The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Hu Yiba didn't urge him and picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Seeing Gu Zhanghua in a daze, Zhao Xuan was anxious. She quickly came up with a clever idea and said, "Alliance Leader Hu, your question is actually easy to answer. The price of the Evil-Slaying Sword is the same as the price of my prince's treasure."

"Oh?" Hu Yiba looked at Zhao Xuan calmly, "Everyone knows this. The Evil-Slaying Sword is a priceless treasure. It seems this deal can't be done. Your Highness, please take the Evil-Slaying Sword back."

"Five hundred taels of gold!"

Gu Zhanghua gritted his teeth. He could no longer care about anything else. The matter of Jiaoyang Valley had to be settled.

Hu Yiba didn't even frown, and slammed the table: "Deal!"

Zhao Xuan exclaimed, "Your Majesty!"

Gu Zhanghua waved his hand at Zhao Xuan, stopping her from saying anything.

Hu Yiba gave Wu Li a wink, and Wu Li hurried out the door. After a while, he came in with a box in his hand and a man who looked like an accountant. The man had a brush on his ear and an account book in his hand.

The accountant walked up to Hu Yiba, opened the account book, pointed to a place, took the brush from his ear and handed it to Hu Yiba. Hu Yiba signed with a big stroke of the brush, and the accountant retreated without saying a word.

Wu Li put the box on the ground, opened the lid, and saw golden bars neatly stacked inside.

Hu Yiba then looked at Gu Zhanghua and said, "Your Highness, please count them. Is there enough?"

"No need for that. I believe that Alliance Leader Hu would not deceive me on such a trivial matter."

Hu Yiba reached out and picked up the evil-slaying knife and stood up.

"Now that the deal is done, I will immediately open the ancestral hall and use this knife to comfort my brother's spirit in heaven. Wu Li, you must immediately prepare the sacrifice and gather all the members of the alliance, young and old. Gather outside the ancestral hall in a quarter of an hour!"

Wu Li responded and left.

Gu Zhanghua cursed inwardly. "Open the ancestral hall immediately?" Isn't this just a disguised order to expel him? He's like a traitor, a traitor who destroys his friends after they've done their work. That's exactly what this old bastard, Hu Yiba, is all about!

Hu Yiba gave Gu Zhanghua a knowing smile and said, "I wonder if Your Highness has any other advice for me?"

Gu Zhanghua knew that there would be no chance of reaching an agreement today. What Hu Yiba did was completely reasonable. He really couldn't find any flaws, and there was no reason to stop him from paying tribute to his brother.

"Since that's the case, Alliance Leader Hu has important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. However, I'll stay in Jinyang City for a few days to see the city's scenery and understand the people's sentiments. If I'm bothering you in any way, I hope Alliance Leader Hu won't mind."

"Of course! Do you need me to send a guide to show you around?"

"That's not necessary, Shishu, take the box and let's go."

Hu Yiba escorted the three of them to the door and politely invited Gu Zhanghua to have lunch with him the next day as a gesture of hospitality. Gu Zhanghua agreed.

Hu Yiba returned to the main hall and Wu Li was already prepared.

"Alliance leader, everyone is here. Shall we open the ancestral hall now?"

Hu Yiba said "hmm" absentmindedly.

Wu Li observed his expression and asked, "Alliance Leader, do you think the virtuous king's purpose in this trip is not pure?"

Hu Yiba looked at the evil-slaying knife in his hand.

"He comes with ill intentions! How could Liang Changping give up the Evil-Slaying Sword so easily? No matter how precious the treasure is, even if it's a hundred times more valuable than the Evil-Slaying Sword, Liang Changping won't let it go. To him, this sword is unique and irreplaceable! This wise king, whether real or fake, can actually exchange it for the Evil-Slaying Sword. If he has no other motives, I'll kick his head for fun!"

"So what should we do now? Should we send someone to keep an eye on them?"

"No need. Leave him alone for now. I've arranged to have lunch with him tomorrow. We'll know what he's up to then. Let's go to the ancestral hall first."

Gu Zhanghua and his three companions left the Tiandao League headquarters. Along the way, Zhao Xuan didn't say anything, and Gu Zhanghua didn't say anything either. The secretary followed behind them carrying a box of gold.

Shishu looked up at the sky, the sun dazzled his eyes, but the bright sunshine could not block the bursts of coldness emanating from the princess. Shishu felt cold all over, and even the warm wind blowing towards him could not make him feel a bit warm.

As soon as she returned to the inn, Shishu hid in her own guest room. Before she could close the door, she saw the prince walk in, but then he was dragged by the princess by the arm into the next room.

The secretary clasped her hands together and said, "God bless you! Even if the princess gets angry, I can't save you. Your Highness, you can only take care of yourself."

Zhao Xuan dragged Gu Zhanghua back to the room, kicked the door shut, and started scolding Gu Zhanghua.

"You sold the Evil Slaying Blade so cheaply so easily? And even sacrificed your second brother's God-Slaying Sword? We fought so hard to get the Evil Slaying Blade back, and you just do whatever Hu Yiba says? You're just going to let him do whatever he wants? Let him lead you by the nose?"

"Do you think I want to do this? Lao Tzu said in the Tao Te Ching, 'If you want to get rid of it, you must first raise it; if you want to take it, you must first give it; if you want to destroy it, you must first learn it!' Sun Tzu's Art of War also says, 'So, if you want to capture it, you must let it go, and then you can turn the tables!'"

Zhao Xuan was stunned when she heard this: "Wait a minute, tell me something I can understand."

"What I mean is that we can't confront Hu Yiba head-on right away. Let him be for now, and then we'll look for an opportunity to break through. If Hu Yiba is proud, then let him be proud. But those who do evil will eventually be burdened by evil, defeated by evil, and destroyed by evil."

Zhao Xuan was still a little confused: "I understand the general idea, so what opportunity have we found now?"

"Having lunch together tomorrow is the opportunity."

Zhao Xuan slapped her forehead and turned around in circles in anxiety.

"You've truly outmaneuvered me. What's a good opportunity like a meal? I don't even need it! What about the Jiaoyang Valley matter? Originally, we returned the Xie Zhan Knife so that Hu Yiba would owe us a favor, and then he would relent on the Jiaoyang Valley matter. Now you've turned this into a deal, paying us back for the goods. What will you do if Hu Yiba comes clean and refuses to discuss the Jiaoyang Valley matter with you? If I had known this would happen, I might as well have kept the Xie Zhan Knife, or even not exchanged it for the God-Slaying Sword. It's completely unnecessary, and we'll lose both the wife and the army!"

"You can't say that."

Gu Zhanghua took Zhao Xuan's hand and they both sat down at the table. Gu Zhanghua then looked at Zhao Xuan eagerly.

"Think about it, it was you who brought the Evil Slaying Blade into Liang Changping's hands. Even though you had a thousand valid reasons for doing so, I still don't want you to bear the blame. After all, only a few people know the truth, and you can't explain it to everyone one by one. Now that the Evil Slaying Blade has been returned to its rightful owner, no one will ever accuse you of being the Evil Slaying Blade again. I'm quite happy."

Gu Zhanghua's words made Zhao Xuan feel a thousand thoughts flooding her mind. This guy really hasn't changed at all. He is silly and has no brains. He doesn't care about the bad reputation at all. She only does what she thinks is right. She doesn't have that big a heart. She can only protect the people around her and redress the injustices that she can see. But Gu Zhanghua has always been thinking about her. What he is thinking about is actually clearing her reputation.

Forget it, things have come to this, there is no point in saying more.

Zhao Xuan pushed Gu Zhanghua out the door.

"I can't argue with you. Let's all go back to our rooms and think carefully about how to deal with this cunning Hu Yiba tomorrow!"

Zhao Xuan closed the door, leaned against the door panel and sighed softly, then heard Gu Zhanghua say something outside the door.

"Have you forgotten? We haven't had lunch yet."

"Eat, eat, eat. All you do is eat. Have you figured out a plan so quickly?"

Then Gu Zhanghua said leisurely, "You're right. When Heaven bestows a great responsibility upon a man, it must first make his heart and mind suffer, his muscles and bones toil, his body hungry and empty, and his actions frustrated. Oh, I've learned my lesson. I've decided not to eat lunch or dinner, and wait for tomorrow to slaughter Hu Yiba!"

Zhao Xuan smiled. She turned around, opened the door, and looked at Gu Zhanghua strolling at the door.

"What? You want to experience what it means to starve someone to death? Come on, I'll teach you."