Chapter 23: Conspiracy

On the top of Qipan Mountain, the setting sun was glowing, and the scenery in the distance was infinite. A stone table, a stone stool, a cup of tea, a person. Under the sunset, a lonely shadow flickered in the breeze.

"Ren Woxing! It seems this guy has already surfaced."

After receiving a letter from his subordinates, Su Fan also had a comprehensive understanding of the situation in Xiangnan.

Ren Woxing's strength was actually comparable to the Hengshan Sect Sect Leader.

Although the Hengshan Sect Sect Leader was not a super first-class peak figure, he was a figure of the same generation as their Huashan Sect Sect Leader, an old-school first-rate expert.

The two were at least twenty years apart.

Although strength in the Jianghu is not judged by age, for most people, the older they are, the higher their cultivation.

Ren Woxing is in his early thirties and has such cultivation.

"It seems this guy must have cultivated the *Star-Sucking Great Art*," Su Fan thought secretly. Otherwise, it would be impossible to have such fast progress.

Especially since the letter said that the Hengshan Sect Sect Leader was injured by the opponent's profound palm power.

The *Star-Sucking Great Art*, absorbing internal energy—Ren Woxing finally walked on this path, a path of no return.

The flaws of the *Star-Sucking Great Art*, no matter what, he cannot avoid. He is afraid that he will never be able to break through to the Innate realm in this life, and he might not even reach the peerless realm of connecting the twelve standard meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians.

Anyway, in the *Smiling Proud* world, Ren Woxing was only a super first-class peak expert, relying on the *Star-Sucking Great Art* to absorb profound internal energy.

Compared to Dongfang Bubai, he was still a bit inferior. The opponent should belong to the peak of the peerless realm, or like the current Dugu Sheng, a peerless powerhouse.

"Alas! I am still a bit inferior now."

Su Fan thought randomly that his cultivation was quite a bit inferior compared to these people. It was really because his age was more than ten years younger than theirs. Right now, Su Fan hadn't even reached twenty.

However, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the second-rate level. Cultivating the *Primordial Skill* made his internal energy extremely condensed.

Relying on his cheat, he even continuously tempered his internal energy. He didn't know if this was useful, but coming from the later generations, the explosion of knowledge made him dare to try.

In terms of breaking through realms, he hadn't seen the effect yet, but the condensation of internal energy made his attacks extremely powerful.

With internal energy attached to his palms, performing the *Huashan Broken Jade Fist*, it was quite easy to crack monuments and split stones.

"I don't know if there is enough time."

Although Ren Woxing retreated, the slaughter caused this time made the hatred between the Xiangnan martial arts world and the Hengshan Sect and the Vermilion Bird Hall increase again.

The turmoil could not be stopped.

It was rumored everywhere in the Jianghu that the Five Mountains were going to act against the Vermilion Bird Hall and the Demonic Cult. Some righteous path figures who claimed to be "chivalrous and righteous" were almost running to the Huashan Sword-Qi Chongxiao Hall to ask the Huashan Sect to fight.

This kind of voice made Su Fan smell a conspiracy.

Clearly, Ren Woxing had already retreated, but the Jianghu was becoming more and more intense, as if it didn't want to calm down at all.

He knew that the Five Mountains definitely didn't want to fight. In the major war twenty years ago, the Huashan Sect was still okay, but the other four sects all lost parts of their ultimate martial arts.

Not to mention being severely injured, at least they lost quite a bit.

Who would want to go and fight the Demonic Cult to the death again?

Slogans can be shouted to fool those young Jianghu people. For true old oilers, who would want to eliminate demons and defend the path? Just kidding, that would mean people dying.

So this Jianghu becoming more and more intense, in Su Fan's view, must have a hand behind it, pushing secretly.

And the target was pointed directly at the Demonic Cult and the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

"Could it be Shaolin and Wudang?"

The first thing Su Fan thought of was Shaolin, this old schemer. Being able to exist for a thousand years, Shaolin is definitely not a white lotus.

As the leader of the righteous path, they don't know how many conspiracies they have carried out behind the scenes.

And as the leader of the righteous path, they enjoy the fame but have never stood up to lead the martial arts world to fight the Demonic

Cult to the death.

"It is very likely them."

Su Fan felt more and more that this time it was likely planned by Shaolin, and even Li Wufeng's death had some conspiracy behind it.

After all, Li Wufeng's strength was even above Lv Kai's. Li Wufeng died in Xiangnan, and in Xiangnan, wanting to kill Li Wufeng was almost impossible.

Unless the Hengshan Sect dispatched several first-rate martial artists, but this move would definitely be discovered.

The Hengshan Sect didn't act, so the only ones who could hunt Li Wufeng were those top-tier major sects who had this strength.

"Then what is the benefit of doing this?"

"It is to incite the conflict between the Five Mountains and the Demonic Cult."

Su Fan felt more and more that he had discovered the truth.

"It seems I still need to notify Master and the others."

Su Fan thought inwardly. Of course, perhaps Ning Qingyu and the others had also discovered something, but no matter what, as a Huashan Sect disciple, he had the responsibility to remind them.

This wouldn't cost him much effort. Just in time for this month, he could let the Huashan Sect send some more outer sect disciples over.

The business here was getting bigger and bigger, and more and more manpower was needed, and they had to be good hands.

After all, going deep into the desert and the Daxinganling, ordinary people were prone to accidents.

Trading with the Nuergan Regional Military Commission required the deterrence of force. Otherwise, those barbarians, like pigs, wouldn't trade with you fairly.

Last time, when trading a batch of sheepskins with the Jianzhou Guard, the horse team was attacked on the way back. Fortunately, Liu Tong was a person who commanded troops, and they were all wearing thick leather armor, plus their weapons were excellent, so they repelled those barbarian tribes.

Su Fan knew that those attackers likely came from the Jianzhou Three Guards.

It's just that there was no evidence, and he couldn't do anything about them. Moreover, the hundred-household force in his hands didn't have enough strength, totaling only two hundred people.

Although they were fully equipped, and his servants had all practiced martial arts for four or five years, placed in the army, they could serve as low-level military officers.

In addition, the other hundred people were nearby military households. Su Fan's training for several months, not to mention elite, at least could compare to the servants of some high-level military officers.

It was also because of this that they were able to repel the Jianzhou Guard.

However, the strength of the military households was just like that. Improving individual strength was difficult; after all, most of them were adults.

Unlike the Huashan Sect's outer sect disciples, they had practiced martial arts since childhood. Second or third-rate strength was enough here in Liaodong.

Although they might not play much of a role in terms of army formations, Su Fan wasn't facing a large army, and he wasn't going to fight a major war.

Those who came to grab his things were at most small tribes; a few hundred people was already a lot.

Who would use over a thousand people? The Jianzhou Three Guards only had a population of over a thousand households in total. As for the desert, unless they encountered a large tribe.

Otherwise, they were all small tribes. Then with a dozen or so second or third-rate martial artists, plus over a hundred military households holding excellent firearms, it would be enough to repel several hundred Mongol troops.

Su Fan's business was getting bigger and bigger, involving the desert, Nuergan Regional Military Commission, Jianzhou Guard, and even Korea. Su Fan's two hundred people in the hundred-household post were already not enough.

As for Fan Ming and the others, they couldn't be moved either.

Therefore, what Su Fan thought of was the Huashan Sect. Anyway, the Huashan Sect had hundreds of outer sect disciples, most of whom were second or third-rate. Giving him a few dozen wouldn't have any impact.

This was also the reason why he sent five thousand taels of silver last time. Only when you bring out benefits will the Huashan Sect let go and support you. ===== CHAPTER 24 =====