The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 377: Visiting Su Xinghe and Breaking the Zhenlong Chess Game

After several months, Murong Trading Company gradually stabilized after experiencing several turmoils. Gong Ye Qian left behind a few capable assistants and went away to take care of the business. After all, he was the one who really did things, and without him, many things would come to a standstill.

Previously, in order to support his own young master and young mistress, he had to be present in the early stages of the trip. Now that Murong Fu and Wang Yuyan's reputations had spread, the entire Murong Trading Company also knew who the real owner was. Gong Ye Qian no longer had any need to guide them, so he left in a hurry and prepared to rush to Yanmen Pass to deliver supplies to Feng Bo'e.

In the past few months or nearly half a year, the Murong family settled accounts and cleared up corruption, but they offended many people. These people had no place to exert their power in the business world, and they could not find trouble with Bao Bu Tong, an idle person, so they pointed the spearhead at Feng Bo'e.

Logistics has always been the most troublesome issue for the border troops. Although Bao Bu Tong impeached him several times, he still could not guarantee that General Feng Bo'e had sufficient logistical supplies. Gong Ye Qian had to help replenish them time and time again to prevent his men from losing their combat effectiveness.

This time, some people went even further and almost cut off Feng Bo'e's food supply. For this, Bao Bu Tong cursed loudly in the court, impeached more than ten people in a row, and even produced hard evidence to force several ministers and a group of minor officials to resign.

After their business goals were basically achieved, Murong Fu and Wang Yuyan changed their itinerary and became irregular. Sometimes they even passed through a city without entering it, leaving only a few letters for the businesses in the city to handle. However, they still handled them in an orderly manner, demonstrating their strong control over their own businesses.

On this day, Murong Fu and his party changed their route again and came to a mountain stream. The place was covered with dense bamboos and the scenery was quiet and peaceful. Beside the stream, there was a pavilion built with giant bamboos. The structure was elegant and ingenious. The bamboo was the pavilion and the pavilion was the bamboo. At first glance, it was hard to tell whether it was a bamboo forest or a pavilion.

Murong Fu and Wang Yuyan ordered the accompanying guards and maids to stop, and they continued on with Wang Yuyan, Ah Zhu, Ah Zi, Ah Qing, and Ah Bi. Soon they arrived at a valley filled with pine trees. The sound of the pine trees rustled like waves in the mountain breeze.

After walking a few miles through the woods, we arrived at three wooden houses. Beneath a large tree in front of the houses, an old man sat cross-legged before a large rock. On top of the rock was a chessboard, densely packed with black and white pieces. The old man, short and thin, sat in silence, facing the board. Occasionally, he would place a piece down, then shake his head fiercely and put it back, never able to figure it out.

"Gusu Murong Fu and his wife Wang Yuyan have come to visit the wise and eloquent Mr. Su Xinghe." Murong Fu bowed slightly, his loud voice echoing in the old man's ears, but it never reached the valley. His method was so clever that it was shocking.

The withered old man was Su Xinghe. He raised his head, his lifeless eyes gradually regaining clarity. After a moment, he stood up and greeted them. "The two greatest masters of the martial arts world are Qiao Fengnan and Murong Nan. The head of the Murong family has arrived. I, Su Xinghe, have failed to welcome him. I am deeply sinful, deeply sinful!"

After Murong Fu exchanged greetings with him, he pushed Wang Yuyan out and said, "My wife, Wang Yuyan, has some connections with Senior's sect. My mother-in-law's name is Li Qingluo, so she should address you as Senior Brother. I've been traveling all over the world and passed by here. I know you're here, so I hope you won't mind my intrusive visit."

Su Xinghe was not very familiar with the name Wang Yuyan, but how could he not know Li Qingluo? She was the only daughter of his master Wuyazi. It was just that his master and his mistress had a falling out, which made it difficult for Junior Sister Li. Later, when he heard that she had married into Mantuo Villa, he had asked his disciples to take care of her, but later he gradually stopped paying attention to her.

In the blink of an eye, Junior Sister Li's daughter had already gotten married, and the man she married was the famous Nan Murong in the martial arts world, which really caught him off guard.

Although Su Xinghe did not pay attention to Li Qingluo, he knew the meaning of North Qiao Feng and South Murong. Unlike Murong Fu in the original novel who was elusive and often disguised himself to mingle around, Lin Bufan's version of Murong Fu was very high-profile and exposed his whereabouts under the eyes of many people.

His whereabouts have never been a secret. Whether he was an official or traveling around the world, he was often surrounded by people. Just like this visit to Leigushan, he never hid his whereabouts. He would only go with a few people when he arrived at a place that was not suitable for a large group of people. Otherwise, he would have to wait on him.

Qiao Feng in the north and Murong Fu in the south have a martial arts competition agreement every three years. Not only is it held in public every time, but the most recent one even set up a ring and accepted the challenge from all the martial arts masters under the age of 40, which directly made them very powerful. Nowadays, many people regard Qiao Feng and Murong Fu as the great masters of the entire martial arts world, not just the younger generation of masters.

Su Xinghe's martial arts skills may not be as good as Ding Chunqiu's, but he is definitely a leader among the best. He is also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, and the art of Qimen Bagua. This is also one of the reasons why he was able to escape from Ding Chunqiu's clutches.

It would be a waste for such a talent and ability to be wasted in the valley. If possible, we should capture him and send him to Jeju Island, Tamra Kingdom, where he would be more than qualified to be a prime minister or even a national teacher.

Su Xinghe was extremely wary of outsiders. Even with the relationship with Li Qingluo, he still refused to let down his guard. He only talked about Li Qingluo's current situation and asked about Ding Chunqiu's news.

Murong Fu spoke freely, knowing nothing but trivial matters. When discussing Li Qingluo's martial arts, he casually mentioned that Wang Yuyan's martial arts were also first-rate, on par with her mother's, and that Li Qingluo's husband, Wang Erlang, was even better, bordering on superb. If a fight came to a head, Su Xinghe might not be Wang Erlang's match.

Su Xinghe only believed Murong Fu's words to a point. He didn't believe the Murong family was really that powerful. Murfu glanced at the chessboard and curled his lips and said, "Senior, did you get this tricky Zhenlong from Yuyan's grandfather?"

Su Xinghe immediately perked up after hearing this and asked in surprise, "Master Murong, have you ever seen this Zhenlong?"

He did not really consider Murong Fu as one of his own, and did not use seniority to pressure him, but only called him Young Master Murong. The Xiaoyao Sect has always had the habit of judging people by their appearance, and Murong Fu was born with a handsome face, unrestrained and elegant, and his talents in both civil and military affairs were even more evident. His position in power forged his aura, so he was very much liked by Su Xinghe, but he had to be careful and vigilant because of his master's safety.

"I once saw this treasure at my mother-in-law's childhood home, and I spent some time researching it." Murong Fu said with a hint of sarcasm on his face, "This chess game isn't so much unfathomable as it is ruthless and pitiful. It's all about seeking but not getting. If you have no desires and only wish for death, you might open up a new world. But if you don't care about winning, even if you open up a new world, how can you make it to the end? It's all about chess strength."

After hearing all he said, Su Xinghe invited him to give it a try. Murong Fu, Wang Yuyan and Azhu already knew the secret and had made deductions on the way here. They were all gifted people, and if they got the answer but couldn't get full marks, it would be a real shame for their talent.

"Who will come?" Murong Fu looked at Wang Yuyan and Azhu. The two women shook their heads. It would be more appropriate for their husbands to do such things that would attract attention. After all, he would be the main force later.

After three or four moves, Murong Fu committed suicide, clearing a large area of ​​space. Su Xinghe frowned wildly, but because of what he had said before, he didn't immediately jump out and criticize him. Instead, he increased his attack. He didn't know if it was because haste makes waste, or if it was really as Murong Fu said, this precious dragon is something you can only get if you want it. The more you want to win, the easier it is to lose. Gradually, Su Xinghe found himself shifting from absolute advantage to a level of strength. In the end, Murong Fu, who had played a steady game except for suicide, won three games, which surprised him greatly.

"These three pieces represent the true difference in chess ability between you and me. Zhenlong is no longer of much significance after that suicidal move." Murong Fu's words made Su Xinghe fall into deep thought. After a moment, he sighed softly, "Young Master, you are truly talented. I am not as talented as you. Please wait here for a moment while I consult with the elders in my family on my next move."

"Junior is waiting for good news from senior." Murong Fu bowed and watched Su Xinghe turn and walk to a wooden house. Wuyazi must be living in it.

Murong Fu, Wang Yuyan, and Ah Zhu exchanged a glance, their hearts aching with excitement. After all, the most legendary sect in the entire Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils world was the Xiaoyao Sect, and the Xiaoyao Three Elders were the most representative of the Xiaoyao Sect's masters. If they could gain Wuyazi's approval and support, they would be able to control the Xiaoyao Sect. By then...