Chapter 32: The Meeting to Eliminate Traitors

The elderly man in hemp robes possessed kind eyes and a gentle, benevolent smile. As soon as he entered the shop, his gaze swept across the crowd. Clearing his throat, he announced, "Three copper coins to calculate heaven and earth; a smile for the onlookers to glimpse their future."

He stood in place, stroking his long beard, looking every bit the transcendent master. However, after waiting for a moment and seeing no reaction from the people in the shop, he became somewhat embarrassed.

Nevertheless, after a few coughs, he walked over to the table of the burly man with a heavy hammer hanging from a chain at his waist and said with a smile, "From afar, I saw a brilliant radiance upon your brow and a prosperous aura around your temples; you are surely destined for great fortune. However, a trace of ominous purple qi flickers between the heavens, and a cry for help scatters across the jade sea. Why not grant this old man your birth details, and I shall provide a brief reading for your honor?"

The burly man let out a hearty laugh. He reached out, tore a chicken leg from the table, and said while chewing, "Life and death are predestined by Heaven. What difference does a reading make?"

"Not so!" the elderly man in hemp robes shook his head. "Heaven possesses the virtue of cherishing life, and the Heavenly Dao leaves a path of escape. Life is not without turning points; to seek fortune and avoid calamity—that is the essence of divination."

"Hahaha!" Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from a nearby table. The old man turned to look and saw that the one laughing was a destitute scholar.

The scholar, named Luo Bisheng, laughed and said, "What a lazy old man! Come, come, I shall believe you. Go ahead and cast a hex for me!"

The old man nodded and walked to Luo Bisheng's table, saying, "Please, let me see your palm, sir."

Luo Bisheng briskly extended his left hand. "Look if you must, but let me warn you: if your reading is inaccurate, I won't pay a cent!"

"Naturally!" The old man nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scrutinized the hand.

After a long pause, the old man stroked his beard and sighed softly, "A pity, a pity. Your Excellency is afflicted by the fate of 'Turning one's back on wealth to chase horses.'"

Luo Bisheng froze, asking in confusion, "What is 'turning one's back on wealth to chase horses'?"

The old man glanced at him and began to explain unhurriedly, "To turn one's back on wealth means that for the stem *Jia*, the stem *Xin* is the official star representing wealth. When metal is exhausted, there is no official; when the official star resides in a place of death or extinction, there is no foundation for wealth." He then began to chant rhythmically, shaking his head: "A belly full of literature is of no use; a body full of martial arts cannot satisfy hunger. One always harbors lofty ambitions, yet wastes energy in vain due to ill fortune!"

"Bullshit!"

Luo Bisheng slammed his hand on the table and glared fiercely at him. He was originally a scholar by training; in his youth, he was obsessed with officialdom, but he had failed every exam. Eventually, disheartened, he took a master and learned martial arts, showing considerable talent in that path.

However, passing the imperial examinations had always been a thorn in his side. Even though he knew the old fortune-teller wasn't wrong, he couldn't help but feel a surge of rage.

Luo Bisheng flicked his wide sleeve toward him. The force of the gesture sent the old man tumbling, performing a somersault on the spot and rolling three times before shakily scrambling to his feet.

Brushing the dust off himself, the old man muttered to himself, "Uncarvable wood... truly uncarvable wood..."

Shaking his head, the old man turned his gaze toward Liang Yan's table and walked over with a beaming smile. "Two young friends, meeting is fate. Why not have your lives read? If the reading is inaccurate, this old man will take nothing!"

Liang Yan shrugged and nonchalantly extended his left hand. The old man nodded, placed his hand on Liang Yan's, and narrowed his eyes as if calculating.

However, Liang Yan knew the old man was actually probing his cultivation level. He sneered inwardly and secretly activated the Heavenly Mystery Bead, hiding his cultivation fluctuations so that not a trace remained. Aside from having more vigorous blood and qi than an ordinary person—marking him as a martial artist—he appeared no different from a commoner.

The old man probed silently for a while. Finding nothing unusual, he nodded and smiled. "A bird in a cage is not free; one with this hex finds it hard to rise. Ambitions and wealth remain out of reach; disputes and gossip bring only sorrow!"

"Pah, pah, pah!" Before Liang Yan could speak, Tang Diexian cut in. "This old man lacks strength and only knows how to spout nonsense. If you're so capable, why don't you read a hex for yourself? See if I'm going to hit you in a moment!"

The old man hurriedly smiled apologetically. "No, no, no! This old man's limbs are frail; I cannot withstand your temper. I was just guessing; young master, you have great fortune and will surely be aided by a benefactor."

Tang Diexian said huffily, "At least you know your place!"

The old man stared at Tang Diexian for a moment. Finding no trace of spiritual energy fluctuations, he felt relieved. He gripped his bamboo staff with his right hand, tucked his left hand behind his back, regained his transcendent air, and swaggered out of the inn.

Watching the old man's retreating figure, Liang Yan thought to himself, *This old man's aura is weak. I saw that strange jade pendant on him earlier; they must be part of the same group. But do they know the Sect has already sent people to investigate? Right, with the death of the Green-Robed Guest last night, they are likely on high alert. I must be doubly careful from now on.*

Liang Yan and Tang Diexian returned to their room. After a brief discussion, they decided that Tang Diexian would go out to gather intelligence on the martial arts experts the Sect had planted in Yongle Town, while Liang Yan would investigate Chen Zhuo'an's background.

***

That night, in a remote forest outside Yongle Town.

Two figures stood facing each other under the moonlight. They were none other than Chen Zhuo'an and Min Rou. Not far from them, behind a tree, a youth in black was hiding—it was Liang Yan, who had followed them.

"Are they reliable?" Chen Zhuo'an asked.

"Yue Da has served me for many years and is fiercely loyal; there won't be any problems," Min Rou replied. "As for Tang Er, he is a worker I hired in town a year ago. He suffers from an illness and has limited mobility, so he shouldn't cause trouble either. Besides, he knows nothing of our business."

Chen Zhuo'an nodded in satisfaction. He looked at Min Rou; the moonlight fell upon her face, and though she was still beautiful and enchanting, faint wrinkles were visible at the corners of her eyes. He couldn't help but sigh. "Min Rou, you have suffered these years. Once, you were a precious daughter of a noble house, but now..."

Min Rou hurriedly covered his mouth with her hand and said softly, "Zhuo'an, say no more. It was my own choice." A flicker of sadness passed through her eyes as she continued, "I feel much guilt for not being able to help during Sister Xiu'er's time. You and Sister Xiu'er were a perfect match, but it's a pity you couldn't be together until the end..."

Hearing her mention the past, a trace of desolation appeared on Chen Zhuo'an's face. He was no fool; he knew Min Rou had voluntarily abandoned her status as the daughter of the Minister of Revenue and had devoted herself to him all these years. He knew of her affection. However, a barrier remained in his heart; his guilt toward Xiu'er made it difficult for him to face Min Rou fully.

After a moment of silence, Chen Zhuo'an spoke first. "Now that the scoundrel Li Hong holds immense power in the imperial court... although your father views our 'Anti-Treason Society' as bandits, he has not joined forces with Li Hong. Given time, I fear he will be harmed by that thief Li."

A trace of worry flashed across Min Rou's face. "My father is too rigid. He believes all martial arts organizations are treasonous. If he were willing to cooperate with us, we would have a better chance. Now, I only hope Heaven protects him and that Li doesn't strike my father too soon."

Suddenly, a voice drifted from the forest

"That shouldn't be the case! Li Hong still has many political enemies to deal with. Two years ago, he murdered General Zhang, which involved the 'Fake Imperial Decree' incident—a matter he hasn't fully settled to this day. I don't think he is in a hurry to deal with your father."

"Luo Bisheng!" Chen Zhuo'an turned to look. The newcomer was the destitute scholar from the shop.

"Haha, that's not a bad point from the fake scholar!" another voice said from the woods. "That scoundrel Li Hong dared to forge an imperial decree and murder General Zhang. That blood debt must be paid in blood!"

Two people walked out from the trees side-by-side: the fat landlord and Hua Shiniang, who had visited the shop earlier that day.

"Wang Bin, Hua Shiniang, you've arrived as well," Chen Zhuo'an smiled. "It seems we are only waiting for Chu the Third and Xu Fangke now."

"Hmph! When the 'Anti-Treason Society' gathers, how could I, Chu, be late?" As the words fell, two more men emerged from the forest—the burly man with the hammer and the man with the aquiline nose. The burly man continued, "I, Chu, refuse to accept anything but the truth. In this life, the only hero I respect is General Zhang. Damn it all! That bastard Li Hong couldn't defeat him in combat, so he resorted to forging a decree to force the General to his death. It is utterly shameless!"

The aquiline-nosed man, Xu Fangke, also shook his head. "When a ruler demands a subject's death, the subject has no choice. It is a pity General Zhang possessed such integrity, only to meet such an end."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Chen Zhuo'an cleared his throat and spoke loudly. "We shall surely avenge General Zhang's blood feud. Li Hong's forgery of the imperial decree is a crime of deceiving the Emperor, punishable by the execution of nine generations. By eliminating General Zhang, he has planted the seeds of his own destruction. Two years ago, Lord Tang Tiannan dispatched his retainers and death squads, who managed to steal the fake decree. Although they were pursued by Li's men, the retainers protected Lord Tang with their lives, allowing him to escape. However, he was heavily wounded and has been missing for two years, and the matter of the decree was left unresolved. But our subsequent investigations revealed that he fled to this very town, Yongle. Lord Tang was devoted to his country; even in death, he would have hidden that decree well. The purpose of our 'Anti-Treason Society's' mission is to find this fake decree and present it to the Imperial Court to topple the thief Li!"

The crowd nodded in agreement, except for Luo Bisheng, who frowned deeply. "But Yongle Town is so vast. The decree could be hidden anywhere. With only a few of us, how can we find it?"

Chen Zhuo'an smiled slightly. "I have already found a lead. Years ago, Lord Tang was said to have three thousand retainers and had secretly organized an underground force to counter Li Hong. There is an underground stronghold of his here in Yongle Town. I believe that in his moment of crisis, Lord Tang most likely hid the fake decree within that stronghold."

As Chen Zhuo'an finished, he looked at Hua Shiniang. She smiled radiantly. "This humble woman has not failed her mission; I have successfully obtained the map to that underground stronghold."

The group realized the plan. Luo Bisheng nodded and laughed, "In that case, we have a ninety percent certainty. Then what are we waiting for? Why not go and investigate now?"

Chen Zhuo'an waved his hand. "No rush. As far as I know, Li Hong has also received intelligence. He has already sent one of his Four Great Vajras, Xiang Anran, to lie low in the town. There are many eyes and ears in town; if we act rashly, we risk being ambushed from behind."

The group asked, "Then when shall we act?"

Chen Zhuo'an replied, "I have already issued the call to assemble. Currently, five of our eight Great Hall Masters of the 'Anti-Treason Society' have arrived, and the remaining three will arrive within days. Li Hong's top subordinates are scattered across various regions, and it will take time for him to mobilize his troops. The day our eight halls gather shall be the day we seize the fake decree!"

(End of Chapter)