Chapter 508: Courtesy first, then attack
After about a cup of tea, Murong Bai led Teng Sanshi back to the hall.

Upon seeing Teng Sanshi, Luo Tianjin, regardless of his weak body, hurriedly stood up to greet him, bowed and said, "Senior..."

"No need to put on airs in front of me!" Teng Sanshi waved his hands impatiently and said, "Although you are no longer the same as you were before, don't expect me to look at you differently."

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but look bitter, and said: "If it weren't for the senior's words of justice at the top of Huashan this morning, I would not have been able to escape the trap set by Jin Fuyu, and it would have been even more difficult for me to sit on the position of the leader of the martial arts world."

"One thing is one thing, you don't have to be sentimental! Everything I did was not to help you, but..."

At this point, Teng Sanshi's eyes suddenly changed, and his voice stopped abruptly. He turned to look at Luo Tianjin with a hint of caution in his eyes, and said unhappily: "What? Are you trying to trick me?"

"Senior, you worry too much." Luo Tianjin sat back in his seat and shook his head slowly, "There are some things that you don't say, but I know them... Oh! No, it should be that you and I know it tacitly."

"Oh?" Teng Sanshi raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively, "For example?"

"For example, Yun Zhuiyue's true identity is actually the senior's adopted son, Du Xiang."

Luo Tianjin went straight to the point, causing Teng Sanshi's expression to freeze instantly. His old eyes flashed with brilliance, as if he was quickly thinking of a countermeasure.

"Not only that, I also guessed... Yun Zhuiyue was able to recover quickly because of the help of the Teng clan's treasure, the 'Extreme Yuan Pill.'" Having said this, Luo Tianjin's expression changed and he said earnestly, "I believe that what I know is also known by the senior. Therefore, you and I should be open and honest, instead of being mysterious and testing each other."

Seeing that Luo Tianjin had seen through everything, Teng Sanshi simply stopped trying to hide it. He snorted coldly and admitted, "So what? You called me here alone. Do you want to settle scores with me later?"

"Senior, please don't misunderstand me!" Luo Tianjin explained, "I invited you here with absolutely no intention of seeking personal revenge. I just want to tell you a piece of news."

Teng Sanshi was stunned and asked doubtfully, "What news?"

"Your adopted son did collude with the Mongols in secret." Luo Tianjin took out Shen Dongshan's letter and said calmly, "On the eve of the martial arts conference, he had a secret meeting with Yan Wuji, the leader of Chifengling, and Sui Zuo, the general of Xijing. As for the purpose of their secret meeting... I think I don't need to say more, and you can guess a thing or two."

"what?"

Teng Sanshi was horrified and asked in surprise, "You mean... Xiang'er... knew about the hidden ambush in Huashan Town a long time ago?"

"Not only does he know, he is even very likely to cooperate with the Mongols from inside and outside." Luo Tianjin corrected, "Has he ever told you, senior, why he participated in the martial arts conference?"

At this moment, Teng Sanshi was in a state of confusion, feeling ashamed and annoyed. The muscles on his face trembled slightly, and he did not answer Luo Tianjin's question.

"At first, we all thought that his purpose in participating in the martial arts conference was to seek revenge on me and to avenge the shame he suffered at Yaotai." Luo Tianjin said quietly, "However, the truth is far more complicated than we imagined. Avenging the previous shame is no longer important to Yun Zhuiyue today. His ambitions and desires are far more terrifying than you and I can imagine. His fight for the position of leader of the martial arts world is not only to avenge me, but also to show his loyalty to the Mongolian Khan!"

Luo Tianjin's every word was as sharp as a knife, piercing Teng Sanshi's heart, causing him to fall into deep pain and distress, unable to extricate himself for a long time.

"In the past, Du Xiang's biggest fault was that he was narrow-minded and petty. But today's Yun Zhuiyue is different. He has become a traitor who has no king or father, is unkind and unjust, and is a complete traitor." Luo Tianjin said righteously, "He betrayed his ancestors, sold out his master for fame, assisted the evil, and helped the tyrant to commit atrocities... Can such a traitor really listen to your teachings and turn over a new leaf?"

Teng Sanshi suddenly raised his head, his tiger eyes trembling, and asked tremblingly: "What do you mean by this?"

"Senior, do you know why I tried so hard to protect him today on the top of Mount Hua?" Luo Tianjin did not answer but asked, "It's not because I want to 'less trouble is better', but because of you and Rou'er. I know Yun Zhuiyue and Rou'er are childhood sweethearts, and he is also your adopted son who you love very much. If I follow Jin Fuyu's suggestion and take the opportunity to get rid of him, it will be beneficial to me, but you will be the saddest people. I can't bear to see you sad, so..."

"Are you afraid that Rou'er will quarrel with you in public?" Teng Sanshi said disdainfully, "Luo Tianjin, there are no outsiders here, put away your hypocrisy, I won't fall for it!"

"No matter what you think of me, this letter from Master Shen really makes me feel uneasy." Luo Tianjin said helplessly, "If this matter is known to other sects, what will happen to Yun Zhuiyue? Senior knows better than me."

Teng Sanshi thought hard for a while, then said hesitantly, "Whether this is true or not, I'm afraid that..."

"This is exactly why I invited you here!"

"Hiss!" Teng Sanshi was secretly shocked and asked in astonishment, "What do you mean?"

"Yun Zhuiyue is your adopted son. There are some things he won't tell us, but he will definitely not lie to you. Therefore, if you go to Longxiang Mountain Villa in person, you will know the truth of the contents of this letter."

"This……"

Teng Sanshi looked hesitant and clenched his fists. He squeezed too hard so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Before asking Xiang'er, I want to ask you first." Teng Sanshi's eyes wandered, and hesitantly said, "As the leader of the martial arts world, how do you plan to deal with this matter?"

"As the leader of the martial arts world, I must not tolerate evil!" Luo Tianjin said firmly, "Senior is very righteous and should be able to understand my difficulties."

"If that's the case, why did you keep it a secret?" "First, black words on paper are like empty words, it's hard to tell the truth from the false. Second, I respect you, and... I care about Rou'er. Since Yun Zhuiyue is your adopted son, I'd like to let you handle this matter."

After that, Luo Tianjin's eyes moved, and he asked meaningfully: "Now it's my turn to ask you, if this is true, how will you deal with it?"

"I……"

Facing Luo Tianjin's aggressive questioning, Teng Sanshi was speechless. He hesitated for a long time, but ultimately failed to say anything.

Out of friendship, Teng Sanshi naturally did not want to put Yun Zhuiyue to death. However, out of the morality of the martial arts world and his own principles, Teng Sanshi could not tolerate Yun Zhuiyue's actions.

At this moment, the contradiction between emotion and reason, and the conflict between benevolence and righteousness made Teng Sanshi unable to weigh the pros and cons and he was very conflicted.

"Senior, the enemy is at the foot of the mountain, and we are in a hurry. We don't have much time... anymore." Seeing Teng Sanshi remained silent, Luo Tianjin suddenly spoke, "Regarding Yun Zhuiyue, I will leave it to you to handle. I hope you can consider the safety of the martial arts heroes, the stable life of the people, and the country of the Song Dynasty, and make the most wise decision."

The heavy burden made Teng Sanshi feel shocked. The look he gave Luo Tianjin was full of complicated thoughts.

"Luo still needs to think of a strategy to repel the enemy, so..."

Luo Tianjin tactfully ordered them to leave, which made Teng Sanshi, who was in a trance and had mixed feelings, stunned for a moment. Then he slowly stood up, turned around and left without any further greetings.

Looking at Teng Sanshi's lonely back, Xie Xuan couldn't help but sigh and asked in confusion: "Palace Master, you knew that Patriarch Teng valued friendship and loyalty, so why did you hand Yun Zhuiyue over to him for disposal?"

"Why?" Luo Tianjin asked with interest, "Do you think that Patriarch Teng will not kill his own relatives for the sake of justice?"

"It's easier said than done to ask him to kill his adopted son with his own hands." Xie Xuan said bitterly, "But if he doesn't kill Yun Zhuiyue and indulges the traitor who colluded with the country, I'm afraid that Chief Teng will have a guilty conscience for the rest of his life. Palace Master, there are many masters from the six major sects and the four great families, but you don't want to use any of them, but you chose Chief Teng. Why... did you do that?"

"Brother Xie, you only know the fact, but not the reason." Luo Tianjin smiled pretentiously, "Do you think that I told this to Chief Teng because I really wanted to use him to get rid of Yun Zhuiyue?"

"Isn't that so?" Xie Xuan was stunned and asked in astonishment, "Could it be that the Palace Master has another trick?"

Luo Tianjin said: "Right now, nothing is more important than resolving the danger to his life. As for whether Yun Zhuiyue should be killed? When should he be killed? Who should kill him? Actually, I don't care."

"The Palace Master means..."

"Brother Xie, the present is different from the past. You and I can no longer focus on the past grudges, but should look at the world and plan for the overall situation. Yun Zhuiyue is no longer worthy of being our opponent. He is only worthy of being our chess piece."

"Chess piece?" Xie Xuan pondered, "The Palace Master means... to use Yun Zhuiyue to resolve the current crisis?"

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin nodded. "Patriarch Teng is just a medicine. Yun Zhuiyue is the key to cure the disease. What you just guessed is right. Regardless of whether Patriarch Teng can kill Yun Zhuiyue, Rou'er will definitely not sit idly by and watch Yun Zhuiyue die. Therefore, the chances of Patriarch Teng killing his relatives for the sake of justice are very slim. But Patriarch Teng and Rou'er will not go against their conscience and join the rebellion. They will definitely do everything they can to persuade Yun Zhuiyue to make up for his mistakes and seek self-redemption."

"In this case, Yun Zhuiyue will take the initiative to negotiate with the Mongols out of consideration for the relationship between Clan Leader Nian Teng and Valley Master Xiao..."

At this point, Xie Xuan suddenly frowned and waved his hands, saying, "Wait! When the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked, and when the bird is dead, the bow is put away. At this point, do the Mongols still care about Yun Zhuiyue's life or death? Even if they do, what virtue or ability does Yun Zhuiyue have to convince them to withdraw their troops?"

"First, the Mongols will never give up Yun Zhuiyue. After all, they have searched all the major sects in the Central Plains and finally found a sect that is willing to collude with them and has considerable strength. This is truly precious, so the Mongols will never give up in vain. Don't forget that although there are many heroes gathered on Huashan Mountain, compared with the vast martial arts world, it is still a drop in the ocean. If the Mongols kill us all, although they can show off their power for a while, they will not be able to completely destroy the martial arts world in the Central Plains. On the contrary, the remaining disciples of various sects will hate them to the core and will not reconcile with them. If they cannot take advantage of the decline of the martial arts world and seize the opportunity to establish a new martial arts order, they will no longer have the opportunity to reconcile with the Central Plains martial arts world in the future. The only thing left is to fight to the death."

Having said this, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but smile mysteriously and asked, "Brother Xie, who do you think the Mongolian court should rely on to establish a new order in the martial arts world? Red Wind Ridge? The Huma Gang? Or the Twenty-Four Cities of Mobei?"

Seeing through everything, Xie Xuan was full of admiration for Luo Tianjin, nodding his head repeatedly and saying, "There is a saying that 'all the people discuss the Qiang and Hu attacking each other, and it is in the county magistrate's interest to use the barbarians to attack the barbarians, and it is not appropriate to prohibit and protect them.' If the Tartars want to establish a new order in the Central Plains martial arts world, it is naturally impossible to rely on the power of the three religions in Mobei. It will certainly provoke rebellion and resistance from the Han people. Therefore, they must rely on the Central Plains forces to help them unify the cause. This is 'using the Han to control the Han'."

"The best candidate for the Mongolian court is undoubtedly their old friend, Yun Zhuiyue, who has already colluded with them." Luo Tianjin sneered, "Therefore, Sui Zuo and Yan Wuji are using all means to put us to death, and they definitely don't want Yun Zhuiyue to be buried with us. If my guess is correct, they will definitely find ways to help Yun Zhuiyue escape and make him owe them another favor. Haha..."

"That makes sense." Xie Xuan replied without denying it, "But even so, Yun Zhuiyue is nothing more than a dog to them. How can they be persuaded to withdraw their troops?"

"That's the second reason. I just want to use Yun Zhuiyue to find Yan Wuji and Sui Zuo. I don't need him to persuade the Tartars to withdraw. Besides, the advantage of martial arts masters lies in fighting alone, not fighting in a melee with tens of thousands of people."

After saying that, Luo Tianjin's eyes turned cold, and a piercing murderous intent suddenly burst out from his eyes.

Xie Xuan's heart tightened, and he said with emotion: "The mansion master used Teng Sanshi's uprightness to suppress Yun Zhuiyue's rebellion. He then took advantage of the Mongols' attention to Yun Zhuiyue to find a loophole to break through the 'encirclement and suppression'. Finally, he took advantage of Yun Zhuiyue's feelings for the Teng family's father and daughter to force him to turn the tables with the Mongols. As the saying goes, 'one thing conquers another'. The mansion master bent a little and stretched a lot, and finally planned a good show. This is..."

"Use the power of others to counter the power of others, and follow the current to push the boat. Follow the clues to catch the thief and catch the leader."

……

(End of this chapter)