The mountain path was rugged and originally difficult to walk, but since Jiang Gongming had set this place as the main camp of the Black Flag Army, he naturally spared no expense and effort.

  After a year of continuous renovation, the place has undergone a complete transformation. Although it can't be said to be beautiful and elegant, compared to Li Mingtang's original simple and crude mountain stronghold, it is now vastly different.

  "Brother Lin." Xu Haifeng said with a smile.

  Lin Mu hastily bowed and said respectfully: "Master Xu, please don't be so polite, just call me Muhe."

  Just a moment ago, Xu Haifeng had a fit of rage in front of the special forces, which made Lin Jiahui naturally take the position of captain.

  He then left with Jiang Kung-ming and Lin Muhe, leaving the remaining matters to be handled by Lin Jiahui. If he couldn't even handle this little bit of follow-up work properly, then he would truly be a typical Ah Dou.

  Lin Muhe was originally going to stay with his elder brother, but he was forcibly dragged away by Jiang Kongming. He didn't dare disobey and all the way, he felt rather depressed.

  "Is Lin Jiahui your own brother?" Xuhai Feng asked abruptly.

  Lin Mu looked at Xu Haifeng with a hint of surprise, unable to understand why the great master would suddenly take an interest in this matter. "Not biological brothers," he said. After a moment's thought, he added, "Though not biological brothers, they are even closer than that."

  "Hmm." He responded ambiguously, and Xǔ Hǎifēng gazed at him with both eyes, asking: "I helped your brother unblock the Ren and Du meridians, helping him ascend to heaven in one step. Without treating you according to the law, have you ever had any resentment?"

  Lin Mu was taken aback, he never expected Xu Haifeng to ask such a question. Just as he was about to shake his head, Jiang Kongming said beside him: "Think carefully and tell the truth."

  He hesitated for a moment before finally looking up and saying, "Yes, I am indeed somewhat dissatisfied."

  Xu and Jiang nodded secretly, they had no intention of blaming each other at all.

  Indeed, for a martial artist, having someone suddenly open up their Ren and Du meridians, adding decades of bitter cultivation, is like a pie falling from the sky, with an irresistible temptation that can be fatal.

  Anyone in that situation would inevitably give rise to jealousy, the only difference is just a matter of degree. If you say you don't care at all, then unless he's really a sage. However, such people seem to exist only in legend, at least they've never seen them before.

  "After being reprimanded and returning, I will definitely reflect on my mistakes and change my ways." Lin Muhe said with shame, lowering his head.

  "There's no need for you to blame yourself, brother. If it were someone else in your shoes, they might have made an even bigger mess." Xǔ Hǎifēng consoled.

  Lin Muhe's head suddenly lifted up, and his eyes shone with an unbelievable light: "What did you just call me?"

  "Brother... what's wrong?" Xu Haifeng asked in surprise.

  "Ah..." Lin Muhe's lips trembled a few times, revealing the unprecedented turmoil in his heart. To be recognized by a Grandmaster and addressed as "brother", what an honor it was for him...

  As if he had seen through Lin Muhe's thoughts, Xu Haifeng patted him on the shoulder and said seriously: "Don't belittle yourself, you have this qualification."

  Taking a deep breath, Lin Mu said: "Thank you, Master."

  "Are you still calling me Master?"

  Lin Mu's face turned red, and she hummed for half a day, but couldn't say anything.

  With a helpless smile, Xu Haifeng knew that he couldn't accept such a change for the time being, so he simply didn't bother to respond and directly said: "Do you know why I won't help you unblock your Ren and Du meridians?"

  "Is it because my physical condition doesn't meet the requirements?" Lin Muhe asked uncertainly. From Xu Haifeng's tone, he could tell that he valued himself far more than his brother, so naturally he wouldn't be biased towards one and neglect the other. There must be a reason for doing this.

  "Otherwise, your innate talent and physical quality are among the best I've ever seen, even surpassing Lin Jia Hui by a margin of three. If he can do it, you have no reason not to succeed."

  "So..."

  Looking at the pair of eyes filled with confusion in front of him, Xu Haifeng said softly: "The way of martial arts emphasizes gradual progress, and only through continuous accumulation can one continuously innovate and reach new heights. Lin Jiahui's sudden rise to the top of the first rank seems unparalleled, but that is already the afterglow of a setting sun, with no possibility of further progress."

  "Ah."

  "And you..." Xu Haifeng's eyes suddenly lit up, filled with infinite hope: "I have high expectations for you."

  "What do you mean?" Lin Muhe's voice was also trembling as he understood the implication of Xu Haifeng's words.

  "That's right." Xu Haifeng nodded heavily, his words carrying an unshakeable certainty: "You have the potential to become a Grandmaster in this life."

  Lin Muhe's eyes changed from being perplexed to clear, and from being terrified to being determined. Xu Haifeng's words established a confidence in him, and set up a goal for him to strive for, although this was something he had never dared to hope for before.

  It was like an unattainable dream, but today, someone told him with their own mouth that this dream had a chance to come true, how could he not be overjoyed?

  Lin Muhe walked away with a brisk pace, and Jiang Kongming laughed on the side: "Master is indeed wise in recognizing heroes, I admire him extremely."

  With a faint smile, Xu Haifeng said: "Where's the need for that? If anyone deserves admiration, it's me admiring you, General Jiang."

  Jiang Kongming was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said: "The student has many admirable qualities, I don't know which one you are referring to, Your Excellency?"

  Xu Haifeng gave him a white eye, this person really is shameless. Although he thought so in his heart, the words that came out of his mouth were completely different: "The True Man of Taiyi has not asked about worldly affairs for over 40 years, and you can invite him to come out of the mountain to teach those martial artists, it's truly an unthinkable thing."

  Upon hearing these flattering words, Jiang Gongming couldn't help but smile all over his face. This matter was indeed extremely difficult, and probably no one else in the world could accomplish it.

  "How did you persuade this old man?" Xu Haifeng asked with great curiosity.

  Jiang Kung-ming smiled and said, "I didn't persuade him."

  "Haven't you ever advised him?" Xǔ Hǎifēng asked in surprise.

  "That's right."

  Looking at him suspiciously, Xu Haifeng's face turned strange: "Could it be that you are acting on your own?"

  "My lord, you are absolutely right." Jiang Gongming applauded and said: "It is exactly as the saying goes, 'beheading first and reporting later'. Since Jiang has already spoken out, that old man will have to try it out even if he is reluctant."

  Xu Haifeng turned his head away, and he didn't know what kind of feeling was in his heart. Taiyi Zhenren... This old man who has been sitting on the number one throne for decades, this hundred-year-old man who is almost a legendary figure, how did he change flavor in Jiang Kongming's mouth?

  If his words fall into the ears of those Jianghu figures, it is unknown what kind of turmoil will be stirred up.

  In fact, Jiang Gongming had never communicated with Taiyi Zhenren before, and his words were all self-directed and spoken casually. In the eyes of General Jiang Dajun, there are only two kinds of people in this world: those who can be used and those who cannot be used.

  As long as someone can be used, once he gets along with him, he will not stop until he has squeezed out the last drop of usable value.

  Taiyi True Man's greatest wish in life was to exterminate the Xiongnu. Once he made up his mind, he would not rest until he achieved his goal. For this purpose, the old man could even give up many things and persist.

  So, although Taiyi Zhenren was quite dissatisfied with Jiang Kungming's self-righteousness, he never expressed it openly. For this Jiang Kungming, who even he found hard to see through, as an old Daoist master, he had to be cautious and give him some consideration. Moreover, his lifelong wish still depended on him to fulfill, after all, he couldn't ruin his plans at this critical moment.

  "Alas... Lord Military Advisor, your actions are indeed beyond expectations. I, Xu Hai Feng, am truly impressed this time."

  "My lord is overpraising." Jiang Gongming humbly said, but the expression on his face was in no way related to humility.

  Suddenly remembering something, Xu Haifeng asked: "Today in the special forces, there is one person who seems to particularly hate Southerners, I wonder what's the reason?"

  Jiang Kongming shrugged and said, "It's just a vendetta in the jianghu, no big deal."

  Xu Haifeng immediately understood that Wu Youting must have had a close relative or friend who was harmed by the martial artists of the south, and so he hated all southerners whenever he met them.

  "Then, putting him in a special forces unit, isn't that inappropriate?"

  "This man, although bearing a grudge, is also an intelligent person who understands the general situation. Moreover, with him in the army, he can play a role of constant encouragement for Lin Jiahui, which is not necessarily a bad thing."

  "Special Forces, this name sounds good, after the war is over and they are disbanded, but it's not bad to keep this team name."

  "How can we disperse them?" Jiang Kongming asked in surprise.

  Xu Haifeng asked in confusion: "After all, they are all martial artists, if not dispersed, what can be done? Do you want the imperial court to support them?"

  "Special forces can indeed play a crucial role in times of war, but in times of peace, they can also serve other purposes." Jiang Kongming smiled slyly and said, "Since they have fallen into the hands of students, if we don't make good use of them, wouldn't that be a waste of heaven's resources?"

  Xu Haifeng gave him a glance, and his heart was secretly filled with a chill, wondering what strange idea this person had come up with again.

  He was just about to ask when he suddenly looked up and gazed down at the mountain.

  A figure flew over and approached him in an instant, and after a few ups and downs, he had already arrived in front of him.

  "My lord, an urgent message from Sleeping Dragon Castle."

  Taking the letter from Lin Changkong's hand, Xu Haifeng opened it and his face immediately turned solemn.

  "What's wrong?" Jiang Kongming asked in surprise.

  "Afterwards, the Xiongnu people transported the bodies of Fang Shi and Li Bogu to the Western Great Camp."

  Xu Haifeng's face was gloomy, and no one could see what he was thinking in his heart at this time.

  （）