Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 94 The Bitter Meat Scheme

Jiang Mingzhe said, "Alright! Old Zhong, let's not beat around the bush. By helping me save my senior sister, you're not only helping me, but also helping yourself!"

Zhong Wanchou thought he was being told that his daughter had also been taken away, and laughed, "Mr. Long, you don't know this, but Boss Duan and the others will not harm Zhong Ling."

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and said, "When I said I'd help you, I meant to show your wife your strength, Lao Zhong! Hehe, with the arrogance of the Four Evils, they would surely act recklessly and rudely in your valley. Think about it, which woman would want to see her husband associating with demons and thugs and making a mess of their home?"

Zhong Wanchou was stunned for a moment, then slapped his head with his big hand: "Oh dear, I was wondering why my baby wouldn't talk to me these past few days!"

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "That's not all! Yun Zhonghe is clearly eyeing your wife. How could she, a woman, not be afraid or hate him? But her husband not only doesn't dare to stand up for her, he even goes so far as to serve the Four Evils. Tell me, if you were his wife, would you respect such a husband?"

Zhong Wanchou was filled with shame and bitterness, saying, "She looks down on me! What should I do? Does she hate me to the core? Is there any hope for me?"

Duan Yu suddenly said, "Brother, didn't you say that one should not be disrespectful to women when getting close to them? Why do you want him to please the madam?"

Zhong Wanchou eagerly awaited Jiang Mingzhe's guidance, but he couldn't stand Duan Yu interrupting. He jumped up and down, shouting, "What do you know about love and romance, you brat? Go away! You only remember 'getting close to someone leads to disrespect,' but how come you forgot 'keeping your distance leads to resentment'? I'm getting close to someone she hates, so naturally she'll resent and be angry with me."

Jiang Mingzhe laughed loudly: "Hahaha, what a fine old Zhong! I never thought you had the makings of a Casanova! That's absolutely right. My dear brother, you must also remember that everything should be done in moderation. You are a student of the I Ching, so you should know that when things reach their extreme, they begin to decline, and when things reach their extreme, they begin to recover. Everything has to turn around. The key is balance!"

Duan Yu was startled and murmured, "The doctrine of the mean is indeed supreme! But few people can maintain it for long... My elder brother is truly a genius. I've wasted my time studying, I'm not even as good as Zhong Ling's father..."

Zhong Wanchou angrily retorted, "What do you mean by salty or sweet? If you're hungry, I'll treat you to wine and meat later. Don't disturb me while I'm listening to the master's teachings!"

Jiang Mingzhe patted him on the shoulder to calm him down and smiled, "Old Zhong, imagine this scenario—you swiftly kill Boss Duan with a single stroke, and your wife is shocked, asking, 'Husband, what are you doing?' You look at him with disdain, your face cold and stern, and say calmly, 'You really think I want to associate with these villains? Hmph, that's a woman's perspective. I only wanted to use them, but these guys are so arrogant and dare to anger my wife. Hmph, my woman, only I can bully her. If anyone else tries to bully you, I'll kill them all. What else is there to say?'"

"Oh dear, oh dear, hahahahaha..."

Zhong Wanchou was overjoyed, imagining himself exuding domineering charm and captivating his wife. He laughed like a well-fed horse: "Wonderful, good sir, absolutely wonderful! Especially this line, 'Only I can bully my woman,' that's truly from the bottom of my heart. If I were a woman, I'm afraid I'd fall in love with myself!"

He laughed heartily, then suddenly remembered something and said with difficulty, "Mr. Long, Boss Duan's martial arts are extremely high, and I am no match for him. What do you think about me killing Ye Erniang?"

Jiang Mingzhe said arrogantly, "Who says you can't kill the so-called number one villain in the world? Old Zhong, come closer!"

Zhong Wanchou obediently turned his head to look over, and Jiang Mingzhe pinched his ear and whispered, "This plan is called the self-inflicted injury plan. Just do this and that, and then do this and that!"

He then laughed and said, "Hehe, Valley Master Zhong, you say the Duan family is powerful and influential, but if the Four Evils were to fall in Wanjie Valley, would their reputation of 'killing anyone they see' really be no match for my uncle?"

After saying that, he raised an eyebrow: "When the time comes, the Valley Master of Ten Thousand Calamities will be famous throughout the world. Which female knight will not admire you? As for your wife, she will be so jealous every day that she will not be able to keep up with it. She will use all her means to please you and win you over."

Duan Yu, an observer, nodded thoughtfully.

Zhong Wanchou's face was flushed with excitement, and he nodded vigorously, exhaling heavily through his nostrils: "Good! Good! Mr. Long, I'll do whatever you say! I've decided to kill Boss Duan; even Heaven can't save him!"

Jiang Mingzhe smiled and stood up: "Great! Since that's the case, let's not delay any longer. My good brother, please invite your father in to discuss this. We'll go to Wanjie Valley today!"

Duan Yu was confused, but he didn't hesitate and immediately called his father over.

The four guardians and the leaders of the East and West sects were all gathered together.

When Duan Zhengchun heard that Jiang Mingzhe was going to Wanjie Valley today, he frowned and said, "Nephew, didn't you say you were going to ask Marquis Shanchan and Minister Ba for help? Why did you suddenly bring it up earlier?" Jiang Mingzhe patted Zhong Wanchou and said, "Valley Master Zhong saw injustice on the road and drew his sword to help. He is willing to be an inside man. With him, it is better than a thousand troops!"

Zhong Wanchou felt very dignified, looking around with disdain, his large nostrils sweeping over everyone.

His previous arrogance was still fresh in everyone's memory, but unexpectedly, in the time it took to say a few words, he had already become subservient to Jiang Mingzhe.

The four guards and the two sect leaders looked at each other, feeling that Jiang Mingzhe's methods were mysterious and unpredictable, and their awe grew even stronger.

Jiang Mingzhe continued, “Uncle, Sect Leader Xin just said that Wanjie Valley is not far from here. Why did that enemy give me three more days? Doesn’t he know the power of the Duan family? Isn’t he afraid that we will mobilize our troops? I think he must be hiding some big conspiracy. Why should we follow his pace and wait for him to make his plans? Let’s just go tonight and catch him off guard!”

Duan Zhengchun pondered for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "What you say makes sense! 'In all battles, one engages with the orthodox and wins with the unorthodox.' Our straightforward demand for people is the orthodox approach, our preemptive strike is the unorthodox approach, and using Master Zhong as an inside agent is yet another unorthodox approach. Brilliant! This is precisely the principle of 'seeking advantage from the situation, not blaming individuals, thus being able to choose the right people and leverage the situation.' I never expected my nephew to be so talented, even proficient in military strategy."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself: What is he talking about? He smiled modestly and said, "A few tricks cannot fool Uncle."

Now that Zhong Wanchou has Jiang Mingzhe as his strategist, who promised to let him display his prowess and make his wife swoon, he feels much more confident. He is no longer as wary of Duan Zhengchun as before, but the shadow of Duan is still too deep, and he can't help but get angry whenever he sees him.

Therefore, seeing Duan Zhengchun nodding and praising incessantly, Zhong Wanchou sneered, "Hmph, it's no use flattering me, Mr. Long. Wanjie Valley has its own rules: anyone surnamed Duan who enters the valley will be killed without mercy. Duan Zhengchun, you don't need to go."

Duan Zhengchun sneered, "Isn't this great villain also surnamed Duan? You call him 'Boss Duan' so affectionately, why don't you kill him?"

Zhong Wanchou raised his horse-like face and said, "Who said I won't kill him? If he dares to use the surname Duan, I'll kill him right here!"

Seeing his confidence, Duan Zhengchun glanced at Jiang Mingzhe with suspicion, wondering how much drug his nephew had given him.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Since Valley Master Zhong is willing to help, he is one of us. Wanjie Valley is also Valley Master Zhong's territory. We should follow the host's lead. If he doesn't want me to go, I can't force him... But if only you go alone, I'm afraid the villain will become suspicious. Hmm, let my four brothers accompany you!"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded and said, "Since it is your kindness, Uncle, how could I refuse? Please, esteemed seniors, help me!"

The four guards clasped their hands in unison: "Lord Dragon, you are too kind!"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "Then we'll proceed according to plan. Valley Master Zhong will return first. Uncle, please take action and strike a few acupoints on Valley Master Zhong. Be firm with your technique so that his upper body is immobilized, leaving him only able to walk on his legs."

"This……"

Duan Zhengchun looked at Zhong Wanchou, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Although the other party had insulted him harshly before, he had obviously taken over the consequences he had left behind. Putting himself in Zhong Wanchou's shoes, how could he bear to lay a hand on him?

Zhong Wanchou was also somewhat indignant, thinking that he had poked my wife and now he wanted to poke me too, it was simply too much! But thinking about the many benefits of accomplishing this great thing, he finally gritted his teeth and said: "Duan, do it. If you don't poke me hard, you'll be a living turtle!"

Duan Zhengchun was furious when he heard his vicious words, thinking to himself, "Do you think I am like you?"

Using his One-Finger Divine Skill, he pressed several acupoints on Zhong Wanchou. Zhong Wanchou groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He glared fiercely at Duan Zhengchun, then smiled at Jiang Mingzhe and said, "This guy really didn't poke very hard. Mr. Long, I'm off!" With that, he turned and left.

After he walked away, Duan Zhengchun suddenly realized that when he said I poked lightly, he was calling me a bastard!
At this moment, Jiang Mingzhe said, "We will follow Valley Master Zhong closely and split into two groups. The first group consists of me and the four seniors from the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, who will go straight into the valley to deal with the two villains. The second group consists of Uncle Duan and the heroes of the Boundless Sword Sect. They do not need to enter the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities; they will simply lie in ambush outside. If the two villains escape, you will intercept them!"

He commanded with composure and confidence, which subconsciously convinced everyone, including Duan Zhengchun, who all bowed in agreement.

(End of this chapter)