The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 566 Shocking Change
Today, Pingjiang Prefecture, with Suzhou as its core, has been managed by Wu Chengyu to the point of being impenetrable, with all mid- to high-ranking civil and military officials having been placed under the spell of life and death by Wu Chengyu.

By the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the country was extremely corrupt. Most officials were greedy for life and afraid of death, and only knew how to amass wealth. The grand ambition that Marshal Yue Fei once made—that civil officials should not love money and military officials should not be afraid of death—was completely reversed at this time.

These officials, regardless of whether they were civil or military, were both afraid of death and greedy for money. Therefore, when faced with the Life and Death Talisman, the officials of Pingjiang Prefecture knelt down without hesitation. After being tortured by Wu Chengyu, they have been extremely obedient over the years.

Not only did they cover up Wu Chengyu's various irregularities in training the new army, but they also provided Wu Chengyu with a large amount of military funds. These corrupt officials are the richest people in the world, and it can be said that they have made great contributions to Wu Chengyu's achievements today.

Take Ma Cheng as an example. His ill-gotten gains from years of corruption were enough to train a thousand-strong Black Armor Heavy Cavalry unit. Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only a thousand men; the resources required are truly staggering. Only the highest-ranking official in Pingjiang Prefecture could provide such a large amount of military pay.

In addition, the military officers in Pingjiang Prefecture had long been receiving large amounts of pay without actually fighting. In a force of 10,000 men, half of the pay was taken by ghosts, leaving only 5,000 men who were either old, weak, sick, or untrained, with no fighting ability whatsoever.

As Wu Chengyu trained the new army, he continuously assigned graduating soldiers and some militia members to the Song army to fill the vacancies. First, he completely filled the 50% vacancies, and then gradually replaced the old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers.

Currently, over 70% of the Song Dynasty army in Pingjiang Prefecture are Wu Chengyu's men, and all the junior and middle-ranking officers in the army are outstanding soldiers trained by the rebel army or Taihu Lake. The army's combat effectiveness has been qualitatively improved, and they are extremely loyal to Wu Chengyu.

Now, if Wu Chengyu gives the order, the entire army of Pingjiang Prefecture would dare to raise the flag and rebel.

With the Mongol invasion approaching, Wu Chengyu was about to make final preparations when, unexpectedly, the Southern Song court pulled a new stunt, ordering Ma Cheng to be replaced.

Ma Cheng, as the prefect, held immense military and political power, and Wu Chengyu's major actions in Pingjiang Prefecture could not be kept secret from a mere prefect.

At this moment, any change would represent a risk, after all, not all officials in the Southern Song Dynasty were corrupt; there were always some tough guys.

When the Song Dynasty fell, people like Wen Tianxiang, who believed that "no one can escape death since ancient times," and Lu Xiufu, who carried the young emperor and jumped off a cliff, were not afraid of death. Even with swords and axes at their throats, they could not change their principles. When you encounter such people, even the talisman of life and death will lose its effect.

Wu Chengyu believed that even under the most cruel torture, some people would dare to draw their swords and commit suicide to prove their loyalty, sprinkling their blood on Wu Chengyu's head before they died.

If you really encounter such a loyal and righteous person, it's not easy to kill him, and even the Life and Death Talisman won't work. Moreover, such people are often extremely loyal to the Song Dynasty court. People like Wu Chengyu would be regarded as rebels, and there would be absolutely no compromise.

The sudden change of prefect just before the tide was about to turn is a variable. Wu Chengyu frowned slightly when he saw this intelligence report. Lü Fang? He had never heard of such a historical figure. He hoped that the new prefect would be a corrupt official.

After reading all the intelligence, he turned to Mu Nianci and said, "Reply to Hong Niangzi immediately. This time, be quick and use a hawk to deliver the message."

The Mongol envoys must not be allowed to reach the Song Dynasty alive. Hong Niangzi should send Li Geda personally to eliminate them, leaving no survivors, especially if Temujin's fourth son, Tolui, is in the delegation; he must be killed.

At this point, Wu Chengyu paused for a moment and instructed, "Don't let Jing'er know about Tuolei. After all, he was his childhood sworn brother, but this person is of great importance and cannot be allowed to live."

The execution of the Mongol delegation was naturally intended to prevent the Mongols from forming an alliance with the Song Dynasty and launching a pincer attack on the Jin Dynasty from the north and south. If the Mongol delegation could never reach the Song Dynasty, then any subsequent alliance would be impossible.

As for Tolui, he is still a young man, in his early twenties, and has not committed any major crimes. He is also considered honest and kind.

However, his son was Kublai Khan, the second most powerful ruler in the early Mongol Yuan dynasty after Temujin, who was a man of great talent and ambition.

Such a person should not be given the chance to come into this world. Even Temujin was killed, so what is Kublai Khan?

Kublai Khan was Tolui's fourth son, and according to the timeline, he might not have been born yet, but Wu Chengyu still decided to kill his father first.

Wu Chengyu only thought about it briefly before putting the matter out of his mind. Li Geda was a natural-born killer, and he had made rapid progress in recent years. Unless he couldn't find the Mongol delegation's marching route, he would definitely be able to complete the mission.

"The second thing is that the Jin delegation is heading south. I don't know if they will pass by Taihu Lake. You should have the officials in Suzhou treat them well. They are very good at this kind of thing. Even if they do pass by Taihu Lake, make sure the ships take a detour and avoid Dongshan Island."

Next, I need to advance the Song-Jin alliance. After that, I might have to go to Hangzhou, and we also need to ensure that this delegation can reach Hangzhou.

As for the new prefect, tell the spies in Suzhou that as soon as he takes office and hands over the reins to Ma Cheng, he should inform me immediately so that Ma Cheng can test him a little and see what kind of person he is.
Since Ma Cheng is leaving Suzhou, he will inevitably reveal his weaknesses in Hangzhou, which is a long and arduous journey. It would be better to have Song Mu and his men follow him and silence them.

This guy has long been utterly wicked; he was only put in the position of prefect of Pingjiang Prefecture. Now that he's useless, let him know what karma is.

Mu Nianci nodded in agreement, gave Wu Chengyu a deep look with her beautiful eyes, and then turned and left.

Wu Chengyu merely responded to the intelligence he received, yet it determined the lives of many. As the saying goes, "a kind heart cannot command an army," and unknowingly, he too began to become ruthless.

In the following days, Wu Chengyu either supervised the training of troops on Dongshan Island or spent time with the three children on that small island. The days were uneventful but warm and comfortable.

News arrived in Suzhou that the newly appointed prefect, Lord Lü Fang, had arrived, and Ma Cheng planned to hold a grand banquet to welcome him the next day.

"Jing'er, come with me to Suzhou City. As the militia commander Murong Xiu, we will welcome this new local official and see what he is like and whether he can be of use to us."

Before they even left the island, Mu Nianci rushed over and said, "Uncle Wu, news just came from Wujiapo in Suzhou. Someone has found Wujiapo and is asking about your whereabouts. They seem to be in a great hurry."

Wu Chengyu's eyes changed slightly. Not many people knew he had anything to do with Wujiapo, and even fewer would come all the way to Wujiapo to find him: "Who is it?"

"A message came from Wujiapo saying that a man named Feng Mofeng, who claims to be from Peach Blossom Island in the East China Sea, has something extremely urgent to discuss with you."

Feng Mofeng? Wu Chengyu was full of doubts. Ever since he attacked Peach Blossom Island and took away the title of Eastern Heretic, he had broken ties with the Peach Blossom Island lineage and had no contact with them since. Although some connections were hard to sever, the disciples of Peach Blossom Island probably wouldn't be happy to see him.

So why did Feng Mofeng suddenly come looking for me? Without a doubt, he must have run into trouble. But what kind of trouble could Peach Blossom Island possibly have?
Even without the title of "Eastern Heretic," Huang Yaoshi was still one of the most outstanding masters in the world. Below the Innate Realm, not counting Wu Chengyu, there were few people in the world who could rival him.

Huang Yaoshi had always stayed on Peach Blossom Island like a recluse and never left the island. Now that Ouyang Feng was dead, and Hong Qigong and the Southern Emperor who had become a monk, it was impossible for them to have any conflict with him.

As for the disciples of Peach Blossom Island, Qu, Lu, and Feng's martial arts skills are absolutely unmatched in the small county town of Gushan. They are fine as long as they don't bully others, how could they possibly have any troubles they can't handle?

"Send a message back to Wujiapo immediately, and have them take Feng Mofeng to Wuweilou to wait for me."

An hour later, Wu Chengyu brought Guo Jing to the Wuwei Restaurant. At this moment, he was using his true form, not Murong Xiu, the commander of the Suzhou militia.

As soon as he stepped into Wuweilou, a young manager came up to him and said, "Ping An greets Uncle Twenty-One."

The man who came was Wu Ping'an, who used to be a waiter at Wuweilou. This guy was clever, knew when to advance and retreat, and was friendly. He was also a direct descendant of the third branch of the family. After a few years, he had become the manager of Wuweilou.

Wu Chengyu nodded: "You're doing a pretty good job as manager, but Wuweilou is too small. You won't make any progress if you stay here any longer. I'll talk to Fourth Uncle about finding you a place where you can develop your skills better." Wu Ping'an frowned and shrank back: "Uncle Twenty-One, you're the twenty-first among your peers in the family. Please spare me. I'm very comfortable being the manager of Wuweilou. Let me do it for a few more years."

"That's fine, but you must practice the bone-dislocating and grappling techniques I'm taught you diligently and without slacking off."

"Don't worry, Uncle Twenty-One."

The guest who came to Wujiapo to see you is waiting for you in Mingqiao Private Room on the second floor. I noticed his eyes are bloodshot and red; he's clearly in a state of agitation. I served him some buckwheat tea first. Uncle Twenty-One, I hope he's not here to cause trouble.

"It's alright, he's my friend. Just prepare a few light dishes and send them up."

After dismissing Wu Ping'an, Wu Chengyu went to Mingqiao's room and saw Feng Mofeng, whom he hadn't seen for several years. His appearance hadn't changed much, but he was in extremely poor condition and looked very haggard.

At the same time, Wu Chengyu smelled a faint bloody odor in the room, coming from Feng Mofeng's breathing, indicating that the guy had clearly suffered internal injuries.

Upon seeing Wu Chengyu enter, Feng Mofeng, who was already unable to sit still, immediately stood up, took two quick steps to Wu Chengyu, and reached out to grab Wu Chengyu's shoulder.

"Junior brother, you've finally arrived! Quickly, find a way to save Rong'er! Something's happened to Rong'er."

Wu Chengyu's heart sank. Only if Huang Rong was in trouble would Feng Mofeng be alarmed and go so far as to ask Wu Chengyu for help.

Feng Mofeng also knew that if anything happened to the other people on Peach Blossom Island, Wu Chengyu might not help, but if something happened to Huang Rong, Wu Chengyu would definitely go all out.

Years of experience have honed Wu Chengyu's composure, making him far more shrewd than he had been in his youth. He remained expressionless as he pulled Feng Mofeng to sit down at the table before speaking.

"Don't worry. Since something has already happened, there's no use in being anxious. The fact that you thought of coming to me means there's still a chance to salvage the situation."

You are also a rare master in the martial arts world, so don't lose your composure. Tell me the whole story first.

Feng Mofeng took a deep breath to calm himself down: "Rong'er has grown up and become more and more mischievous. With her youthful spirit, she no longer wanted to stay on Peach Blossom Island or Gushan every day. Half a year ago, she secretly left the island with Yun'er and Lu Guanying."

My master said that since her heart has already flown away, keeping her confined to the island is not a solution. Besides, the three of them are now quite skilled in martial arts, and ordinary people are no match for them. He just asked me to follow behind them and protect her.

Over the past six months, they have been traveling around, doing good deeds and proclaiming themselves heroes, and they have been having a great time.

The martial arts of our Peach Blossom Island are already extraordinary, and the martial arts you taught them back then were even more remarkable. The three of them grew up together and were extremely in sync. Although they didn't practice diligently and their internal energy accumulation was just average.

However, the three of them working together were enough to withstand top-tier experts. In the past six months, they had fought against others many times and were undefeated. I didn't even have a chance to intervene.

A month ago, they first traveled to Hangzhou, and then headed north. I overheard them talking, and Rong'er remembered you and said she wanted to come to Suzhou to find you.

My master's meaning was very clear: although you have no further connection with Peach Blossom Island and all grudges have been settled, Rong'er is still your cousin, and there is no need to stop her from looking for you. So I followed them northward.

Who knew that not long after leaving Hangzhou, they encountered a group of flower thieves, no, they should be called a group of flower thieves. These people kidnapped girls in towns and villages north of Hangzhou. Later, they met Rong'er and her friends on the road and immediately attacked Rong'er.

The flower thieves were no match for Rong'er and her two companions, and I didn't take them seriously. But a few days later, a group of experts suddenly attacked Rong'er and her companions, including several top-tier experts.

You know, top-tier martial arts masters are rare in Jiangnan. Who knew where so many of them would suddenly appear from? In my haste, I quickly took action and managed to repel a few of them, but then a top-tier master appeared and blocked my way.

My strength was comparable to his, but his internal energy was greater than mine. However, he was outnumbered and outmatched. I fought my way through to let Rong'er and the other two go first, and finally broke through the encirclement while injured.

After that, I lost contact with Rong'er and the others. All I knew was that they were being chased all the way north, towards Suzhou, but there were pursuers behind them.

I searched and chased them all the way, but I could not find any trace of them. I do not know whether they are alive or dead, or whether they have fallen into enemy hands. Suzhou is too far away from Gushan, and it is impossible to ask Peach Blossom Island for help.

The disciples of Peach Blossom Island have been staying in Gushan for years, and I have no one in the martial arts world to help me gather information. I am alone and have no power to find them. Now I can only ask you for help.

As you know, my mentor only has one daughter. I watched Yun'er and Guanying grow up. If anything were to happen to them, I, Feng Mofeng, would gladly commit suicide on the spot. But even in death, I would have no face to face my mentor, Senior Brother Qu, and Senior Brother Lu.”

Wu Chengyu was also very worried after hearing this. He had completely changed Huang Rong's life, but if this other life trajectory were to suffer a tragic accident, Wu Chengyu probably would not forgive himself. After all, Huang Rong was his cousin.

Moreover, what if Huang Rong fell into the hands of a womanizer and had her chastity violated? Wouldn't she immediately become a disgrace to all transmigrators?

"Describe the characteristics of these people."

"The martial arts are very diverse, including all kinds of martial arts, and the grades are not low, but it is impossible to identify the schools of martial arts they belong to."

However, those top-notch masters definitely used Taoist internal energy cultivation techniques, combining internal and external strength, and integrating softness and hardness. This was something that no ordinary sect possessed, and it was comparable to the Quanzhen Sect.

The final expert who stopped me was dressed in a Taoist robe, possessing immense internal energy, placing him among the top experts.

Wu Chengyu had a bit of a headache. Taoist masters? In the world of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, where else besides the Quanzhen Sect could Taoist masters appear? These people were clearly organized, not some rogue cultivators from the countryside.

Wu Chengyu turned to look at Guo Jing. After hearing that Huang Rong was in danger, the boy was obviously anxious. He was a practitioner of the Big Dipper Technique and had reached a high level of mastery, but at this moment, his breathing was disordered and his face was ashen.

However, Wu Chengyu had no time to analyze Guo Jing's thoughts and immediately asked, "Where is your master's wife now, after inspecting the Beggars' Sect?"

Guo Jing finally came to his senses: "Reporting to Master, Master's wife recently went to several branches of the Beggars' Sect in Zhejiang. Judging from her journey, it will take her another three days to return to Suzhou."

"It's a bit too late for that, Jing'er. Take this token and go to the Beggars' Sect's Suzhou branch. Have them mobilize all the Beggars' Sect members and send messages by carrier pigeon all the way from Suzhou to Hangzhou to search for Rong'er and the other two, and find out where all these flower thieves came from."

Furthermore, send orders back to Dongshan Island and command the Beiwei Army to assemble and mobilize. The entire Pingjiang Prefecture is our territory, and we have spies everywhere. If anyone causes trouble in Pingjiang Prefecture, I don't believe we won't be able to find any clues.

In addition, all Taoist temples inside and outside Suzhou should be checked to see if any Taoists from other places have suddenly arrived.

I'm giving you one day. You must find her. If something happens to Rong'er, many people will die.

(End of this chapter)