Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 164 Murong Fu's Ambition
Halfway through the banquet, Feng Bo'e reluctantly showed up.

When Azi asked out of curiosity, she learned that his wife was also of extraordinary background, being the eldest daughter of the Jiangnan Divine Fist Sect.

According to Bao Henli, Madam Feng was exceptionally gifted, possessing a Shadowless Divine Fist that surpassed even her grandfather's. Even when Feng Bo'e was unharmed, he couldn't last more than thirty rounds against her.

Feng Bo'e was greatly embarrassed and immediately retorted: "Young Master Jiang, don't listen to my third brother's nonsense. If I hadn't been going easy on that woman, I would have been at a disadvantage within fifty rounds! On the other hand, my third sister-in-law is a disciple of the Dragon-Slaying Master of Yandang Mountain. Her swordsmanship is extremely superb. If my third brother dares to cause trouble, I'll shave all his hair off."

The two of them revealed each other's secrets, and Duan Yu and A Zi laughed heartily, while Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but smile.

He thought to himself: Murong of Gusu is indeed worthy of his reputation. I'm afraid few people in the martial arts world know that his family has such a huge hidden power. Needless to say, the wives of Deng Baichuan and Gongye Qian must also have impressive backgrounds.

After the meal, Madam Feng had already ordered the boat to be prepared.

Abi, being observant, noticed the melancholy in Madam Feng's eyes and knew she was distressed by Feng Bo's injuries. Finding a moment, she whispered a few words in Murong Fu's ear.

Murong Fu suddenly realized, and with a smile, told Bao Butong and Feng Bo'e to stay behind to recover from their injuries.

Bao and Feng naturally refused. One said that following the young master would improve his mood, and a good mood would help his injuries heal faster. The other said that he was skilled in leg techniques and that if the young master encountered any foolish people while following him, he could still help him.

Murong Fu was speechless for a moment, and Jiang Mingzhe chimed in from the side: "Think about it, now that the Tubo National Preceptor has come to Jiangnan, Yipintang has launched a large-scale invasion, and the Beggar Clan leader has changed, it can be seen that the martial arts world is in turmoil and there may be even greater changes soon. If you two don't recover from your injuries as soon as possible, are you going to just be spectators forever?"

Bao and Feng exchanged a glance, thinking that what they said made sense, so they reluctantly stayed and watched as everyone boarded the ship and left.

The boat at Xuan Shuang Manor was quite long. Everyone sat in the cabin, sipping tea and chatting. Duan Yu recounted how, when they had rowed to Wuxi, Abi had sung a song while fanning herself. Azi and Zhongling both insisted on listening. Abi couldn't refuse, so she took off the hairpin from her hair, lined up the teacups, and poured water into them from shallow to deep. With a tinkling sound, a melody was formed. Then she began to sing a folk song from Jiangnan.

Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Murong Fu gave Jiang Mingzhe a wink and quietly left the cabin.

Jiang Mingzhe knew that he must have something to say to him, so he got up and followed him out.

The two arrived at the bow of the boat. Murong Fu clasped his hands in a fist and said in a low voice, "My third brother Bao and fourth brother Feng were unaware of Brother Jiang's good intentions and offended him. I apologize to Brother Jiang on their behalf."

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "Mr. Bao San said something good today: 'No friendship without a fight.' Actually, to be honest, I was too heavy-handed and injured your family. It is already a blessing that Brother Murong does not blame me. Besides, we have a connection with Sister Qingluo. No matter how you look at it, we are not outsiders. Please do not mention apologies."

Murong Fu nodded gratefully and sighed, "Alas, I only regret that my father passed away early, leaving me to support the Murong family alone. I am young and inexperienced, and I have not handled many things very well. Furthermore, some people have secretly framed me, causing many sects to make things difficult for me. Brother Bao and Brother Feng are worried about me, but they are also impatient and sometimes add fuel to the fire. However, I cannot say anything. They are loyal to me, and if I speak too harshly, I am afraid I will hurt their feelings. It is truly a dilemma."

Jiang Mingzhe said solemnly, "At the root of this matter, it is the person who framed us in the dark. Brother Murong, in fact, I was just about to find an opportunity to talk to you about this matter."

Murong Fu was both surprised and delighted: "Brother Jiang, do you actually know who that villain is?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "This is a long story..."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned around and threw a punch at Murong Fu.

Murong Fu was caught off guard by his sudden attack. He tried to parry, but the fist was already upon him. In desperation, he used his family's secret technique, "Shifting Stars," without thinking.

But then he swayed to the side, and without making any move, a gentle internal force emanated from his body, causing Jiang Mingzhe's punch to turn around and strike back at him.

Jiang Mingzhe was also slightly surprised, thinking to himself: So this is the famous Dou Zhuan Xing Yi. It is indeed extraordinary. However, I did not use much force in this punch, so it is not surprising that he turned it back. If I had used enough force, could he have turned my fist back?

A thought flashed through his mind, and his hands moved swiftly; he raised his left hand to block his own fist.

Murong Fu was about to retaliate when he saw Jiang Mingzhe step back, smiling without any hostility. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Brother Jiang, are you deliberately testing my skills?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "I have long heard that the Murong family's Huanshi Water Pavilion holds all the world's most exquisite skills. I suppose Brother Murong is also very knowledgeable. I wonder if you know the origin of my punch?"

Murong Fu frowned slightly, carefully recalling Jiang Mingzhe's punch just now, and exclaimed in surprise, "Shaolin's ultimate technique, the Great Vajra Pestle?" Jiang Mingzhe said, "That's right! To be honest, on my way to Jiangnan, I met someone... I was originally very grateful to this person, but Miss A'Zhu said that there is no such person among the stewards of the Murong family!"

He recounted how he met Yan Longyuan and then took out the Blood Banner.

Murong Fu glanced at it and was greatly surprised. He reached out and took it to examine it closely, nodding and saying, "It really is my family's flag. To be honest, Brother Jiang, my Murong family's Yan-character flag comes in gold, black, and blood-character versions, which are given to subordinates, allies, and sworn brothers, respectively. Even the four great manor lords only have the gold and black flags to give away. The blood-character flag is held by the patriarch himself. Yan Longyuan, who exactly is this person? How could he possibly give away my family's blood-character flag?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "Miss A'Zhu guesses that this person might be the mastermind behind it all. But this person deliberately showed me kindness, obviously because he saw that I was young and had pretty good martial arts skills, so he wanted me to become a friend of the Murong family. This is clearly a good deed, isn't it?"

He then frowned and said, "But it's not right to say that he was purely well-intentioned. First of all, it's too strange that even your head of the family doesn't know this person. Secondly, he went to Dali Kingdom and made it clear that he wanted to deal with Shaolin Xuanbei. Since he knows the Great Vajra Pestle, if he uses this skill to kill Xuanbei, Shaolin Temple will definitely suspect you again. Wouldn't that create an even greater enemy? Therefore, I can't figure out what his motives are."

"He's going to kill Shaolin Xuanbei!"

A strange light flashed in Murong Fu's eyes. He suddenly remembered that when he was a boy, the monk Xuanbei had come to his door, wanting to see his father, Murong Bo. But his father was clearly at home, yet he told him to lie and say that he was not there. A few days later, he hurriedly left home and disappeared without a trace.

Several months later, her mother suddenly summoned herself and a group of servants, saying that her father had died away from home and that his coffin had been brought back by friends.

Murong Fu clearly remembers that he cried bitterly at the time, wanting to see his father's face one last time, but his mother firmly refused, saying that his father's body had already decomposed and that it would be disrespectful to others to see it, and hurriedly buried him.

Unable to contain himself, he whispered, "Could this Yan Longyuan be the one who brought my father back back then? Or perhaps he was a hidden hand planted by my father, secretly supporting my family out of fear that I was too naive?"

Jiang Mingzhe asked curiously, "What?"

Murong Fu was about to remain silent, but after glancing at the blood-red flag in his hand, he gritted his teeth and whispered, "Brother Jiang, since you have my family's blood-red flag, I won't hide this from you..."

He then voiced his guess, saying, "Yan Longyuan said he wanted to kill Xuan Bei. Could it be that my father died at Xuan Bei's hands back then, and he wants to avenge my father?"

Jiang Mingzhe blinked, thinking that with the information Murong Fu knew, as long as he couldn't guess that his father had faked his death, this wasn't unreasonable.

He casually remarked, "Xuanbei is a renowned master of Shaolin, but is his martial arts truly enough to kill me, Old Man Murong?"

Murong Fu thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "I know, I know! Xuan Bei alone couldn't have killed my father. He must have had accomplices who ganged up on him and killed him! That Yan Longyuan must have been my father's trusted confidant. Over the years, he has investigated his enemies and secretly avenged them. The Qingcheng Sect Leader, the Qin Family Village Chief, the Funiu Mountain Sect Leader, and the Beggar Clan Deputy Leader are probably all accomplices of that bald monk Xuan Bei back then!"

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. He nodded and said, "That's right, that must be it. He deliberately used my family's method of retaliating against him to kill someone. But I've been traveling around the martial world these days. Proving that I didn't do it isn't difficult. In this way, it clears my name! Hmm, when I get back, I'll have to ask my mother about Yan Longyuan's identity. She will definitely know."

After saying this, he sighed deeply, handed the flag back to Jiang Mingzhe, and bowed deeply, saying, "If Brother Jiang hadn't told me about this, I wouldn't have known that my Murong family had such a loyal and righteous man. Since he gave the blood-lettered flag to Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang is now my brother in life and death! Well, I won't be so polite with you. I should be a few years older than you, so is it alright for me to call you my virtuous brother?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "Brother, now that you mention it, I am reminded of a passage from the Memorial to the Throne on the Eve of the Northern Expedition."

Murong Fu, who refused to study, was taken aback: "What 'Memorial on Dispatching the Troops'? What does it say?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "That was a memorial written by Zhuge Liang, the Chancellor of Shu Han, to Liu Shan, the Later Ruler. It contained the line, 'The ministers who serve within the palace are diligent, and the loyal officials who serve outside forget themselves, all because they cherish the special favor shown to them by the late Emperor and wish to repay it to Your Majesty!'"

Upon hearing the word "Your Majesty," Murong Fu trembled, his brows suddenly gleaming, and he exclaimed softly, "Isn't that right? Brother Deng and his three companions are the most diligent and unwavering guards within the palace, and Uncle Yan Longyuan is a loyal and devoted man who forgets himself outside! My dear brother..."

Murong Fu excitedly took Jiang Mingzhe's hands and said affectionately, "Brother, would you like to hear what your foolish brother hopes for?"

Jiang Mingzhe blinked and said, "Seven hundred years ago, in the Battle of Canhepo, the Murong clan of Later Yan was defeated by the Tuoba clan of Northern Wei, and the country declined as a result. Your family estate is called Canhezhuang, and you are surnamed Murong with the given name Fu. Hehe, it is not hard to guess what you hope for, brother. Could it be that you want to revive the Yan state?"

Murong Fu's eyes widened in disbelief. He exclaimed, "No wonder Brother Bao repeatedly said you were a great talent! My good brother, you... you actually guessed my hidden ambition just from my family's Canhe Manor and my name? My good brother, with your help, I, Murong Fu, will surely restore the glory of our ancestors. At that time, I will be willing to bestow upon you the title of King of the First Rank, and the Murong family and your Jiang family will share this world for generations!"

(End of this chapter)