Although he didn't understand why his teacher would take him as a disciple and impart all his knowledge to him, he knew very well that his teacher's true ambition lay in martial arts.
After Zhang Junbao became the teacher's disciple, the teacher clearly showed more care for Zhang Junbao. He knew this when he often discussed martial arts with Zhang Junbao. However, he was not jealous of Zhang Junbao. The two were not on the same level at all, one being a scholar and the other a martial artist.
Therefore, Liu Bowen had virtually no illusions about his lord wanting his teacher to be born.
Zhu Yuanzhang gave a sly smile and said, "As long as there is enough sincerity, even the most difficult problems can be solved. Strategist Bowen, what hobbies does your teacher have?"
In Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, there was nothing that could not be won over; the only difference was the price to pay. To win over talented people, he always adhered to the core principle of "catering to their preferences."
Liu Bowen had great ambitions, so he promised him power; Chang Yuchun wanted wealth and honor, so he promised him wealth and honor. Everyone has their own ambitions, and as long as you can satisfy them, the other party will naturally submit to your wing.
Liu Bowen, of course, had no idea what Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking. His teacher's preference was naturally martial arts, so he replied almost without hesitation:
"The teacher is fond of martial arts; he doesn't seem to be interested in anything else."
"Oh, I see. That makes things quite difficult."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. His ambition to practice martial arts was indeed difficult to fulfill. He could offer wealth, fame, and status, and ordinary martial arts manuals were unlikely to be of interest to him. However, the top-tier martial arts manuals were all controlled by martial arts sects.
Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was pondering, Chang Yuchun shouted in a loud voice, "My lord, we have arrived."
The group dismounted.
"So, it's strategist Bowen who's here to see your teacher again."
The gatekeeper immediately recognized Liu Bowen. Zhu Yuanzhang had captured Nanjing and become the master of the entire city, while Liu Bowen had become the second most important person in Nanjing. Everyone in the Shen family who had met Liu Bowen before felt honored.
Liu Bowen nodded and said, "Go and inform the teacher that I will come to pay my respects."
"good."
The gatekeeper looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage with suspicion. These people all looked extraordinary, and he wondered who they were. He then turned and went to inform Li Boyang.
At this moment, Li Boyang was in his study reviewing the secret manuals that Shen Rong had sent. Upon hearing that Liu Bowen had come to pay his respects, accompanied by several imposing figures, he immediately frowned and said:
"Bring them in."
After finishing, he continued to flip through the manual, as if nothing was more important than reading the book.
A moment later, Liu Bowen and Zhu Yuanzhang's group appeared in front of Li Boyang.
Li Boyang sat in the chair inside the desk, glanced up at Zhu Yuanzhang dressed as a general, smiled strangely, but showed no intention of getting up to pay his respects. Instead, he continued to look back at the secret manual.
After Liu Bowen entered the study, he immediately bowed to Li Boyang, and only after performing the teacher-student ceremony did he say:
"Greetings, teacher."
"This is my lord, Zhu Yuanzhang, and the others are my colleagues."
Li Boyang nodded lightly and replied, "Okay, I understand. Find a seat yourself." After that, he made no further move.
Three minutes passed, and Li Boyang was reading a book.
Five minutes passed, and Li Boyang was still reading.
Ten minutes passed, and Li Boyang was still reading, as if everyone else in the study had been forgotten.
Chang Yuchun crossed his arms and, seeing Li Boyang's arrogant attitude, angrily said, "My lord, this fellow is extremely rude. I must teach him a lesson."
Since they captured Jinling, everyone in the city had to treat them with utmost respect. Now, they've actually run into someone who left them hanging for ten minutes, completely disregarding them.
"Shut up."
Zhu Yuanzhang sat calmly in his chair. Seeing Chang Yuchun's irritability, he immediately reprimanded him.
After being reprimanded by Zhu Yuanzhang, Chang Yuchun finally calmed down, though his face still showed resentment.
After reprimanding him, Zhu Yuanzhang humbly explained:
"This is Chang Yuchun, one of my generals. He has such a personality, please don't take offense, sir. I am Zhu Yuanzhang, and I have long admired your name, sir. I have come to pay you a visit today."
Just then, Li Boyang finished turning to the last page of the manual and looked up, saying:
"I never imagined that the novice monk of Huangjue Temple would become a powerful figure in the world."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "It is an honor that you still remember me, sir."
"Marshal Zhu, you don't come here without a reason. Just get to the point."
Li Boyang didn't believe that the other party was really just visiting him. When he was in charge of Po Chi Lam in the Wong Fei-hung world, he was also the head of a force, so he naturally knew how many things such a person had to deal with every day.
"I have heard that you are a man of great talent. Now that the world is in chaos, it is the perfect time for you to display your abilities. I have come here to ask you to come out of seclusion and help me."
Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the other party to be so direct. According to the normal procedure for inviting famous scholars, shouldn't they first exchange pleasantries and praises before getting to the main topic? He had done this kind of thing quite a bit in the past two years and was quite experienced.
Li Boyang said directly:
"To conquer the world, my disciple is more than enough to assist you."
"As for me personally taking action, the time is not yet ripe."
"What do you mean by 'timing', sir?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was completely bewildered, feeling utterly unable to grasp the other party's thoughts. This feeling was particularly unpleasant, and at the same time, he became increasingly curious about Li Boyang.
Li Boyang smiled mysteriously: "You'll know when you're overwhelmed by the ways of the martial world."
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment. This man was truly extraordinary; he spoke in such a mysterious way that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know how to respond.