Back Courtyard of the Martial Arts School.
Elder Liu only glanced at Jiang Ning briefly before turning his attention back to Wang Jin.
"Brother Wang, let's return to the previous topic. What conditions would you need to convince Commander Wang to mobilize his garrison troops and city guards to join me in the mountains to hunt down Tian Buyi, the River Dragon?"
Hearing the name "Tian Buyi," Jiang Ning suddenly understood. So these three are from the Medicine King Valley.
Wang Jin shook his head slowly. "This matter is beyond my influence. Although I share the same surname as Commander Wang, I don't have the authority to make him do anything. If Elder Liu truly wishes to achieve your goal, it would be more effective to visit the military camp outside the city and speak to Commander Wang directly."
Elder Liu's eyes flashed with anger, but he took a deep breath and said, "Master Wang, please state your conditions directly. As long as it's within my power, I will agree. Please help me this once, and I will owe you a favor."
Wang Jin shook his head again. "It's not that I won't help, but I cannot truly do so. Elder Liu, you'd be better off visiting the county office and seeking the assistance of the county captain to mobilize the constables and patrols. That would be more effective."
Hearing this, Elder Liu stood up.
"Since Master Wang has made his position clear, there's no need for me to linger here any longer."
"Farewell!" He cupped his hands, turned, and left with a flick of his sleeve.
The other two at the stone table quickly stood up and followed him.
At this moment, Li Qing, standing beside Jiang Ning, leaned in and whispered, "Junior Brother, Elder Liu Qing doesn't seem like someone asking for a favor. His inherent arrogance is still on full display."
Jiang Ning smiled. "Senior Sister Li, you see things very clearly."
Li Qing looked slightly smug. "It's quite simple."
Meanwhile, Wang Jin watched Elder Liu leave without asking Jiang Ning or Li Qing to see him off. Only after Elder Liu and the other two had completely disappeared from view did Wang Jin turn his attention back to Jiang Ning.
"How has your martial training been going lately?" Wang Jin asked.
Jiang Ning nodded repeatedly. "Master, it's been going smoothly."
"That's good to hear," Wang Jin said with a slight nod. Then he added, "The opening of the Luoshui County Inspection Bureau is about twenty days away. Are you confident?"
"Yes!" Jiang Ning replied firmly.
Beside them, Li Qing's eyes widened in surprise as she listened to their conversation. She looked Jiang Ning up and down.
"Is Junior Brother Jiang really that confident? Are the rumors I heard about him after returning from my trip true?"
"If they are, that's truly astonishing!"
Li Qing thought to herself, her gaze shifting between Wang Jin and Jiang Ning.
Wang Jin spoke again. "It's good to have such confidence."
Then he asked, "Did you come to see me for something today?"
Jiang Ning shook his head. "No, I just haven't been to the school in a few days, so I thought I'd drop by."
"If there's nothing else, you may leave," Wang Jin waved his hand. "I still have matters to attend to."
"Then I'll take my leave," Jiang Ning cupped his hands.
Li Qing also said, "I'll take my leave as well."
The two of them walked out of the back courtyard.
Li Qing looked at Jiang Ning with a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Senior Sister Li?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Junior Brother Jiang, I just returned to Luoshui County a few days ago and heard many rumors about you. After hearing your conversation with Master Wang just now, I'm very curious about your strength. How about a sparring match?"
Li Qing spoke eagerly, her expression full of anticipation.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning shook his head.
"Senior Sister, let's not. I'm not interested in sparring."
"That's not up to you!" Li Qing said instantly.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she spun around, her right leg whipping toward Jiang Ning's face like a whip. The wind whistled as her leg cut through the air.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning's left hand shot out like an eagle's talon, effortlessly catching Li Qing's ankle.
Slap
The moment their limbs connected, a crisp sound echoed.
At that instant, Li Qing felt as if her leg had struck a solid wall, unable to budge it even slightly.
She stared at Jiang Ning in shock.
When her right leg was caught and held by Jiang Ning's hand, she realized she had underestimated him.
After all, leg strength was generally greater than arm strength. This was one of the advantages of leg techniques. Even if two people were of equal strength, most would not dare to block her whip-like kick head-on, let alone catch it.
But now, Jiang Ning had not only blocked her kick with ease but had also managed to grab her leg. This made her feel a sense of unease.
"Could Junior Brother Jiang's strength be far greater than mine?"
This thought crossed Li Qing's mind, but she quickly shook her head.
"That's impossible! How long has Junior Brother Jiang been training? How could his strength surpass mine? Even if he has reached the ninth grade of martial arts, we're at the same level. How could his arm strength be so much greater than my leg strength?"
With this in mind, Li Qing exerted force on her right leg again.
Jiang Ning immediately felt the muscles in her leg tense as she tried to break free from his grip.
Sensing her intention, Jiang Ning relaxed his grip slightly, giving her a way to save face.
A moment later, the two of them stared at each other.
"Give me back my shoe!" Li Qing's face turned slightly red.
In her struggle to free her leg from Jiang Ning's grasp, her shoe had come off, leaving her embarrassed.
At the same time, Jiang Ning felt like he was about to die.
With Li Qing's shoe off, a pungent odor assaulted his senses.
The more sensitive one's sense of smell, the worse it was.
Jiang Ning's heightened senses, even without actively enhancing them, were far superior to an ordinary person's. His sense of smell was no exception.
The stench was so overpowering that he felt like he might vomit.
Hearing Li Qing's words, Jiang Ning quickly held his breath and tossed her shoe back to her.
"Senior Sister Li, I'll take my leave now!" Jiang Ning said, turning to leave.
Only after hurriedly exiting the martial arts school did Jiang Ning finally take a deep breath.
"That was terrifying!" he sighed.
Then he thought to himself, The scientific knowledge from my previous life didn't lie. A woman's feet are seven times smellier than a man's. For martial artists who sweat a lot, the smell is even worse.
Recalling the scene just now, Jiang Ning couldn't help but shudder.
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