King Duan, Aisin Gioro Zai Yi.
Just from the name, you could tell he was not of the same race.
King Duan was the cousin of the Emperor. Two years ago, the Empress Dowager launched a coup to depose Guangxu and make Aisin Gioro Puyi the Emperor.
That fifteen year old youth, Lang Pu Su, was Duan Wang Zai Yi's son. He almost became the 'Grand Emperor'.
King Duan was one of the leaders of the Diehards. During the Westernization Movement, he had caused a lot of trouble for the Westernization Movement. He was a cancer in the rotten system. In addition, he was a staunch pro-war. He encouraged the Boxers to cause trouble while writing to Empress Dowager Cixi to fight to the death.
He was regarded as one of the main culprits of the Boxer Rebellion.
He was very close to the Boxers. He strongly advocated that the Boxers could control guns and cannons and belittled the advanced guns and cannons in the Qing Dynasty's arsenal. The Tiger God Battalion under Zai Yi's command practiced Yihe Boxing and became the first to learn it in the capital. Later, Zai Yi set up an altar in the King's mansion and worshipped it every day.
The Unparalleled Fighting Spirit Project was planned by Zai Yi and his henchmen. He had also obtained the support and help of countless capable people in the Blood Kin World.
At the banquet, Zai Yi, who had a thin face and a mustache, said, "Three days have passed. Has Lord Li picked a candidate?"
Of course not. Li Qiyun's expression turned ugly. He lowered his head. "I'm ashamed."
Hearing this, Zai Yi snorted and said, "I am loyal to the Emperor. The Li family has been blessed by the Emperor for generations. Is Lord Li's reply 'ashamed'? "
Li Qiyun's forehead was sweating. He quickly raised his cup and said, "King Duan, the Li family has been blessed by the Emperor for generations. I am willing to sacrifice my life for the Qing Dynasty, but, but …"
"But what?"
"The Unparalleled Fighting Spirit and the Divine Art of Creation. I am not strong enough."
"Lord Li, the Empress Dowager Cixi has agreed to take out the Black Water Spirit Pearl. If she is disappointed … what should we do?"
Even an idiot could hear the threat in these words.
Li Qiyun clenched his teeth. He had no choice but to bear with it. "Don't worry, I will do my best to give you a satisfactory answer within ten days."
Zai Yi revealed a satisfied smile. His eyes were small, his face was sharp, and he had a mustache. He looked like a rat, so his smile was very treacherous.
"Today, with Lord Li's promise, this trip was not in vain. Ay, the foreigners are acting like tyrants in our Great Qing's territory, dividing our territory, the Empress Dowager can't sleep at night, wishing she could peel their skin and pull their tendons. We live off the king's salary and bear his worries. "
"Yes, yes."
"By the way, has Commander Li's health improved?" Zai Yi turned her attention to Li Rufeng.
"I'm fine." Li Rufeng nodded slightly.
His attitude was obviously not as subservient as his father's. Firstly, he was powerful, so it was inevitable that he would be arrogant. Secondly, he was born in the Qing Dynasty, which had experienced the Opium War, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the Sino-Japanese Naval War. This decadent regime's control over the country was weakening day by day. Blood Descendants like him did not have as much reverence as the previous generation.
"I heard that after the plan failed, Commander Li's vitality was greatly damaged. I didn't expect you to recover in just a few days. Your background is strong, and you really live up to your reputation." The one who spoke was a burly man wearing a headscarf.
One of the Boxers' leaders: Zhao Ying.
In the secret attempt that happened a few days ago, the Unparalleled Fighting Spirit Project failed again. As one of the two core members, Li Rufeng stopped the resonance with the Dragon Ball in time and luckily escaped with his life.
The reasons for the failure were as follows:
Firstly, Li Rufeng's strength was insufficient, and the resonance with the Dragon Ball was intermittent, so he was unable to fuse with it.
Secondly, the battle power of the solidified Unparalleled Fighting Spirit was far below expectations, and there was only one Black Water Spirit Pearl, so it had to be stopped.
Therefore, the Soul Refining Project was actually stopped halfway through. The people who participated in the project could not see any hope in Li Rufeng, so it was terminated prematurely. The Soul Refining Project was a bold attempt that could not be reversed.
After spending so much manpower, material, and financial resources, if they were to refine an ordinary Extreme Grade, it would be like killing a chicken with a butcher's knife.
A Extreme Grade expert was the peak of a person's martial strength, but it was not enough to save the precarious Qing Dynasty.
There must be a pair of hands that could go against the trend and support the collapse of the sky. To turn the tide, to support the collapse of a skyscraper.
Fortunately, this was the case. Otherwise, whether Li Rufeng could come back alive was another matter.
He looked at Zhao Ying and did not say anything, not concealing his displeasure.
Just like the Shandong Inspector-General, Yuan Shikai, a military general with real foresight would not like the Boxers.
The word "bandits" was enough to explain the Boxers, and at the most, the word "patriotism" could be added.
Under the pressure of the great powers, at the beginning of the year, Empress Dowager Cixi declared the Boxers to be a legal organization. A large number of Boxers began to move around the outskirts of the capital. At the beginning of June, the Boxers swarmed into the capital.
In fact, long before this, the Boxers had been secretly operating in the capital with the support of the pro-war faction led by Zai Yi.
Using their bodies to withstand bullets, summoning gods to fight against cannons … the Boxers relied on deception and the banner of national righteousness to develop believers among the upright officials. Countless officials firmly believed that the Boxers could resist foreign enemies, and a large number of Qing soldiers joined the Boxers.
The imperial court originally wanted to use the Boxers to fight against the foreigners, but unexpectedly, the Boxers were too big to be dealt with, and had already threatened the rule of the Qing government. Therefore, Cixi loved and hated the Boxers.
The Boxers were not a good organization, even though they carried the banner of "supporting the Qing and destroying the seas".
While fighting against the foreigners and stirring up trouble, the Boxers also burned, killed, plundered, and bullied women, leaving a deep shadow in this tragic era.
In addition, the Boxers also killed the imperial court officials. Just last month, Cixi flew into a rage at a meeting and almost disbanded the Boxers.
At the beginning, the Boxers had the intention of developing the Li Residence as a believer.
Li Qiyun laughed perfunctorily. Li Rufeng directly replied, "Playing tricks, get lost!
We are all blood descendants, why are you pretending to be a wolf with a big tail in front of me? "
He chased them out of the Li Residence.
"Since you have recovered, then my trip here was not in vain." Zhao Ying put down his cup and said in a deep voice, "I have long admired the reputation of Commander Li, so I will not hesitate to teach you."
Revenge?
Probing?
Showing off?
Li Rufeng pondered, trying to figure out the other's true intentions.
"Zhao Tian has remarkable abilities, and Commander Li has a great reputation. This Prince is also very curious about who is stronger between the two of you." Zai Yi took a small sip of her cup and said in a leisurely tone, "Besides, this is also an evaluation. Commander Li has failed, so the next candidate will naturally be stronger than him. However, it is not only this Prince who does not know how strong Commander Li really is. There are many people who do not know. This Prince can only help Sir Li find a suitable candidate when I have a clear idea. The Soul Refinement Project is after all everyone's hard work. "
Understood, all of the above, but there might be a warning.
A warning to the Li family not to do anything desperate, to abandon the burden and run away.
"So you want to discount me, the thickest pillar of the Li family? Anyway, I am a failed product and have no value … "Li Rufeng thought and raised his eyebrows," Fine. "
He called the servants to move the potted plants away and cleared a space for the battle. Li Qiyun and King Duan, as well as the latter's guards, stood in a pavilion nearby to watch the battle.
Zhao Ying's expression was calm, "Commander Li has just recovered from his injuries, do you need me to let you have a few moves?"
Li Rufeng wrapped his braid around his neck and got into a fighting stance, "Come on."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cobblestone path under Zhao Ying's feet exploded. At the same time, he disappeared from where he stood and rushed in front of Li Rufeng with an explosive force.
Li Rufeng, who originally wanted to meet the fist with a fist, changed his mind midway. He turned his body and raised his elbow to block the fist.
It was not a direct confrontation, but this move created a strong gust of wind, causing the plants around them to sway.
Since it was a martial arts duel, naturally no weapons were used. Actually, it was fine, but King Duan suggested only using fists and feet, not weapons, to avoid hurting the harmony.
Zhao Ying's master was the Plum Fist, so fists and feet were his forte. Being dignified was actually biased towards Zhao Ying.
At first, they could barely maintain a fifty-fifty split, but after the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Li Rufeng's body began to weaken and it was difficult for him to continue.
In the end, Zhao Ying broke his stance with a punch, his fist stopping between his eyebrows.
"Thank you for letting me win!" Zhao Ying said proudly.
Heroes are born in troubled times. As one of the leaders of the Boxers, he had the right to be arrogant.
King Duan Zai Yi laughed, "As expected of a Celestial Being. With Heavenly Zhao's help, the Qing will not have to worry about the Westerners."
Li Qiyun shook his head and sighed, but he had to smile and agree with King Duan, "Your Highness is right."
King Duan Zai Yi looked at the dejected Li Rufeng, "Commander Li, take this opportunity to tell me everything. Everyone has seen Heavenly Zhao's divine skills. He developed his followers and taught them all. For the Qing's prosperity, he willingly abandoned his sectarian views. Commander Li, you can bring your subordinates to learn together. "
In other words, he wanted to develop the Vanguard Battalion led by Li Rufeng into the followers of the Boxers.
Li Rufeng immediately frowned, ignoring the look his father gave him secretly. In his heart, he was actually rejecting it.
The Boxers were like a tiger. Sooner or later, the Qing Dynasty would rear a tiger and bring about a calamity. The current situation was actually very bad. Countless officials believed in the Boxers, and countless Qing soldiers joined the Boxers, turning this originally well-disciplined civilian organization into an out-and-out bandit organization.
And this action that shook the foundation of the Qing was single-handedly promoted by a relative of the Emperor and his henchmen. It was not for the nation or the country, but for his own selfish interests.
Cixi wanted to borrow the strength of the Boxers to fight against the Westerners, while King Duan Zai Lian wanted to borrow the strength of the Boxers to fight against those who did not, so that his son could sit on the throne.
The legitimate army of the dynasty could not defeat the Westerners, but the rulers placed their hopes on the civilian organization. This was fated to be the tragedy of the Qing and China.
King Duan squinted his eyes and put on a fake smile, "Commander Li is not willing?"
Li Rufeng was in a dilemma, his expression ugly.
Li Qiyun was equally ugly. He hinted with his eyes that his son should compromise, but his son ignored it. He was extremely anxious.
"What's there to learn with such mediocre skills?" A clear voice as clear as a silver bell came from the corridor.
A group of high-ranking men looked towards the source of the voice, only to see the graceful figure of a young girl wearing a cheongsam and embroidered shoes, holding a beauty fan in her hand.
A fragrant wind blew, and she walked leisurely.
This was an outstanding beauty. Her lips were red without lipstick, her eyebrows were green without makeup, her facial features were exquisite, her small face was fair and tender, and her eyes were like limpid autumn waters. The beauty mole at the corner of her right eye was even more irresistible.
Even an important person like King Duan, who had seen countless beauties, was stunned by this young girl's beauty.
"She is …"
"Is this a place where you can come? Where are the rules you've been taught? "
Normally, rules were never taught. In an environment where men were superior to women, the most important thing in the world of Blood Descendants was strength.
This kind of daughter who could beat the brains out of her father with a single punch was really difficult to manage. Secondly, she was only a daughter of the first wife, and she had been spoiled since she was young, so she could do as she pleased.
Li Qiyun pretended to be angry and scolded a few times, then smiled bitterly, "My daughter Li Gui doesn't know the rules, please excuse me, King Duan."
.。 m.
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