The distant city was filled with unrest.

Dust billowed in the air.

After a brief chat with Xu Zhaonan, the "Wheel King," who was about to leave in the corridor, Wang Nantuo entered the courtyard. He saw his senior brother standing on the terrace, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the chaos erupting within the city.

"Senior Brother," he greeted from a short distance away.

Lin Zongwu didn't turn around. After a moment, Wang Nantuo heard him sigh softly, "...All life is suffering."

"Why does Senior Brother lament thus?"

"Half the empire, a thousand miles of land, such a fine situation," Lin Zongwu sighed. "Sometimes, they just start fighting again, even I find it inexplicable."

His words carried a hint of "Even I, a terrorist, don't understand what you're thinking."

Wang Nantuo nodded, understanding.

"Did Duke Xu... share his thoughts with Senior Brother?"

"...He Wen's perverse actions deserve death."

Hearing this, Wang Nantuo frowned. "Duke Xu... wants Senior Brother to kill He Wen?"

"It's not that far," Lin Zongwu chuckled, shaking his head. "Zhaonan told me about the recent changes. Fair King's intentions are hard to fathom. He and the other three have begun mobilizing troops, seeking to prepare for a major battle within half a month. But this development is too direct. Fair King almost openly admitted the Reading Club's involvement. Such unwise behavior makes one suspect there's a twist… What has Junior Brother discovered?"

Wang Nantuo lowered his voice. "Besides the Equal King's statement that day, only the Monkey King has confirmed that people from the Southwest were present. But the matter remains suspicious. The one who pursued Equal King's son, claiming to be Long Aotian, killed many people from the Monkey King's family in Tongshan County. He claims to be from the Southwest, but there's no solid evidence. Moreover, the assassin mixed up with this Long Aotian… claiming to be the 'Little Sage Equal to Heaven,' sounds like… a nephew."

"Hmph." Lin Zongwu's expression was stern, with a strange smile. Then he said, "...Continue."

"This Long Aotian is capricious and lawless. Even if he's truly from the Southwest, he's probably not part of any delegation. As for the Monkey King's account of fighting with another person from the Southwest, there's no other corroboration. The Monkey King was badly beaten, saying the opponent practiced the Thirteen Taibao Invincible Golden Bell Cover, and resembled Qiu Shuyan, the 'Black Iron God,' a disciple of Lu Hongti. However, we haven't found any other information about this 'Black Iron God' with a face like charcoal and remarkable skill."

"That young friend wasn't unseen that day in Lüliang, only a bit darker than others, not as exaggerated as 'face like charcoal.' Looking that way, you won't find him..." Lin Zongwu shook his head, smiling. "However, regarding whether the Southwest delegation actually came, what does Junior Brother think?"

"...Although we're enemies, the upcoming Fair Party Congress is a major event. In the past, it was said that He Wen and Ning Yi were at odds, and this congress deliberately took advantage of the Southwest. Therefore, everyone assumed the Southwest wouldn't send anyone. But now, thinking about it, one must admit that Ning Yi is a man who does great things. If he sent someone, it wouldn't be surprising. But in my opinion, he might not choose to join forces with He Wen."

"Why do you say that?"

"People say even a clay Buddha has some anger, and Ning Yi is a man of great anger."

Wang Nantuo didn't elaborate on Ning Yi's anger, but Lin Zongwu naturally understood. He clasped his hands behind his back and sighed.

"Fair King He Wen's ambiguous attitude towards the Reading Club, under normal circumstances, would immediately provoke retaliation from the other four. But because of a rumor of someone from the Southwest, the other factions are now like startled birds, only able to use the suppression of the Reading Club as a means to temporarily pressure He Wen. Zhaonan just came over, and what he's worried about isn't just He Wen having contact with the Southwest in private. He's worried that the people the Southwest is contacting aren't just one faction."

Wang Nantuo frowned. "Gao Chang…"

"These days, everyone says that Heavenly King Gao and Fair King are on the same side, and the other three are on another. But thinking carefully, 'King Yama' Zhou Shang is certainly radical, but what he talks about is also the theories from the Southwest. He not only despises He Wen for being too cautious and unable to accomplish great things, but even thinks that the Southwest's actions aren't thorough enough. According to Ning Yi's style, there might be something to talk about with him. As for that Equal King, he runs trade routes, and his subordinates are rich in resources. He talks about the Second Demon of the Heart. If Ning Yi is really willing to talk to him, do you think he wouldn't rush over?"

"But his son is after all…"

"These big shots can endure even the death of their sons, let alone just losing a hand. He's all bluster, rushing out to provoke trouble at the first opportunity. Who can be sure what his intentions are? What if the four factions join forces to oppose Fair King, and then two factions defect at the last moment? The remaining two factions would be divided up. Zhaonan just came over, worried about these things." Lin Zongwu paused slightly. "Such a great situation, a thousand miles of Jiangnan, you suspect me, I suspect you… it really makes one feel, what's the point?"

He was highly skilled in martial arts, almost the best in the world, but after entering the political arena, he suffered repeated setbacks, failing to create much of a stir in the Central Plains or Jin. This time in Jiangnan, he was initially reserved, but then he realized the Fair Party's power was enormous. In the past, northerners moved south, and all the essence of the world went to Jiangnan. Now, although the country is broken, after the Fair Party swept through, its power has become undeniably the second most powerful in the world in the eyes of many, envied by countless people.

Now, all parties in Jiangning are gathering, the five elements are merging, and the situation looks very good. The Fair Party is full of prospects. Who knew that Fair King himself would come up with such an incomprehensible mess, pushing the entire Fair Party to the edge of chaos.

Even if there was going to be some kind of struggle, wouldn't it be better to have it after the merger succeeded?

Lin Zongwu felt disgusted and regretful.

"What's the current situation with the various foreign factions?"

"Various parties are actively making contact, but some are acting strangely," Wang Nantuo said. "At this congress, forces from all over the world have sent personnel, but the most powerful on the surface are just a few. Wu Qimei and Tie Yan from Lin'an are here to beg the Fair Party to be merciful. They've been actively running around for some time, but since the Golden Pavilion incident, some have pointed the finger at them. These delegation members have been hiding for several days, and now there's no news of them. Some people are privately saying they may have been killed."

Lin Zongwu nodded.

Wu Qimei and Tie Yan's small court arose in the past with the support of the Jurchen Eastern Route Army, but now they are very pitiful because, whether from a moral or strength perspective, they have fallen into a situation where everyone wants to kill them. The Southeast Fujian court wants to kill them, Liu Guangshi and Dai Mengwei, acting in the name of the Wu Dynasty, want to kill them, the Southwest has long released the news that it wants to kill them, and as for Zou Xu in the Central Plains and the Female Chancellor in Jin, who seem to have no connection, they wouldn't mind killing them by the way if possible. After all, the small court has a bad reputation for relying on the Jurchens, and whoever takes it down can gain a wave of prestige even without any real benefits. Why not do it?

As for the Fair Party in Jiangnan, they seize the wealth of local tyrants and distribute the land, and the first to bear the brunt are these gentry landlords entrenched in Lin'an. Zhou Shang has long regarded them as something in the bag, food for the winter. It is He Wen and Shi Baofeng, rationalist and resource-oriented types, who call for rules to be followed and who are willing to give a glimmer of hope to those who voluntarily transform and those without great evil. So they took advantage of the congress to come, lobbying everywhere as long as they were willing to accept, initially visiting many people and even sending out a lot of gold and silver.

However, after the assassination at the Golden Pavilion, Liu Guangshi's envoy was killed, and some privately said that the current Jiangning City, the most afraid of the Fair Party's merger, is the Lin'an small court that is the first to bear the brunt. Later, it gradually spread that the perpetrator was suspected to be the past Green Forest kingpin Monk Tunyun, and when this Monk Tunyun wreaked havoc in Jiangnan, it vaguely seemed that he had been hired by Wu Qimei and Tie Yan.

The delegation sent by Wu and Tie naturally tried to defend themselves, but in the absence of the real culprit, the atmosphere in the city was such that "everyone has decided," "anyway, it's not wrong to say you're a bad person." This led to the delegation moving and hiding overnight, not knowing where they were hiding, and still not showing up to this day.

"...The Southeast Little Emperor's delegation is now led by Zuo Xiuquan of the Zuo family. They've been very low-key for some time, but in the last few days, they've been secretly colluding with people. We've privately investigated, and we're still not sure who they're placing their bets on, but preliminary indications are that He Wen and Zhou Shang will be eliminated first. For the one in the Southeast, these two have wills that are too firm, and they will encounter the Fair Party once they break out of Fujian. Therefore, even if they form a temporary alliance, these two are not good choices. Now it seems they are closest to Heavenly King Gao, but it's not impossible to talk to Equal King or us."

Wang Nantuo said here, lowering his voice: "I heard that Duke Xu has already sent someone to invite them."

"The Zuo family has a transcendent position and a good relationship with the Southwest." Lin Zongwu smiled, "If the other party is willing to cooperate, they might also know something about the Southwest."

Wang Nantuo nodded: "In addition, the delegation sent by Duke Liu and Duke Dai is quite interesting. After Gu Anhe was assassinated, the responsibility of the chief envoy fell on the Monkey King. Senior Brother knows that the Monkey King is quite ambitious. He has been negotiating with Duke Xu on behalf of Duke Liu recently, and he should have gained a lot of benefits for himself in private. But besides the Monkey King, there is another deputy envoy in this delegation who is also doing a good job, which makes the situation a bit intriguing."

Lin Zongwu thought for a moment: "Lü Zhongming?"

"It's Dai Gong's disciple," Wang Nantuo said, "Duke Liu and Duke Dai are allied, and everything is nominally led by Duke Liu, but Dai Gong also has a lot of prestige. Lü Zhongming came as a deputy envoy, and at first he didn't talk much with people about other things. He only single-mindedly promoted the plan of the 'Chinese Martial Arts Association' to people, making many promises to everyone, saying that as long as Dai Gong enters Bianliang one day, this Chinese Martial Arts Association will be established, and the things promised to everyone will be fulfilled. For this matter, he also approached Senior Brother."

Lin Zongwu nodded: "Duke Dai has a deep moral character, and that Lü Zhongming is also very polite. He brought a letter saying that if great things can be accomplished, he hopes I can be the president of the Chinese Martial Arts Association. If I don't want to be the president, I can hang a title of Supreme Elder or Honorary President. This is a grand event that is beneficial to the path of martial arts, so I casually agreed to him. Lü Zhongming acts with a sense of propriety, and he hasn't used my name to promote it everywhere since then. I admire him somewhat."

Wang Nantuo said: "After Gu Anhe died, the Monkey King confirmed his alliance with Duke Xu, and Lü Zhongming still lobbied everywhere, promoting the plan for the Chinese Martial Arts Association. In recent days, many people have regarded him as Duke Dai's representative and talked to him privately about many collaborations… Of course, these things are true and false, and there is no conclusion yet. However, after talking to the Monkey King, Duke Xu also met Lü Zhongming twice in private, which seems to mean that he is catching up from behind."

"He's playing with horizontal and vertical alliances, and even the people from the Southwest and the Jurchens are being manipulated by him. Dai Mengwei is not simple. His disciple is not to be underestimated either."

"As for the other two, the delegation sent by Lou Shuwan is led by that young friend An Xifu. He was hunted down by both Duke Xu and Zhou Shang some time ago, and now there is no news of him. Jin has a close relationship with the Southwest. If we can catch this person, we might be able to ask about the situation in the Southwest… As for the other side, it is said that Zou Xu also sent a delegation, and they may have contacted Duke Xu in private. But after the news from the Southwest came from Equal King, this group of people has completely disappeared. In our opinion, they must be afraid of being sought revenge by people from the Southwest."

"Send people to try to find these people sent by Zou Xu." Hearing Wang Nantuo say this, Lin Zongwu said, "Zou Xu knows the most about the Southwest's details. If possible, pull him to our side. As for the safety issue, I am willing to give them a guarantee. Even if I need to take action, it doesn't matter."

"Yes." Wang Nantuo nodded: "Now that the Southwest's name has come out, everyone has also sent people to look for Zou Xu's people. As long as we release the news here, I believe there will be results soon."

"As for An Xifu…" Lin Zongwu pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, "Let them go... There are not many old people left in the Manichean Church, and Little An is a disciple of Fang Baihua, but Fang Baihua is dead. He has been following Wang Yin in Jin these years… it's not easy. Back then, we fought against the Jin side by side in Jin. There is no grievance between me and Wang Yin anymore. If you can see him, you can bring him to see me."

The dust in the city drifted in the autumn sun. Lin Zongwu's huge body seemed to become peaceful in the sigh. Wang Nantuo could understand his mood and nodded.

In fact, Lin Zongwu and Wang Yin originally had a chance to make amends when they raised their troops and gathered together to resist the Jin Dynasty in Jin. However, at that time, Lin Zongwu had a large force under his command, and his followers were numerous. Lou Shuwan and Tian Shi were also very respectful to him, which made him somewhat look down on Wang Juyun's tattered and incomplete "rebel army." The two sides had a tacit understanding of not communicating.

Not long after, he failed to resist the Jin. Thinking about it carefully, he felt that the rebel army also had some merits, but by that time, he was embarrassed to visit Wang Yin again... These things are simple to say, but there are also complex reasons in them, such as that female chancellor Lou Shuwan, who had clues to stir up trouble at that time, and some seemingly reconciling efforts actually had the opposite effect. He was too lazy to think about this matter in detail. To put it bluntly, the political arena is really too dangerous, and people's hearts are dirty. Disgusting.

When the two senior and junior brothers talked about this matter, the topic became a little easier. In the past month or so, the various delegations in the city have been making alliances horizontally and vertically and making friends everywhere, but as long as they have the right to choose, they still have some thoughts of holding out for a better price. Even the five parties of the Fair Party have not been eager to reach an agreement with a certain party—this is because, according to the scheduled procedure, the five parties of the Fair Party are to unite, and the rest of the various parties are coming to latch on to the strong.

However, He Wen's brain-dead move came out. Although Shi Baofeng, Xu Zhaonan, and others could not determine his purpose, if they were not careful, the Fair Party Congress would become an infighting situation where at least one or two parties would be cleaned up. Under such circumstances, the alliance of every foreign power became important, and the various parties blew their horns and went out to pull people. Once they really started fighting, no matter whether He Wen had more conspiracies, it was always right to strengthen themselves.

After chatting for a few words about the attitude of the various families in the city, Wang Nantuo hesitated: "Actually... Senior Brother..."

"Hmm?"

"Should we intervene in the matter of the nephew? My idea is to let him come back..."

"Oh? Why?"

"The young man who is acting with that Long Aotian, who calls himself the 'Martial Arts Alliance Leader,' is really similar to the nephew. It must be him. Outside, he calls himself 'Little Sage Equal to Heaven' Sun Wukong, but... this..."

Lin Zongwu looked at him.

Wang Nantuo hesitated for a moment: "The Green Forest has also given them nicknames, one is the Five-Foot Lecher, and the other is Four-Foot... The Four-Foot one is the nephew..."

Lin Zongwu looked at him, and the hands behind his back were released.

"These rumors in the Green Forest will destroy bones, and I don't know what's happening with the nephew..."

"Pfft—haha..."

Lin Zongwu laughed, and only heard the laughter echoing in the courtyard, gradually covering half of the New Tiger Palace with the movement of internal force.

"Hahahahahahahahaha..."

The laughter came suddenly, and everyone who heard the sound in the palace, far and near, was conquered by this internal force. However, Lin Zongwu's laughter was cheerful and did not contain other emotions, and most people guessed that he had encountered something good.

Wang Nantuo, who was nearby, was first stunned, then slightly helpless. He said: "Senior Brother..."

Lin Zongwu's laughter slowly stopped. He said, "Expand."

"Huh?"

"Since he has made a name for himself as the Four-Foot Lecher, what shameless lechery has he done? Tell me in detail, I want to hear it."

Wang Nantuo sighed: "Even if there is no lechery, I heard that he was corrupted by that Five-Foot Lecher..."

"Since he has been corrupted, there must be lechery. This is interesting, you should tell me in detail..."

"It's not being corrupted, it's being implicated—implicated!" Wang Nantuo was dumbfounded: "Senior Brother, don't find it interesting, reputation is very important for young people traveling the world, if their reputation is really tarnished, they won't be able to turn back in the future..."

Lin Zongwu laughed again, and after a while, said: "When young people travel the Green Forest, I only worry that they have too little experience and not enough excitement. Although Jiangning is chaotic, Ping An's temperament is too peaceful. In my original imagination, I was afraid that he would beg for alms every day, hiding in the dark and not daring to cause trouble. Now it seems that the degree of excitement of the Four-Foot Lecher has far exceeded my expectations."

He paused slightly: "Malice, slander, stigma, lies, scams, opponents, struggles... where in this world are these things not present? People who have been through these things several times and can still survive are outstanding people. All we can teach Ping An is martial arts. If he doesn't go through the tribulations of the world today, will he be able to avoid them when you and I are gone? Five-Foot Lecher... oh, I remember this name. He was the one who formed a grudge with the Monkey King in Tongshan that day. On the night of the Golden Pavilion, the Monkey King fought with someone and looked embarrassed. Our 'Four-Foot Lecher' was at..."

Wang Nantuo sighed again: "Looking back, it was these two children who were being chased by the Monkey King and that Jin Yongsheng. However, it would be a bit embarrassing to make this matter clear. Li and Jin both vaguely alluded to this fight, and on the surface, they targeted Meng Zhetao and took some small advantages."

"Hahahahaha..." Lin Zongwu laughed, "Look, they can fight against Li Yanfeng and Jin Yongsheng, two established masters, and still run away. Turning around, these two assassinated Shi Baofeng's son on the long street, what was his name... whatever. After the assassination, they were able to leave triumphantly. With such skill and such power, he deserves to be Lin Zongwu's disciple. Junior Brother, how can you not laugh about it? If it were me, that guy Shi would be dead, and I would kill him again, hahahaha, good! Magnificent!"

Lin Zongwu laughed boldly and happily. Towards the end, he waved his sleeves, as if he was about to kill Shi Weiyang for his disciple, and didn't bother to consider whether he and Shi Baofeng were allies.

"Now that we know Ping An's whereabouts, you, as his uncle, should care more about your nephew's affairs. I am now a clay Bodhisattva in this New Tiger Palace, and some private matters are not easy to inquire about myself..." Lin Zongwu smiled, lowering his voice, "Go and find out, see how the Four-Foot Lecher's good name came about, it must be interesting. And look, why is he a Four-Foot Lecher, not Six-Foot... even when being a lecher, he has to follow behind others. In the future, when you say the name of the elders, you and I will be embarrassed. Our disciples should be six feet tall..."

Wang Nantuo knew he was joking and sighed again, "That Five-Foot Lecher is said to be from the Southwest, and we and the Southwest have an irreconcilable feud."

"The grudges of the elders don't need to be continued to the next generation," Lin Zongwu said, "Let Ping An choose his own path in the future."

After a moment, he laughed again, "Go and find out quickly, I'm waiting to hear the evil deeds of this lecher."

Wang Nantuo looked at him a few times and finally nodded and turned to leave. But after a few steps, he turned back.

His face became serious: "Senior Brother, there is one more thing, I..."

"Say."

"...That day, when the Fair Party swept through Jiangnan, seizing the wealth of local tyrants and distributing the land, Duke Xu and Fair King took the moral high ground. That's why I responded to his request and went north to ask Senior Brother to come out of the mountain. This time, although it is true that Fair King's heart is unpredictable and he is going against the trend, if the entire Fair Party really has an infighting, and Duke Xu's side has no moral high ground... Senior Brother, it is okay for us to leave or help the side with the moral high ground..."

Wang Nantuo has been with Lin Zongwu for most of his life, and he is very clear about his senior brother's lifelong pursuit and obsession. Although he has also worked for big families and had to live a wandering life, he actually values his own reputation quite a bit, and often acts in a justified manner.

At the beginning, the starting point for dealing with Fang La was revenge; when killing Qin Si, he said that he was going to eliminate traitors and kill thieves for the country. It's just that the Black Flag has become powerful in recent years, and Qin Si has been gradually "whitewashed" by Ning Yi; in these years of being the "number one in the world," he has always tried his best to treat scholars with courtesy; even in Jin, the only position he has chosen has always been to resist the Jin Dynasty. In general, Senior Brother hopes to be praised by people in this life.

This time, the Fair Party itself also has a moral high ground, but if the current Fair Party really has an infighting, it's hard to say what the "Wheel King" Xu Zhaonan occupies. Perhaps it's just a rebellious evil cult? When it comes to that step, he knows that Senior Brother will definitely be very uncomfortable here, so after repeated consideration, he finally decided to say these words.

Lin Zongwu was slightly stunned, then smiled.

"There will be a way."

He waved his hand: "Go and find out."

Wang Nantuo nodded and turned to leave.

After Wang Nantuo left, Lin Zongwu turned around again and looked at the smoke in the city with his hands behind his back.

The riots caused by the hunting down of members of the Reading Club are spreading in Jiangning City. At this time, similar chaos is actually spreading throughout the Jiangnan land.

The orders of the "Wheel King", the "Equal King", the "King Yama" and even the "Heavenly King" Gao and other four forces to clean up the members of the Reading Club have been issued one after another. The degree is light and heavy, but they have already made clear their first-time positions. This is the first round of pressure on the "Fair King" He Wen and the Reading Club.

The solicitation of various forces and the urgent negotiations in private have also been launched one after another in the past two or three days. Of course, consensus and mutual trust are not so easy to establish. The orders issued in the Jiangnan territory of thousands of miles, and even the military mobilization and personnel changes that followed, cannot be completed quickly. If the Fair Party is regarded as a team, the overall turn of each giant requires as long as ten and a half months to complete completely.

The city is in an uproar.

At this moment when Lin Zongwu was looking at the smoke from the New Tiger Palace, Gao Chang, the Heavenly King Gao, who had a thorough conversation with He Wen, more formally and more secretly received Zuo Xiuquan, who represented the Southeast.

Located in a high room, you can also see the chaos in the city. After Gao Chang's rough tea making, Zuo Xiuquan took over the tea cup and re-brewed the tea before slowly starting to speak.

"...This time, there are three delegations in Jiangning City that are the most special, because only these three have the moral high ground. Whether Heavenly King Gao wants to or not, you always have to choose one to cooperate with..."