In the Tokyo Forbidden Palace, Emperor Zhao Ji of the Song Dynasty, who had met Hu Yuan under the pseudonym "Zhao Changsheng", looked hesitant. He raised a memorial in his hand to the man who had been accompanying him when he was in Fanlou and asked. : "Liang Qing, do you think I should agree to this?"
Although he reused Cai Jing, Gao Qiu and other treacherous ministers, he mostly used them to balance the power in the court. If he really trusted them, they were Liang Shicheng and Tong Guan, two eunuchs who had served him for many years. After entering the palace in their early years, these two people had extraordinary talents, so they had the opportunity to practice the secret martial arts of the Song Dynasty.
After they spent thirty years to integrate what they had learned, Liang Shicheng created his own "Sunflower Collection", and Tong Guan created his own "Tiangang Tongzi Kung Fu", and successively advanced to the subtle realm with the help of the magical skills they created.
Now that Tong Guan has been released by Zhao Ji to lead troops in the northwest to fight against Xixia, Liang Shicheng has been kept by his side as the last barrier to protect himself.
On the surface, although Liang Shicheng had many titles on his head, in the final analysis he was just a guard and subordinate to the emperor, and seemed far less prestigious than Tong Guanfeng, who led the Privy Council and held military power.
In fact, it was precisely because he was often around Zhao Ji, and Zhao Ji had a laid-back temperament that he often delegated government affairs to Liang Shicheng. He promoted and dismissed many officials with just one word. Even Cai Jing, who was the prime minister at the time, needed help from him. Be careful of flattery.
In official circles, people called Cai Jing the "public prime minister"; in private, including Cai Jing, they called Master Liang the "hidden prime minister."
At this moment, when he heard Zhao Ji asking for his opinion, Liang Shicheng pondered briefly to show that he was thinking about the issue carefully, but did not make the emperor wait for a long time. He answered carefully and thoughtfully: "Both Taoist priests Lin and Hu have great supernatural powers. Nowadays, everyone insists on their own opinions, and it is indeed difficult to distinguish the truth from the false. Now, Taoist Lin has proposed to discuss Taoism and fighting with Taoist Hu Yuan, and Wei Chen thinks this is a good strategy."
With his level as a great master, he had already noticed that both Lin Lingsu and Hu Yuan used Taoist methods to confuse Zhao Ji's ears and eyes. But firstly, he had received enough benefits in advance, and secondly, it would only be more beneficial to him if Zhao Ji could devote himself to Taoism, so he never thought of uncovering the mechanism.
Since both parties were receiving gifts, he always had to level a bowl of water. According to Lin Lingsu's wishes, it was indeed a good idea for them to decide the winner based on their strength.
Zhao Ji always listened to Liang Shicheng's opinions, and he was also quite curious. He immediately sent an order to Liang Shicheng to supervise the construction of two high platforms in the square in front of the palace, and then summoned two Taoist priests into the palace to discuss Taoism and fight in front of the emperor.
In a short time, two high platforms built of giant wood, three feet six feet high and two feet four feet wide were completed. Hu Long and Lin Lingsu also received orders and came to the palace.
After the meeting in the palace, Zhao Ji explained to Hu Huan the intention of Lin Lingsu's appointment to fight, and asked him what he thought.
Hu Yuan had already seen the two high platforms and knew that this inquiry was just a formality. Moreover, he had expected this, so he agreed without hesitation.
At that time, Zhao Ji moved outside the palace and took a seat on the high steps to watch the battle, accompanied by both civil and military officials from the DPRK and China.
After Hu Long and Lin Lingsu bowed to each other, they walked down the long steps to the square and arrived under a high platform.
Lin Lingsu was determined to show off his skills, and his spirit stirred up the vitality of heaven and earth. Wind and clouds emerged under his feet, holding his body up slowly, and landed lightly on the high platform.
He appeared dressed up today, wearing a red gold fish tail crown, a bright red Bagua fairy dress, a sandalwood-handled silver whisk in his arms, and an ancient pine-patterned sword slung across his back. He looked as if he had been banished to the mortal world.
Hu Long was still wearing the simple green preaching robe he usually wore, and the methods he used were also skillful and clumsy.
He walked around the high platform three times with his hands behind his back, but there seemed to be an invisible ladder rising up step by step, and he walked up to the high platform step by step.
Although this "flying in the air" light-body kung fu belongs to the category of martial arts, it has reached the realm of spiritual transformation. In the eyes of others, it is no different from the magical way.
Both parties were wise and knowledgeable people, and they knew that what they saw today was their respective magical powers, so they did not engage in verbal disputes and only exchanged a few words with each other.
Lin Lingsu took out a stack of lions, tigers, bears, leopards and other beasts cut out of yellow talisman paper from his sleeve, and threw them to the audience.
He made a magic formula with his right hand and muttered something in his mouth. Suddenly, a gust of black wind rolled up from the plains, wrapping the paper beasts in it.
Suddenly, he formed a sword gesture with the two index fingers of his right hand, pointed at the paper beast flying in the air, and shouted: "Quick!"
With this shout, the paper beasts in the black wind expanded rapidly, and in an instant they turned into hundreds of living beasts. They let out a roar that resounded throughout the palace, and rushed towards the opposite high platform with teeth and claws. And go.
"Cut paper and transform into shape, a great trick!"
Hu Long, who was on the high platform on the other side, had experienced the three-volume heavenly book and knew the Taoist method used by the other party. He praised it secretly in his heart, but he did not neglect it in his hands.
He reached out with his right hand and unhooked the jade gourd hanging from his left wrist, unscrewed the lid and tipped it toward the audience.
What was poured from the gourd's mouth was not wine, but yellow and golden beans, which rolled and spread evenly in all directions after falling to the ground.
Then Hu Long puffed up his cheeks and blew hard towards the audience.
As he blew out this breath, a large amount of yellow sand rolled up out of thin air in the originally spotlessly clean square. Wherever the yellow sand went, the beans quickly grew larger and stretched. In an instant, they became more than a hundred people over ten feet tall. The warriors, covered with golden armor and holding axes and axes in their hands, shouted in unison to kill, then rushed towards the roaring black wind and ferocious beasts on the opposite side without hesitation.
The technique of "throwing beans and forming an army" is one of several techniques that Hu Long recently gained from studying the three volumes of heavenly books.
Zhao Ji and the civil and military officials who were watching the battle on the long steps were all dumbfounded. Only Liang Shicheng reacted in time and hurriedly waved behind him. Immediately, the imperial guards and the imperial guards came forward, at the lower part of the long steps. Listing three human walls not only protects the emperor's safety, but also does not block the emperor's view.
In fact, Liang Shicheng knew clearly that with the methods shown by Hu Yuan and Lin Lingsu, there was no possibility that the spell would go out of control and harm Chi Yu. He was only so pretentious to show his loyalty in front of Zhao Ji.
Sure enough, when Zhao Ji came back to his senses and saw Liang Shicheng's arrangement, although he didn't say anything, there was already a look of approval on his face.
At this moment, the soldiers and beasts below had collided head-on with great ferocity, and the yellow sand and black wind were also mixed together, making the battlefield half-hidden and half-revealed.
Zhao Ji and others above could only vaguely see soldiers wielding axes and axes to cut off the bodies of ferocious beasts from time to time, and ferocious beasts pounced on the warriors and bit them madly. The party that received the fatal attack would turn into a ball of black or yellow air and dissipate. In the wind and sand.
After a while, the wind stopped killing, and the soldiers and beasts in the field disappeared without leaving any traces, as if the fierce fight just now was all a dream.
Lin Lingsu waved the duster in her hand, smiled at Hu Huan opposite and said, "My fellow Taoist's technique of 'spreading beans and forming an army' is really eye-opening and admirable for this poor Taoist!"
Hu Long said with a smile: "Both of us, our Taoist friends are equally good at 'paper-cutting and transforming into shapes'. But after all, these are just little tricks used to scare people. If you want to win, your Taoist friends must come up with some real swords." Show your skills with real guns!"
Lin Lingsu suppressed her smile and said in a deep voice: "As my fellow Taoist wished, please forgive me for being rude and take it out!"
Before he finished speaking, the pine-patterned ancient sword behind him suddenly let out a dragon roar and flew out of its sheath automatically.
