Chapter 972 The dangerous move of the army
"I... suddenly feel unwell. Please sit for a moment. I will be back soon."

"Master Yan, please do as you please!"

As Yan Bugui was harboring something on his mind, it was difficult for him to concentrate on discussing with Xie Xuan and Gan Yonglin how to encircle and suppress Liu Xunyi, so he made an excuse to temporarily leave the hall and hurriedly returned to his residence with two trusted disciples.

"Fourth Master, do we need to find a doctor..."

"Close the door!" Yan Bugui, who was in a hurry, suddenly changed his expression and strode into the room with his head held high.

"This……"

Seeing this, the two disciples were stunned. After a moment's hesitation, they quickly walked into the room and closed the door tightly.

"Fourth Master..."

"Liu Zhong, Liu Yi, has the lady sent any news?" Yan Bugui waved his hand to interrupt their curiosity and asked with concern, "When will the Wudang troops arrive in Luzhou?"

Liu Zhong and Liu Yi are brothers. They were wanderers in the Jianghu, but were later spotted by the Wudang Sect's Gu Ri Taoist Master and accepted as outer sect disciples. The elder brother Liu Zhong is extremely brave and the younger brother Liu Yi is smart and intelligent. The two brothers were ordered by Qingfeng to enter the Xianwang Mansion to help Ling Xiaoxiao "solve her problems".

They were exactly the ones that Xie Xuan mentioned as "a group of new recruits recruited by the Xianwang Mansion, who were unyielding and only followed Ling Xiaoxiao's orders."

"Reporting to the Fourth Master, the news from the Madam is that... Wudang sent people to Luzhou on the tenth day of March, but we have not received any news so far." Liu Zhong boldly speculated, "I guess the Wudang people are still on the way, as for when they will arrive... it's hard to say."

"Although Wudang is far away from here, if they gallop non-stop all night long... they should arrive in Luzhou in a day or two." Liu Yi analyzed, "How about... we wait a little longer?"

"Wait?" Yan Bugui frowned and asked instead of answering, "How to wait? How long do you want to wait?"

“What I mean is… we should try to hold Liu Xunyi back first, and then attack together when all the Wudang troops gather in Luzhou.” Liu Yi seemed to sense the dissatisfaction in Yan Bugui’s tone, and answered tremblingly, “This way, we will have a better chance of capturing Liu Xunyi…”

"That's easy to say!" Yan Bugui sneered, "Delaying for a few days can certainly wait for the Wudang master to come, but... have you asked Liu Xunyi if he is willing? Are you asking me to beg him in person to stay in Luzhou Inn for a few more days?"

"This……"

"Gan Yonglin said that Liu Xunyi would hardly stay in the same place for two days. In other words, after tonight, he will definitely leave Luzhou tomorrow." Yan Bugui was in deep thought, chattering non-stop, as if talking to himself, or to Liu Zhong and Liu Yi, "If we fight him head-on, regardless of the chances of winning, there will definitely be heavy casualties. What's more, it is still unknown whether Xie Xuan is loyal or treacherous. If he turns against us, we will definitely die with only a few of us."

"Then... what should we do?" Liu Zhong said worriedly, "If Xie Xuan and Gan Yonglin collude with each other, the situation will be very unfavorable to us."

“We can’t wait!” Yan Bugui made up his mind and said in a deep voice, “If there is something wrong with Xie Xuan, he would hope that we would hesitate and miss the opportunity. I can’t let him catch us and put the blame for letting Liu Xunyi run away on me.”

"But if it's a trap, we won't be able to catch Liu Xunyi..."

“Even if it’s a trap, we must let Liu Xunyi escape from Xie Xuan’s hands.” Yan Bugui’s tone became more sinister. “In this way, even if we can’t catch Liu Xunyi, at least we can let Madam and Qingfeng Alliance Leader see the true face of Xie Xuan.”

"If the situation changes, and Xie Xuan and Liu Xunyi join forces to deal with us, then we... won't be imprisoned?" Liu Yi reminded worriedly, "Fourth Master, this is Luzhou after all. We are unfamiliar with this place. To put it bluntly... if Xie Xuan, Liu Xunyi, and Gan Yonglin join forces, they can capture us all without anyone noticing, and even... destroy our bodies. If this is true, even if the leader of the Qingfeng Alliance and his wife want to avenge us, I'm afraid... they won't be able to find any evidence to implicate the culprit."

Hearing this, Yan Bugui, who was in a state of confusion, suddenly looked gloomy, and her ugly and ferocious face became even more terrifying. She stared at the timid Liu Yi with her only remaining eye and asked word by word: "Are you afraid of death?"

"I...I spoke out of turn, please forgive me, Master..."

Faced with the moody Yan Bugui, Liu Yi was so scared that his legs went weak and he fell to his knees with a plop, kowtowed to Yan Bugui and admitted his mistake.

Seeing this, Liu Zhong hurriedly knelt on the ground and begged for mercy from Yan Bugui together with his brothers.

"My foolish brother, a dog can't spit out ivory. The Fourth Master is magnanimous. Don't bother with him." Seeing Yan Bugui was unmoved, Liu Zhong kept defending Liu Yi, "He is definitely not afraid of death. He is just worried that if we encounter an accident, Xie Xuan will definitely confuse right and wrong. Maybe... he will use sweet words to deceive the leader and his wife of Qingfeng. It is not a pity for us brothers to die, but what if the leader and his wife of Qingfeng do not know the truth and accidentally fall into their trap, wouldn't it be..."

"No need to say any more!"

Liu Zhong and Liu Yi's worries were not alarmist. They were clear-headed. Just now, she was just indignant because of her "obsessive love" for Ling Xiaoxiao. Now she gradually calmed down, and her fierce eyes softened a little. She pondered and said, "What you said... is not unreasonable."

"Fourth Master is wise!"

"Liu Yi." Yan Bugui asked meaningfully, "In your opinion, how should we respond?"

"This..." After the lesson just now, Liu Yi, who was still frightened, dared not talk nonsense anymore.

"You only talk about the hidden dangers, but don't talk about the solution to the hidden dangers. It's better not to say anything." Yan Bugui teased, "Since you have a keen eye and hit the nail on the head, why don't you reveal all the tricks in your mind? This will also save us from being attacked from all sides and dying unjustly." "This..."

"What's this?" Seeing Liu Yi hesitating, Liu Zhong urged him impatiently, "Just answer whatever the Fourth Master asks. Why are you being so shy?"

"Yes." Liu Yi suppressed his anxiety and answered bravely, "Since the Fourth Master doesn't want to miss the opportunity and doesn't want to give others an advantage, does that mean... you have to take action against Liu Xunyi tonight no matter what?"

"Of course!" Yan Bugui could not deny, "You heard everything clearly in the meeting in the hall just now. Gan Yonglin repeatedly emphasized that 'speed is of the essence in war'. Xie Xuan knew that time was running out, but he deliberately evaded responsibility and kept asking for my opinion. It is obvious that he wants me to make the final decision. He calls it 'brainstorming', but in fact he is helping himself to escape. If this succeeds, he will have made a great contribution. If this fails, I will be the first to bear the blame. Therefore, I must not show any hesitation or cowardice in front of him, otherwise he will definitely take advantage of the situation and make a big fuss."

"I understand!" Liu Yi nodded bitterly, "In that case, I suggest... we should split our forces into three groups to be on the safe side."

"Not counting the Gan family disciples, we only have a dozen people. How can we divide our forces into three groups?"

"One route is the main one, and a large number of troops will be gathered to show the key. The second and third routes are auxiliary, and one person will be sent from each route to be prepared for any eventuality." Liu Yi said while carefully observing Yan Bugui's reaction.

"Go on." Yan Bugui pondered in his mind, but remained calm on the surface. "What do you mean by 'to show the key'? What do you mean by 'to be prepared for any eventuality'?"

"The key is tonight's plan. We must follow Xie Xuan closely. Obey his orders and follow his command. We must set up a dragnet in Luzhou Inn to encircle and suppress Liu Xunyi. After all, what Madam meant was... compared to Xie Xuan's loyalty and treachery, capturing Liu Xunyi is the most urgent task. Therefore, before Xie Xuan really 'turns sides', we must trust him and work together with him to fight against the same enemy." Liu Yi spoke out his inner thoughts anxiously, "As for being prepared... First, if Xie Xuan does not turn sides, but we are not strong enough to successfully capture Liu Xunyi, we need someone to help us get Wudang's strong reinforcements. Second, if Xie Xuan suddenly turns against us, we... are all killed, and someone needs to send the news out of Luzhou."

"You mean... tonight I will personally lead my disciples and Xie Xuan to attack the Luzhou Inn. At the same time, send two more people out of the city quietly, one to meet the Wudang troops, and the other..." At this point, Yan Bugui raised his eyebrows and thought, "The other person will wait for news, and once there is any change in the Luzhou Inn, he will immediately rush back to Luoyang to report."

"Fourth Master, you are wise!" Liu Yi showed admiration and bowed, "That's exactly what I meant."

"Liu Zhong, what do you think?" Yan Bugui ignored Liu Yi's compliments and instead cast a suspicious look at Liu Zhong.

"I think... this method is feasible."

"I also think this method is feasible, but... the process is a bit cumbersome." Yan Bugui said calmly, "I think there is no need to divide the troops into three groups, only two groups are enough. One group will follow Xie Xuan to Luzhou Inn, and the other group will wait for orders outside the city. If the Wudang troops arrive first, then rush to Luzhou Inn to provide assistance. If... the news of Xie Xuan's rebellion comes first, then rush back to Luoyang overnight to report."

"This……"

Liu Yi was secretly shocked, but he dared not say much due to Yan Bugui's identity. He could only reluctantly bow his head and accept the order along with Liu Zhong who seemed to understand.

In fact, Liu Yi's suggestion was full of selfish motives. He proposed to divide the troops into three groups. The first group rushed to Luzhou Inn to encircle and suppress Liu Xunyi. This would undoubtedly have the most variables and the greatest danger. As for the other two groups... whether they were to meet the Wudang masters or to return to Luoyang to report, their lives would not be in danger.

According to Liu Yi's original intention, Yan Bugui trusted his brothers the most. If the troops were divided into three groups, they would definitely be sent to the other two groups. In this way, Liu Zhong and Liu Yi could avoid danger and even escape.

However, Yan Bugui saw through Liu Yi's intentions at a glance, and simplified them, making his evil tricks fail.

"Liu Zhong!" When he was lost in thought, Yan Bugui's voice suddenly rang out, "I order you to leave the city immediately and act according to the plan. As for Liu Yi..."

Having said that, Yan Bugui cast a thoughtful look at the helpless Liu Yi, and said with a smile: "Liu Yi has a lot of tricks, so let him go to Luzhou Inn with me!"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's rare that the Fourth Master would honor you. You must not embarrass me!"

Liu Zhong patted Liu Yi's shoulder heavily, which made Liu Yi, who had lost more than he gained, feel at a loss and felt depressed.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation of the three people, and at the same time made Yan Bugui startled.

"Who?"

"My name is Gan Lun. I wonder if Fourth Master Yan is feeling better now?"

"Thank you for your concern. I am fine."

"That's good! Fourth Master Yan, my master has discussed tonight's plan with Lord Xie. They sent me here to ask. If Fourth Master Yan is in good health, please come and have a chat."

……

(End of this chapter)