in2ebook Chapter 283 Life and Death
Chapter 283 Life and Death
In the meeting room, the air seemed to freeze, and one could hear a pin drop. Nan Li fell into the chair in disbelief, and Xuan Feng's words just now kept echoing in his mind.
"He...he is actually the illegitimate son of the prime minister?!" Gao Xingchen's voice trembled slightly, and his tone was full of shock and disbelief.
Xuan Feng nodded solemnly and handed the information he had collected to Gao Xingchen. "The leader has been secretly helping us over the years, providing all kinds of information and resources, but his purpose does not seem to be simple. What he really wants to deal with is his family. He wants to use the power of Xingchen Pavilion to overthrow his brother and become the heir of the family, or even..."
Gao Xingchen took the intelligence and quickly glanced through it, his expression becoming more and more solemn. The intelligence detailed the mysterious ally's actions over the years, as well as his secret dealings with certain officials in the court.
"This news is too important!" Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "If we can make good use of this information, we may be able to reverse the current situation."
"But..." Nan Li frowned, his eyes full of worry, "He is the prime minister's son after all, can we trust him? What if he is just using us, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Gao Xingchen naturally understood Nan Li's worries. He pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Xuan Feng, who had remained silent, and asked, "Xuan Feng, what do you think about this?"
Xuan Feng hesitated for a moment, raised his head, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. "I think that although the leader has a special status, he has indeed helped us a lot over the years, and the conflict between him and the family does not seem to be groundless. We might as well wait and see what he wants to do before making any plans."
"You mean..." Gao Xingchen narrowed his eyes slightly, "We should keep our hands off for now and continue to cooperate with him?"
Xuan Feng nodded. "The Xingchen Pavilion is currently at the center of controversy. If we completely break with the leader, we will probably be isolated and helpless. It would be better to take advantage of his inside information and formulate a more effective counterattack strategy."
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other and saw a hint of approval in each other's eyes.
At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps was heard outside the meeting room, and the voice of Hall Master Zhao rang out: "Master, I have something important to report!"
"Come in!" Gao Xingchen said in a deep voice.
Master Zhao pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Gao Xingchen and Nan Li, he knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "Master, I just received news that the imperial court has sent troops to surround Xingchen Pavilion. What should we do?"
After hearing this news, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's faces became even more solemn. They knew that a bigger storm was coming...
The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly dropped to freezing point, and Hall Master Zhao's words exploded in everyone's ears like thunder. Gao Xingchen stood up suddenly, frowning. He walked quickly to Hall Master Zhao and asked in a deep voice, "Is the news reliable? Why did the court suddenly take action against us?"
Hall Master Zhao's forehead was covered with beads of sweat. He answered hastily, "The news is absolutely true. My spies in the city saw with their own eyes a large number of soldiers heading towards the Xingchen Pavilion. As for the reason..." He paused, looking embarrassed, "It seems to be related to the assassination of several officials in the city a few days ago. According to rumors, the murderer has a close relationship with our Xingchen Pavilion."
"Ridiculous!" Nan Li slammed the table and stood up, saying angrily, "We in Xingchen Pavilion act uprightly, how could we do such a thing? It's obvious that someone is deliberately framing us!"
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He knew that now was not the time to act rashly. He looked around, his eyes swept over the faces of Nanli, Xuanfeng and Hall Master Zhao in turn, and said in a deep voice: "It seems that our guess is correct. Someone wants to take this opportunity to eliminate us, and this person is very likely..."
He didn't say the rest of the words, but everyone present knew it. Apart from the mysterious ally, who else has the ability to control all this in secret?
"Master, the most urgent thing is to find a way to deal with the crisis at hand." Master Zhao said anxiously, "I suggest that we immediately issue a statement to draw a clear line between ourselves and that gentleman, so as to avoid bringing disaster upon ourselves."
"No!" Gao Xingchen decisively rejected Hall Master Zhao's proposal. "Severing ties with him now will only put us in a more passive situation. We must figure out his true purpose before we can find a way to break it."
He turned to look at Xuan Feng and ordered, "Xuan Feng, immediately find out the identities and backgrounds of the assassinated officials, as well as their relationship with that gentleman. Remember, you must act in secret and not alert the enemy."
"Yes, Pavilion Master!" Xuanfeng took the order and left.
Gao Xingchen turned his gaze towards Nanli, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, "Nanli, go meet him in person and tell him that I have something important to discuss with him. Be sure to find out what he has to say."
Nan Li nodded in understanding. She knew that this was an extremely dangerous mission, but she was determined to do it.
As night fell, the Xingchen Pavilion was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. Nan Li followed Gao Xingchen's instructions and came to the place where he had agreed to meet with the mysterious ally.
This was a secluded teahouse, quiet and deserted. Nan Li walked into the private room and found that the mysterious ally had been waiting for a long time. He was still wearing the silver mask, making it difficult to see his true face.
"You're here." His voice was low and hoarse, without any emotion.
"Your Excellency should know the purpose of my visit." Nan Li said straight to the point, "Xingchen Pavilion is in crisis now. I hope you can give us an explanation."
The mysterious ally was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I've said before that I'm only cooperating with you to achieve my own goals. As for the life and death of the Star Pavilion, it has nothing to do with me."
"Aren't you afraid that we will make your true identity public?" Nan Li asked.
The mysterious ally chuckled, with a hint of disdain in his tone, "Do you think I'm afraid? Once my identity is exposed, it will only make this game more interesting."
Nan Li's heart sank. She realized that she had underestimated the other party's ambition and means. She took a deep breath and tried to make a final effort, "Sir, do you really want to be our enemy? As long as you are willing to turn back, Xingchen Pavilion will always be your friend."
The mysterious ally remained silent, just looking at Nanli quietly, the look in his eyes beneath the mask was unfathomable.
Nan Li's heart gradually sank. She knew that this conversation was meaningless...
Nan Li returned to Xingchen Pavilion with a heavy heart and informed Gao Xingchen of the results of the conversation with the mysterious ally. After listening to Nan Li's story, Gao Xingchen's face was terribly gloomy. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, and his heart was burning with anger.
"How dare he tease us like this!" Zhao Tangzhui said angrily, "Master, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible!"
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He knew that now was not the time to act rashly. He said to everyone with a firm gaze: "Since he is unkind, don't blame us for being unjust! I decided to meet him in person to see what he is up to!"
Nan Li worriedly grabbed Gao Xingchen's sleeve and said, "Xingchen, no! This person is very cunning. If you go there rashly, you might fall into their trap!"
Gao Xingchen patted Nan Li's hand gently, motioning her to be at ease, and said in a firm tone: "Don't worry, I know what's going on. This time I'm not going to be his enemy, but to negotiate with him. I believe that as long as the conditions are right, nothing can be negotiated."
Seeing that Gao Xingchen had made up his mind, Nan Li stopped trying to dissuade him, but only reminded him to be careful.
Gao Xingchen came to the teahouse again. This time, he did not bring anyone with him and went to the appointment alone. The mysterious ally was still sitting in the same place, as if he had expected him to come.
"You're here." The mysterious ally's voice was still low and hoarse, making it difficult to understand his emotions.
"Did you know I was coming?" Gao Xingchen asked straight to the point.
"You are not someone who gives up easily." The mysterious ally said calmly, "Tell me, what do you want to discuss this time?"
Gao Xingchen looked directly into the eyes of the mysterious ally under the mask and said calmly: "I want to make a deal with you. I can help you achieve your goal, but in exchange, you must help Xingchen Pavilion overcome this crisis."
The mysterious ally chuckled, "It sounds tempting, but why should I believe you?"
"You have no choice now." Gao Xingchen said confidently, "I know you want to get rid of the family's control. I can help you, but the premise is that you must prove your worth."
The mysterious ally was silent for a moment, as if he was weighing the pros and cons. After a moment, he slowly said, "Okay, I promise you. But after the matter is done, you must keep your promise and help me get rid of the shackles of my family."
"It's a deal!" Gao Xingchen was delighted. He didn't expect the negotiation to go so smoothly.
After reaching an agreement, the mysterious ally revealed to Gao Xingchen the true identity of the mastermind and their next plan. It turned out that all this was a carefully planned conspiracy, the purpose of which was to completely control the Xingchen Pavilion and then control the entire Nine Star Realm.
After Gao Xingchen returned to Xingchen Pavilion, he immediately called everyone together and revealed all the information he had obtained from the mysterious ally. Everyone was shocked when they heard it. They never thought that they would be involved in such a terrible conspiracy.
Based on the intelligence provided by the mysterious ally, Xingchen Pavilion made a detailed plan to preemptively attack before the mysterious forces launched an attack. Just when everything was ready, Gao Xingchen received news that the court suddenly announced to recruit Xingchen Pavilion, which made the future of Xingchen Pavilion even more confusing...
Inside the Xingchen Pavilion, the atmosphere was as solemn as the calm before a storm. Gao Xingchen revealed the plan he had learned from the mysterious ally, and everyone gasped. They had never imagined that behind the seemingly calm situation, there was such a shocking conspiracy.
"What is the origin of this mysterious force and why does it have such great ambitions?" Hall Master Zhao frowned and asked in a deep voice.
"According to our allies, this force is deeply rooted and has influence throughout the government and the country. There are even many of their spies inside the court." Gao Xingchen said in a serious tone, his face terribly gloomy.
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to sit there and wait for death?" an elder asked worriedly.
"Of course not!" Gao Xingchen slammed the table and said with a firm look in his eyes, "We must strike first before they do anything! Since they want to play, we will play with them to the end!"
Nan Li walked to Gao Xingchen, gently held his hand, and said softly: "Xingchen, what are you going to do?"
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice: "I have made a plan based on the intelligence provided by our allies. We need..."
In the next few days, the entire Xingchen Pavilion was shrouded in a tense atmosphere. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming decisive battle. They trained day and night, not daring to slack off.
However, just when everything was ready in Xingchen Pavilion except for the east wind, an imperial edict from the court broke the tranquility in the mountains.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: The Pavilion Master of Xingchen Pavilion, Gao Xingchen, is a man of great talent in both civil and military affairs, loyal to the Emperor and patriotic to his country. He is hereby recruited and given the title of..."
The sharp voice of the eunuch announcing the decree echoed over the Xingchen Pavilion for a long time. Gao Xingchen took the decree, unfolded it, and his expression suddenly became extremely complicated.
"Recruitment?"
The entire Xingchen Pavilion was in an uproar, with everyone talking about it. No one expected that the court would extend an olive branch at such a critical moment.
"Master, could this be a conspiracy by the imperial court?" Hall Master Zhao said with a serious expression, "Could they be trying to take advantage of this opportunity to capture us all in one fell swoop?"
"Yes, Pavilion Master, we can't trust the court!" The other elders also echoed.
Gao Xingchen remained silent, holding the imperial edict tightly in his hand, his mind churning. He knew that the imperial court's offer of amnesty was not out of good intentions, but this might also be an opportunity, an opportunity to resolve the current predicament.
"Nanli, what do you think?" Gao Xingchen turned to look at Nanli beside him, hoping to get her advice.
Nan Li's beautiful eyes flickered. After a moment's silence, she slowly said, "Xingchen, I think we can accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty."
As soon as she said this, she immediately attracted everyone's surprised gazes, and even Gao Xingchen showed a surprised expression.
"Why?" Gao Xingchen asked puzzledly.
Nan Li took a deep breath and said slowly: "Think about it, we are in a situation where we are attacked from all sides and may be defeated by the enemy at any time. If we accept the court's offer of amnesty, it means we have found a powerful backer. In this way, we can concentrate on dealing with the mysterious forces, and..."
Having said this, she paused, a gleam of light flashed in her beautiful eyes, and continued: "Moreover, we can also take this opportunity to develop and expand the Star Pavilion and strive to become the overlord of the Nine Star Realm as soon as possible!"
Nan Li's words made Gao Xingchen fall into deep thought. He understood that Nan Li's words made sense. What lay before him now was a difficult choice, a choice that would determine the life and death of Xingchen Pavilion...