Blood sedge

Chapter 1216 Submitting a Petition to Join the Party (Part 1)

“Once the Song and the Mongols go to war, we won’t have much time left.” Jin Fuyu rubbed his teacup repeatedly in his hands, speaking in a deep and solemn voice. “Now that things have come to this, we no longer have the opportunity to make full preparations. We can only do as much as we can before we are forced into this storm, and try to preserve ourselves before the Song and the Mongols are both exhausted, so as to strike first and win the battle.”

"hiss!"

This was the first time Jin Fuyu had so openly expressed his fighting spirit, which startled Song Yu, Leng Yiyi, and Ai Mi, causing them to gasp in surprise.

"What the lord of the docks means is..."

"Khulie has already broken through the last barrier, showing that the Mongols have lost their last bit of patience and are determined to swallow up the Jiangnan region. Next, the belatedly aware Song Dynasty court will definitely take action. Although it is a group of incompetent rulers and treacherous officials, they still control half of the country. No one will sit idly by and wait for death. They will fight to the death at all costs. I predict that at most half a year, or at least two or three months, it will not only be the area north of Qinhuai that will be in chaos. The south will also fall into turmoil, and the degree of chaos will be even greater than that in the north at present."

“That’s right!” Song Yu also realized the key point and nodded in agreement. “At least Hu Lie only targeted the Jianghu forces. But given the habits of these corrupt and cruel officials in the Song court, they will definitely take the opportunity to amass wealth from the national crisis. I’m afraid ordinary people will suffer as a result.”

"An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one. Order Wen Lian and Shi Zhenshan to quickly gather their troops, prepare sufficient provisions and weapons, and be ready to obey my commands at any time to respond to any changing circumstances."

"Yes, sir!" With the grand plan for the restoration of the kingdom, which had been in the works for decades, about to be put into action, Song Yu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

“Right now, Zuo Hongxuan of the Qingcheng Sect, Miao An of the Emei Sect, and Lu Tingxiang of the Lu family of Jiangnan have been waiting in the dock for seven or eight days. We have been using the excuse that the dock master is in seclusion to keep them occupied…” Seeing that the matter was settled, Leng Yiyi finally revealed her other purpose for coming today, “This morning, they asked me again whether the dock master had come out of seclusion. I wonder when the dock master… plans to meet with them?”

"The three sect leaders have gathered at Golden Sword Manor and are willing to wait for seven or eight days without leaving. It seems they are truly panicked," Jin Fuyu mocked with a half-smile. "In the past, I have always treated them with utmost respect, but I didn't realize that giving them too much kindness made them lose their heads and dare to openly look down on Golden Sword Manor. They even changed sides in front of me in Luoyang City, openly flirting with Liu Xunyi. Did they really think I could continue to indulge them? Now I am showing a little indifference and deliberately delaying to see how much of their sincerity and how much is feigned in their arrival?"

Leng Yiyi said with a look of disdain, "In my opinion, the leader of the Golden Sword Manor is just too polite to them, making them mistakenly believe that the Golden Sword Manor are all 'good old men' who never fight back or talk back, and are easy targets to take care of them. That's why, after failing to curry favor with Liu Xunyi, they shamelessly came here to be hypocritical."

“With the north in chaos, I suspect they’ve already sensed something’s wrong and anticipate that the Song court might follow Hu Lie’s example and purge the martial arts world of Jiangnan one by one. That’s why they’re rushing here to seek the protection of the village lord,” Song Yu pondered. “If it weren’t for the dire situation, they wouldn’t have waited patiently for seven or eight days.”

"The Song court's purges are not enough to make them so fearful. What truly keeps them up at night is Liu Xunyi," Jin Fuyu said calmly. "Right now, the martial arts world in the north is in chaos. If Liu Xunyi goes south to seek survival, using the Teng tribe of Xiangxi and the Valley of Heartbreak as his vanguard, and extends his reach south of the Qinhuai River, it will surely shake their centuries-old foundation and even catch them off guard. The tide is surging, and the trend is inevitable. Faced with a life-or-death choice, no one needs to feign justice, and no one wants to become a sacrifice. Therefore, their only chance to escape danger is to cling to the powerful Jin Jianwu before disaster strikes."

"Last-minute cramming is laughable!" Leng Yiyi said contemptuously. "Anyway, the Lord of the Dockyard has already planned to raise an army to restore the country, and he probably has no interest in the conflicts of the martial world in the future. With our current strength, we don't need them, so we might as well let them fend for themselves."

“No! They may not necessarily help us succeed, but if they harbor ill intentions, they could easily ruin our plans,” Jin Fuyu retorted. “Moreover, we have to deal with not only Song Meng, but also Liu Xunyi, Xie Xuan, and at least the Prince of Qin. How can we afford to neglect one for the other? I don’t want to be caught off guard and suffer a fatal blow from these martial arts figures just when we are about to achieve our goal. As I just said, we will do as much as we can before we are forced into this storm.”

"What the Lord of the Fortress says is absolutely right!" Song Yu agreed with Jin Fuyu's consideration. "Even a powerful force like Hulie cleared obstacles and secured its rear before the war began. Once the Song court is certain that war is inevitable, it will surely do the same. We should do the same! It would be best... to completely eliminate Liu Xunyi and his cronies before the official start of the war, so that they don't jump out and cause trouble at the crucial moment."

“Even if we can’t completely eradicate them, we should at least cripple them so that they have no power to resist.” Jin Fuyu glanced at Song Yu with considerable appreciation, then turned his gaze to Leng Yiyi, who seemed lost in thought, and smiled mysteriously, “If we can use someone else to do the dirty work, why not?”

"Does the Lord of the Dock intend to use them to deal with Liu Xunyi?" Leng Yiyi suddenly realized, but still had reservations. "But judging by their abilities, I'm afraid..."

"A chess piece is ultimately just a chess piece; the outcome of a game always depends on the player who wields the pieces."

"This……"

"Song Yu, please invite Sect Leader Zuo to come for a chat, and also... call Ding Ao." Before Leng Yiyi could ponder the deeper meaning in Jin Fuyu's words, he had already collected his thoughts and ordered Song Yu to go and deliver the message.

A moment later, Song Yu led the beaming Ding Ao and the solemn Zuo Hongxuan back to Qingtian Pavilion.

"Greetings, Lord Jin!" "Lord Jin, you have quite the refined taste. You come here to enjoy tea by the river as soon as you leave the pass, displaying your great spirit."

Upon entering Qingtian Pavilion and seeing the leisurely Jin Fuyu, Zuo Hongxuan immediately showed displeasure. Just as Ding Ao was respectfully bowing and paying his respects, he had already strode up to Jin Fuyu, glanced at the tea, fruit and snacks on the table, and felt even more dissatisfied. His words were full of sarcasm and complaints.

"Master Jin, you've kept this old man waiting for quite a while!" Zuo Hongxuan was, after all, the leader of a sect and a senior figure in the martial arts world, so he was naturally furious at being slighted. In addition, Jin Fuyu had always been seen as a gentle and refined gentleman in his mind, always treating others with kindness and never holding grudges, which inadvertently fueled Zuo Hongxuan's temper, causing him to habitually lose his manners in front of Jin Fuyu.

"Left Sect Leader, please!"

As expected, Jin Fuyu showed no anger at the sarcastic Zuo Hongxuan. He remained calm and composed, waving for Zuo Hongxuan to sit down and personally pouring him tea and water.

"Master Jinwu, are you aware that I, along with Abbess Miao'an and Young Master Lu, have been waiting at your sect for quite some time..."

"Sect Leader Zuo, please!" Before Zuo Hongxuan could continue complaining, Jin Fuyu had already slowly placed a cup of hot tea in front of him.

"This……"

Startled by Jin Fuyu's unusual interruption, Zuo Hongxuan, who was full of complaints, was taken aback. He glanced subconsciously at the steaming tea, then at Jin Fuyu's smirking face, and then calmly surveyed his surroundings. Although everything seemed ordinary, Zuo Hongxuan, who had been in the underworld for many years, could still sense an eerie atmosphere.

Sensing something amiss, Zuo Hongxuan looked up at Jin Fuyu again. For some reason, Jin Fuyu's usual smile sent a chill down his spine.

Zuo Hongxuan was indeed quite dissatisfied with Jin Fuyu's avoidance for several days, but he was not a reckless man after all. The strange atmosphere, the odd look in his eyes, the subtle tone of his voice... all of these made him subconsciously raise his guard, and his mind became much clearer in an instant.

Moreover, Zuo Hongxuan needs his help today, so how could he dare to act arrogantly or be unreasonable?
With this in mind, Zuo Hongxuan wisely stopped his incessant chatter, casually picked up his teacup, and seized the opportunity to change the subject: "I heard that Master Jinwu has been in seclusion for some time now. I wonder if he is feeling unwell?"

"Thank you for your concern, Master Zuo. I am physically fine, but I am feeling quite troubled."

"Oh? I wonder what troubles Master Jinwu? And is there anything I can do to help?" Zuo Hongxuan feigned concern.

“Liu Xunyi’s power is growing daily; how can he be content to remain a dominant force only in the north? What worries me is that the vast martial arts world of the Central Plains, with its centuries-old traditions, will soon be completely subservient to one person. At that time, those with grudges will seek revenge, those with grievances will seek redress, and our life, death, honor, and decline will all depend on his single thought.” At this point, Jin Fuyu raised an eyebrow and asked meaningfully, “What does Sect Leader Zuo think?”

"This..." Zuo Hongxuan was about to put on airs, but when he saw Jin Fuyu's eyes, which seemed to see right through him, his heart tightened. The perfunctory words that were about to slip out of his mouth were swallowed back down. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly nodded with a bitter expression, "If I had no such worries, how would I dare to bother you? I suppose... Master Miao'an and Young Master Lu are the same way."

Zuo Hongxuan deliberately mentioned Miao An and Lu Tingxiang, hoping to alleviate the immense pressure that Jin Fuyu had placed on him.

"Is that so? I don't think so." Seeing Jin Fuyu slowly pick up his teacup, seemingly unintentionally picking up Zuo Hongxuan's words, Song Yu, who understood the implication, had a flash of insight and was waiting for an opportunity to make trouble. "I heard that you have been warmly received by Xie Xuan in Luoyang City. In that case, even if Liu Xunyi plans to set a big fire in the Central Plains martial arts world, it should not burn your heads."

"That's right!" Leng Yiyi added fuel to the fire, "In case anything changes in the future, our Golden Sword Village will have to rely heavily on the help of Sect Leader Zuo."

Having his embarrassing affairs in Luoyang exposed by Song Yu and Leng Yiyi in a coordinated manner, Zuo Hongxuan couldn't help but feel his face burning. Already feeling uneasy, he was now at a loss and on pins and needles.

……