Chapter 952 Lifting a weight is easy
Shaozhou is not far from Jingjiang Prefecture. Song Yu and Leng Yiyi rode non-stop all night and finally returned to Jinjianwu before dawn.

When the two of them hurriedly arrived at Jin Fu Yu's courtyard, they happened to meet Ai Mi who had just gone out.

Seeing the dusty Song Yu and the other two, Ai Mi was stunned and said in surprise: "Mr. Song, Sister Leng, aren't you in the Teng tribe in western Hunan? How come you came back so soon..."

"Mi'er, how did the owner of the dock rest last night?"

"Very good." Ai Mi seemed to be startled by Song Yu's urgency. "The owner of the dock has woken up. Let me get a basin of clean water..."

"Great!"

Song Yu and Leng Yiyi agreed, quickly walked around the confused Ai Mi, and bowed to the closed door: "Song Yu and Leng Yiyi request to see the owner."

"Mr. Song, Sister Leng, you..."

"Mi'er, go get some water!" Before Ai Mi could finish her words, a lazy and calm voice came out from the room quietly, "Song Yu, Yi Yi, come in and talk."

"Yes."

He gladly accepted the order, climbed the stairs, and suddenly stopped in front of the door. He waited for them to put their clothes in order before he gently opened the door and tiptoed into the room.

In the room, Jin Fuyu, with dishevelled hair, sat upright, with fragrant tea on the table, a book in his hands, and incense burning behind him. The flickering candlelight and the morning glow that had dyed the sky reflected each other, casting a golden glow in the room that looked like the setting sun.

This scene looked peaceful and tranquil. Even though Song Yu and Leng Yiyi had been extremely worried all the way, they couldn't help but relax a little at this moment.

"sit."

Facing the two people who were worried, Jin Fuyu didn't even raise his eyelids. His elegant eyes were always deeply immersed in the book in his hands. He said absentmindedly: "Wait a moment, let me finish reading this chapter."

"Thank you for sitting down! Master, please take your time. We are... not in a hurry."

When Song Yu gritted his teeth and said this, Leng Yiyi gave him a complaining look.

For a moment, the three of them were silent. The room was completely silent, as if dead.

Jin Fuyu was calm and absorbed in reading. Song Yu and Leng Yiyi were full of worries and felt very uncomfortable, but they dared not make a sound for fear of disturbing Jin Fuyu's interest.

"squeak!"

After an unknown amount of time, Ai Mi returned to the room with a basin of water. Jin Fuyu slowly raised his head, put the scroll in his hand on the table, smiled at Song Yu and the other man who were hesitant to speak, and said, "You went down the mountain at the same time as Ding Ao, Dong Xiao'er, Ji Hou, and Fu Yin, but you are the first to come back to report. Very good! How was it? Was your trip to Xiangxi smooth?"

"Master, the trip to western Hunan... was not smooth." Jin Fuyu's praise made Song Yu and the others even more embarrassed.

"Oh?" Jin Fuyu took the wet towel and paused for a moment, then quickly wiped his cheek as if nothing had happened, and asked nonchalantly, "What happened?"

"Teng Sanshi is arrogant and looks down on others. His words... seem to be trying to distance himself from us." Song Yu answered hesitantly, "No matter how much we say nice things, Teng Sanshi..."

At this point, Song Yu suddenly noticed that Jin Fuyu was looking at him with a somewhat obscure look, and his face changed immediately. He didn't dare to blame others anymore, and he knelt on the ground with a plop, sincerely apologizing: "In any case, it was us who did a bad job, and I beg the owner to punish us."

Hearing this, Jin Fuyu's secretive look gradually softened. He casually threw the wet towel into the basin and said calmly, "Things are different now. I know you've suffered a lot from looking at people's faces, and I also know that this journey is not easy. But... if this matter was easy, why would I send you two there?"

"What the owner of the dock taught us is a warning to the two of us and we will keep it in mind."

"It is the greatest virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them." Jin Fuyu reached out and helped up the ashamed Song Yu, then glanced at the uneasy Leng Yiyi and asked with a smile, "Looking at your looks, did you get any unexpected gains on this trip?"

"Master, please understand!" Song Yu said solemnly, "We were turned away in Xiangxi and were planning to discuss countermeasures in Shaozhou, but unexpectedly Shi Zhenshan told us a shocking secret, forcing us not to delay any longer, so we rushed back to Jinjianwu overnight to ask the master for a decision."

"I knew that with your personalities you would never back down. You must have other things in mind if you suddenly came back."

Jin Fuyu joked and laughed while sitting up straight so that Ai Mi, who was standing behind him, could comb his hair. "Master, you have a keen eye and can see the smallest details. We admire you!"

"Tell me! What shocking secret did Shi Zhenshan find out that is worth the two of you making such a fuss?"

"Reporting to the master, Shi Zhenshan caught a spy in Shaozhou. This person is from the 'Four Prefectures of Shangjing'..."

Seeing Jin Fuyu speak directly, Song Yu no longer hesitated. He and Leng Yiyi told Jin Fuyu everything that happened in Shaozhou.

As the two spoke passionately and indignantly, the expression on Jin Fuyu's face gradually changed, from curiosity to suspicion, from suspicion to surprise, and from surprise to solemnity... Even Ai Mi, who was combing his hair, was deeply attracted by the "shocking secret" and was so engrossed in listening for a moment that she even forgot what she was doing.

After Song Yu and Leng Yiyi told Jin Fu Yu everything they had seen and heard in Shaozhou, the atmosphere in the room could no longer be described as tense and solemn, it was simply... depressing and gloomy.

"Xilu Wuzong..." Jin Fuyu stared at the almost extinguished candlelight, muttering to himself, "What a 'Xilu Wuzong', Yelu Tai is indeed Yelu Tai, and his reputation is well-deserved. It's true that if he doesn't make a name for himself, he will make a big splash..."

Yelu Tai is the name of the Shao Qin Prince.

"Master, Young Prince Qin has been keeping a low profile for decades, rarely going out, and has hardly ever stepped out of the Western Regions. Now, he is suddenly making a big fuss about the 'Western Law Martial Emperor' in the Central Plains. What exactly is he trying to do?"

"Although Yelu Tai lives in seclusion, his eagle claws have traveled far and wide. Let's not talk about those far away, let's talk about Xunzhen. This woman is cruel and cunning. When she came to the Central Plains in secret, I wonder how many things she did for Yelu Tai in secret? It was because we were not vigilant enough about her, and even had no precautions at all, that she took advantage of the opportunity and burned the Jiumo Cliff into ruins. It can be seen that although Yelu Tai is in the Western Regions, his hands and feet have already spread to the Central Plains, and even all over the world. Xunzhen alone has already disturbed the Central Plains martial arts world, and now the 'Four Prefectures of Shangjing' have emerged... I wonder how much blood and rain will be set off in the martial arts world? What worries me most is that after Xunzhen and the Four Prefectures of Shangjing... Will there be any insiders of the Young King of Qin in the Central Plains? If there are... how many are there?"

"This……"

Jin Fu Yu's words made Song Yu and Leng Yiyi's hearts sink, and their faces became more and more conflicted.

"You are right. If Teng Sanshi has been bribed by Yelu Tai, it means that Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue are very likely in cahoots with them." Jin Fuyu's eyes flickered, and his words were thought-provoking. "These things are out in the open. Whether they are true or false, they are not unexpected, but also reasonable. The only thing that puzzles me is... Liu Xunyi."

"That's right!" Seeing that Jin Fuyu's thoughts coincided with hers, Leng Yiyi hurriedly said, "Teng Sanshi, Xiao Zhirou, and Yun Zhuiyue are the leaders of a sect after all. It is understandable that the young king of Qin is trying to win them over in order to expand his power. But Liu Xunyi... not only has no sect, no power, and no influence, but he is like a rat crossing the street and everyone wants to kill him. We racked our brains but couldn't figure it out. What benefit does the young king of Qin have in winning him over?"

"Even if the Young Prince of Qin doesn't care about Liu Xunyi's reputation or his situation, there is no need to directly entrust him with the important task of 'Deputy Sect Leader' when 'Xili Wuzong' was first established. Even if it is to win people's hearts, people like Teng Sanshi should be won over. What virtue and ability does Liu Xunyi have to dare to occupy a position above Teng Sanshi? He is so generous to a young man he doesn't even know. If he says he has no ulterior motive... I won't believe it even if you kill me." Song Yu echoed in a deep voice.

"Could it be that... Young Prince Qin's target is Liu Xunyi's friend?" Leng Yiyi suddenly had an idea and made a bold guess, "For example... Qin Ku from the Qin Mansion in Hexi?"

"It's possible." Song Yu pondered, "If we can use Liu Xunyi to win Qin Ku over, it will be icing on the cake for Xilu Wuzong."

"Don't make any hasty judgments before the truth is revealed." Jin Fuyu reminded, "Has Teng Sanshi been bribed by the young king of Qin? What is the real purpose of Hong Si's visit to the Teng clan? Do Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue know about Xilu Wuzong? We are unsure of everything. Even... we have to carefully consider whether the spy captured by Shi Zhenshan is true or false. If Hong Si is stupid, Xunzhen would not let him lead people into the Central Plains, otherwise he would be asking for trouble. But if Hong Si is cautious, why would he rashly send people to inquire about the news everywhere? Doesn't he know that he should keep a low profile when he goes out and try to avoid trouble?"

"The owner of the dock suspects... there is something wrong with the spy?" Song Yu raised his eyebrows, thinking, "Is it possible that someone deliberately provoked a conflict between us and the young prince of Qin? Or... someone deliberately leaked the news to lure us into the trap?"

"I don't think... no." Leng Yiyi stared at Jin Fuyu who was deep in thought and explained, "Shi Zhenshan and Song Yu used both soft and hard tactics to coerce and bribe Hong Yang. Unless this person is extremely cunning, it is impossible for him to lie in such a harsh situation."

"That makes sense." Song Yu seemed to agree with Leng Yiyi's analysis. "It's better to believe it than not. Master, we have to be on guard."

"Defense! Of course we have to defend!" Jin Fuyu could not deny it. "The question now is who should we be on guard against? And how should we be on guard against them?"

"Immediately send someone to Xiangxi to confront Teng Sanshi and Hong Si face to face..."

"No!" Before the emotional Leng Yiyi could blurt out, Jin Fuyu shook his head slowly and meaningfully, "The current situation is confusing, it's better for us to stay still than to move. We can't tell who is a human and who is a ghost. Now we can neither trust anyone easily nor completely deny anyone, because if we are not careful, we will fall into their carefully designed trap. Therefore, we must not be impatient for quick success and must not act rashly, because... I don't want to be led by the nose."

"What the owner of the dock means is..."

"Since Hong Temple has taken the lead in entering the pass, it is expected that the other three of the 'Four Prefectures of Shangjing' will also 'take turns to appear'." Jin Fuyu narrowed his eyes slightly and said word by word, "I think we should not alert the enemy first, so as not to arouse the vigilance of Yelu Tai and other sects. Don't recall Ding Ao and Dong Xiaoer, and let them continue to investigate Yuan Xiao's background. Send people to keep a close eye on Yan Shun and Lei Zhen, and you must find out their whereabouts and the sects they have joined as soon as possible. Once the goals of the 'Four Prefectures of Shangjing' in the Central Plains martial arts world are found out, the first step for the 'Xilu Wuzong' to gain a foothold will be settled. By then, the truth will surface and the situation will be bright. As for where to go? It won't be too late for us to make a long-term plan after we assess the situation."

……

(End of this chapter)