Chapter 252 Late Night Lobbying
At night, Yingtian Tower fades away from the hustle and bustle of the day and gradually returns to tranquility.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Accompanied by a low knock on the door, Jin Fu Yu's door opened.

"Palace Master Qin, you are here."

Jin Fu Yu didn't seem surprised by Qin Ming's sudden visit. He greeted him and turned around to let Qin Ming into the room.

At this moment, there were two cups of tea on the tea table, with hot mist rising and lingering smoke curling up, as if they had just been poured not long ago.

Seeing this, Qin Ming was slightly stunned, and then he looked around the room hesitantly, with a look of suspicion on his face, and he said thoughtfully: "Master Jinwu, these two cups of tea are..."

"It is prepared for Palace Master Qin." Jin Fuyu smiled faintly, waved his hand and invited Qin Ming to take a seat, and said, "Come and taste my Jingjiang bitter tea. How does it taste?"

Qin Ming hesitated for a moment, then quickly picked up the teacup and drank it all.

After taking a sip of the tea, Qin Ming frowned and showed a strange look on his face. Under Jin Fuyu's interested gaze, Qin Ming reluctantly "gulped" and swallowed the whole mouthful of bitter tea.

"What a bitter tea!" Qin Ming stuck out his tongue and sighed, "I have drunk a lot of strong liquor in my life. But this is the first time I have tasted such bitter tea."

"Hehe..." Jin Fuyu nodded with a smile, and said with a hint of meaning, "Palace Master Qin, wine should be drunk in big gulps, and tea should be tasted sip by sip. You taste tea the way you drink wine, isn't that a waste of food? You drink too quickly, so naturally you can't taste the true flavor."

Before he finished speaking, Jin Fu Yu poured another glass for Qin Ming.

"Master Jinwu, I am sorry to bother you tonight. I want to..."

"I know why Lord Qin came here!" Jin Fuyu waved his hand and said with a smile, "But before Lord Qin asks me a question, can I ask Lord Qin for the truth first?"

Qin Ming's expression straightened up, and he said loudly: "You can tell me whatever you want. I will tell you the truth."

"Eleven monks from Shaolin Temple..." Jin Fuyu stared at Qin Ming's eyes with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to pierce through his heart. "You really didn't send people to kill them?"

Hearing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but look bitter, and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Unfair! It's a huge injustice! Master Jinwu, Qin dares to swear to heaven that although I have spread many rumors to slander Shaolin during this period, I have never touched a single hair of Shaolin disciples."

After saying that, Qin Ming's expression changed, and he whispered, "What's more, the idea of ​​spreading rumors to slander Shaolin was also thanks to the advice of Master Jinwu, so how could Qin pretend to obey and secretly disobey?"

"Yeah." Jin Fu Yu responded calmly, as if what Qin Ming said had nothing to do with him.

Seeing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but sigh and said helplessly: "After all the hard work, we have already put great pressure on Shaolin Temple and Xianwang Mansion in the martial arts world, but we didn't expect such a thing to happen halfway. As a result, there is no trace of "Xuanshui Xiajuan", but Shaolin has turned the tables on us. My Hexi Qin family has become a despicable villain?"

Jin Fuyu stared at every subtle expression on Qin Ming's face and asked word by word, "Are you serious?"

"If I tell you even a single lie, I'll be struck by lightning!" Qin Ming swore to the sky, speaking with certainty.

"I believe you!"

Jin Fuyu's expression relaxed, and he murmured to himself: "If you didn't kill the Shaolin disciple, then who could be the murderer..."

"Master Jinwu." Qin Ming looked around, then lowered his voice and said hesitantly, "In fact, I have always had a bold guess. I suspect that the real murderer who killed the Shaolin monks and the farce in Chenzhou... seem to have some connection."

Jin Fuyu frowned slightly and asked, "You mean... Ye Tong?"

"That's right!" Qin Ming replied, "Although my Qin family was not directly involved in the Chenzhou incident, I have heard some rumors in the martial arts world during this period. The Chenzhou incident... seems to be full of doubts."

"Appreciate further details."

"According to the current situation, it seems that the Xianwang Mansion and the six major sects are secretly in contact with Ye Tong and set up a trap in Chenzhou. But if you think about it carefully, there are many suspicious points." Qin Ming analyzed, "For example, the death of Huichun, the eldest disciple of Emei Sect, the death of Lu Tai, the fourth elder of Kunlun Sect, the death of Chen Yong, the master of Xianwang Mansion, and the serious injury of Xu Zhun, the right emissary of Qingcheng... Don't you think these things are strange? If Luo Tianjin and Ye Tong were really colluding in secret, how could the people of Xianwang Mansion and the six major sects... suffer such heavy casualties?"

Jin Fuyu said calmly: "Leng Yiyi told me that on that day in Chenzhou, she, Tang Ren, Lu Yao, and Teng Qiner were all tricked out of Taohuawu by Ye Tong, and the rest of the disciples were left in the wharf and were brutally killed."

"That's right!" Qin Ming said solemnly, "Just think about it, how many of your disciples who stayed in Taohuawu that day could there be? And how many of them were first-rate masters? Since we were outnumbered by the enemy, how could we kill Huichun, Lu Tai, Chen Yong, and seriously injure masters like Xu Zhun and Xu Heng?"

Jin Fuyu's eyes sparkled, and he said in deep thought, "What Palace Master Qin said is exactly what the Tang Sect, Teng Clan, and Lu Palace are worried about today. I think they have all seen something fishy, ​​so they are hesitant and in a dilemma."

"That's right! That's right!" Qin Ming nodded quickly and said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

"Then Palace Master Qin..." Jin Fuyu hesitated and said, "What do you want to do?"

"To be honest, everything I did was just to retrieve the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' and save my Qin family from the fate of the world." Qin Ming said frankly, "Besides that, I don't want to get involved too much."

"So, Lord Qin doesn't want to fight to the death with Xianwang Mansion and the six major sects?" "Of course." Qin Ming said bluntly, "The tragic death of Shaolin monks has nothing to do with me. Shaolin's accusation is unreasonable. How can my Qin family be a scapegoat for others?"

After that, Qin Ming hesitated for a moment, and then said: "What's more, according to today's situation, the other three families seem to have no intention of fighting."

"Since Palace Master Qin is already afraid, why not take the initiative to ask for surrender from Luo Tianjin and Shaolin tomorrow?" Jin Fuyu said slowly. Although his tone was calm, it concealed a hint of displeasure.

"Misunderstood! Qin is definitely not a coward, so how could he be afraid of fighting?" Qin Ming waved his hands and said, "I came to see Master Jinwu tonight just to hear your opinion. If Master Jinwu wants to take this opportunity to deal with the Xianwang Mansion, then my Hexi Qin family will fully support it without hesitation." After that, Qin Ming changed the subject and said with a wry smile, "As for the other three families, then..."

"What do I mean?" Jin Fuyu shook his head and smiled, "I just want to help Palace Master Qin get back the 'Xuan Shui Lower Volume'. Apart from that, I have no other request."

"Are you serious?" Qin Ming's face lit up and he asked hurriedly.

Jin Fuyu sipped his tea and smiled, saying, "Every word is true."

"Qin thanks Master Jinwu for your help." Qin Ming stood up suddenly and bowed respectfully to Jin Fuyu. "Master Jinwu's words make Qin feel relieved. In this case, I will confront Shaolin Temple face to face tomorrow and explain everything in detail to avoid a meaningless dispute."

“It’s just…” Before Qin Ming finished speaking, Jin Fuyu suddenly changed his attitude and said with a smile, “Although the Qin Mansion Master has no intention of taking it by force, it is hard to guarantee that others will not have the intention of taking it by force.”

"This……"

As if seeing the doubts in Qin Ming's heart, Jin Fuyu explained quietly: "Although Palace Master Qin is upright, how can Shaolin Temple let it go? And there are other sects headed by Luo Tianjin. What exactly are they thinking when they come here with murderous intent? Could it be... are they really seeking justice for the eleven monks?"

"Master Jinwu is right." Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully, "Although we want peace, we can't guarantee that they don't have the intention to kill."

"For many years, we have been in constant dispute and friction with the Xianwang Mansion and the six major sects. The grievances accumulated to this day are also a large blood debt. Now, they have found a rare opportunity to gather together and attack us legitimately, so how can they not harbor evil intentions?" Jin Fuyu chuckled, "If we can't figure this out, we will lose momentum tomorrow, and then be defeated like a mountain, and finally be suppressed by Luo Tianjin and his group. By then, let alone getting back the "Xuanshui Volume 2", even whether the Hexi Qin family can continue to gain a foothold in the martial arts world is unknown..."

Every word of Jin Fuyu's was as sharp as a needle and every sentence was as sharp as a knife, piercing Qin Ming's heart and making him terrified and uneasy.

"Without any evidence, eleven lives were taken from me. This is unacceptable..."

"Master Qin, at this point, can't you see it? No matter who killed the Shaolin disciples, no matter if there were traitors who sowed discord, Luo Tianjin was going to take advantage of the situation and push the boat along."

Qin Ming was shocked and asked hurriedly, "What does Master Jinwu mean by this? Are they willing to be used by others?"

"Revenge for the eleven monks has now become their legitimate banner. In fact, their real purpose is to kill us..." Jin Fu Yu's words stopped abruptly, and then he gently wiped his neck with his hand.

Seeing this, Qin Ming's face suddenly changed, and a burst of anger instantly burst out in his eyes.

"What a thief, bald ass!" Qin Ming gnashed his teeth and cursed, "You actually want to attack my Qin family?"

"During this period, the Qin family has been wantonly challenging the dignity of Shaolin in front of the world, and has repeatedly made 'bold statements'. If Xuanming doesn't use you as a scapegoat, how can he restore the reputation of Shaolin? How can he establish his authority in front of the martial arts heroes?" Jin Fuyu said, "Shaolin wants to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, while Luo Tianjin and other sects want to fish in troubled waters. They used the death of eleven monks as an excuse, and the Chenzhou incident to add fuel to the fire. They took this opportunity to avenge their grudges and trample on us hard, and it would be best... to make us unable to stand up forever, and even never be able to stand side by side with them in the world of martial arts. As for who is behind this, Luo Tianjin may have known it long ago, but he pretended to know nothing. His intentions... are not good!"

"Humph! The days when the six major sects dominated the martial arts world are long gone." Qin Ming said viciously, "They want to suppress us, but it's nothing but a foolish dream! Isn't it just a Shaolin Temple? Others are afraid of it, but I, the Hexi Qin Sect, am not afraid at all!"

"The stronger you are, the braver you become." Jin Fuyu praised, "Tomorrow's meeting will not only determine the survival of the Qin family, but also the future of the martial arts world in the next few years or even decades."

"No need to say more, I have fully understood what Master Jinwu meant!"

Qin Ming waved his hand, turned to Jin Fuyu and said righteously: "Whether it is for the dignity of the Qin family or for the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan', I have only one way to go tomorrow, which is to fight them to the end! Unless they are willing to give in, Qin will definitely fight to the death!"

"This is not only the way out for Lord Qin, but also the only way out for Jinjianwu and the four great families." Jin Fuyu responded, and then his eyes moved slightly, and he said with a smile, "However, it may be difficult for you and my two families to achieve anything tomorrow. If you want to compete with the Xianwang Mansion and the six major sects, then the Tang Clan, the Teng Clan, and the Lu Mansion... Hehe, they are all guests invited by Lord Qin, so I am not in a position to say more, so I have to trouble Lord Qin..."

"Master Jinwu, don't worry!"

Qin Ming laughed and said, "Before I came here, I had already made up my mind. After discussing countermeasures with you, I will go to visit Chief Steward Tang, Chief Teng and Mr. Lu overnight. At this point, we are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope. We will rise and fall together. We must be united and advance and retreat together. Otherwise, if we hold grudges and have our own ulterior motives, we will end up with nothing but losses."

"Master Qin is wise!" Jin Fu Yu stood up and said with a smile, raising his glass in a toast.

The two exchanged a few quick greetings and then said goodbye to each other.

After watching Qin Ming leave, Jin Fu Yu turned around and went back to his room. A strange smile quietly appeared on his righteous face.

In the room, Jin Fuyu sat alone at the table, and by the dim candlelight, he reached into his bosom and took out an opened letter. He drank tea while reading it over and over again.

At the end of the letter, there were three tiny characters "Shen Dongshan" written in a flamboyant style.

……

(End of this chapter)