Chapter 413: Strengthen your troops
Late at night, in the study.

"Yuwen Xiu, who showed up unexpectedly, not only became a lackey of the court, but also a stepping stone for the six major sects and four great families." Luo Tianjin said, "They didn't want to take risks at the martial arts conference. Now that Yuwen Xiu is acting on behalf of the court, they can just go with the flow. They can do the court a favor and gain a good reputation. They can also escape with a clear conscience, leaving Jin Fuyu and me speechless. We can neither turn hostile immediately nor settle scores later."

"If they didn't have hidden selfish motives, how could they easily compromise with Yuwen Xiu?" Xie Xuan said with a wry smile, "However, the Palace Master also made a risky move tonight."

Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you think offending Yu Wenxiu is a risky move?"

"That's right. Yuwen Xiu was appointed Marquis of Wulin, which is enough to prove that he must have strong support from the court." Xie Xuan said worriedly, "Since ancient times, the people have never fought against the officials. It is not a wise move for us to break off relations with the court."

"Alas! How could I not know this truth?" Luo Tianjin sighed, "But we have already formed an irreconcilable feud with the Mongols, Jinjianwu, and Longxiang Mountain. The four great families have always been eyeing us covetously, and the six major sects have also become alienated from us and are gradually drifting away. Although the Western Regions Young King Qin is nominally allied with us, no one can tell what his intentions are. In addition, with the strong intervention of the Song Dynasty court, the Xianwang Mansion is facing internal and external troubles and is in crisis. Now, only by winning the position of the leader of the martial arts world can I have a chance to stabilize the overall situation. Otherwise, the Xianwang Mansion will sooner or later become the target of public criticism, and will be torn to pieces by the forces of all parties, and it will be impossible to recover. Brother Xie, we have nowhere to retreat, and we can only gamble everything to have a glimmer of hope."

"The Palace Master is far-sighted and what he said is absolutely right." Xie Xuan said helplessly, "Right now, the Palace Master and Jin Fuyu are both determined to get the position of Alliance Leader. Yuwen Xiu has the support of the imperial court and will not give up. In addition, Longxiang Mountain, which is secretly colluding with the Mongols, will never sit still and will intervene sooner or later. In this way, there are at least four top masters coveting the position of Alliance Leader. A head-on confrontation is definitely not the best strategy. If you want to have the last laugh, you need to win with wisdom."

"Jin Fuyu's martial arts should not be inferior to mine." Luo Tianjin analyzed, "If Yuwen Xiu's martial arts reach the highest level, reaching the level of the Peach Blossom Immortal, it is hard to guarantee that he will be better than Jin Fuyu and me. After all, the Peach Blossom Immortal was able to defeat the six leaders, which shows how high his martial arts were. As for the Holy Lord of Longxiang Mountain... Although I know nothing about him, I can tell from his reputation that his reputation is not as good as others. Just look at the fierce reputation of Longxiang Mountain in the martial arts world over the years. I guess their Holy Lord is definitely not an ordinary person. The martial arts of the four of us are comparable, and no one of us can defeat three of us alone."

"The Palace Master means... to join forces with others?" Xie Xuan hesitated, "But given the current situation, Jin Fuyu has been fighting openly and secretly with us many times, and he has harmed you... He is definitely the Palace Master's number one enemy. As a heretic in the martial arts world, Longxiang Mountain has always been at odds with the famous and upright sects. In addition, there are the Mongols behind the scenes, so they will definitely not join forces with the Palace Master. As for Peach Blossom Sword Island, they have a deep grudge against us. Back then, the Palace Master drove the Peach Blossom Immortal out of the Central Plains, and the two families have already formed a feud. In addition, we parted unhappily tonight, how can Yuwen Xiu let it go?"

Luo Tianjin pondered and said, "If we want to have the last laugh, we must have strong support. Now, the six major leaders and the four family heads are all standing by and watching, and it is almost impossible to ask them to lend a hand. Therefore, the people we can really rely on are still our own people."

Having said that, Luo Tianjin cast a solemn gaze towards Xie Xuan and chuckled, "Brother Xie, I may have to trouble you to come out in person this time."

"If the mansion master has ordered me to do so, I will not refuse even if I die." Xie Xuan bowed his hands and said, "Jin Fuyu has four masters under his command, Song Yu, Leng Yiyi, Shi Zhenshan, and Wen Lian. The Holy Lord of Longxiang Mountain also has four guardians under his command. Except for Tang Xuan who is good at hidden weapons, the other three should not be underestimated. Yuwen Xiu also has the help of the Sun and Moon Swords. Back then, Ji Hou and Fu Yin followed the Peach Blossom Immortal to gallop across the rivers and lakes, killing people everywhere. There were only a handful of people who could be enemies with these two. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed. I expect their martial arts must have reached a higher level."

After saying this, Xie Xuan couldn't help but reveal a trace of difficulty in his eyes, and said with a wry smile: "After all the calculations, none of them are good people."

"Don't forget, the six major sects and the four great families only promised that the sect leaders and patriarchs would not take action for the time being, but they did not promise that their masters would not take action either." Luo Tianjin reminded, "Such as Qin Tianjiu of the Hexi Qin family, Sikong Zhu of the Jiangnan Lu family. Tang Yuan of the Shuzhong Tang family is the general manager, not the patriarch. There are also a group of elders of the Xiangxi Teng clan, who must be guarded against. As for the six major sects, they are even more masters, hidden dragons and crouching tigers. If they take advantage of the situation and wait for an opportunity to act, it will also be a considerable threat."

"Besides that, there are some masters who hide their identities and may come to Huashan to join in the fun." Xie Xuan pondered, "No wonder the six masters and the four family heads are unwilling to take action. They probably want to protect themselves."

"The leader of a sect or a family holds authority and is popular with the people. Once defeated, the family's reputation will inevitably be affected. Therefore, the more famous and upright the leader is, the less likely he is to take action, because he cannot afford to lose." Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "I saw this clearly when they joined forces to deal with the Peach Blossom Immortal. Either they don't take action, or they take action together, so that they can advance and retreat together and save some face for each other."

"What a bunch of old foxes." Xie Xuan complained, "To be honest, these people want to be whores and also want to be saints. They wish they could take all the good things in the world and never want to suffer any loss."

"This is their way of survival, there is no question of who is right or wrong." Luo Tianjin shook his head and said, "Of course, they can only go hand in hand, but they can never be the best. Otherwise, there would not be the Xianwang Mansion and Jinjianwu today. Our two families were able to rise rapidly in just twenty years and surpass these sects and families with profound heritage in one fell swoop, relying on the resilience and vigor of 'shamelessness', 'not afraid of losing', and 'not afraid of death'. There is a saying that 'the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes'. Back then, we walked around barefoot in the martial arts world, and we were fearless. Now we have become those who wear shoes, and we are inevitably hesitant and timid when encountering things."

"It seems... September 9th is far from being as simple as I imagined." Xie Xuan said worriedly, "Please tell me the truth, Lord. How confident are you about this martial arts conference?"

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin's eyes flashed with determination, and he replied quietly: "If I fail, I will die."

"hiss!"

Although Luo Tianjin's tone was calm, Xie Xuan still felt an extremely strong determination and belief from his unwavering eyes.

"Who does the Palace Master plan to take to Huashan?"

Luo Tianjin pointed at Xie Xuan, then at himself, and added, "There are also Jiang Yiwei, Yan Bugui, Murong Bai, and Deng Quan. For this trip, let Liu Xunyi select elite soldiers from the lower three gates to serve us and take care of everything. Deng Changchuan and Huang Yulang will guard the Xianwang Mansion, and leave the upper three gates and Zhongping two gates for them to dispatch."

Xie Xuan was in high spirits and volunteered, "On the ninth day of the ninth month, Huashan is bound to be a hodgepodge of people, and the gods and ghosts are hard to predict. The Palace Master needs to preserve his strength until the last moment. I, Xie, am not talented, but I am willing to be the pioneer for the Palace Master and test the depth of this martial arts conference."

"No!" Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said, "You are my trump card, how can I easily use it?"

Having said this, Luo Tianjin's eyes suddenly changed, and he said meaningfully: "Pioneer, I have a more suitable candidate in mind. In terms of status, means, and qualifications, he is superior to you."

"Who?" "The Lord of Yulong Palace, Ren Wuya!"

……

July 21st, Jingjiang Mansion, Jinjianwu.

Inside the Qingtian Pavilion, Jin Fu Yu carefully read the secret letter sent back from Luoyang, and an indescribable strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Master, has Luo Tianjin made any moves?" Leng Yiyi asked curiously.

Song Yu looked thoughtful and guessed, "Could it be that he has found clues about the mysterious man?"

"During the Zhongyuan Festival, someone sent a coffin to Luo Tianjin and played a trick on the people in the Xianwang Mansion." Jin Fuyu laughed, "What's interesting is that this person was so bold that after provoking Luo Tianjin, he not only didn't run away, but took the initiative to visit him. What's even more incredible is that he only stayed in the Xianwang Mansion for half an hour and finally left Luoyang unscathed."

"This……"

Hearing this, Song Yu, Leng Yiyi, and Wen Lian looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"As for the content of their discussion, since few people know about it, we have not been able to find out the truth." Jin Fuyu continued, "But through the many strange things in this matter, I have concluded that the person who visited the Xianwang Mansion was the mysterious person from the six major sects and four major families. However, Luo Tianjin was neither threatened by him nor attacked him."

"What a strange thing! May I ask who that person is?"

"The owner of Peach Blossom Sword Island is Yuwen Xiu." Jin Fuyu smiled slightly. "Peach Blossom Sword Island has disappeared in the Central Plains for more than ten years. Not many people in the world know Yuwen Xiu. That's why there was so much mystery and rumors recently."

"He's playing tricks on me, and I thought he was some big shot, but he's just a stray dog." Leng Yiyi showed contempt, and then changed the subject and asked, "So, Hengshan Village..."

"No!" Jin Fuyu interrupted, "Although Yuwen Xiu is not to be worried about, the people behind him are the real trouble."

"How do you say this?"

"How can a small Peach Blossom Sword Island influence the six major sects and the four great families?" Jin Fuyu asked instead, "If Yuwen Xiu was just Yuwen Xiu, how could he dare to walk into the Xianwang Mansion so openly and then walk out unscathed?"

"What the owner of the dock means is..."

"Yuwen Xiu is just a puppet." Jin Fuyu said with a smile, "The master behind him is the real reason why the six major sects, the four great families and the Xianwang Mansion are wary of him. Although we don't know who he is, as long as Luo Tianjin is not threatened by him, we can also have nothing to worry about. As for Hengshan Village... we still have to hide carefully to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Song Yu asked, "What is the plan, Master?"

"You stay in Jinjianwu, and Shi Zhenshan will stay in Hengshan Village. Yiyi and Wen Lian will follow me to Huashan."

"Luo Tianjin not only has the Xianwang Mansion, but also the Yulong Palace to help him. With the strength of one and the weakness of the other, wouldn't the master be alone and weak?"

"That's wrong!" Jin Fuyu smiled mysteriously, "On the ninth day of the ninth month, my opponent is only Luo Tianjin. But Luo Tianjin's opponent is not just me."

……

　The deployment of troops at a martial arts conference is like Tian Ji's horse racing. One must know how to make choices and be both brave and strategic.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)