Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

"I thought you were trying to seize the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion! Otherwise, why would your disciple be in my residence?" Yan Tieshan said with a wry smile.

Seeing Lu Xiaofeng's confusion, Yan Tieshan said, "My tutor, Young Master Su, is Su Shaoying, a disciple of Sect Leader Dugu. I thought he was a contact brought by Huo Tianqing."

Dugu Yihe sighed:

"My disciple, whom I have always been proud of, is indeed quite foolish. But he just made a mistake that all young people make. After all, not everyone is as clever as Lu Xiaofeng."

"Perhaps I protected them too well, giving them the pride of Emei, but leaving them with little experience in the world of martial arts."

I'm so sorry!

Yan Tieshan shook his head and said, "You said it yourself, not everyone is Lu Xiaofeng."

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but say, "So, Su Shaoying was sent by Sect Leader Dugu to contact Boss Yan, but he cleverly went to find Huo Tianqing first."

Hua Manlou said softly, "Before today, Huo Tianqing was the steward of the Yan family. Who would have thought that he wasn't on the same side as Boss Yan?"

Dugu Yihe said calmly, "I heard about the Great Golden Roc King in Sichuan and immediately understood the mystery. Brother Yan, have you been doing business for too long and forgotten many things?"

Yan Tieshan's body stiffened, as if he had recalled something. He smiled bitterly with a dejected expression and said, "I guess I really am getting old."

………………

Just then, the tutor, Young Master Su, led the way through the moon gate outside the waterside pavilion. Accompanying him were five beautiful girls. Four of them, with haughty expressions, were the Four Beauties of Emei, while one, with a forlorn expression, was Shangguan Danfeng, who had just escaped.

"Master."

Dugu Yihe simply nodded in response to the greetings from his disciples.

Dugu Yihe looked at Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou, who was listening attentively, and said calmly, "When the little prince left alone in the past, we promised that if he needed that wealth one day, he only needed to send someone with our unique mark to come to us and get that wealth back. After all, it was left to him by the late king."

"When the Prince of Shu's mansion told me that Lu Xiaofeng was going to come to us to collect a debt, I knew that there must be something wrong with that little prince."

“Even though I’m not good at business, and even though I’m broke, I believe the Shu Prince’s Mansion would be happy to cover this cost for me. The little prince should also know that as long as he asks, neither Yan Tieshan nor I will refuse.”

Lu Xiaofeng sighed and said, "So you knew from the beginning that the Golden Roc King was a fake?"

Dugu Yihe said, "I don't know. That's why I sent Su Shaoying to Shanxi, hoping to meet that Golden Roc King. I thought Yan Tieshan would understand my meaning and help me verify the truth. I didn't expect..."

Yan Tieshan said dejectedly, "I never thought I would lose all sense of proportion and even the most basic judgment."

Dugu Yihe glanced at him and said, "Anyone would lose their composure if they encountered Ximen Chuixue. I don't blame you. Besides, it's also because my disciple was stupid enough... After all, I sent him to see Yan Tieshan, not Huo Tianqing."

Behind him, Su Shaoying lowered her head, losing her initial arrogance, while his junior sisters covered their mouths and laughed softly.

Ignoring his disciples, Dugu Yihe continued, "Fortunately, I arrived in time, so it's not too late."

As he spoke, he looked at Shangguan Danfeng beside him and said coldly, "Take off your shoes."

Yan Tieshan had now regained his former self. He looked at Shangguan Danfeng with a slightly cold gaze and said, "If you are truly a princess of the Great Golden Roc Dynasty, then please take off your shoes."

Shangguan Danfeng's expression was unpleasant. She forced a smile and said, "Do you all have some strange hobby, like looking at women's feet?"

Dugu Yihe had already gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist and said coldly, "If you utter another word of nonsense, I will personally cut off your feet, and you will see it the same way."

Shangguan Danfeng looked at Lu Xiaofeng with a pleading expression.

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but sigh, "Could there be some secret about her feet?"

Yan Tieshan smiled and said:

"This is a secret that belongs exclusively to the Golden Roc King."

“From the first generation of Golden Roc King, every direct descendant of the Shangguan family has a unique characteristic that no one can ever fake. They all have six toes on both feet, without exception.”

"If she really is a descendant of the Little Prince, then there's no mistake. Otherwise..."

Yan Tieshan didn't need to say anything; everyone already understood that if Shangguan Danfeng had six toes, she wouldn't have resisted so much.

Su Yuchen flicked his hand, and before anyone could react, an invisible sword aura had already reached Shangguan Danfeng's face.

Without a sound, a crack appeared in the center of Shangguan Danfeng's cheek, but there was no blood in the crack.

"Such a fast sword." Dugu Yihe's eyes narrowed, because he hadn't seen that sword aura either.

As she spoke, the crack on Shangguan Danfeng's face grew wider and wider, and finally fell off silently with a "snap." The mask, which had split in two, fell to the ground, revealing a face that was seven or eight parts similar to hers.

Hua Manlou sighed and said, "So Shangguan Feiyan is Shangguan Danfeng, and Shangguan Danfeng is Shangguan Feiyan."

Chapter 419 The Speculation Behind the Scenes

Shangguan Feiyan suddenly laughed: "I didn't expect Hua Manlou to be so clever. It's a pity I can't say anything."

As she spoke, a short sword appeared in her hand, and before the Four Beauties of Emei could react, she plunged it into her own chest.

With a clang, a broad longsword appeared out of thin air, striking first despite being struck later. Shangguan Feiyan's sword struck the broad blade precisely, the immense recoil numbing her fingers, causing her short sword to fall to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the longsword flicked and changed into seven different forms, capturing Shangguan Feiyan's fleeing figure under the shadow of the sword.

Su Shaoying and the Four Beauties of Emei reacted a beat too late, and blushed even more, not expecting that this woman had already silently released her acupoints. Moreover, the suicide attempt was fake; her real intention was to escape. If it weren't for their master's presence, the Emei Sect would have completely lost face today.

Dugu Yihe blocked Shangguan Feiyan with his sword, then sheathed it and said coldly, "If it happens again, you will die."

A strange smile appeared on Shangguan Feiyan's face, as if she were doing something sacred. She closed her eyes and quietly awaited death.

Although the allure of money is great, love can make people blind and foolish.

[Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, Huo Xiu was unaware that he had already lost.]

Looking at the narration, Su Yuchen glanced at the red shoes on Shangguan Feiyan's feet and understood what was going on.

"Red shoes? But Granny Gongsun doesn't seem to have that kind of courage. Love? Could it be Jin Jiuling?"

………………

Shangguan Feiyan left after all; Dugu Yihe and Yan Tieshan did not kill her. After all, although she was not the Little Prince's biological granddaughter, she was one of the few remaining bloodlines of the Shangguan family.

"What about the real Shangguan Danfeng?" someone asked. The person who asked this question was Ma Xiuzhen, the leader of the Four Beauties of Emei. However, as soon as she asked the question, she felt that she was being foolish. Because that was how everyone around her saw it.

Only Hua Manlou remained gentle, and he said softly, "Since she is fake, then the real one is already dead. And the little prince of the Golden Roc Dynasty is naturally fake as well."

"Why?" Shi Xiuxue asked.

The other three women looked at her at the same time, but she only blushed for a moment before staring openly at Hua Manlou, her gaze both ardent and tender. Anyone could see what she was thinking.

Hua Manlou said gently as always:

"The person who is most familiar with you is definitely your fellow disciples who often go out with you; by the same token, the person who is most familiar with Shangguan Danfeng is definitely the little prince of the Golden Roc Dynasty."

"If you want to pretend to be real in front of someone you know well, there's only one way: turn the real into the fake."

Behind Dugu Yihe, the others simultaneously realized that Shangguan Danfeng must have killed the little prince in order to continue pretending; otherwise, she wouldn't have even passed the first test.

………………

“If the Golden Roc King is an imposter, then who is the one demanding repayment?” Sun Xiuqing asked.

Dugu Yihe and Yan Tieshan both sighed at the same time, clearly having already made up their minds.

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but sigh: "The Golden Roc King is dead. Now there are only three people who know about this wealth. Since the two present are no longer here, there is only one choice left: Huo Xiu."

Although I don't want to believe it, if I eliminate all possibilities, then the least likely one is often the most likely one.

Ma Xiuzhen couldn't help but ask, "Why would a delicate young girl like her work for an old geezer like Huo Xiu? What does she gain from it?"

Lu Xiaofeng's eyes flickered, and he said, "If I remember correctly, Huo Xiu is also called Shangguan Mu."

Yan Tieshan said:

“Huo Xiu is the young prince’s cousin, so of course his surname is Shangguan. If the young prince dies, he is indeed the most qualified person to inherit this wealth, after all, it is the Shangguan family’s wealth.”

"Only he could see through my failure in educating Huo Tianqing, and only he could accurately grasp the flaws in Huo Tianqing's mind."

Hua Manlou sighed, "The enemy who knows you best is often the one who knows you best."

Shi Xiuxue said, "So, Shangguan Feiyan will get a lot of money?"

Hua Manlou nodded and said, "If the plan succeeds, and if Huo Xiu is willing, then it is indeed true."

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but ask, "There's another question. Although Huo Xiu is stingy, he's not short of money. Why would he do this? Is money more important than friends?"

Hua Manlou said, "You said he's stingy, maybe he's just as stingy with himself. After all, not every businessman is as generous as a big boss."

Dugu Yihe scoffed, "How do you know he's not short of money?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked in surprise, "Even the richest man in the world is short of money?"

Dugu Yihe said calmly, "If Huo Xiu wants to expand his business and make it the best in the world, he needs to build good relationships with the imperial court and the royal families of various regions. However, the Shu Prince's Mansion told me that Huo Xiu's business in Sichuan has not sent any money to the Shu Prince's Mansion for two consecutive periods."

While stratagems may be clever, sometimes strength is more important. When it comes to intelligence, who can compare to the regional princes who can mobilize the imperial spies?

The Shu Prince's Mansion has discovered the secret that Huo Xiu is nothing but an empty shell, but regardless, the Shu Prince's Mansion hopes to take one last bite out of this empty shell.

Su Yuchen understood that although the Emei Sect was the local power in Sichuan, they couldn't withstand the influence of the Shu Prince's Mansion, whose surname was Zhu, the same as the Zhu family in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, even someone as powerful as Dugu Yihe had to go out and work as a henchman.

Lu Xiaofeng said, "Then where did his money go? It can't all have gone to the imperial palace."

The truth often lies unintentionally.

The emperor is the richest person in the world, and at the same time, the poorest person in the world.

Su Yuchen couldn't help but glance at Lu Xiaofeng. This guy still didn't know that he had already guessed the ending.

At the same time, he also had some doubts. Could it be that he guessed wrong and that Shangguan Feiyan had no relationship with Jin Jiuling? Or was Jin Jiuling also caught in the crossfire, like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

Yan Tieshan stood up and said, "The only answer to this question is to ask Huo Xiu."

"Does the big boss know where he is?" Hua Manlou asked.

Yan Tieshan said, "Since the establishment of the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion, a small building has appeared on the back of this mountain. I originally thought he wanted to be a neighbor. Now I realize that he had already regarded the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion as his private property from the very beginning."

Hua Manlou said worriedly, "If Huo Tianqing is being used as a pawn by Huo Xiu, then he must be in great danger right now. After all, Huo Xiu won't let him live to expose his secrets."

Lu Xiaofeng, however, was concerned about another issue and couldn't help but ask, "Small building? The First Green Robe Pavilion?"

Su Yuchen said, "If all of this was designed by Huo Xiu, and the fake Golden Roc King and Shangguan Feiyan are both Huo Xiu's people, then framing Dugu Yihe as the Green Robe Pavilion Master and plotting to seize the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion would make sense. But now we need to prove that the building is indeed the Green Robe First Pavilion."

“Let’s go take a look now,” Yan Tieshan said, standing up.

Chapter 420 Little Trick

Lu Xiaofeng finished his drink, feeling somewhat lost as he faced Huo Xiu, who had been plotting against him.

Hua Manlou smiled silently and patted his shoulder in comfort; Su Yuchen laughed and said, "You really have good taste in friends..."

Lu Xiaofeng's breath hitched. Thinking of what Su Yuchen had said about the wooden Taoist and the honest monk, he felt even more depressed.

“Hua Manlou is also my friend,” Lu Xiaofeng said smugly, his eyes darting around.

Su Yuchen said calmly, "I've never been bad at making friends."

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but sigh, ignoring the probing looks from the others, and got up to walk towards the door.

Before anyone could move, Dugu Yihe turned around and saw the figure in white.

"A lone crane."

"Ximen Chuixue".

With just one glance, the instincts of swordsmen made them recognize each other. They both simultaneously placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

An invisible pressure was constantly pressing in across the covered bridge. The birds that were originally planning to return to their nests started chirping and panicking. They then hurriedly left their nests. The relaxed and carefree lotus pond was now tinged with the bleakness of autumn. The lotus leaves drooped and hung on the water's surface, looking particularly withered.

Lu Xiaofeng suddenly felt anxious. He realized he must have lost his mind; why had he invited Ximen Chuixue down the mountain? And once Ximen Chuixue was about to draw his sword, no one could stop him, not even Lu Xiaofeng. Therefore, he could only turn his gaze to Su Yuchen, this mysterious and unpredictable young man.

And Su Yuchen did not disappoint Lu Xiaofeng.

"We're going to find Huo Xiu, do you want to come?" Su Yuchen asked.

Ximen Chuixue looked at Dugu Yihe and said, "I'll wait until you've finished dealing with your own affairs."

"Okay," Dugu Yihe nodded.

………………

As the evening breeze swept in, Ximen Chuixue had vanished once more, just as silently as he had appeared. Lu Xiaofeng breathed a sigh of relief. Although Ximen Chuixue had only left temporarily, perhaps there was still a way to stop this battle.

“Master.” Su Shaoying and the four beauties of Emei looked at Dugu Yihe with a hint of worry.

Dugu Yihe ignored the disciples and looked at Su Yuchen, saying, "I didn't expect you to be able to stop Ximen Chuixue. It seems I wasn't wrong; your martial arts are still above mine. But why did you stop this battle?"

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "If we're going to fight, we should at least be fair. You've come all the way from Sichuan, and your physical and mental condition isn't at its peak. What's the point of fighting like this?"

Yan Tieshan couldn't wait any longer and left the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion, heading towards the back mountain.