Chapter 438: The Eve of the Conference (Part )

Ren Wuya's move was undoubtedly to take Liu Xunyi as a hostage in order to consolidate the alliance between Luo Tianjin and himself.

In fact, although Liu Xunyi is important to Luo Tianjin, she is not as indispensable as Ren Wuya imagines.

In contrast, Luo Tianjin was more concerned about his daughter's reputation. After all, Luo Ningyu was going to be the head of the Xianwang Mansion in the future, so she couldn't have any dirt on her.

Once Luo Tianjin publicly announced the marriage of Liu Xunyi and Luo Ningyu, Liu Xunyi would be the son-in-law of the Xianwang Mansion. Giving him to Ren Wuya as a grandson would undoubtedly firmly bind the relationship between the two families.

To this day, Ren Wuya and Yulong Palace are still notorious in the martial arts world. The consequences of the "Qin-Jin friendship" between the Xianwang Mansion and the pagans are far worse than the "close contacts" between the two families.

In other words, Ren Wuya intended to drag Luo Tianjin into the water and make him the same kind of person as himself.

Who is Luo Tianjin? In a moment, he has considered the pros and cons of this matter clearly, and the future success or failure of the Xianwang Mansion is also clear.

Because of this, he must be more cautious and think carefully.

After all, it has been extremely difficult for the Xianwang Mansion to get to where it is today after more than twenty years of ups and downs. If there is a slight mistake, a thousand years of cultivation will be lost in one day. Isn't it worth the loss?
"Palace Master Ren wants me to use my daughter's reputation to guarantee my sincerity to you?" Luo Tianjin's tone was neither positive nor negative, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. "Isn't this move a bit unorthodox?"

"What? Could it be that Lord Luo has no intention of marrying Liu Xunyi as his son-in-law?" Ren Wuya avoided the main point and pretended to be confused.

"How can marriage be a joke?"

"It is precisely because it is not a joke that I proposed this." Ren Wuya said frankly, "Could it be that in the mind of Lord Luo... the alliance between our two families is a joke?"

"Luo has absolutely no such intention!"

"If not, could it be that Lord Luo wants to keep our relationship a secret?" Ren Wuya said unhappily, "Since Lord Luo chooses to protect himself and minds that I come from a different religion, why would he join forces with me?"

"This……"

"If there is no conspiracy, why doesn't Lord Luo dare to facilitate this?"

Facing Ren Wuya's aggressive questioning, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but frown. After thinking for a long time, he reluctantly said, "To be honest, this is a time of trouble. I'm worried that Palace Master Ren's proposal will not only fail to promote good things for our two families, but will be counterproductive and put us both in danger."

"It is said that Lord Luo is a great hero. Why is he so hesitant and submissive today?" Ren Wuya sneered, "If we join forces, who in the world can stand up to us?"

Luo Tianjin looked embarrassed and said hesitantly: "As the saying goes, 'two fists cannot defeat four hands, and a good tiger cannot defeat a pack of wolves', what if..."

"According to the rules of this martial arts conference, tomorrow morning, anyone who intends to run for the leader of the martial arts conference will swear an oath of blood in public." Ren Wuya interrupted slowly, "In other words, how many people are coveting the position of leader in this martial arts conference will be revealed tomorrow morning. Lord Luo can wait until the situation is clear before making the relationship between our two families public. In this way, we can avoid the 'dangerous situation' you mentioned."

Luo Tianjin nodded helplessly and said, "That being said, Palace Master Ren, don't forget that each contender for the position of Lord can choose up to five masters to assist him or her."

"The six great masters and the four family heads have already announced that they will not fight at the martial arts conference. What is there to be afraid of?"

"Although these heads of sects and families will not take action, they have many experts under their command and should not be underestimated."

"Lord Luo, you have my help, which gives you the best chance of winning. I am not bragging, but among all the major sects in the martial arts world, apart from the sect leaders and family heads, who else can compete with me?" Ren Wuya said proudly, "The seven heroes of the Xianwang Mansion are all masters among masters. I also brought two flag masters, Dong Xiaoer and Hu Yanba, who are also very skilled. Apart from me, Lord Luo can pick four more people from these people, wouldn't it be easy?"

"This……"

"According to the current situation, Palace Master Luo's biggest opponent is undoubtedly Jin Fuyu." Ren Wuya added, "Although the four great families have a close relationship with him, if the four family heads do not take action, the masters under their command can at most be on par with the seven heroes of the Xianwang Palace. If you think about it carefully, there is no master beside Jin Fuyu who can compete with me. Isn't this Palace Master Luo's greatest chance of winning?"

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but smile bitterly and sighed, "Palace Master Ren's words make sense, but he only knows one side of the story."

"I would like to hear your advice."

"Luo just said, 'A good tiger cannot stand up to a pack of wolves.' The 'pack of wolves' here does not refer to Jin Fuyu and his followers, but to..."

"But who is it?"

"There are other heroes who are interested in competing for the position of Wulin leader." Luo Tianjin said bluntly, "Palace Master Ren only weighed the strengths of Jin Fuyu and me, but ignored the others. For example, Yuwen Xiu, the 'Wulin Marquis' conferred by the Song Dynasty court, and Yun Zhuiyue, the Holy Lord of Longxiang Mountain who secretly colluded with the Mongolian court. These two people should not be underestimated."

"Yuwen Xiu and Yun Zhuiyue are both from other religions. How could they make things difficult for you just because of an old man?"

"Yes!" Luo Tianjin said firmly, "As the saying goes, 'A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.' You and I together are undoubtedly the strongest combination among these people. Jin Fuyu is slightly inferior, and Yuwen Xiu and Yun Zhuiyue are roughly equal in strength. Therefore, once our relationship is made public, others will definitely regard us as their number one enemy and will most likely join forces to deal with us. Then, won't we both be in danger?"

"The rules of the competition will not be revealed until tomorrow. How can Lord Luo determine that they can join forces?"

"Only by anticipating the enemy can we prevent disasters before they happen. If we don't prepare for the worst, we may be caught off guard when the disaster strikes."

"This……"

What Luo Tianjin said made sense, and Ren Wuya gradually fell into deep thought.

Seeing that Ren Wuya remained silent for a while, Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows slightly and cautiously asked, "What does Palace Master Ren think?"

"Cough cough!"

Ren Wuya coughed twice and said thoughtfully, "Lord Luo has a point, but I don't like to do things I'm not sure of. Lord Luo wants to keep our relationship a secret, but he also wants me to help him. For me... it's a bit too much to ask."

"This..." Luo Tianjin was hesitant and thought over and over again. Seeing that Ren Wuya was unmoved and refused to respond, he couldn't help feeling anxious.

After hesitating for a long time, Luo Tianjin simply made up his mind and said resolutely: "Since Palace Master Ren is determined to do this, Luo has a plan. I hope Palace Master Ren will consider it."

"I'd like to hear from you."

"Palace Master Ren will also step out tomorrow to compete for the position of leader!"

"What?" Ren Wuya was secretly surprised and asked suspiciously, "Lord Luo wants me to compete for the leader of the martial arts world? Did I... hear correctly?"

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin said seriously, "Yuwen Xiu and Yun Zhuiyue are qualified, and Palace Master Ren is also qualified."

Ren Wuya asked back with a half-smile: "Are you... not worried?"

"What are you worried about?" Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "Palace Master Ren and I have been a family for a long time. Even if we break bones, we still have tendons. What is there to worry about?"

"Keep talking!"

"Palace Master Ren will not only compete, but will also mobilize the masters under his command to strive for the top."

Ren Wuya finally understood Luo Tianjin's hidden meaning, and said thoughtfully: "Lord Luo wants me to protect you, to help you avoid disasters and difficulties, and to escort you all the way to the position of leader?"

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin admitted generously, not hiding his selfish motives.

Hearing this, Ren Wuya was silent for a moment, then said faintly: "What good will this do for me?"

"The good thing is that I agree to Palace Master Ren's request to make our relationship public." Luo Tianjin said seriously, "However, there is still a prerequisite."

"What premise?"

"We have to wait until one of Yuwen Xiu and Yun Zhuiyue is eliminated before our relationship can be made public." Luo Tianjin said, "At that time, I will also announce the marriage of Liu Xunyi and Yu'er. At the same time, Palace Master Ren can publicly accept Liu Xunyi as his adopted grandson and recruit him to the Jade Dragon Palace. How do you think?"

"Is Palace Master Luo really willing to give it up?"

"A gentleman helps others achieve their goals." Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "What's more, after their wedding, the Xianwang Mansion and Yulong Palace will be one family. What's the difference between them?"

"Very good!" Ren Wuya said with satisfaction, "Since Lord Luo is so sincere, I will lend you a helping hand, carve out a bloody path in front of you, and recommend you to become the leader of the martial arts world."

"A gentleman's word!"

"Hurry up and whip your horse!"

Now that the big thing has been decided, the cloud of worry lingering in Luo Tianjin's heart suddenly dissipated a lot.

The two exchanged greetings for a while, then Luo Tianjin stood up to say goodbye and left the villa with Xie Xuan.

Seeing Luo Tianjin's worried look gone and smiling brightly, Xie Xuan couldn't help but feel curious and asked tentatively, "Could it be that Ren Wuya has agreed to be the mansion master's vanguard?"

"I agree, but Ren Wuya is cunning and has his own plans. It's not easy to trick him into helping me get rid of the disaster."

"What conditions does he have?"

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin suddenly stopped and turned to look at Xie Xuan, who was full of doubts. He couldn't help but reveal a helpless smile: "He wants to hold Liu Xunyi as a hostage, and wants me to announce the marriage of Liu Xunyi and Yu'er in public."

"This..." Xie Xuan was stunned, thinking, "Ren Wuya wants to use the young lady's reputation to force the mansion master to fulfill his promise to him. The young lady is the young master of the Xianwang Mansion, and Liu Xunyi is the young lady's sweetheart. Ren Wuya kills three birds with one stone, which is really vicious. I wonder... can the mansion master agree?"

"When you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. I have no choice but to agree." Luo Tianjin said, "Right now, we have lost the trust of the righteous martial arts community. We cannot afford to lose Ren Wuya, a strong ally."

"But……"

"who?"

Before Xie Xuan could finish his words, Luo Tianjin's eyes suddenly changed, and his figure disappeared in an instant like lightning.

Almost at the same time, at the corner of another villa, there was a crisp sound of palm and sword colliding.

Xie Xuan arrived soon, but saw three figures standing quietly on the left and right under the moonlight.

On the left was Luo Tianjin, who was motionless and looked like a wooden sculpture. On the right were a man and a woman with stern expressions and complicated eyes.

The man pointing the sword at Luo Tianjin was the ruthless swordsman, Tang Afu.

At this moment, the graceful woman with her face covered by a white veil standing behind Tang Afu was none other than the heartless valley master, Xiao Zhirou, whom Luo Tianjin had been thinking about day and night.

……

(End of this chapter)