Chapter 308: Assessing the Situation (I)

The next morning, in the central hall of Prince Xian’s mansion.

Luo Tianjin, who had regained his spirit, had a blank expression on his face and said nothing, his fingers gently flicking through the letters on the desk.

In the hall, Luo Hongxuan, Liu Xunyi and others who didn't understand what was going on sat on both sides, looking at each other, and no one dared to speak rashly.

"Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly." Luo Tianjin coughed twice and slowly said, "At this moment, there are three secret letters on the table, but none of them are happy news. These three letters are from Xie Xuan, Jiang Yiwei and Yan Bugui respectively. Which one do you want to know first?"

"Master Jiang San and Master Yan Si went to Qingcheng and Emei to repair it respectively." Di Mo frowned slightly and said hesitantly, "Could it be...something went wrong?"

"Today is only two months away from the second day of August." Luo Tianjin snorted and laughed, "Qingcheng Sect's leader Zuo Hongxuan has turned away from us. Now, he only has the 'Master of the Golden Dock' in his eyes, not the 'King of the North'. Jiang Yiwei said in the letter that during this period, Qingcheng Sect and Golden Sword Dock had very close contacts, with letters every three days and letters every five days. They also sent personal envoys every few days to inquire about each other's well-being. When Jiang Yiwei asked about this, Zuo Hongxuan perfunctorily said that he was now the leader of the Southern Sect and should exchange courtesy with fellow martial artists south of Qinhuai."

Huang Yulang said in a deep voice: "Zuo Hongxuan is a selfish and despicable villain. Before, Jin Fuyu recommended him to be the leader of the Southern Sect, and he regarded Jin Fuyu as his confidant. Now, when encountering something, he must discuss it with Jin Fuyu first, and then inform us. In his heart, the status of the Palace Master is not even one ten-thousandth of Jin Fuyu's."

"In the past, when I sent people to visit, Qingcheng Sect would treat me as an honored guest, with a small banquet every three days and a large banquet every five days." Luo Tianjin said quietly, "However, during this period of time, Jiang Yiwei has been staying in Qingcheng Mountain like a guesthouse. No one has asked about him all day, and Zuo Hongxuan is even less likely to be seen."

"Things are different now." Deng Quan said contemptuously, "Right now, Zuo Hongxuan is the head of the Southern Clan, so he naturally wants to be on an equal footing with the Palace Master. In this case, he will naturally no longer take the Third Master seriously."

Murong Bai hesitated for a moment and said, "The Palace Master has already expected Zuo Hongxuan to have such a plan. Why should we bother with him?"

"What makes me unhappy is not Zuo Hongxuan's rebellion." Luo Tianjin said in a deep voice, "but that he actually helped Jin Jianwu in secret and won over Emei Sect."

After that, Luo Tianjin picked up the second letter and explained, "Yan Bugui replied. Not long ago, Master Miao'an was invited by Zuo Hongxuan to go to Qingcheng Mountain for a chat."

"Qingcheng and Emei have always had a very good relationship. It doesn't seem strange that they occasionally contact each other..."

"Don't worry!" Before Murong Bai finished speaking, Luo Tianjin suddenly interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "If Miao An really went to see Zuo Hongxuan, it would be understandable. But the fact is that Miao An only claimed to be going to Qingcheng Mountain, but actually changed his route halfway and secretly went to Jingjiang Prefecture."

"Jingjiang Prefecture? Jinjianwu!" Deng Quan asked in surprise, "The Prefecture Master means that... the Emei Sect has also been bought by Jin Fuyu?"

"Whether he has been bribed or not? We cannot say for sure at the moment." Luo Tianjin said, "But this incident is enough to prove that Jin Jianwu has taken action against Emei Sect. Jin Fuyu is a man of sweet words but daggers in his heart. He will never give up until he achieves his goal. If he really wants to win over Emei Sect, it is only a matter of time before they become accomplices. Xianwang Mansion is far away in Luoyang, far away from Emei Sect. Even if they want to intervene, I am afraid it is out of reach."

"You can control the first day, but not the fifteenth." Huang Yulang said, "In the past, Emei and Qingcheng had contact with us, most likely because of the intimidation of Shaolin and Wudang. Now, the martial arts conference is about to be held. After the Double Ninth Festival next year, there will be no distinction between sects and families in the martial arts world. By then, we and Jinjianwu will be in a state of no return, and we will fight to the death. It seems that they have already chosen sides in advance and found a way out for themselves early."

"I don't understand." Liu Xunyi frowned and pondered, "Compared with the Xianwang Mansion and the Jinjianwu, we are better no matter how you look at it. Sect Leader Zuo and Master Miao'an are both smart people, how could they not understand the current situation? Could it be that they are really moved by Jin Fuyu's little favor? Are they willing to blind themselves and gamble their future? Even if Jin Fuyu is eloquent and good at winning people's hearts, it is obvious who is stronger and who is weaker, how can they be shaken by a few words?"

Liu Xunyi's words made everyone look thoughtful.

Luo Tianjin asked with interest: "In your opinion, are Zuo Hongxuan and Miao An pretending to surrender?"

"Jin Fuyu has a sharp eye and is very shrewd. How easy is it to deceive his trust?" Liu Xunyi shook his head slowly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he boldly speculated: "Is it possible...Jin Fuyu has hidden some strength that outsiders don't know?"

"You mean... the reason why Zuo Hongxuan and Miao'an are close to Jin Fuyu is because they are sure that Jin Jianwu's true strength is better than ours?" Murong Bai murmured to himself thoughtfully.

“If not for this, I really can’t think of any reason why Sect Leader Zuo and Master Miao’an would abandon the light and join the dark, ruining their own future?” Liu Xunyi nodded in response.

"It seems to make sense." Di Mo was skeptical, then changed the subject and said, "But, what do you mean by 'hidden strength'?"

"This..." When asked by Di Mo, Liu Xunyi was speechless.

"Maybe it means this!"

Suddenly, Luo Tianjin picked up the third letter, waved it in front of everyone, and said calmly: "This letter was written by Xie Xuan himself. The content of the letter...some of it is related to Jinjianwu."

"Hiss!" Luo Tianjin's words immediately aroused everyone's interest.

"I wonder what Mr. Xie said in the letter?" Di Mo asked impatiently.

However, Luo Tianjin was not in a hurry to make Xie Xuan's secret letter public. Instead, he gently pressed the letter on the table. Then, his pair of black eyes that could see through fire began to examine the people present one by one. "The people present today are either my brothers who have a life-and-death friendship with me, or my confidants who have worked diligently and loyally in the mansion for many years, or my sons and apprentices. In short, you are all the people I, Luo Tianjin, trust the most."

Luo Tianjin spoke slowly, word by word. At the same time, his eyes, which flickered on and off, looked back and forth at each person, taking in their every move and every subtle expression.

Luo Tianjin's words were full of emotion and moved people deeply. At the same time, it also made Liu Xunyi feel conflicted and guilty.

"The Xianwang Mansion has gone through ups and downs in the martial arts world for more than 20 years, and it has come step by step to where it is today. It is really not easy. Everyone present here has made great contributions and cannot be ignored!"

Hearing this, everyone stood up and bowed to Luo Tianjin, saying, "Palace Master, you are too kind to me. I don't deserve it!"

"You have watched with your own eyes how the Xianwang Mansion grew from an unknown small gang in Luoyang to the dominant force in today's martial arts world." Luo Tianjin waved his hand to signal everyone to take a seat, and said righteously, "Although I haven't rectified the name, I can say without hesitation that the Xianwang Mansion is now second to none in the Central Plains martial arts world, and even... it is the best! In just over 20 years, it has surpassed the six major sects and four major families whose foundations and roots are far better than ours. In addition to the blessing of God, every one of us here, including every disciple of the mansion who has passed away, has suffered hardships and tears that are absolutely unbearable for ordinary people, let alone understood by outsiders. People only say that we are noble in front of others, but few people see our bitterness and suffering behind the scenes."

Luo Tianjin's words seemed to touch everyone's heartstrings, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a little sad.

Since the founding of the Xianwang Mansion, it has experienced life and death, blood and rain, and countless brothers have died along the way. It is a great fortune to be able to live safely to this day.

The scenes of the past are forever engraved in the minds of the living and will never be forgotten in their lifetime.

"I don't want to deceive you, nor do I want to pretend to be calm." Luo Tianjin changed the subject and said seriously, "To be honest, the Xianwang Mansion is actually at its most critical moment in the past twenty years. Winners will win, losers will be bandits, it's either life or death, we are already standing on the cusp of the storm, there is no way to retreat, we can only give it a try. Today's Jianghu situation is like a pool of muddy water, it is out of control, all the sects are hiding their intentions, and they have their own selfish intentions. It is impossible to tell who is the enemy and who is the friend? Who is far and who is near? Let alone who is sincere and who is fake? At this moment of life and death, we must be cautious and take every step carefully, because if we are not careful, we will fall into a place of no return and never be able to turn over."

"We will obey the orders of the Palace Master!"

"Right now, our primary enemy is still Jin Jianwu." Luo Tianjin continued, "Jin Fuyu is not like the opponents we have encountered before. He is cunning, fierce, vicious, cold-blooded and unscrupulous. Few people can survive safely against him. We used to fight him openly and secretly, and we were wary of each other. But it is different now. Next year's Double Ninth Festival, the martial arts conference is imminent. He and I have no scruples and must let go and fight openly. Both me and him will do our best and will never leave any way for the other party to survive. Jin Fuyu understands the principle of 'cutting the grass and eradicating the roots' better than you and me. Therefore, we must not lose this fight between dragons and tigers! If we lose, we will die... This is also the fundamental reason why Jin Fuyu has been frantically trying to win over the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect during this period."

"A few days ago, the Palace Master showed favor to the Tang Clan. His tactics were exactly the same as Jin Fuyu's." Deng Quan interrupted, "He is trying to steal our people, so we will cut off his retreat."

"In fact, in addition to the matter of the Tang Sect, there is another more difficult matter." Luo Tianjin chuckled, "The Mongols have joined forces with Longxiang Mountain, and now... Jueqing Valley is involved. I wonder what conspiracy these people are plotting in secret? This matter must not be taken lightly."

For some reason, when Luo Tianjin mentioned the Jueqing Valley, his tone became noticeably different, even a little hesitant.

"As the old saying goes, speed is of the essence in war." Murong Bai said, "Since Jin Fuyu is already impatient to recruit soldiers, we don't need to wait any longer. Please make sure that the governor makes the arrangements so that we can act according to the plan to avoid confusion."

"For several days in a row, I stayed up all night, racking my brains to think hard, and finally I found a clue among the thousands of threads. Right now, in addition to stabilizing the four sects of Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, and Kongtong, there are three more things that I need to find people to do." Luo Tianjin said meaningfully, "These three things are extremely dangerous, and all of them are life-threatening, but they are related to the success or failure of the Xianwang Mansion, and they are of utmost importance. Therefore, not only must they be done, but they must be accomplished immediately and no mistakes can be made. Therefore, I have brought all of you here to select three groups of people to go and do the work."

"Master, I am willing to go!"

"We are willing to share the worries of the Palace Master!"

"Master, give the order!"

Before Luo Tianjin finished speaking, everyone was already vying to volunteer to fight. From the Seven Heroes and the Fan Masters to the Eight Sect Masters, everyone was indignant and full of passion.

Only Liu Xunyi remained silent and watched from the sidelines, without recommending himself or taking the initiative to volunteer.

"You all are so brave, and I am very pleased!" Luo Tianjin looked around at everyone and nodded with satisfaction, "If we can accomplish these three tasks, we will be able to overwhelm the crowd and defeat Jin Jianwu at the martial arts conference next year, and finally win a great victory and return home with great joy. In the future, we can rest assured and have great fortune!"

"I just don't know... the three tasks that the palace master mentioned..." Murong Bai was thinking and hesitantly asked, "What exactly does it refer to?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the noisy hall suddenly became quiet. Everyone was nervous and listened attentively, afraid of missing a word.

Seeing this, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but be shocked. He stood up resolutely, looking around at the heroes with a sharp gaze.

"One is the Tang Sect in Sichuan. Two is the Dragon Elephant Mountain in Dali. Three is the Jade Dragon Palace in Tianshan in the Western Regions."

……

(End of this chapter)