Chapter 407: Sudden Change (Part )

The third day of July, Jingjiang Mansion, Jinjianwu.

Inside the Qingtian Pavilion, Song Yu, Leng Yiyi, and Wen Lian stood respectfully in front of Jin Fu Yu, their faces solemn and silent.

Ai Mi sat quietly beside the zither, with her head nodded and brows lowered, as still as a sculpture, and extremely tactful.

Jin Fuyu sat by the railing, holding a letter in his hand. He glanced at the letter with an indifferent look, frowned slightly, and then waved his hand to lift the letter over the railing, letting the breeze carry it away, fluttering up and down, turning and drifting, and gradually disappearing in the surging river.

For a long while, Jin Fu Yu remained silent as if in a trance. The Qingtian Pavilion was completely silent, and the silence was eerie.

Seeing this, Song Yu couldn't hold back his inner turmoil. He coughed twice and broke the silence first, saying, "Master, we don't know whether the contents of the letter are true or false. Why don't we send someone out to investigate first? Then we can make a decision..."

"No need for that." Jin Fuyu looked at the colorful lake and mountains and said calmly, "If it was a rumor, the six major sects and the four great families would have come out to clarify it long ago. They would not have remained indifferent and said nothing. If they don't deny this, they are admitting it."

Upon hearing this, Song Yu and the other two couldn't help but look hesitant, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

"Who is it?" Jin Fuyu muttered to himself, "Who has such great ability to influence the six major sects and the four major families at the same time? Who has such courage to jump out and block the way of Luo Tianjin and me at this time? Could it be that there has always been a little-known force hidden in the martial arts world? What makes the martial arts sects so wary that they don't even hesitate to offend Luo Tianjin and me?"

"Impossible!" Leng Yiyi said firmly, "Although the world is vast, there are only a handful of well-known and prominent figures. If there is a mysterious force, it is impossible that we didn't hear any news at all?"

"That's right!" Wen Lian agreed, "In my opinion, it's not a 'mysterious person who showed up unexpectedly' at all, but an 'old friend' who is just being mysterious."

"You mean... someone is deliberately making things mysterious?" Song Yu hesitated, "to deal with us and the Xianwang Mansion at the same time?"

"The mysterious man's target may not be me and Luo Tianjin." Jin Fuyu said dimly, "It is more likely that he is targeting the position of leader of the martial arts world. Imagine if the mysterious man showed up at the martial arts conference and strived for the position of leader, his opponent would be everyone except himself. No matter how profound his martial arts skills are, he will be outnumbered and his chances of winning are very slim. However, without the obstruction of the six major masters and the four family heads, his chances of winning will be greatly increased."

"That makes sense." Leng Yiyi agreed, "Don't forget, Luo Tianjin and we have already formed an irreconcilable feud. The mysterious man can just sit back and watch the fight and reap the benefits in the end."

"But how did he convince the six chiefs and the four family heads?" Wen Lian asked doubtfully, "Our relationship with the four great families is as solid as a rock. He was able to persuade the four family heads to give up helping us. Could it be that... his relationship with the four great families is closer than ours?"

"If their relationship was closer than ours, the four great families would have already switched sides at the last minute," Jin Fuyu said. "Now, it's just that the four family heads are no longer taking action, not that the four great families are going against us. In the final analysis, I am still friends with them. Perhaps the four family heads encountered some troubles temporarily and had to compromise."

Leng Yiyi asked curiously, "What do you think is the reason?"

Jin Fuyu smiled slightly and said calmly: "There are only four reasons that can make these powerful martial arts masters change their minds. Fame, profit, prestige and fear. Among them, the words fame and profit do not need to be explained, as everyone knows. As for prestige and fear, they are the key to this matter."

"Please let me know, Master!"

"It's very simple." Jin Fuyu explained, "Either, an old senior with high moral character reappears in the martial arts world, and the six major sect leaders and the four family heads are willing to give him some face out of admiration and respect. After all, the rules of the martial arts world are to have order of seniority and distinction between the high and the low. Or, someone holds the lifeline of the six major sects and the four major families in their hands, and uses this to threaten them, forcing them out of fear or even fear, to retreat in shame and humiliation."

"hiss!"

Jin Fuyu's words made sense and made Song Yu and the other two frown and fall into deep thought.

"Master, do you think they do this out of 'prestige' or 'fear'?" Wen Lian hesitated.

"Whether it's prestige or fear, they are ultimately linked to fame and fortune," Jin Fuyu said. "If it's out of prestige, it will definitely be beneficial to their 'reputation'. If it's out of fear, it will definitely affect their 'interests'. But no matter which one it is, it will do us all harm and no benefit."

"Are we worrying too much?" Leng Yiyi asked tentatively, "We have the trump card of Hengshan Village. Even without the support of the four great families, we can still defeat the other heroes and remain invincible..."

"That's wrong." Jin Fuyu interrupted, "The most frightening thing is never a strong opponent, but the threat is so close, but you are unaware of it." At this point, Jin Fuyu's eyes flashed with a thoughtful look, and he ordered, "Send a message to Shi Zhenshan, let him continue to stay in Hengshan Village, and don't act rashly without my order." "What?" Song Yu was shocked and reminded him hurriedly, "According to our plan, Shi Zhenshan will leave soon and rush to Huashan in advance to wait. Now the owner of the dock asks him to stay put, isn't it a waste of opportunity? If Shi Zhenshan fails to arrive at Huashan before the martial arts conference, we will have no way to retreat. We can only go all out and pin all our hopes on the owner of the dock..."

"So what?" Jin Fuyu asked with interest, "Don't you believe that I can win the title of Wulin leader with my own strength?"

"I have absolutely no such intention." Song Yu's face changed, and he hurriedly explained, "The master's martial arts are unparalleled in the world, and he will definitely be able to defeat all the heroes and win the championship in one fell swoop. What I am worried about is that if there are changes in the martial arts conference, if we are attacked from all sides... As the master just said, no matter how high your martial arts are, I am afraid... we will be outnumbered."

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if this is a carefully laid trap and someone wants to take this opportunity to get out the secrets we have hidden in Hengshan Village?" Jin Fuyu remained calm and said calmly, "I can still give it a try in the martial arts conference, and I may have a 50% chance of winning. But if the secrets of Hengshan Village are made public at an inopportune time, we will be doomed and have no place to bury our bodies. Which is more important? Which is bigger? Don't you know how to weigh the pros and cons?"

"We admire the master's cautiousness." Leng Yiyi tried to smooth things over, "But if we give up a long-planned plan because of a suspicion that is hard to tell whether it is true or not, wouldn't it be a bit... not worth the loss?"

"Even if there is only the slightest suspicion, I cannot take the risk." Jin Fuyu said solemnly, "You can say I am cowardly or suspicious. In short, I have made up my mind about this matter. Hengshan Village must not be involved in this martial arts conference. All life and death, success and failure, will be borne by Jin Jianwu alone."

"We were sure to win, but now all our efforts have been wasted because of a small incident..." Song Yu was indignant and murmured, "They became timid and stagnant at the slightest disturbance. If this continues, I don't know when the great cause of restoration can be realized..."

"What did you say?"

As if disturbed by Song Yu's low grumble, Jin Fuyu's eyes changed quietly and asked back: "Song Yu, are you questioning my decision?"

"I dare not, I just feel unwilling to give in..." Song Yu defended, "Master, please think twice about this matter. We cannot let our great cause be ruined because of our momentary impulsiveness..."

"It's not me who got angry, it's you." Jin Fuyu pointed at Song Yu and said in a dignified manner, "I'll spare you this time. If I hear you speak disrespectfully again, I'll dig out your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, and let you be at peace!"

Jin Fuyu has always been gentle and refined, rarely speaking harshly to his subordinates, and even less likely to use torture. But being gentle does not mean that he has no temper. After all, how can one be without dignity when he is in a high position?

As soon as these words came out, Song Yu's face turned pale as paper. He had followed Jin Fuyu for many years and knew Jin Fuyu's temper. Although his tone was calm, he was actually furious.

It was because Jin Fu Yu's approachable appearance was so deeply rooted in people's hearts that Song Yu forgot his own identity in a moment of panic and blurted out disrespectful words.

Thinking back on it now, I suddenly felt a chill on my back and was terrified.

"Master, please calm down. I deserve to die!" Song Yu hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Jin Fuyu repeatedly.

"I can receive the news, and Luo Tianjin can also know about this matter." Jin Fuyu ignored Song Yu's apology and said, "Send someone to Luoyang City to secretly monitor the actions of the Xianwang Mansion. If there is any movement, come back and report to me immediately."

"Yes."

"The owner wants to use someone else's strength to fight someone else's strength?" Leng Yiyi said thoughtfully, "Luo Tianjin can't be indifferent to this matter. He will definitely get to the bottom of it. Therefore, we just need to keep a close eye on the movements of the Xianwang Mansion and find out everything without any effort."

"It's smart to let others do the thankless work, and we just need to wait for good news. Remember, when you are in a fog, you must not run around like a headless fly. You should first find a place to hide and save your life."

After that, Jin Fuyu slowly stood up, walked to Ai Mi's side leisurely, and gently plucked the strings of the zither with his fingers, which immediately emitted a series of pleasant sounds. Without looking back, he continued, "If you don't know how to protect yourself, you will just rush into a dangerous place without any strategy, and end up dying miserably. You may even die... without knowing how you died!"

Song Yu understood what Jin Fuyu meant, and his heart sank. He hurriedly said, "Master, you are right!"

"Thirty slaps on the face, and you'll learn your lesson. Get out of here!"

……

(End of this chapter)