Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 175 Together to Shaolin
Jiang Mingzhe patted Murong Fu on the shoulder with a grin and whispered, "When I was having dinner with A'Zhu and A'Bi at Songhelou, my third brother and I were short of money. Your A'Zhu exchanged her hairpin for wine and treated us. This generosity immediately caught the eye of Brother Xiao Feng. He was also drinking upstairs at the time and stepped forward to redeem A'Zhu's hairpin. That's how we got to know Brother Xiao."

"Later, Brother Xiao and I went ahead. He kept asking me about A'Zhu's situation, which was obviously love at first sight. I think A'Zhu also has some feelings for Brother Xiao. Although Brother Xiao's true identity has been exposed and he can no longer be the leader of the Beggars' Sect, once he returns to the Liao Kingdom, he will probably become a noble immediately. If his marriage with A'Zhu goes through, he will definitely do his best to help you achieve your great cause, considering the kindness of your family in adopting A'Zhu!"

When Murong Fu left Xingzilin earlier, A'Zhu and A'Bi told him about his encounter with Xiao Feng. Looking back now, although A'Zhu's words were brief, her admiration for Xiao Feng was quite obvious.

He never expected that Xiao Feng, with his previous status, would actually take a liking to A'Zhu.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Brother, how can you be so sure that Brother Xiao will become a prominent figure in the Khitan?"

Jiang Mingzhe then roughly recounted Elder Zhiguang and Zhao Qiansun's words, and analyzed: "The surnames Yelü and Xiao are those of the Khitan royal family and empress family. In the Battle of Yanmen Pass, the heroes of the Song Dynasty first ambushed and killed nineteen warriors. According to Zhao Qiansun, they were all the most elite and fierce soldiers in the army. Brother Xiao's parents were visiting relatives, and he was able to use these fierce soldiers to clear the way. Obviously, he is not an ordinary person. Moreover, his martial arts are superb. Even the abbot of Shaolin Temple, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and many other masters combined could not defeat him alone. Such a person, if he does not enter the officialdom, fine. But if he does enter the officialdom, how could his status be low?"

Murong Fu nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense, absolutely right!"

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "The letters from the abbot of Shaolin Temple and Chief Wang of the Beggars' Sect are not to be believed. Zhiguang and Zhao Qiansun have no reason to lie either. Therefore, my brother Xiao's identity as a Khitan is definitely correct. However, he has been a Song citizen for so many years, and since becoming the chief of the Beggars' Sect, he has dealt with many Liao people. It is natural that he finds it difficult to accept. Therefore, he went to Shaolin Temple to verify this. Once he accepts this in his heart, given his personality, he will definitely not stay in the Song Kingdom. I guess he will most likely go to Yanmen Pass to find his parents' remains and bring them back to the Liao Kingdom for burial. Hehe, his father was of extraordinary status back then. Doesn't he have friends and acquaintances in the court? Once these people know that he has returned and has such abilities, they will definitely give him a high position."

Murong Fu frowned and said, "But what if Xiao Feng doesn't want to be an enemy of the Song Dynasty and chooses to go into hiding?"

Jiang Mingzhe, his face radiating pride, declared loudly, "He is my sworn brother! My brother's skills are unparalleled in the world. Such a great man should make a name for himself. If he were to hide his identity, wouldn't he be wasting his extraordinary abilities? Besides, you are also my brother. If we have the support of the Liao ministers, restoring our kingdom will be much easier. For the sake of you two brothers, I will do everything I can to find him and go to Liao with him to find a way to put him back in his rightful place!"

Murong Fu was overjoyed. At this moment, he greatly admired Jiang Mingzhe's abilities. He thought to himself that Xiao Feng was as famous as him, so even if his martial arts were slightly inferior to his, they would not be too bad. With Brother Jiang's help, how could he not make a name for himself?
Grasping Jiang Mingzhe's arms with both hands, he said excitedly, "Good brother, good brother, it must be my ancestors in heaven who are protecting me, which is why I was able to befriend such a good brother as you!"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and patted Duan Yu on the shoulder: "It's not just for the two of you, but also for my third brother! Since A'Zhu is my third brother's sister, she's just like my own sister. Since she likes Brother Xiao, I'll naturally let her have her wish! Hehe, she's the adopted sister of the future King of Tuyuhun and a princess of Dali. If Brother Xiao doesn't become a high-ranking official, how can he match A'Zhu's status?"

Murong Fu nodded repeatedly: "That's right! A'Zhu and A'Bi have grown up with me since childhood, so it's only natural that they're my sworn sisters! Brother Duan..."

He put his arm around Duan Yu and laughed, "Now we're truly on the same side."

Duan Yu nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right."

Jiang Mingzhe's words dispelled Murong Fu's hopes for A'Zhu and also made Kumārajīva's heart pound with fear.

He mused to himself: This young man surnamed Jiang, the Crown Prince of Dali listens to him without question, and it seems even the princesses are under his control. If Xiao Feng and Murong Fu each rise to power, he will be an extremely important figure! Murong Fu is ambitious but somewhat reckless. If he truly restores Tuyuhun, becoming our imperial son-in-law might not be a blessing. As for this young man Jiang, hehe…

Kumārajīva's eyes flickered, and he slowly nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

At this moment, Zhong Ling called out again, "Brother Jiang, why aren't you coming out yet?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "Don't worry, it's coming!"

He immediately put on his clothes and went outside, with Duan Yu and Murong Fu following closely behind.

Zhong Ling pretended to be flustered and took the opportunity to grab Jiang Mingzhe's hand: "Hurry, hurry, or Ziya will cry!"

The three followed him to the hot spring above. The women were all dressed, and Azi and Azhu hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces. Mu Wanqing and Abi stood to the side. When Mu Wanqing saw Jiang Mingzhe, she smiled bitterly and said, "Look, Jiang Lang, I've gained another sister."

Jiang Mingzhe smiled and asked, "Does Miss A'Zhu also have gold lockets?"

Upon hearing this, Azhu pulled the locket from her neck and said, "It was only when my sister saw my gold lock and noticed that we both had the character 'Duan' tattooed on our shoulders that she realized we were sisters!"

Azi let go of Azhu and rushed into Jiang Mingzhe's arms, hugging him and crying, "Big Jiang, I've found my sister! No wonder I liked her the moment I saw her, she really is my sister!"

Mu Wanqing pouted and said, "Hmph, I'm your older sister too, why don't you hug me and cry?"

While crying, Azi retorted, "You and I don't even have the same mother, you're only half an older sister, and you even tried to steal my big ginger. I'm not going to hug you and cry."

Azhu gave a wry smile, took Mu Wanqing's hand and said, "Sister, don't pay attention to her. We are sisters, we should care for each other."

Mu Wanqing touched her face and smiled, "I prefer you as my sister to Ziya. By the way, you won't try to steal Jiang Lang from me too, will you?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed heartily: "Wanqing, don't talk nonsense. Brother Xiao and I are sworn brothers. Maybe I'll have to call Azhu sister-in-law in the future!"

Azhu was extremely embarrassed and stamped her foot, saying, "Hey, what nonsense are you spouting!"

But he couldn't help but worry. He thought to himself, "Brother Xiao went to Shaolin Temple. There are many masters there. How can he deal with them all by himself?"
Seeing a hint of worry in her eyes, Jiang Mingzhe immediately guessed that she was worried about Qiao Feng. He sighed and said, "I was wrong. Just now I told Brother Murong to ask him to go to Shaolin Temple to help Brother Xiao. Brother Murong said that he is your sworn brother, not mine. Why should I help him and offend Shaolin Temple for nothing?"

Azhu was taken aback, her expression turning serious.

Then Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and sighed, "I said your daughter A'Zhu seems to have taken a liking to my elder brother. Brother Murong said that if she really did, I would help her, but that's absolutely impossible. How could a daughter of the Murong family fall for a beggar? Alas, Brother Murong, it seems you understand A'Zhu best..."

Azhu hurriedly said, "No, no, young master, you've misunderstood me. I didn't think there was anything wrong with him being a beggar... wait a minute!"

She was an extremely intelligent person, but because she was worried, she was tricked by Jiang Mingzhe into telling the truth. As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately realized what was going on and glared at Jiang Mingzhe, saying, "Brother-in-law! How dare you lie to me?"

Upon hearing the word "brother-in-law," A-Zi was completely captivated, grinning from ear to ear. Mu Wanqing's eyebrows furrowed, and she pinched A-Zhu's cheek, saying, "You have no manners! You should call him brother-in-law!"

Murong Fu could tell that A'Zhu was indeed attracted to Qiao Feng. He laughed and said nonchalantly, "Alright, my good brother, for A'Zhu's sake, I'll accompany you to Shaolin!"

Duan Yu said happily, "Let's go together!"

Mu Wanqing also said, "Yes, let's go together! Last time those Shaolin monks said that women couldn't enter the temple. Humph, this time we women will go into the temple together, let's see what they have to say!"

(End of this chapter)