Chapter 358 Intrigue and deception
The sudden meeting and the secretive conversation seemed dull and disorganized, but Liu Xunyi had a bad feeling in his heart.

Jin Fu Yu would never do something without a purpose. He must have ulterior motives for this trip.

Back in the guest room, the Liao brothers quickly came forward and rushed to ask the reason. Liu Xunyi told Xunzhen and others all the doubts in his heart. He hoped that Xunzhen, who was meticulous, could unravel the mystery and see through the fog.

"What a strange thing!" Xunzhen couldn't help but hesitate after hearing this. "Jin Fuyu came to you in the middle of the night just to inquire about Jian Zhong's last words?"

"That's true." Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly, "He neither seeks revenge nor makes friends. He has a calm mind from beginning to end. When he mentioned Jian Zhong's death, he was still nonchalant and indifferent, as if he was an insignificant outsider and not his adopted son at all."

Xunzhen pondered and said, "Jin Fuyu is cunning and sly, and it's not easy for him to reveal his true colors. You are still a member of the Xianwang Mansion, and Jin Fuyu would rather kill someone by mistake than let him go. Even if you surrender sincerely, he will not believe you, let alone let you get involved in his secrets. This shows that he must be secretly brewing a huge conspiracy. Even though Jian Zhong is dead, he still insists on preferring to have nothing than to have someone else, and is unwilling to easily trust a second person."

"You say..." Abaolu said hesitantly, "Could Jin Fuyu be testing Liu Xunyi?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen were both startled and asked in unison: "What do you mean?"

"Jin Fuyu repeatedly asked Jian Zhong whether he left any last words. Could it be that he was worried?" Abaolu speculated, "Worried that Jian Zhong would reveal his secrets to outsiders before he died?"

"That makes sense!" Xunzhen's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly, "While you are testing him, he is also testing you. If Jian Zhong really said something before he died, you would have revealed some flaws. Jin Fuyu was born with a pair of sharp eyes, able to distinguish the true from the false, and understand people's hearts. If you have any treacherous intentions, he will be able to see through them at a glance."

Liu Xunyi frowned, carefully recalling every conversation between him and Jin Fuyu, and nodded slowly, "So, Jian Zhong... is indeed hiding Jin Fuyu's secret."

"And this secret is extremely important to Jin Fuyu." Xunzhen added, "Otherwise, Jin Fuyu would never risk his life to find you in person to find out the truth."

"The more mysterious it is, the more curious I am." Liu Xunyi was confused and overwhelmed. He pondered, "What could be the secret that could make Jin Fuyu so concerned?"

"Could it be... Jin Fuyu wants to deal with Prince Xian's Mansion?" Liao Hai asked tentatively.

"It's no secret that Jin Jianwu and Xianwang Mansion have been fighting openly and secretly." Liu Xunyi shook his head worriedly, "I'm most afraid that Jin Fuyu's ambition is far more than just being the leader of the martial arts world."

"You mean..."

"Hush!" Before Xunzhen could finish his words, Liu Xunyi interrupted him and said, "Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall!" Then he changed the subject and said, "Xunzhen, guess what Jin Fuyu's next move will be after testing me?"

"Since it's a test, there are only two possible results." Xunzhen analyzed slowly, "One is that you already know his secret. The other is that you know nothing about his secret. If it's the first one, you will never come back alive. Jin Fuyu is very cautious. In order to keep his secret, he will definitely kill people to eliminate future troubles. However, you are standing in front of us now."

“This may not be a bad thing…”

"Not necessarily!" Xunzhen shook his head solemnly, "When you met just now, you tried to sound out Jin Fuyu's attitude. This matter will definitely arouse his suspicion."

"Suspicion?" Liu Xunyi asked in surprise, "You mean... Jin Fuyu already knows that I'm secretly investigating the secret between him and Jian Zhong?"

"It also takes skill to catch wind and make assumptions." Xunzhen nodded, "You can smell a hint of wind, which is enough to make them wary of you."

"No wonder!" Liu Xunyi suddenly realized, "Just now I tried to test Jin Fuyu many times, but he always turned a blind eye to my 'surrender'. It turns out that he has long had a grudge against me."

Liao Chuan was puzzled and asked: "If that's the case, why did Jin Fuyu let the Sect Master come back?"

"Jin Fuyu is very smart. He has already calculated the pros and cons of the whole thing. Therefore, every decision he made is in his best interest." Xunzhen sneered, "If you knew his secret, you would definitely die tonight. But if you only heard about it, he would have more options. Killing you rashly will not only fail to eliminate the root of the problem, but will also arouse the suspicion of the Xianwang Mansion. For him, this move is not worth the loss."

Liu Xunyi was skeptical and asked, "Isn't he afraid of letting the tiger go back to the mountains, which will cause endless troubles?"

"Who is Jin Fuyu? How could he not know the truth of 'endless troubles'?" Xunzhen shook his head and said, "It is only a matter of time before he kills you to silence you. The reason why he is not in a hurry is because you are here on behalf of the Northern Sage King to ask for someone from the Kunlun Sect. If he kills you, not only will he provoke revenge from the Sage King's Mansion, but he will also have a hard time explaining himself to Yin Baimei."

"Oh, right! Kunlun Sect is hosting a banquet at Xunyang Tower tomorrow night, and I plan to join in the fun." Liu Xunyi said seriously, "To prevent any unexpected events, I decided to attend the banquet alone. You all stay here, and if anything goes wrong, flee Jiangzhou immediately."

Xunzhen raised her eyebrows and asked curiously, "When you meet Yin Baimei, how do you explain the relationship between the Northern Sage King and Xiao Zhirou?"

"This……"

Liu Xunyi was speechless for a while, then slowly stood up, looking out the window at the night sky with complicated eyes, muttering to himself: "The Palace Master is tight-lipped about this matter, how dare I speak out? Sect Master Yin has some friendship with the Palace Master, so he should... not push him too far. Alas!"

……

Jin Fu Yu left Wangshui Inn and walked slowly on the empty and lonely streets as if he was taking a leisurely stroll in a garden.

Not far away, a carriage was quietly parked beside the street. Leng Yiyi, holding a cloak in her arms, stood beside anxiously. When she saw Jin Fuyu, her eyes suddenly changed and she quickly walked forward to meet him.

"Master!" Leng Yiyi put a cloak on Jin Fuyu and asked worriedly, "Why don't you let me go with you? What if..."

"I want to see with my own eyes who Liu Xunyi is, the man who could have brought 'Nine Lives Without Return' back to heaven." Jin Fuyu smiled elegantly and said softly, "I was quite impressed by him in Hexi last year, but I never had a chance to talk to him alone. It's a rare 'fate' today, so I can get to know him better."

Leng Yiyi stood in front of Jin Fuyu, fastening his cloak for him while advising him, "Master, the night wind is very cold, and mixed with the dampness of the river water, why don't you get in the car first?"

"No need." Jin Fuyu waved his hand and said with a smile, "Yiyi, it's a rare night with a clear moon and a quiet street. How about you walk with me?"

"Yes."

Leng Yiyi did not dare to disobey Jin Fuyu's wishes, so she waved her hand to signal the carriage to move slowly and followed behind. She followed Jin Fuyu respectfully, neither fast nor slow, always half a step behind him.

"Master, what are Liu Xunyi's abilities?" "It's better to hear about him than to meet him in person." Jin Fuyu said calmly, "He has some courage, but he is not as mysterious as the rumors say. His skills are still shallow. Jian Zhongyun is both civil and martial, resourceful, but he didn't expect to capsize. He died at the hands of Liu Xunyi... It's not worth it."

Leng Yiyi nodded gently and asked, "How much does Liu Xunyi know about our secrets?"

"We still know nothing at the moment." Jin Fuyu said, "But he seems to have guessed a clue. We can't keep him here any longer."

"What the owner of the dock means is..." Leng Yiyi waved her hand and gently stroked her neck, whispering, "I will take action tonight?"

"No! Liu Xunyi deserves to die, but not in our hands." Jin Fuyu shook his head and said, "Things are different now. He is now a favorite of Luo Tianjin, no longer an ordinary person who can be killed at will. His death will surely cause Luo Tianjin's wrath, and lead to crazy revenge from the Xianwang Mansion, and even turmoil in the entire martial arts world. We can't bite the hot potato."

Leng Yiyi asked in surprise: "Did you keep him forever?"

"If I want to kill Liu Xunyi, I have a perfect candidate in mind." Jin Fuyu suddenly stopped and said meaningfully, "I want to use him to make Liu Xunyi disappear forever."

"The owner of the dock is talking about...Yin Baimei?"

"That's right!" Jin Fuyu smiled, "I took the trouble to set up such a grand ceremony for him in Jiangzhou, how could he remain indifferent and show no reaction? Tomorrow night, Kunlun Sect will hold a grand banquet, and Liu Xunyi will go to Xunyang Tower to ask for someone. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will use Yin Baimei to get rid of Liu Xunyi, Deng Changchuan and others, so that Kunlun Sect and Xianwang Mansion will completely break off, and they can only advance and retreat with us in the future."

"The master is wise!" Leng Yiyi exclaimed, "No wonder the master invited Qingcheng, Emei and the four great families to come. It turns out that he wanted to put pressure on Yin Baimei."

"Master Yin is a 'respectable man'. Now that the scandal of Kunlun Sect is known to the world, he has only one way to go, and that is to fight with Jueqing Valley to the end. If the Xianwang Mansion insists on preserving Jueqing Valley, it will definitely turn against Kunlun Sect. In fact, I have to thank Jueqing Valley for this. If it weren't for the 'stealing of skills', how could I easily find the opportunity to bring Kunlun Sect under my command?" Jin Fuyu's eyes flashed, and suddenly changed the subject, saying dimly, "It's just... Luo Tianjin has been unusually quiet recently, there must be something strange about it."

"The owner of the dock acts quickly and quickly, and even if Luo Tianjin reacts, it will be too late to regret." Leng Yiyi said contemptuously, "It's like the Tang Sect in Shu. If the owner of the dock hadn't stabilized Tang Yuan first, Luo Tianjin would have taken advantage of the situation and alienated the relationship between us and the Tang Sect."

"Speed ​​is the essence of war, and we should strike first. This sentence... was told to me by Jian Zhong." Jin Fuyu said with emotion, "I was very worried when Jian Zhong died. If I had known this, I should not have sent him to Tianshan. His life is much more valuable than Yulong Palace."

"Fortunately, Jian Zhong did not reveal the secret before he died. It is worth it for the master to cultivate him."

"Back then, in order to get Jian Zhong to work for me, I tried my best to bribe people from all walks of life and carefully arranged a good show of escaping death by killing the whole family. But he died before he could make any achievements for the Great Jin." Jin Fuyu said regretfully, "It is said that 'it is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to get a good general'. I don't know when I can meet a general as talented as Jian Zhong again. Whenever I think of this, I wish I could cut Liu Xunyi into pieces and grind his bones to ash. Alas!"

Accompanied by an endless sigh, Jin Fu Yu suddenly turned around, raised his foot towards the end of the darkness, and gradually walked away.

……

It's late at night, and I'm at Wangshui Inn.

Xunzhen, Abaolu, and the Liao brothers filed out of Liu Xunyi's room.

"Miss Xunzhen, are we really going to watch our leader die alone?" Liao Chuan finally couldn't hold back his worries and asked anxiously, "We are rough people with dull heads and can't think of a solution. Miss, you are a scholar, smart and wise, do you have any good ideas?"

"It's difficult!" Xunzhen sighed, "Right now, Kunlun Sect has become Jin Fuyu's possession. Even if Yin Baimei realizes it later, it will be of no avail. He has been forced into a situation by Jin Fuyu and is in a difficult position. The situation is favorable to the enemy, but not to me. With only the little friendship that Yin Baimei has left with Lord Luo, it is almost impossible for him to turn defeat into victory. Unless... there is a bigger turnaround."

"In this case, we are willing to live and die with the Sect Master!"

"No hurry!" Xunzhen waved his hand and said, "It makes no difference to Jin Fuyu whether Master Liu attends the banquet alone or with a few of us. We are both outnumbered and can be slaughtered at will. I have other plans for you. Try a method that is not a solution. Maybe there will be a glimmer of hope."

"What method?" the Liao brothers asked in unison.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Xunzhen's eyes sparkled, and he said in a concentrated voice, "Right now, Jin Fuyu and Yin Baimei have become birds of a feather. Jin Fuyu is bent on dealing with the Xianwang Mansion, while Yin Baimei's enemy is Jueqing Valley. Therefore... I plan to have you go to the riverside tomorrow to look for Jueqing Valley's spies. It would be best if you could contact Jueqing Valley's master and ask her for help."

"Jueqing Valley?" Liao Chuan was surprised. "The Xianwang Mansion and Jueqing Valley have always been at odds. If we ask them for help, will we... get into trouble?"

"Maybe in the past, but definitely not today." Xunzhen firmly said, "Now, Jueqing Valley is surrounded by enemies on all sides and is in danger of losing its life at any moment. The troubles they are facing are even worse than ours. Either we join forces or we perish together. There is no other way for Jueqing Valley to choose."

"Can……"

"We should try our best! Anyway, this is the only solution I can think of at the moment."

"Damn it! We're going to die anyway, so we brothers will shamelessly go to the riverside to look for him tomorrow."

The countermeasure has been decided, but there is still a gloomy air lingering between Xunzhen's brows.

She knew it was a risky move to join forces with Jueqing Valley. If she was not careful, she would lose both her wife and her troops. Not only would she fail to rescue the hostages, but the Xianwang Mansion would also be branded as colluding with pagans.

But at this point, she can no longer care about too much and can only take one step at a time.

When Xunzhen, exhausted, returned to his room, he suddenly discovered that a note had appeared on his empty desk.

Seeing this, Xunzhen immediately became alert. She looked around the room cautiously, and after confirming that no one was around, she slowly walked forward.

The note had no name or surname, only eight large, elegant characters written in a flamboyant and graceful manner.

"Guests from the south, intercept them and see joy."

……

(End of this chapter)