“He Wen refuses to talk…”

…

The night was restless.

Lin Zongwu, with his hands clasped behind his back, paced slowly beneath the eaves of the palace, feeling the restless hearts of the people surging like a heatwave.

In the main hall of the New Tiger Palace, Xu Zhaonan was holding a meeting with many of his high-ranking subordinates. He didn't go over. Having rushed all the way from Jin, the situation in Jiangning was far more complex than he had imagined. As the outside world spread news of He Wen's unveiling of his true intentions, he also had his own things to think carefully about.

Wang Nantuo jogged over from the other side of the courtyard.

After clasping his fists in greeting to Lin Zongwu, he approached.

“I inquired meticulously… and had outsiders confirm it twice. He Wen refuses to talk. He insists on having the final say regarding the Reading Club… Something big is going to happen tomorrow, but to be honest, the real major event was decided before dark when the five-party talks collapsed…”

“Why would He Wen do this? Does he not know the consequences of people turning against him?”

“He has laid out his reformist ideas in detail and had them printed into booklets. Some busybodies are already helping to spread the news. Specifically, some things conflict with our side, mainly in the execution aspect…”

Wang Nantuo spoke softly about these matters, also giving a rough account of the conflicts in the meeting hall that afternoon. Lin Zongwu was silent for a moment.

“It all sounds like good things. But forcing a cow to drink when it doesn't want to, what can you accomplish…”

“What Lord Xu and Senior Brother said…”

“He relayed the matter to me almost verbatim.” Lin Zongwu sighed. “It wouldn't be easy to deceive me face to face, but this He Wen… is really…”

“According to outsiders, He Wen has long been mad. He was loyal to the court, but the court framed him, and after suffering torture, his entire family perished. Having lost his family, he always likes to do outrageous things.”

“But he does have the title of King of Fairness. If he wants to cause trouble, the other four will have a lot of problems.”

“Yes, that is precisely what Lord Xu and the others are struggling with.” Wang Nantuo was silent for a moment. “Senior Brother, if you can’t make up your mind, we can just leave. To be honest, He Wen's words seem radical, but… they are not without reason.”

“…Ning Yi's ideas sound interesting.” Lin Zongwu walked slowly forward. “These days, I have read a few sentences from that Reading Club booklet. One sentence is, ‘The grander the idea, the clearer the understanding of the laws must be, the stricter the rules must be applied. If these two points are not achieved, the ideal will only turn into disaster…’ It's not without reason, very interesting.”

“Senior Brother…”

“But… haven't Ning Yi's ideas been realized yet?” Lin Zongwu looked into the distance of the city. “Ning Yi is still unable to realize his ideas, then He Wen… how much disaster will he cause…”

The Great Monk frowned slightly and sighed.

Although he said that, he hadn't truly made up his mind. The two walked slowly forward in the long corridor…

…

“…He Wen's words are beautifully spoken, meticulously planned, just to rally support for the Reading Club, to make his ideas clear to everyone… He presents the advantages and disadvantages, pleading earnestly, but ultimately, he only wants to be the one in charge. He throws out a lot of things, ultimately just to seize power by borrowing the name of the Reading Club and the Southwest… So do you want to join? Who wants to be inferior to He Wen, Fu Pingbo, or even their little brats… No one will tolerate him, and these things will ultimately fall on the battlefield…”

“…I have communicated with Gao, Shi, and Zhou. We must also carry out internal reforms within the Fairness Party. As for fighting with He Wen, fighting is a good thing. It's a good opportunity to see where our four families' tacit understanding lies, to see if we can talk since He Wen can't talk… Fight a battle,磨合一下(móhé yīxià - smooth things out), and we'll know each other's bottom lines, we'll know who is a true brother and who is still playing tricks… As for He Wen, fighting against four, he will die sooner or later…”

“…Then next is our side, the specific actions… First of all, regarding the battlefield, General Gao, I still have to trouble you to put in the effort, according to the previously arranged…”

In the New Tiger Palace's main hall, the fire blazed brightly. Beneath Xu Zhaonan, one by one, the high-ranking figures of the "Wheel-Turning King" faction arranged their seats in the hall. People began to discuss countermeasures regarding the changes that had occurred in the afternoon, and people spoke from time to time. Around the main hall, various advisors and attendants came and went, and were also extremely busy.

Everyone had noticed the unusual movements of He Wen's army in various places a few days ago, and therefore, the countermeasures were not particularly rushed. However, such an astonishing matter had changed from speculation to reality. A major war that would affect the entire Jiangnan was directly pressing down on them, which made everyone feel different in their hearts.

Originally, it should have been a harmonious meeting of victory, but at the last moment, it suddenly turned into a terrifying war that was about to burn through the entire Jiangnan. He Wen seemed to be proceeding smoothly in the whole matter, just one step away from ascending to the throne of immense power, but resolutely turned around and left, and people could not help but admire his astonishing decisiveness while being surprised by his crazy actions.

Of course, no matter what ideas they had in their hearts, no one could be optimistic about He Wen's future path. As Xu Zhaonan said, fine words are just fine words. Based on these fine words, letting a large group of people put down their power, then accept the incorporation of past opponents and enemies, and put their lives and fortunes in the hands of those who were able to stand on an equal footing in the past, is an unacceptable choice for anyone who has gone through hard work and won a place in this chaotic world.

He Wen naturally knew this, so he didn't place his hopes on this type of persuasion either.

The people inside the New Tiger Palace, representing one-fifth of the power of the entire Jiangnan, have quickly turned around. And it's not just the New Tiger Palace, the power cores of the Fairness Party's five factions and other large and small forces in the entire Jiangning are all operating at full speed in constant meetings and decision-making at this moment. The terrible news of the impending war, from the moment the meeting ended, spread like a tidal wave between people's mouths and ears.

Various small forces from outside gradually received accurate news. One by one, the green-robed figures celebrating and feasting in the gold buildings gradually heard these terrible rumors, and people were even a little dazed for a moment.

"Then what about the next final… what should we do?"

"Is the martial arts tournament still going to be held…"

The top four in the Jiangning martial arts tournament had just been decided this afternoon. If He Wen broke with the several great kings, then this tournament… would it still be held?

People gradually stopped feasting and went to various places in the city to find connections and inquire about information. Then various kinds of public opinions appeared in different places.

The city, like a huge, precise, but old machine, was operating at full speed under the sudden arrival of a huge load. Its body seemed to be humming in this night…

And only the most bottom-level vagrants were surprised by this strange night. In these recent days, they had once again returned to peace. There were occasional small murders in the darkness, but there was no large-scale firefight led by the five parties of the Fairness Party.

“…Fighting and reform are long-term matters. Starting tonight, we will follow this arrangement and hand it over to all of you. And in front of us, there is another thing… Over the past few months, since the entry into the city from all over the world, He Wen has been meticulously planning to perform a grand play. This afternoon, he has already started this play, and tomorrow morning, he will perform this play in front of everyone… Since we have decided to fight, I will not let him perform this play!”

“…We must prevent him from issuing orders! I must prevent him from taking action! Jiangning is only a corner of Jiangnan, but now it is a place that the whole world is watching. And in this place, we must let the whole world see that what he, the King of Fairness, says doesn't count… So in today's Jiangning City, which side has the most experts? It is us here, so the matter tomorrow must be entrusted to Lord Tan, Lord Xu, and the various Dharma Protectors of the Holy Church. We must cut off He Wen's hands and feet tomorrow and pull out his tongue… Our specific arrangements for this matter are like this…”

In the New Tiger Palace, where the flames were raging in the bronze tripod, one by one, the details of the matter were being arranged step by step. After the meeting, there were private meetings. Meng Zhu Tao was one of the highest-ranking people at the moment, and was one of the first to be met alone. When he came out from the back, he saw that most of the people in front of the palace had not dispersed, and at this time they were gathered in twos and threes, talking about this and that.

An acquaintance came over: "Brother Meng, how many people do you think will follow He Wen…"

Xu Longbiao's smile was ambiguous: "After the meeting, someone immediately assassinated Shi Baofeng. Although it was unsuccessful, people's hearts are fluctuating… How many people do you think believe in those things from the Reading Club…"

"Heavenly Blade" Tan Zheng and "Five-Nether Slay" Tang Qinghua also came over to say hello: "In the future, if there is anything, please take care of us, Mr. Meng."

Among the high-ranking officials of the "Wheel-Turning King" side, some, like Tan Zheng, Tang Qinghua, and Xu Longbiao, were considered to be noble and respected advisors and guests, while others, like Gao Huiyun, Meng Zhu Tao, and Chen Juefang, were big bosses who controlled thousands of people. Even if they were said to have similar status, Meng Zhu Tao was in charge of the "Grievance Congregation." Although he could not currently interfere with forces like Gao Huiyun's army or Chen Juefang's "Undying Guards," if there was a real reform in the future, his control of criminal law would be invaluable.

After tonight, Tan Zheng and others had to stay in the city, while Gao Huiyun, Meng Zhu Tao, and others began to operate the overall situation in Jiangnan. Everyone wanted to take advantage of this possible last meeting to deepen their friendship.

Meng Zhu Tao responded to everyone one by one. Finally, he left hand in hand with Gao Huiyun. Both of them still had their own forces to manage, and had a lot of arrangements to continue to make.

After saying goodbye to Gao Huiyun on the street outside the New Tiger Palace, Meng Zhu Tao got into the carriage. His deputy Ling Xiao was already waiting here: "The situation on Shi Lord's side has been found out. It was indeed someone from the Reading Club who took action. They said they listened to the words of the King of Fairness, got encouragement, and wanted to kill Shi Lord first to congratulate the King of Fairness. It's just that their methods were a little rough and they didn't escape Shi Lord's eyes."

Meng Zhu Tao nodded: "I have some ideas, you write them down…"

The carriage passed through the dimly lit city streets. After returning to the place where the "Grievance Congregation" was now located, there were several more small meetings. Meng Zhu Tao held meetings extremely quickly, gathering people and issuing orders one by one. During the breaks in the meeting, the deputy came in to report new news one by one, and he also made some other arrangements for his deputy, such as "Call Doctor Sun here" and "Arrange for a convoy that can send people out of the city," etc. During the period of issuing orders, he also buried himself in writing some letters.

At the third quarter of亥时(hài shí - 9-11pm), a disturbance was heard at the northern end of the city. Meng Zhu Tao and the others went to a high place to look out, and saw that signal arrows were flying up in the northwest sky one after another, followed by vague sounds of encirclement and pursuit. Everyone had been in the greenwood for a long time, and after watching for a while, someone said: "The King of Fairness has been assassinated…"

"Was it done by Shi Baofeng?"

"This assassination looks like it was done by their own people. Look, the encirclement is from the inside out… The assassins are escaping…"

He Wen meticulously planned to mix sand into the ranks of his various opponents by using the Reading Club. But as former companions, how could everyone not have any arrangements in the "King of Fairness" faction? Now that they had fallen out, some people directly took the assassination route. In a sense, this assassin also made his own choice for the ideals that the King of Fairness wanted to promote.

The commotion of the encirclement lasted for a while before it subsided.

After finishing the last small meeting, he arranged for his deputy named Ling Xiao to go out and inquire about information. Meng Zhu Tao sat in the study for a moment, asked someone to bring cold water and washed his face. Then he passed through the 阆苑(láng yuàn - secluded garden) and walked towards the deepest part of this mansion.

In the small courtyard at the core of the mansion, Doctor Sun, who had been summoned, was already waiting for him in the sickroom. This was the room where his junior brother Yu Bin had been sleeping. After Meng Zhu Tao accidentally injured him that night at the gold building, the other party had been unconscious until now. According to the doctor's last diagnosis, there was no chance of recovery, but this time he had invited the other party over again.

The situation in the city outside was not peaceful. This doctor, whose surname was Sun, didn't have much resentment about being summoned. In the courtyard, his junior sister and the other two junior brothers hadn't gone to sleep either. Seeing him come over, their eyes were full of resentment. Some wanted to ask what was happening outside, but were unwilling to speak in a tone of discussion.

Meng Zhu Tao entered the sickroom and looked at Yu Bin for a moment: "My junior brother… is it really impossible for him to wake up again…"

This was not the first time he had asked this question. The doctor sighed, and then said the approximate result again. The body seemed to still have breath, but the soul was no longer inside. Even if he was forced to take care of him, it would only prolong his pain…

Meng Zhu Tao pulled out a chair and sat down. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand and asked the doctor to leave. But as the other party was going out, he said again: "Doctor Sun, do you… want to leave the city today?"

The doctor also had sources of information. At this time, he nodded vigorously: "I, I still have sons and daughters-in-law at home…"

"Have someone bring them over. I will have a convoy later and send you out along the way…" Meng Zhu Tao smiled. "The city is not peaceful, don't stay any longer."

The doctor quickly nodded and thanked him. Meng Zhu Tao waved his hand again and let the person leave.

He sat on the chair by the bed, quietly looking at Yu Bin lying there, sitting in such silence for a long time. This was something he had never done before every time he came here in the past.

Perhaps sensing the abnormality of the situation, Ling Chu, who was in the courtyard outside, appeared at the door. She opened her mouth, and finally said: "You, what are you going to do…"

Meng Zhu Tao didn't look at her: “…You all come in.”

“You, you…”

Ling Chu was still hesitating.

Meng Zhu Tao's palm pressed on the armrest of the chair, and a thunderous voice suddenly sounded: "All of you come in!"

Having seen his threatening appearance, Ling Chu and the two junior brothers gritted their teeth, and finally walked into the room one after another, their faces all showing an expression of "Although you are fierce, I am not afraid of you." Meng Zhu Tao's gaze swept over the three of them, and the sternness in his eyes faded.

"Something is going to happen in the city. After a while… there will be a convoy taking you out of the city. Doctor Sun's family will also leave with you… Cross the river and return to the village."

Ling Chu raised her neck: "We, where we go… is none of your business."

"Jiangnan is going to war. Running far away is the safest thing to do, don't stay here." Meng Zhu Tao's gaze looked at the faces of the two junior brothers. "You two men, take responsibility and don't let a woman act recklessly."

"You…" Someone noticed something wrong with the atmosphere and frowned. Ling Chu wanted to say some harsh words, but at this time she paused for a moment and couldn't say it.

Meng Zhu Tao was also silent for a while, then he heard him say: "…For a long time, I have regarded you as my nephews and nieces. The fourth child, you married Ling Chu, it's a good thing. In the future, there is no need to be afraid of me. On the matter of the master, we have an irreconcilable hatred… You can seek revenge. In the future, when you have experienced more things, your martial arts are higher, and you have the certainty, then come again. The matter of Master Tanji…"

He paused here for a moment, then raised his hand and pressed his upper lip, and said with difficulty: "…Don't let there be any more."

"Master Tanji…" Ling Chu said, "He was killed by you, don't say it as if it was our sin!"

"Master Tanji was killed by me, the master was killed by me, and Yu Bin, who will never wake up again on the bed… was also killed by me. But what about it?" Meng Zhu Tao looked at them. "I am a bad person, and I am still alive. They are good people, and they died one by one. You are also good people. When I want you to die, none of you can live. Then what do you good people do? Wait for the bad people to give you alms to live!?"

The third junior brother stood up: "Then Senior Brother, you can also kill us."

"I won't kill you." Meng Zhu Tao looked at them with pity. "If you fight with me, you won't even have the chance to make me miss like Yu Bin. In this state of yours, why would I kill you…"

He paused: "Go, let you have less chance to seek revenge, not for me, but for the master… for the lifelong reputation of the old hero Ling. You say that this time I let you go for revenge, and next time I will also let you go for revenge. I watched you grow up, let you go ten times, a hundred times, it doesn't matter, but if you say it out, aren't you ashamed? After you go out, eat more food, practice more martial arts, make yourselves stronger. One day in the future, when you come over to seek revenge, either kill me cleanly, or… like the master and Master Tanji, force me to use all my strength and fight with my life. At that time, whoever kills whom… is fine."

His words left the three of them speechless. Ling Chu's eyes turned red, and she gritted her teeth. Meng Zhu Tao sat there, his gaze looking at the weakly breathing Yu Bin. After a while, he supported his forehead with one hand and rubbed it.

"Speaking of which, I am older than you, and I joined the sect with skills. There are some things that I have never told you." He sat there, speaking slowly, "Even now, most of the things don't need to be said, I can't even think clearly myself, but today I want to tell you…"

He only heard him say: "I am from the north, you are from the south, you may know some of the differences in between… I joined the sect with skills, and when I arrived at the Ling family, I was the eldest senior brother who took care of you. You have been in the village in Jiangnan all your lives. Speaking of which, you are not rich and have experienced the chaos of war, but most of the time, I and the master have taken care of you. You say, you want to give up your life for righteousness, the old hero Ling said, you want to give up your life for righteousness… it's all very good. If you were my children, it would definitely make me feel gratified."

"But, children…" Meng Zhu Tao's gaze was calm, "I came from the north and joined the sect with skills. Have you ever seen the true sight of the Central Plains falling and the chaos of war raging? Before arriving at the Ling family, I saw such things all the way. Your senior brother, I, fought with the Jin people and lost, and fled south all the way… I have seen people give up their lives for righteousness, but I have also seen most people, they went south all the way, killed people, ate 관음토(guān yīn tǔ - white clay), ate children, kowtowed to people, sold themselves, just to… survive…"

"Jiangnan has been at peace for ten years, and finally can't avoid it. In these ten years, what you have seen are all good things, but I knew early on that they would come… I want to let people survive, and also decide who to let die. Master, he old man, hopes that I can save those who can't be saved, and I also want, Master, he hopes that I can do things with both hands clean, and I also want to, but with both hands clean, I can't save people. Everyone is hiding in the mountains, others will definitely eat me, I can only eat others first, because of this decision, I can save the most people."

"The master finally broke with me, he chose to give up his life for righteousness, I admire him very much, and I also understand very well. But do you know what I chose?"

"No matter what means I use, in this world, I want to let the most people survive. Being able to let eleven people survive is better than only letting ten people survive. Being able to let a hundred people live is better than only letting eighty people survive. Everyone's life is the same… This is equality for all, this is the fairness in my heart."

He said this, and the eyes of the people opposite him flickered. The third junior brother said: "You… you think it's those beautiful words again…"

"These are not beautiful words, Third Brother." Meng Zhu Tao shook his head. "This world is very evil, but for this world, everyone must have their own answer. I fled south all the way, and saw a lot of things, and found this answer. I still can't think very clearly about whether this answer is right or wrong… The old hero Ling said that he wants to give up his life for righteousness, it is also an answer, I envy this answer very much. Each of you must have your own answer. If you don't have it, in such an evil world, you will only have a worse life."

He smiled: "I'm just telling you, one day you will also encounter countless people dying in front of you, not just a few people dying in front of your eyes, by your side. Next, tens of thousands of people will die throughout Jiangnan again. At that time, how will you view those lives? I am very curious. You must remember today's question…"

Meng Zhu Tao's words stopped here, and he reached forward. In the room, Ling Chu suddenly widened her eyes: "What are you doing—"

In the dimness, Meng Zhu Tao stretched out his right hand and pressed it on Yu Bin's mouth and nose. Yu Bin on the bed didn't make much noise. Ling Chu and the two senior brothers had already pounced on him, but Meng Zhu Tao waved his left arm and pushed them away.

At 子夜(zǐ yè - 11pm-1am), the silhouettes of the three people in the room desperately pounced forward. Meng Zhu Tao's figure by the bed was like a rock in the light of the oil lamp. No matter how the three attacked, fought, or even Ling Chu bit his left hand, his palm covering Yu Bin's mouth and nose didn't move at all.

"You are too weak, in the future…"

Amidst the hysterical attacks and roars of the silhouettes, he said calmly and softly.

"…In the future… you must remember today's matter."

…

At a certain moment, the demon god in the room moved his palm away, and his cold gaze swept over the three people. Ling Chu's body collapsed to the ground.

That demon-like figure… finally crossed the threshold for the last time…

…Left their sight…

Time passed midnight, and there were still countless manic things churning in the night…

The volcano in Jiangnan is about to erupt…