Chapter 967: Close Yet Distant (I)

No conversation for several days, it is the tenth day of March.

In the morning, the envoys from Lin'an visited Wudang. Zheng Songren, following Qingfeng's order, went out to greet them as Wudang's senior disciple for eighteen miles to show his enthusiasm.

Qingfeng led the four Taoist priests "Sun, Moon, Star and Chen" and more than ten senior Wudang disciples to serve tea to the guests in Zixiao Palace.

The level of courtesy is so high that it cannot be matched by ordinary guests.

"Chu Mao, the 'Young Guardian of the Tianji Pavilion', is here on the orders of Marquis Tianji to pay his respects to the leader of the Central Plains Wulin and all the Taoist priests!"

Under the guidance of Zheng Songren, Chu Mao led four golden sword lieutenants into the Zixiao Palace. He first looked around without being humble or arrogant, and then bowed to Qingfeng who was sitting upright and the people sitting on both sides.

"It turns out to be Lord Chu. I did not go out to greet you. Please forgive me!"

Seeing that the person coming was Chu Mao, not Qin Wei, Qingfeng could not help but frown, and his enthusiasm immediately waned by more than half. At the same time, he secretly regretted: "If I had known that the person coming was an unknown minor official, I should not have put on such a big show. Mobilizing so many people has ended up being inferior."

"Cough cough!"

Gu Chen seemed to see through Qing Feng's thoughts, so he made things difficult for Chu Mao: "The letter sent half a month ago clearly stated that the 'envoy from Lin'an' was Lord Qin, the Marquis of Tianji. Why is it that only Lord Chu came today, but Lord Qin is nowhere to be seen?"

"My Lord, you hold an important position and you have to work day and night and deal with paperwork. It is difficult for you to get away for the moment, so you are unable to come in person. I hope that Leader Qingfeng and the other Taoists will forgive you." Chu Mao's words were filled with contempt and arrogance, which made everyone in Wudang dissatisfied.

At this point, Chu Mao rolled his eyes and added in a sarcastic tone, "Moreover, this trip is just to inquire about the progress of the pursuit of Liu Xunyi, and it is not a very important matter. Therefore, Chu can handle such a trivial matter, and there is no need to alarm the old man, the Marquis."

"Old man?" Hearing Chu Mao's respectful address to Qin Wei, Gu Xing sneered without hesitation, "If I remember correctly, Lord Qin is not even thirty years old. How dare you call him 'old man'? Is Lord Qin prematurely aged? Or is Lord Chu deceiving himself?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately caused a burst of laughter in Zixiao Palace.

Chu Mao was teased by Gu Xing in public, and his face was somewhat embarrassed. However, due to his own and the other party's status, he did not dare to get angry openly, and could only suppress his anger and pretend to snort and laugh.

"Since I left Lin'an, Marquis Tianji has been asking me almost every three days and urging me every five days. In just a few months, Wudang has accumulated more than a hundred pieces of Lin'an letters." As soon as Qingfeng said this, the noisy Zixiao Palace instantly quieted down. "As for the content of the letter... I'm sure Lord Chu can guess it without me saying anything. That's right! I once made a high-five agreement with Lord Qian that I would use the power of the Central Plains martial arts world to track down Liu Xunyi's whereabouts. Until now, I have been doing my best and dare not slack off. However, Liu Xunyi is cunning by nature, and with the protection of the Young King Qin, although we are outnumbered, it is not easy to find him in the vast crowd."

"Of course, the Marquis can understand the difficulties of the Qingfeng Alliance Leader. But the Marquis said that if anyone can do this, why should the court go to the trouble of bothering the Wulin Alliance Leader?" Chu Mao replied with a fake smile, "Besides, Liu Xunyi is not only a wanted criminal of the court, but also a public enemy of the Wulin. The Qingfeng Alliance Leader should not let him go for both public and private reasons, and for both emotion and reason."

"Master Chu, did you come here today to call me and the Central Plains martial arts community to task on behalf of Marquis Tianji?" Qing Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was deeply displeased with Chu Mao's answer. "Your Excellency's implication... is it that I was being hypocritical to the court and deliberately letting Liu Xunyi go?"

"Of course not!" Chu Mao sensed the murderous intent in Qingfeng's tone, and his heart tightened immediately. He argued, "Qingfeng is a man of high moral character, and he always keeps his word. His sincerity to the court can be witnessed by heaven and earth, and the sun and the moon can testify. Chu... I made a slip of the tongue, and I hope Qingfeng will forgive me."

"If you are not here to call for justice, why did you come all the way here?" Gu Yue asked in a bad tone, "Before, we have always corresponded with Lord Qin and exchanged information. Today, Lord Chu has come to visit us in person, regardless of the long journey and the fatigue of the journey. If we say 'asking according to the rules'... I'm afraid no one will believe us. We in the martial arts world are not like you officials in the imperial court. We don't have so many tricks and don't like to beat around the bush. Lord Chu, why are you here? I hope you can tell me directly."

"This..." Facing Gu Yue's sarcasm, Chu Mao couldn't help but feel embarrassed. After a moment's hesitation, he reluctantly answered, "To be honest, since Liu Xunyi's 'mysterious disappearance' in Changbai Mountain, the letters sent back to Lin'an by Wudang have been delayed more and more, and the content is also evasive and vague, neither popular nor popular. Years ago, the Marquis could clearly know every move of the Central Plains martial arts world from your letters. But years later... your letters are full of some unnecessary 'bubble'. Whenever you mention the pursuit of Liu Xunyi, you just brush it off, or even... don't mention it at all. You also know that Lin'an is thousands of miles away from Wudang, and the only way for the Marquis to understand the Central Plains martial arts world is the letter from the leader of Qingfeng. At present, your reply is flashy and superficial, and the Marquis can't help but worry and have wild thoughts..."

"So I sent you here to investigate?" Gu Xing interrupted indignantly, "You didn't come here to call for punishment, but you are more hateful than calling for punishment. Because you suspect that the leader is untrustworthy and that the Central Plains martial arts world is fickle."

"I swear to God, Lord Hou and Chu have absolutely no such intention..."

"boom!"

"Bah! You guys are a bunch of swindlers, and you are worthy of talking about conscience?" Seeing Chu Mao refused to admit it, Gu Chen was furious and slammed the table. "My head and Lord Qian have already said that the Central Plains Wulin and the Song Dynasty court are working together, not surrendering. Liu Xunyi is a wanted criminal of the court and a public enemy of the Wulin. Of course, we will not let him go. But when and how to deal with him? These are decided by us, and it is not your turn to comment. In the past, the head took the initiative to reply to Qin Wei out of consideration for the agreement between the two parties, and it was not appropriate to offend the court. But don't push it too far, and don't equate 'exchanging letters' with 'writing back'. Qin Wei is your superior, but not Wudang's superior, let alone the superior of the Central Plains Wulin. It is not the place for a junior like him to tell the Wulin leader how to act!"

"This..." Seeing Gu Chen's sudden change of attitude, Chu Mao, who was completely unprepared, was shocked and frightened, and his mind was in a state of panic. The four golden sword lieutenants standing behind him were even more timid and looked at each other in dismay.

In fact, the people of Wudang had long been disgusted with the "arrogance" and "step-by-step pressure" of the imperial court. Chu Mao's slip of the tongue today was just a fuse.

In the past, Qingfeng, as the leader of the martial arts world, had the supreme status both internally and externally, and the power to make arbitrary decisions. As the saying goes, "When one person succeeds, all his family members will prosper." Qingfeng was the supreme leader of the martial arts world, and the status of Wudang disciples in the martial arts world naturally rose. When they went out, they could not help but act arrogantly and think they were superior to others.

Unexpectedly, the Song Dynasty court suddenly appeared and wanted to suppress Qingfeng all the time. Especially the young and successful Qin Wei, who not only interfered with his plan to hunt down Liu Xunyi, but also took the opportunity to interfere in other matters of the Central Plains martial arts.

It would be fine if they just interfered, but they also pressed the issue aggressively. Qingfeng, who had been repeatedly frustrated in his pursuit of Liu Xunyi, had to endure complaints and criticisms from various sects while also dealing with the court's relentless pursuit.

The people of Wudang could no longer tolerate this, and today, taking advantage of Chu Mao's "raising an army to hold them accountable", they vented all their long-suppressed resentment and anger.

Thinking about it carefully, it's no wonder that Qin Wei temporarily refused and sent Chu Mao instead. Maybe... he had already anticipated today's situation.

"How have I... ever offended you Taoist priests? I didn't say anything just now, why are you so angry?" Chu Mao, who was confused, suddenly felt aggrieved and kept muttering, "I am here just because I was ordered..."

"you……"

"That's it!"

Before Gu Xing could add fuel to the fire, Qing Feng, seeing that the time was right, waved his hand and stepped out to smooth things over: "My cooperation with the court is the result of careful consideration. How can we change our mind overnight? What about the shady dealings and meddling... Stop talking nonsense and trying to sow discord between the martial arts world and the court."

Seeing Qingfeng step forward, Chu Mao was surprised and moved, nodding his head vigorously: "Qingfeng leader, please understand, I have no intention of provoking a dispute, nor do I dare to have such an idea. I just..."

"Master Chu, don't be nervous. You have made your purpose very clear." Qingfeng smiled lightly, "Since Master Qin has doubts, I will help him answer them. In cooperation, sincerity comes first. If I am self-righteous, won't I be laughed at by the world?"

"The leader of the Qingfeng Alliance is indeed the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world. He is truly wise and upright."

"Master Chu, you are too kind to praise me. I am ashamed to accept it." Qingfeng waved his hand modestly, "Actually, it's not that I am being perfunctory on purpose, I just... don't want to continue to make a fool of myself."

"Making a fool of yourself?" Chu Mao was stunned. "Why do you say that?"

"After Liu Xunyi managed to escape from Lin'an, I told Lord Qin almost every step of my plan to hunt him down, as well as the dispatch and deployment of various sects." Qingfeng looked helpless and sighed repeatedly, "Until the news came that Liu Xunyi had fled to the outside of the Great Wall, I thought that this hunt would be successful and he would be unable to escape. So, while I told Lord Qin the good news, I ordered the heroes to lay a net in Changbai Mountain, waiting for Liu Xunyi to surrender. But unexpectedly... in the end, it was still a waste of effort. As the old saying goes, 'The first effort is strong, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted.' I have been embarrassed in front of all the heroes in the world, and I really don't want to lose face in front of the court. Therefore, before I am absolutely sure, I dare not act rashly and rush for success. In order to avoid doing useless work and misleading others and myself."

"Leader Qingfeng has good intentions, and I am deeply moved. But..." Chu Mao observed the expressions of Qingfeng and the Wudang people, and hesitantly expressed his thoughts, "Excuse me, the court does things very differently from the martial arts world. We are not afraid of failure, and we will not underestimate Leader Qingfeng because of this. We are just afraid that... Leader Qingfeng is vague and unwilling to be honest with us."

"This……"

"If the leader of Qingfeng is willing to treat you as his own, how can you 'mislead others and yourself'?" Chu Mao was worried that Qingfeng would misunderstand what he meant, so he hurriedly explained, "What the Marquis meant is... no matter whether the news is true or false, or how much confidence you have, I just want the leader of Qingfeng to tell you everything you know. This way, at least the Marquis can give an explanation to the court... It's better than being in the dark and not knowing anything."

"I... understand." Qingfeng stared at Chu Mao, who was speaking righteously, and said with a smile, "Lord Qin would rather I run around like a headless fly than have me take a break from my busy schedule. Lord Chu is not here to 'question' or 'inquire', but... to 'supervise'."

"I dare not! Chu is just a small fry with little influence, and I am not worthy of any title. Hehe..."

"Since Lord Chu is so sincere, it would be petty for me to keep trying to explain myself." Having said that, Qing Fengshun took out a secret letter from his arms and said casually, "Lord Chu, it is better to come at the right time than to come early. I just received a message last night, and the content... happens to be related to Liu Xunyi."

……

(End of this chapter)