Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 621 Fake love and fake intentions
As soon as Sun De said this, his brothers all agreed.

Everyone understood that we were about to get down to business.

Sun De continued, "My elder brother was also confused. He didn't understand the situation in Bianjing before leading his men in. Not only did he fail to rescue Wu Qian, but he almost got himself killed as well."

"Back in the day, our elder brother was so impressive. He's getting old, after all. In the future, when he encounters problems, we should help him think things through."

Fan Yun immediately asked, "Then... what should we do since our elder brother has asked us to go for a meeting this time?"

Sun De said, "We definitely have to go. We brothers are the closest of friends. How can we stand idly by at such a crucial moment? Wouldn't that make our eldest brother sad?"

Several people nodded.

“However, I’m also afraid that my brother’s concern will lead him astray,” Sun De said. “It doesn’t matter if we risk our lives, we still have wives, children and elderly parents to take care of at home.”

Fan Yun immediately said, "Second Brother is right. We can't just listen to one person's opinion on this matter. We brothers need to discuss it together. After all, Eldest Brother wants to deal with the Supreme Leader. If it succeeds, great. If it fails... we can't let everyone's lives be lost."

Sun De said, "That's what I mean. What do you all think?"

Huang Ping, Wu Yue, and Nie Chao all nodded.

Before Sun De could speak again, Wu Yue said, "However, Xu said that my elder brother has a way to deal with the Supreme Leader. He holds the Supreme Leader's secrets. If we get them, we can gain more support from the believers."

Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to see Master Wu at all.

Nie Chao interjected, "Xu Lai wouldn't spread rumors carelessly."

Xu Lai rarely speaks in public, and he has never been seen to actively support anyone. The fact that he risked his life to help Master Wu deliver a message shows that he was quite confident.

Huang Ping thought of something: "Xu Lai is close to the great monk Lü Shi. Could the leverage that my brother mentioned come from Lü Shi?"

The group looked at each other and suddenly realized that this was very likely the case.

Fan Yun said, "Fourth brother is really amazing. How come I didn't think of Lü Shi?"

Sun De thought it over carefully. If that were the case, it would be even better. Lü Shi was very famous in the sect, so bringing him up would make it even more legitimate. If that were the case, they had to go on this trip.

Wu Yue said, "My elder brother sent us there, probably to discuss this matter."

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Fan Yun said, taking another swig of wine. “My elder brother is also wary of us, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked us to send our nephews to see him.”

Sun De seized the opportunity to say, "Brother wasn't like this before."

Huang Ping said, "Of course my elder brother wouldn't do that. I'm just afraid someone might instigate it. We should talk to him face to face and make things clear."

Fan Yun said, "You mean, there are other people with my elder brother?"

"It's better to be safe than sorry. What if it's a trap set for us?" Huang Ping continued. "If they use our nephews and nieces as hostages, won't we have no choice but to comply?"

“To avoid being controlled by others, we need to make some preparations in advance.” Sun De said after considering for a moment, “We will still send someone tomorrow, but not to keep the appointment, but to find our elder brother and bring him here.”

Huang Ping nodded: "Should we send our nephews or nieces instead?"

“Xu Lai has informants within the sect. Even if it's just for show, we have to let them go. They just need to find a safe place nearby and keep an eye on things. Once their men bring our leader here, they can then question him about the leader's secrets.”

The group finally reached a consensus.

It's best to let the nephews and nieces interrogate their elder brother, to avoid them directly breaking ties with him. It's not that they're afraid of their elder brother; if anything goes wrong, they can blame the younger generation.

Everyone got the result they wanted, and their faces became more relaxed. Fan Yun pulled Sun De to have a drink, and Sun De said, "Then I'll have a few drinks with my third brother, but I can only stay here for half an hour at most. The leader may summon me at any time."

Fan Yun frowned: "How happy we brothers were when the old leader was here? I can't live like this for even a day longer." Sun De patted Fan Yun on the shoulder: "Perhaps we won't have to worry about these things soon."

The steward prepared a meal, and after the group ate, they left one after another, as they had many other things to arrange.

……

At the foot of the mountain, in a farmer's house, Mr. Wu looked at the simple house and couldn't help but sigh.

This was the safest place he could find.

With both the head of the family and the Xie family nearby, he had to proceed with caution.

"When do you plan to meet with the Xie family?" Yang Kuan asked.

Master Wu looked outside and gathered some men to guard him, lest he be arrested before the plan could be accomplished.

“After persuading a few of my brothers,” said Master Wu, “we are more confident in convincing the Xie family to join forces with us.”

He felt that this decision was correct, as he had all the advantages of timing, location, and people.

Who would have thought that Xie would suddenly appear in the Northwest, saving him the trouble of sending someone to Bianjing to deliver the message?

Yang Kuan asked again, "Are your brothers reliable?"

“I’m not stupid,” said Master Wu. “I’ve already asked Xu Lai to keep an eye on their movements. If they don’t send their nephews or nieces, Xu Lai will inform me.”

Yang Kuan seemed to finally feel relieved.

Master Wu sneered, "I've figured it out now, you're more afraid of death than I am."

Yang Kuan did not refute, but after a long pause, he said, "I am incompetent, but I know one thing: if you want to live a better life, you have to follow the right person."

Mr. Wu sat in his chair, picked up his bowl, took a sip of water, and then smiled: "You made the right choice."

Later that evening, Xu Lai delivered a message that Sun De and the others had agreed to send their sons and nephews to meet with Master Wu. Xu Lai also instructed Master Wu not to reveal everything before persuading several families.

Master Wu naturally understood that even biological brothers would be wary of each other, let alone sworn brothers. He wouldn't have made such an arrangement if he really didn't have any precautions.

Everything is ready now, and we're just waiting for them to arrive tomorrow.

That night, Master Wu couldn't sleep at all; tomorrow's meeting was crucial to whether he could rescue Wu Qian. Yang Kuan, on the other hand, slept very well, and soon began to snore.

The next day, Master Wu got up early and led his men to inspect the surrounding area before returning to the courtyard to wait for the group.

Before they could see the person, a guard outside came to report: "A dozen or so people have suddenly appeared to the west, and they seem to be heading towards this courtyard."

Mr. Wu was startled: "Could it be them?"

While he was speaking, Yang Kuan had already picked up the wooden stick, his face turning extremely ugly: "I advise you to leave now, or it will be too late later."

Mr. Wu's face was gloomy.

Yang Kuan said, "They're so cautious, how could they possibly travel in groups? They're clearly here to arrest you."

Seeing that Master Wu remained silent, Yang Kuan said, "Don't believe me? I'll take you to a high place to hide, and you'll see for yourself what they're here for."

(End of this chapter)