Chapter 904 - 870: Negotiation

Xu Chunliang said, "I have long been hearing about you, Mr. Xiahou, and it’s a great pleasure to finally meet you in person today."

Xiahou Zun laughed, "I have been in seclusion for quite some time and no longer concern myself with the matters of Jianghu. I wonder what brings Mr. Xu to me?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "I am not someone from Jianghu either, but I heard that you have always been overseeing the Weary Sect, Mr. Xiahou."

Xiahou Zun sighed, "The Weary Sect has long been in name only, and the title of Sect Leader is merely nominal, given out of courtesy by colleagues."

Xu Chunliang asked, "So, does Mr. Xiahou manage the affairs of the Weary Sect or not?"

At this moment, Cao Mulan brought in the tea, pouring Xu Chunliang’s cup full to the brim. It’s said that tea should be poured only seven-tenths full, yet she clearly made it so that Xu Chunliang couldn’t start drinking, openly showing her animosity toward him, which also indicated her lack of means for revenge.

Xu Chunliang had no intention of drinking the tea, considering Cao Mulan’s current resentment toward him, it was fortunate that she hadn’t poisoned it.

Xiahou Zun asked, "To what matter does Mr. Xu refer?"

Xu Chunliang, not wanting to beat around the bush, recounted how Wu Yuanyi hired people to infiltrate his home with malicious intent.

Cao Mulan listened from the side, growing more annoyed with Wu Yuanyi. There’s no doubt that the troubles this time were caused by Wu Yuanyi, and it was due to the meddling of Monk Yuanrong that led Xu Chunliang to trace everything back to their headquarters, causing her to lose...

Cao Mulan now even doubted if everything that happened was real and pondered over her own situation. Her guardian sand was lost and then regained, her father was highly certain that she was still of the Xuan Yin physique after taking her pulse. Could it all be a ruse by Xu Chunliang? Was he toying with her? If it was all true, then Xu Chunliang’s acupuncture skills were truly extraordinary, potentially surpassing her father’s.

Xiahou Zun said, "Mr. Xu has misunderstood, I severed ties with Wu Yuanyi long ago."

Cao Mulan thought to herself, her father finally decided to publicly dissociate from Wu Yuanyi, which was for the best, since that person was extremely dangerous, having broken the law and fled abroad to avoid being apprehended.

Xu Chunliang said, "But I heard that Wu Yuanyi still considers himself a disciple of the Weary Sect. Do you mean by this that he has already been expelled from the Weary Sect, Mr. Xiahou?"

Xiahou Zun chuckled softly, "Is Mr. Xu teaching me how to conduct myself?" He clearly did not admit that Wu Yuanyi had been expelled from the Weary Sect.

Xu Chunliang replied, "Everything has its rules, it just depends on how Mr. Xiahou chooses."

Xiahou Zun laughed more heartily, "Then I shall listen to what you call rules."

Xu Chunliang said, "Common rules come down to two types. One is your so-called Jianghu rules. When your people do such things, I have a reason to demand an explanation from you!"

Cao Mulan listened from the side, indeed, according to the Jianghu rules, this was the case. Be it Wu Yuanyi or Yan Hong, they were indeed people of the Weary Sect. If they caused trouble outside, for others to trace it back to seek accountability was only normal. It’s akin to when children cause trouble outside, others would come to find the parents to take responsibility. If the Weary Sect were compared to a big family, then the Weary Sect Leader, Xiahou Zun, would be the head of the family, responsible for any disciple’s misdoings outside, and simultaneously he had to provide protection for those disciples.

Xiahou Zun asked, "And the other type?"

Xu Chunliang said, "The other is through legal means; I will report all situations to the authorities, letting them clarify the matter."

Cao Mulan feared this scenario the most, the reason being that despite Xu Chunliang ruining her reputation, she hadn’t immediately sought revenge for fear of Xu Chunliang exposing the secret beneath their plantation base. If that happened, even if they managed to escape, all of their painstaking efforts here would turn into illusions.

Xiahou Zun laughed heartily and turned to Cao Mulan, "Mulan, did you hear that? Mr. Xu is threatening me."

Cao Mulan thought to grab her knife, only to realize the blade had already been broken by Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang said, "You misunderstand, Mr. Xiahou. It’s a piece of advice, not a threat."

Xiahou Zun said, "Very well, can you assure me to keep all these matters here confidential?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "If Mr. Xiahou expels Wu Yuanyi from the Weary Sect, severs all support for him, and provides me with his hiding place, I will pretend as if nothing ever happened."

Xiahou Zun snorted coldly, "And what about the matter concerning my daughter?"

Cao Mulan’s face was completely red. Didn’t her father say she was still a Xuanyin body? Why was this account being brought up again? She hadn’t told her father about the return of the guardian sand, and actually, she was quite curious about how Xu Chunliang would explain it.

Xu Chunliang smiled warmly at Cao Mulan and said, "Miss Cao, I was just kidding with you. If you roll up your sleeve, you’ll understand everything."

Cao Mulan bit her lip and cursed, "Scoundrel!"

Xu Chunliang saw she didn’t roll up her sleeve and knew her guardian sand had reappeared. He deliberately said, "I thought Miss Cao would easily see through this trick, given your family’s medical heritage, but it seems Miss Cao is a bit too naive."

Cao Mulan felt secretly angry. This fellow was clearly suggesting her family’s medicine was inadequate and insinuating she was foolish. Cao Mulan angrily asked, "What... exactly did you do to me?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Since Miss Cao values this matter so deeply, I don’t have the heart to keep deceiving you. You should know the guardian sand is not innate. It’s made by choosing pure white geckos, using special cold jade vessels, feeding them cinnabar, grinding them into powder after they mature, and applying it on a girl’s body. It can retain for years without fading. However, everything in this world has a countermeasure. Anyone with a slight knowledge of Chinese medicine should know that cinnabar fears magnetite and dislikes salt water. The gecko’s natural enemy is the toad. By selecting toads and feeding them sea maggot magnetite, you can breed them and take the toxin from their skin to counteract the guardian sand. But this effect only lasts for six hours, after which the guardian sand will return to normal.

Cao Mulan had never heard of such a thing, nor had Xiahou Zun. The father and daughter were left speechless, receiving a deep lesson from Xu Chunliang.

Cao Mulan was still puzzled in her heart. Why did I bleed and feel such tearing pain?

Xu Chunliang continued to instruct, "The reason you bled is because I inserted a needle at the Yaoyu point. This point can regulate menstrual blood flow. As long as the depth of needle insertion is controlled, it can change the pattern of menstrual blood flow in a short time."

Cao Mulan’s face flushed red. Now she believed she was still intact, but although the pain was lessened, the feeling of humiliation grew stronger. The psychological impact was immense. Even though he didn’t invade her body, he insulted her intelligence. Is there any greater harm than this? Cao Mulan restrained herself from lashing out. She still had one unsolved puzzle in her heart. If you did nothing, why did I feel pain?

Xu Chunliang said, "The Changqiang point is the first point on the Du meridian and a meeting place for Foot Shaoyin and Shaoyang. Different methods of needling have different effects. My unique technique can let you feel sustained pain."

Cao Mulan knew she remained untouched, but her mind was increasingly confused. She had studied Chinese medicine for years, and although her technique could not compare to Xu Chunliang’s, she knew the location of the Changqiang point. Xu Chunliang inserted the needle there, didn’t he see her privacy clearly? It was truly embarrassing.

Xiahou Zun reached out to grasp his daughter’s wrist. He could sense she was about to erupt. No one knows a daughter like her father. He knew very well Cao Mulan always held herself in high regard and indeed had some abilities. Over the years, during his seclusion, she managed the business orderly and balanced the interests of the Weary Sect’s elders. But this time, losing so thoroughly in front of Xu Chunliang made it hard for her to accept.

Xiahou Zun said, "Mulan, please step outside. I wish to speak with Mr. Xu alone."

Cao Mulan bit her lip, resisting her fury as she left. Never in her life had she felt such defeat. She had been fooled by a man so badly, her intelligence trampled underfoot and rubbed repeatedly.

After Cao Mulan left, Xiahou Zun sighed and said, "Mr. Xu, please don’t take offense. My daughter is proud and arrogant. I hope you can forgive any offenses."

Xu Chunliang said, "Mr. Xiahou, truthfully there’s no conflict of interest between us. Wu Yuanyi’s existence is a threat to you as well. Why endanger the entire Weary Sect for someone like him?"

Xiahou Zun lamented, "To be honest, Wu Yuanyi is my sworn brother. For the sake of Jianghu loyalty, I could never betray him."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, "You use a Chinese herbal plantation to cover up your illegal excavation of national treasures. Just this, I could send you to prison." He smiled, "But Wu Yuanyi’s actions have violated national law and disrupted Jianghu norms. Anyone else would have already cleaned house and upheld justice."

Xiahou Zun seemed to waver internally, saying solemnly, "I can expel him from the Weary Sect and prohibit all disciples from aiding him, but I truly don’t know his current whereabouts."

Xu Chunliang nodded. Xiahou Zun willing to do this would cut Wu Yuanyi’s support. Wu Yuanyi’s arrogance was solely due to the backing of the Weary Sect disciples. Expelling him means he can’t utilize their strength anymore. Once he’s isolated, his power will naturally diminish. He won’t dare come in person to assassinate me, but if he does, he’ll surely not return.

Xiahou Zun would not easily compromise. He also had conditions, proposing as an exchange that Xu Chunliang keep this place’s secrets and cure Hongxiu and Yan Hong. These two were very important to him. Hongxiu was his adopted daughter, and Yan Hong was his friend’s nephew.

These demands weren’t excessive. Xu Chunliang initially targeted them to draw out Xiahou Zun, the mastermind behind the scenes. Now that the primary figure had shown himself, further tormenting these two held little value.

Xu Chunliang agreed, both of them were currently in Hundred Herbs Hall. Xu Chunliang first administered acupuncture to Hongxiu, quickly calming her uncontrolled emotions.

As for Yan Hong, Xu Chunliang removed the Autumn Death Needle from his body in front of Xiahou Zun.

Xiahou Zun watched from the side, his eyes full of astonishment. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Xu Chunliang’s acupuncture skills exceeded his expectations.

Xu Chunliang put away the needle he had removed and was ready to awaken Hongxiu when he suddenly saw Xiahou Zun spit out a mouthful of blood and fall straight to the ground.

First update sent, the second update is being written. Please remain patient.