e only to ignite with ferocity. They brandished their swords, faces contorted in savage glee as they hacked down."An'er, be careful!"In the rear, Xue Baosheng watched as Xue An fought valiantly again...On the river, several large ships sailed forward against the howling north wind.

At the bow of the ship, Xiao He and Zhang Liang stood together.

Last night, I have to thank my father-in-law again, otherwise...

"General Xiao, there's no need for formality." Zhang Liyang smiled and waved his hand, but the movement caused the wound on his back to ache, making the corner of his mouth twitch. "Protecting Your Highness is my duty, you needn't thank me."

"General Xiao, do you know who the enemy attacking is"

To my shame, I don't know either," Xiao He Shan shook his head. That night, Xiao He Shan gathered all the dead shadows and examined them, but found nothing.

As for the figure in black armor, upon seeing that things were beyond saving, he withdrew. Otherwise, Xiao Heshan wouldn't have been able to run to Mu Yinghua's room so quickly to plead guilty.

As soon as he thought of this, Xiao Heshan couldn't help but glance at the young eunuch beside him once more.

From Mu Yinghua's room, two bodies were dragged out at the time. At first, Xiao Heshan didn't pay much attention, but when Xiao Heshan began to check the bodies one by one, he realized something was wrong.

The curled-up body, the cracked skin, and those eyes burned to charcoal made even Xiao He Shan's heart skip a beat.

"Such a domineering martial art!"

"What terrifying firepower!"

He glanced again at Zhang Liyang beside him, and a trace of shock remained in Xiao Heshan's eyes to this day.

"I have already ridden as fast as possible to inform the magistrate of Xiangcheng, and I estimate that someone will come to the dock tomorrow to take those bodies away for investigation."

"Hmm," Zhang Liyang nodded. "But I think we should still inform the palace about this, after all, those shadows did say that Princess Huqing is the target."

"Don't worry, I've already sent someone back with the message."

This assassination was clearly premeditated, because they knew exactly who the target was and where they were!

To assassinate the current princess, most complicit in rebellion!

"The road ahead, I estimate, will not be smooth." Zhang Liyang smiled wryly and shook his head, then turned to Xiao Heshan, "General Xiao, I have a request, I wonder..."

"Anything Master Zhang has to say, please feel free to speak."

"That's right. Although I have some cultivation, I lack practical combat experience. So I was wondering if General Xiao could send someone to teach me."

"Haha, no problem, I've got this."

In a last-ditch effort, Zhang Li Yang sought advice from Xiao He Shan on practical battlefield strategies.

Judging from the assassination attempt, the road ahead will not be peaceful. Zhang Liyang must therefore improve his abilities.

Cultivation is not something that can be achieved overnight, so Zhang Liyang could only start from practical combat.

Xiao He Shan, as expected of a military man, acted with incredible efficiency. As soon as Zhang Li Yang voiced his request, Xiao He Shan had already cleared a patch of ground.

"Father-in-law, come here!"

"How dare I trouble General Xiao…"

"It's no trouble at all," Xiao He Shan waved his hand. "I'm free anyway, let me accompany my father-in-law in practice."

"Good." Zhang Liyang saw Xiao Heshan insist and stop talking nonsense. He walked directly to the open space, "General Xiao, what should we do"

"Just attack me with all your might."

OK, I'm coming.

Saying it was all-out effort, Zhang Liyang wasn't a fool. He wouldn't use the Fire Emperor's minor divine ability, and he only used seven out of ten of his strength.

It's just for training in actual combat, there's no need to use everything you have.

Phew!

A gust of wind howled as Zhang Liyang, a man from the Yang region, arrived before Xiao He Mountain like a sharp arrow. He struck a palm toward Xiao He Mountain's chest.

Tap!

A palm shot upwards, deflecting Zhang Liyang's strike. In the same instant, a single hand thrust forward, arriving at Zhang Liyang's chest and lightly tapping it.

Although this palm strike was light, Zhang Liyang was stunned in place.

If this was a fight to the death, Zhang Liyang would have already died!

"Haha… Grandfather, there's no need to be discouraged. I've come from battlefields and the pits of hell, so my experience will naturally be a bit more than yours."

"As long as he practices more, with his grandfather's talent, he'll catch up soon enough."

Although Zhang Liyang knew Xiao He Shan was right, being instantly defeated like that still made him a bit hard to accept.

Whew!

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Liyang adjusted his mindset, then raised his palm again and charged towards Xiao Heshan.

Chang Liyang and Xiao Heshan battled on deck for almost the whole day until sunset, when they finally called it quits.

Xiao HeShan couldn't be considered a qualified teacher. He wouldn't teach Zhang LiYang how to strike or dodge, he would only counterattack when Zhang LiYang attacked him.

The kind that's a one-hit kill!

To be honest, this kind of teaching is really discouraging because no matter how you attack, the result is always a one-hit kill.

But Zhang Liyang would always get back up quickly after being knocked down and continue his attack.

Zhang Liyang, who has lived two lives, deeply understands a truth: if you don't want to be controlled by fate, you must learn a skill, a skill that allows you to survive and turn the tide.

Especially in this world, although Zhang Liyang has only been here for a short time, he has already deeply witnessed the scene where human life is as fragile as grass.

Whether it's the prison of the imperial guard or last night's raid!

Bang, bang, bang!

On deck, two figures grappled with each other.

Their struggle wasn't like the fisticuffs in martial arts circles, with acrobatic movements and a flurry of techniques. It was simply a matter of basic punches and kicks.

But this simple waving of the hands and feet conceals a hidden danger that only experts can see, because all of it is aimed at delivering a fatal blow to the opponent.

Despite his aching body, Zhang Liyang remained focused. He parried and dodged Xiao Heshan's attacks with one hand while waiting for an opportunity to strike back. Although he was ultimately defeated by a close-range attack from Xiao Heshan, Zhang Liyang lay on the ground laughing happily.

"Your father-in-law is truly gifted. I am in awe of him!"

Xiao He looked down at Zhang Liyang lying on the ground, and with utmost seriousness, bowed to him.

Although Zhang Liyang still failed, in the end, Xiao He Shan's back was gently patted by Zhang Liyang!

That palm strike wasn't fatal, but it was the first time Zhang Liyang had hit Xiao Heshan all day.

Gritting his teeth against the aches spreading throughout his body, Zhang Liyang bowed to Xiao He Shan. "Thank you, General Xiao, for your guidance," he said.

"Shall we continue tomorrow"

"Haha... Continue tomorrow!"

On the deck, Xiao He watched Zhang Liyang leave. Suddenly, he thought to himself, "If this man wasn't an eunuch, would I have one more friend"

With a slight shake of his head, he suppressed the idea. Xiao He also discreetly rubbed his arm.

On the surface, Xiao He Shan seemed like nothing was wrong, but only Xiao He Shan himself knew that his arms had gone completely numb.

"This father-in-law's martial arts are truly powerful."

Xiao He Shan, who had a slightly sly expression, would probably not be so calm if he knew Zhang Li Yang only used seven points of effort.g at a dead man.Bang!As expected, a muffled groan escaped him. This master from the Xue family trembled violently before everyone's eyes. Then, they saw a fist-shaped protrusion suddenly appear on his...