Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 272 Four Swordsmen Defeated, A Fool's Plan

Time flies!

Seeing Yi Jifeng resort to his old tricks again, Murong Fu also used the "Shifting Stars" technique.

Yi Jifeng was taken aback when he saw this.

Why does this young master Murong's movement look so familiar?
To be stunned in the midst of battle is a grave taboo.

While Yi Jifeng was momentarily stunned, Murong Fu did not hesitate at all. He seized the opportunity, used his "Shifting Stars" technique to circle the three-in-one sword shadow, and then slammed it back at Yi Jifeng.

The sharp sword shadow rushed in, and Yi Jifeng realized that something was wrong. He quickly dodged and at the same time condensed his true energy to block his vital points.

But it was too late. He was struck by his own sword shadow, and the immense force sent him flying out of the hall, crashing through the door and landing on the ground outside.

The sharp sword energy pierced through the black robe on his body. Although his vital points were protected by the protective aura, other parts of his body were still struck by the sword energy, leaving him covered in blood.

Murong Fu leaped into the air and stood at the entrance of the hall. Seizing the opportunity, he mocked, "This is the ultimate technique of the Famous Sword Manor? It seems it's nothing special."

Yi Jifeng's eyes immediately reddened, revealing boundless anger.

Mingjian Villa was his lifeline.

He might tolerate being insulted.

But Yi Jifeng absolutely could not tolerate the insult to Mingjian Villa.

Supporting himself as he stood up, Yi Jifeng said, "The Murong family's 'Star Shift' technique is indeed powerful. But my Famous Sword Manor's Eight Famous Sword Techniques are not to be underestimated either. Since Young Master Murong was able to withstand my Three Swords Combined, why not try my Four Swords Combined!"

At that moment, sword energy surged around him, transforming into four sword shadows that circled around him.

As Yi Jifeng pointed, four sword shadows flew out and merged into one in mid-air.

Murong Fu was greatly alarmed.

The power of the four swords combined is many times greater than that of the previous three swords combined.

He could withstand the combined attack of three swords, but faced with the combined attack of four swords, he felt a sense of fear and hurriedly used the Dragon City Sword Technique, unleashing a torrent of sword energy.

Yi Jifeng controlled the four-in-one sword shadow and charged straight at Murong Fu. The continuous sword energy was like an egg compared to a stone in front of this sword shadow, and was easily crushed by it.

Seeing that this method was not working, Murong Fu had no choice but to place all his hopes on the "Shifting Stars" technique, and once again used the "Shifting Stars" technique to face that sword shadow.

When his true energy clashed with the sword shadow, Murong Fu felt as if he had been hit by a mountain. The immense force was too much for him to bear, and he staggered back several steps.

Fortunately, Deng Baichuan had been paying close attention to the situation. Upon seeing this, he quickly stepped forward, pressed down on Murong Fu's shoulder, and channeled his inner energy into Murong Fu's body.

With this help, Murong Fu was able to stop his retreat and wholeheartedly use the "Star Shift" technique to completely neutralize the power of the sword shadow.

But it no longer had the power to return the sword, so it could only direct it towards the sky.

The sword's shadow crashed through the roof of the hall and exploded in mid-air.

Although he accepted the attack, Murong Fu was not in a good mood.

Yi Jifeng only had the cultivation of innate qi, but when he unleashed the Four Swords Combined, he almost couldn't handle it.

The Famous Sword Manor's Eight Famous Sword Styles consist of a total of eight swords.

If this person becomes even stronger in the future and comprehends a few more sword techniques, I'm afraid I won't be a match for him at all.

His actions today have severely offended the other party, and it's feared that things will not end well in the future.

If before, Murong Fu only wanted to vent his anger, now he truly harbored murderous intent.

Deng Baichuan said in a low voice, "Young Master, when the master was alive, he had some connections with the old master of Mingjian Manor. You should... show some leniency!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water splashed on his face, and Murong Fu immediately sobered up.

He then realized that he was the one who carried the heavy burden of his Murong family, while the old master of Mingjian Manor was still alive.

If he dares to kill Yi Jifeng here, the old master of the manor will probably abandon all martial ethics and come all the way to Jiangnan.

Murong Fu immediately regretted it, but it was too late to say anything now. He could only force himself to remain calm and snorted coldly: "It does have some merit, but my Jiangnan territory does not need your protection, Yi Jifeng, and I do not need you to give up the position of alliance leader... You can leave now."

When Yi Jifeng saw that even his strongest four-sword combination was no match for his opponent, he was filled with rage but also helpless.

He could only clasp his hands in a fist salute, snort coldly, and turn to leave.

Murong Fu was also very unhappy.

Although he was ambitious but incompetent, and he was distant in his relationships with people, he still understood the most basic principle that enemies should be killed.

Offending Yi Jifeng is not a big deal, but being unable to kill him after offending him is a bit troublesome.

The head steward of the Wang family immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Alliance Leader Murong!"

Everyone responded immediately.

Zhu, the head of the Zhu family, glanced at Yi Jifeng as he walked away. Without much hesitation, he led the heads of many other families from other regions to pay their respects.

It would have been better if he hadn't come forward. As soon as he did, Murong Fu noticed him and immediately remembered that he had spoken at length about the peace talks at the meeting, and had even supported Yi Jifeng to continue serving as the leader of the alliance, going against the Wang family's steward.

Looking back, the Zhu family was just an ordinary merchant family. If they had any backing, it was at most a few officials, which were not worth mentioning.

He thought to himself: If I can't kill Yi Jifeng, can't I at least kill you?
He immediately looked at everyone and said, "As the leader of the alliance, I must protect the interests of the entire Jiangnan region. I will not yield an inch of land to the Sun Moon Sect and will never negotiate with them!"

Everyone was stunned.

The head steward of the Wang family suddenly had a bad feeling. He looked up and was about to speak when a bright sword light flashed before his eyes.

With this flash of sword light, the head of the Zhu family fell to the ground, his head as large as a bucket, blood splattering everywhere.

"This man just spoke at length about peace talks, actually wanting to succumb to the demonic power of the Sun Moon Sect! I, Murong Fu, will never allow such a villain to appear in the alliance!"

Murong Fu's longsword was still dripping with blood: "Anyone who dares to mention peace talks again in the future will have their heads chopped off!"

With the corpse of the Zhu family head right before their eyes, no one dared to say anything else. They all shouted in unison, "As the Alliance Leader commands!"

Murong Fu nodded: "This place has been damaged in the battle today, so please come to my Yanziwu Canhe Manor tomorrow to discuss the alliance!"

"Yes!"

Murong Fu then turned and left, Deng Baichuan followed closely behind, and the others also left one by one, leaving only the Wang family steward looking at the corpse on the ground, his face full of pain and complicated emotions.

"This young master Murong... is truly a complete fool!"

When he met Lady Wang, also known as Li Qingluo, he heard her scold Murong Fu, saying that he was all show and no substance but a good-for-nothing.

He didn't quite believe it before, thinking to himself, "How could someone with such a great reputation as Young Master Murong be such a good-for-nothing?"

Now that I see it, what the lady said... is indeed true!
Everything was clearly already taken care of when Murong Fu appeared.

The Zhu family and other families have already submitted.

Yi Jifeng also voluntarily relinquished his position as leader of the alliance. However, Murong Fu provoked Yi Jifeng, leading to a fight between them. This turned the beautiful story of mutual courtesy into a shameful act of forcing Yi Jifeng.

Putting aside Yi Jifeng's background, his help to the major families in Jiangnan and his contributions to the alliance during this period have been genuine and witnessed by countless people.

Forcing someone like that out of the league would be a huge scandal.
However, Yi Jifeng is currently alone, and Mingjian Manor is not a local force in Jiangnan, so this matter can still be handled.

The killing of the Zhu family head caused the whole situation to spiral out of control.

That's right, the head of the Zhu family is indeed just a businessman, without the background of the Famous Sword Manor.

But he was a representative of out-of-town merchants, and he had already expressed his submission.

If we kill him, what will other out-of-town businessmen think?
Moreover, although he is a businessman from out of town, he has considerable influence in the local area.

That's how business works; it often involves cooperation among multiple forces, exchanging resources and goods. Therefore, the influence of various merchant families is mutual.

Many local families have close business ties with the Zhu family.

Killing the Zhu family head so casually would cause resentment even among some local families!

Compared to that, offending Yi Jifeng, forcing him to relinquish his position as leader of the alliance, and driving him away are actually minor matters.

"I'm afraid I can't cover this up. I'd better report it to Madam immediately..."

Since the death of the head of the Wang family, although the madam has been in charge of affairs, she has never come up with any good ideas for the development of the Wang family's business.

With the previous manager retiring, he has been taking over most of the Wang family's business in recent years.

But after what happened today, he clearly realized that his fragile arms probably couldn't bear the strain.

"Hahahahaha..."

On the official road leading to Suzhou, an unremarkable carriage was traveling.

The carriage looked unremarkable, but surprisingly, there was no coachman in front of it. It was as if the horses were intelligent and could find their way on their own.

Inside the carriage, Dongfang Bubai, dressed in red, laughed uncontrollably.

He reached out and patted Jin Jiu, who was sitting next to him, and asked, "Now... do we still need to carry out your plan?"

Jin Jiu was speechless. He shook his head and sighed, "They say that no matter how many tricks a villain tries, a fool's quick thinking is no match for it. I'm truly... impressed!"

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Bubai became displeased: "Who are you calling a villain?"

Jin Jiu said, "You think this is about you? Heh, I devised this whole series of plans. Apart from following my orders and acting according to the plan, have you ever offered any suggestions?"

“Oh right,” Dongfang Bubai suddenly realized, “you’re insulting yourself.”

Gin pursed his lips.

I always felt that after Dongfang Bubai joined the organization, his wise and domineering image gradually faded away.

However, Jin Jiu also understood that this was because Dongfang Bubai had an organization to rely on, so he no longer needed to use his brain in many aspects, and naturally became a little 'dumb'.

It's like many people who always maintain an extremely good image in front of outsiders, but when they go home, they act like complete idiots.

It's simply because you need to be mindful in front of outsiders, but not at home.

This change in attitude can only mean that Dongfang Bubai has developed sufficient trust in the organization and in him.

After laughing, Dongfang Bubai got down to business: "Now that Yi Jifeng is no longer the alliance leader, I naturally don't need to give this so-called alliance any face. Moreover, because of Murong Fu's move, I don't need to hold any more peace talks, right?"

Jin Jiu shook his head: "No need. With Murong Fu's help, these troublesome parts are no longer necessary."

According to his original plan, Dongfang Bubai would personally take action after the alliance proposed peace talks, fight a great battle with Yi Jifeng, defeat him, and then agree to peace talks out of respect for Mingjian Villa.

This move serves two purposes: firstly, it allows Yi Jifeng to withdraw from the alliance with composure.

Secondly, it was to lower the alliance's guard and prevent them from taking a desperate gamble.

Thirdly, it lays the foundation for the future development of the Sun Moon Cult.

Of the three, the latter two are the key.

Although the Wang family and other families are all engaged in commerce, they are deeply rooted in Jiangnan. Despite their repeated defeats under the attacks of the Sun Moon Cult, if they were to play a desperate game, they could absolutely destroy Jiangnan, leaving the Sun Moon Cult in ruins.

The Jiangnan region is prosperous, and the Sun Moon Cult has its eye on this area. Their goal is to profit from the Jiangnan region to support the expansion and development of the Southern Ming Cult.

If these business families were to turn on the business and destroy the Jiangnan region, turning it into ruins, it would take a very long time for the Sun Moon Cult to recover, even if it took over.

Not worth the candle.

On the other hand, these business families had close ties with Song officials, and were even their money bags.

If the Sun Moon Cult were to seize these money bags, it would easily provoke fierce opposition from those officials.

Before the Ming Cult openly proposed rebellion, this aspect still needed to be properly addressed.

Just like the Yellow Turban Rebellion of the past, before the formal uprising, Zhang Jiao was a guest of honor in various clans.

After the peace talks, the Sun Moon Cult will officially intervene in the commercial affairs of Jiangnan and make contact with local officials, thereby gradually replacing the Wang family and other families.

Once all preparations are complete, the Sun Moon Cult will launch another war to completely annihilate them.

However, with Murong Fu's help, most of these troublesome matters were no longer necessary.

"The Zhu family's advocacy for peace talks was actually the common wish of every family in this business alliance. After Murong Fu appeared, he did not resist at all and directly chose to obey."

However, he was still directly killed by Murong Fu.

So others might wonder, why did Murong Fu kill him? Was it because he advocated for peace talks, or because he was from an outsider family?

If it's the former, then all the families within the alliance who advocate for peace talks will tremble with fear. If it's the latter, then all the out-of-town families within the alliance will also be terrified.

Jin Jiu said, "As long as we get all these families to pledge allegiance to the Sun Moon Cult, they will help us solve all our problems."

Dongfang Bubai nodded repeatedly and said, "It seems I will owe Yi Jifeng a favor."

It's impossible for the Sun Moon Cult to directly persuade those families to join them.

Yi Jifeng is the best candidate.

Jin Jiu shook his head and said, "You don't need to owe him a favor, you only need to owe the organization a favor. The organization will handle this matter."

Dongfang Bubai thought for a moment, then suddenly sneered and said, "That's what you say, but your purpose is probably just to act as a middleman and make both sides owe you a favor, right?"

"What, you're not convinced?" Jin Jiu raised an eyebrow and asked back.

"I admit it! Of course I admit it! How could I dare not admit it!"

Dongfang Bubai's tone was sarcastic and unsettling, yet it carried a hint of mockery.

(End of this chapter)