Chapter 723: Deceiving with Their Own Methods (Part )

As if realizing that he had said something wrong, Xu Guangsheng's face suddenly changed and he said in his heart, "Not good."

"Snapped!"

As expected, before Xu Guangsheng could open his mouth to explain, Sikong Zhu, who was standing beside him, suddenly raised his hand and slapped him loudly without mercy.

The force was so great that half of Xu Guangsheng's cheek became slightly swollen, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Tingxiang, I was anxious just now and said something wrong. I deserve to be beaten!" Xu Guangsheng ignored the pain on his face and hurriedly picked up the teapot. He carefully poured tea for the two and apologized repeatedly, "What I mean is... Zhao Xinhe and An Chen are of noble status. Assassinating them is tantamount to humiliating the Emperor of Song and the Khan of Mongolia, which is equivalent to declaring war on both Song and Mongolia at the same time. This is not a joke. If you are not careful, you will lose your life..."

However, in the face of Xu Guangsheng's sophistry, Lu Tingxiang remained motionless, said nothing, and continued to stare at him intently.

"Ahem..." Seeing that Lu Tingxiang was neither popular nor popular, Xu Guangsheng became more and more worried and laughed dryly, "Tingxiang, you are a man of the underworld, and you have always been concerned about the affairs of the underworld. Why do you have to provoke the court? In fact, I am worried about you. As we all know, once a man of the underworld is involved in the grievances of the court, he will inevitably be stretched to the limit and face a near-death situation. I don't know which friend you are looking for help? But if he instigates you to deal with Zhao Xin and An Chen, he must have bad intentions..."

"That's enough!" Lu Tingxiang interrupted Xu Guangsheng's endless chatter, handed him a handkerchief, and said calmly, "I understand what you mean, but I can also tell you clearly that this matter has been launched and we cannot retreat."

"What does it mean?" Xu Guangsheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and asked anxiously, "What does 'the arrow is on the string' mean? Whose arrow is it? And on whose string?"

"Your arrow is aimed at Jin Fuyu's bowstring." Lu Tingxiang said bluntly, "The 'Xingtie' that you asked Zhu Lao to copy is now in the hands of Jin Fuyu, who is also a friend I asked for help. If you refuse to cooperate, who knows how Jin Fuyu will deal with the 'Xingtie'? From what I know about him, this man will never let go of any grudge and will never suffer any loss. If you let him work in vain and return empty-handed, he will most likely send the 'Xingtie' to Lin'an and report you leaking the 'Xingtie' to the court. By then, even if the Song Dynasty court does not hold you accountable, the Mongolian Khan will not let it go. You should know the Mongolian temperament better than I do. They bear grudges more than Jin Fuyu."

"This..." When Xu Guangsheng realized the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but feel annoyed and complained, "Tingxiang, you were the one who asked me for the letter, and you were the one who leaked it to Jin Fuyu. How can you put me in the spotlight now? You... aren't you forcing me to do something?"

Hearing this, Lu Tingxiang frowned slightly and asked meaningfully, "You mean... you want to drag me to die with you?"

"This..." Xu Guangsheng hesitated, feeling angry and helpless. After all, his achievements today were inseparable from the support of the Lu family, so no matter how dissatisfied he was with Lu Tingxiang, he dared not quarrel with her. After much hesitation, Xu Guangsheng could only swallow his anger for the sake of the overall situation, and muttered unwillingly: "You and I are as close as brothers, of course I will not harm you..."

"I won't harm you either." Lu Tingxiang continued, "Guangsheng, you must have heard the rumors about Jin Fuyu. His ambitions go far beyond the Central Plains martial arts world, and you... are exactly the kind of general he is most looking for. If you take this opportunity to change your ways, your future will be limitless. Maybe... you will become the next Wu Zixu, the next Wang Jian, the next Han Xin. Leading thousands of troops and conquering the nine provinces and eight poles, isn't that the goal you have been pursuing all your life?"

It seemed that Lu Tingxiang's words hit the mark exactly what Xu Guangsheng wanted, causing a hint of hesitation to flash in the depths of his eyes.

"The Song Dynasty court treats you like a piece of trash. No matter how much you flatter and please them, they still refuse to give you even a title of 'Du Yu Hou'." Si Kong Zhu took the opportunity to speak, deliberately exposing Xu Guangsheng's scars. "You are already over 40 years old, and your chances to shine are getting fewer and fewer. But you are still an unknown little Du Tong. It is very likely that you will stop here in this life. Are you really willing?"

"I..." Thinking of how he tried every possible way to please Lord Qian, but Lord Qian just sneered at him, Xu Guangsheng couldn't help but feel disheartened and sighed, "The court doesn't know how to judge people. My enthusiasm is in vain. It's a pity that there is no place to use my talents..."

"Opportunities don't come by waiting, but you have to fight for them yourself." Lu Tingxiang reminded him, "Right now there is a great opportunity for you to leap over the dragon gate and make a big splash. As the saying goes, 'A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a good minister chooses a master to serve.' Since the Song Dynasty court is unwilling to use you, why don't you find a wise ruler who truly needs you, appreciates you, and cherishes you?"

Lu Tingxiang's words made Xu Guangsheng's heart tighten, and he hesitated and said, "You mean... Jin Fuyu is a wise ruler?"

"At least he is wiser than the Emperor of Song."

"But no matter how powerful Jin Fuyu is, he is just a gangster..."

"That's wrong!" Lu Tingxiang corrected, "I'm not bragging. I, Lu Tingxiang, am now a well-known figure in the martial arts world. On the surface, Jin Fuyu and I are both overlords. Even if there is a gap between Jiangnan Lu Mansion and Jinjianwu, it won't be too big, right?"

"Not bad!"

"If that's the case, why did Jin Fuyu dare to assassinate An Chen and Zhao Xin, risking the danger of offending Song and Mongolia, but I didn't dare to do that?"

"This..." Xu Guangsheng pondered, "Because you are more rational than Jin Fuyu..."

"Wrong! Because Jin Fuyu's true strength is far more than what outsiders see." Lu Tingxiang said seriously, "Jin Jianwu is just a false image used by Jin Fuyu to cover up himself. Compared with his hidden strength, Jin Jianwu is just a drop in the bucket. Even so, Jin Jianwu's strength is still far superior to many large and small sects in the martial arts world. Even my Jiangnan Lu Mansion cannot match his 'drop in the bucket'."

"hiss!"

Xu Guangsheng took a deep breath, his face uncertain, as if he was half-believing and half-doubting.

"You mean... the rumors that are making the rounds in the court are true? Jin Fuyu... is really hiding troops in Hengshan Village?" Xu Guangsheng asked in disbelief.

"There is no smoke without fire." Lu Tingxiang did not answer directly, but smiled and said, "I have discussed with Jin Fuyu, and he will give you a chance to display your talents and ambitions after the matter is completed. Guangsheng, I still need to use you to build a good relationship with Jin Fuyu, so why would I let you be my scapegoat?"

"Tingxiang, I just blurted out something, I definitely didn't doubt you..." At this moment, Xu Guangsheng's tone was much softer than before, and his eyes were much more sincere. "No need to say more, you and I are brothers, we all know each other." Lu Tingxiang interrupted Xu Guangsheng's defense and continued, "Jin Fuyu is not a fool, he knows the consequences of assassinating An Chen and Zhao Xin better than you and me. If the matter is exposed, he will be the culprit, and you and I can only be regarded as accomplices. Therefore, Jin Fuyu is more worried about the truth being exposed than us, and his plan and deployment must be more cautious and thorough than you and me."

Xu Guangsheng was thoughtful and looked contemplative, as if he was carefully considering Lu Tingxiang's advice.

"Right now, we and Jin Fuyu are like grasshoppers tied to the same rope. We will prosper together and suffer together." Si Kongzhu interrupted, "If you retreat in the face of battle, you will surely die. Only by giving it your all can you have unlimited hope of survival."

"It seems... I have no choice but to agree to cooperate with Jin Fuyu?" Xu Guangsheng's eyes were full of melancholy. "Do you know that once I do this, everything I have worked hard for in the first half of my life will be gone..."

"Only by destroying the old can we establish the new!" Lu Tingxiang said solemnly, "Moreover, from the moment I handed the letter to Jin Fuyu, all your achievements in the first half of your life have vanished into thin air. Therefore, you have no choice."

"Forget it!" Xu Guangsheng was shocked and said loudly, "Anyway, if you stick your head out, you'll get a knife. If you hide your head, you'll get a knife too. So let's just die!"

Seeing Xu Guangsheng compromise, Lu Tingxiang and Sikong Zhu both breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's right! Although I command 300 soldiers, they are all from the Imperial Guard Battalion and do not share the same aspirations as me." Xu Guangsheng changed the subject and said hurriedly, "What if they find that the situation has changed and refuse to obey my orders..."

"It's possible." Lu Tingxiang pondered, "How many trusted people do you have around you?"

"There are only a dozen brothers brought from the Quanzhou camp."

"Enough!" Lu Tingxiang made up his mind and acted decisively, "Tomorrow night, don't rush to attack Liu Xunyi. Jin Fuyu's troops will arrive in Yunya Town around midnight. Before that, you must send your trusted confidants to deal with the 300 soldiers of the Imperial Guard Battalion to prevent them from turning against you in the middle of the battle."

"How do we solve this?" Xu Guangsheng asked in surprise, "We only have a dozen people..."

"Use the incense!" Sikong Zhu suddenly had an idea and suggested, "Tomorrow night, when everyone is asleep, have your trusted confidants blow the incense into each guest room to knock Liu Xunyi and the three hundred soldiers unconscious."

"No bloodshed, this is great!" Xu Guangsheng nodded slowly, "Then...how can I identify Jin Fuyu's men tomorrow night?"

"I have worn my golden armor through a hundred battles in the yellow sand, and I will not return until I have conquered Loulan." Lu Tingxiang called Xu Guangsheng forward and whispered, "This is the signal for you to meet up with Jin Fuyu's men. You don't need to take action tomorrow night, they will solve all the problems themselves."

Suddenly, Xu Guangsheng grabbed Lu Tingxiang's arm tightly and said righteously: "Tingxiang, I will leave my future and destiny for the rest of my life...to you!"

"Don't worry, we are a family!"

Lu Tingxiang gently patted Xu Guangsheng's arm and gave him a comforting smile.

"Oh, right!" Si Kongzhu glanced at the door and said worriedly, "Will the soldier who just talked to you outside the door say something nonsense when he returns..."

"Don't worry, Master Zhu. I will take care of it."

"How to solve?"

"You once taught me that only the dead cannot speak!" Xu Guangsheng's eyes turned fierce and he said coldly, "Since I have no other choice, I can only accompany you to the end. Don't worry! I won't leave any hidden dangers."

Si Kongzhu nodded with satisfaction and said with a sinister smile: "Sooner or later you will understand that everything you have paid today is worth it."

"Tingxiang, Master Zhu, I can't stay here for long, or I'll arouse suspicion. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"After tomorrow night, you will go back to Jinjianwu with Jin Fuyu. I will be waiting there to welcome you!"

Lu Tingxiang used tea instead of wine and toasted Xu Guangsheng from afar.

Seeing this, Xu Guangsheng forced a complex smile on his solemn face, then rushed out of the door and quickly disappeared at the end of the bustling crowd.

……

(End of this chapter)