Although he thought this way, Shen Wansan still asked respectfully:
"I wonder which one Mr. Boyang is referring to?"
Li Boyang softly uttered three words: "Zhu Yuanzhang of Fengyang".
"Zhu Yuanzhang?"
Shen Wansan hesitated for a moment, but when Li Boyang nodded again to confirm, Shen Wansan was still a little hesitant. Zhu Yuanzhang was a figure who had only emerged in the last two years after his death, and he was a general under Guo Zixing, so he naturally knew something about him.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang's situation seems to be not very good recently. He lost Haozhou and was also ostracized by other generals under Guo Zixing. It is unclear why Li Boyang is so confident that Zhu Yuanzhang can conquer the world, even though Zhu Yuanzhang is not even a leader of a local power.
Seeing Shen Wansan's hesitant expression, Li Boyang chuckled and said:
"What? Don't you trust me?"
Shen Wansan said suspiciously, "It's not that I don't trust you, sir, but where did you get the idea that Zhu Yuanzhang has the ability to conquer the world? In terms of power and military strength, he can't even be ranked in the top ten in the world."
Indeed, Zhu Yuanzhang was not even a leader of a local power at the moment, so he could not be compared with other warlords. Therefore, it was normal for Shen Wansan to have such doubts.
Even Li Boyang himself, if he hadn't known the trajectory of historical events, probably wouldn't have thought that Zhu Yuanzhang would eventually seize power.
Li Boyang said vaguely, "The person I favor is Zhu Yuanzhang, but as for the reasons, I can't say more."
It's impossible for Shen Wansan to know five hundred years in advance, and therefore know that Zhu Yuanzhang would conquer the world.
In his view, it would be best if Shen Wansan followed suit and placed his bet, so that Liu Bowen would be valued by Zhu Yuanzhang faster, and the pace of unifying the country would also be faster.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't have it; it won't affect him much. It all depends on Shen Wansan's own choice.
Shen Wansan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and asked:
"Sir, you have only allowed Liu Bowen to come out of seclusion to assist you. I wonder if you have any plans to come out of seclusion yourself in the future? If so, I will place my bet with you."
Shen Wansan didn't understand Zhu Yuanzhang, nor did he have much faith in Liu Bowen's abilities, but he did believe in Li Boyang's abilities, having witnessed them firsthand. Therefore, if Li Boyang was willing to personally take the plunge, he felt it was worth the gamble.
Li Boyang raised the corner of his mouth and said indifferently, "I am devoted to martial arts, but I have no interest in the world. My disciples can assist me."
Shen Wansan was unaware that Li Boyang would never personally intervene; his original intention in training Liu Bowen was to have him focus on martial arts cultivation behind the scenes.
Martial arts training takes a lot of time. It has been more than two years since Li Boyang obtained the Nine Yin Manual. Half a year ago, he had already mastered the martial arts moves in the Nine Yin Manual to the point of complete understanding. In other words, he could choose the most appropriate move to deal with the changes in the situation in actual combat.
However, they got stuck at the next stage of mastery, as if they had hit a bottleneck. They couldn't even throw a simple straight punch using the acupuncture technique of the Nine Yin True Claw. They were still stuck in the stage of being bound by the moves.
He now has some clues about how to master the Nine Yin Manual. Mastery represents the pinnacle of a martial art. To transcend the limitations of techniques, one must understand the techniques.
To apply the secret techniques of secondary acupoints from the Nine Yin Manual to Taizu Changquan, one must not only understand the Nine Yin Manual but also Taizu Changquan; in short, one must have a broad knowledge of martial arts.
With so little time available for cultivation, how could he possibly be willing to personally leave the mountain?
Li Boyang's words caused Shen Wansan to hesitate again. He pondered for a while, but seeing the strange look in Li Boyang's eyes, he finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, I trust your choice, sir. What do you want me to do?"
Li Boyang shook his head and said, "Just go and discuss it with my disciple."
With Liu Bowen's abilities, he could naturally make good use of Shen Wansan's assistance and know to what extent to control it. Let Liu Bowen worry about it himself.
Inside the room, the lingering zither music ended, and the piece "High Mountains and Flowing Water" was finished.
From behind the painted screen, the girl named Pan'er came out.
Shen Wansan immediately gestured: "Please sit next to Mr. Boyang. He is an honored guest today."
Pan'er smiled shyly at Li Boyang, sat down on the chair next to him, and seeing that Li Boyang's wine glass was empty, immediately filled it.
"Gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'd like to keep you company with drinks and conversation."
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Chapter 127 The Romantic Scholar Liu Bowen
After drinking a cup of wine, Shen Wansan asked again in a friendly manner, "Master Boyang, what are your plans after sending your disciple out of the mountains?"
This question stumped Li Boyang. The most important thing he did in this world was to master the Qi cultivation method for the Qi Refining Realm. Now that he had succeeded, his next goal was to fulfill two wishes.
Overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty is gradually becoming a reality as the general trend of the world progresses, and the fact that I brought Liu Bowen out of seclusion can be said to be accelerating this process.
The achievement of passing all three levels of the imperial examinations with top honors is more complicated. The Yuan Dynasty is currently in turmoil, and the imperial examination system has long been abolished. This wish can probably only be realized after the establishment of a new dynasty.
After sending Liu Bowen out of the mountains, this period will become a window of opportunity.
He didn't plan to go back to Songyang Academy. He had to live in seclusion not far from Liu Bowen and devote himself to cultivation, so that he could maintain his influence over Liu Bowen.
The purpose of training Liu Bowen was not simply to add to the process of the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, but more importantly, it was directly related to the ease or difficulty of fulfilling his second wish.
Seeing Shen Wansan ask this question, Li Boyang thought for a moment and said:
"I'll probably settle down in Jinling for now and focus on practicing martial arts."
Nanjing is a good place. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's power has not yet spread here, it will become his base in the future. It would be good for me to settle down here.
Upon hearing Li Boyang's words, a hint of joy appeared on Shen Wansan's face, and he pressed for an answer:
"Has Mr. Boyang found a place to stay in Jinling?"
Li Boyang answered truthfully, "Not yet."