Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 628 What people want

The people in the room now understood why Sun De was in such a hurry to tell them these things. If what Master Wu said was true, the entire Holy Sect would surely be shaken.

Perhaps this will be able to drag Xu Shu down from her position as head of the household.

Whether they were involved or not, this event was bound to happen. The sooner they knew everything, the sooner they could plan ahead and maximize their gains.

Wu Yue went to get the teacup, Sun De lowered his gaze, and Fan Yun also seemed to be deep in thought.

The Holy See's leader was so attractive to them that they were willing to risk their lives.

Wu Yue said, "We can find someone who can definitely help us."

Sun De thought for a moment: "You mean Xu Lai?"

Wu Yue said, "Since Lü Shi has already started investigating what happened back then, he must have left some clues. If we find these, the Xu family will be suspected. Back then, they killed Xie Yisong to avenge their family, which led the court to decide to eradicate the Holy Sect. How many people did the Holy Sect lose in those two years? If their relatives know that they were framed back then, will they let it go?"

"As long as they are willing to deal with the Supreme Leader, they will become our help."

A flame burned in the eyes of each of them.

“Then let’s not delay,” Fan Yun said. “I’ll go find Xu Lai now.”

……

Xu Lai was not in the camp. He was in charge of preparing provisions for the Holy Church and could leave at any time under some pretext. But this time, he went out not for provisions, but because he had received a secret letter from Master Wu, asking him to come here to discuss countermeasures.

Xu Lai changed his clothes, slung a bundle of firewood over his shoulder, and headed into the mountains. Some people saw him and mistook him for an ordinary woodcutter. He didn't dare to be careless, so he rested for a while before climbing another mountain.

It was already daylight by then.

When they reached the halfway point of the mountain, they indeed saw a figure standing there, looking towards the road. It was none other than Master Wu.

“You’ve finally arrived,” said Master Wu. “I’ve been waiting for you all night.”

Xu Lai didn't mention that, but instead asked Master Wu, "Did you take away the nephews and nieces of Sun De and Fan Yun?"

Master Wu sneered, "I wish I had that ability. If things hadn't gone wrong, you might have already fallen victim to their evil deeds, and we would only meet again in the next life."

“I went to them to discuss countermeasures, but they wanted to take me back for interrogation,” said Mr. Wu. “Fortunately… I was brought out beforehand… How did I treat those wolf cubs before? Even if I treated my own younger brother and son, I would not have treated them like this. But they only have interests in their eyes. When they saw that I was in trouble, they kicked me when I was down and wanted to climb up by stepping on me.”

Xu Lai wanted to ask who had brought Master Wu out ahead of time, but before he could finish speaking, Master Wu led him around a corner, and the next moment he saw several figures on the hillside not far away.

The person surrounded in the middle was a woman.

Master Wu said, "It was Madam Xie who saved me."

Xu Lai's expression was complex, his gaze shifting repeatedly, showing surprise, wariness, and disappointment.

“I’m not trying to harm you,” said Master Wu. “Haven’t you been keeping an eye on Lü Shi’s matter? Look at what she’s wearing on her waist.”

Hearing what Master Wu said, Xu Lai subconsciously looked over and vaguely saw a familiar object. He immediately took a few quick steps, and the object became clearer and clearer, and his heart was pounding.

Xu Lai was already standing in front of Xie Yuyan, and his gaze returned to Xie Yuyan. He wanted to ask Xie Yuyan for the jade pendant to examine it carefully, but when he saw those clear eyes that revealed no emotion, Xu Lai couldn't help but take a step back.

Xu Lai finally came to his senses. He couldn't help but admire Madam Xie's boldness. This place wasn't far from the Holy Sect's camp, yet she had brought people here. If the Holy Sect discovered them, they certainly wouldn't be able to escape. "Xu Lai, is it?" Xie Yuyan said. "I'm not familiar with your sect's rules, so I addressed you by your name directly."

As she spoke, Xie Yuyan took the jade pendant off her waist and handed it to Xu Lai: "I know you want to see this. After you've seen it, we can talk again."

After Xie Yuyan finished speaking, he turned and walked to the side.

Xu Lai watched Xie Yuyan's retreating figure. This Madam Xie was somewhat different from what she had imagined. She thought that Madam Xie was at most a leader, unwilling to be confined to the inner quarters and manipulated by others. Because she was no less capable than men, she was able to do some things and gain the respect of some people.

However, the mere fact that Madam Xie was here showed that she possessed more courage and ability than the leader, not to mention that she could so confidently entrust the jade token to him. Madam Xie must have known that this jade token was very useful within the sect, but she didn't particularly care about it, because in her heart, these things were not the key to victory or defeat, life or death; only she herself was.

Xu Lai stopped thinking, stroked the jade pendant in his hand, then picked up a handful of soil from the ground and sprinkled it on the jade pendant. He blew on it gently, revealing a small gap under the jade pendant.

Xu Lai's hands trembled slightly; now he was certain it was indeed Lü Shi's jade token.

Xu Lai swallowed hard, his throat burning with pain. So Lü Shi really had been framed, and his previous guesses were true.

After calming himself down, Xu Lai looked up in the direction where Madam Xie had left. He pursed his lips, made up his mind, and started walking in that direction.

Master Wu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his decision was correct. Even Xu Lai was willing to help Madam Xie, which increased their chances of success.

Xu Lai walked to Xie Yuyan's side, bowed to her, and asked, "What are you thinking, Madam Xie?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Besides you, who else is closer to Lü Shi?"

Xu Lai shook his head: "After Lü Shi passed away, Zhang Ming disappeared. Besides him, there's only me..."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Then it must be you!"

Xu looked at Xie Yuyan and said, "If Madam Xie is asking about Xie Yisong's matter from back then, Lü Shi really didn't tell me much, only that there was something fishy about that matter. I also know that he is investigating it."

"Maybe that's why I was able to survive."

Xie Yuyan looked at Xu Lai: "Now that you see that jade tablet, what's your guess?"

Xu Lai said, "Lu Shi should have found evidence to prove that Xie Yisong did not intend to besiege the Holy Sect. Unfortunately, the evidence must have fallen into someone else's hands. It will be difficult for Madam to make a move from here."

"Why?" Xie Yuyan asked.

Xu Lai was taken aback, but he still patiently explained, "Without evidence, we cannot convince the followers."

"Does evidence and persuasion have anything to do with each other?" Xie Yuyan asked. "If they did, the truth wouldn't have been hidden for so long, and Xie Yisong and his wife wouldn't have died so tragically back then."

"Sometimes people don't believe the truth when it's presented to them; on the contrary, lies are more convincing."

"So, does it matter?"

This startled Xu Lai; he hadn't considered any of this: "What does Madam mean..."

Xie Yuyan said, "Our leader has long lost his prestige, and it's only a matter of time before he is abandoned by his followers. Once the overall situation is settled, everything else is just an excuse. Who would really investigate whether this matter is true or false?"

(End of this chapter)