Chapter 70: There is a counterpart, but no absolute (5)

The pale green liquid in the cup was extremely fragrant.

"I've named it Green Shade Wine. You know, the wine that Father used to enjoy making."

"......"

"It's strange to think that he didn't give this fine wine a name."

"......"

"Would you like a drink?"

"Yes."

Ming Chuan filled Ming Wushan's cup.

"Hey, Mountain."

Ming Wushan flinched.

It had been a long time since Ming Chuan had called him by his name.

Ming Chuan was always someone who tried to maintain a clear distinction between public and private matters. Although his efforts did not yield the desired results, he generally avoided calling his counterparts by their names in formal settings.

However, now, he broke that convention.

"Yes, Brother."

"In my opinion, you made no mistakes. It was all my fault."

"......"

"You even tried to prevent my mistakes. If I had followed your advice, the unnecessary loss of troops could have been avoided."

"......No, that's not true."

Ming Chuan drained his cup.

Ming Wushan couldn't bring himself to drink.

"It's all my fault. If the family members were injured, or if someone was struck by lightning on the road and died, or if someone accidentally drowned, it would all be the head of the family's responsibility."

"......"

"However, the role of the chief steward is to share the heavy burden of the head of the family."

"Yes, yes."

"I didn't appoint you, a collateral line member, as the chief steward for any other reason. Ability? No, there were many capable people in the direct line as well."

"......"

"I liked your sense of responsibility. And I liked your principles. Even if all the family's leaders were to die, the dignity of the head of the family must not be compromised. I felt your sincerity in those words. That's why I appointed you as the chief steward."

Ming Chuan lifted the wine bottle.

"I'm the one who gave the title of chief steward to a man from the collateral line, Ming Wushan."

"......I am sorry."

"For what?"

"......"

"What could you have done wrong? I appointed you as the chief steward. If there were any mistakes, they would be mine."

Ming Wushan's face turned pale.

Ming Chuan's expression grew colder.

"But this is a bit of a problem."

"......"

"Suddenly, many people have started to doubt the relationship between the Qinglang Pavilion and the main house. Apart from the Murong family, no one knew that the Qinglang Pavilion belonged to the main house."

"......"

"The eldest son of the Lian family? Yes, he could be an outstanding genius. To have destroyed the Qinglang Pavilion alone, he must be quite remarkable. Yes, it's possible, but......"

Bang! Screech!

The table broke, and the wine bottle and cups fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"Why couldn't you stop this rumor?"

"......"

"Your brother is asking, why couldn't you stop it?"

"......I am sorry."

Ming Chuan's face turned red.

He swung the porcelain vase beside the window.

Screech!

Ming Wushan's head was instantly drenched in blood.

He did not use his inner strength to block the attack. Ming Wushan felt his vision blur for a moment but gritted his teeth and did not fall.

"There's always a first move in a rumor. Surely, you didn't just sit back and do nothing? As the chief steward, didn't you even consider the possibility that the Qinglang Pavilion might be defeated by Lian Huozheng?!!"

It sounded like a tiger's roar. Ming Wushan felt his mind go blank.

'Ugh.'

It was a terrifying inner strength.

Ming Chuan had started learning the ancestral martial arts a few days ago. There were no side effects for those who learned them.

In those few days, the quantity and quality of his inner strength had significantly increased. He now emitted a perfect aura, as if he had found the missing piece.

Drip.

Blood flowed from Ming Wushan's nose, damaged by the shockwave from Ming Chuan's voice.

"What have you been doing all this time? Don't give me that lip service about being sorry. Tell me what you did!"

"I......"

Ming Wushan bit his lip.

"I was looking for the Dark Sand Corps."

Ming Chuan's eyes blazed like fire.

"Why? Because of your daughter?!"

"......I will not lie. Of course, it's partly because of my daughter, but also because if they have the Dark Sand Corps, it could be a big problem."

"Ha! Why? Do you think the Dark Sand Corps would reveal the main house's secrets?"

"No, no! The Dark Sand Corps would never reveal secrets, even at the cost of their lives!"

"Then!"

"If Lian Huozheng appears with the Dark Sand Corps, it will be clear that we tried to kill him. That's why I was looking for them."

Ming Chuan's eyes deepened.

It seemed he wasn't just idly playing around.

"So, where are the Dark Sand Corps?"

"Still...... I haven't found them."

"Great."

"But! I have found out who was involved! I have the evidence!"

Ming Chuan's eyes lit up.

"Evidence?"

"Yes! The Beggar Sect was involved! I'm sure of it!"

"I know the Beggar Sect was involved. But what can we do with that evidence?"

"We can pressure them."

"Where? Surely not the Beggar Sect?"

Ming Wushan licked his lips. They were dry and cracked.

"Yes. The Beggar Sect is a major sect that upholds chivalry. Chivalry is their top value. But what they did is no different from kidnapping and detention."

Ming Chuan frowned.

"Do you think you can shake them with just such a bad reputation?"

"We can shake public opinion."

"Public opinion?"

"Yes. Detaining the Dark Sand Corps is also evidence that they were involved with the Lian family in all of this."

"Hmm."

"Whether the method is right or wrong, the result is what matters, right? No, the White Way martial world is not run that way. The damage to the Beggar Sect's reputation will inevitably lose them the trust of many people."

Ming Wushan's eyes sparkled.

"Contact the Dragon Head Sect Leader. If he doesn't want to die, tell him to stop at an appropriate point. The Dragon Head Sect Leader should know which side, the main house or the Lian family, is easier to handle."

That's true.

It's true, but it's not enough. Even if this plan works, there will still be problems.

"Ultimately, it means we admit to having the Qinglang Pavilion and others. Over time, the Beggar Sect will dig into us."

"We have a reliable ally, don't we?"

"Murong?"

"Yes. The Murong family's influence is second only to the main house among the seven major families. If the Dragon Head Sect Leader doesn't want to turn the White Way martial world into a battlefield, he won't dare to get involved in this matter."

Ming Chuan sneered.

"Yes, if everything goes as you plan, how wonderful it would be. But it's all just talk. To make things go as you intend, we need a more solid weapon."

Something that can shake public opinion, not just force.

Something so shocking that it can erase the events related to Lian Huozheng from the minds of the people.

At that moment, Ming Wushan's eyes sparkled.

"Cover it up."

"Cover it up? Cover up what?"

"Instead of making people forget about the events related to Lian Huozheng, why not turn him into a villain?"

This is interesting.

Ming Chuan smiled inwardly. Indeed, people show their true worth when pushed to the limit. Ming Wushan was no different.

"If done well, we can suppress Lian Huozheng, the Lian family, and even the Beggar Sect."

"How?"

"Contact the Gaojian Sect in Jiangsu Province and have them investigate unsolved major crimes that occurred in the past five years. Then, pin the unsolved cases on Lian Huozheng."

It was a captivating suggestion.

Ming Chuan asked subtly.

"But there's no evidence?"

"It doesn't matter. As everyone knows, our family's warriors are all passionate. Once we capture Lian Huozheng, we can claim we intended to interrogate him under the authority of a grand assembly, and all the previous incidents will be buried."

A pleasant smile finally appeared on Ming Chuan's face.

"That's good. Very good."

Even if the truth is revealed later, it doesn't matter. The power of a prestigious family can easily suppress it.

If done well, we might even gain the support of the common people in Jiangsu Province. It's a strategy that involves accepting a small loss to gain much more.

Ultimately, it's about justification. With a strong justification, the minor issues can be resolved with the actual power of the faction.

This is how prestigious families have grown, and how many sects have developed over the years.

At least in the White Way martial world, the defectors have done so.

"There's no law that says people must die. If you had done this earlier, how wonderful it would have been."

"I am sorry."

"It's fine. The strategy you just came up with has erased all your past mistakes."

"Thank you."

"The Qinglang Pavilion issue is something we have to deal with, isn't it?"

"There's no choice. We can claim we were holding them to reform them."

"Good, let's do that. Time is short. Hurry up."

"Understood."

"Ah, and Chief Steward."

"Speak, please."

A murderous intent appeared in Ming Chuan's eyes.

"Since we've created a plausible justification, shouldn't we really bring Lian Huozheng in this time?"

"......Yes. Who do you plan to send?"

"He defeated the Qinglang Pavilion seventy. We can't treat him as a junior anymore."

Ming Chuan lifted his chin.

"Send Ming Chishan's half-brothers."

Ming Wushan's eyes widened.

"Aren't they the ones we plan to use to eliminate the Lian family?"

"Lian Huozheng isn't part of the Lian family, is he?"

"......"

"Send them."

"Understood."

Ming Wushan's face brightened as he left the head of the family's room.

His expression was a mix of the thrill of survival and the relief of finally capturing Lian Huozheng.

At least the three he knew were the strongest among the collateral line members.

They could easily capture the head of one of the seven major families. Moreover, they were the first to learn the ancestral martial arts.

The chances of success were a hundred percent.

* * *

Rumble.

Lian Huozheng's eyes sparkled.

'It's done.'

Ten days ago, the internal and external injuries he sustained in the bloody battle with the Qinglang Pavilion were completely healed.

This was the result of activating the most stable of the Lian family's five great martial arts, the Bi Lajin, Baihu Qi, and Xuanwu Qi. Without mastering the Four Divine Martial Arts, it would have taken over twenty days to recover.

He picked up his axe and left the room.

'Hmm?'

Lian Huozheng looked down at his hand holding the Changda.

'Not bad.'

Every muscle, nerve, and joint in his body was better than before.

The Four Divine Martial Arts are battlefield martial arts. The more you fight, the faster you grow. How else would you fuel the Four Divine Qi with the enemy's killing intent?

In a short moment, he had engaged in countless life-and-death battles. These battles fueled the power of Baihu Qi and Xuanwu Qi, and further developed his physical strength.

'To become stronger, you must fight to the death. I now understand why my master despised the Four Divine Martial Arts.'

As he left the room and entered the courtyard of the manor, he heard someone calling.

"Lian Gongzi!"

Gade Shang was running towards him from a distance.

Lian Huozheng smiled.

"Since my body has fully recovered, you've come as if you were waiting for me. What......"

Lian Huozheng stopped speaking. He could see the urgency in Gade Shang's face.

"Something big has happened!"

"What is it?"

"The Ming family has designated Lian Gongzi as the criminal responsible for the unsolved cases in Jiangsu Province!"

"What?"

Gade Shang explained the rumor spread by the Ming family in detail.

"The cities of Zhengzhou and Kaifeng are in chaos! The speed at which the rumor is spreading is incredible! It's even overshadowing the rumors we spread!"

"They're creating a justification."

"What, what do you mean?"

Lian Huozheng's eyes turned cold.

"They're creating a justification. Since they can't erase this incident, they're making me a villain to justify sending troops."

"Damn it! Who doesn't know that? The problem is the speed at which the rumor is spreading! If this continues, it will spread throughout Henan in three to four days......!"

"They're digging their own grave."

"......Huh?"

Lian Huozheng smiled.

"The justification they've created can also be used against them."

"What do you mean?"

Lian Huozheng turned around.

Shen Mo was approaching from a distance.

"Chief Shen. Are the Changying Corps in good shape?"

"Yes! Of course."

"Good, prepare for departure within two days."

Lian Huozheng slung his axe over his shoulder.

"Let's go see the head of the Ming family."