Chapter 1126 Building a nest to attract the phoenix
"Good! Very good! Excellent!"

Tang Afu's firmness and decisiveness made Liu Xunyi, who was deeply entangled and depressed, suddenly feel relieved and his blood boiled.

"To be honest, long before Second Master Xie proposed to me the idea of ​​merging all the sects into one, I had already seen the future trend of the martial arts world, and vaguely guessed their real purpose of placing hope in me." Liu Xunyi put aside all distractions and spoke boldly, "However, what has always made me hesitant... is not whether this can be accomplished, but how to accomplish this? As the saying goes, 'If you ask others for something, you will be controlled by them.' Although I have left the court and am no longer bound by fame and fortune, in the eyes of people like Xiao Guzhu and Second Master Xie, I am still a young man who is inexperienced and ignorant of worldly affairs. They wish they could arrange everything for me, and I just need to be leisurely and 'stretch out my hand for clothes and open my mouth for food', without having to worry or work hard."

"How many people dream of such a day..."

"Brother Tang!" Before Tang Afu finished speaking, Liu Xunyi showed his impatience, "You just said that life is short and we should not waste our time."

"I understand!" Tang Afu gradually put away the playful expression on his face, and replaced it with a solemn look, "You can't trust anyone now, even... you can't trust the Valley Master and Chief Teng."

"It's not that I don't trust them, I just... don't want to jump from one cage into another. I know that Master Xiao and Second Master Xie will definitely not harm me, but I also know that Second Master Xie is not on the same page with Master Xiao and Chief Teng. The three families have been grudges for a long time, and conflicts have continued for many years. Although they will not show their differences in front of me, but behind my back... I don't know how many fights have taken place openly or secretly? Brother Tang, I want to bring everyone together to make peace, but I can't see through these shrewd seniors, and I can't control the turbulent situation. Therefore, in such a situation, even if I reluctantly unite them together, it is only in name only. In their bones, each sect is still different from each other, and each does its own thing. As for me... On the surface, I hold great power and have unlimited glory. In fact, I am no different from a puppet. More importantly, I don't want them to fight for "control" over me and cause trouble within the family."

"I don't want them to fight for their 'control' over you... You finally spoke your true feelings. Your unwillingness to be controlled by talents is the fundamental reason for your hesitation."

"I guess so... I've already experienced being deserted by my friends and relatives in the court, and I still feel scared when I recall it. Today's Master Xiao, Chief Teng, and Second Master Xie are just like the Marquis, Prime Minister, and Lord Jia back then. They are clearly in the same camp, but they turned against each other and schemed against each other because of conflicts of interest. I don't want to experience it again..."

"It's different! The Valley Master is your biological mother."

"Back then, the Marquis treated me like his own father."

"Can……"

"Forget it! Let the past be the past!" Liu Xunyi knew that Tang Afu admired Xiao Zhirou very much, so she didn't want to argue with him about who was better. So she changed the subject and asked humbly, "In your opinion, Brother Tang, how can we break the current situation?"

"In fact, you already have a plan in mind, so why ask even though you already know the answer?" Tang Afu mercilessly exposed Liu Xunyi's thoughts and said hesitantly, "This matter has a profound impact on the Valley Master. I... shouldn't have been in cahoots with you."

"If Brother Tang has any concerns, just pretend I didn't ask."

For some reason, Liu Xunyi's heart was hot and cold about the current topic. Sometimes he was excited, and sometimes he was not interested. He was far from being as excited as he looked on the surface.

Therefore, seeing Tang Afu was hesitant, Liu Xunyi simply went with the flow and stopped forcing him: "It's just that Brother Tang guessed wrong. In fact, I... don't have any countermeasures, and I don't want to intrigue with my family and plan any countermeasures..."

"Whether you want to or not, you have to deal with it!" Tang Afu didn't seem to understand Liu Xunyi's implication, and said, "In my opinion, if you don't want to be a 'puppet leader' in name only, the most urgent thing is to get rid of those seniors who are telling you what to do."

"Get rid of them?" Hearing this, Liu Xunyi's eyes flashed, and after pondering for a while, he asked carefully, "How to get rid of them? Could it be that... you suggest that I retreat while the tide is at hand?"

"Of course not!" Tang Afu looked at Liu Xunyi with an innocent face in disbelief, and couldn't help but let out a sneer, "Besides, where can you retreat to?"

"If I hadn't persuaded you to back off, would you... let me destroy the bridge after crossing it?" Liu Xunyi was secretly shocked and his face suddenly changed.

"It's like destroying the bridge after the rabbit is dead. I just advise you to get rid of their shackles and become a true... leader. You don't have to worry about their thoughts or look at their faces in everything. You can do whatever you want."

"According to my own heart... Brother Tang, Brother Tang, how do you know what I really feel?" Liu Xunyi sighed in his heart, but did not show any sign on the surface.

After a moment of melancholy, he evaded the question: "Even if the major sects are combined into one, a new force is created in name, but in fact... the people are still the same people, the things are still the same things, and the new force is still formed by the combination of the original sects. If I don't rely on those 'predecessors', who will be convinced? Who will obey me?"

"This is the key!" Tang Afu's eyes narrowed, and his tone became increasingly low, "In the final analysis, what you lack now is not fame, not power... but people."

"people?"

"That's right! Whether it's Chief Teng or Lord Xie, they have been working hard in their own 'territory' for many years and have already formed their own foundation. It is almost impossible for you, a junior who suddenly appeared, to be superior to them. Even if they agree, the disciples under their command will not yield, and even if they yield, they will be unwilling to obey in their hearts. Therefore, you must bypass the existing people and temporarily forget these elders with high seniority, rich qualifications, rich experience, and wide connections. Find some new people who are worthy of trust and entrustment, and slowly cultivate them into the backbone of the new force. These people must not only have reliable character and be both civil and military, but also have a friendship with you in good times and bad times." "Doing this... doesn't it mean that you don't trust Second Master Xie and others? It seems... not appropriate?"

"As the saying goes, 'a new emperor appoints new ministers.' They are all seniors who have been in the martial arts world for decades, so how could they not understand the truth? Moreover, if they really want to help you get to the top, not only will they not think it's wrong, but they will support it wholeheartedly."

"This..." Faced with Tang Afu's firm words, Liu Xunyi was speechless for a moment.

"In this case, what you need to do is actually very simple." Tang Afu did not give Liu Xunyi the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons, and spoke in rapid succession, "Build a nest to attract the phoenix!"

"What do you mean by building a nest to attract the phoenix?" Liu Xunyi was stunned, his thoughts becoming more and more confused, "Brother Tang, what you mean is..."

"The giant whales and dragons that can truly look down upon the raging waves must exist in the vast ocean, but how many big fish can be caught in a small ditch? Little do people know that talent is hard to come by in today's world. Therefore, you must open your mind, open your horizons, and open your heart and courage. Otherwise, you will only be surrounded by mediocre and stupid people, like Yuan Ting, who is strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and cannot handle important tasks."

"Open your mind, open your horizons, open your heart, open your courage..." Liu Xunyi muttered to himself thoughtfully, "Are you reminding me that I must break free from the constraints of the Xianwang Mansion, Jueqing Valley and the Xiangxi Teng Clan, and seek help from some people with real skills?"

"Of course, no matter what school or sect they come from, whether they are good or evil, as long as they have real talent and can be loyal to you, you can make them your confidants and brothers." Tang Afu said seriously, "In fact, there are a few people right now who are the best fit."

"you are right……"

"As far as I know, 'The Sackcloth-robed Swordsman Who Fears Ghosts' Qin Ku, 'The Fastest Swordsman in Mobei' Su He, 'The Youngest Master of Shaolin Damo Academy' Wu Chan... They have all been with you through thick and thin, and shared weal and woe with you. These people are of similar age to you, and have similar interests. Moreover, they are all powerful martial artists who dare to act. They will never 'overprotect' you like Xie Xuan and the elders in the Xianwang Mansion. More importantly, they have nothing to do with the Xianwang Mansion, Jueqing Valley, and the Xiangxi Teng Clan. They have no grudges or connections, and will never be easily influenced by others. Right now, if you want to accomplish something, who else can you rely on but them?"

"In that case, Li Haitang can also be counted as one?"

"Li Haitang?" Tang Afu frowned and reminded cautiously, "He is from Longxiang Mountain. Don't forget that you had a falling out with Yun Zhuiyue this afternoon..."

"Li Haitang's martial arts skills are mediocre, but his archery skills are superb. After spending some time with him, I found that he has a good heart and is quite shrewd."

"In terms of intelligence... there is a person who is far smarter than Li Haitang, and even in the entire Central Plains martial arts world, there is no rival for him." Tang Afu said cryptically, "Since ancient times, those who have accomplished great things have all relied on civil and military talents as their left and right arms. Right now, Su He, Qin Ku, Wu Chan, Li Haitang... and myself are all good at martial arts, but not good at planning. They can help you win between two battles, but it is difficult for them to help you plan in the tent. Therefore, if you want to succeed, you must have a resourceful think tank by your side to assist you wholeheartedly. This person is definitely not as clever as Li Haitang."

"you are right……"

"Xunzhen!"

"hiss!"

As soon as Tang Afu said this, Liu Xunyi's expression changed quietly: "Brother Tang, don't joke around. She is the confidant of the young king of Qin."

"I'm not joking. You dare to swear brotherhood with the Mongolian Khan's trusted generals, and you dare to win over Yun Zhuiyue's people. Why do you avoid the people of the Young Qin King?" Tang Afu teased, "I remind you again, you are no longer an official of the Song Dynasty court, but a hero of the Central Plains martial arts world. You can no longer have sectarian prejudices when interacting with others, but should put each other's values ​​first. Right now, as long as someone can help you, you can recruit them and use them. If one day you no longer need her help, you can also wave your hand and abandon her. Once you have firmly established your position as the number one person in the Central Plains martial arts world, taking, using, abandoning, and killing people... is nothing but a matter of thought."

"This..." Tang Afu described the exploitation and killing in a light and carefree manner, which made Liu Xunyi a little at a loss.

Seeing that Liu Xunyi was hesitant to speak, Tang Afu thought he was afraid, so he took the initiative to offer: "If you can't get over the hurdle in your heart, I can help you..."

"No!" Liu Xunyi quickly refused, and then explained in a low voice with distracted thoughts, "Based on my understanding of Xunzhen, as long as I ask... she will definitely agree. However, her agreement is ultimately to achieve the goal of the Young Qin King, not to help me sincerely. Once what I do goes against the interests of the Young Qin King, she will definitely turn against me...

"This matter is simple, why bother?" Tang Afu sneered disdainfully, with murderous intent in his eyes, "First use her to stabilize your position, and when you are about to gain the upper hand, I will make her disappear forever before she betrays you!"

……

(End of this chapter)