Qian Chao was very confused. He had just learned that the person who wanted to kill him was a junior member of the Jing family named Jing Lu. He did not know this person and had never seen him. However, it was Jing Lu who came to tell him all this at night. The future Taoist monk could also say that Chao Zhu in front of him was Jing Lu's fiancée, which seemed very strange.
After Chao Zhu said this, he kept looking at Qian Chao calmly and observing Qian Chao's reaction.
From Qian Chao's point of view, it was really difficult for him to distinguish the authenticity of Chao Zhu's words, but what she said also aroused great curiosity in Qian Chao. She would definitely explain it in detail later. Even at this time, What this woman said was a lie. Now Qian Chao wanted to hear what she would say next. He suddenly realized that from the moment the woman entered his room until now, the two of them were still standing opposite each other talking. Qian Chao was stunned. He waved his hand and said:
"Miss Chao, please sit down and listen attentively."
The two sat down across the table. Qian Chao also fiddled with the clay stove used for making tea, and then heard Chao Zhu say:
"Does Mr. Qian not quite believe what I say?"
Qian Chao answered very frankly. He said:
"Haha, to be fair to Miss Chao, it's really hard for me to tell the truth from the fake, but I think Miss Chao still has something to say. In that case, please tell me in detail."
"That's fine," Chao Zhu seemed to be very satisfied with what Qian Chao said. She continued, "My name is Chao Zhu. I am from the Chao family in Ningzhou. I am the second daughter of the current head of the Chao family, Chao Jing. By the way, we Chao Have you ever heard of Master Qian?"
"I apologize for my ignorance, but I have never heard of the Ningzhou Chao family." Qian Chao said apologetically.
"It's normal, Mr. Qian, the Chao family is also a family that has emerged recently. Compared with the big families that have been around for a long time, the Chao family is far inferior in strength and scale. In the world of cultivation, the rise of a family is not that big. It’s easy, Mr. Qian, does he know how our Chao family prospered and developed?"
Chao Zhu said that the Chao family is a family that has emerged recently, but Qian Chao understands that the so-called recent actually means the past hundred years, and maybe it will take longer. For the numerous aristocratic families in the world of cultivation, it can be achieved within a hundred years. Rising up is not easy.
"This...I don't even know."
Chao Zhu smiled, then slowed down and said:
"The Jing Jie you got rid of, his mother's surname is Chao. She is a cousin of my father in the Chao family. She is my cousin in terms of seniority. She was favored by the Wuling Jing family in her early years. , later married into the Jing family, and the Chao family and the Jing family changed from having nothing to do with each other to becoming in-laws, with a marriage alliance. From then on, the Chao family gradually became more mature in Ning with the help of the Jing family. The state developed.”
After hearing this, Qian Chao remembered that he had heard Tang Ping mention it before. Jing Jie's mother was indeed named Chao, but he didn't care at the time. Looking at it this way, it seemed that Chao Zhu at least did not lie about his identity. But then a question popped up in his mind...
Since Jing Jie's mother is Chao Zhu's cousin, then if Jing Lu wants to kill him, he must have violated the oath made by the elders of the Jing family in the meeting hall. Then why didn't Chao Zhu tell Jing Lu about it? What if her cousin came to tell her at night?
The subtle changes on Qian Chao's face were caught by the keen eyes of Chao Zhu across from him. She smiled and said:
"I probably know what Mr. Qian is thinking. Is Mr. Qian curious about why I didn't tell my cousin about this matter and let the elders of the Jing family solve it? Instead, I found it quietly alone in the middle of the night. Mr. Qian is here to talk about this, right?"
Qian Chao said calmly:
"exactly."
"Mr. Qian, there is certainly a reason for this, and it's quite complicated."
"It doesn't matter. It's a quiet night right now, and I want to listen carefully."
As he spoke, Qian Chao took the boiling teapot from the clay stove and filled the tea cup in front of Chao Zhu.
…
The spiritual tea cooked by Qian Chao was naturally brought from Yimingxuan in Ruixuan Town. When the teapot boiled slightly, the aroma of tea filled the room. Chao Zhu picked up the tea cup and took a sip, then his eyes lit up and he praised it, and then held it Holding a teacup and asking Qian Chao:
"Master Qian, does he know how the Jing family views you and your four companions now?"
"I shouldn't have any good thoughts towards you. Jing Jie is a member of the Jing family anyway, and his misfortune was in the hands of the five of us. I think there are many people in the Jing family who hate us, especially Miss Chao. Cousin, her son was expelled from the sect because we were abolished, so he probably hates us the most, right?"
"Well, that's true," Chao Zhu said, "My cousin almost hates you five, and naturally has murderous intentions towards you. However, after Jing Jie's incident, my cousin and his wife immediately He was severely reprimanded by the elders of the Jing family, um, including the founder of the Yuan Ying family who came down from Yuhu Mountain. They blamed them for not being able to teach their sons and allowing Jing Jie to act recklessly in the sect without correcting him. Discipline made him more and more courageous, which eventually led to a catastrophe. Indeed, as Mr. Qian thought, the elders of the Jing family strictly ordered my cousin and his wife not to cause trouble for the five of you in the future. Speaking of that matter, let’s see It seems to have ended with the disposal of Jing Jie, but this is far from the case in the world. As a result, the Jing family has suffered a big blow and weakened. Although I have not been in Wuling Sect for a long time, I have no understanding of the sects and sects in Wuling Sect. I still have some understanding of the affairs of the five clans, Jing, Huan, Feng, and Zhang. On the surface, the five clans of the Wuling Sect are in harmony, but secretly they are also scheming with each other, fighting for power with each other, smiling in front of others, and making trouble in secret. , Jing Jie's incident will naturally make the other four clans applaud and take advantage of it. In addition, the Wuling Sect's council has always been uneasy about these five clans and is on guard at all times. Therefore, after Jing Jie's incident happened, the Jing clan's The blow is not small. Alas, Jing Jie should not have colluded with the Tian family of Qizhou to kill you. The Tian family is a serious concern of the Wuling Sect, and he should not have passed through Jin Zhang of the Lion Forest and the Muyang Sect. Gui's collusion wants to harm you. Mu Yang Sect has always been hostile to the Wuling Sect. He must know this. The Tian family also has the Mu Yang Sect. Both of these things have violated the Wuling Sect's taboos. Mr. Qian, Zong, Jing, No matter how powerful the five clans Huan, Feng, and Zhang are, they are just vines clinging to the big tree of Wuling Sect. Losing the trust of Wuling Sect must be a very bad thing for them, but Jing Jie He did everything that could offend the Five Spirits Sect, so soon after Jing Jie was dealt with, Jing's people in several key positions in the sect were quietly replaced, which was equivalent to weakening Jing's influence in the Five Spirits Sect. Master Qian must be able to think of this about the authority within Lingzong, right?"
Qian Chao nodded. He could think of these things, but he had not thought about them after Jing Jie's incident. With the oath sworn by the chief elder of the Jing family in the meeting hall, Qian Chao and the other five people believed that they were safe and ignored Jing Jie. As a member of the Jing family, the five of them just felt that they would probably never have to deal with the Jing family from now on.
However, Chao Zhu's words made Qian Chao look at the woman in front of him with admiration. This woman was not simple. She spoke clearly and clearly. The most important thing was that many things that should not have been spread out were revealed by Chao Zhu. Zhu said it out. For example, Jing Jie colluded with Gui Su of Mu Yangzong through Jin Zhang. This matter had not been told to the outside world. So how did she know?
Then he listened to Chao Zhu continue:
"Most of the elders in the Jing family believe that Jing Jie should be severely punished for the trouble he caused. But there is one thing, Mr. Qian. They think that even if Jing Jie made a mistake, even if he should be punished, it should be Jing Jie who should be punished. It is up to the sect to punish him instead of the sect. It seems that for a long time, those incompetent disciples among the Zong, Jing, Huan, Feng, and Zhang sects who misbehaved in the sect and caused great troubles have not been punished. The sect has severely punished the Five Clan, but it was all left to the Five Clan to deal with. Jing Jie’s incident can be regarded as setting a precedent. Of course, this can also be seen as the Wuling Sect’s attempt to frighten the Five Clan. Haha, it is just taking advantage of it. Mr. Qian, there are only five of you. Well, of course this has a lot to do with what Jing Jie did, but in the eyes of the Jing family, the biggest reason why Jing Jie ended up like this is because of the five of you. , if it weren’t for the arrangement of the five of you, even if Jing Jie was at fault, it would have been handled by the Jing family, so in their view, Mr. Qian and you five have broken the rules."
Qian Chao smiled after hearing this and said:
"I beg to differ with this."
Chao Zhu also smiled and said:
"But the people of the Jing clan take it for granted. Among the Jing clan now, there are many people who hate the five of you. But the older ones, including those who have already established the foundation, think that since they have made an oath, they cannot move again after that. You, otherwise the Jing family will definitely suffer the backlash of the oath. These people are relatively rational, but those who are similar to Jing Jie and are considered brothers are very hostile to you. These people are the root of trouble, but they are just beaten by their elders. We suppressed him so we didn't dare to do anything."
Qian Chao suddenly felt something in his heart and asked:
"Miss Chao, you also said before that the Chao family was able to rise because of the help of the Jing family. So the Chao family must not have a good opinion of the five of us because of Jing Jie's fate, right?"
After hearing this, the smile on Chao Zhu's face disappeared. She looked at Qian Chao and said very seriously:
"Mr. Qian, contrary to what you said, almost everyone in the Chao family was very happy after knowing Jing Jie's fate, especially the Chao family of my generation. They all believed that Jing Jie deserved his fate, and even Some people are upset that they can't get rid of Jing Jie with their own hands. If they have any opinion about you, it is that you five made them lose the opportunity to deal with Jing Jie with your own hands."
Qian Chao was stunned when he heard this and asked in surprise:
"This...why is this?"
…
The excitement continued in the small valley under the moonlight.
Zhu Jiu mustered up his energy tonight and told everyone all the anecdotes he knew about the Jing, Huan, Feng and Zhang families one by one. Most of them were dirty things or... Romantic affairs or ridiculous things are things that cannot be said openly in front of others. Fortunately, Zhu Jiu has not paid much attention to practice these years but has spent a lot of effort in asking about these things. Now it just suits the appetite of these people. Each of them was either speechless or laughing.
But no matter how Zhu Jiu moved his lips, what he said never involved the women and secrets of the Wuling Sect. It was not that he did not know, but that he did not dare to say it because the handsome man sitting on the main seat among the crowd The man surnamed Shang had just entered into a marriage contract with a woman from the Zong family not long ago under the auspices of the elders of both parties. Therefore, Zhu Jiu did not dare to say anything about the Zong family. If it was passed down through this person's mouth If it reaches Zong's ears, Zhu Jiu may disappear without knowing it one day.
But Zhu Jiu also thought too much. Even if he deliberately didn't mention the Zong family, what he said had aroused the murderous intention of others. Of course, it was not the people sitting around the fire who were listening with interest. As I said, two people took advantage of the shadow of the mountain wall under the moonlight to sneak in. What Zhu Jiu said was heard by these two people. The identities of these two people are not ordinary. What Zhu Jiu said They cannot be seen in the light and cannot be said in front of others, and the things that are strictly kept secret by the fourth family but leaked out are the family affairs of these two people. Therefore, although they remain calm, they feel towards Zhu Jiu and these surrounding people in their hearts. The children of the aristocratic families sitting in front of the fire were all murderous!
