klisemfg Chapter 113: It’s none of your business, just hang up
Chapter 113: It’s none of your business, just hang up
Chen Kangnian immediately had Xi Ming write a letter and found the best guard in the Five Mountains Alliance with the best lightness skill to send it to Weiyu Tower by express courier.
After waiting anxiously for a whole day, the reply from Weiyulou was indeed very perfunctory.
The reply in the letter stated: Xi Zhenzhen and Yun Zhiye (the disciple of Weiyu Tower whom Xi Zhenzhen married) have been away from the tower for some time, and the tower does not know where they went, so whatever happens to them has nothing to do with Weiyu Tower, so please stop asking.
Seeing the perfunctory reply from Weiyu Tower, Xi Ming was furious and tore the letter to shreds. He wished he could storm into Weiyu Tower right now and personally question that old scoundrel, Yun Hailong (the owner of Weiyu Tower).
Seeing Xi Ming's fiery temper, Chen Kangnian advised, "Sect Leader Xi, don't be anxious. This reply is actually in line with Yun Hailong's style. He's the kind of person who doesn't care about things that don't concern him, but it also indirectly proves that Zhenzhen has probably really fallen into enemy hands."
"Besides you, who else knows that the folding screen painting is on your daughter?" Xie Zhi pressed again.
Xi Ming shook his head. "Nobody knows, not even Zhenzhen herself. And I've never told her about the function of the screen painting."
If that's the case, why was she kidnapped by the enemy for no reason?
Although Xi Ming was still the leader of the Wind and Rain Sect, he was now the only one left in the sect, and his power was weak. Xie Zhi sympathized with his plight, but he dared not easily ask the Five Mountains Alliance to take action, for fear of causing conflict. So Xie Zhi and Chen Kangnian discussed it and sent someone to find Bai Heming and the others, hoping that they could send someone to help investigate.
Upon receiving Chen Kangnian's letter, Bai Heming and Li Hengzhi immediately rushed to the Five Mountains Alliance. After arriving, they learned everything that had happened. Just as Li Hengzhi and the others were about to sneak into Weiyu Tower at night, a piece of news caused ripples to spread across the once calm lake of the martial world.
Rumors spread from an unknown source that some sects possessed crucial clues about the Seven Star Stones, and that they already knew the exact location of the Seven Star Stones.
Just when things seemed to be settling down, another problem arose. Bai Heming had no choice but to write a letter to Gu Yan and the others, telling them to be careful in case of unforeseen circumstances.
In his letter, Bai Heming also mentioned that he had originally intended to ask Gu Yan and Jiang Si to come and help, but instead, Su Huaiqi and Yu Zechuan arrived. However, this was even better, as Su Huaiqi had been staying in the girls' courtyard all along, and Yu Zechuan was completely different from the rumors circulating in the martial arts world. Therefore, their new activities would be much safer, since no one would recognize them.
After learning what had happened, Yu Zechuan and Su Huaiqi, who had come to help, blinked in confusion and tugged at Yu Zechuan's sleeve, asking in a low voice:
"Ayu, what kind of place is this Weiyu Tower?"
Yu Zechuan assumed that Su Huaiqi, having spent a long time in the girls' college, was unfamiliar with the affairs of the martial arts world, so he patiently explained, "Weiyu Tower is a rising star in the martial arts world in recent years. Although it has some status in the martial arts world, it is still no match for those long-established and deeply rooted sects."
In addition, Weiyu Tower often sends its young female disciples to seduce and bewitch young disciples and successors of other sects, and then arrange marriages with them. This practice is considered shameful by many sects, so Weiyu Tower has a very poor reputation in the martial arts world.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect Weiyu Tower to have this trick up its sleeve. No wonder it can't compare to other sects." Su Huaiqi clicked his tongue with some disdain. Relying on women to form cliques, this sect leader is probably not very capable.
After discussing it, the group decided to start with Weiyu Tower. Since the archer had come for the screen painting, but it wasn't on Xi Ming, they decided to go to Weiyu Tower first to check if the screen painting was on Xi Zhenzhen or if she had left it there.
"Then what pretext should we use? If we visit directly, I'm afraid Yun Hailong won't meet with me," Xi Ming asked with some concern.
“Then let’s find a reason that Lord Yun won’t refuse.” Bai Heming picked up the hot tea in his hand, but his eyes glanced at Yu Zechuan.
"It seems Brother Bai's plan is related to me," Yu Zechuan said with a smile.
Bai Heming smiled mysteriously, "It should be said that it is related to the Wutong Manor behind the young master."
After hearing Bai Heming's plan, the group exchanged knowing smiles. Xi Ming couldn't help but nod, "I don't believe Yun Hailong can resist such a huge temptation."
After finalizing the plan, Yu Zechuan quickly contacted the person in charge of Wutong Villa in Huzhou. He briefly explained his plan and then took out the token of Wutong Villa, demanding that the person in charge cooperate with his actions.
The others secretly moved to Yu Zechuan's courtyard in Huzhou, where they awaited the execution of the plan.
Two days later, under the guise of visiting his daughter, Xi Ming took Su Huaiqi by carriage to Weiyu Tower.
Upon arriving at the entrance of Weiyu Tower, Xi Ming politely explained his purpose to the guards and stood at the door waiting for their reply.
The reply was exactly as Xi Ming had guessed. Yun Hailong directly rejected his visit and refused to receive him, citing the absence of his daughter and son-in-law.
But Xi Ming didn't leave. Instead, he smiled and handed the guard a heavy money bag, asking him to inform the guard again. He only needed to tell Lord Yun that besides wanting to see his daughter, he was also there to discuss business with Lord Weiyu Tower.
Upon hearing the guard's report again, Yun Hailong hesitated. Although the Wind and Rain Sect was now in decline, Xi Ming was still the sect leader and still had some connections.
Yu Hailong pondered for a moment. Since he wasn't sure if it was true or false, why not wait and see? If it was fake, he could find an excuse to kick her out after being discovered; if it was true, he wouldn't miss out on a good match because of it.
He immediately said to the guard, "In that case, why don't you quickly invite Sect Master Xi in?"
Xi Ming led Su Huaiqi and followed the guards for a short distance before arriving at a main hall. Upon entering, they discovered that Yun Hailong had been waiting for them for quite some time.
"Sect Leader Xi, it's been a long time. The guards didn't announce my arrival clearly, so please forgive me for my poor hospitality."
"You're too kind, Master Yun. I've come uninvited and have disturbed you. I hope you'll forgive me," Xi Ming said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting to Yun Hailong.
The two were extremely polite to each other upon meeting. Yun Hailong, in particular, had such a warm and welcoming smile that it was impossible to tell he had just turned someone away.
Yun Hailong: "Sect Leader Xi, you flatter me. We are both fathers, so we naturally understand your concern for your children. However, Zhenzhen and Zhiye have been away for some time and are not in the building at the moment."
“In that case, I will wait here for a few days to see if Zhenzhen and the others can return. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you a lot these next few days, Master Yun.” Xi Ming kept quiet about business, and Yun Hailong didn’t dare to bring it up first, lest Xi Ming mistakenly think that he was there for business.
Forced to suppress his dissatisfaction, Yun Hailong shook his head with feigned indifference, "No trouble at all, Sect Leader Xi, please treat Weiyu Tower as your own home. Feel free to speak anytime if you need anything."
After a few brief pleasantries, Yun Hailong instructed his guards to take Xi Ming and Su Huaiqi to their guest rooms to rest.
Xi Ming didn't stand on ceremony and stayed at Weiyu Tower for three or four days. During these days, Yun Hailong was eager to know what business Xi Ming wanted to discuss, so he tried to subtly probe Xi Ming with his words. However, Xi Ming either pretended to be ignorant or made excuses and refused to tell him directly.
Seeing Yun Hailong's increasingly grim expression, Xi Ming realized that he had dragged it out long enough. So, after lunch that day, Xi Ming did not leave the table as usual, but instead looked at Yun Hailong with a smile.
"Master Yun, I have some things I'd like to discuss with you in detail. Do you have the time?"
Yun Hailong was somewhat surprised by Xi Ming's words. He immediately thought of the business Xi Ming had mentioned. Suppressing his excitement, he calmly nodded and said, "If you have time, what would you like to discuss with me, Brother Xi?"
Xi Ming let out a cold laugh inwardly. Yun Hailong's face-changing was truly swift. One minute he was Sect Leader Xi, the next he was Brother Xi.
Xi Ming smiled slightly, "I wonder if the host still remembers the young lady who came with me."
Yun Hailong nodded. "Of course I remember. I think she's Brother Xi's niece, Zhenzhen's cousin?"
"Master Yun has a good memory, it's her. Huaiyuan heard I was coming to see Zhenzhen and insisted on coming along, so I brought her. But the main purpose of bringing her is to give Master Yun a big gift!"
"A grand gift? I wonder what Brother Xi is referring to?" Yun Hailong's eyes were full of doubt.
“A few days ago, Huaiyuan got engaged to a direct disciple of Wutong Manor. If he were just an ordinary disciple, it wouldn't matter, but he is a capable one who is in charge of all the shops belonging to Wutong Manor in Huzhou. It is said that his power is no less than that of the governor of Huzhou.”
Xi Hui paused mid-sentence, took a sip of tea, and glanced at Yun Hailong's expression before continuing:
"Although Weiyu Tower is considered a prestigious and respectable sect in Huzhou, wouldn't it be even better if we could cultivate a good relationship with my nephew-in-law? Moreover, this would be equivalent to getting in touch with Wutong Manor. I don't need to elaborate on Wutong Manor's status in Daqi. I wonder what the Lord of Weiyu Tower thinks of this deal?"
Although the owner of Weiyu Tower was very moved by Xi Ming's words, he thought that Xi Ming was now in the Five Mountains Alliance. If he didn't want to connect the Five Mountains Alliance with Wutong Manor, why would he think of Weiyu Tower?
Thinking of this, his eyes shifted, and he said with a normal expression, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Xi, but as the old saying goes, one should not accept a reward without merit. I am a little apprehensive about such a big deal."
Xi Ming seemed to sense the poster's confusion, let out a long sigh, and looked somewhat sad.
"To be honest, Brother Yun, the situation of Fengyumen is only getting worse. The only person I have in this world who is related to me is my daughter Zhenzhen. If you say that I brought you this business without any selfish motives, that would be impossible. I only hope that Brother Yun can treat my daughter well in consideration of the good business I brought to your sect. If Fengyumen really falls into ruin, Zhenzhen will not suffer from gossip because of her fallen family and will not be unable to hold her head up in Weiyulou."
Yun Hailong thought of the letters Xi Ming sent home every now and then, as well as the gifts he sent during holidays. As a fellow parent and elder, he also understood Xi Ming's feelings.
Furthermore, given Xi Ming's behavior in the building, it seemed that he hadn't discovered that his daughter's kidnapping was related to Wei Yu's building, and he gradually relaxed his guard, even showing a significant improvement in his attitude towards them.
Her smile gradually brightened, and she even refilled Xi Ming's teacup. "Brother Xi, you flatter me. Zhenzhen has married into Weiyu Tower, so she is now a member of Weiyu Tower. Everyone in Weiyu Tower should cherish all the family members in the tower."
"With Brother Yun's words, I am relieved. My nephew-in-law will be coming to pick up Huaiyuan in two days. It seems I will have to trouble Brother Yun for a few more days. When my nephew-in-law arrives, I will personally introduce him to you."
"Alright, alright, it's not a bother at all. Brother Xi, you can stay as long as you like. It's truly delightful to be able to drink and chat with you, Brother Xi."
After discussing the important matters, the two chatted for a few more minutes before returning to their respective rooms to prepare for their afternoon rest.
Yun Hailong thoughtfully escorted Xi Ming to the courtyard gate of his guest room before waving goodbye with a smile.
After Yun Hailong returned to his room, his previously beaming face instantly turned cold. He sat down in a chair and asked the air, "Have Xi Ming and that girl been acting strangely these past few days?"
A dark figure silently flipped down from the roof beam, knelt on the ground, and bowed, replying, "Reporting to the Lord, the two of them have no daily routine. Xi Ming stands at the gate every day, seemingly waiting for his daughter's return. Apart from visiting Xi Zhenzhen's residence once, that girl spends the rest of her time quietly in the guest room courtyard."
"Haha, Xi Ming would never have imagined that his daughter was actually locked up in the building. Waiting for her to appear is just a pipe dream." Yun Hailong sneered a few times, seemingly mocking Xi Ming's wishful thinking.
"Keep an eye on it and report back immediately if anything comes up."
"Yes."
After the shadowy figure disappeared, Yun Hailong stood up and paced around the room, pondering the meaning behind Xi Ming's words. The more he thought about it, the more his lips curled into a smile. Xi Ming, oh Xi Ming, not only brought him a screen painting, but also a great business opportunity. He really wanted to thank Xi Ming.