Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist

When the army of Liang set out, the monarch and nobles of the Zheng Kingdom hastily declared Liang to be without virtue.

At this time, Liang attacking Zheng Kingdom was seen as taking advantage of others’ peril, a display of the strong bullying the weak.

However, the statements from the royal family and nobles of Zheng found no resonance in the other kingdoms.

The feud between Liang and Zheng was well known to all the countries.

Moreover, it was the Zheng Kingdom that had initially waged war on Liang not long ago, and now Liang was merely counterattacking.

As for claiming Liang was taking advantage of the situation, if Liang truly intended to do so, it could have seized the opportunity to annex the other kingdoms, but it did not.

The discourse within the Zheng Kingdom had no impact on the advance of the Liang army.

Within Liang, both martial artists and common folk were divided into two factions regarding the attack on Zheng Kingdom: the conservatives and the radicals.

The radicals supported Liang’s attack on Zheng Kingdom.

The conservatives felt that deploying only a hundred thousand troops was too conservative and thought the entire nation should go to war.

Five days later, the Zheng Kingdom fell.

No living person remained within the borders of Zheng Kingdom.

It wasn’t that Liang had massacred the common folk of Zheng; it was the Zheng martial artists and demon beasts that led to their demise. Before Liang’s army even landed, the nobles of Zheng had forcibly captured common people, forcing them to absorb the demon race’s bloodline. Most of the ordinary young and able-bodied men perished due to their bodies exploding from absorbing the bloodline of the demon race.

Those who successfully absorbed it were conscripted into the army to resist Liang’s martial artists, with predictable outcomes.

As for the elderly, sick, and weak, they were treated as blood sacrifices by the demon race within Zheng for enhancing their power.

Nevertheless, once these demon beasts saw Liang successfully land on the Zheng coast, they abandoned Zheng and fled. However, Liang had anticipated this, surrounding the entire border of Zheng in advance, and apart from a few that slipped through, the rest were annihilated.

With this, the longstanding grudges spanning a thousand years with the former dynasty finally came to an end for Liang.

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Jiangnan Dao.

Yu Yongnian had just returned with his wife to Shu Mansion when the steward hurriedly came in.

”Son-in-law, the prefect of Raozhou Prefecture heard of your return and has come to visit. The master is in the front hall hosting Lord Governor for tea.”

”Lord Governor coming for a visit?”

Yu Yongnian’s expression was peculiar. He and his wife left the Jiangnan Dao Martial Affairs Hall because they were overwhelmed by the continuous visits and overly cordial attitudes from officials, which made him uncomfortable.

He was merely a Ninth-Grade martial artist, not even an Eighth-Grade, yet the visiting officials were Eighth-Grade or even Seventh-Grade, making him uneasy, leading to his departure from the Military Affairs Department back to Raozhou Prefecture.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had he returned to Raozhou Prefecture than the Lord Governor himself came to visit.

”Haha, I said you wouldn’t be able to avoid this.”

Shu Suwan, walking out from the bedroom, couldn’t help but laugh at her husband’s predicament.

The entire Liang knew that Lin Chen had been discovered and nurtured by her husband at the Martial Hall, and Lin Chen’s gratitude towards him was widespread across Liang.

”Without Instructor Yu, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

This was written by Lin Chen in the ”Message to Junior Brothers of Jiangnan,” and given Lin Chen’s current status, her husband’s status also rose accordingly. Not only the prefect of Raozhou but even the Tao Master of Jiangnan Dao and the Hall Chief of the Martial Affairs Hall visiting wouldn’t surprise her.

”What is this?”

Yu Yongnian smiled wryly. He was a Ninth-Grade martial artist, constantly facing flattery from better martial artists, which was not overtly obsequious but centered on him, making him uncomfortable.

”Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it soon enough.”

”So, my lady means it will pass over time?”

”Yes, give it a month, and everything should return to normal.”

Shu Suwan nodded, though she left one thing unsaid: given the current situation, her husband’s power might just improve again as Liang would likely use all means to boost her husband’s strength.

Only by advancing his strength could he earn a higher position.

”Actually, they ought to visit the Jiang Mansion next door.”

Yu Yongnian remarked, even though he was Lin Chen’s instructor, Lord Jiang from the Jiang Mansion next door was Lin Chen’s future father-in-law, making them much closer.

”I heard the Jiang Mansion has long closed its doors to guests, refusing to entertain anyone.”

Shu Suwan understood the situation at Jiang Mansion, but she knew her father planned to use this opportunity to enhance the Shu Family’s influence in Rao City and wouldn’t close their doors to guests like Jiang Mansion.

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Linhu Village in Poyang County.

The calm remained unbroken, with several Grade-Entering Martial Artists specifically arranged by Jiangnan Dao guarding the village perimeter, prohibiting unauthorized entry.

Apart from the visit by the Tao Master of Jiangnan Dao and the Hall Chief of the Martial Affairs Hall, along with the prefect of Raozhou Prefecture and the Director of Raozhou’s Military Affairs Department, no one else had been allowed to enter after visiting Lin Chen’s parents.

The Imperial Court made such arrangements, knowing Lin Chen’s parents were ordinary people, to avoid disturbing their lives excessively.

Though outsiders couldn’t come, in the past two years, many families maintained a good relationship with the Lin Family, and families like Lu Yongfeng’s had always kept in touch with them. They naturally took this opportunity to enter the village and offer congratulations.

Even distant relatives come visiting when one gets wealthy deep in the mountains.

Over the past two years, some distant relatives of the Lin Family, who hadn’t been in contact before, also started interacting with them, all rushing to visit, keeping the Lin Family busy with hosting these guests and relatives.