Chapter 437: The Eve of the Conference (I)

"The moon shines brightly over the nine provinces, some are happy while others are sad. Worry kills people because of menstruation, so take a break when you can."

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The mountain breeze was blowing gently. A clear laugh came from outside the garden.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Dongshan, accompanied by a group of guards, walked towards Luo Tianjin with a smile on his face.

"I was wondering who had such a taste, it turned out to be Mr. Shen."

After seeing Shen Dongshan's face clearly, Luo Tianjin's expression couldn't help but become a little disappointed.

Seeing this, Shen Dongshan was slightly stunned, and asked meaningfully: "Master Luo seems a little disappointed that Shen came? Is it that the ones who should come didn't come, but the ones who shouldn't come did?"

"Where?" Luo Tianjin said, and hurriedly bowed to greet him. "Mr. Shen, I am so happy to have you here, how can I be disappointed? Please come in! Someone, serve tea!"

While chatting and laughing, Luo Tianjin walked forward and took Shen Dongshan's arm. The two of them walked towards the main hall, supporting each other, like close friends who had not seen each other for many years.

Along the way, Shen Dongshan looked around with a subtle look, and was secretly surprised to see that the garden was deserted and there were few guests. However, he said no word and continued to chat and laugh with Luo Tianjin.

After entering the main hall, the two of them exchanged pleasantries. They sat down as host and guest, while Xie Xuan, Jiang Yiwei, and Yan Bugui sat with them in the hall.

"Ugh!"

Whether it was sincere or unintentional, Luo Tianjin's sudden sigh made Shen Dongshan frown and asked curiously: "The martial arts conference is a grand event in the martial arts world. Everyone should be extremely happy. Why is Lord Luo sighing?"

"You must be tired after traveling so long." Luo Tianjin evaded the question, "Where did Mr. Shen come from?"

"This..." Shen Dongshan couldn't help but smile awkwardly under Luo Tianjin's sharp gaze, and deliberately changed the subject, "Shen learned that heroes from all over the world gathered at Huashan, so he specially selected a few jars of good wine and planned to present them to you door to door."

Yan Bugui glanced at the jar of wine in Kui Qi's arms and said sarcastically, "It seems that Master Shen has almost given away all the wine. I wonder if the wine he gave us is the last one? Or the second to last one?"

Yan Bugui's words clearly implied that he was going to call an army to question Shen Dongshan for being late and neglecting Luo Tianjin.

"Don't be rude!" Luo Tianjin's tone sank, quite displeased.

"Hehe..." Shen Dongshan smiled indifferently, and said, "To be honest, I have just been to the garden of Master Jinwu and Taoist Qingfeng. There were huge crowds of people there and it was extremely lively. In comparison, Master Luo's place is much more 'elegant'." Shen Dongshan wanted to say "quiet", but suddenly changed his mouth when the words came to his lips.

"Mr. Shen should know the temperament of my master. He doesn't like to join in the fun."

"That's it! That's it!" Faced with Xie Xuan's self-justification, Shen Dongshan did not point it out, but just smiled and nodded repeatedly.

After that, Shen Dongshan changed the subject and urged, "Kui Qi, why don't you offer us the wine?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Shen." Luo Tianjin opened the wine seal and sniffed it gently, praising, "It is indeed a good wine."

"Mr. Shen has been invited to repair Huashan. I wonder if Lord Luo is satisfied today?"

"If this matter is handed over to others, I am afraid it will take ten to eight years to complete." Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "Master Shen is worthy of being a wealthy businessman in the Song Dynasty. His actions are indeed extraordinary."

"Lord Luo, you are so kind. I, Shen, am ashamed to accept your praise."

"Ha ha……"

Luo Tianjin and Shen Dongshan exchanged a smile and then fell silent for a long while.

For a moment, the hall was eerily quiet and the atmosphere became awkward.

"Cough cough!"

After a moment of silence, Shen Dongshan coughed twice, then put down his teacup, stood up and bowed, saying, "Lord Luo, please have a rest. I will take my leave first."

"I have ordered people to prepare wine and food, why don't you have a few drinks here, Mr. Shen?"

"I am very grateful for the kindness of Lord Luo. However, there is a rare guest coming to Huashan tonight. I dare not neglect him and need to go and entertain him as soon as possible. I hope Lord Luo will help me."

"Rare guest?" Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "What rare guest?"

"Haha... let me keep it a secret for a while. Palace Master Luo will know tomorrow."

"That's fine!"

Seeing Shen Dongshan's deliberate perfunctory attitude, Luo Tianjin did not force him. He stood up and sent him out of the garden, then bowed and said, "I hope you will forgive me for my poor hospitality."

"I dare not! Lord Luo, please go back."

"Master Shen, take care!"

Looking at Shen Dongshan's hurried back, Xie Xuan couldn't help but frown and sighed, "The world is going downhill, and people's hearts are no longer the same. Back then, when he went to Luoyang to curry favor with the Palace Master, he wouldn't leave. Tonight, he couldn't even warm up the stool, but he was so impatient to leave. It's really... Alas!"

"If you're in a hurry to leave, why did you come here?" Yan Bugui said unhappily, "Who wants his jar of broken horse urine?"

"First, to be polite. Second, to find out the truth." Luo Tianjin said quietly, "Shen Dongshan is a calculating businessman. In his eyes, there are no friends or enemies, only interests. He will flatter whoever is beneficial to him. He will turn his face against whoever is useless to him. He has given me enough face by coming here tonight."

"Right now, Jin Fuyu is surrounded by people and is in the limelight. Shen Dongshan weighed the pros and cons and naturally wanted to get closer to him." Jiang Yiwei said, "He visited tonight because he wanted to see with his own eyes how much glory we still have. If our garden is also full of guests, I believe he will not be in a hurry to leave." "We are not wrong, and Shen Dongshan is not wrong either." Luo Tianjin's expression changed and he said seriously, "You go back first, Xie Xuan will accompany me to a place."

"Where is the Lord going?"

"To visit an old friend I've never met."

……

Half an hour later, Luo Tianjin and Xie Xuan arrived at Dongxiangshouyuan, Ren Wuya's residence.

Dong Xiaoer was ordered to stop Xie Xuan outside the door and only allow Luo Tianjin to enter.

"The Northern Sage King is famous and powerful. I have been looking forward to seeing the true face of Lord Luo today. It is a great honor for me."

A layer of gauze curtains separated the room into two parts. Luo Tianjin was outside, and Ren Wuya was inside. The layout was very similar to the Piaomiao Pavilion in Tianshan, but it was much narrower.

"I have long heard of your name, Senior." Luo Tianjin looked around and replied politely, "After listening to Liu Xunyi's narration of your legendary experience, I admire you very much."

"Thank you for the respect from Palace Master Luo. I am already dying, how can I talk about legends?" Ren Wuya's cold voice sounded again, "Palace Master Luo is young and promising, with a bright future. I really envy him."

"Excuse me, although tonight is the first time we meet, we have dealt with each other before." Luo Tianjin got straight to the point, "The martial arts conference is about to be held, why don't you and I save the red tape and speak frankly?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Ren Wuya said with a smile, "It's just that as I get older, my memory has become very poor. I'd like to trouble Palace Master Luo to remind me."

Ren Wuya is cunning and treacherous, and is clearly testing Luo Tianjin's sincerity.

"According to the agreement, Palace Master Ren will help me win the title of Wulin Alliance Leader. I will help Yulong Palace get rid of the reputation of being a heretic and help you gain a foothold in the Central Plains."

"Thank you for reminding me, Lord Luo. I now remember it now." Ren Wuya suddenly realized, "However, in my memory, our agreement seems to be slightly different from what Lord Luo just said."

"Oh? What's the difference?" Luo Tianjin pretended to be confused even though he knew the truth.

"It is true that I helped Lord Luo win the title of Wulin leader, but after that, Lord Luo not only had to help Yulong Palace gain a foothold in the Central Plains, but also promised to let Yulong Palace replace Jinjianwu's position in the martial arts world and be on an equal footing with Xianwang Palace." After saying that, Ren Wuya pretended to be curious and asked back, "But I remembered it wrong?"

Luo Tianjin told Liu Xunyi these words privately before he went to Tianshan. It was originally a remark made in a whim, but now it was firmly held in Ren Wuya's hand, and Luo Tianjin felt mixed emotions.

"That's right!" Although he didn't want to admit it, Luo Tianjin knew that he had no way out, so he could only agree happily, "As long as Palace Master Ren helps you, after I become the leader of the martial arts world, I will give you half of the huge world, what's the harm?"

"It's great!" Ren Wuya said with satisfaction, "Lord Luo is a man of his word, I admire you. To be honest, I have no intention of going back since I came to Central Plains. I just hope Lord Luo will keep his word and not let me end up homeless."

"Absolutely not!"

"Really?" Luo Tianjin agreed happily. Ren Wuya's questioning was even more fierce. "At the beginning, when I formed an alliance with Lord Luo, the Xianwang Mansion was prosperous and well-off. The Northern Xianwang was famous all over the world. But now, in just a few months, the Central Plains martial arts world has turned upside down. The Northern Xianwang, who used to be the most powerful, has become a lonely man today. The status and reputation of the Xianwang Mansion in the martial arts world are declining. Today, how much capital does Lord Luo have to compete for the leader of the martial arts world? How sincere is he to fulfill his promise to me?"

Ren Wuya's words were like a knife piercing through his heart, causing Luo Tianjin to feel unbearable pain and bitterness.

"What do you mean by this, Palace Master Ren? Do you not trust me? Or... do you want to abandon me?"

"Since I have agreed to join forces with Lord Luo, I will never do anything to betray him." Ren Wuya said, "A centipede will die but its body will not rot. Although the Xianwang Mansion has gone through many twists and turns recently, its vitality has not been damaged and its foundation is still there. As for the lost fame, wealth and reputation, I regard them as nothing but clouds and dirt, not worth even a sneer."

"In that case, what is Palace Master Ren still worried about?"

Ren Wuya replied with a half-smile: "I am not worried about the means and determination of Lord Luo, I am only worried about his sincerity."

"What do you mean?"

"Right now, Palace Master Luo is imprisoned, and you are worried that I will back down and abandon you. This is human nature and not surprising." Ren Wuya smiled faintly, "Similarly, I am also worried that when Palace Master Luo becomes successful, will he abandon me?"

"It's such a despicable act, such a mean person's behavior, how could I do that?"

"The martial world is treacherous, and I am old, and I don't want to lose my integrity in my later years." Ren Wuya said, "Little do you know that when I accompanied the Lord of Luo Mansion through mountains of swords and seas of fire, what we were betting on was not the life and death of one person, but the survival of the entire Tianshan Yulong Palace."

"So...what do you want me to do?"

"There is a man in the Xianwang Mansion." Ren Wuya pondered, "This man is not only the confidant of Lord Luo, but also the beloved of your daughter. I heard that... Lord Luo intends to recruit him as his son-in-law."

"Liu Xunyi?" Luo Tianjin looked suspicious.

"Not long ago, your son met with misfortune, and now Lord Luo only has your daughter to inherit his legacy." Ren Wuya continued, "Therefore, your daughter's husband is undoubtedly the future master of the Xianwang Mansion. His position in Lord Luo's heart is self-evident."

"So what?"

"To be honest, I admire Liu Xunyi very much."

"Appreciation means..."

"I hope that Lord Luo will give up and allow your future son-in-law to become a disciple of Tianshan Yulong Palace. I am willing to accept him as my adopted grandson. At the same time, Lord Luo will announce in public that Liu Xunyi and Ling Qianjin will get married after the martial arts conference. In this way, Xianwang Palace and Yulong Palace will be a family that is connected by bones and tendons. Since we are a family, we will naturally treat each other honestly and support each other with all our strength. You and I don't have to be on guard against each other anymore. It is really a best of both worlds. I wonder...what Lord Luo thinks?"

……

(End of this chapter)