The Villain's Counterattack

In the end, Murong Fu made the choice that best suited his status. He rode back to Dali City at full speed, met Ma Dayuan who was recuperating in the Dali Palace, and personally examined him.

He had internal injuries but they were not serious, but the timing of the injuries was a bit wrong. Murong Fu made a judgment in an instant: this bastard actually hurt himself to deal with himself.

Why isn't he in a hurry to return to the Central Plains?

Why did he stay in Dali Kingdom even at the cost of self-harm?

Murong Fu pondered for a moment, prescribed a few simple prescriptions, and told Ma Dayuan to take care of himself and not to use his energy recklessly within three to five days. Only then did he turn to ask about the whole story of how he was captured.

Ma Dayuan then told the story of his own experience. He was in trouble at home. He was attacked when he was drunk and half awake. He survived the disaster but was seriously injured. After waking up, he escaped from home and was captured by four evil men in the wilderness.

He dragged his sick body all the way to Dali, and met Murong Fu and his party by chance on the way. His whereabouts were exposed but he was not rescued. He was then detained strictly. Later, he pretended to cooperate with them and made plans to capture Duan Yu. Until the end, he used a secret method to open the acupuncture points and secretly plotted against Ye Erniang to regain his freedom.

"I used the secret technique of blood bursting to open the acupuncture points and temporarily restore my internal strength, but my body was injured and it was not suitable for long-distance travel. This is why I had to stay in Dali for a while. Once I am healthy, I will return to the Central Plains and clear the injustice for Master Murong." Ma Dayuan said with a smile, "I have worked with Master Murong for a long time and know that you are a cunning person. When you two traveled together without seeing others, I knew there was something fishy going on. Sure enough..."

Murong Fu rolled his eyes and asked, "Have you written to Boss Qiao and explained everything? You were ambushed, and the first thing you did when you woke up was to flee the house. You obviously have some suspicions, right?"

Ma Dayuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "Originally, she was just afraid of implicating my wife, who doesn't have any martial arts skills. Now it seems that the matter is more complicated. Without even seeing my body, how could she insist that I was injured by a throat-locking grabbing hand? And I definitely felt the injury to the back of my throat at the time, but for some reason, the person who attacked me didn't use more force. Was it because he couldn't bear it, or was it because he lacked strength?"

Murong Fu and Ma Dayuan looked at each other and made some guesses at the same time, but Ma Dayuan was just guessing, while Murong Fu was familiar with the original work and knew the whole story, but I just won’t tell you that it was your wife and her lover who did it to you.

"Do you need me to escort you back to the Central Plains?" Murong Fu said seriously, "You are in a very important position right now. If you are not careful, it will cause a quarrel and a fatal fight between the Beggars' Sect and the Murong family. At the very least, it will involve a business worth two hundred thousand taels of silver every year."

Ma Dayuan's wife curled her lips and glanced at Murong Fu, saying, "Every year, there are 120,000 Beggar Gang disciples, totaling 468,000 taels of silver. Young Master Murong, there's no need to test me. I am Ma Dayuan, not someone else in disguise, nor a stand-in or puppet. The cooperation between the Beggar Gang and the Murong family is no secret to the Beggar Gang's top brass, but when it comes to the specific figures, only Gang Leader Qiao and I know. As for the actual annual figures, only I, the Inner Gang Leader, know the details."

Murong Fu shrugged slightly and said, "The stories that happened to you are truly amazing. You always manage to escape danger. This forces me to be extra cautious. After all, sending a spy into the Beggars' Sect to serve as deputy leader would be a huge threat to the Beggars' Sect, the Song Dynasty, and even my Murong family. I must be cautious. I beg Deputy Leader Ma to forgive me."

"Those in power are often suspicious, while those who have achieved success are often self-confident. Not only you, but even Master Xuanbei, the Dali royal family, and even the Beggars' Clan within Dali City have tested me, and I've gradually grown accustomed to it. As the head of the Murong Clan, who revived the Murong Clan at a young age, if you don't test it yourself, I'll become suspicious." Ma Dayuan waved his hand nonchalantly, "I've already written to Chief Qiao to report my safety and defend you. With Chief Qiao here, there's no way the Beggars' Clan and the Murong Clan can come to blows."

Murong Fu nodded slightly, then asked, "So, do you need me to send you back to the Central Plains as soon as possible? Although it may sound a bit boastful, with my martial arts skills and the guards around me, I can handle not only the Four Evils, but even twice as many."

Ma Dayuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head gently, saying, "You're too flamboyant. If I were to walk with you, my whereabouts would inevitably be exposed. I've sensed a growing turmoil within the gang, and my attack was no accident. Although I hate to admit it, I have to admit that it's more likely to be caused by a traitor. I want to join forces with the gang leader to catch the traitor, but before that happens, I can't expose myself."

"I consider myself a decent martial artist, but I'm far inferior to the leader and Young Master Murong. Master Xuanbei and Master Huangmei have promised to escort me back to the Central Plains Beggars' Sect, and the Dali royal family has also promised to send experts to accompany me. However, I know that the notorious Duan Yanqing has secretly sent a message, inviting the Western Xia Yipintang to Dali. If Young Master Murong is willing and able, he can help us defeat these enemies."

Ma Dayuan's words hit the mark exactly what Murong Fu wanted. Ma Dayuan didn't want the meticulous Murong Fu to accompany him for fear of revealing any flaws. Although he had inherited Ma Dayuan's memory and martial arts, he was not Ma Dayuan after all, and his character and habits were far worse. He had prepared for this meeting for a long time, which was why he hadn't made any mistakes or been suspected, but he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't reveal any flaws while spending so much time with him.

For Murong Fu, Ma Dayuan was his natural enemy. It would be best if they could not be together, but the reason had to be sufficient. So he approached Emperor Baoding, using the capture of Duan Yanqing as a bargaining chip, and asked the Dali royal family to enthrone Zhong Ling as the Princess of Dali.

Zhong Ling was originally Duan Zhengchun's illegitimate daughter, a pure descendant of the Dali royal family, but she could not be officially recognized due to some reasons of her parents. Now Murong Fu took the initiative to propose it, and his reasons were well-founded. In addition, Zhong Wanchou's reputation and "achievements" were enough to make many people acquiesce.

Murong Fu was born into an extraordinary family and was a high-ranking official of the Song Dynasty. His wife had an imperial decree from the Song Dynasty court. It would be inappropriate for Zhong Ling to be his concubine without any status. However, if she were to be a concubine, not only the Dali royal family, but even Zhong Wanchou would not agree.

After hearing Murong Fu's plan, Ma Dayuan couldn't help but frown after he got Zhong Ling's true identity out of him. He couldn't help but look down on Duan Zhengchun, the Prince of Zhennan. How could a real man be controlled by a little woman?

Murong Fu secretly despised what he said, but he never mentioned that Kang Min was also Duan Zhengchun's mistress. He let the couple fight. Anyway, Kang Min and Ma Dayuan were not good people. It was just that Ma Dayuan had the upper hand in terms of identity, and he was in the dark, so this advantage was too great.

Or, give her some tips and help?

Ma Dayuan and Murong Fu, the two foxes, one big and one small, had a very pleasant conversation. As soon as they separated, they each breathed a sigh of relief and secretly reviewed the entire conversation, looking for possible flaws and loopholes so that they could make up for them in the future.

Ma Dayuan: Murong helped me so much, yet he didn't take the opportunity to blackmail me? Could it be that he doesn't completely trust me?

Murong Fu: I acted very similar, but sometimes I imitated too deliberately, which made some incoherence appear. Ma Dayuan is not a coward, and a minor injury is not an excuse for you to stay in Dali Kingdom. If you are really Ma Dayuan, even if his legs are broken, he will crawl back to the Central Plains Beggar Gang to take charge of the situation.

As the saying goes, it is difficult to change one's nature, and calculating too much is your biggest shortcoming. Although Ma Dayuan is scheming, he is a passionate man of the world at heart, but you are not.