Blood sedge

Chapter 1215 Watching from the Sidelines
On the first day of July, Jingjiang Mansion, Jiu Mo Cliff.

"Greetings, Lord of the Fortress!"

In the early morning, when Song Yu and Leng Yiyi came to Qingtian Pavilion to pay their respects to Jin Fuyu as usual, they saw that the tea, fruit and snacks on the table were still untouched. They also saw Ai Mi, who had a worried look on her face, shaking her head slightly at them. Both of them showed a look of worry on their faces.

Looking at Jin Fuyu, he was dressed in a plain white robe underneath a dark black cloak. He sat cross-legged on a futon with his hair disheveled. His deep eyes gazed thoughtfully at the surging Li River. He had been living like this for more than half a month, without sleep or rest, speaking little, and eating and drinking lightly.

"Young Master Song, people say you are a 'divine strategist,' possessing the ability to see through people's minds. No one in Golden Sword Village understands the Village Master's thoughts better than you. Do you know what the Village Master has been pondering these past few days?"

Faced with Ai Mi's worried questions, Song Yu looked at Jin Fuyu's back with complicated eyes and sighed, "How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? For so many years, the Lord of the Fortress has silently shouldered a burden that is difficult for ordinary people to bear. How can others easily guess his thoughts?"

"Then tell me..." After hesitating for a moment, Ai Mi, filled with trepidation, finally mustered the courage to ask Song Yu the question that had been troubling her for so long, "Can we... really restore the Great Jin?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yu was taken aback, and asked meaningfully, "What do you think?"

"Me? Actually... I don't have any particular thoughts. It's just that I feel the Lord of the Fortress has already given everything for the cause of restoring the kingdom, even overdrawing many things beyond his control." Ai Mi said haltingly, "Overthrowing an old dynasty and establishing a new one, every step is fraught with peril, every step is as difficult as ascending to heaven. The most fatal thing is... no one knows how many more steps we have to take before we see hope? What if... I mean, what if! What if this road has no end...? What then? What about the Lord of the Fortress and everyone in the Golden Sword Fortress... what does that even mean?"

"Mi'er, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm just curious, if restoring the kingdom is truly a distant dream, then isn't everything the Lord of the Fortress sacrificed for it, including his own life, completely worthless..."

“Mi’er, watch your words!” Leng Yiyi quickly interrupted Ai Mi, who was speaking without thinking, and whispered, “Don’t talk nonsense. If the Lord of the Manor hears these words, he will definitely not let you off easily.”

Song Yu gazed solemnly at Ai Mi and said, word by word, "You just asked me whether it's possible to restore the Great Jin Dynasty. I can tell you clearly that for anyone else, this is a pipe dream. Only the Lord of the Fortress can lead us to rise from the ashes and turn the tide. I have firmly believed in this from the very beginning! The Lord of the Fortress will surely inherit the imperial lineage and revitalize the dynasty!"

"But what if..."

"There are no 'what ifs'! There are no 'what ifs'!" Song Yu interrupted Ai Mi, who was hesitant to speak, with a firm hand. "Mi'er, your thoughts just now were far too dangerous and must be corrected immediately! As a member of Golden Sword Manor, you can doubt anyone and anything in the world, but you cannot doubt the Manor Master or the cause of restoring the kingdom, not even the slightest bit!"

"The little girl is naive and only asked a very ordinary question. If you are as firm as a rock, why are you so agitated? Could it be that you are also uneasy about this matter and therefore cannot tolerate the slightest questioning?"

Just as Song Yu, who was slightly agitated, was repeatedly stating his position to Ai Mi, Jin Fuyu's voice quietly rang out, immediately startling the three people with different thoughts and causing their expressions to change.

"If Song Yu harbors even the slightest disloyalty, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!" Song Yu was so frightened by Jin Fuyu's questioning that his face turned ashen, and he immediately knelt down to swear an oath.

"We have disturbed the Lord of the Dock, please forgive us!" Leng Yiyi and Ai Mi also knelt down.

However, Jin Fuyu ignored the three people who were bowing in worship and got up to stretch his limbs lazily.

Strangely, as Jin Fuyu's right hand, raised high in the air, slowly lowered, a dazzling golden scale pattern spread visibly from his fingertips to his forearm. At the same time, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted between heaven and earth, even faintly overpowering the surging waves of the Li River.

"boom!"

Under the incredulous gazes of Song Yu and the other two, Jin Fuyu's right hand, covered by golden scales, suddenly swung vigorously towards the mighty Li River.

In an instant, a golden ribbon several meters long appeared out of nowhere, like a golden whip falling from the sky and lashing the turbulent river surface, instantly splitting the rolling waves and sending the turbid river water soaring into the sky.

The Li River, which was tens of meters wide, was abruptly cut off by this golden ribbon. The river water splashed and overflowed to the left and right, and a "dry road" about ten meters deep and three or four feet wide was forcibly cleaved in the middle. The sand, stones and vegetation that had long been submerged at the bottom of the river were also exposed to the light of day at this moment.

"hiss!"

With every gesture, he seemed to cleave rivers and split water. Such an astonishing scene caught Song Yu and his companions completely off guard, causing them to gasp in shock as they looked at Jin Fuyu.

The river water tears apart quickly, but gathers back together even faster.

Before the "dry road" at the bottom of the river could be fully revealed, the surging river could no longer bear this "humiliation" and roared wildly as it swept towards the gradually fading golden ribbon, instantly engulfing it completely.

In Jin Fuyu's heavy and unwilling gaze, the terrifying power he had just unleashed was ultimately crushed by the overwhelming force of nature, and the Li River gradually returned to its original appearance.

All of this may sound slow, but it actually happened in the blink of an eye. "The Lord of the Fortress's 'Golden Scale Technique' has reached a state of perfection, and its power is becoming increasingly unpredictable," Song Yu exclaimed in sincere admiration.

"Even if you master a fragmented scroll to its fullest extent, you can only achieve minor success. There will always be an insurmountable gap between you and mastery." Jin Fuyu shook his head dismissively, and as he turned around leisurely, his golden right hand, which had been gradually restored, said, "Get up and speak."

"Thank you, Lord of the Fortress!" With Jin Fuyu's permission, Song Yu and the other two cautiously stood up.

"I've heard things have been quite lively outside lately?" Jin Fuyu casually accepted the teacup Ai Mi offered him, and asked indifferently, "Have you heard anything?"

“It’s more than just lively; it’s downright chaotic,” Song Yu replied. “Hu Lie used Sui Zuo’s death as an excuse to launch a powerful attack, urging local governments to clean up the Jianghu forces in their jurisdictions under the banner of ‘reshaping the civil order,’ with the attitude of ‘those who obey him prosper, and those who oppose him perish.’”

"Succession brings prosperity, rebellion brings ruin? Interesting! Tell me in detail, how exactly is the Qing Dynasty's 'calculation' method applied?" Jin Fuyu asked curiously.

"In this upheaval, the martial arts forces north of the Qinhuai River basically only have two paths to take: either complete submission, becoming vassals of the local government, with all their gold, silver, land, disciples, martial arts manuals, weapons, and ironware registered and strictly controlled by the government," Song Yu sneered. "To put it bluntly, after these sects submit, they must report to the local government before spending a single penny, recruiting a disciple, or forging a weapon. They can only continue with the government's approval; otherwise, it's considered treason. What's more, if the government summons them to provide manpower, money, or effort, they cannot refuse and must obey orders. Moreover, because the government knows their secrets, they cannot outwardly comply but inwardly defy, and can only give their all to be driven by others."

"In that case, wouldn't these sects become lackeys of the government?" Ai Mi asked in surprise.

“That’s true,” Leng Yiyi said sarcastically. “They’re the kind of cheap hounds that don’t cost any money to keep.”

“If they refuse to submit, they will only face death,” Song Yu continued. “For some insignificant bandit gangs, the local government is capable of wiping them out. But for some powerful and influential sects, the local government is unable to handle them and will report the situation truthfully, so that Hu Lie will dispatch elite troops to provide support. Of course, it is called support, but in reality, it is a bloody suppression with an iron fist. It is said that the area north of Qinhuai is now in chaos, and local governments have issued ultimatums to the martial arts forces in their respective jurisdictions. Apart from the Kunlun Sect in the Western Regions, the Kongtong Sect in Pingliang, the Qin Clan in Hexi, and even the Shaolin Temple, which has a superior position in the martial arts world, have not been spared.”

"Now the North is filled with fear and suspicion, everyone is on edge." Leng Yiyi sneered disdainfully, "Don't be fooled by their usual chivalrous talk and shouts of 'pacifying the Central Plains.' When it comes to a life-or-death crisis, I'm afraid not many of them will be able to uphold their integrity and pride."

“They’ll try to coax and scare us, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll beat us. If we don’t get our way, they’ll kill us,” Jin Fuyu said calmly. “This time it’s real fighting, not just empty threats. I suspect the Mongols have a backup plan for going to such lengths.”

"The Lord of the Fortress is truly insightful. He saw through Sui Zuo's ambush as early as when Sui Zuo set up the trap, guessing that he was merely bait thrown out by the Mongol court for this very moment. As for the backup plan the Lord of the Fortress mentioned..." Song Yu frowned slightly, pondering carefully, "Could it be that a great war between the Song and the Mongols is imminent?"

"It's not far off if it doesn't succeed."

"That……"

"How is the situation at the Prince Xian's Mansion? What has Liu Xunyi done?" Before Song Yu could speak, Jin Fuyu changed the subject, casting a suspicious glance at him. "They seem to have been unusually quiet lately? In this situation, even Shaolin has been dragged into it. How can the Prince Xian's Mansion, as a pillar of the northern martial arts world, remain unscathed?"

“They… haven’t been affected too much right now,” Song Yu said with a troubled expression. “It seems that Shen Dongshan, relying on his relationship with Hu Lie, mediated and helped Liu Xunyi and the Prince Xian’s Mansion escape the disaster for the time being.”

Leng Yiyi said angrily, "This Shen Dongshan is a traitorous, opportunistic clown. He dared to jump out and disrupt our plans just to curry favor with Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan. It's a waste that the Lord of the Dock has always treated him like an honored guest. He's simply ungrateful!"

Jin Fuyu waved his hand dismissively and chuckled, "Shen Dongshan has never been a loyal follower of anyone. He always goes wherever there's profit to be made. Back when Luo Tianjin and I were the two powers standing side by side, he was adept at pleasing both sides and offending no one. He's just repeating the same old trick. You're just dreaming if you think a shrewd businessman will put all his bets on one person."

“Even if Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan are tied together, their influence is far from comparable to that of the Lord of the Dock. After all, the Lord of the Dock has more than just Golden Sword Dock and half of the martial arts world behind him.” Leng Yiyi was still indignant.

"Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan alone may not be enough, but if we add the Young King of Qin from the Western Regions... the situation will be very different."

“Alas!” Song Yu sighed. “It is precisely because Liu Xunyi and the Xianwang Mansion are able to seek profit and avoid harm that the heroes of the North, who are unaware of the truth, regard them as a lifeline when they have nowhere else to turn. It is said that most of the Jianghu people who were persecuted by the Mongols during this period and managed to escape have fled to Luoyang and joined the ranks of Liu Xunyi and the Xianwang Mansion.”

"I heard that Liu Xunyi didn't take over the Xianwang Mansion, but instead created his own Buzheng Sect?" Jin Fuyu raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What is his intention?"

"This matter is indeed strange, and I've been racking my brains over it," Song Yu replied truthfully. "According to our informants in Luoyang, Xie Xuan was initially furious and vehemently opposed when he learned that Liu Xunyi wanted to establish his own sect. But later, for some unknown reason, Xie Xuan, who had been so enraged, suddenly fell silent. Not only did he stop trying to stop Liu Xunyi from establishing his own sect, he even took the initiative to help with the arrangements. If it weren't for the support of the Prince Xian's Mansion, the reputation of the Buzheng Sect probably wouldn't have spread so quickly in the martial arts world. Recently, quite a few martial arts practitioners who fled to Luoyang have joined the Buzheng Sect, which is clearly Liu Xunyi using this opportunity to expand his own power."

"Could it be a deceptive scheme they deliberately set up?" Leng Yiyi speculated, "To create mystery and mislead people."

"A bewitching array?" Song Yu shook his head slowly with a hesitant look. "Whose souls are being bewitched? The Mongols? Or us? What is their purpose in doing this? And why bother to conceal it? This... doesn't make sense."

“Something unusual is bound to happen. There must be some unspeakable secret here, especially Xie Xuan’s sudden change of expression, which is even more eerie.” Jin Fuyu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a chilling glint flashed in his pupils. “Order a thorough investigation. We must find out the whole story and see what they are really up to.”

"As ordered!"

……