After leaving Liu Manor, Su Chen and Captain Xing found an inn nearby to rest for the time being.
After arriving at the inn, the two rented a private room. Naturally, Captain Xing paid for it.
Directly north of the room was Liu Manor. Opening the window gave them a full view of its main gate.
Captain Xing stood by the window, watching the martial artists coming and going outside Liu Manor.
Suddenly, he asked, "Su Chen, was what you said earlier true? Will Zuo Lengchan of Mount Song really make a move against Liu Zhengfeng?"
Although he trusted Su Chen greatly, Captain Xing still had his doubts.
After all, even with the Imperial Guards' formidable intelligence network, they had not heard the slightest hint of this.
He truly could not understand how Su Chen, all by himself, had learned of it.
Su Chen toyed with the teacup in his hand. He wore a smile, yet did not directly answer Captain Xing's question.
After a moment, he turned the teacup upside down on the table and raised a hand to point at the eastern wall of the room.
"Su Chen?" Confusion flashed through Captain Xing's eyes. He did not understand what Su Chen meant.
"Go listen by the wall," Su Chen said, pointing at the eastern wall.
With a doubtful expression, Captain Xing approached the corner by the eastern wall and pressed his ear against it.
The instant his ear touched the wall, he heard faint voices drifting over from the neighboring room.
"Senior Brother Sect Leader gave a death order. Today, we must stop Liu Zhengfeng from carrying out the Golden Basin Hand-washing."
"If he knows what is good for him, so be it. If not, send his entire family down to meet the King of Hell..."
The moment he heard those words, Captain Xing's expression changed sharply.
He instinctively turned back to look at Su Chen.
"Su Chen, they..."
Su Chen nodded. "That's right. They're from the Mount Song Sect."
Su Chen's hearing was astonishing. The moment the two had entered this private room, he had already noticed that the people next door were from the Mount Song Sect.
The astonishment on Captain Xing's face grew even stronger.
From those few lines, it was clear that the Mount Song Sect truly harbored ill intentions toward Liu Zhengfeng.
That meant everything Su Chen had said earlier at Liu Manor was true.
Zuo Lengchan truly intended to stop Liu Zhengfeng from washing his hands in the golden basin and retiring from the martial world. He had even considered wiping out Liu Zhengfeng's entire family.
"How dare the Mount Song Sect? Liu Zhengfeng now holds the post of Brigadier General. At the very least, he counts as an official of the imperial court."
"If the Mount Song Sect dares to kill him, aren't they afraid of the imperial court?"
Captain Xing found it hard to believe.
"The imperial court?" Su Chen's tone was somewhat strange. "Do you think the imperial court would make a huge fuss over a mere Liu Zhengfeng?"
"Liu Zhengfeng only bought his position as Brigadier General with money. He has no foundation in the imperial court. In fact, those grand officials above probably don't even know someone like him exists."
"Besides, the decree appointing Liu Zhengfeng as Brigadier General has not officially been issued yet. Strictly speaking, he is not yet a Brigadier General of the imperial court."
"So his only value right now is that he has some silver in his hands."
"After Zuo Lengchan wipes him out, he only needs to spend some silver to settle the matter."
"Once those people above take the money, who will care whether Liu Zhengfeng lives or dies?"
Su Chen said it as though it were only natural, as if Second Master Liu, the renowned second-in-command of the Hengshan Sect, were merely a stray dog by the roadside, whose life or death would draw no notice.
Hearing Su Chen's words, Captain Xing fell silent. He did not argue, because he had no grounds to argue.
Having served in the Imperial Guards for so many years, he knew perfectly well what those grand officials above were like.
He understood that Su Chen was right.
Whether Liu Zhengfeng lived or died truly did not matter. The man himself was worth less than the silver in his hands.
With that thought in mind, Captain Xing could not help revealing a bitter smile.
If Liu Zhengfeng was finished, then so was he.
He had been ordered to watch over Liu Zhengfeng, only to watch him die.
Thinking about it, his own fate would not be much better.
"Su Chen..." Captain Xing suddenly dropped to his knees and threw himself at Su Chen's feet, his face full of flattery.
"Su Chen, you're the only one who can save me now."
Su Chen naturally understood why Captain Xing was acting this way. He chuckled. "Don't worry. I took three thousand taels from you, after all. I won't just leave you to fend for yourself."
With that, Su Chen stood and walked toward the door.
"Su Chen, what are you going to do?"
"Talk business."
Tingsong Pavilion, the room occupied by the Three Great Protectors of Mount Song.
Su Chen stood outside the door and gently knocked.
"Who is it?" A wary voice immediately came from inside.
"A businessman," Su Chen replied calmly.
"A businessman?" The voice inside abruptly changed, filled with doubt.
The next moment, footsteps sounded, and the door opened from within.
The Mount Song Sect's three protectors—Fei Bin of the Great Songyang Hand, Lu Bai of the Crane Hand, and Ding Mian of the Pagoda Hand—stood in the room, watching Su Chen warily.
After sizing him up, the three exchanged glances and shook their heads. None of them recognized Su Chen.
However, from Su Chen's attire and the ring-pommel saber at his waist, they could tell that he was also a martial artist.
Since they did not know Su Chen's background, the three did not immediately make a move. Instead, they questioned him first.
"Who exactly are you?" Fei Bin, thin in build, demanded.
As Su Chen walked into the room, he replied, "Didn't I already tell you? A businessman."
By the time he finished speaking, he had already reached the three men.
"Since you're a businessman, tell us what business you do," Lu Bai asked.
Su Chen smiled as he looked at the three of them. "A blade catcher who does jobs for money."
Ding Mian could not help laughing at that.
"A blade catcher? Heh heh, do you think our Mount Song Sect needs a blade catcher?"
Su Chen did not respond, merely continuing, "I heard that experts from the Mount Song Sect intend to make a move against Liu Zhengfeng. I thought perhaps we could work together."
"As long as you are willing to pay me one hundred thousand taels of silver, I will act and help you kill Liu Zhengfeng's entire family. That way, you can avoid earning the infamy of slaughtering fellow martial artists."
"What do you say?"
As Su Chen spoke, he stared at the three men with a smiling expression.
That was right. Since Liu Zhengfeng was unwilling to pay him, he had decided to try his luck with the Mount Song Sect.
To see whether the Mount Song Sect was willing to hire him.
As for whether such behavior made him seem shameless and fickle, Su Chen did not care.
As he had said before, silver was the primary productive force to him.
As long as he could earn silver, what was wrong with being a fickle scoundrel?
However, upon hearing Su Chen's words, the three men from the Mount Song Sect immediately changed expressions.
Dealing with Liu Zhengfeng was their greatest secret. Before the matter had even begun, outsiders absolutely could not be allowed to learn of it.
Yet this blade catcher, who had suddenly come knocking, had exposed their secret in a single sentence.
For a moment, all three Mount Song men felt an inexplicable tension.
The three exchanged glances, their eyes taking on a vicious glint.
The next instant, as if by prior agreement, they all chose to launch a surprise attack on Su Chen.
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