A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 101 No good banquet
"Haitang, don't be too sad," Cheng Shifei helped Haitang sit down by the campfire, and comforted her as she looked pale and heartbroken.

Upon hearing this, Haitang shook her head with a bitter smile. She really couldn't understand why her adoptive father distrusted her so much, even kicking her out of the Dragon Guard Manor and preventing her from even helping Yidao find the murderer. Now she was truly in a predicament.

Thinking of this, Haitang suddenly remembered the letter her master, Young Master Wuhen, had left her, and hurriedly took it out.

"Begonia, what is this?" Cheng Shifei asked, looking at the letter.

"It's a secret plan left to me by my master, Young Master Wuhen. He said I should open it when I'm in trouble," Haitang said, deftly opening the envelope. Inside was only a thin piece of paper with a single sentence written on it: Go to Shaolin Temple immediately and find Master Guxu. The truth will then become clear.

"Master Gu Xu," Haitang put down the letter, then remembered that Yi Dao was at Shaolin, and made a decision.

"Cheng Shifei, I'm going to Shaolin Temple. What are your plans?"

"Anyway, I'm not a secret agent anymore, so I can go wherever I want. Since Master Gu Xu is at Shaolin, I'll go with you."

Cheng Shifei was worried that Haitang might encounter some danger on the road alone, and he also wanted to visit Gu Xu at Shaolin Temple. Since he had nothing to do and was free now, he decided to treat it as a sightseeing trip.

"How are you going to explain this to the princess? She's probably still waiting for you at the palace."

"I'll send a message by carrier pigeon. I can go to the palace after I've finished my business. Now I see things clearly. What's this Dragon Guard Manor and the Eastern Depot? They're all just scheming people fighting for fame and fortune. I'm not willing to get involved in this mess again."

Although Cheng Shifei was unreliable, he wasn't stupid. Zhu Wushi's eagerness to drive Haitang out of the Dragon Guard Manor just now clearly indicated that he had some purpose. Given his shrewd and calculating nature, he certainly wouldn't do something pointless.

Even so, if someone can abandon subordinates who have been trained since childhood for unknown purposes, such a person is not worth risking one's life for, especially since he is one's enemy.

Hearing Cheng Shifei's words, Haitang remained silent. Too many things had happened at the Dragon Guard Manor recently. She had originally thought that her adoptive father was under too much pressure and that seeing his beloved woman being dragged out had caused the current situation. But now it seemed that was not the case.

"Godfather, what exactly do you want to do?"

Cheng Shifei looked at the silent Haitang and said, "It's getting late today. We'll set off for Shaolin tomorrow morning. The journey isn't far; if we walk quickly, we can arrive in half a day."

The two sat around the campfire for a while before settling down to rest.

The next day, after a simple breakfast, the two rode their horses towards Mount Song.

Shaolin Temple

When Abbot Liaofan heard from the guest monk that the richest man in the country, Wan Sanqian, had brought people to pay homage to the mountain, he immediately led the monks to welcome them.

"Amitabha Buddha, I am deeply sorry for failing to greet you properly, benefactor Wan, who has traveled a long way."

Liao Fan looked at Wan Sanqian, who was dressed in a brocade robe, and then saw three open wooden boxes in front of him, filled with gold, jade and jewels, which were of great value and dazzled the monks.

"Master Liaofan, I have come uninvited, please do not take offense. These small gifts are my apology."

"You're too kind, Benefactor Wan. Please come inside for tea," Liao Fan said, gesturing for Wan Sanqian and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi to walk into the inner courtyard, while the others were greeted by the guest monk.

After taking their seats, Master Liaofan had a novice monk serve them the finest tea, which Wan Sanqian tasted briefly before putting it down.

"Could these four men beside Benefactor Wan be the infamous Four Devils of Western Hunan?"

Master Liaofan had only glanced at them briefly before, but now, upon closer inspection, he sensed the powerful auras of the four individuals. Although there were clearly four people, his perception only detected one. Such exquisite martial arts were truly breathtaking.

What shocked him even more was that Wan Sanqian was able to hire these four people as his personal bodyguards. Although the martial arts world is vast, there are very few people who can defeat these four.

"Master Liaofan was not mistaken; these are the Four Ghosts of Western Hunan, and the only ones in the last hundred years to have mastered the Phantom Divine Skill."

After they had finished drinking their tea, Wan Sanqian turned to business: "I wonder if Daoist Guxu is here?"

Master Liaofan nodded upon hearing this and said, "Daoist Master and Senior Brother Liaojie are close friends. They should be playing chess at the Bodhidharma Cave in the back mountain right now. If you wish to see the Daoist Master, please allow me to inform him."

"That's to be expected." Wan Sanqian was overjoyed to hear that Gu Xu was actually related to Master Liaojie. In the current martial arts world, there were no more than five people that Zhu Wushi was wary of, but two of them were here. With his bodyguards also present, Wan Sanqian felt much more confident. He would no longer have to be controlled by Zhu Wushi in every way.

Master Liaofan apologized to him and prepared to go to the back mountain to report, but just as he stood up, a gentle voice came to his ear.

"Junior brother, please invite Benefactor Wan and the others to the Bodhidharma Cave on the back mountain."

Upon hearing that it was his senior brother transmitting the message, Master Liaofan immediately listened attentively and nodded in agreement.

Wan Sanqian was puzzled by Master Fan's appearance, but the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi explained to him, "Master, this should be the Shaolin secret technique of 'Thousand-Mile Transmission of Sound,' which others cannot hear."

Wan Sanqian finally understood, and couldn't help but marvel at how wondrous this martial art was.

"Benefactor Wan, my senior brother and Daoist Gu Xu are waiting for you at the Bodhidharma Cave on the back mountain. Please follow me."

Wan Sanqian thanked him and, with the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi, followed Master Liaofan. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the back mountain.

The four ghosts of western Hunan had excellent eyesight and spotted three figures in the pavilion from afar.

As the group approached the pavilion, Master Liaofan bowed to Liaojie and Guxu, saying, "Senior Brother, Benefactor Wan and the others have arrived."

"Amitabha, greetings, Benefactor Wan," Master Liaojie said with a smile, chanting a Buddhist prayer. Gu Xu stood up and nodded to Wan Sanqian, who quickly returned the greeting.

"Junior brother, please give the order to prepare a table of fine vegetarian food and send it over."

"Yes, senior brother," Master Liaofan nodded to the crowd and left the pavilion.

"Please sit down, Benefactor Wan. Yi Dao, go to the Bodhidharma Cave and fetch a few more stools."

Guihai Yidao agreed upon hearing this.

"Brother Wan, it's been a long time. You look much older than before," Gu Xu said, looking at Wan Sanqian's slightly tired expression. He knew that Zhu Wushi had probably been giving him a hard time lately.

Wan Sanqian glanced at Gu Xu and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Daoist. I'm just a mortal who can't let go of wealth and fame, which is why I've brought this trouble upon myself. I won't hide anything from you two. A few days ago, the Iron-Blooded Marquis suddenly approached me, wanting to raise 50,000 taels of gold for him."

Master Liaojie and Gu Xu exchanged a glance, the former's expression becoming much more serious.

"Fifty thousand taels of gold is no small sum for Benefactor Wan, this Marquis has quite the appetite."

"To be honest, while 50,000 taels of gold is a lot, I can still afford it. However, what alarms me is that the Marquis has not explained where this money will go. What if... Moreover, I have also received information that the Marquis has summoned all the well-known wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, and they have all contributed some money to the table."

“It seems that the Divine Marquis is about to make a big move,” Master Liaojie said bluntly, and both of them understood what he meant.

Wan Sanqian's heart sank further. Master Liaojie's words undoubtedly proved that this matter was related to the palace coup, and he was now caught in the middle of it all, not knowing how to handle the situation.

"Brother Wan, are you worried that Zhu Wushi will betray you after using you?"

Seeing Wan Sanqian's expressionless face, Gu Xu asked a question.

"Master, do you have a way to teach me?"

If there are any two people who can help me, they are probably the only ones. Master Gu Xu's origins are a mystery, and even Zhu Wushi is wary of him. Master Liao Jie is highly respected and famous, and even the emperor treats him with great courtesy.

"This matter is not difficult to resolve. Brother Wan only needs to find an opportunity to submit all the financial ledgers related to the subsidies provided to Zhu Wushi in recent years to the Emperor. Although Brother Wan will lose some money as a result, it is insignificant compared to his life. Besides, with Brother Wan's abilities, he will regain this wealth in a few years."

"What you say makes sense, Daoist Master, but I am merely a merchant. Who in the court can I speak with authority?"

Wan Sanqian had considered abandoning the darkness and joining the light before, but Zhu Wushi held immense power in the court. Apart from Cao Zhengchun, no one else could stand against him. He did not want to get involved with the Eastern Depot, nor did he dare to make friends with court officials at will. Therefore, despite his vast wealth, no one in the court could speak up for him.

Although the emperor was young, he was quite cunning and resourceful. If it weren't for the fact that I willingly gave him a large sum of money every year, how could I have remained safe and sound until today?

If I were to present the account books so openly, it might offend him. Therefore, I need someone of sufficient influence to lay the groundwork and understand the situation before I can personally take charge to ensure everything goes smoothly.

"Brother Wan, I can help you with this matter."

Upon hearing this, Wan Sanqian was overjoyed and hurriedly clasped his hands in a salute, saying, "Then thank you very much, Daoist Master."

Guihai Yidao carried several wooden stools into the pavilion, placed them next to the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi, nodded in acknowledgment, and then sat down next to Gu Xu.

Seeing this, the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi looked at Wan Sanqian, who waved his hand, and the four of them sat down together.

“Yidao, there’s something you probably don’t know yet. Just yesterday, Zhu Wushi expelled Haitang from the Dragon Guard Manor and removed her from the title of the Number One Manor in the World.” “What?” Guihai Yidao exclaimed in shock.

If we're talking about the secret agents Zhu Wushi trusted most, besides Duan Tianya, it would only be Haitang, and now things have come to this.

"Let me be frank, Zhu Wushi's actions are aimed at weakening the Dragon Guard Manor's overt power, leading the Eastern Depot step by step into a trap. Now, the Eastern Depot probably already has one foot on the road to the underworld."

Gui Haiyi and Wan Sanqian had different expressions; the former was worried about Haitang's safety, while the latter was thinking about how to deal with the situation ahead.

“Don’t worry, Master Yidao. Master Shangguan will be fine with the help of others,” Master Liaojie nodded to Guihai Yidao, who understood that this must be the Taoist’s arrangement.

"Judging by the time, Haitang should be arriving soon. Master, I'm quite hungry; let's eat first."

"Master, you must be craving those eight-vegetarian crystal dumplings," Master Liaojie said with a slight smile.

"Gentlemen, please follow me to Damo Cave for a meal." Master Liaojie led the way, and Gu Xu and the others left the pavilion and walked outside the cave. They found that Abbot Fan had already set up a dining table, on which were laid out all kinds of exquisite dishes, which looked and smelled delicious and made their mouths water.

Just as everyone was eating, outside Shaolin Temple, Haitang and Cheng Shifei finally arrived without stopping. After giving their names, the guest monk, who had already received the abbot's decree, led the two to the back mountain.

"Speak of the devil, and he appears! Look who's here!" Gu Xu put down his chopsticks and looked at Haitang and Cheng Shifei who were walking towards him.

"Haitang!" Guihai Yidao hurriedly got up to greet her. He greeted Cheng Shifei and looked at Haitang with delight, finding that apart from being a little tired, she was unharmed.

Seeing that Yi Dao was unharmed, Haitang felt relieved, but the thought that his grievances had not yet been cleared and that she had been kicked out by her adoptive father made her feel a little down.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Shifei hurriedly exclaimed that he was hungry. Yi Dao quickly brought the two over, and Master Liaojie ordered the young novice to add two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

After the introductions, Haitang was about to say something when Master Liaojie stopped her with a gesture, saying gently, "Master Shangguan, it's not too late to discuss this after we've had a meal."

"That's right, that's right," Cheng Shifei said, picking up a vegetarian meatball with his chopsticks and stuffing it into his mouth, praising the delicious taste.

"Brother Cheng has a very honest and straightforward personality; I'm very happy to have a friend like that."

Looking at the people at the table, Wan Sanqian saw that although they came from different backgrounds, they were all upright gentlemen, without any scheming or deceit. Sitting here, he felt much more relaxed.

"I'm very happy to have made a friend like Brother Wan. Now I won't have to worry about not having money when I go to the casino."

Upon hearing this, Wan Sanqian was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter.

Seeing that Haitang was uneasy, Yidao grabbed her hand and said, "Haitang, don't worry. The Daoist Master is even more concerned about the Divine Marquis than we are. This time, he definitely won't get away with it."

Haitang was puzzled by what Yidao said, as it sounded like he was very disdainful of his adoptive father.

"Eat first, and then the Taoist priest will tell you the truth."

Hearing this, Haitang nodded.

With Cheng Shifei, a lively character, keeping the atmosphere at the table, the meal was very enjoyable.

"Master Liaojie, I would like to see the scenery of Shaolin Temple. I wonder if you could have someone guide me?" To avoid suspicion, Wan Sanqian found a reason. Master Liaojie called over a novice monk and led Wan Sanqian to tour the scenery.

Inside the pavilion, Haitang couldn't wait to ask, "Daoist Master, Yidao said you would tell us the truth, but what is this truth...?"

"This is a long story, so I'll begin with the assassination attempt on the fake Toshihide."

Cheng Shifei, Haitang, and Guihai Yidao listened attentively, while Master Liaojie closed his eyes to meditate and turned the Buddhist beads in his hand.

Half an hour later, Gu Xu finally gave a general account of the situation. Seeing the incredulous expressions on Haitang and Cheng Shifei's faces, Gu Xu sighed slightly and said, "Zhu Wushi has never given up on vying for the throne, but to seize this position, he must first deal with the Eastern Depot. He has plotted and gone to great lengths to get rid of your four secret agents one by one, which is to deliberately dig a pit for Cao Zhengchun."

"The Divine Marquis is cunning and shrewd. If it weren't for the Taoist priest making him wary, he wouldn't have exposed himself so quickly. A slow and steady approach is the most prudent, and only in the end will you discover his true colors. Although we've taken a big step towards success, we've been too hasty and revealed too many flaws. The Emperor is definitely on guard now."

Master Liaojie opened his eyes and uttered a deep voice that startled Haitang and the other two.

The first principle of the Dragon Guard Manor is loyalty to the emperor. Now that Zhu Wushi is plotting a rebellion, the three of us will never do such a treasonous thing.

"Master, where is my elder brother?"

"Liu Sheng Piaoxu killed three Grand Secretaries. The court will not let him go. The Eastern Depot has already found evidence. Now she has no way out but death. As for Duan Tianya, if he can put justice before his own family, he still has a way out. If he is soft-hearted, he will also face imprisonment."

Upon hearing this, Haitang's heart sank. Given her elder brother's personality, this was a very difficult decision for him.

"Now that all four of you secret agents have been dismissed, Zhu Wushi holds the secrets of the ten generals. Once Cao Zhengchun is dealt with, the day he forces the emperor to abdicate will not be far off. You must prepare in advance."

East Factory
"The presence of the Divine Marquis truly brings honor to our humble abode, the Eastern Depot!"

Cao Zhengchun greeted Zhu Wushi with a smile, and the latter smiled slightly.

"With an invitation personally sent by Chief Supervisor Cao, how could I not come? I've long heard of the Eastern Depot's reputation, but this is truly my first time entering here."

"The Eastern Depot is not as magnificent as the Dragon Guard Manor; please forgive my rudeness, Divine Marquis."

"Not at all, the internal structure of the Eastern Depot is far superior to that of the Dragon Guard Manor."

As Zhu Wushi walked along, he saw that the interior was full of traps and mechanisms, and ordinary experts could not get out. It was like an airtight cage.

"You're too modest, Lord Divine Marquis. Please," Cao Zhengchun led Zhu Wushi into an elegant hall. As soon as Zhu Wushi entered, he saw a scholar in white robes.

"Let Zhengchun introduce you. This is Luo Jusheng, Zhengchun's close friend and also a Jinke Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)."

"Greetings, Divine Marquis," Luo Jusheng bowed with clasped hands. An invisible gust of wind surged toward Zhu Wushi, but it vanished as soon as it got close. Luo Jusheng tried to exert his strength again, but it was all in vain. Instead, his own power was absorbed, his face turned red, and he was unable to move.

Seeing Luo Jusheng's predicament, Cao Zhengchun waved his hand, severing the suction force. Luo Jusheng lost her footing and almost made a fool of herself.

Seeing this, Cao Zhengchun smiled and said, "My Lord, today's banquet is called the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom Banquet. Please follow me to your seat."

Zhu ignored the folding fan and closed it, then smiled and said, "When in Rome, do as the host says. Please, Eunuch Cao."

As the two talked, it was as if nothing had happened.

During the banquet, Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi engaged in a subtle and witty exchange. When Luo Jusheng offered tea, Zhu Wushi's cup of tea flew out of his hand. Even Cao Zhengchun suffered a hidden loss and was accused of being anti-Ming by Zhu Wushi.

After several rounds of drinks, Zhu Wushi grew impatient with Cao Zhengchun's entanglement and said, "Eunuch Cao, it's getting late. If you don't have Tianxiang Doukou, I'll take my leave." With that, he got up to leave.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun said, "Divine Marquis, please take a look."

As he spoke, he took out a wooden box, and when he opened it, it contained Tianxiang Doukou (a type of cardamom).

"Zheng Chun knows he is not fortunate enough to receive this divine object, so he might as well offer it to the Divine Lord as a token of appreciation. That would be a fair exchange."

Zhu ignored the wooden box containing the results and stared at Cao Zhengchun, saying, "Eunuch Cao is truly generous."

"Let's not beat around the bush. Emperor Zhengchun will hold another banquet in a year. At that time, we may need your help, so please don't refuse."

A fierce glint flashed in Zhu Wushi's eyes as he looked at Cao Zhengchun with a cold gaze, but the latter remained calm and composed, showing no fear whatsoever.

"Haha, Eunuch Cao is indeed farsighted. Very well, I will accept this gift today. I will attend the banquet again in a year. Farewell."

"Take care, Divine Marquis," Cao Zhengchun said with a cold laugh as he watched Zhu Wushi leave.

"If we hadn't failed to obtain the ice coffin, you wouldn't be in the position to haggle over this matter today."

"Brother Zhengchun, the Marquis doesn't seem so easily fooled. If he finds out the truth, he might cause more trouble."

Luo Jusheng walked in looking disheveled and said with some concern.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; he who laughs last laughs best."

(End of this chapter)