Chapter 744: Stealing Power
"Master Zhu, will the three Qin clan masters believe us?"

Late at night, after the three Qin clan heroes left Yingtian Tower, Lu Yao, who had been silent all night, could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked the shrewd Sikong Zhu repeatedly: "Since the young master wants the Qin family to help us get rid of our worries, why didn't Master Zhu go directly to Qin Ku, but instead went to the three Qin clan heroes? As you know, Qin Ku is the upright head of the Qin clan, and no matter how powerful the three Qin clan heroes are, they are just retainers after all."

"First, the three Qin clan members will not only believe us, but will also do what we ask them to do." Sikong Zhu smiled confidently, "Right now, the Hexi Qin clan has already parted ways with the martial arts leader. If there is no middleman to mediate, even if Qin Ku brings Liu Xunyi's head to see Qingfeng, Qingfeng will probably not forgive him for his previous rudeness to him. As for the middleman... the martial arts sects have been very kind by not adding insult to injury. How could they risk cleaning up their mess at the cost of effort? Now, apart from us, no one in the martial arts world dares to approach the Qin clan, let alone help them to go against Qingfeng. Therefore, if the Qin clan wants to successfully survive the crisis, it has no choice but to cooperate with us. Second, the Qin clan members will not be able to help them. Although Ku is the head of the family, he is greedy for money and lustful, so the Qin family is managed by the three Qins. In terms of the control and dispatch of the complicated network of people in the Hexi area, the newly arrived Qin Ku is far inferior to the experienced three Qins. Qin Ku left the Qin family when he was young, and left with hatred, so his relationship with the Qin family is not much emotional except for blood. Therefore, the young and energetic him often acts impulsively and makes foolish choices between "the overall situation of the Qin family" and "brotherhood". If we go to him directly, Qin Ku will not refuse on the spot, but will disobey in secret. In this way, not only can he not help us, but it will add many obstacles to us behind the scenes. "

"What Elder Zhu said is true, but... our actions tonight are somewhat suspicious of sowing discord." Lu Yao carefully observed Sikong Zhu's reaction and repeated his words in his mind, "What I mean is... Qin Ku and the three heroes of the Qin family are from the same clan after all, so their relationship is definitely closer than ours. If they are honest and tell Qin Ku the truth, then... not only will all our efforts be wasted, but we will also offend Qin Ku."

"Not bad!" Si Kongzhu praised, "The fact that you can think of this shows that you have made some progress."

"Thank you, Master Zhu, for your compliment. It's just that..."

"Don't worry!" Si Kongzhu waved his hand and said, "Before coming here, I have sent people to repeatedly inquire about the details of the Qin family. I know that the relationship between the three Qin brothers and Qin Ku is not as harmonious as the outside world has rumored. On the contrary, since Qin Ku took office, they have repeatedly quarreled with each other, and they have always been deeply dissatisfied with Qin Ku's actions. They have even complained in public more than once that 'Qin Ku is stubborn and impulsive, and sooner or later he will drag the Qin family into an abyss of no return'. This shows that the contradictions between them are increasing day by day, and now it has reached an embarrassing point that cannot be reconciled."

At this point, Sikong Zhu suddenly smiled slyly and whispered, "Don't be fooled by them calling me 'head of the family' all the time. In fact, deep in their hearts, they have long regarded Qin Ku as a prodigal son who is greedy for pleasure and wastes time, and they are eager to drive him down from the position of head of the family. Qin Ku has been alone for many years and has developed a cynical habit. He became the head of the Qin family for one reason, to avenge his father, two, to be rich and powerful, and three, to have unlimited glory. He has been starving for many years and only cares about tangible benefits. As for reputation and face, which are invisible and intangible things, he actually doesn't care. In terms of the importance attached to the future of the Qin family, the three heroes of the Qin family are far better than Qin Ku. They don't want the Qin family to decline more than anyone else."

"So, Qin Ku is just a foolish man who is not worth cooperating with?"

"That's wrong!" Sikong Zhu said with a hint of meaning, "In fact, the young master doesn't want Qin Ku to take charge of the Qin family. He would rather let the power of life and death of the Qin family fall into the hands of the three heroes of the Qin family. Compared with Qin Ku, who has cunning and weird ideas and does things unreasonably, the three heroes of the Qin family are easier to control."

"What do you mean?" Lu Yao frowned, as confused as a monk.

"Now, among the leaders of the major martial arts sects, our young master is the youngest. Even though he is more than ten years younger than Jin Fuyu, who was at the peak of his powers in the Spring and Autumn Period, he can stand on equal terms with those old foxes. Imagine what the situation in the martial arts world will be like in ten, twenty, or thirty years?" Si Kongzhu asked in return, "By then, most of those old foxes will have passed away. How many of the new leaders will be able to compare with our young master in terms of experience and means? By then... who will be in charge of the overall situation in the Central Plains martial arts world, and who will be in charge of the ups and downs?"

"Hiss!" Sikong Zhu's needle hit the target of blood, causing Lu Yao to turn pale with fright and look thoughtful.

"Qin Ku is not stupid, on the contrary, he is extremely smart. This section can be seen from the fact that he did not starve to death during his lonely and helpless childhood. Instead, he learned a set of shocking martial arts with his own ability, and thrived in the bloody world of Jianghu." Sikong Zhu's eyes flickered, and he said faintly, "The reason why he is unpopular now is not because he is ignorant, but because he has not yet opened his mind. Qin Ku has just taken over the power of the Qin family. He has not yet sorted out the difference between being in charge of the family and being alone, and has not learned the rules of open and secret struggles between sects. But once he opens his mind, his power and tactics will surely advance by leaps and bounds. The most important thing is that Qin Ku is... a few years younger than our young master. If he is allowed to succeed, this person will become the biggest threat to the young master in the future."

"So... the young master wants to take this opportunity to strangle Qin Ku, the future hero of the martial arts world, in the cradle." Lu Yao muttered to himself, as if thinking about something. "Old Zhu is trying to stir up a conflict between the three heroes of the Qin family and Qin Ku, intending to force the Qin family to start a quarrel within the family, and even secretly fan the flames to drive Qin Ku out of the position of the head of the Qin family..."

"Exactly!" Sikong Zhu sneered, "Today's Jiangnan Lu Mansion and Hexi Qin Family, one in the south and one in the north, are full of vitality, aren't they very similar to the Jinjianwu and Xianwang Mansion in the past? If we ignore the Qin Family, perhaps in ten or twenty years, you and Qin Ku will be the next Jin Fuyu and Luo Tianjin. Therefore, it is better to prepare for a rainy day than to mend the fold after the sheep have been lost. You are so young but you can foresee the future, which really makes me admire you."

"I see!"

Lu Yao never thought that the hunt for Liu Xunyi was actually mixed with another huge conspiracy, and that they were completely integrated and complementary to each other.

It has to be said that Lu Tingxiang's quick reaction, clear thinking, bold decision-making, and fierce actions in this matter... are far beyond his peers in the martial arts world. Luo Tianjin and Jin Fuyu, who were younger, are probably not much behind.

……

On the dim and empty street, a horse-drawn carriage slowly emerged from Yingtian Tower and drove leisurely towards the Qin Mansion.

The carriage was as dark as ink. The three brothers sat next to each other. They couldn't see each other's faces, but they could clearly feel each other's heavy and long breathing. It seemed that the three heroes of the Qin family were confused and uneasy at this moment.

"Big brother, second brother!"

After an unknown amount of time of silence, Qin San's voice broke the deadlock in the darkness, startling Qin Da and Qin Er, who were both worried.

"What do you think of Sikong Zhu's proposal tonight?"

In response to Qin San's question, Qin Da and Qin Er were silent for a while, and then they sighed at the same time.

"Since I have had a secret meeting with Sikong Zhu, I have already made my choice, right?" Qin Da's voice sounded quietly, "From the beginning to the end, my mind has never wavered. For the sake of the Qin family's overall situation, we must agree to Sikong Zhu's conditions and join forces with Jiangnan Lu Mansion and Jinjianwu."

"In this way, we are voluntarily giving up the benefits behind Liu Xunyi." Qin Er hesitated, "Hexi is our territory after all, and Liu Xunyi is a piece of fat meat that is delivered to our mouths. If we don't eat it ourselves, but give it to others... I feel a little aggrieved. His Jiangnan Lu Mansion wants to take this opportunity to soar to the sky, don't we, the Hexi Qin family, want to do the same?"

"As long as Qin Ku doesn't agree, who dares to hunt down Liu Xunyi in the name of Hexi Qin's family?" Qin San said with a wry smile, "Even if we kill Liu Xunyi, Qin Ku won't admit it, and the benefits won't fall on the Qin family. In my humble opinion, who will take over Liu Xunyi's life is not our biggest worry right now. The most urgent task is... how do we weigh the pros and cons of this matter?"

"Third brother, what you said is right!" Qin Da agreed. "Right now, we have two options. First, tell Qin Ku the truth about this matter and try to persuade him to compromise. Second, do it without telling Qin Ku and kill him first and report later."

"The biggest hidden danger of the first path is that if Qin Ku insists on not doing it, the matter will come to a deadlock, and we might have a fight with him early, and no one can predict the consequences." Qin San analyzed, "The second path is completely opposite to the first path. The biggest advantage is that we can push this matter forward in secret and save the Qin family. The disadvantage is that once Qin Ku knows the truth, we will inevitably be at loggerheads with him, and even to the point where we can't coexist."

"I listen to my eldest brother!" General Qin Er made up his mind and said decisively, "We three brothers share one life. We will do whatever my eldest brother says!"

“Although Qin Ku is unpopular in the mansion, he still holds the ‘Xuan Shui Xia Juan’ in his hand, which is the key to the continuation of the Qin family’s lifeline. Once the situation becomes desperate, the Qin family disciples may not stand on our side.” Qin San reminded, “We must think carefully and make a decision after thinking twice.”

"Third brother, will you... listen to me?" In the darkness, Qin Da's tiger eyes reflected a terrifying light.

"I..." Qin San was stunned and hesitated for a moment, then his eyes straightened and he nodded heavily, "I'll listen to my brother!"

"Okay then!" Qin Da's tone sank as he spoke word by word, "I have made up my mind to cooperate with Lu Tingxiang and Jin Fuyu without telling Qin Ku. As long as I can help the Qin family get rid of the declining situation, even if the truth is revealed and we cannot defeat Qin Ku, or even if he kicks us out of the family, I will do it!"

"What is Big Brother going to do?" Qin Er and Qin San's hearts tightened, and they both asked in unison.

"Let Qin Hu and Qin Bao find more beauties, fine wine, gamblers and the like, to accompany Qin Ku day and night, and play with him in various ways. It's best to let him play until he is completely dizzy and forgets about the sun and the moon, so that it will be convenient for us to act!"

……

(End of this chapter)