The pitter-patter of cold rain turned into a warm sun during the day. When the sun rose into the sky on the seventh day of the ninth month, the city of Jiangning had already been sunny for several days.
The weather's favor had temporarily improved the muddy road conditions in the city. The increase in public security and the official start of the Hero Conference had increased the number of pedestrians on the streets of Jiangning. Now, the closer one was to the center of Jiangning, the denser the crowd became. Many taverns and teahouses that were originally tense were now filled to the brim with guests. Even though there would be some minor disturbances from time to time, the large-scale chaos was temporarily put on hold.
Around seven in the morning, Yan Yunzhi walked out of the inn she lived in.
The young girl from the House of Assassins was dressed in a relatively simple gray robe. Her long hair was wrapped in a blue headscarf, and she held a long sword in a wide scabbard in her hand. She had put on some disguise on her face. At first glance, she looked like an ordinary and untamed young man who had just entered the martial world. Although she was a little short and skinny, in this day and age, there were many people who could not eat their fill.
It had been a few days since her broken ribs from the night of the chaos in the Golden Tower had been reconnected. Her usual movements were no longer hindered, but she would still feel pain if she moved vigorously.
That chaotic night had made her feel the true gap between her and the experts of the martial world more clearly. But on the other hand, the experience of life and death had shaved away the first round of impulsive emotions brought about by anger in her heart. She could now feel her surroundings with a calmer and more rational mind.
Over the past few days, when she walked on the nearby streets, she no longer had the sharp aura that she had in the past few days. She was more like an ordinary person who had naturally blended in with her surroundings. If the incident in the Golden Tower happened again, she could not say that she would be able to escape the detection of experts like Jin Yongsheng and Li Yanfeng, but at least the probability of her hiding would increase.
She also had a deeper understanding of the many things about the practice of the Tangong Sword that had been passed down in her family.
She bought a few copies of the day's news from a teahouse at the corner of a nearby street. Then, she went to the teahouse next door to read the news and eat breakfast.
The sun was warm, and the teahouse was noisy in the morning. There were many people from all walks of life talking loudly while reading the news. News papers in Jiangning City had only appeared half a year ago. In the past few months, there had not been any serious reports. Most of the articles published were either gossip or vulgar news from the southwest. It was not until the Heroes Conference was held in September that many articles were devoted to the life stories of certain heroes who had made a name for themselves. Only then did the news start to become more targeted.
This was a propaganda technique that had been learned from the southwest last year. It was likely paid for by one of the parties in the Fairness Party, but the provocative words and fabricated biographies, as well as the ritualistic usage of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, were still enough to make the busybodies in the city boil with excitement.
On top of that, there were some bounties that could be used to earn money from the newspapers and the information on the Black List. It was enough for the Forest People in the city to piece together the outline of the martial world.
The people at the neighboring tables were all discussing these matters.
"… Yesterday afternoon, this Wang Xiangfo appeared in the C6 arena. Let me tell you, he's amazing. Last year in the southwest, he made a name for himself … Old Man Liu Tong had specially commented on his martial arts skills back then …"
"… That's right, that's right. This Wang Xiangfo's nickname is' Fist Fanatic '. His martial arts skills are really amazing. He's already reached the Grandmaster realm … A few days ago, didn't the Prince of Equality have' Iron Fist 'Ni Po? He's said to have trained both his fists to perfection and was a hot favorite to win the championship. But in the end, he encountered Wang Xiangfo and was beaten into a bloody pulp … He can't even stand up now …"
"… The martial arts competition has just begun, so the ranking of the experts can't be determined for now. But the gambling cards at the Lovers House vaguely revealed that this Wang Xiangfo can be ranked in the top ten of the Grandmaster Ranking. The blacklist that was published a few days ago, based on the bounties, has no doubt this is the position of the boss …"
"… Hey hey hey, the blacklist might not be accurate. Right now, the person at the top of the list is the murderer who killed what … what Liu Guangshi's subordinate. Although the news said that his qinggong is on par with 'Jackdaw', we don't even know his specific name. How can he compete … It's just empty air …"
"… Then the second-ranked bandit of Mount Lian must not be empty. This person has a bloody knife and loves to slaughter entire families. The people in the forest say that his knife skills are similar to Ba Dao's in the past … In my opinion, Wang Xiangfo might not be able to defeat this bandit of Mount Lian …"
"… One uses fists, the other uses a knife. Of course, it's obvious that the one who uses a knife is more ferocious …"
"… The blacklist is all about spending money. You people are so bored … Evil depends on how vicious and merciless you are. Those who are skilled in martial arts don't necessarily have a high bounty. For example, if you guys killed the weak son of the heart demon of the southwest, it wouldn't take much effort. Your bounty would definitely be the highest in the world. And this blacklist only lists the bad guys of Jiangnan. It's not objective at all … "
"… That's right, that's right. If we talk about bounties, do you know Zou Xu? For the past two years, General Liu Guangshi has put in a lot of effort to curry favor with the southwest. He bought countless military supplies and spent more than ten million taels of silver. The southwest told him that if he killed Zou Xu, they would return 20% of the money. Damn … think about how much money is Zou Xu worth? Can you say that Zou Xu is number one on the blacklist? Can he compete with Chief Lin? "
"… Sigh, I have something to say about this. If you really talk about spending money to get on the blacklist, then being number one on the blacklist is actually very convincing … Think about it, who can be more hated than Mister Ning of the southwest? He killed the emperor, and in order to put a bounty on his head, the Central Plains sent out an army of a million. Then look, the heart demon and the chief, they're on good terms, right? 'Iron Arm' Zhou Dong and the heart demon were old friends. It's said that when they first met, they made a pact of three punches. Both of them went all out and used the three strongest punches of their lives. After the three punches, neither of them could do anything to the other. Later, 'Fierce Yama' Lu Tuo, who was insufferably arrogant, also encountered the heart demon and was killed by a single move of the 'Sky Flipping Seal' … "
"… In terms of martial arts, the heart demon and the chief are indeed comparable. However, Mister Ning has been in charge of government affairs in the southwest all these years and hasn't fought much, so it's inevitable that he's regressed a little …"
"… Let me be fair … the heart demon is just a special case. Those at the bottom are indeed piled up with money. It's just a matter of how much money their enemies have. The blacklist is nothing more than attracting hatred … Look at the two in the top ten, the five-foot Y-demon and the four-foot Y-demon. They're young, but the things they do are filthy. Picking flowers, using some knockout drugs, sneaking into a room at night, how good can their martial arts be …"
"… You can't say that. The five-foot and four-foot Y-demons are not ordinary perverts. Their sect is very powerful …"
"… Don't talk nonsense. How can there be a sect of perverts in this world?"
"… You guys don't understand … If there's no big Y-demon, how can there be a little Y-demon!?"
"… Hahahahaha …"
The people chattered and shook their heads. The teahouse was brimming with a joyous atmosphere. In such an atmosphere, Yan Yunzhi roughly looked through the news paper and the reward for the two Y-demons. Without batting an eyelid, she covered the paper that emitted the smell of ink.
There wasn't much serious news from these news papers, but as long as the reward was still there, it might prove that the strange fellow was still alive.
After a while, the two brothers, Han Ping and Han Yun, who had previously made an appointment, came up from downstairs. They were also people who had their own missions in Jiangning City. Recently, the three of them had met up once every day or two, bringing Yan Yunzhi some relatively reliable sources of information.
However, ever since the Prince of Justice entered the city at the end of August, there hadn't been too many bizarre changes in the official news of Jiangning City. On the first day of the ninth month, He Wen raised a few key issues at the internal meeting of the Party of Justice. On the third day of the ninth month, the various powers began to raise their own demands. Afterwards, the various parties began to privately discuss and link up.
In the general direction, the five parties had gathered to seek common ground while reserving differences. The basic demand of uniting all the powers into a single rope still existed. The solution was obviously to refer to the experience of the Southwest and form a meeting where all the parties would "discuss". The five parties' demands would all take a step back and come up with a basic playstyle that everyone could tolerate. This was the normal behavior of the officials, and it was also the most likely thing to happen next.
Once it was passed, the cohesiveness of the Party of Justice would increase. The five or even more powers that had previously fought for themselves would temporarily come together under a unified regime. They could then truly become one of the strongest powers in this world. In terms of numbers, they might even vaguely surpass the Chinese regime in the Southwest. Moreover, their military strength wouldn't be weak either.
Naturally, some unexpected undercurrents also existed.
For example, the faction of "King Yama" Zhou Shang, who killed people like flies and acted in the most extreme manner, had also been the most thorny during these meetings. On the first day of the ninth month, when He Wen raised a few basic issues of the Party of Justice, the other three factions harbored ulterior motives and joked around, trying to smooth things over. However, when they turned around, they still raised their own demands, vaguely showing signs of compromise and negotiation. Only Zhou Shang's faction directly said that "injustice must be overdone", and even said that the attitudes of the other factions weren't good enough and that they weren't pure enough.
In the following days, it was also the faction of "King Yama" that repeated this argument. It was said that in private, they all displayed a rather unyielding attitude. Some even said that "if we want to merge, we'll do it our way", becoming the most disliked of the five major factions.
In the past few days, people criticized King Yama's extremes, but in private, there was also some unpopular news. It was said that Zhou Shang was usually very concerned about Mr Xining's ideals. After serious consideration, he felt that whether it was He Wen or Ning Yi, they were all too garrulous and didn't understand the human heart and human nature. They would certainly not be able to succeed, and so he chose this kind of extreme way of doing things. And now, it seemed that there really was such a possibility.
Of course, for things like ideals, the most important consideration in reality was whether or not it would work. Zhou Shang's extremes brought about the first loss of points for "King Yama"'s faction. On the seventh day of the ninth month, after three rounds of meetings in Jiangning, people believed that the most likely course of development would be for the five factions to each reach a compromise, and then form a regime. And if that didn't work, then it was possible that He Wen, Gao Chang, Xu Zhaonan, and Shi Baofeng would divide up Zhou Shang's faction, and then get rid of the thorns before reuniting.
Because of this speculation, over the next few days, some of the small forces that had originally sided with Zhou Shang were roped in by other forces. However, Zhou Shang remained unmoved. In fact, some people believed that once the war started, more and more of his people would join him.
Comparatively speaking, the Prince of Fairness and He Wen, who had all sorts of rumors before entering the city, had a much more stable style. Apart from being a bit more forceful when throwing out questions, he had been carefully listening to the opinions of the various factions, speaking a few words that were deep in the essence of unity. His actions gave the various factions a great sense of security. As long as the Prince of Fairness didn't court disaster, the overall situation of the Fairness Party could be preserved. Even if there was a thorn like Zhou Shang, the worst that could happen would be to kill him. But if the Prince of Fairness really did have some deviant thoughts, the entire Fairness Party's banner would be torn apart. That was a very real possibility.
"… But the Prince of Fairness hasn't yet thrown out his entire plan. Everyone thinks that it might be better to wait until everyone's attitude is clear, then throw out a method that won't offend anyone and let everyone discuss it …"
Between the two "brothers", the "elder brother" Yue Yinping, who had assumed the name of Han Ping, ate his breakfast while clearly and methodically relaying this information to Yan Yunzhi.
"… As for your family's situation, we've also specially inquired about it. With Shi Baofeng's recommendation, Yan Tie and Second Hero Yan have already participated in the Fairness Party's second meeting … Under these circumstances, whether it's for the sake of face or inside information, I don't think Shi Baofeng will let the Yan family suffer too much. As long as Miss Yan doesn't appear, the Shi family will always be the one in the wrong, so you don't have to worry too much about your family. Just relax and watch this show. "
After the chaos that night at the Golden Tower, Yan Yunzhi's mentality had changed to a certain extent.
She was seventeen this year and had experienced some things in the past. She had come out of the Yan Castle, so on the whole, she was naturally arrogant. However, the unforeseen event at Tongshan, as well as the many discussions after entering the city, made her very uncomfortable. The frivolous behavior of Shi Weiyang, who was going to be her future husband, was unbearable. In a rage, she escaped and wanted to do something. She wanted to kill Li Yanfeng or take revenge on Long Aotian, and get rid of these two main culprits who had put her in such a difficult position.
But the battle at the Golden Tower had finally made her see the difference between fantasy and reality. Li Yanfeng had only casually hit her with a stick, but her ribs had been broken, and she had almost no way to escape. The killing intent that the youth called Long Aotian had displayed during the battle with Li Yanfeng, as well as the various postures displayed by the experts on the long street, were all things that she couldn't comprehend in a short period of time. Only then did she finally understand where she was now.
In the past, when she practiced the "Master Tan Swordsmanship" at home, her parents often said that the way of assassination was to fight the strong with the weak. As long as one could find the right opportunity and have a keen observation, even a martial arts master could be killed if they were caught off guard. She had previously thought of her martial arts in the same way, but in that chaotic and violent situation, she had truly realized that with her current knowledge and cultivation, even if she wanted to fight the strong with the weak, she would not be able to grasp that kind of shrewd and ruthless timing.
If she wanted revenge and justice, she needed to be more skilled in martial arts. This kind of martial arts cultivation was not something that could be increased by a little imagination in the mind.
After realizing this, she adjusted her target in Jiangning City. She did not plan to assassinate Li Yanfeng in a hurry. As for Long Aotian, who came from the southwest, she wanted to find a chance to question him. However, she also understood that she could not kill him in the short term. Because of that, she had left home in a fit of anger and stopped fulfilling her engagement with Shi Weiyang. This was the right choice, but what she would have to face next was an even longer journey in the martial world. And one day in the future, she would get justice back one by one.
After thinking this through, she thanked her two brothers, Tan Ping and Tan Yun, and at the same time, apologized for her immaturity in going to Jin Lou to watch the fun.
Opposite them, Yin Ping had saved the young girl out of a sense of chivalry. What she had done on the street in Jin Lou was only within her ability to help. But after seeing the change in her temperament, she admired her even more.
Yin Ping, who was now nearly twenty years old, had spent her entire teenage years wandering in the military, just like Yue Yun. A woman's temperament matured early. She had experienced many battles on the battlefield and had also been in charge of a lot of military affairs. In terms of martial arts, the Five Steps Thirteen Spear Technique, which was inherited by Zhou Dong, was rarely matched among the younger generation. Yue Yun had previously teased her about sending her to the palace to become the "Princess" because, with her temperament and experience, she was the most suitable candidate to be Jun Wu's personal guard.
Of course, one reason was that Yue Fei, a trusted general, needed to avoid arousing suspicion, and the other reason was that Jun Wu, who had become more mature, didn't want to ruin a girl's life like this. But compared to her younger brother, Yue Yun, who was born with divine strength and had a brain full of muscles, this older sister of hers could be called a heroine who was well-versed in both the pen and the sword.
For her, a girl who showed some kind of impulse or courage due to a moment of impulse wasn't enough to make her look at her in a new light. The possibility of impulse and courage leading to death was much higher than the possibility of it leading to maturity.
But after such courage and impulse, a person who could calm down and carefully think about and measure the truth of the world would have the possibility of accomplishing something in the future. At this point, Yin Ping's attitude towards Yan Yunzhi had changed from being a bystander to one of admiration.
On the surface, she and Yue Yun had come with Zuo Xiuquan to form an alliance. Yesterday, they had also inquired about the Yan family while gathering information. Yan Yunzhi felt a little relieved when she told them now. Then, the three of them talked about some rumors that were not related to the overall situation. During this period, there were extreme remarks about the Reading Club and some of the actions of the new factions such as the Supreme Dragon Head, which were not part of the five major sects. Later, Yue Yun also mentioned a rumor that was related to Yan Yunzhi.
"… It's hard to say whether the news we heard last night is true or not. It's said that yesterday afternoon, Meng Zhutao and the Monkey King, Li Yanfeng, had a fierce fight."
"Meng Zhutao …" Yan Yunzhi frowned and thought for a while. "He and Li Yanfeng … why did they fight?"
"It's said that on the night of the Golden Tower, Liu Guangshi's envoy, Gu Anhe, was assassinated. Meng Zhutao's junior brothers and sisters were involved in it. Later on, they couldn't catch the murderer. As the deputy envoy, Li Yanfeng used this as a pretext to make things difficult for Meng Zhutao. 'Turning Wheel King' Xu Zhaonan promised Li Yanfeng a lot of benefits to make him shut up. Li Yanfeng took all the advantages. Recently, he's been being roped in by various parties, so his reputation is very high. On the other hand, Meng Zhutao hasn't handed over his junior brothers and sisters, so there's a lot of discussion in private. Li Yanfeng is young and hot-blooded, so he might have gotten carried away. Yesterday, he might have said a few wrong words, so Meng Zhutao directly asked for advice on Li Yanfeng's White Ape Arms. "
"'Heaven Measuring Ruler' is good at using weapons, and Li Yanfeng's strength is in his hands." Yan Yunzhi said, "What happened next?"
"I heard that Xu Zhaonan didn't stop it, and Lin Zongwu didn't express his opinion either. We're all in the underworld, so even if Meng Zhutao used this as a pretext to make a fuss, Li Yanfeng nodded and agreed. In the end … both sides fought empty-handed. 'Monkey King' Li Yanfeng vomited blood and fell to the ground. He was badly defeated."
Yue Yun said this with a smile. Yan Yunzhi's eyes widened. She remembered that she saw Meng Zhutao outside the Golden Tower that night. Meng Zhutao's shoulder was injured. Although she could see his power, he had been relatively passive in the fight. Because of this, Yan Yunzhi didn't feel the same sense of threat and oppression from him as she did from Li Yanfeng. She really didn't expect that he could beat Li Yanfeng, who was famous for his Monkey Fist, to vomit blood with his bare hands even without using the long ruler in his hand.
How high was this person's Kung Fu?
"This matter just happened last night." Yue Yun said, "At present, we can't completely determine whether this news is true or false. But if it is true, it should have spread in the city this afternoon … Hey, that night in the Golden Tower, he first killed monk Tan Ji, and then seriously injured a junior brother. Later, I always felt that he was a bit perfunctory. If there's a chance, I really should have a good fight with him …"
Yue Yun was young and full of vigor. He had practiced his fist technique for many years. His whole body was full of energy. These days, whenever he encountered a great master, he couldn't wait to have a one-on-one fight with him. Unfortunately, this time he came here with a mission. Moreover, he was Yue Fei's son. His identity was sensitive, so he couldn't act willfully. Right now, he could only talk about it to satisfy his craving.
He commented on Li Yanfeng and then Meng Zhutao. After a while, the topic changed again. He talked about the great master called Wang Xiang Fo in the martial arts competition. He said, "This person's Kung Fu is not bad." He fantasized about how to fight against Wang Xiang Fo, showing his profound Kung Fu cultivation. Yan Yunzhi listened attentively to the side.
Just like this, the sun rose a bit higher. The atmosphere inside and outside the teahouse was clamorous. Jiangning City was once again bustling with activity. At this time, the movements of all parties in the city were restrained. The conflicts and fights of August seemed to have disappeared. The people of the Party of Justice were waiting for this meeting to achieve a smooth result, and then they could gather even greater strength. Only in the hearts of some people in the upper echelons of the Party of Justice, some apprehension and uneasiness were slowly brewing.
One day, when it was close to noon, an inconspicuous clue was slowly extending from a place that had almost been forgotten by people.
…
"Motherf * cker … Get lost! All of you, get lost — "
The sun was about to reach the middle of the sky. In the courtyard of the Virtuous Gathering Residence in the Central Peace Square, a young man's irritable voice came out.
As the two women hurriedly put on their clothes and fled in a sorry state, Shi Weiyang's empty, lonely, and angry face appeared in the courtyard room.
Near and far, the surrounding courtyard seemed quite quiet at this moment.
After He Wen entered the city, all parties ended the earlier stage of recruiting people, and entered a new, more intense, and more cautious stage of the game. On the surface, the fighting had already begun in the big venue of the Martial Competition. Every day, whether it was to watch the liveliness, or to make connections, the people's stage had already gathered in the more lively public area. Things like the inside of the Virtuous Gathering Residence had temporarily come to an end.
Because of this, as the sun rose, the people who had originally stayed here, and who had banquets every day, had now gone to various lively places in the city, mainly the big venue. When they came to Jiangning, the first thing they chose to do was naturally to make connections with the Prince of Equality, to form an alliance, and also to get to know each other better.
And after this kind of foundation was stabilized, the next step was naturally not to mind going to a bigger world and getting to know more heroes and warriors. Perhaps there would be some party that offered a higher price, or some business that was more suitable for them to join. In any case, in the worst case, they could return to the Prince of Equality's side. In short, they wouldn't lose out.
But on the other side, since the day He Wen entered the city, Shi Weiyang had already been locked up at home for several days.
Because of the gang fight at the Five Lakes Inn, Shi Baofeng was furious, and in front of everyone, he reprimanded Shi Weiyang. Then, in the name of avenging the Prince of Equality, he carried out military law and gave Shi Weiyang twenty solid floggings. He said that his buttocks were smashed and that he couldn't get out of bed, but in reality, it was only a small injury. After that, he was locked up at home, and was forbidden to go out and cause trouble.
And from that day onwards, the situation in Jiangning City changed, and the liveliness of all parties increased day by day. When others went out, when they came back, they would talk about the exciting outside, the fights on the arena, or some secret disputes, and they would be endlessly excited. But Second Young Master Shi, who had always been in the center of the storm, now only felt that he had been abandoned. Even if some people would occasionally come over to flatter him, praising his bravery and fearlessness, Shi Weiyang always felt that they were secretly mocking him.
After staying at home for several days, on the seventh day of the ninth month, he finally couldn't stand it anymore.
After chasing away two girls who didn't know why he had suddenly become angry, Shi Weiyang, who was in his Sage Mode, sensed the empty courtyard around him and felt a wave of sorrow. Then, he called over his personal attendant. "These people have all gone out … Is the martial arts competition outside really that interesting?"
This kind of question was naturally difficult to answer. Fortunately, his attendant had accompanied him for a long time. After a slight hesitation, he said, "Actually, Young Master Wu is still here. I don't know why, but he hasn't gone out these past few days."
"Oh?" Shi Weiyang frowned slightly. "Chen Nan, he … usually has many friends. Why hasn't he gone out? Is he sick? "
"Not really. He seems to be fine."
During the chaos of war and the collapse of social order, the entertainment life of all parties in society was relatively poor. Even as the second generation of the Prince of Fairness, if he wanted to have a good time, the basic form of entertainment was nothing more than gathering friends and seeking pleasure. This was because the atmosphere was good, and secondly, in this chaotic world, the strong preyed on the weak. If they encountered any difficulties while seeking pleasure, everyone would gather together and take care of each other.
The Wu Chen Nan that Shi Weiyang spoke of was a good friend he had known for many years. They had played together a lot when they were young. In the past two years, Shi Baofeng had taken advantage of the opportunity of the Fairness Party to rise from a mid-sized merchant to a leader of a peak power in the world. Shi Weiyang's status had also risen along with the tide, and he had many people to flatter him. As a result, he spent much less time playing with Wu Chen Nan.
Now that he knew that Wu Chen was still here, Shi Weiyang hurriedly sent his attendant over to invite him.
After a while, a delicate and handsome young man came over. This person had a smile on his face, and he had an outstanding scholarly air about him. He was somewhat different from the various playmates that had surrounded Shi Weiyang recently.
"Weiyang."
"Chen Nan."
Wu Chen Nan cupped his hands in greeting. Shi Weiyang jogged over and held Wu Chen Nan's hands, saying, "The city is bustling. Why hasn't Chen Nan gone out to play?"
"Brother Shi is still grounded at home. Chen Nan went out by himself. What fun can there be to join in?"
"Chen Nan …"
Shi Weiyang was immediately moved. In the past few months, his status had risen along with the tide, and he had more and more friends surrounding him. He had almost forgotten about his former companion, Wu Chen Nan, who was introverted. At this moment, he felt very guilty.
"In the past few days, I really shouldn't have. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Chen Nan many times …"
"Ah, you can't say that. Lord Shi has high hopes for you. Now that you've come to Jiangning, there are many official matters for you to deal with. Interacting with various people is part of your cultivation. You and I are brothers, so there's no need to say this. "
"Chen Nan." Shi Weiyang held Wu Chen Nan's hand, then sighed. "Ah, what high hopes? My father is completely disappointed in me. Look, I can't even go out now …"
Wu Chen Nan laughed. "Actually … could it be that you really can't go out? Look, there's no one guarding the door. Everyone is free to come and go. Whatever you want to do, there's actually no one to stop you, right? "
The two of them held hands and walked into the room. Sitting down on a stool, Shi Weiyang sighed. "Ah, that's because my father has been too busy recently and forgot to make arrangements. But he clearly said that if I still dare to go out and cause trouble, he'll break my legs … I think, from now on, I, the second young master, have no status in the family. Everything will belong to my silly brother …"
"Young Master, you're wrong." Wu Chen Nan laughed. "Actually, Young Master didn't understand what Lord Shi meant. As long as it's a big family, who hasn't experienced some things? When they go out to do business, who doesn't get into some trouble? Since ancient times, which important person isn't afraid of getting into trouble? They're only afraid of not being able to turn trouble into something good. Young Master, the things you've encountered in the past few times are indeed a bit strange … "
The almost noon sun shone in through the door. In Shi Weiyang's eyes, Wu Chen Nan's scholarly temperament suddenly seemed to have a feather fan and silk scarf, giving off an air of vigor. He was slightly stunned. Moved, he couldn't help but say, "Chen Nan, please enlighten me."
"Chen Nan, may I ask Young Master, what happened the last time you went out?"
"The last time I …" Shi Weiyang hesitated. "It was nothing more than … wanting to catch that … Five-Foot Y-demon, but I was stopped by the people at the inn. Coincidentally, I met He Wen entering the city. In the end … it became big …"
"Then Chen Nan would like to ask Young Master why the people at the inn stopped you."
Shi Weiyang thought for a moment and lowered his voice. "Later on, we suspected … that there was something wrong with the people at the inn. But the matter became big and we couldn't charge in … Later on, we heard that it might be related to those crazy people at the Reading Club …"
"Then why didn't Young Master explain it clearly to Lord Shi?"
"Wasn't it because we couldn't charge in? We didn't have anything to use against them …"
Wu Chen Nan smiled and looked at him quietly. Shi Weiyang felt a bit uncomfortable being looked at. "This matter, sigh … it was originally me … sigh …"
"Young Master, is evidence important?" Wu Chen Nan said slowly.
The room was silent for a moment. Then, they heard Wu Chen Nan speak again. "Evidence, important, and not important. The important thing was that it had to be there. Once there was evidence, the public would be able to answer to everyone. The unimportant thing was that it didn't have to be true. Now that the Party of Fairness had five parties, whether or not the other party would accept the evidence you presented was another matter altogether. When it came to the stage, the parties relied on their voices and strength, never on justice. Young Master, Lord Shi isn't afraid of you stirring up trouble. What he's afraid of is that you stirring up trouble and not being able to settle it. Since you already know that the inn is related to the Reading Club, can't you just make some evidence? As long as the Master can step down, he can use the evidence to question the Prince of Justice. Why would he need to make a move against you … "
When Wu Chennan said this slowly, Shi Weiyang glared at him and suddenly slapped the back of Wu Chennan's hand. "I … I regret it … If I had brought Chennan there that day …"
The corner of Wu Chen Nan's mouth twitched. "Young Master is mainly … too kind …"
Shi Weiyang stood up and put his hands on his hips. He paced back and forth in the room a few times and then sat down in front of Wu Chen Nan. He held Wu Chen Nan's hands. "Now, now this matter, what should I do … Chen Nan, don't hold back. Teach me."
Wu Chen Nan looked at him. "What does Young Master want?"
"I …" Shi Weiyang hesitated and pointed at the surroundings. "Look at the current situation. In any case, I'm grounded. Those people who have nothing better to do have recently received a warning and won't come. I know that the people inside and outside the Council probably saw that I, the second young master, was about to lose power and went to curry favor with the eldest young master. I … I'm already like this. How can I salvage the situation? Chen Nan, tell me, tell me this …"
"Actually, the situation isn't that serious. Second Young Master, you've only done something wrong temporarily. After all, you are Lord Shi's biological son. Even after a while, you will still be the person he trusts the most …"
"But I want to do things well. I don't want others to think that I'm so useless," Shi Weiyang said.
Wu Chen Nan looked at him again. "… Actually, power is a thing. Although it seems illusory, it isn't completely without foundation. Just as Second Young Master said, today, everyone's confidence in Second Young Master has dropped a little. This is because Young Master has indeed fallen and everyone has lost confidence. If you want to pick it up, it's actually very simple. It's nothing more than getting up from where you fell and telling everyone that you have memories. If you fall before, as long as you make up for it, then everyone will remember you. "
"Make up for it …"
Shi Weiyang's eyes widened. He had already thought of something. In front of him, Wu Chen Nan had a calm smile on his face. He said calmly, "Go to that inn and capture all the people who offended you. Make up for all the evidence. Do it openly and with great fanfare. Then everyone will know that Second Young Master's side is not to be trifled with. That's it."
"… But, it's been so many days. If the people inside have already run away …"
"The monk can run away, but do you think the temple can run away? Moreover, even if the monk runs away, first burn his temple, then slowly capture him. What's the harm in that? "
At this moment, the aura displayed by the weak scholar in front of him was breathtaking. It was as if it was the first time Shi Weiyang had met this good friend in front of him. He was exceptionally moved. He held Wu Chen Nan's hand.
"Chen Nan, the son of Zhen Wu!"
Wu Chen Nan also held his hand. "We'll carefully plan this matter."
They carefully pondered for a while.
In the afternoon of that day, Shi Weiyang mobilized his troops and headed in the direction of the Five Lakes Inn. He wanted to pick up the face that he had lost.
The sky darkened a little.
A great fire was about to start under such a bright sky.
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