Mount Song Protectors, Discussing Business Again

After leaving Liu Manor, Su Chen and Captain Xing found an inn nearby to rest temporarily.

Once the two arrived at the inn, they booked a private room. Of course, Captain Xing paid for it.

The room was to the north of Liu Manor. Opening the window offered a clear view of Liu Manor's main gate.

Captain Xing stood by the window, watching the various martial artists coming and going at Liu Manor's entrance.

Suddenly, he asked, "Brother Su, you said earlier that Zuo Lengchan of Mount Song would make a move against Liu Zhengfeng. Is that true?"

Although he trusted Su Chen implicitly, Captain Xing still harbored some doubt.

After all, even with the Imperial Guards' formidable intelligence network, they hadn't heard a whisper of such a thing.

He couldn't fathom how Su Chen, alone, knew about this matter.

Su Chen played with the teacup in his hand, a smile on his face, but he didn't directly answer Captain Xing's question.

A moment later, he inverted the teacup on the table and pointed towards the east wall of the room.

"Brother Su?" Captain Xing's eyes flickered with confusion, not understanding Su Chen's intention.

"Come closer to the wall and listen," Su Chen said, pointing to the east wall.

With a look of mingled belief and doubt, Captain Xing moved to the corner of the east wall and pressed his ear against it.

The instant Captain Xing's ear touched the wall, he heard faint sounds emanating from the adjacent room.

"The Sect Leader has given a death order. We must stop Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Hand-washing today."

"If he's sensible, so be it. If not, we'll send his entire family to join the King of Hell..."

Hearing these words, Captain Xing's expression immediately changed.

He instinctively turned to look back at Su Chen.

"Brother Su, they..."

Su Chen nodded and said, "That's right. They are people from the Mount Song Sect."

Su Chen's hearing was astonishingly keen. As soon as they had arrived in this private room earlier, he had already detected that the adjacent room was occupied by people from the Mount Song Sect.

The astonishment on Captain Xing's face grew even more intense.

From those few sentences, it was clear that the Mount Song Sect harbored malicious intent towards Liu Zhengfeng.

This meant that everything Su Chen had said earlier at Liu Manor was true.

Zuo Lengchan truly intended to prevent Liu Zhengfeng from performing the Golden Basin Hand-washing and retiring from the martial world, even contemplating the annihilation of Liu Zhengfeng's entire family.

"How dare the Mount Song Sect? Liu Zhengfeng currently holds the position of Brigadier General, making him a man of the court, at least in status."

"Does the Mount Song Sect not fear the court by daring to kill him?"

Captain Xing couldn't quite believe it.

"The court?" Su Chen's tone was somewhat peculiar. "Do you really think the court would make a big fuss over a mere Liu Zhengfeng?"

"Liu Zhengfeng's position as Brigadier General was merely bought with money; he has no foundation within the court. In fact, those high officials above don't even know of such a person."

"Moreover, the decree officially appointing Liu Zhengfeng as Brigadier General hasn't even been formally issued yet. Strictly speaking, he isn't a court Brigadier General yet."

"Therefore, his only value at the moment is the silver taels he possesses."

"After Zuo Lengchan eliminates him, he can easily smooth things over with a bit of silver."

"Once the higher-ups take the money, who will care whether Liu Zhengfeng lives or dies?"

Su Chen spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if the second-in-command of the Mount Song Sect, the renowned Second Master Liu of the martial world, were just a stray dog by the roadside, whose life or death would go unnoticed.

Listening to Su Chen's words, Captain Xing fell silent, offering no objection, nor could he.

Having served in the Imperial Guards for so many years, he was well aware of the character of the high officials above.

He understood that what Su Chen said was correct.

Liu Zhengfeng's fate was truly inconsequential; his value as a person was less than the value of the silver taels in his possession.

Thinking this, a wry smile appeared on Captain Xing's face.

If Liu Zhengfeng met his end, then he would be finished too.

He was tasked with looking after Liu Zhengfeng, and ended up letting Liu Zhengfeng die.

He couldn't imagine his own outcome would be any better.

"Brother Su..." Captain Xing slid to his knees, prostrating himself at Su Chen's feet, his face filled with fawning.

"Brother Su, you're the only one who can save me now."

Su Chen naturally understood the reason for Captain Xing's behavior. He chuckled and said, "Don't worry. I did take three thousand taels of silver from you, after all. I won't abandon you."

With that, Su Chen stood up and walked towards the door.

"Brother Su, where are you going?"

"To conduct business."

Tingsong Pavilion, the room where the Three Great Protectors of Mount Song were staying.

Su Chen stood at the doorway and gently knocked.

"Who is it?" a vigilant voice immediately called out from inside the room.

"A businessman," Su Chen replied calmly.

"A businessman?" The voice in the room changed abruptly, filled with suspicion.

The next second, footsteps sounded, and the door was opened from the inside.

The three Protectors of the Mount Song Sect, Fei Bin, known as the Great Songyang Hand, Lu Bai, the Crane Hand, and Ding Mian, the Pagoda Hand, stood inside the room, looking at Su Chen vigilantly.

After a moment of sizing him up, the three exchanged glances, shook their heads, and realized they didn't recognize Su Chen.

However, from Su Chen's attire and the ring-pommel saber at his waist, they could tell he was also a martial artist.

Unsure of Su Chen's background, the three did not immediately attack. Instead, they decided to question him first.

"Who exactly are you?" Fei Bin, the gaunt one, asked.

As Su Chen walked into the room, he replied, "I already told you, a businessman."

Having said that, he had already reached the three men.

"Since you're a businessman, tell us, what kind of business do you do?" Lu Bai asked.

Su Chen smiled, looking at the three. "I'm a blade-for-hire who takes money to do things."

Hearing this, Ding Mian couldn't help but laugh.

"A blade-for-hire? Heh heh, do you think our Mount Song Sect needs a blade-for-hire?"

Su Chen didn't respond and continued speaking on his own, "I heard that the experts of the Mount Song Sect are planning to deal with Liu Zhengfeng. I thought perhaps we could cooperate."

"If you are willing to pay me one hundred thousand silver taels, I will take action and help you kill Liu Zhengfeng and his entire family. That way, you won't earn a reputation for slaughtering fellow martial artists."

"What do you think?"

Su Chen said this while smiling and staring at the three.

That's right, since Liu Zhengfeng was unwilling to hire him, he decided to try his luck with the Mount Song Sect.

He wanted to see if the Mount Song Sect would be willing to pay him.

As for whether this action seemed shameless and fickle, Su Chen didn't care.

As he always said, for him, money was the primary driving force.

As long as he could earn money, what did it matter if he was a fickle scoundrel?

However, upon hearing Su Chen's words, the expressions of the three from Mount Song immediately changed.

Dealing with Liu Zhengfeng was their biggest secret at the moment. The matter had not yet been set in motion and absolutely must not be known to outsiders.

Yet, this blade-for-hire who had suddenly shown up had revealed their secret in one breath.

For a moment, the three from Mount Song felt an inexplicable tension.

They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a hint of ruthlessness.

The next second, they simultaneously chose to launch a surprise attack on Su Chen.