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Chapter 41 The Beginning of Traveling the World
"Li Boyang, what exactly do you want?"
Master Jiugong naturally knew that if Li Boyang wanted to kill the White Lotus Sect, they wouldn't have made it this far. He just didn't understand why Li Boyang, who was clearly prepared to let the White Lotus Sect live, would lead the elite militia to ambush them halfway.
Li Boyang said calmly, "You can't go to Hunan. Let's go somewhere else."
"Li Boyang, you've gone too far."
If one cannot understand what the other party means, then Master Jiugong is unworthy of being the branch leader of the White Lotus Sect.
It was precisely because he understood Li Boyang's words that he said the other party was going too far.
Ignoring the furious Jiugong Zhenren, Li Boyang coldly said:
"Don't be fooled by your 50,000 men. You know you can't break through the blockade of 5,000 militiamen. Heading towards Hunan will only force me to use my deadly methods."
These words were spoken without any emotion, like those of a cold-blooded animal, but there was no joking involved.
"This is outrageous! I'll fight you to the death!"
The Nine Palaces Master lunged forward to seize the central palace, his palms shifting and thrusting out. Just as he was about to close in on his opponent's chest, he transformed his palm into a fist, clenching his fingers. A series of crackling sounds filled the air, like the firing of an anti-aircraft gun.
This is clearly the "skyrocket" technique from Tai Chi. Since the Nine Palaces Master was born into the Taoist school, he was naturally familiar with the Tai Chi stance.
Before the punch even landed, the wind it generated caused Li Boyang's skin to sink inward; the power of this punch truly embodied the essence of Tai Chi.
Facing this punch, Li Boyang did not hesitate at all. He immediately took a series of quick steps and dodged it with the agility of a monkey. His movements were extremely nimble, just like a real monkey moving through a dense forest.
After flashing past, without pausing, he pointed his fingers like a spear, thrusting back silently towards the armpit of the Nine Palaces Master.
Master Jiugong immediately bowed low, taking a half-step back to narrowly avoid a fatal blow.
If that shot had landed, it probably would have pierced right through my chest.
Realizing his opponent was troublesome, the Nine Palaces Master stepped out with seven stars, twisted his waist like a water snake, relaxed his shoulders, and his arms showed prominent veins and cracking joints. His entire arm and hand were like a whip, and with one lash, he struck his opponent's side.
This is the Great Sage Splitting Strike from the Monkey Fist style, which emphasizes flexibility, unpredictability, and the ability to be both hard and soft. Judging from the sound of this strike, it undoubtedly demonstrates powerful force.
Seeing his opponent's palm strike coming, Li Boyang stomped his right foot hard on the ground, making the ground shake. At the same time, he bent his knee, grabbed the incoming wrist with his left hand, and swung his right elbow upwards, aiming straight for Jiugong Zhenren's chin.
The Tai Chi Chuan technique of "playing the pipa with the hand and receiving the elbow strike" is executed as smoothly as flowing clouds and water.
Seeing that one of his palms was held, Master Jiugong pressed down with his other palm, placing it on the elbow strike.
The two men were gripping each other's hands, veins bulging on their foreheads, locked in a struggle.
Li Boyang's fighting style was mainly based on head-on collisions, and he was least afraid of head-on collisions from his opponent. His whole body suddenly trembled, and his joints cracked loudly. At the same time, he stepped on his opponent's toes.
Master Jiugong was surprised that his opponent still had strength remaining, and was directly shaken away.
Li Boyang, however, would not let this opportunity pass. He took a lunge and pressed close to his opponent's body, his hands forming large hammers as he pounded towards the chest and abdomen.
Master Jiugong felt a shockwave spread through his body, shattering his Taoist robe. He felt a lightness in his body, a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. He was then sent flying by the impact.
The force of this blow wasn't great; Li Boyang deliberately held back, knowing his opponent might still be useful.
The Nine Palaces Master was also a master of internal energy transformation, with strong bones and a robust lung system, making him incredibly resilient. While this attack rendered him unable to fight, it wasn't fatal.
"Don't do anything, I'm not going to Hunan."
Master Jiugong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with one hand, propped himself up with the other, sat on the ground, and said hatefully as he saw Li Boyang slowly walking over.
Upon hearing this, Li Boyang stopped and smiled, saying, "Those who understand the times are the heroes."
Master Jiugong was quite straightforward; having made his choice, he immediately ordered the White Lotus Sect to retreat.
Li Boyang did not continue the pursuit. Killing Master Jiugong would only leave the White Lotus Sect leaderless, so it was better to let him leave and allow him to play a greater role.
As expected, the 50,000 White Lotus followers did not disappoint Li Boyang. After encountering obstacles on their way to Shaoguan, they decisively continued their retreat towards Fujian.
The Nine Palaces Master of the Guangzhou branch knew very well that Li Boyang was preventing them from entering Hunan. He was also pragmatic and, after suffering a loss, immediately chose to move to Fujian. Fujian is mountainous, and once they entered the mountains, the pursuers behind them would be unable to do anything to them.
Several days later.
Li Boyang has returned to Baozhilin.
Inside the study, Li Boyang, Toothbrush Su, and Huang Feihong were all present.
"The White Lotus sect has already entered Fujian, and the White Lotus rebellion in Guangdong and Guangxi can be said to be over."
Li Boyang then asked Toothbrush Su, "How are things going with the gentry?"
Tooth-Crush Su Hao said arrogantly, "The government is very cooperative. Anyone who opposes us has been arrested. Although the entire Guangdong and Guangxi provinces are nominally under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, they are actually our private territory."
"Yes, it hasn't been easy to get to this point," Li Boyang continued, "What do you plan to do with those gentry?"
Tooth-Crush Su hesitated for a moment and said, "Junior Brother, I want to confiscate the land of those gentry and then release them."
Li Boyang was stunned for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction. To make such a decision, Yacha Su could be said to have truly matured.
Class enemies are inexhaustible; every time one batch is killed, a new batch will appear. Therefore, the problem cannot be solved with a knife. Li Boyang's goal from beginning to end was not to kill all the gentry, but to reform them.
&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;The gentry's lifeblood lies in the land, and Toothpick Sue's idea can be said to coincide with his: take away the gentry's land and then put the gentry back.
Without land, the gentry, having lost their most stable source of income, will naturally seek new sources, and investing in factories and industries will become their first choice.