knife

Chapter 500: Deep Love Leads to Far-Reaching Planning
The sedan chair stopped in a bamboo grove.

The swaying bamboo shadows transformed the scorching sunlight outside into dappled patterns of light and shadow, some long, some short, some round, some square. A gentle breeze stirred, causing the bamboo branches to intertwine, and the light and shadow constantly shifted. Several white long-tailed birds, whom Li Dachui didn't recognize, perched atop the bamboo grove, rising and falling with the swaying branches, chirping as they went. When they saw someone entering, they didn't avoid them, but instead turned their heads, their small, beady eyes curiously observing the newcomer.

It looks like a barbecue outside, but it's cool and pleasant inside.

Li Dachui sat on a tree stump, looking at the old man in front of him.

Extremely weak.

With his martial arts skills and medical expertise, he knew without even taking the old man's pulse that the old man was like a candle in the wind, whose life could be extinguished at any moment.

The fact that such a person could still firmly grasp the power of the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade shows his shrewdness.

He took out a small wooden box from his bag and handed it to Hu Tianying, saying, "These are some pills that Fu Qingzhu and Daoist Yiming jointly created. It's a lie to say they can revive the dead and heal the bones, but they can definitely prolong life. For someone like the sect leader whose life is hanging by a thread, they are exactly what he needs. It's hard to say how long they will last, but they will still be of some use."

He took the box and placed it on his lap. "Something that Fu Qingzhu and Daoist Yiming worked together to make must be quite valuable, right?"

"Among them are five pills, each one is priceless!" Li Dachui said without any pretense, "Their value is no less than that of the Rejuvenating Pill."

Hu Tianying laughed loudly: "Then this favor is huge."

“The sect leader is worth the price!” Li Dachui laughed.

Hu Tianying nodded. “I like your straightforward and direct way of speaking, without beating around the bush or being pretentious! Back then, I expelled your adoptive father from the sect for the sake of the Five Gates Severing Blade. Later, I re-established contact with him for the sake of the sect. Now, my secret meetings with you are also for the sake of the sect.”

"In this world, there are no dynasties that last forever, nor are there sects that thrive forever!" Li Dachui said, "Countless martial arts manuals have been collected in Tai'an City, including those from once-famous sects. Many of them were lost to the dust of history due to a moment of wrongdoing. The sect leader has devoted himself to the sect with painstaking efforts and meticulous planning, which is truly admirable!"

Hu Tianying smiled bitterly: "There's no other way. The world is in turmoil right now. Great Chu may seem calm, but beneath the surface, there are still ups and downs. Since its founding three hundred years ago, the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber Sect has been closely connected with the government. Many of its members have become officials or generals. If something happens to Great Chu, the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber Sect will also be in danger of being destroyed. I must leave a way out for the sect's inheritance to avoid mutual destruction."

“That makes sense. The deeper the love, the more one should plan for the long term!” Li Dachui said.

“I thought this matter would take many years, and I was worried that I might not live to see you again!” Hu Tianying said, “I really didn’t expect you to be standing in front of me so soon.”

"Presumably, the sect leader already knows that the Yuan Kingdom has been completely destroyed!"

"Yes, Kang Zhen told us about him," Hu Tianying replied. "You should know Kang Zhen, right?"

“Of course, Kang Zhen is the highest-ranking official among the Five Tigers of the Broken Gate Saber in this generation, the deputy commander of the Tiger Legion!” Li Dachui nodded.

“He is also the next sect leader I’m preparing!” Hu Tianying said. “If I die, he will resign from his official position and come back to take charge of the overall situation.”

"So this person also knows that the sect has always had dealings with us!" "Of course!" Hu Tian replied, "However, he doesn't think you can win. He has high hopes for Empress Dowager Jiang Qian of Great Chu, believing that given the current state of Qin, it won't be long before the Empress Dowager reorganizes the army and begins a northern expedition!"

"Whether you're optimistic or not actually changes over time, just like you, Sect Leader. Your interactions with us have gradually become more serious over time," Li Dachui laughed. "At first, it was just because your godfather was a master of innate cultivation, wasn't it?"

Hu Tianying burst into laughter.

“Jiang Qian is the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect!” Li Dachui suddenly said.

The laughter stopped abruptly. Hu Tianying stared wide-eyed at Li Dachui with an incredulous expression for a long time before finally saying, "Bullshit!"

"Sect Master, don't underestimate Jiang Qian just because she's young. Her Phoenix Flame cultivation has already reached the Innate Realm." Li Dachui smiled slightly and continued, "Lin Yunqi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, has also reached the Ninth Grade of the Profound Origin Realm by cultivating the Moon Essence Weak Water."

"Is everything you're saying true?"

"Would I joke about something like this? Especially not with the sect leader?" Li Dachui said.

"Another He Qingqiu?" Hu Tianying was stunned for a long time before saying, "No, no, no, He Qingqiu failed back then, but if what you said is true, then Jiang Qian can be considered to have succeeded? No wonder, no wonder the Demonic Sect's Jumu and Hongshui have been acting out of character these past few years, gradually surrendering to the court and whitewashing their identities. It turns out that the current Empress Dowager of Great Chu is actually from the Demonic Sect, ha, ha!"

“I had already met Xiang Zhuang before I came here!” Li Dachui continued, “And this time, I was at Xiang Ying’s request. He couldn’t meet with me, so he sent Xiang Zhuang instead.”

"So, Xiang Ying also knows that Jiang Qian is the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect?" Hu Tianying asked in surprise.

Li Dachui nodded: "Even the wisest can make a mistake. Jiang Qian underestimated these old guys, thinking that everything was under control. She wanted to devise a plan to completely eliminate their power and truly hold absolute power, but things went wrong. And this mistake could be fatal."

"Xiang Ying and the others also know your identity?"

“Of course!” Li Dachui laughed. “However, they think I’m too far away to pose a threat to the Chu Kingdom, so we can still cooperate for now. As for whether we’ll become enemies after we take down Jiang Qian together, that’s a matter for the future, isn’t it?”

"So, you've come here this time to try and reconnect us with Xiang Ying?" Hu Tianying asked, looking at Li Dachui.

“Yes!” Li Dachui said, “He trusts me now, and you trust me too. Without me as a bridge, you two cannot trust each other. And in this matter, neither side dares to make the slightest mistake. Once a mistake is made, it will be an irreversible disaster! Jiang Qian’s methods are still very ruthless.”

"Is Xiang Ying trying to completely bring down Jiang Qian?"

“I think that’s for the best too!” Li Dachui laughed. “Compared to Jiang Qian, I still prefer dealing with people like Xiang Ying. Once Jiang Qian falls from power, Chu will be in chaos. The emperor is young, and Xiang Ying and his men might not be able to keep things under control. At least I think Han Tan of Ruyin, He Jiong of Yong’an, and the Chu navy will obediently listen to Xiang Ying.”

(End of this chapter)