Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

Chapter 91 Zhangyan Tower

Hengshan City is not large, and the most famous place is Huiyan Tower in the south of the city.

The building has three floors and upturned eaves, and is named after the view of Huiyan Peak in Hengshan Mountain.

It was lunchtime, and the building was bustling with people, filled with martial arts practitioners who had come to attend Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony.

Zhao Yu stopped his horse in front of the building, looked up at the plaque, and then stepped inside.

"Please come in, sir." The waiter hurriedly came forward. "Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Zhao Yu handed the reins to the waiter: "Take good care of my horse, serve it the best hay, and bring me a first-class meal."

"Alright! Please come upstairs, sir." The waiter replied attentively.

Zhao Yu nodded, went straight up to the second floor, found a seat by the window, and looked down at the street below.

The waiter escorted Zhao Yu to his seat and then went to prepare the food and drinks.

Zhao Yu leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

He was already fully aware that Zuo Lengchan was going to take action against Liu Zhengfeng, and saving Liu Zhengfeng's family was just a piece of cake for him.

But his purpose was never some kind of江湖恩怨 (jianghu grievances), but rather the Ming Dynasty officialdom behind Liu Zhengfeng.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, the national treasury was empty, food supplies were scarce, and the provisions for hundreds of thousands of troops were still unresolved.

Ransomware confiscating Shi Miyuan's house won't last long.

Although martial arts sects may have some savings, it is merely a drop in the ocean compared to a nation's war machine.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Zhao Yu had no intention of trying any methods in the martial arts world. To solve the fundamental problem, he had to focus on the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Zhengfeng was the best stepping stone for him to understand the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

In the original story, Liu Zhengfeng spent money to buy a military officer position in order to retire from his criminal activities.

The position of military commander was not some lowly official; it was a military officer of the third rank. It was no easy feat for Liu Zhengfeng to obtain such a substantive post and have the imperial court send a eunuch to read the imperial edict.

This indicates that Liu Zhengfeng must have had access to the core power structure of the Ming Dynasty court.

Although the original work did not specify the exact time, Zhao Yu had already inquired along the way and found out that the current Ming Dynasty was in the Jiajing era.

That once wise emperor, who described "clouds in the blue sky and water in the bottle," is now obsessed with Taoist practices and favors Yan Song and his son.

Selling official positions was not uncommon during the Yan faction's rule.

Liu Zhengfeng's rank of brigade commander is most likely related to the Yan family.

Yan Song and his son are greedy and have enormous wealth. If they could obtain some money and grain, it might be able to help them in an emergency.

Moreover, the emperor who believed in Taoism could also be deceived.

However, although Jiajing was obsessed with Taoist cultivation, he was a rare intelligent person, only a little too intelligent.

Zhao Yu needed to carefully plan how to secure the money.

Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a shout.

"You villain! How dare you show your face here so brazenly?"

Zhao Yu paused, chopsticks in his hand, and looked in the direction of the sound.

A young Taoist priest dressed in a blue robe had just walked up to the second floor when he spotted him immediately.

The Taoist priest's face was ashen, and he pointed at Zhao Yu, his face filled with anger.

However, beneath that anger lay a barely concealed fear.

Zhao Yu leisurely put the beef on his chopsticks into his mouth, then picked up his teacup and took a sip before looking up at the Taoist priest: "Judging from your appearance, you're from the Qingcheng Sect? What's your name again? Have you chosen your new sect leader?"

These words were like adding fuel to the fire, and the Taoist priest turned green with anger.

This person was none other than Luo Renjie, a disciple of Yu Canghai.

He narrowly escaped death at Zhao Yu's hands that day, and has lived in fear and hatred ever since, constantly thinking about revenge.

Now, upon unexpectedly encountering Zhao Yu at Huiyan Tower, he felt his blood rush to his head and couldn't care less about anything else.

Luo Renjie knew that he was no match for Zhao Yu.

When Zhao Yu killed Yu Canghai, he didn't even need three moves, let alone killing him.

He forced himself to remain calm and said sternly, "Don't be so arrogant! This Hengshan City is full of senior masters from reputable sects. Do you think you, a villain who stole someone else's secret manual and framed them, would dare to act so recklessly? If you know what's good for you, hand over the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual at once, and you might still be spared."

Zhao Yu looked slightly taken aback, put down his teacup, and looked at him leisurely: "I said, have you taken the wrong medicine today? How dare you talk to me like that? That guy named Renxiong is your senior brother, right? He said something like that last time, and now the grass on his grave is almost three feet high. What, do you want to go down and join him?"

Luo Renjie was so frightened that he took a few steps back, but still said, "My senior brother's name is Hong Renxiong!"

"Oh? Really?" Zhao Yu nodded. "Okay, when you go down, remember to tell him that I've remembered his name this time."

As he spoke, he put down his teacup and made a move to get up.

"How dare you!" Luo Renjie was so frightened that he took a few steps back and quickly turned to the side, shouting, "Master Tiansong, help! This villain is about to commit another murder!"

At his shout, a middle-aged Taoist priest at the next table stood up.

The Taoist priest had a slender face, three long wisps of beard under his chin, and a long sword on his back. He was none other than Tian Song, the junior brother of Tianmen, the head of the Taishan Sect.

Daoist Tiansong frowned and looked at Zhao Yu: "Young man, don't be so hot-tempered. It's just a few words, why resort to violence? Fellow practitioners of the martial world should value harmony above all else."

Zhao Yu looked at Daoist Tiansong and sat down again: "You are Tiansong of the Mount Tai Sect?"

A man standing next to Tiansong stepped forward and rebuked him: "How dare you! My master is a senior of the Taishan Sect. How dare you, a junior, address him by his name? Quickly apologize to my master."

"Baicheng, step back." Daoist Tiansong waved his hand, stopping Chi Baicheng. "I am indeed Tiansong. May I ask the name of this young hero, and what grudge do you have with Young Hero Luo of the Qingcheng Sect? Please tell me, and I may mediate between you."

Luo Renjie quickly approached Daoist Tiansong and added fuel to the fire, saying, "Daoist Tiansong, don't be fooled by him. A month ago in Fuzhou City, this kid killed my master and several of my senior brothers for no reason, and also stole the family sword manual of Fuwei Escort Agency."

"I invited you here today on the orders of my elders, hoping that all sects can unite to kill this villain, uphold the righteous path of the martial arts world, and avenge my master."

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, as if he had suffered a great injustice, but he never mentioned what the Qingcheng Sect had traveled thousands of miles to Fuzhou to do.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding diners all stopped eating, looked over, pointed at Zhao Yu, and began to discuss the matter.

Zhao Yu sneered, offering no explanation, and picked up his chopsticks, taking a bite of the freshly served fish and savoring it slowly.

It was as if what Luo Renjie was saying had nothing to do with him.