Chapter 149: Betrothal Gift

Upon hearing this, Murong An stood expressionless before the door, gave no reply, merely holding his sword in his right hand, allowing the fresh blood from his left shoulder to flow, slowly dripping down along his wrist.

At this moment, whether the pain from his shoulder wound or the anguish of defeat, to Murong An it was no longer important.

When he glanced at his little sister Murong Miaozhen beside him, his eyes filled only with pity and guilt; after a moment of silence, he turned his head to Niu Dingtian and said slowly, "I know you worry about me; my little sister can stay in Xiangyang."

"You needn't say all these reasons; we both understand a man's thoughts. All I want is for you to give my little sister a proper status; I won't let her stay here ambiguously. Otherwise, you can kill me right now."

Having said that, Murong An stared intensely at Niu Dingtian, waiting for his decision.

Beside him, Murong Miaozhen, upon hearing this, couldn't help but stare; she never expected her elder brother to say such a thing to his face, and her formerly pallid complexion instantly flushed crimson.

"Elder brother..."

"Listen to the elder brother's arrangements!" Murong An drew a deep breath and interrupted without turning his head.

As a man himself, how could he not understand a man's thoughts? If his little sister were to remain long-term in Xiangyang, he could already foresee the outcome.

Setting aside other matters, Niu Dingtian's conditions indeed moved him, but now that men are strong and women weak, with the offensive and defensive positions reversed, he feared the other side would take advantage and then renege.

When that time came, he wouldn't even be able to fight back; it seemed he would truly have no recourse against him.

"Cough cough~"

Niu Dingtian gave a light cough, easing the embarrassment on his face; at that moment, Fentian not far away looked at him with a face of contempt.

But this guy really, what does "we both understand a man's thoughts" mean? How could he casually sully someone's reputation for no reason?

When Niu Dingtian takes a liking to a woman, he never hides his ulterior motives; just the other night he even seemed to have called out his brother-in-law.

At this very moment, Murong An's words hit the mark for him, and there was no need to put on a show of propriety; after thinking, Niu Dingtian shouted in a deep voice, "Niu Kui!"

"Sect Leader!"

Niu Kui flashed out from the darkness, after a few leaps he reappeared before Niu Dingtian's eyes.

Niu Dingtian fixed his gaze on Murong Miaozhen's flushed lovely face, and without turning his head ordered, "Quickly prepare the eight-ox crossbows, tie them with red silk, and let Elder Brother Murong take them away shortly!"

"Send the eight-ox crossbows?"

"Brother has also become elder brother?"

As everyone murmured in astonishment, Niu Dingtian slowly said, "Nowadays the world grows increasingly unsettled; the Three Documents."

It is not that he is unwilling to marry; rather, there are too many fish in the pond, and if each required three matchmakers and six betrothals, the Three Documents and Six Rites, wouldn't that throw everything into chaos?

Better to simply postpone it.

As for the eight-ox crossbows, ultimately they are meant to kill the barbarians; if Murong An can slay one more in the north, when the Jin State invades Xiangyang in two years, he will have it easier.

Moreover, the manufacturing technique of that device is not exactly a top secret; only the materials are extremely hard to find, so as long as the most powerful and advanced batch of eight-ox crossbows remains forever in his hands, that will suffice.

And at this moment—

After hearing Niu Dingtian utter such naked words before everyone's eyes, Murong Miaozhen panicked.

No matter how spirited the horse, it is ultimately still a mare.

For a moment, Murong Miaozhen could only blush and look anxiously at her elder brother Murong An.

At this point, Murong An finally covered his wound, his right hand still gripping his sword, he squeezed out a smile and said, "I never imagined that after all the fighting we would end up as one family; I will take charge of accepting the betrothal gift, and from now on I will trouble Brother Niu to look after my little sister."

For someone who hides his resentment inwardly yet appears arrogant outwardly, although Murong An tonight gained considerable benefit, it was still the kind he desired, yet he inevitably felt a sense of selling his sister for survival.

Moreover, Niu Dingtian agreed so readily, without hesitation laying out such a fortune, just as he said, this person must have long harbored ulterior motives.

Having heard Niu Dingtian's order, Niu Kui swiftly received the command and withdrew.

Shortly after, another physician came to bandage Murong An's wound.

In fact the wound was neither deep nor large; for a martial artist, pressing a few acupoints would suffice to stop the bleeding.

But now that the other party's status has somewhat changed, leaving him unattended would be hard to justify; for this, even without Niu Dingtian ordering Niu Kui, the latter ought to attend to it.

Half an hour later,

Only Niu Dingtian and Murong An remained in the hall.

After Niu Dingtian prepared two cups of clear tea, he sprinkled salt on Murong An's chest and said, "I know Elder Brother Murong feels displeased; perhaps one day, if the chance arises, he would not hesitate to kill me."

"But since I have made a promise, I will certainly treat Miss Miaozhen well and will never let her suffer the slightest injustice."

"But however you put it, we are now a family; some matters are important and must be fully communicated to Elder Brother Murong."

As he finished speaking, Niu Dingtian's tone grew gradually solemn; Murong An felt a faint surprise and said lightly, "What matter?"

Niu Dingtian's eyes shone brightly as he got straight to the point: "Since we all have our heads tucked in our waistbands plotting rebellion, we surely wish to live and laugh our way to the end. However, he who does not plan the whole cannot plan a single domain; he who does not plan myriad ages cannot plan a single moment; there are matters we must consider well in advance."

Upon hearing this, Murong An's face finally showed something unusual, not only because Niu Dingtian spoke so bluntly, laying out his own rebellion preparations openly.

Moreover, he was surprised by Niu Dingtian's gaze.

"He who does not plan the whole cannot plan a single domain; he who does not plan myriad ages cannot plan a single moment—this is not a strategy an ordinary person could possess."

He now understood why this youngster, at such an age, could amass such a great enterprise; it seemed even Xiangyang City had been covertly controlled by him.

It turned out not to rely solely on his own martial prowess; if he truly went to the end…

…he might become his greatest foe.

Reflecting on this, Murong An's eyes remained calm and waveless, and he said softly, "Brother Niu, if there's anything, just speak plainly; since we are family, there's no need to beat around the bush."

Niu Dingtian narrowed his eyes: "Elder Brother Murong need not be so wary of me; I differ from you—you are now of Han identity, moreover an anti-Jin hero, and also someone who aspires to be emperor."

"I merely do not wish to see the Divine Land sink in the future, letting the Jin and Mongol states dominate the Central Plains and trample the Han people. As long as the Southern Song court sees the bigger picture, I will not rebel against it."

"Otherwise, I would not merely be causing a ruckus in the martial world; since ancient times, no one who just loafs around the jianghu can accomplish anything."

Upon hearing this, Murong An couldn't help but start slightly; after a moment, he said softly, "Then you mean…"

Niu Dingtian's eyes drooped slightly as he gazed at the clear tea in his bowl: "Nowadays the Mongols have risen too swiftly; in the north they have forced the Jin State to retreat repeatedly these past years, and Elder Brother Murong's recent smooth progress in Shandong also came from seizing the opportunity when the Mongols besieged Zhongdu."

"I have received definite news that the Jin State court is currently discussing moving its capital to Kaifeng Prefecture. As the saying goes, one picks the soft persimmons; once the capital moves south, their losses in Mongolia will only be recouped from this side of the Song."

"And this is also your opportunity."

Seeing Murong An silent, Niu Dingtian's eyes flickered and he coaxed, "You now need only develop in a base manner, secretly accumulate strength, and be able to get by with the Jin people for a day—just get by for a day."

"Of course, it would be best to maintain an sincere attitude, letting the Jin people see your sincerity; when their main force advances south to Xiangyang, the rear will be utterly empty, and then it will be entirely up to you to trample them."

Now Murong An finally understood, thinking to himself how Niu Dingtian could be so generous as to hand over the Eight‑Bull Crossbow, even the damn wedding gift, as if waiting to later bail him out of a siege!

But when that time actually comes, it truly would be his own opportunity!

Thinking of this, like a sudden gust stirring a pond of spring water, Murong An's heart could no longer stay calm; he murmured, "When that time truly comes, I will of course not stand by idly."

"However, the grain and supply base will always be hard to match the Jin people; the Mongols and the Jin have a centuries‑old feud, making adjustment difficult. At that time we could contact the Mongol Tie Mu Zhen, hoping to wipe out the Jin State in one blow!"

Niu Dingtian replied firmly, "No! If the Mongols attack the Jin State, we will help the Jin if we can, and we must not let the Jin fall too quickly."

"Why?" Murong An asked, a little puzzled.

Niu Dingtian sneered, "Do you think an old tiger poses a greater threat, or a pack of young wolves? No matter how threatening the Jin State becomes, its teeth are old and can't bite even two taels of meat, but a Mongol's bite can be lethal!"

"Even distant alliances and nearby attacks depend on strength; without absolute power, dreaming of a strategy of linking and crossing will only backfire. The Mongols can now lay siege to the Jin capital year after year—does that make them a good partner?"

Later generations,

the Southern Song perished because of this.

A vast nation with millennia of cultural heritage, yet those in power couldn't even grasp the art of alliance and division.

What a damn useless bunch!

Murong An was stunned into silence; compared with this brother‑in‑law, he felt like a short‑sighted country bumpkin.

His father and grandfather had never taught him any of this; could it be that generations of wandering in the jianghu have become so soaked that they forgot to pass it on?

Thinking of this, Murong An resolved that after returning, he must find a capable strategist.

"So even if things succeed in the Jin State, we could still end up as the Mongols' morsels," Murong An sighed after a pause, frowning.

This cheap brother‑in‑law is getting more and more adept; hopefully he won't die as quickly as later generations did.

Niu Dingtian sipped a mouthful of clear tea and continued, "The Mongols' rise is now unstoppable; when Brother Murong meets them up north in the future, he cannot confront them head‑on."

"But the Mongols live by water and grass; you only need to constantly scour the steppe for water sources and dump potent poison—the more toxic, the better. If the poison isn't strong enough, I have plenty on my side."

Seeing Murong An stare at him with a bewildered expression, Niu Dingtian said calmly, "In a war between two nations there are no innocents; the Mongol herders are all warriors. For each additional horse or ox a Mongol woman raises, we will lose an extra person—or even several, perhaps a dozen—when battle erupts."

"Of course, a minor path remains just a minor path, hard to have decisive impact. Fortunately, the Mongols are only just gaining momentum; the second‑generation heirs are still immature, and their cohesion rests entirely on Tie Mu Zhen alone."

"One more thing: when the time is ripe, I will gather the great masters of the jianghu, and then you all will go with me to the Mongols."

At that point, a cold glint flashed in Niu Dingtian's eyes: "Assassinate Tie Mu Zhen!" (End of chapter)