Chapter 168 Re-discussing the Pan Family
The eighteenth day of the first lunar month, early morning.

Following Luo Tianjin's orders, Luo Hongxuan went to the lower three gates in person and summoned Di Mo, Liu Xunyi, Ling Qing and Chen Yong to the central hall to discuss matters.

In the central hall, except for Luo Tianjin and his wife, Xie Xuan, Deng Changchuan, Luo Ningyu, Lin Fangda and others had already taken seats on both sides. When Luo Hongxuan and Liu Xunyi and others hurried over, Murong Bai was reporting to Luo Tianjin about his trip to Shaolin a few days ago.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi and the others naturally did not dare to interrupt, and could only bow to Luo Tianjin silently. At Xie Xuan's eye signal, they quickly and quietly took their seats.

"Abbot Xuanming once received a handwritten letter from Qin Ming, which said that since the Pan family could seek support from the Xianwang Mansion, the Qin family would also invite Jinjianwu to go to Shaolin on the first day of March to strengthen their presence." Murong Bai continued in an orderly manner, "Abbot Xuanming is mature and prudent, and he thinks Qin Ming's request is fair, so he agreed to Qin Ming's request."

Hearing this, Deng Changchuan frowned slightly and asked, "Does that mean that on the first day of March, people from Jinjianwu will also appear in Shaolin Temple?"

"Yes." Murong Bai nodded and said, "The fight for 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' is ultimately a personal feud between the Qin and Pan families. Shaolin does not want to alarm the martial arts community, so this competition will not be made public. Apart from the Pan and Qin families and Shaolin, only we and Jin Jian Wu are qualified to send people to watch the fight. But Abbot Xuan Ming has said that no matter whether it is Shaolin, Xian Wang Mansion, or Jin Jian Wu, we can only watch the fight from the sidelines and must not interfere in the fight between Pan and Qin."

"Haha... Abbot Xuanming didn't want to get involved in this mess. If I hadn't repeatedly requested, Shaolin probably wouldn't have gotten involved." Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "Qin Ming agreed to compete in Shaolin because he valued Xuanming's moderation and impartiality."

"But no matter what, the second volume of Xuanshui must not fall into the hands of the Qin family." Xie Xuan said in a deep voice, "The Qin family is enough to rank among the four great families in the martial arts world with only half of the sword manual. If Qin Ming gets the entire "Returning to the Sea Sword Manual", who in the world can stop the Qin family? We have always been at odds with the four great families. If the Qin family gains power, the Xianwang Mansion will be in great trouble."

Lin Fang curled his lips and said suspiciously, "Is 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' really that powerful? We went to the Pan family in Yingchuan before and found that the Pan family was weak and not as powerful as the rumors said."

"Eighth Master Pan retired for decades, and the descendants of the Pan family have been doing business for many years. They are no longer in the martial arts world. Even if there is half of the peerless swordsmanship in the family, what can they do?" Xie Xuan shook his head and said, "Eighth Master Pan gave up martial arts and studied literature, so the descendants of the Pan family have no one to teach them. Even if they are talented, it is impossible for them to learn by themselves. The lower volume of Xuanshui has long been in name only in the current Pan family, and has completely become an obsession of Eighth Master Pan. Apart from that, it has no other use."

"So..." Luo Hongxuan hesitated, "Even if the Pan family can keep the lower volume of Xuanshui this time, I'm afraid it won't last long. If the Qin family is willing to let it go, how can other people in the martial arts world be willing? If the Pan family does not strengthen itself, Xuanshui will be lost!"

"That's right." Liu Xunyi said seriously, "So Mr. Pan's intention is that when his fate is over, he is willing to entrust the "Xuan Shui Volume 2" to the hands of the mansion master."

While saying this, Liu Xunyi stared at Luo Tianjin with deep meaning. Because when he was in Yingchuan, he had secretly suspected whether Luo Tianjin had other purposes in making friends with Pan Chuba? But Luo Tianjin was calm at this moment, as if what Liu Xunyi just said had nothing to do with him.

"Great!" Deng Changchuan laughed. "If the lower volume of Xuan Shui is in our hands, even if Qin Ming has ten times the courage, he will never dare to steal it. Moreover, if we can really get half of the peerless sword manual, our strength will definitely be further improved."

"It's easy to say, but it's actually dangerous." Xie Xuan shook his head slowly with concern, "The lower volume of Xuanshui is like a hot potato. Whoever gets it will become the number one enemy of the Hexi Qin family. Mr. Pan Ba ​​plans to entrust it to the mansion master when he is at the end of his rope. I'm afraid it will bring us not only half a volume of sword manual, but also a lot of trouble. We need to weigh the pros and cons carefully."

Xie Xuan's words made everyone fall into deep thought again, and no one had any idea for a moment.

"How much trouble will Xuanshui Volume 2 bring us... I'm afraid that's a story for the future." Di Mo, who had not said a word, suddenly spoke up, "Right now, the Pan family and the Qin family are about to compete. In my opinion, the Pan family has no chance of winning at all. Abbot Xuanming has said in advance that no one except the Pan and Qin families can interfere without authorization. On the first day of March, if the Pan family loses in the competition, then according to the ten-year agreement, 'Xuanshui Volume 2' will immediately belong to the Qin family. Even if the Pan family wants to deny it, do we, the Xianwang Mansion, have to cheat with them? Or do we want to snatch it from the Qin family? Not to mention whether we can successfully snatch Xuanshui Volume 2 back from the Qin family and Jinjianwu, just to say that if this matter is publicized, I'm afraid that the Xianwang Mansion will find it difficult to gain a foothold in the martial arts world in the future, and the martial arts heroes will also despise us for breaking our promises and robbing. The Pan family has long retired, they don't care about their reputation, don't we care about it too?"

"Di Mo has a point." Ling Xiaoxiao agreed, "The root of it is still the competition on the first day of March. If the Pan family wins, everything will be fine. But if the Pan family loses to the Qin family, what should we do? Now Pan Wu, the number one master of the Pan family, has died, and Pan Chun and his mother have fled without a trace. Now only the son-in-law He Hu is left. Although they have some means, compared with the masters of the Qin family, they are ultimately... powerless, a drop in the bucket." Originally, Ling Xiaoxiao wanted to say "vulnerable", but due to the friendship between Luo Tianjin and Pan Chuba, she changed her words temporarily, leaving the last bit of face for the unlucky Pan family.

“I get angry when I mention this.” Lin Fang snorted angrily, “The East Lake Gang is too bullying. They want to shit on Master Pan’s neck, but Master Pan actually…actually has to swallow his anger. Even an outsider like me can’t stand it. If Xun Yi and Ning Yu hadn’t stopped me, I would have gone to the East Lake Gang and settled the score with that damn Li Lao Hu.”

"This is not called swallowing one's anger, this is called putting the overall situation first." Luo Tianjin smiled faintly. After that, he looked around the hall silently and slowly said: "Madam Shicai is right. The competition on the first day of March is the most important thing. If the Pan family wins, they will have many supporters. If they lose, they will have few supporters. No one in the world can go against the will of heaven, and the Xianwang Mansion must not do anything that goes against morality. Therefore, the first priority for me to call you here to discuss is how to help the Pan family defeat the Qin family."

"This..." Xie Xuan said with a bitter smile, "Unless we send experts to fight for the Pan family, but the Palace Master just said that we must not do anything that goes against morality. After all, this is a private grudge between the Pan and Qin families. If we rashly intervene... I'm afraid it would be inappropriate, right?"

"The Xianwang Mansion is an outsider, so naturally we cannot interfere in other people's personal grudges." Luo Tianjin nodded.

"Then... the Pan family will definitely lose." Di Mo hesitated for a long time and couldn't help but speak, "Mr. Pan once cut his own tendons, and now he is old, so he naturally can't fight. And the other descendants of the Pan family... are all weak and frail, and now they only have He Hu... Please forgive me for speaking frankly, although I don't know who the Qin family will send to fight, but He Hu has no chance of winning."

"You see it clearly." Luo Tianjin praised, "It is indeed true." After these words came out, without waiting for everyone to ask doubts, Luo Tianjin slowly took out a letter from his arms. It was the secret letter that Pan Chuba wrote to him.

Luo Tianjin held up the letter and smiled faintly, "Mr. Pan had anticipated this, so he asked me for help in the letter and came up with a way for me in advance that would not violate morality but would send someone to help the Pan family."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, everyone immediately became interested. When Luo Tianjin first saw the letter, he did not reveal the contents of the letter. He just glanced at it and put it away. Therefore, even Ling Xiaoxiao did not know the secret, so how could everyone not be curious?
Lin Fangda couldn't wait to ask, "May I ask, Lord, what did Mr. Pan write in the letter?"

"Mr. Pan asked me for two things in the letter." Luo Tianjin said quietly, "First, he wanted me to send someone to Yingchuan to help him deal with the Donghu Gang, in order to avenge the murder of his son and the seizure of his wealth..."

"It should have been done long ago! The East Lake Gang is going too far..." Lin Fangda was straightforward and immediately clapped his hands in applause. But before he could finish his words, Xie Xuan's angry eyes were already cast straight at him, frightening him so much that he quickly closed his mouth, and his excited shouting also stopped abruptly.

"Secondly." Luo Tianjin ignored Lin Fangda's rudeness and said, "Eighth Master Pan has a granddaughter named Pan Yuyin, who is now in her prime and waiting to be married. Eighth Master Pan wants me to choose a good son-in-law for her in the Xianwang Mansion and go to Yingchuan to get married as soon as possible. This man must be an outstanding martial artist and chivalrous. It is also good for him to represent the Pan family to fight against the Qin family on the first day of March as the son-in-law of the Pan family's granddaughter."

"Hiss!" As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Especially Liu Xunyi, Lin Fangda, and Luo Ningyu, they had all seen Pan Yuyin with their own eyes, and knew that she was a rare and graceful lady with both talent and beauty. But they never expected that Pan Chuba would sacrifice her lifelong happiness for this battle.

"May I ask the Palace Master..." Ling Qing asked suspiciously, "Is this a real marriage or a fake one?"

"The wedding ceremony is of course real, otherwise how could it be hidden from the Qin family?" Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "But in reality it is in name only, just to tide over the difficulties with the Pan family. After the competition, everything will return to dust, and there will be no connection between us anymore." Having said this, Luo Tianjin suddenly showed a playful look on his face, and smiled with a hint of meaning, "But Miss Pan is also a rare and beautiful woman. If the man is in love and the woman is interested, it would not be a problem if the fake play becomes real. Haha..."

"If it's a love affair, and we both want it, then it's a beautiful thing." Luo Ningyu murmured to herself, "But if it's just a casual affair, then it won't be a big deal for the man, but it will be a big deal for Miss Pan... After all, she's a virgin, and her reputation will be damaged after this incident. How can she face people in the future? How can she get married again?"

"Children of the Jianghu don't care about trivial matters." Lin Fangda waved his hand and smiled nonchalantly, "As the saying goes, the clear ones are clear and the turbid ones are turbid. The marriage is just a pretense. Afterwards, Miss Pan will still be a virgin and a perfect woman. Today, I am just borrowing an empty name temporarily, but I can help the Pan family overcome bad luck. This deal is worth it no matter how you look at it!"

"It's worth nothing!" Luo Ningyu didn't know why she was so angry that her face turned pale, her eyes widened, and even her lips trembled slightly. "You are not women, so how can you understand how important reputation is to a woman? Lin Fangda, I think you are talking without any concern. It's okay to laugh at others, but you even say some vulgar and rude nonsense!"

Luo Ningyu suddenly got angry, which caught Lin Fangda off guard. He looked at Luo Ningyu with aggrieved eyes. It was not right to explain, nor was it right not to explain. He was in a dilemma.

"Enough!" Ling Xiaoxiao said in a deep voice, "Since it is Mr. Pan's intention, it is the Pan family's own business. How can we allow you to argue here?" After that, she turned her gaze to Luo Tianjin and asked softly: "Brother Jin, can Mr. Pan name a name in the letter? Does he have a favorite candidate?"

Luo Tianjin said with a half-smile: "The letter did not mention any names, but Mr. Pan Ba ​​has already chosen someone."

"who is it?"

"Who sent this letter?"

"Looking for clothes?" Lin Fangda answered subconsciously.

"That's it." Luo Tianjin smiled faintly, "Three people went to Yingchuan, one was a young lady, and one was the leader of the sect, but Mr. Pan chose Liu Xunyi, who had the most humble status, to deliver the letter. His intention...isn't it obvious?"

……

(End of this chapter)