Chapter 320 The test of life and death
"Palace Master Ren!"

Facing Song Yu's provocation, Xunzhen ignored him and turned the conversation to Ren Wuya, saying bluntly: "Now that we have said it and tried it, why do you have to beat around the bush? It's better to get straight to the point and speak your mind."

"That's right!" Liu Xunyi agreed, "Palace Master Ren kept all of us and the people from Jinjianwu here. What exactly is his plan?"

"Although you are sincere, the Jade Dragon Palace is not a charity." Ren Wuya said calmly, "Everyone present knows the real purpose of your coming here. In next year's martial arts conference, the Northern Sage King and the Golden Dock Master will compete for the position of the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world. Since ancient times, the victors are kings and the losers are bandits, and the prosperous are the defeated. Therefore, whether it is for the Northern Sage King or the Golden Dock Master, the martial arts conference is a top priority for life and death. During this period of time, both of your families have been accumulating strength and trying their best to win over all the sects and forces that may help them. This includes my Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace. I wonder if what I said is right?"

"Yes." Liu Xunyi and Song Yu said in unison, speaking frankly.

"Very good!" Ren Wuya responded, "Since you two are speaking frankly, I will no longer be shy. In the past, you regarded my Jade Dragon Palace as a heresy in the martial arts world and compared me to a murderous devil. Today, the situation has changed, and I will have a good discussion with you. Is my Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace a heresy? Am I a devil?"

"This..." Facing Ren Wuya's aggressive questioning, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but feel abrupt and said thoughtfully, "Of course not."

"Golden Sword Dock has never regarded Jade Dragon Palace and Senior Ren as heretical demons!" Song Yu assured solemnly, "If not, how could our Dock Master have made friends with Senior so early?"

"Words are not enough." Ren Wuya said unsatisfiedly, "I am already half dead, and I have seen all kinds of people. I will not be moved by sweet words. Since you want something from me, you have to give me some practical benefits."

"Of course." Song Yu nodded and said, "My master knows Senior Ren's wish very well, so he is willing to make a vow with you. As long as you are willing to help Master Jin win the position of leader of the martial arts world, Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace will definitely have a place in the orthodox martial arts world in the future."

"Master Jinwu always keeps his word and is as good as a promise. His character and morality are known to everyone in the world and are obvious to all." Dong Xiaoer smiled flatteringly, "If he is willing to make a promise, he will abide by it."

"Master Dong is wrong." Ding Ao shook his head and said, "The conditions offered by Master Jinwu are indeed tempting, but there is a prerequisite, which is to compete for the leader of the martial arts world. Let me ask you, who in the world today dares to guarantee that Master Jinwu will win the championship in next year's martial arts conference? If he unfortunately loses, won't the so-called 'oath' become empty talk?"

"Master Ding has a point! However, Master Jinwu is not 100% sure, and neither is the Northern Sage King." Hu Yanba said in a muffled voice, "If the victory or defeat has been decided, why would they travel all the way to Tianshan to make peace with us?"

"That's why we must be more careful." Ding Ao argued, not willing to be outdone, "This is like a gamble. If you bet on the right thing, you will naturally rise to prominence, but if you bet on the wrong thing, the result will inevitably fall into an irretrievable situation. According to the current situation, the chances of the Northern Sage King winning... seem to be slightly higher than that of the Golden Dock Master."

"How can Commander Ding tell that the Xianwang Mansion has a better chance of winning than the Jinjianwu?" Hu Yanba was indignant and retorted, "We haven't even started the competition yet, so how can we talk about the outcome? Commander Ding's words are too arbitrary!"

"But……"

"shut up!"

Seeing that the game between the two sides was becoming more and more intense, Ren Wuya's angry voice suddenly came from the cabinet, immediately suppressing the argument between Ding Ao and the other two.

"As the leaders of the three flags, you are arguing endlessly in front of outsiders. Don't you feel ashamed? I know what you are thinking, and I also know that you have received many benefits from the Northern Sage King and the Golden Dock Master. However, this matter concerns the eternal cause of the Jade Dragon Palace. You should put the overall situation first and not embarrass yourself for your own selfish reasons."

"Palace Master, please forgive me!"

As if sensing Ren Wuya's displeasure, Ding Ao and the other two were frightened and their faces changed, and they all knelt on the ground.

"Master Liu." Ren Wuya snorted and turned to ask Liu Xunyi, "You have also heard the conditions of Master Jinwu. I wonder what King Beixian means..."

"This..." Liu Xunyi hesitated and looked at Song Yu and Jian Zhong with a rather taboo look, with hesitation on his face.

"Master Liu, please just speak your mind. There is no need to hide anything." Ren Wuya urged impatiently.

In fact, Ren Wuya had already guessed what Liu Xunyi was going to say through his hesitation, and it was most likely related to Jinjianwu. Therefore, Ren Wuya insisted that he say it in public, hoping to intensify the conflict between Xianwang Mansion and Jinjianwu.

Right now, the more violent the fight between Prince Xian's Mansion and Jinjianwu, the more important the status of Yulong Palace becomes.

After thinking it over again and again, Liu Xunyi simply made up his mind and said, "To be honest, the Northern Sage King did have something to say... Let me personally tell Palace Master Ren."

"I am all ears."

"The Northern Sage King said..." Liu Xunyi hesitated, "If Palace Master Ren is willing to join forces with him, the Jade Dragon Palace will not only be able to legitimately rule the Central Plains, but will also be able to replace the Golden Sword Palace in the Central Plains and become the overlord of the martial arts world on par with the Sage King's Palace."

"boom!"

Song Yu flew into a rage, and immediately slammed the table and stood up, angrily scolding: "Liu Xunyi, don't go too far! How can Jinjianwu be replaced so easily? Luo Tianjin is extremely arrogant and looks down on everyone. He simply doesn't take my master seriously!"

Before he finished speaking, Song Yu suddenly turned around and bowed to Ren Wuya from the cabinet, saying, "In this case, I will also promise you on behalf of Master Jinwu that after the martial arts conference next year, I will definitely lead the Jade Dragon Palace to rule the Central Plains and replace the Xianwang Mansion's position in the martial arts world!"

"Ha ha……"

Seeing that Liu Xunyi and Song Yu were on the verge of a heated argument, Ren Wuya suddenly laughed out loud. His laughter was full of sarcasm and disdain, which shocked Liu Xunyi and Song Yu, and also made Ding Ao and the other two suspicious.

"Why is Palace Master Ren laughing?" Xunzhen asked.

"I am laughing at Luo Tianjin and Jin Fuyu, the two former heroes and great men, who are now fighting for the position of leader, with their faces bruised and bloodied, and they even disregard their own dignity. Haha..."

Ren Wuya's words were full of teasing, which made Liu Xunyi and Song Yu's faces uncertain and they felt extremely embarrassed.

"I don't know what Palace Master Ren means..."

"Ding Ao is right. No matter how good a promise is, it is just empty talk before the mission is accomplished." Ren Wuya's tone paused, and he said seriously, "To me, your promise is like the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror, which is flashy but not practical."

"What?" Liu Xunyi frowned and asked, "Doesn't Palace Master Ren believe in the Northern Sage King?"

"I believe it!" Ren Wuya said with a smile, "I not only believe in the Northern Sage King, but also in the Master of Jinwu."

"This……"

"I know very well that you can't have your cake and eat it too, so I decided to give you a fair chance to compete." Ren Wuya said with a smile.

"What opportunity?" "Buddha Lotus Seed."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen couldn't help but look at each other, both of them looked confused.

Song Yu was also full of doubts and asked curiously: "Excuse me, Senior, what is the 'Buddha Lotus Seed'?"

"To be honest, I have been suffering from a chronic disease for many years and have not been cured. The reason is that I lack a certain ingredient, which is the Buddha lotus seed."

Liu Xunyi hesitated and asked, "Then... where can I get this?"

"If I could pick it, how could I not be cured after so long?" Ren Wuya snorted and laughed, "This thing is unique and has no equal in the world."

"Unparalleled in the world?" Liu Xunyi was stunned and said in astonishment, "Palace Master Ren means... 'Buddha Lotus Seed' is a rare treasure?"

"To some people it is a priceless treasure, but to others it is worthless." Ren Wuya said with a faint smile, "Whoever can bring me the Buddha Lotus Seed, the Jade Dragon Palace will form an eternal alliance with him. Whether it is the Xianwang Mansion or the Golden Sword Dock, I will make a decision based on this thing and I will never break my promise!"

"This……"

Ren Wuya's solemn promise shocked Liu Xunyi and the others. They thought that this "medicine" might be more dangerous than the Five Wonders of Tianshan.

Song Yu rolled his eyes and asked tentatively, "I wonder what this thing looks like? How warm or cold is it? Is it buried underground, or growing on branches? Is it deep in the ravines, or growing on the plains?"

"I have never seen it, so I don't know what it looks like."

"This……"

"But I can tell you where it is."

Ren Wuya's words suddenly brightened up Liu Xunyi and Song Yu's eyes, and they asked in unison, "Where is it?"

"Tibet, Lhasa, Potala Palace!"

"hiss!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present took a deep breath.

"I...did I hear you right?" Tang Cong laughed dryly in disbelief, "You want us to steal things from the Tubo Palace?"

"Little brother, don't speak so harshly. There is a Buddhist saying that 'saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.'" Ding Ao said with a smile, "Now, the Palace Master is borrowing the 'Buddha Lotus Seed' to cure the stubborn disease. Thinking about it this way, it coincides with the aspirations of those Tibetan lamas to 'be compassionate'. If the Buddha Lotus Seed can be used by the Palace Master, it can be regarded as a perfect merit and infinite compassion. Hehe..."

"Borrow?" Liao Chuan muttered, "It sounds good? Will you pay it back?"

"Cough cough!"

Liu Xunyi was worried that Liao Chuan would speak without restraint and anger Ren Wuya, so he coughed twice as a reminder.

Song Yu frowned, deep in thought. He first exchanged glances with Jian Zhong, then hesitated for a long time before saying bitterly, "Senior Ren, this matter... is it a joke?"

"What? Are you scared?"

"Haha..." Song Yu neither admitted nor refuted, but smiled awkwardly, and continued, "Since the civil strife in the Tubo Dynasty, Tibet has been devoured by whales and tigers, rats stealing and dogs stealing, wolves and sheep feeding together, jade and stone mixed together. As a prosperous place of Tubo, Luoshui City must be full of wolves and owls, tigers and eagles, and as for the Potala Palace... it is heavily guarded and strictly guarded. Although the Tubo Dynasty is no longer what it used to be, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how powerful we are, we are just some gangsters. If we want to sneak into the Potala Palace to steal things, I'm afraid... we are overestimating our abilities."

"If it were so easy, why would I test you with this?"

"Master, you must not agree to this." Tang Cong reminded in a low voice, "If you go to the Potala Palace to steal things, you will die without a burial place."

"That's right!" Xunzhen nodded slowly with a serious expression, "Although Tibetan masters are rare, it doesn't mean there are no masters. There are many Tibetans in the three religions of the Western Regions. I have heard them say that the Potala Palace is the culmination of Tibetan politics and religion, and it is the largest forbidden area in Tibet. You should know that in the hearts of Buddhists, the status of faith far exceeds that of power. Therefore, it is even more difficult for you to sneak into the Potala Palace than to sneak into the Great Song Palace."

"how?"

When Liu Xunyi was hesitating, Ren Wuya's voice suddenly rang out: "Do you dare to go or not?"

"Excuse me for being blunt, but if we go there rashly, the result will be... death for sure." Song Yu said hesitantly, "It's not that we are cowardly, but it's not wise to go there knowing that it's a dead end."

"So Jinjianwu is unwilling to send anyone there?" Ren Wuya asked back.

"Yes." Song Yu's face was grim, and he replied reluctantly, "Senior, I am afraid that Jin Jianwu will not be able to meet your request for the time being. I hope you will forgive me."

"What does the Xianwang Mansion think?" Ren Wuya ignored Song Yu's refusal and turned the conversation to Liu Xunyi, "I wonder what Master Liu thinks?"

"If they don't go, we won't go either." Xunzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "As long as neither of our two families goes, Ren Wuya will definitely make the best of it and find another way."

Faced with Ren Wuya's questioning, the anxiety of Ding Ao and others, and the strong dissuasion of Xunzhen, Tang Cong and others, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but hear Luo Tianjin's "repeated instructions" echoing in his ears again.

After hesitating for a long time, Liu Xunyi's eyes suddenly focused, and then he slowly stood up, bowed respectfully to the cabinet, and said loudly: "I am willing to go to Luoshui City to retrieve the Buddha Lotus Seed for Palace Master Ren!"

……

　Draw your sword and mount your horse, life and death are at stake

　　
　
(End of this chapter)