novelaction Chapter 130 Signing and Binding the Alliance, Using a Tactic Against Youxue Valley
Chapter 130 Signing and Binding the Alliance, Using a Tactic Against Youxue Valley
In the most bustling area of the city in the dead of winter, stands a magnificent brothel called "Pear Blossom Courtyard".
Pear Blossom Courtyard, with its white walls and black tiles, upturned eaves, deep courtyard, and verdant bamboo groves.
Stepping inside, one sees small bridges and flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded spots, exuding a gentle charm. The interior decoration is magnificent yet elegant, with red candles burning brightly and beaded curtains half-rolled up, revealing a hazy poetic atmosphere.
This place brings together talented women from all over the country. They are either well-bred ladies who are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, or extraordinary folk women who can sing and dance and are witty and clever.
Pear Blossom Courtyard was not only a place of pleasure and romance, but also a gathering place for literati, scholars, and business tycoons. Here, they would enjoy tea and discuss poetry, negotiate business, share information, and exchange ideas.
Inside the private room 'A River of Spring Water'.
Zhou Qingfeng, Lao Quezi, and Jin Wei were already sitting in the private room, quietly enjoying their tea and waiting.
The private rooms here are not cheap; the minimum charge is 20,000 yuan.
The 20,000 coins included a table of tea and snacks, and you could also hire a famous geisha to play music or perform.
If you want to have a deeper interaction with a geisha, you'll definitely have to pay an extra 'overnight fee,' but that depends on her appearance, her talent, and ultimately whether the geisha likes you or is willing to have sex with you. The conditions are quite demanding.
This place can be described as a den of iniquity for the wealthy and powerful.
Spending tens of thousands of dollars in one night is quite common, and high-rollers spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in one night are also frequently seen.
Zhou Qingfeng chose this place because it was a mixed bag of people with many visitors, and his group could blend in without attracting anyone's attention.
Jin Wei waited for a moment, then became slightly impatient: "Young Master, should we urge them?"
Zhou Qingfeng smiled faintly: "No rush, it's not noon yet, just wait patiently."
Upon hearing this, Jin Wei patiently waited.
The old cripple, however, had quite the leisure and refined taste. He held a cup of tea, savored it, and praised, "Good tea, indeed, it tastes extraordinary. One sip makes one feel sad and heartbroken, and one feels like she's about to cry."
Jin Wei frowned, picked up the tea, took a sip, and put it down with disdain: "Mr. Liao, you really haven't tasted good tea. This is just ordinary tea, bland and tasteless. It's not even as good as the goat milk tea sold by street vendors."
The old cripple joked, "Jin Wei, take another look, savor it carefully."
Upon hearing this, Jin Wei took another sip of the tea and suddenly realized that he had only spent 20,000 coins to buy such a pot of tea. 20,000 coins was half a year's worth of daily expenses for an ordinary person, and all he got was this pot of shoddy tea.
This immediately made Jin Wei gasp with heartache, and he truly tasted a different kind of feeling.
After realizing what was happening, Jin Wei smiled bitterly, put down his teacup, and said, "Mr. Liao is absolutely right. This tea may seem ordinary, but upon closer tasting, it truly leaves one feeling melancholic and heartbroken."
The old cripple stroked his beard and smiled, leisurely sipping his tea.
At this moment, the pimp from Pear Blossom Courtyard led the head of the Wei family and Wei Heyi, the young master of the Wei family, into the 'Spring Water of the River' private room. After the two guests entered the room, the pimp tactfully withdrew from the room and closed the door behind him.
Zhou Qingfeng smiled and stood up, clasping his hands in greeting: "Sword Tower Zhou Silang greets Young Master Wei. This must be the head of the Wei family. Please forgive me for not being able to greet you properly."
The head of the Wei family nodded with a calm smile: "You are too kind, Fourth Brother. I am late. I hope I did not keep you waiting long."
Zhou Qingfeng said with a smile, "You're not late, I'm early. Please have a seat, Patriarch Wei."
The head of the Wei family calmly took his seat and said with a smile, "This place is a mixed bag, but it is a good place for a secret meeting. Fourth Brother has really thought this way in choosing this place to hold an alliance and sign a treaty. However, I have a question."
“The Jiang family is not so easily fooled. The fact that we secretly met and signed the alliance agreement could not have been kept from the Jiang family’s spies. I observed outside the Pear Blossom Courtyard all morning and did not see any of the Jiang family’s spies.”
"This is quite strange to me. I wonder what tricks Si Lang used to be able to deceive everyone."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng smiled mysteriously: "Patriarch Wei only needs to know that our alliance is safe now. I have diverted the Jiang family's spies elsewhere, so it will not affect our alliance."
The head of the Wei family narrowed his eyes and didn't ask any more questions.
After receiving the meeting location and time from Zhou Qingfeng, he sent more than a dozen groups of people to infiltrate Pear Blossom Courtyard to check for any ambushes, and even personally staked out outside Pear Blossom Courtyard for most of the day.
After seeing Zhou Qingfeng and his group enter, the Wei family head waited cautiously for a while to make sure that Zhou Qingfeng had no followers before leading Wei Heyi into the Pear Blossom Courtyard to meet Zhou Qingfeng.
It is certain that this four-party alliance meeting is indeed safe.
The two then waited quietly for the leaders of the other two factions to meet.
With the Wei family head present, Wei Heyi had no right to sit and could only stand beside him. Jin Wei was in the same situation; with outsiders present, it was not appropriate for him to sit at the same table, so he stood behind Zhou Qingfeng.
The old cripple walked to the window with his cane and stood by the window. He seemed like an ordinary, harmless hunchbacked old cripple, posing no threat whatsoever.
After a while, the Gu family head and the person in charge of the Dream Fulfillment Base entered the Pear Blossom Courtyard one after another.
The four parties gathered, and everyone was present.
Looking at the Gu family head who had come alone and the person in charge of the Yuanmeng stronghold, An, Zhou Qingfeng knew that the two of them could not have come alone. The area around Pear Blossom Courtyard must have been full of their entourage.
However, these are all irrelevant matters, and the Wei family is no different.
Zhou Qingfeng patted his storage bag, took out the drafted alliance agreement, and handed it to the leaders of the three forces one by one: "Let's get straight to the point. If you have any questions or requests regarding the alliance agreement, please feel free to raise them now."
The head of the Wei family spoke first: "I have no problem and no demands."
Manager An and the Gu family head immediately chimed in, "We are too."
The leaders of the three factions are all shrewd and capable individuals.
They knew that the current cooperation was not up to them, but rather up to Zhou Qingfeng.
Once an alliance is signed with Zhou Qingfeng, it means the Jiang family has been thoroughly offended.
From then on, he and Zhou Qingfeng were bound together by a common destiny, sharing both glory and ruin.
The risks and costs undertaken by the three parties involved in this collaboration are enormous.
Moreover, it is truly rare for them to obtain this cooperation opportunity, and no one would want to cause trouble at this time.
Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng said, "Since there are no problems or demands, let's sign and seal the agreement to form an alliance."
Jin Wei then took out the prepared inkpad and brush.
Zhou Qingfeng took a pen and signed the covenant, then pressed his fingerprint on it. Subsequently, the Wei family head, the Gu family head, and the head of the An family all readily signed and sealed a copy of the covenant for record-keeping.
The reason the three leaders agreed so readily was because Zhou Qingfeng had allocated enough benefits, and their escape routes were basically prepared. Even if they offended Jiang Xun, they could find another way out.
For example, as long as Manager An of the Dream Realization Outpost handles this case, he will be directly promoted to the Dream Realization Headquarters. As for what will happen to the manager who takes over in Winter City, he won't care. It's none of his business.
The Wei family had no intention of staying on the Jiang family's territory any longer. After they finished the Xiyi Treasure operation, with their accumulated talent from the past six hundred years and a large sum of money, they would have enough to move to unclaimed land and start a city.
The Gu family's situation is the most special, because Zhou Qingfeng promised that the entire Gu family would be allowed to relocate to Sword Tower afterward, and that they would be given certain benefits so that the Gu family could have a place in Sword Tower City.
You have to understand that a family can't just move into whichever city they want. The interests within a city are already divided among different groups. If a strange family barges in, they'll most likely get beaten bloody and many people will die.
The Gu family was not content with being one of the four major families in Winter City; they wanted to develop on a higher platform. After all, the Gu family's business philosophy was to be the tail of a phoenix rather than the head of a chicken.
Given the opportunity, Gu Jia will try to seek development in larger cities and on more powerful platforms.
The Gu family, a top-tier power in Sword Tower City, has always dreamed of venturing into Sword Tower.
However, with the Gu family's power, they couldn't possibly gain a foothold in the Sword Tower.
Because the Sword Tower has a history of ten thousand years, the city is teeming with families and sects, a veritable den of hidden talents.
The Gu family wants to establish themselves and gain a foothold in a major city like Sword Tower, where there are many experts.
Without powerful backers at the top, one has no foothold at all.
However, with Zhou Qingfeng, one of the four young masters of Sword Tower, as his protector, the Gu family can gain enough room for development in Sword Tower. In addition, with a large sum of money they received, they will only prosper more in Sword Tower City than in Winter City.
The four-party alliance meeting concluded successfully under Zhou Qingfeng's planning, without any major incidents or surprises, and everyone left their seats and dispersed.
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.
Outside the city of Cold Winter, in the Snow Valley, the area is filled with hidden wolf guards and secret spies.
Inside the military tent, Jiang Li was brewing tea and reading. She had been waiting since dawn until now, until she felt hungry. Only then did she close the book and ask, "What time is it now?"
Upon hearing this, the wolf guard commander on duty outside the tent quickly came in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Reporting to the young master, it is now noon."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li asked again, "Is there any trace of Zhou Qingfeng, or any trace of other forces?"
The Wolf Guard Commander said, "Young Master, the Qiu and Du families have been waiting in Youxue Valley for half an hour, but they have not seen Zhou Qingfeng arrive, nor have they seen any other forces."
Jiang Li frowned repeatedly, holding the book with her hands behind her back, and calmly walked out of the military tent. She glanced at the vast snow-capped mountains and then looked up at the dazzling sun.
It was noon, and the sunlight made her see double. She couldn't help but raise her hand to shield her face, her eyes revealing a hint of doubt: "What's going on? It's already noon, why is there no sound at all?"
After a moment's thought, Jiang Li ordered, "Go, bring Qiu Qilang and Du Jiulang to see me."
A moment later, Qiu Qilang and Du Jiulang hurried over and bowed, "Young Master Jiang, what are your orders?"
Jiang Li stood atop Youxue Valley and turned to look at the two: "The appointed time for the meeting has arrived, but Zhou Qingfeng hasn't come, nor have the other forces. Has something happened?"
Qiu Qilang and Du Jiulang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion. They didn't know why Zhou Qingfeng hadn't come, which left them completely baffled, and they had no idea how to answer Jiang Li's question.
Qiu Qilang guessed, "Young Master Jiang, perhaps you were delayed by demons on the way?"
Du Jiulang suggested, "Young Master Jiang, why don't we wait a little longer? Perhaps Zhou Qingfeng is on his way. After all, Zhou Qingfeng only said that we would meet at noon, but he didn't specify whether it was early or late noon."
Jiang Li remained silent and could only wait quietly.
Half an hour passed, and the person still hadn't arrived.
An hour passed, and the person still hadn't arrived.
As it approached the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Jiang Li's patience finally ran out.
She had been standing in the snow for a full hour waiting for Zhou Qingfeng.
At that moment, she realized something was wrong.
Jiang Li clenched her fists and looked sharply at Qiu and Du: "Where are they? I'm asking you, where are they?"
Qiu Qilang and Du Jiulang were so frightened that they trembled all over and stammered, unable to utter a single word.
Jiang Li's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and her hand had already reached for the short hammer at her waist, indicating that she was about to use that short hammer to smash someone's head.
Upon seeing this, Du Jiulang hurriedly said, "Young Master Jiang, don't worry, I, I'll contact Zhou Qingfeng right away."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li drew her short hammer, stared coldly at Du Jiulang, and waited for him to continue.
Du Jiulang swallowed hard, took out his communication bracelet, infused it with magic power, and contacted Zhou Qingfeng.
It took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to establish communication with Zhou Qingfeng.
Du Jiulang forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Young Master Zhou, are you playing me? I've been waiting for you in Youxue Valley for a whole hour, and there's not a soul in sight, not even a hair."
Qiu Qilang said angrily from the side, "And me too! I've been waiting for you for a whole hour. Do you still want to cooperate? Do you have any integrity at all?"
Zhou Qingfeng's light laughter came through the communication bracelet: "Sorry, the plan has been changed at the last minute. I forgot to inform you that we will not be signing the alliance agreement with you today. Our cooperation is hereby terminated."
Upon hearing this, Du Jiulang and Qiu Qilang were immediately enraged.
Qiu Qilang's face twisted in a ferocious grin as he said, "Zhou Qingfeng, you're the one who wants to cooperate, and you're the one who doesn't. You're treating my Qiu family like monkeys. Don't think that just because you're the young master of the Sword Tower, I won't dare to touch you. Do you believe I'll wipe you out?!"
Du Jiulang chimed in, "That's right, we'll wipe you out!"
"Hehe." Zhou Qingfeng didn't say another word and directly disconnected the communication.
Du Jiulang and Qiu Qilang exchanged a glance and panicked instantly.
The two tried to contact Zhou Qingfeng again, but the communication bracelet could no longer reach him.
Du Jiulang was also a clever man, and said with trepidation, "Young Master Jiang, it seems that Zhou Qingfeng has discovered our true identities. He is deliberately playing us for a fool."
Jiang Li saw all of this.
She was not a fool. From Zhou Qingfeng's failure to keep the appointment as scheduled, and now his sudden change of heart and abandonment of cooperation with the Qiu and Du families, she had already guessed that she had been tricked. It was likely that Zhou Qingfeng had already signed an alliance with other forces.
Hearing Du Jiulang's words, she was furious and laughed. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Du Jiulang by the collar: "You're so clever! You're so smart, how could you have given yourself away and let Zhou Qingfeng discover your true identity? Didn't you tell me that everything went smoothly and that you had already won Zhou Qingfeng's trust?"
Du Jiulang hurriedly explained, "Young Master Jiang, please calm down. Zhou Qingfeng is cunning. He discovered Qiu Qilang's and my true identities and is deliberately using this opportunity to toy with us. We still have a chance..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li flew into a rage and swung her short hammer, striking Du Jiulang's head repeatedly.
With one blow, blood splattered three feet away.
Jiang Li hammered away, her voice a mix of sweet insults and harsh words: "Opportunity? I just praised you for being smart, why didn't you use your pig brain to think? Where is the opportunity? You've ruined the Jiang family's plans, you deserve to die!"
Du Jiulang's head was crushed, his eyes burst open, and brain matter splattered everywhere along his fractured skull. However, his powerful vitality, ranking among the Devouring Fiend Realm, kept him alive, and he was still begging for mercy: "Young Master Jiang, spare me..."
"Spare your mother's head!" Jiang Li straddled Du Jiulang, raised her short hammer high, and smashed it down on his mouth, instantly shattering Du Jiulang's head into pieces. The headless Du Jiulang still stubbornly clasped his hands and begged for mercy.
Jiang Li's eyes were bloodshot as she stood up, panting, and looked at Qiu Qilang.
Qiu Qilang was so frightened that he fell to the ground, crawling backward on the snow, trembling as he said, "Young Master Jiang, Young Master Jiang, spare my life..."
Jiang Li gritted her teeth, venting her anger before her reason quickly returned. She knew that even if she killed Qiu and Du, it would be futile, so she said coldly, "Why don't you take him with you and get out of here? Do you really want me to beat you to death?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Qilang quickly picked up the headless Du Jiulang and leaped down into the valley. He had to restore Du Jiulang's head as soon as possible, otherwise Du Jiulang might really die if the time dragged on.
Standing atop the Snow Valley, Jiang Li gazed at the magnificent Winter City in the distance. Her face flushed and paled in turns, filled with shame and humiliation. She closed her eyes reluctantly, knowing that the outcome was now decided. From this moment on, the Jiang family could no longer do anything to Zhou Qingfeng.
"You, Zhou Qingfeng, you, the Fourth Young Master of the Sword Tower, actually used my scheme to turn the tables on me! You are truly cunning and terrifying. I, Jiang Li, have learned my lesson!"