The swordsmen snapped out of their daze and cheered!
Liang Xiao shook his head, "This bow is no good, its range is too short!"
Scholars in Da Qian advocated learning the six arts, so it was normal for scholars to know some archery. Liang Xiao wasn't afraid of exposing anything, after all, the Heavenly General rarely used a bow and arrow on the battlefield.
What he needed now was a divine bow and a precious sword whose material was comparable to the Heavenly Dragon Shattering City Halberd, to ensure his own safety and that of Bai Ye Fei Ying on the battlefield, avoiding a repeat of the tragedy from their past decisive battle.
Chen Shaoling chuckled, "Does Marquis Anguo want the best bow in the world? If Marquis Anguo were to fetch it, it would be as easy as turning over his hand!"
"The best bow in the world?" Liang Xiao became interested.
Chen Shaoling looked around, confirmed Jian Qinwan was not present, and then whispered, "If you marry our junior sister, the Qin Sage's Setting Sun Bow will surely be given to Marquis Anguo!"
Liang Xiao was startled and looked at the mischievous Chen Shaoling.
Li Hongshu explained, "Marquis Anguo, my husband is not lying! The Setting Sun Bow is ranked first among renowned bows recognized by the martial world. It is the Qin Sage's heirloom! It is said that the Duke of Ding Guo, who followed the founding emperor, shot down countless enemy generals with this bow and rendered great service!"
Chen Shaoling also became serious and said, "The Duke of Ding Guo's mansion no longer needs the Setting Sun Bow. Apart from the heir of the Duke of Ding Guo, no one has ever seen the full appearance of the Setting Sun Bow, only knowing that it is entirely crimson!"
Liang Xiao smiled, "An heirloom, how could it be given away?"
A senior disciple said, "Marry that junior sister, let alone the Setting Sun Bow, even our master's 'Sword of Cang Sheng' can be given to you!"
Liang Xiao's expression changed.
The Sword of Cang Sheng!
These past few months, he had specifically learned about the divine weapons and precious armors of Da Qian, and naturally knew of the Sword of Cang Sheng.
This sword was the famous sword of the Sword Saint Jian Nanfeng, and it was said to be able to cleave iron like mud!
Chen Shaoling coaxed him, "Marquis Anguo, take junior sister! Otherwise, senior mother won't let us return to Mount Tian!"
Hearing this, Liang Xiao couldn't help but roll his eyes.
So that's how it is!
"To pursue someone for a bow, what do you take me for? Say something nicer!" Liang Xiao pouted.
Chen Shaoling frowned, "Marquis Anguo, don't you want the whole world to know you touched junior sister?"
"We know!" Everyone, including the usually taciturn Li Hongshu, said in unison, raising their hands.
Liang Xiao's expression changed, "Are you really swordsmen? Why are you like a bunch of ruffians who extort and blackmail?"
Chen Shaoling couldn't help but sigh again, "Senior mother has treated Marquis Anguo with great kindness, hasn't she? She only has this one daughter, whom she raised with such hardship..."
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Liang Xiao's forehead, "I will take responsibility..."
He needed to find time to get to know these Tian Shan swordsmen properly. Why had they, who were once full of righteousness, become so roguish? Perhaps they had been influenced by someone's evil aura.
Deep within the imperial palace, Ding Wuyi chuckled, thinking about his trip to Mount Tian. Ning Xuejun looked at him curiously.
"Eunuch Ding, you are not as serious as you used to be lately."
Ding Wuyi snapped back to attention, coughed a few times, and sighed, "My apologies, my apologies. I've been in contact with young master Liang for too long and have grown accustomed to his shamelessness. You can't blame me, after all, even the master..."
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Ding Wuyi coughed even harder.
Ning Xuejun: ...
In the courtyard of the Liang mansion, the Tian Shan swordsmen, having received Liang Xiao's promise, felt relieved, their eyes moist.
Mount Tian was their home, and the temptation to return was so strong!
Chen Shaoling said sternly again, "Junior sister clearly hasn't accepted Marquis Anguo yet. Marquis Anguo really needs us senior brothers and sisters to help him! But, Marquis Anguo also knows that we have escorted the two of you all the way, and if we haven't made contributions, we've at least suffered. "
Liang Xiao stared at Chen Shaoling warily, "Brother Shaoling, you don't seem like people who are greedy for wealth or lustful. What do you actually want..."
Chen Shaoling chuckled and finally revealed his true intentions.
"Kill one person in ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles! You taught this sentence to your junior disciples, didn't you, Marquis Anguo? Just add a sentence to it, as long as we are satisfied, whatever you want us to do in the future, we will comply!"
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and sighed, "Add a sentence?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Everyone's eyes lit up.
Liang Xiao knew that if he didn't appease them today, they would never stop. He had to go to his room to get brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and then wrote two lines of wild cursive script.
[Kill one person in ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles. After the deed is done, brush off your robes and leave, concealing your name and fame.]
The twenty Tian Shan swordsmen looked at these two lines, their eyes filled with tears, and murmured, "Exquisite, absolutely exquisite!"
Decisive and swift! What heroic spirit! What carefree abandon!
Liang Xiao handed the calligraphy to Chen Shaoling and reminded him, "This is to praise chivalrous heroes, not assassins. Don't actually kill one person in ten steps and slaughter innocents at the slightest disagreement."
Everyone excitedly agreed and unanimously decided that Chen Shaoling would keep this treasure, and it would be sent back to Mount Tian later.
After seeing off the swordsmen, Liang Xiao had no mood to practice archery.
The bow he was currently using exceeded one stone and two, which was already considered a strong bow, but it was far from meeting his needs.
"Setting Sun Bow..."
Liang Xiao gazed at the target he had already shot through, lost in thought. Jian Qinwan suddenly entered from outside, as if seeing nothing, and quietly walked towards her room.
"Bodhisattva."
Hearing Liang Xiao's call, Jian Qinwan's steps faltered, and she snorted, "I'm returning the Heaven Crystal you gave me. Isn't that reasonable?"
"I wouldn't dare say it's unreasonable..."
"Hmph!" Jian Qinwan gave Liang Xiao another glare and fled back to her room.
Liang Xiao had no choice but to go to Zhang Yang's residence.
Upon hearing that Liang Xiao had provided an improved salt production method, Zhang Yang was greatly surprised and stammered, "No wonder Minister Huang has been beaming with joy every day for the past two days! If this can be achieved, the national treasury..."
Zhang Yang dared not imagine.
That was an income of millions, even tens of millions of taels of silver!
Liang Xiao, who provided the salt production method, showed no signs of pride!
Liang Xiao smiled, "The salt field will be established in the East Sea and will be heavily guarded. Your hometown is in the East Sea, right?"
Zhang Yang was both surprised and delighted, "You want to guide the salt field? I'll go too then! I'd love to see how magical your salt production method is! Also, I received a reward of one hundred taels of gold from His Majesty for the selection of national talents. I want to donate some to my hometown to build a private school."
Liang Xiao looked at him with admiration and explained, "I have the same intention! However, I'm going to the East Sea not just to see the salt, but also to seek out talent. You are in the East Sea, do you have like-minded friends?"
Zhang Yang nodded solemnly, "They can't stand the atmosphere of the so-called academic circles in the capital, so they returned home. If I weren't trying to find medical treatment for my wife, I would have returned long ago."
Recalling the past, Zhang Yang felt as if it were a lifetime ago. Meeting Liang Xiao had changed his entire life!
Liang Xiao said seriously, "Gold should shine! Their integrity is a virtue. But I still need to contact them during my time in the East Sea, after all, integrity alone is not enough, there must be real knowledge and skills. When the national treasury is full, His Majesty will promote education, allowing more poor scholars to study, with the hope of soaring to the skies and breaking the monopoly of noble families on official positions."
Zhang Yang was almost in tears and nodded, "I will do my best to achieve this day. If you need my help, I will be at your service at any time!"
Liang Xiao nodded, touched.
Wang Canghai was getting old, and he would inevitably retire in the future.
Liang Xiao was unlikely to become prime minister in the future. Zhang Yang, Gu Shaoyan, and Mu Hong might all be good candidates. The scholar Li Xiuyun from Jiangnan also had a good reputation and might have a chance.
Liang Xiao suddenly remembered something and asked, "The scholars in your East Sea are so upright, I assume the warriors are no different. The country is in urgent need of generals. Are there any reliable warriors in the East Sea that you know?"
Zhang Yang pondered for a moment and sighed, "I am a scholar and do not have much contact with warriors. However, there is indeed a fierce general in the East Sea who is frustrated and unappreciated. But he is not a local from our East Sea. This person is named Nan Jiyun, ranked eighth in his family, known as Nan Ba. He is loyal and brave, but was transferred to our East Sea as a boatman by the Minister of War, Du Gu Qun, a few years ago..."