Chapter 520: Jianghu Affairs, Settled by Jianghu

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere grew heavy.

Li Yan sipped his tea and said nothing.

In matters of negotiation, beyond strength and presence, what matters most are the rules and reason.

With reason, you can walk the world; without it, you cannot take a single step.

And this "reason" is both logic and justification.

If you hold a principle that everyone accepts, their revenge loses its justification—it becomes mere troublemaking—and you gain grounds to act.

Grounds to act are also important.

As the saying goes, "If the name is not right, the words will not flow." Even bandits who rob and plunder know to fly a banner reading "Acting in Heaven's Name."

Those who believe violence can solve everything never meet a good end.

Li Yan's words sounded calm, but his heart was as hard as iron.

Because his focus was on the duel.

If you're dissatisfied and want revenge, fine—have another match!

The boy would have no path but death.

The Red-Headed Master of Lushan Sect spoke harshly, but in truth, he shifted focus to the opponent's fault, tossed the problem back, and instead offered a lifeline.

The Red-Headed Master did this not without purpose.

He came to support Li Yan, demonstrate Lushan's strength, yet did not wish to offend the Sichuan underworld too deeply—hence these words.

Li Yan saw through it and paid no mind.

His conduct was still too blunt, not as refined as these seasoned veterans.

Whether he could handle it depended on the Divine Fist Society.

To uphold justice and mediate, you cannot speak empty words—you must be able to deliver a result satisfactory to both sides.

Zou Shaohai was clearly someone who could handle it.

"Cough! Cough!"

He cleared his throat, set down his teacup, "The causes and consequences of this matter are known to all—no need to revisit them."

This is the art of negotiation.

Ordinary people say: "You're right, but…"

But in underworld negotiation, you may curse, rebut, stall—even overturn the table—but you must never admit the other side is right.

To say the other side is right is to surrender completely.

Of course, being a bully is equally unacceptable.

Zou Shaohai glanced around, then spoke in a low, steady voice: "Death is grave, especially the death of a sect leader—it demands a formal resolution and a clear explanation."

"Wang Han's martial arts and spear techniques are unmatched in Sichuan; had he not been advanced in age, he would never have lost in a duel."

"Li Shaoxia, do you agree?"

He tossed the ball back to Li Yan again.

Li Yan paused, recalled the battle, then nodded honestly: "I've heard the Lotus Sect's Wang family has three supreme techniques: 'Dancing Flower Spear—Blinding Confusion,' 'Throat-Lock Spear—Demons Cannot Resist,' and 'Reverse Horse Spear—Immortals Cannot Guard.'"

"I barely avoided defeat by the first. Had the latter two been used, I might not have won."

He spoke the truth.

Their martial arts at the time were astonishing; had he not possessed the Great Luo Body to recover instantly, and his Thunder Art's ferocity, the outcome might have been uncertain.

In pure martial skill, he held no advantage.

He spoke plainly, honest with himself, unwilling to hide anything.

But to Zou Shaohai, it was a great show of face.

"Naturally."

Zou Shaohai exhaled, his expression growing even more solemn as he turned to the boy: "In my view, the Wang family's arts matter more than anything—they must not be lost. I'm certain Wang Han's spirit in heaven would not wish this to happen…"

As he spoke, a disciple rushed over, whispered something in his ear, and handed him a note.

Zou Shaohai glanced at it, and his face darkened instantly.

The disciple spoke softly, but everyone present heard clearly: the Wang Fu had sent men lying in wait in Suining County and had contacted the Lotus Sect.

Old fox…

Everyone present secretly smiled.

No solution seemed suitable.

Li Yan had already shown face by coming; his earlier words had offered a way out—he would not yield, and an apology was out of the question.

And given the boy's temperament, if Zou Shaohai tried to muddy the waters, he'd spread word of his weakness and partiality, leaving him hated by all.

The best solution was to introduce an outside force to break the deadlock.

The Wang Fu's movements had likely been under Zou Shaohai's watch all along—he'd waited for this exact moment to report.

Sure enough, Zou Shaohai's gaze turned cold. He passed the note forward and said gravely: "Revenge begets revenge—when will it end? The Wang Fu's men are in the city."

"Wang Xianzhi, was your father killed on a Wang Fu mission—or in a fair duel? That choice is yours!"

The boy Wang Kun took the note, his face flushed red. He gritted his teeth: "I beg you, Elder, to make your meaning clear."

"Simple."

Zou Shaohai spoke low: "Though the Divine Fist Society has deep ties to the court, its roots remain in the underworld."

"If you go to the Wang Fu, this becomes a court matter—complex, entangled, your life and honor entirely in others' hands. Your father chose this path."

"If you seek justice, do not drag the Sichuan underworld into it!"

At these words, everyone nodded.

"The Chairman speaks wisely."

"This is reasonable!"

This statement laid bare the core of the matter.

Jianghu affairs are settled by Jianghu.

Several factions had accepted Wang Fu employment—this was never purely a Jianghu matter, let alone one entangled with the court—it cannot be resolved by Jianghu rules.

Spread far and wide, no one could find fault.

The boy Wang Kun clenched his teeth: "If I choose Jianghu?"

"Then follow Jianghu rules!"

Zou Shaohai spoke gravely: "A life-or-death duel, each side accepts fate. But revenge begets revenge—preserving the Wang lineage matters more."

"I am willing to take you as a temporary disciple. In ten years, when you graduate, I will guide you in the essentials of martial arts until you inherit the Wang family's supreme techniques."

"But this grudge shall be erased from now on."

His words were veiled, yet all understood.

Zou Shaohai was willing to protect him for ten years.

Wang Kun listened, his eyes filled with hesitation.

A boy who lost his father, an eaglet whose wings have yet to harden—what he faced was far more than simple revenge.

Just weeks ago, at the funeral, his father's disciples and senior brothers had already begun eyeing the Lotus Sect's leadership.

If he lost the position, he might not live long.

That's why, knowing full well he was no match for Li Yan, he still came to seek revenge—he had already accepted death.

But now, Zou Shaohai offered another path.

The boy was tempted, yet too proud to accept.

At that moment, an old man beside him spoke slowly: "Wang Xianzhi, this matter began on the wrong path. What matters now is preserving the lineage and restoring the Wang family's honor."

The old man was the head of the Sichuan Po Pan Sect, renowned in the Divine Fist Society and a strong supporter of Zou Shaohai.

"Master!"

Wang Kun no longer hesitated. He bowed deeply to Zou Shaohai.

He was not alone—he had his mother and sister to protect. And in the Jianghu, dying in a duel preserves a clean reputation.

Someone immediately brought tea for the master-apprentice ceremony. Wang Kun respectfully offered the tea.

At that moment, the boy seemed to have aged years.

"Good!"

Zou Shaohai drank the tea in one gulp, lifted Wang Kun up, and said gravely: "Men of Sichuan never falter—but the key is choosing the right path. If you act with reason and justice, anyone who opposes you is my enemy!"

"Congratulations, Chairman."

"Congratulations, Wang Xianzhi."

The Divine Fist Society members all offered their congratulations.

Even Li Yan's party bowed in greeting.

To be honest, this matter was extremely difficult to handle.

Had Li Yan refused to engage, even slightly, it could have drawn all sides into a bloody brawl with countless deaths.

Zou Shaohai's task was to preserve everyone's face while quietly dissolving this killing crisis.

In one by one…

The Jianghu cannot avoid sword and fist, but all seek fame and profit—and above all, value harmony.

Even the strongest fist cannot command respect if chaos reigns.

Just as the Cheng family's Sword Immortal had long vanished, chaos in the Sichuan Jianghu had multiplied, and the Cheng family's prestige had steadily eroded.

Cui Cong of the Dian Yi Sect sighed inwardly at the sight.

The head of the Yi Sect is from the Cheng family; they came this time both to support Li Yan and to observe Zou Shaohai.

So far, this Zou Shaohai, who has lain low for years and suddenly emerged, is already strong enough to be a rival to the Cheng family.

If this happens a few more times, the Divine Fist Society's reputation will gradually rise, and with imperial backing, it can pose a real threat to the Cheng family.

Fighting is out of the question.

But if the Cheng family does nothing, their position will be slowly eroded.

With the first two cases settled, the rest will be easier to handle.

Either persuade them, or have Li Yan speak a word in their favor, then shift all blame onto the Shu Prince's Mansion—everyone saves face.

Only now did the crowd finally snap out of it.

The sudden emergence of the Shu Province Divine Fist Society likely isn't just due to Zou Shaohai's breakthrough—it probably also involves some promise from the Capital Divine Fist Society.

The Jianghu of Shu Province is now rife with chaos.

The Divine Fist Society, cooperating with the imperial court, can expand its influence perfectly.

They've aligned themselves with the Capital, so they fear nothing from the Shu Prince's Mansion.

"Hahaha…"

Once all grievances were settled, Zou Shaohai's mood lifted instantly. He raised his hand and ordered: "Tell the disciples outside to set up tables, bring out jiutouzi (wine), weizi (fish), jiangpianzi (meat), and bianzuizi (duck)—whatever we have, bring it all out!"

"Yes, Chief!"

At his command, the Divine Fist Society disciples rushed into the building, first inviting everyone to move for tea, then swiftly resetting the tables and chairs, shuttling back and forth to serve wine and dishes.

In less than half a stick of incense, the once tense negotiation site had become a banquet hall, lined with feasting tables.

Originally, they could have booked the entire Wangjiang Tower for a meal on the third floor, but as the saying goes, people climb upward while water flows downward—eating downstairs would be terribly unlucky, so this arrangement was made.

After everyone was seated, Zou Shaohai raised a cup, bowed to all, and said: "Fellow cultivators, within the four seas, all are brothers. Once you enter this path, you must understand both the weight and the etiquette of the Jianghu."

"Li Shaoxia has long been renowned for his righteousness in Shaanxi and Hubei provinces. Since our grievances are settled, he is our guest—please drink this cup!"

Li Yan immediately rose, raised a bowl of wine, gestured to all around him, and said solemnly: "I've traveled far. If I've acted improperly, I beg your forgiveness!"

With that, he drained the wine in one gulp.

"Good!"

"Good!"

Cheers erupted throughout the hall.

Even those with grudges fell silent, raised their cups in salute, and drank deeply.

To be honest, they still harbored anger. But they understood better now: these Jianghu rules were, in fact, protecting them.

Had their fists been strong enough, today's outcome would have been different.

But then again, if they truly possessed enough power, why would they need to drag in a crowd just to bolster their standing?

Jianghu people value loyalty—they won't hesitate to strike when necessary.

But more often, there are those who add flowers to brocade, and even more who kick down when the wall falls; those who bring charcoal in the snow are exceedingly rare.

Added to this, they were never in the right—only the Divine Fist Society stepped forward to settle the matter.

Though it still felt humiliating, at least there was a resolution.

Otherwise, in the future, others would use this incident to taunt them.

Those elders are dead, but the survivors must still live.

Whoever dares to bring up this matter again in the future,

will be going against the Divine Fist Society.

And this incident has now set a precedent.

Anyone who takes the Shu Prince's Mansion's bounty to trouble Li Yan will bear full responsibility for life or death—unrelated to the Shu Jianghu.

If they die, no one will avenge them.

Banquets are about atmosphere, and at this moment, Sha Li Fei shone.

He sought out people to drink with, built connections everywhere, shouted and challenged others to dice games, and quickly warmed relations with all sides.

Seeing this, Li Yan nodded inwardly.

According to Jianghu custom, having built a strong reputation in Shaanxi and Hubei, he would normally be welcomed wherever he went.

But before even entering Shu, he'd offended the Salt Guild and the Shu Prince's Mansion, and had faced countless troubles along the way.

Now, he was finally accepted by the Shu Jianghu.

In the future, the Shu Prince's Mansion would find it nearly impossible to ambush them again.

Like this time, they'd even learned in advance where the Shu Prince's men were hiding.

Even now, if he entered Chengdu, someone would help conceal him.

This is the way of the Jianghu.

Li Yan also rose to toast everyone. He had just sat down when Zou Shaohai approached with a cup, clinked glasses with him, then smiled and said: "Li Shaoxia, thank you today."

"Senior, you flatter me."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zou Shaohai lowered his voice: "I'd like to ask you something—was it you behind the Wuhou Temple incident? Did you happen to see a disciple of the Meishan Sect?"

"Don't misunderstand—he's been missing for a long time, alive no one's seen, dead no body found. The Meishan Sect asked me to look into it."

The Wuhou Temple incident was, of course, tied to Li Yan.

He had infiltrated there to help Long Yan find a spirit insect, and incidentally killed Pei Yufang.

Recalling that day, Li Yan nodded. "Was the Meishan disciple named Tang Ling?"

Zou Shaohai's eyes lit up. "Yes! Where is he?"

Li Yan shook his head slightly. "He came searching for his sister, learned she had been killed by a commandery prince of the Shu Prince's Mansion, and followed a black-path master called 'Wuxiang Young Master' away."

"I saw his path was wrong, but I couldn't dissuade him."

"That old fraud?!"

Zou Shaohai let out a cold snort. "No wonder we got no trace at all. Thank you for the information, Li Shaoxia."

Li Yan grew curious. "Does this 'Wuxiang Young Master' also have a grudge against the Prince's Mansion?"

Zou Shaohai nodded. "He does. But listen to me, Li Shaoxia—Wuxiang Young Master has committed countless atrocities. He excels at luring people with promises. For any reason, never become his ally…"

"Hey, look over there!"

As they spoke, someone suddenly cried out in alarm.

Everyone looked up—rising from the western mountain was a thick, rolling plume of smoke…

(End of Chapter)