HLnovel Chapter 197 Intercepting the Cooperation
Chapter 197 Intercepting the Cooperation
"Huh?" Yan He exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't Young Master Qin come here to ask me for the antidote?"
Qin Su's face darkened for a moment, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "What exactly did you feed me?"
Upon hearing this, Yan He understood that Qin Su must know that he was not poisoned.
"That's a miraculous elixir from my Xuan Yi Sect. Taking it will ensure longevity. You should be secretly happy to have it!"
The sound of something cutting through the air exploded beside his ears. Yan He nimbly dodged the whip, thinking to himself: Such a violent temper, what a waste of such a handsome face!
Another whip came, and she faced it head-on.
Lu Zhi, who was watching the commotion, took several dozen steps back, not wanting to delay the two people who had started fighting at the slightest disagreement.
He beckoned to his men, "Go and see if Meng Fuqing is home. If not, have someone go and look for him."
When Meng Fuqing arrived, the two had already ceased fighting.
Qin Su sat calmly on the banyan tree, leisurely swinging the whip in his hand. Yan He looked at the whip marks on the back of his hand and gritted his teeth in anger.
"You dare to fight me bare-handed! You're wielding a long whip, how dare you bully me when I'm unarmed!"
"Why didn't you hold this against me when I was taking advantage of my weakened state?" Qin Su looked down at her with a half-smile.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Meng Fuqing arriving late. He leaped down from the tree and sneered, "I thought you were too afraid to show your face."
Meng Fuqing glanced at the long whip in Qin Su's hand. It was entirely silver-white, with gemstones inlaid on the handle, making it look very luxurious.
A dagger alone won't do; she needs a suitable weapon as well.
Vines are best suited for whips, especially hollow whips, as the hollow parts can be filled with vines at any time.
Putting the thought aside for the time being, Meng Fuqing said, "Since Young Master Qin invited me, I will naturally come. May I ask what brings Young Master Qin to see me? If it is about the matter of deceiving you before, then I will not be able to accompany you."
"I do not consider myself a petty person. I have come here to discuss serious matters."
Qin Su tossed the long whip in his hand into his subordinate's arms and gestured for Meng Fuqing to enter.
"Miss Meng, please allow me a moment to speak with you."
Meng Fuqing believed that Qin Su had no benefit to gain from her and was probably still acting on Xie Jin's behalf.
She followed Qin Su to the back of an empty house, and neither of them spoke first.
Qin Sulian and Meng Fuqing remained calm and directly stated their purpose.
“Meng Fuqing, do you think you are safe now that you have escaped to Jing’an Prefecture? Do you know that there are refugees rising up in rebellion everywhere? Powerful families are hoarding fertile land and enslaving displaced people. Local vassal kings are recruiting civilians as soldiers. They all want to tear a piece of flesh from the territory of Great Yan and then plot to seize the whole country.”
His gaze shifted from the distant, mist-shrouded peaks, and he turned to look at Meng Fuqing, scoffing, "So what if the Hu people retreat? The Great Yan is plagued by internal strife and natural disasters; it is clearly a sign of a chaotic world."
This is the perfect time for heroes to vie for power. Can Xie Jin really resist the urge to seize the Ying family's empire?
Meng Fuqing raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me about Xie Jin?"
"When I was lingering among the flowers, you weren't even as long as my legs. Did you really think I couldn't see the sly secret between you two?"
He's a wanted criminal now and can't easily show his face. Finding you will lead you to him.
Meng Fuqing stared at him for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "If we're talking about ambition, Young Master Qin is not much different from the princes of powerful families. You didn't come to Jing'an Prefecture just to persuade Xie Jin to conspire in a rebellion, did you?"
Qin Su wasn't surprised by Meng Fuqing's keen insight. He smiled, but his eyes darkened. "Jing'an Prefecture is my hometown, and there are people I care about there. So, I guess I'm returning home in glory?"
Meng Fuqing glanced at his accessories and said, "So that's why you're dressed like a peacock spreading its tail."
Qin Su: "..."
Before he could speak, Meng Fuqing spoke again, "Young Master Qin, could you please tell me why you want to cooperate with Xie Jin? If you are not honest, it will be difficult for me to mediate, after all, Xie Jin has rejected you once."
"It seems you don't know him very well." Qin Su gloated. "Do you think he has no support now that the Xie family has fallen? The Hidden Pavilion is the greatest support that Generals Xie and Pei left him."
The most skilled martial artists were chosen as bodyguards, but those who weren't selected weren't entirely useless; otherwise, how could they have successfully rescued Xie Jin from the elite troops dispatched by the imperial court?
Meng Fuqing said confidently, "You know the Xie family very well."
Qin Su didn't hide anything, "My mother is a member of the martial arts world, surnamed Bai. The Bai family is able to occupy a place in the martial arts world because our disciples are good at gathering information."
"You want to work with Xie Jin from the inside to take over Jing'an Prefecture?"
These words were so blunt that Qin Su was speechless for once.
He narrowed his eyes. "Haven't you ever been beaten up for talking like that?"
"No, not at all." Meng Fuqing shook his head. "Your wishful thinking may be in vain. Xie Jin is not in Jing'an Prefecture right now, and his return date is uncertain."
Upon hearing this, Qin Su's eyes darkened with inscrutable thoughts as he lowered his gaze in deep contemplation.
Seeing this, Meng Fuqing pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, you have another option."
Qin Su looked up at her.
Meng Fuqing slowly uttered four words, "Cooperate with me."
Having finally arrived in Jing'an Prefecture, she wanted to protect this last piece of pure land, and she neither wanted to rely on others.
"You?" Qin Su raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard something amusing. "Besides these villagers, do you have anyone else under you?"
Meng Fuqing took out the token Xie Jin had given her. "And this, how about it?"
Upon seeing the word "Hidden," Qin Su's narrow eyes widened slightly in shock. "He actually gave you the Hidden Pavilion token?"
Meng Fuqing would not use the token unless absolutely necessary; taking it out now was merely to gain Qin Su's trust.
"Cooperation?" she asked.
Upon seeing the token, Qin Su knew that cooperating with Meng Fuqing was the same as cooperating with Xie Jin, and immediately nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Meng Fuqing carefully put the token away. "Since your mother's family can gather information, they must also be able to spread it?"
"So what?"
"This method is rather risky; it depends on whether you have the guts to do it. Order your men to publicize the achievements of Prince Jing and Lord Xu extensively, ideally reaching the Emperor's ears."
The Emperor is deeply suspicious. At that time, Jing'an Prefecture will be isolated and helpless without the support of the court, and many eyes will be watching it covetously from all sides. An alliance is imperative.
Lord Qin commands the Jing'an Prefecture's military forces. It shouldn't be difficult for you to form an alliance with Jing'an Prefecture with your troops. As long as you can eliminate your father, Jing'an Prefecture will naturally be yours.
Qin Su had been listening attentively, but his expression turned strange towards the end. After the words were spoken, he remained silent for a long time before letting out a cold laugh, "Meng Fuqing, you seem to know me very well. You've been plotting against me all along?"
"Young Master Qin thinks too highly of me. How could I possibly have foreseen this? You underestimate how sensational your previous actions were."
She had been considering how to deal with Qin Su after he arrived in Jing'an Prefecture.
After learning about the father-son relationship between Qin Su and Qin Sima, she thought of making the father and son fight so that Qin Su would not have time to cause trouble for them. Unexpectedly, it has now become a way to bring the father and son back to their old friendship.
With Lu Zhi's experience as an example, she was already prepared.