Chapter 1006: Gathering together ()

"I agree with Dad's idea..."

"Wait!" Before the worried Xiao Zhirou could agree on the spot, Yun Zhuiyue spoke quickly, "Right now, Qingfeng is still the legitimate leader of the martial arts world and represents the orthodoxy of the martial arts world. If we act too early, we will lose the opportunity to expose the true colors of Qingfeng and his daughter in front of the world. Once a fight breaks out, we will definitely be framed by Qingfeng as traitors to the martial arts world, and we won't be able to clear ourselves even if we jump into the Yellow River..."

"Xiang'er, I remember you once said... Qingfeng is very likely to have guessed Xunyi's background, and he just avoided talking about it out of some concerns." Teng Sanshi recalled, "If that's the case, Qingfeng will definitely try every means to kill Xunyi in order to preserve his own reputation or to protect Ling Xiaoxiao's family business."

"That being said, he sent someone to deliver the 'hero invitation' to us, which made me doubt my guess at the time."

"You mean... Qingfeng might not know Xunyi's background?"

"It's possible." Facing Xiao Zhirou's doubts, Yun Zhuiyue said bluntly, "If he knew that Liu Xunyi was the illegitimate child of Luo Tianjin and... and you, how could he dare to send someone to deliver the invitation in such a high-profile manner?"

"Maybe... Qingfeng thought we didn't know." Teng Sanshi shook his head slowly, seemingly disagreeing with Yun Zhuiyue's idea. "After all, I am the vice-leader of the Central Plains martial arts world. Jueqing Valley and Longxiang Mountain are also powerful. Qingfeng invited heroes from all over the world, but didn't invite us... Wouldn't it arouse suspicion? I guess Qingfeng didn't want to invite us to the "Anti-Traitor Conference", but when he saw us coming uninvited, he knew it was useless to stop us, so he temporarily sent someone to send us an invitation, one to do a favor, and the other to avoid giving people a chance to criticize us."

"If Qingfeng didn't know our whereabouts, he should have sent people to the Teng Clan, Jueqing Valley and Longxiang Mountain to deliver the invitation. Why would he intercept us on the way?" Xiao Zhirou took the opportunity to interrupt, "After thinking about it, there is only one reason. Qingfeng has been paying close attention to our every move. Just think about it, there are countless sects and families of all sizes in the martial arts world, why does Qingfeng care so much about us? The "Eradication of Traitors Conference" is about to be held, and he actually has the leisure to stare at us? If he says he has nothing to hide, I won't believe it even if you kill me."

"In terms of coveting the throne of the leader and threatening Qingfeng and his daughter, we are far less ambitious than Jin Fuyu." After Xiao Zhirou's reminder, Teng Sanshi became more certain of his speculation, "We have been secretly monitored by Qingfeng like a thief, but Jin Fuyu received the 'hero invitation' early on. This is indeed abnormal."

"If Qingfeng knew Xunyi's background, this would not be strange, but reasonable." Xiao Zhirou said contemptuously, "We are strangers to Xunyi, so we are not as threatening to Qingfeng as Jin Fuyu. But if our blood is thicker than water... Qingfeng will undoubtedly regard us as a serious threat?"

"That makes sense!" Yun Zhuiyue nodded, "It seems Qingfeng is keeping silent on purpose..."

"Qingfeng is cunning and has calculated every step clearly. If Xunyi's identity is made public, he can't lead people to hunt him down with great fanfare, and he can't put all the blame for killing Luo Tianjin on Xunyi." Teng Sanshi said angrily, "More importantly, Xunyi's life experience is complicated, and if Qingfeng and his daughter are not careful, they will get burned. Instead of walking on the edge of the abyss, it is better to kill Xunyi while his life experience is unclear. Only when there is no evidence, Qingfeng and his daughter can feel at ease to reverse right and wrong, and thus call the wind and rain and do whatever they want in the Central Plains martial arts world."

"Using my son's life to cover up the crimes they have committed is truly against the will of heaven." Xiao Zhirou's eyes flashed coldly, and her tone was as cold as ice.

"Foster father, Rou'er, the more critical the moment, the more you must keep your composure. If we rush into the Xianwang Mansion rashly, even if we rescue Liu Xunyi, we will not be able to resolve the crisis. Instead, it will implicate the Teng clan, Jueqing Valley and Longxiang Mountain..."

"My son is in danger, and you're worried about getting implicated?" Xiao Zhirou stared at Yun Zhuiyue, who was making excuses, with a bad look in her eyes, and said angrily, "Listen, whether we live or die, we will take care of everything ourselves, and we will never implicate outsiders. You'd better draw a clear line between you and us to avoid being implicated..."

"Rou'er, I have absolutely no such intention!" Seeing Xiao Zhirou misunderstand him, Yun Zhuiyue's eyes changed and he quickly explained, "I'm not afraid of death, nor am I afraid of being implicated..."

"I believe Xiang'er will never stand by and watch someone die." Teng Sanshi groaned, "Rou'er, don't be impulsive. Just listen to what he has to say."

"The two of them are enemies, and they will fight to the death. If one of them wants to rest easy, the best way is not to hide himself, but to... kill the other." Yun Zhuiyue explained in a low voice, "We are enemies of Qingfeng, and we will fight back against each other. Even if we get the upper hand today, they will do everything they can to get it back tomorrow. As the saying goes, 'When will the cycle of revenge end?' If we don't want to live in fear for the rest of our lives, the only way is to uproot them and catch them all in one fell swoop."

"How can we uproot it?" Xiao Zhirou was still furious, so she was skeptical.

"In my opinion, although Liu Xunyi has suffered a lot, his life will not be in danger before the 'Eradication of Traitors' meeting begins." Yun Zhuiyue looked at the indignant Xiao Zhirou with affection, and patiently expressed his thoughts. "If Qingfeng couldn't wait to take Liu Xunyi's life, why would he waste time and effort to hold a 'Eradication of Traitors' meeting? Liu Xunyi is imprisoned, and he can kill him at any time, so why wait until today?"

"Qingfeng's move... is intended to use Xunyi to restore his reputation and establish his authority." Teng Sanshi revealed the secret. "After more than a year of hunting down Xunyi, Qingfeng has been defeated time and again. He has lost face in front of the heroes of the world and is controversial. If he does not hold this 'Eradication of Traitors Conference' to prove to the heroes of the world that he is not a person who seeks fame and reputation, he, the 'master of martial arts', will inevitably lose his reputation in his later years. By then, not only will Qingfeng's reputation be ruined, but even Wudang will become a laughing stock of the world."

"Father, you've hit the nail on the head!" Yun Zhuiyue's eyes lit up and she nodded heavily. "If I were Qingfeng, knowing that you guys are here with bad intentions and the conflict is irreconcilable, I would hope that you guys would take action earlier to avoid making a fool of yourself in public. That's why we must not fall into their trap. On the contrary, we have to wait! Wait until the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference', wait until everyone is present, wait until the merits and demerits are laid out on the table, and all the conspiracies and tricks cannot be carried out. Then, we will expose the ugly faces of Qingfeng and his daughter in front of everyone and make them fail miserably so that they will never be able to turn over."

"Expose their ugly faces?" Teng Sanshi frowned, "How to expose them?" "Father, don't forget that when Luo Tianjin was killed... I was also there." At this point, Yun Zhuiyue's tone stagnated, and she said with embarrassment, "It's just... it's not difficult for me to tell the truth, but to clarify Liu Xunyi's innocence, his life experience must be made public, which will also reveal a long-forgotten past. Especially... Rou'er and Luo Tianjin secretly got married... This matter will not only 'slander' Rou'er's innocence, but will also affect the reputation of the Xiangxi Teng clan in the world..."

"Compared to Xunyi's life, what is my innocence? What's more, what you said is all true and it can't be considered slander at all..." Xiao Zhirou said as she cast a complicated look at Teng Sanshi.

"Xun Yi is not only my grandson, but also the future of the Teng people in western Hunan." Teng Sanshi said righteously, "It is impossible for me to not recognize my grandson for my entire life. Now is a godsend opportunity."

Xiao Zhirou was deeply moved by Teng Sanshi's words, and at the same time she felt ashamed for her worries just now.

In fact, as early as the day when Teng Sanshi and Xiao Zhirou reunited, his temperament had changed drastically. Maybe it was because he was getting old, maybe it was because he had experienced many vicissitudes of life, maybe it was because he was still scared, or maybe it was because he had seen through the fickleness of the world, but in Teng Sanshi's heart today, nothing in the world is more important than his closest family.

False fame and fortune are like passing clouds and are not worth a single sneer.

"Based on your one-sided statement alone... I'm afraid no one will believe it." Xiao Zhirou changed her mind and reminded, "After all, you and I are from a different religion, and the various sects in the Central Plains have always been resentful of us. In terms of connections and prestige... we are far inferior to Qingfeng. If Qingfeng refuses to admit it, we will be helpless."

"My foster father met with Kunlun Sect Leader Yin Baimei, Kongtong Sect Leader Zhong Limu, and Tang Sect Chief Tang Yuan a few days ago to catch up with the past, and took the opportunity to find out the truth about Luo Tianjin's murder. I wonder if he found any clues?" Yun Zhuiyue did not answer Xiao Zhirou's concerns, but cast a secretive look at the troubled Teng Sanshi, and asked with a hint of meaning, "If we encounter an emergency, I wonder if they are willing to stand up..."

"If we rely on them... we will surely die." Teng Sanshi's face was livid, and he shook his head slowly. "These people are old foxes who are sweet-mouthed but treacherous. One foot they call me brothers, and the next foot they collude with Qingfeng. We can't trust them at all. To put it bluntly, they are just a group of 'fence-sitters' who change their stance according to the wind. They will cheer for whichever side is more powerful? Which side has a stronger situation? We can let them add icing on the cake, but asking them to help in times of need... is nothing but wishful thinking."

"This……"

After Teng Sanshi said this, Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue couldn't help but look at each other, with a hint of confusion between their brows.

"At present, Qingfeng has invited Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, and Tang Sects to the Xianwang Mansion. He has been with them day and night, eating and sleeping together, as if he has become close friends with them and follows them everywhere. Not only that, he also uses his status as the leader of the martial arts world to make friends with people all day long and win people's hearts everywhere. Now he has won over all the people in the Central Plains martial arts world. Even Jin Fuyu and Lu Tingxiang, who had a grudge against him, temporarily put aside their grievances and gave him enough face to come to participate in the "Anti-Traitor Conference". This situation... is very unfavorable to us." Yun Zhuiyue said helplessly, "Rou'er is right. I am afraid that it will be difficult to convince everyone with just my one-sided words. Even if those "fence-sitters" who change their opinions according to the situation know it in their hearts, they will be afraid of Qingfeng's intimidation and pretend to be confused..."

"Crack!"

Before Yun Zhuiyue finished speaking, an almost inaudible sound suddenly came from outside the room, which immediately changed the look of Xiao Zhirou and the other two, and they all looked out the window at the same time.

"Who dares to eavesdrop outside the window? You're looking for death!"

It happened in a flash. With a thunderous roar, Teng Sanshi's figure flashed and he rushed to the window in the blink of an eye. But he heard a rustling sound of footsteps outside the window. Teng Sanshi's ears moved, his eyes became fierce, and he gathered his energy and strength with his right hand, and suddenly punched the wall by the window.

"boom!"

"what……"

With a loud bang, Teng Sanshi punched through the thick wall with great force, and then with lightning speed, he changed his fist into a claw and thrust it forward, firmly grasping the throat of the "uninvited guest" who was fleeing in panic.

"Chief Teng, please spare my life... It's me... Hong Si..."

……

(End of this chapter)