Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 136 Gathering in Xinzhou
Two days later, Jin, Taiyuan.

As the year draws to a close, people in Taiyuan City have briefly forgotten about Zhao Wumian's public horse snatching half a month ago... because a hero conference is currently being held in Taiyuan City.

Half a month ago, Zhao Wumian snatched the Thousand-Li Horse in public and lost the final prize, but the word had already been spoken, and the King of Jin had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue to hold the event. After more than ten days of preparation, the news had already spread, and the heroes who wanted to participate had already traveled a long way to Taiyuan, so the event had just begun.

At present, a stage has been set up on the central street of Taiyuan, and auditions are being held.

This kind of martial arts competition is too common in this world, so King Jin doesn't need to spend much effort on it. He can just leave it to his subordinates. He stays in the study and reviews military intelligence.

Not long after, Qin Shuzi hurried in without even bothering to report, and walked in directly, "Your Majesty, Brother Liu sent a letter from the capital."

The King of Jin frowned slightly. It was rare to see Qin Shuzi so anxious, but he did not raise his head. He still frowned and looked at the document in his hand, asking, "What did it say?"

Qin Shuzi took a deep breath and handed over the letter. "Your Highness, please take a look at this letter yourself. This is a letter that Brother Liu sent to me in an expedited manner over a distance of 800 miles. The messenger had already run four good horses to death, and then he used his martial arts skills to desperately deliver it to Taiyuan. He collapsed from exhaustion as soon as he arrived at the Prince of Jin's mansion, and he is still dizzy now."

The King of Jin then raised his head with a look of surprise. He took the letter, opened it and stood up abruptly. Veins bulged on his forehead, and a trace of gloom emerged on his calm face, and then he became furious.

He slapped the wooden table in front of him suddenly. With a loud bang, the wooden table collapsed and many documents on it flew all over the place.

Qin Shuzi was shocked. When Prince Jin was young, he was also a prince on horseback. He was very skilled in martial arts. However, after the Jingnan Campaign, he never took action again. Qin Shuzi had only seen him so furious when his wife died of depression.

The King of Jin suddenly waved his sleeves and threw the letter away, "The Eastern Palace imprisoned Changshou... Eunuch Lin is just a eunuch with nothing but martial arts skills. Who gave him the courage?"

Qin Shuzi was slightly stunned, and quickly took the letter. He read it for a few seconds before pondering for a moment. "According to what Brother Liu said, this information was given to him by someone in secret. It is obviously a strategy of killing with a borrowed knife and driving away the wolf to swallow the tiger. For the time being, let's contact the King of Yan and ask him whether the prince is with him. Then let Brother Liu continue to investigate in the capital... At least find evidence first, otherwise he will only fall into the trap of the person in secret."

"What secret person? The messenger is most likely Zhao Wumian. He is the only one who has sneaked into the Imperial Palace and the Eastern Palace recently." Prince Jin took a deep breath and his expression returned to calm.

"Then his intention to kill someone with someone else's knife is too obvious. But it is probably true that the chief eunuch Lin is Dong Yan's man. Our people followed Dong Yan's lead and found that the clues pointed to the East Palace." Qin Shuzi glanced at the letter again, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"But Zhao Wumian went to the capital and admitted his identity in public. He was quite courageous..."

As he spoke, Qin Shuzi's expression suddenly froze, and he looked at King Jin with a surprised tone.
"But Zhao Wumian's move has confirmed that we have attacked the legitimate princess... This news is known to the world. Even if the legitimate princess is not the emperor in the end, we have also exposed our intention to hold a large number of troops and plot to seize the throne... This will definitely be deliberately targeted by the next emperor, who will take away the military power and reduce the power of the vassal states."

"The next emperor?" Prince Jin sat down on the armchair behind him. At this moment, the white documents all over the sky slowly fell to the ground. He muttered to himself, and then was silent for a moment, and finally asked: "What is Zhao Wumian's intention to leave the capital? Do you have any clues?"

Qin Shuzi shook his head slightly, and then said in a deep voice: "Zhao Wumian's move has forced us into a desperate situation. The worst result is that the legitimate princess will go to Beijing to become the emperor. If so, the prince will be on pins and needles in the future, restless day and night. We can't expect her to laugh off the grudges with us after she becomes the empress."

"What do you mean?" Prince Jin's expression was calm.

"After the winter came, there was no food on the grasslands of the Rong tribe, and countless people starved to death. They were a group of barbarians who did not know how to farm, but they were good at fighting. Since the founding of the country, they have repeatedly invaded the borders, intending to revive the previous dynasty..." Qin Shuzi paused for a moment, and then his expression turned stern.
"If it really comes to the last resort, it is better to unite with the Rong tribe and crush the entire Dali in one fell swoop. Even if the chaotic times are coming and warlords are fighting for power, it is worse than letting the prince sit in Taiyuan and wait for the 'cutting down of the vassal states' that will come at an unknown time. After all, we have 200,000 elite soldiers and we can have our own power no matter what the situation is. Even in the era of warlords, the prince will definitely be the most powerful one among them and the one with the greatest possibility of winning the world."

The King of Jin had a calm expression. He looked up at Qin Shuzi, who had a fierce look in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Shuzi, you went to Wugong Mountain to practice martial arts for twenty years in order to bring honor to your family and repay your parents for raising you, right?"

Qin Shuzi was slightly stunned, not knowing why King Jin turned the topic to him, so he could only nod slightly.

The King of Jin asked, "Would your parents want you to collude with the Rong people and humiliate the country?"

Qin Shuzi was stunned, not knowing what to say. After a moment of silence, he said calmly:

"My parents died a long time ago, and this blood feud was avenged by the prince for me... So if it really comes to a critical moment when I need to decide whether to collude with the Rong tribe, as long as I can support the prince to sit on the throne, I will bear the eternal infamy."

King Jin raised his hand calmly, "You can't carry it."

Qin Shuzi was silent.

"After Zhao Wumian's move, if I fail to become emperor, I will have no choice but to cooperate with the Rong tribe, or force me to follow my brother's example and fight the Jingnan Campaign, or I will just wait to be reduced to a vassal state." The King of Jin gently groped for the armrest of the Grand Master's chair, and after thinking for a moment, he shook his head lightly, "But who will sit on the throne has not yet been determined."

After saying this, King Jin stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said:

"Zhao Wumian's whereabouts are the key. He cannot be unaware of Chao Yan's location. Xu Ran is under my surveillance, so he dare not act rashly, for fear of exposing Chao Yan's location. The ultimate goal of the Chu navy is Langfa, and we have people stationed there at all times, just waiting for Chao Yan to show up...

Eunuch Lin is our common enemy. Everything behind this was planned by Dong Yan. Zhao Wumian’s rash departure from the capital this time could not have been for sightseeing. It is obvious that he got some clues when he sneaked into the palace…”

Prince Jin frowned and muttered to himself, "If Eunuch Lin is not dead, how can Chao Yan become emperor? Is he trying to seek Xu Ran's help to encircle and suppress Eunuch Lin?"

Thinking of this, he waved his hand calmly, "Increase the number of people to monitor Xu Ran."

Qin Shuzi received the order and was about to leave, but was stopped by the King of Jin, "Changshou seems to have been captured by Dongyan... What about Xiangzhu? I heard that she hasn't returned to Yanyun yet, and has been traveling in northern Jin."

Qin Shuzi recalled and said, "Princess Xiangzhu was still in Xinzhou two days ago, but Mu Lier took her around everywhere and rarely stayed for long. I don't know if she is still there now."

"Send someone to deliver a letter to her, asking her to return to Yanyun as soon as possible, or come to Taiyuan. Jin is not peaceful, and Mu Lier is not a martial arts champion. Without the bridge between heaven and earth, there is no guarantee that Dong Yan will attack Xiang Zhu. If that happens, Mu Lier may not be able to protect her." "Yes, sir."

At the same time, as night fell in Xinzhou, two men and women leading horses arrived.

The man was wearing a green shirt with bamboo patterns, and he stood tall and straight. A long sword wrapped in black cloth was hung on the horse's belly. The woman was also wearing green, but both were wearing bamboo hats, so their faces could not be seen clearly... They were dressed like ordinary martial artists and did not attract any attention.

It was Zhao Wumian and Su Qingqi.

Pingyang is in southern Shanxi, nearly a thousand miles away from northern Shanxi. In order to save time, Guan Yunshu would not travel with the two of them, and they parted ways after entering Jin.

Xinzhou is located in the north of Taiyuan, about 300 miles away. Another 240 miles to the north is Yanmen Pass, and 200 miles to the west is Hequ, which is near Qinfengzhai. It can be seen that Xinzhou is a major transportation hub in northern Shanxi where traffic from all directions converges, and it is the largest city in northern Shanxi.

It is impossible for Mu Lier and Luo Xiangzhu not to pass by here.

Currently, due to the Heroes Conference held by King Jin, Luo Chaoyan, and the Rong tribe's detention at the checkpoint, many people from the martial arts world have gathered in Xinzhou, including some celebrities. Just on the way here, Su Qingqi could recognize many famous figures in the martial arts world.

"So many people... Could it be that the news about Naraku Hongsi has already spread?" Su Qingqi looked a little dumbfounded as she looked at the martial artists coming and going on the streets of Xinzhou.

"It shouldn't be that serious. If it was really spread widely, then the storyteller should be talking about how the Red Silk of Naraku caused a bloody storm in the martial arts world."

Zhao Wumian shook his head slightly, and the two of them found an inn with a separate courtyard and tied the two horses there.

"I'll go to the Sword Sect branch first to ask about the situation. They should have some news about Master Mu and Princess Xiangzhu."

Zhao Wumian simply drank a glass of water and left in a hurry.

"I don't have to follow?"

"I'm just going to get some information, not to kill people in the street. Once we enter Jin, we will be in the territory of King Jin. If our identities are exposed and we are surrounded by the army, it will cause trouble." Zhao Wumian shook his head slightly, pulled out the Wuhen Knife from the side of the horse's belly, and slung it across his waist.

"It would be best if we can find out some information about them. If not, we will leave Xinzhou and head to Hequ tomorrow morning to take a look at Qinfeng Village. There is no need to fight Master Mu and the others to death."

Su Qingqi nodded slightly and said no more. She watched Zhao Wumian leave with a little worry.

But I never expected that Zhao Wumian would turn around and come back as soon as he left.

Su Qingqi was slightly stunned.

But Zhao Wumian just laughed, "If something unexpected really happened, and someone got stabbed in the street and I got injured, well... I don't know if Miss Su can sacrifice herself to feed the tiger."

Su Qingqi's face suddenly turned red, and she spat, "I see you just want to practice dual cultivation... No, we agreed not to do this after your injury heals. You can't let yourself get hurt just for that, right?"

"Then can I give you a hug?"

Su Qingqi blinked her eyes, thinking that they had already practiced dual cultivation, so there was nothing wrong with a hug... and she slightly opened her arms.

Zhao Wumian hugged her, and his nose was filled with the faint fragrance of Su Qingqi's hair.

Su Qingqi's face turned slightly red. She didn't know why, but she felt that just a hug made her legs weaker than practicing dual cultivation... But she also liked the feeling of being held in Zhao Wumian's arms.

She thought Zhao Wumian would hold her for a longer time, but in fact, he loosened his hands after just a few breaths and said with a smile, "It would be great if I could hug you every time I leave."

Su Qingqi put away the slight disappointment in her heart and smiled slightly: "You are not going to die..."

"So you can't fulfill my small request?"

Su Qingqi thought about it seriously, and then smiled softly: "As long as you meet Luo Xiangzhu, you don't have to have anything to do with her."

Zhao Wumian was stunned, and pondered for a while. He had guessed that his relationship with Luo Xiangzhu was just a misunderstanding. After all, as the eldest daughter of a vassal king, it was impossible for her to be involved with someone from Taixuan Palace. So he asked, "Is that true?"

"I will not lie to you."

Zhao Wumian was delighted and left the inn in a happy mood.

(End of this chapter)