Unparalleled Double Harmony

Chapter 621 The Plans Have Changed (Part 2)

As an organization built on the foundation of "idealism", Zhenxia Hall is almost the embodiment of the fantasy of all young people who practice martial arts when they enter the world of martial arts - a group of benevolent and righteous "true heroes" with superb skills come together to work together and contribute to the righteous path of martial arts behind the scenes without asking for anything in return, and solve one huge conspiracy and crisis after another.

That sounds so wonderful, it's simply irresistible.

But in the end... it's just an ideal.

No one is perfect. It is already precious enough for a person to be a "true hero" for a time and a place. How can one expect to be a hero for a lifetime?
Even if there truly is a person who can be called a "true hero" throughout their entire life, it is impossible for them to never make a mistake.

Most of the time, things in the world are not determined by human will, nor by human good or evil. Since people can do bad things with good intentions, how can Zhenxia Hall be an exception?

Imagine an organization formed by dozens of people whose martial arts skills and reputations are high enough to confidently call themselves "true heroes," using a vague set of moral and ability standards imbued with a strong sense of superiority to select their "kindred spirits," and then continuing in that manner. Wouldn't that lead to problems?

One obvious point is that such organizations almost never have any "administration" or "management" aspects.

Let's take an example: Does the Justice League in the DC Universe have "administrative positions"?

Some might say, "Isn't Batman just doing administrative work? Cyborg sometimes helps out too."

Yes, that's right, but these two were never just ordinary administrators, nor did they enjoy doing this job. They had no choice but to "do more work for those who are capable."

Moreover, Batman's administration is... well, let's just say it's hard to describe. He just can't control what he's supposed to control, and sometimes the things that happen inside the organization are just as bad as those outside.

Needless to say, the True Hero Hall is even worse... In terms of administration, they don't even have someone like Mr. Krabs, let alone someone like Batman.

Therefore, the people in Zhenxiatang are not only inefficient, but they also often make mistakes, and they often don't even realize they are wrong.

Over the years, only two people have tried to reform the problems within Zhenxiatang, but unfortunately, they failed. So, these two people didn't want to play with others anymore and chose to run away.

The two who ran away, as some may have already guessed, are none other than the "Two Immortals of the Clouds and Seas" who lived in seclusion on the Two Immortal Islands.

Of course, they don't have any scenes in this volume. They will only return later in the book when Sun Yixie returns to Erxian Island and practices the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms in reverse.

Let's get back to the story now.

Speaking of the True Hero Hall, when they sent Lin Dong to deliver a message to Di Bujuan, they arranged two things.

The first thing is simple: get Di Bujuan to return the True Hero Token to the True Hero Hall. We've mentioned this before; it's a way to get rid of a hot potato for Di Bujuan, so he's happy to do it.

But the second matter, namely instructing Di Bujuan to "secretly travel to Wudang Mountain, and once he discovers traces of members of the Hunyuan Star Gate in the vicinity, to use past acquaintances to contact them and then seize the opportunity to capture them," is somewhat delicate...

In name, Zhenxia Hall was pointing out a clear path for Chief Di, allowing him to prove that "even if the attack on Shaoshi Mountain was indeed carried out by the Hunyuan Star Gate, it has nothing to do with me, Chief Di."

But in essence, this was a test of Di Bujuan.

Clearly, Zhenxiatang, like most people in the martial arts world, was skeptical of Hunyuan Xingjimen after the Shaoshi Mountain incident; by extension, they were also suspicious of Di Bujuan.

From a conspiracy theory perspective, it's entirely possible that the Hunyuan Star Gate, this mysterious sect that was inexplicably pulled into the Four Gates and Three Gangs, is a puppet sect secretly controlled by Di Bujuan or a larger force behind him, and that everything that happened at the Seven Heroes Gathering was also orchestrated by them...

Furthermore, in several major events in the martial arts world before, Chief Di and members of the Hunyuan Star Gate had participated together, and judging from the final results, the Cao Gang always benefited.

These are things that ordinary martial arts sects might not think of, but how could such a powerful organization as our True Hero Hall not think of them?
Hey, those old guys are just so full of ideas...

So they sent Lin Dong, an old friend of Di Bujuan, to entrust him with these two matters.

If you think about it again after reading this, it's not hard to see that "reclaiming the True Hero Token" was actually a way to guard against Di Bujuan in advance.

Meanwhile, a portion of the True Hero Hall's personnel had also arrived near Wudang Mountain early on; they were ready to take appropriate action based on Di Bujuan's reaction.

Of course, they weren't just keeping an eye on Di Bujuan; they were watching many others...

For example, people like Zheng Dongxi and Jiang Shouzheng... they're keeping an eye on them too.

Thanks to this, they were able to successfully take away the bodies of Jiang Shouzheng, Zi, and Bai from right under Zheng Dongxi's nose by taking advantage of the difference in numbers and time.

Among them, the most crucial person is "Zi," and the amount of information provided by this survivor is enormous.

It was only at this point that Zhenxia Hall learned that the Wanyuan Sect, which had not invaded for over thirty years, had actually returned to the Central Plains and had even colluded with Yuxiu Manor.

So, in that case, the Hunyuan Star Gate and Di Bujuan are not the people we should suspect, but rather the forces we need to unite with as soon as possible.

That's how the scene of Qing Feiyun visiting Di Bujuan under the starry night came about.

After chatting for a while, Mr. Qing discovered that Chief Di and his trusted confidant surnamed Hu had actually figured out the Wanyuan Sect's secrets on their own. That was even better. Since the other party already knew this much about the matter, Mr. Qing no longer needed to worry about which parts of the information needed to be kept secret. He could just tell them everything. In the end, Mr. Qing even brought up what Zhenxia Hall had previously suspected and wanted to test Di Bujuan about.

This is also a characteristic of the True Hero Hall: they admit their mistakes and correct them when they realize them; however... as we said, they don't always realize their mistakes in the end. Sometimes the people who can point out their mistakes are all dead or unable to speak up... so they will never know.

To put it simply, the current leader of the Di gang harbors a secret about the True Hero Hall's "mistakes without realizing it." This secret was pried out of the mouth of the "Shadowless Poison Master" Ruan Qingpao by Feng San, the third leader of the Canal Gang. Feng Shunshui also told Di Bujuan about this without leaving any written record.

However, Chief Di would not bring this up at the moment, since the other party had just cleared up their suspicions of him and was preparing to cooperate with him, so it would be inappropriate to talk about this.

"So... if I find the people from the Hunyuan Star Gate now, I won't consider taking them down, but rather I'll ask them to help us set up a scheme?"

After a short while, having listened to Mr. Qing's new plan, Di Bujuan read it aloud in a summarizing tone.

“That’s right,” Qing Feiyun said. “Yuxiu Manor’s scheme to frame us is twofold: firstly, to weaken the strength of the Central Plains martial arts world, and secondly, to lure out the True Hero Hall… to launch a direct attack on us. So why don’t we turn the tables and lure them into our trap?” He paused. “However, this plan requires the cooperation of the Hunyuan Star Gate. Chief Di, Chief Hu… you two have a close relationship with them, so we will have to trouble you two to act as matchmakers.”

"Sir, you flatter me. I am only doing this little thing for the martial arts world, how could I dare to say it is a trouble?" Di Bujuan said, and he quickly clasped his hands in response.

"It is my duty as well," Hu Wenzhi echoed.

Seeing that the two of them were cooperating so well, Qing Feiyun felt that his mission for the day was successfully completed. He then relaxed and chatted with them for a while.

But as they talked, he realized something was wrong...

Of course, it wasn't the atmosphere that was off, but rather Di Bujuan's complexion.

When we were discussing serious matters, everyone was on edge, and Chief Di, in particular, habitually put on a "working mode," so he seemed to be in good spirits.

But as soon as he relaxed, Mr. Qing immediately noticed something amiss.

"Hiss—Chief Di, may I take a look at your pulse?" When Mr. Qing asked this, he had already placed his hand on the table and made a "please" gesture.

Di Bujuan hesitated for only a moment before extending his hand in response.

He originally thought he had just a common stomach ailment and didn't intend to trouble the "Medical Sage" to treat him, but now that the other party had offered to take a look, Di Bujuan naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Hmm..." Qing Feiyun took Di Bujuan's pulse for a while, her face remained expressionless, and she only murmured slightly, but in her heart she had already thought, "Oh no."

After taking Di Bujuan's pulse, Mr. Qing asked him to open his mouth and breathe out a few breaths so he could smell the scent. Then he reached out and touched Di Bujuan's abdomen, and asked him to take a few deep breaths in coordination with his palpation.

After the examination was completed, Qing Feiyun frowned slightly and said, "Chief Di, your stomach ailment is quite serious."

"Oh?" Di Bujuan immediately tensed up when he heard the word "heavy".

He might question if others said he was seriously ill, but if Qing Feiyun said he was seriously ill, how could he not panic?

Fortunately, before Chief Di could utter a second word, Mr. Qing relaxed his brows and said confidently, "But it's alright, I can cure it."

"That's wonderful, Chief." Even with outsiders present, Hu Wenzhi still addressed Di Bujuan by his proper title. "If Master Qing says he can cure it, then it must be a cure-all."

"Hmm..." Di Bujuan also showed a happy expression, and then said to Mr. Qing, "I hope you can give me some guidance."

“Alright, I’ll write you a prescription. Just take it according to the prescription for at least six months,” Qing Feiyun replied. “I will come back to see you after six months to see if I need to change the medicine.”

"Huh?" Di Bujuan asked, puzzled. "It's going to take this long to eat?"

“Oh…” Qing Feiyun explained in a matter-of-fact tone, “Stomach problems are inherently difficult to treat, and didn’t I tell you, your condition is quite serious? Half a year is too short.”

"Oh..." Di Bujuan thought it made sense, so he immediately said gratefully, "Then... thank you, sir, for your trouble."

Qing Feiyun nodded, his expression seemingly normal, but in reality, he had already made up his mind halfway through the examination—Di Bujuan would definitely not live more than half a year.

Mr. Qing didn't tell him the truth because it would be useless. Not only would it be useless, but it would also likely shorten the other person's lifespan further due to fear and pain.

However, Mr. Qing did not lie and say that Di Bujuan's illness was not serious, because saying so would easily arouse the other party's suspicion, and would contradict his subsequent behavior of making the other party insist on taking the medicine.

Mr. Qing ultimately chose a statement that seemed very real and credible to the patient and could reassure them for a long time: "Your illness is quite serious, but it is treatable and you won't die."

Furthermore, the medicine he prescribed was also meaningful.

Although Qing Feiyun could not cure Di Bujuan's stomach cancer, he could alleviate his suffering. The prescription he wrote for Di Bujuan was actually a medicine that masked the pain regardless of the consequences.

To put it bluntly... he wanted Chief Di to be able to live a good life before his final days, so that when the time came, he could suffer a "short-term pain".

To make a long story short, Mr. Qing, with his decades of acting experience, easily fooled Di Bujuan and Hu Wenzhi. When writing the prescription, he gave a few more instructions, emphasizing that he could increase the dosage himself when he felt particularly unwell, as well as some details about his daily life and diet... before leaving.

Di and Hu also expressed their deepest gratitude as they saw the gentleman off.

And so the matter was dropped. In any case, Di Bujuan never got to see the truth about the medicine exposed. So, what Mr. Qing did today can be considered as ensuring that Chief Di would no longer be troubled by illness in the last days of his life.

(End of this chapter)