"Heh, actually, we don't necessarily have to pin all our hopes on Old Li. While the Imperial City's Embroidered Uniform Guard is powerful, given Old Li's status, he might not be able to enlist high-ranking martial artists from within the Guard."
Zheng Tianpeng said casually.
He didn't intend to belittle Li Tianxiang, but these were the kinds of things one said when Li Tianxiang wasn't around.
If Li Tianxiang heard it, he would surely explode.
And from his words, everyone else caught a different implication.
"Old Zheng, could it be that you can find other experts to help out?"
Wang Xuewei asked tentatively, his expression full of suspicion.
The gazes of the others also turned towards Zheng Tianpeng, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Because Zheng Tianpeng was an anomaly among the five great families.
He was completely different from the others; he had no powerful background, no ancestral legacy, nor any distinguished military achievements.
When Zheng Tianpeng was young, the Zheng family wasn't even considered a major family.
But this man had risen bit by bit, advancing step by step, each move solid and steady, leaving no room for criticism.
He was adept at social maneuvering, smooth in his dealings, always wearing a smile, and possessed a silver tongue.
Whether it was high officials in the court, people from all walks of life, or even common laborers, he could get along with them all.
However, if he were truly as kind and good-natured as he appeared, he would never have achieved his current status.
But to call him hypocritical and wicked, utterly depraved, would also be a grave injustice.
It could only be said that this man was decent, had good luck, and was diligent enough, thus earning the favor of heaven.
But facing the current situation, the advantages mentioned above were far from sufficient.
The five great families now needed formidable strength, experts who could assist them in dealing with Chen Xiao.
And in the eyes of Wang Xuewei and the others, Zheng Tianpeng was incapable of providing this.
Seeing their expressions, Zheng Tianpeng knew what they were thinking.
He smiled mysteriously and said calmly, "You all know the Fahua Temple in the west of the city, right? The abbot there, Master Yuan Dian, has a deep friendship with me. When I was young, I once saved his life..."
"Oh? You have a life-saving debt to Master Yuan Dian? I've never heard of that before."
Zhao Yuanjie's old face showed a hint of surprise, but it quickly faded. "But this seems to offer no help to our current situation, does it?"
Fahua Temple was a grand temple in the Imperial City, and its abbot, Master Yuan Dian, was a renowned virtuous monk.
However, Master Yuan Dian was more known and respected for his Buddhist teachings, compassion, and wisdom... but he wasn't a martial monk!
Let alone Master Yuan Dian, even the entire Fahua Temple couldn't produce ten martial monks.
Even if they could, they would only be monks who practiced rudimentary skills. Compared to an unparalleled expert like Chen Xiao... forget it, there was no comparison.
Wang Xuewei asked speculatively, "Old Zheng, could it be that Master Yuan Dian is an unparalleled expert? Is his identity as a Buddhist master merely a disguise?"
Hearing this, Zheng Tianpeng rolled his eyes. "Old Wang, you should watch fewer of those bizarre novels and movies. You're getting old, why is your imagination still so wild? Look at Master Yuan Dian's frail appearance, does he look like an unparalleled expert at all?"
"Then why did you suddenly bring this up?"
Wang Xuewei huffed, his face full of displeasure. "If Master Yuan Dian isn't an unparalleled expert, then aren't you just talking nonsense?"
"Not at all, not at all!"
Zheng Tianpeng shook his head and said, "Master Yuan Dian might not be an unparalleled expert, but that doesn't mean there aren't unparalleled experts within Fahua Temple!"
Everyone's eyes lit up, and they eagerly asked.
"There are unparalleled experts in Fahua Temple? Who are they?"
"Old Zheng, stop beating around the bush, tell us quickly!"
"Old Zheng, if you keep talking nonsense, I'm going to get angry with you!"
...
"Heh, I'm not talking nonsense. I'm just afraid you won't be able to handle it if I tell you directly!"
Zheng Tianpeng chuckled dryly and suddenly asked, "Twenty-four years ago, a mad monk suddenly appeared in the Imperial City. Do you remember?"
"The mad monk from twenty-four years ago?"
Song Kaijiang recalled for a moment and then remembered. "Of course, I remember. I wasn't retired then, and I personally led troops to surround him..."
As he said this, Song Kaijiang reminisced about his military career, but when his military career was linked to that mad monk, it suddenly lost its luster.
"Alas, that mad monk was truly formidable. So many years have passed, and I still feel a lingering fear."
Song Kaijiang sighed and didn't continue.
Because he had ultimately been defeated, and it was precisely because of that defeat that he had to retire early.
Otherwise, the Song family's status wouldn't have been at the bottom among the five great families.
Zhao Yuanjie's eyes lit up, and he said, "I remember too, that mad monk, tsk tsk tsk, I've never seen anyone so powerful!"
"In the end, it was the Grand Eunuch, the sect leader of the Imperial City's Embroidered Uniform Guard, who personally intervened and suppressed that mad monk."
As soon as Zhao Yuanjie finished speaking, Wang Xuewei retorted, "You're mistaken. It was the Grand Eunuch and Master Gan Dao who joined forces to suppress that mad monk... Old Zheng, why are you suddenly mentioning that mad monk? Could it be that he's at Fahua Temple?"
Wang Xuewei's guess made everyone's gaze turn fiery, and they all looked at Zheng Tianpeng.
Zheng Tianpeng, with a benevolent smile, admitted, "That's right. After that mad monk was defeated, he was sealed within Fahua Temple, listening to the monks chant scriptures daily, undergoing the purification of Buddhist dharma."
"In recent years, he is no longer as mad as he was before, and he obeys Master Yuan Dian's every word."
"I have already sought help from Master Yuan Dian, and Master Yuan Dian has agreed to my request. However, this is only for this one time. But I believe one time will be enough. Even if Chen Xiao is strong, he won't be a match for the mad monk."
After hearing Zheng Tianpeng's words, everyone's spirits were greatly lifted, and the heavy burden in their hearts was finally lifted.
"Wait? That's not right. You just said that the mad monk was sealed by the combined efforts of the Grand Eunuch and Master Gan Dao. Although Master Yuan Dian can pacify his madness, he probably can't break his seal, right?"
Zhao Yuanjie suddenly found a loophole in Zheng Tianpeng's words.
Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. After all, Master Yuan Dian was just a virtuous monk with no strength to even tie a chicken. How could he break a seal forged by two powerful experts?
"Heh, the seal was naturally not broken by Master Yuan Dian."
"The seal was broken by the mad monk himself."
Zheng Tianpeng seemed to have anticipated this question and said calmly, "As far as I know, his strength is more than ten times what it was back then!"