocking the enemy generals who heard about it.

  The sword in his hand was also a famous sword, called "Zhan Lu". It is said that in ancient times, the king of Yue, Goujian, ordered Ou Yezi to cast five famous swords, among which "Zhan Lu" was the best. It gathered the essence of heaven and earth, and had a divine spirit when it was unsheathed. Those who wore it had an aura of majesty, and could cut through silk and pass through metal as if it were mud. There was no match for it in the world.

  This "Zhan Lu" sword was obtained by my ancestor of the Murong family under a coincidence, originally to be passed down to the eldest son, but my older brother is weak and not suitable for martial arts practice, "Zhan Lu" has been in his hands for years, just like an ornament.

  He was infatuated with martial arts since childhood and became obsessed, seeing this sword as a treasure, often spending years in his brother's room, begging to borrow the "Zhanlu" to practice, when he was ten years old, his brother once jokingly said, in ancient times there were Yang Shi and You Xian who stood in the snow to seek the Tao, why don't you also stand in front of my door for a night, I'll give you this "Zhanlu", wouldn't that be a great story of "standing in the snow to seek the sword"?

  It was just a joke, but someone immediately put down the hot horse and ran to the door in big strides without saying another word.

  It was then in the midst of a severe winter, and inside the capital city, snowflakes were dancing in the air, and water droplets had turned into ice.

  The older brother was startled and rushed out to pull him, but he stood in the snow that was over a foot deep and refused to budge. The older brother repeatedly told him not to stand there, and immediately gave him this "Zhan Lu".

  A small boy, yet with just a raise of his eyebrow, said, "The things I like, I must obtain them myself in a bright and upright manner."

  The sky was cold and the ground was frozen, and in a short while, Yu Bian's lips were already purple from the cold. Da Ge was so scared that he couldn't do anything, so he had to send someone to invite Father and Mother over. Mother was heartbroken, scolding Da Ge on one hand and coaxing Yu Bian on the other, but no matter what she said, he refused to listen, determined to stand there all night to exchange for that "Zhan Lu". Father looked at him quietly for a long time before speaking up, saying, "Let him have his way. This is how the men of my Mu Rong family should be."

  His father had said so, and his mother and the crowd of family members could no longer continue to speak out in refutation, they could only take a thick fox fur warmer from the house for him, and he stood all night in the cold snow.

  That night, no one in the entire mansion could sleep soundly. As soon as it dawned, Eldest Brother was the first to rush out with "Zhan Lu", feeling both ashamed and worried. By that time, Lin had been frozen stiff and couldn't utter a word. He stared at "Zhan Lu" and forced a slight smile on his lips before heavily crashing down.

  That time, he lay in bed for a whole month, and even the doctor couldn't help but say that this child's willpower was too strong, to be able to stand up all night in the icy snow, how much self-control and perseverance it took to stay awake and not fall down.

  This thing, to this day, my mother still often mentions it with a mixture of jest and sighs. Every time she talks about it, she can't help but feel both love and hate for her youngest son. He was exceptionally clever from a young age, mastering everything he did, which naturally made him the most favored by his parents. However, his unruly nature and explosive temper, like that of a demon king when enraged, have always been a source of great frustration for my mother.

  Now, I gaze at the figure in white clothes, sword in hand, standing elegantly in the distant courtyard, and can't help but smile wryly. If Mother were to find out, I wonder what kind of worry and annoyance she would feel.

  Just as he was thinking, he saw a flash of sword light in the distance. "Zhan Lu" had already been drawn from its scabbard, followed by a crisp sound, which was the voice of "Mao Ling" welcoming battle.

  In the days when I was with Su Xiu Mian, although I didn't learn swordplay, I had watched him practice his sword moves. He would demonstrate a move and then explain it to me in detail. As time passed, even though I didn't know how to use them myself, I could still see some of the underlying principles.

  He had been learning from a famous master since he was young, and he was willing to practice hard. Every move and every style were extremely exquisite and unparalleled, elegant and lively, looking like a real dragon. Qin Zhao's swordsmanship was much simpler, without any fancy or beautiful movements, the sword momentum was steady, clean and efficient, often one move could subdue the opponent.

  Both were skilled with swords, and for a moment, "Mao Ling" and "Zhan Lu" were evenly matched. The surrounding soldiers watching the fight couldn't help but show surprise and admiration on their faces. In Nan Chongyang's eyes, a spark of excitement had also lit up - it was the loneliness of being in a high position that had finally found a worthy opponent to match with.

  It was unclear how much time had passed, but as the onlookers let out a low cry of surprise, Zhan's "Zhan Lu" sword pierced into Qin Zhao's left arm, while the blade of "Mao Ling" was already pointing directly at Zhan's throat.

  She was dazed for a moment, and Qin Zhao had already slowly withdrawn his sword.

  I couldn't wait any longer, and I quickly ran towards the courtyard. Nan Xiangyao didn't stop me, and as soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard a clear and crisp voice: "It's my loss."

  Qin Zhao casually pulled down his sleeve to wrap around the wound on his shoulder and said calmly, "You just lack actual combat experience, it has nothing to do with the level of your sword skills."

  Her face showed no signs of disappointment, but instead revealed a hint of joy, her voice once again clear and resonant: "Lost is lost, there's nothing to say. I should have stopped here, but now I must find my sister. For the offense, Murong Liu will come later to apologize."

  While speaking, he again mentioned "Zhan Lu" and was about to rush inside. I hastily called out to him: "Mu Rong Liu."

  He heard my voice, turned his head abruptly, and after seeing me dressed in men's clothing, he was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing loudly. His originally tense expression also slowly relaxed.

  "What are you laughing at? Come down from your horse and take a look at the trouble you've caused. You're such a big person, how can you still be so willful like a child?"

  I was originally pretending to be angry, but when I saw the dust all over him and the fatigue that he couldn't hide on his face, my heart softened, and I couldn't bring myself to say any blaming words.

  He came all the way here, rushed thousands of miles to get here, and forcibly broke into the government office in Ye City, all because he was worried about me.

  He looked me up and down before finally relaxing his expression and smiling: "Fortunately, you're fine. I rushed day and night to get here quickly, so I won't hold it against you."

  I looked at him for a long time, but in the end didn't say anything. I grasped his hand and said softly, "Let's go, I'll take you to meet His Highness first."

  "He suddenly seemed to remember something and his expression turned serious: 'Second sister, wait for me for a moment.'"

  I didn't understand, but he had already let go of my hand and turned around to walk towards Qin Zhao.

  He pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his waist and tossed it to Qin Zhao, saying loudly: "This is Zi Yu Qing Jian Gao, the best wound medicine. If you hadn't spared my life, I should be using it myself, so it's only right that I give it to you."

  Qin Zhao held the Qinghua porcelain bottle and didn't decline with a gesture, but instead lightly clasped his fist in thanks.

  There was a hint of heroic affection in both of their eyes.

  He saw him pick it up, smiled, and then strode out of the government office with a carefree step.

  The surrounding soldiers, although still unaware of my and Wei's identities, saw that I had come out from the inner court, and Qin Zhao no longer blocked Wei. For a moment, they all looked uncertain, not knowing what to do.

  Qin Zhao slightly nodded and raised his hand, signaling them to leave. While he walked straight to a person with blood flowing from their arm and solemnly made a fist salute.

  I recognized the man, it was the guard who blocked me and Shuying outside the government office in Ye City that day. My heart sank as I realized that most of his injuries were inflicted by this little demon king's whip when he tried to stop him.

  He hastily took a few steps forward, and with an open face, he sincerely apologized to the man: "Brother, just now I was worried about my sister's safety, so I lost my temper and rushed in without thinking, which led to your injury. Since you won't fight back, I can't be at peace, so I'll punish myself with a whip as an apology!"

  Before his words had fallen, he raised his right arm and swung the horse whip heavily on his left arm, without any hesitation, leaving no room for recovery, exactly like the wound of that guard, only fearing it would be even more severe.

  I had barely let out a cry of surprise when I pressed it down firmly, my heart aching, but at the moment I didn't look at his wound. Instead, I walked forward, holding back calmness and smiled at the guard, saying: "As for today's matter, I hope this big brother won't mind him, and take more responsibility."

  The guard saw my face and was still in doubt, suddenly respectfully saluted behind me: "Your Highness, General Qin."

  I turned around and signaled for Yu Shang to come forward and pay respects to Nan Xiangyao together.

  I knew that because of me, he had always been somewhat critical of Nan Chengyao. However, at this moment, probably due to his own sense of guilt, he stepped forward and bowed to Nan Chengyao, saying: "Greetings, Your Highness. Mu Rong Liu has trespassed into the forbidden area without permission, knowing that it was wrong, and is willing to accept punishment."

  Nan Chengyao smiled carelessly: "In my governance, rewards and punishments are always clear-cut. Although you are not my subordinate, you have disrupted military discipline. Even if you are my wife's brother, you cannot be exempt from punishment."

  Murong Yu didn't even frown, and replied crisply: "Naturally, but I will accept whatever punishment Your Highness deems fit. Murong Yu will not utter another word."

  Nan Chengyao looked at him, still speaking in a light tone: "Now that the Northern Hu has invaded, within the borders of Mo Bei, not one of our Southern Dynasty's brave warriors has not fought to the death. The day of the final battle is already imminent, yet facing the Northern Hu's nationwide forces in this war, we are still short-handed. You are Chancellor Murong's beloved son, a treasure worth a thousand gold, if I were to order you to charge into the fray, I don't know whether the Chancellor would have any objections?"

  Although his face already showed an irrepressible excitement, he still managed to maintain a calm demeanor and bowed with a loud voice: "Serving the country is a man's responsibility. If my father knew about it, he would only thank Your Highness for giving me this opportunity. Moreover, as the crown prince, you are leading by example, so why shouldn't I, Murong Liu, put on armor and join the battle with the brave warriors of Southern Dynasty to resist the Northern Barbarians?"

  Nan Chengyao nodded slightly and continued, "You have no military achievements, nor any real combat experience. I can only arrange for you to start from the lowest rank of soldier. Otherwise, it would be difficult to convince others. Of course, this is also the most dangerous position, truly charging into battle, leading by example. Are you still willing?"

  Murong Yu's face turned solemn, he knelt down on one knee and clasped his fists: "Murong Yu is here to receive your orders, I swear to defeat the Northern Barbarians!"

  Nan Chengyao's eyes showed a hint of approval, and he turned to ask Qin Zhao beside him: "Let's assign him to your team, what do you think?"

  Qin Zhao had been silent all along, and upon hearing this, he raised his eyes to look at Wei, their gazes meeting as they smiled slowly at each other.

  One is refreshing and lasting, while the other is clear but fleeting.

  Qin Zhao turned his gaze and replied solemnly to Nan Chengyao, "Thank you, sir. With this one person, Qin Zhao's wish is fulfilled. The day of defeating the barbarians can be awaited."

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