Volume 2: Forbidden City, Jianghu and Imperial Court Chapter 10: Cooperation Code
On the fifth day of March, a lot of things happened in Luoyang city.
It was not until three quarters of an hour after Lu Xiaofeng escaped from Wanxiang Tower that the sky finally darkened and night fell.
Five miles outside Luoyang City, in the woods in the western suburbs, Fang Yunhan stood on the top of the tallest tree in the forest.
Whether it is Tie Shou or Yan Nantian's martial arts, neither of them focuses on lightness skills. It can also be said that neither of them is good at lightness skills.
But that is compared with people who are truly masters of Qinggong. In fact, as long as a person has strong enough internal strength and practices a little, his Qinggong will not be too bad.
Therefore, Fang Yunhan could stand steadily and comfortably on the treetop where even a three-year-old child could not hang on.
He waited for another quarter of an hour before he met the person he was supposed to meet.
A white outer robe and a light purple inner shirt, this was indeed Lu Xiaofeng's attire, but the person who came was not Lu Xiaofeng.
Lu Xiaofeng's hair does not have so many white hairs mixed in it, and Lu Xiaofeng definitely does not have such a long beard.
However, when Fang Yunhan saw that person, he immediately went down, because the person who came was actually - Qiao Shangzhou!
"Are you the real Qiao Shangzhou?" Fang Yunhan's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "What's going on?"
"Of course this old man is real ."
Qiao Shangzhou took a breath, put his hand over his heart, and said, "This is what happened..."
It turned out that when Qiao Shangzhou returned to his room and was attacked by the Peony Messenger, he received a note.
The note threatened Qiao Shangzhou to use his own life to frame Lu Xiaofeng.
Fang Yunhan asked: "How did he threaten you?"
"There was also a rosary attached to the note." Qiao Shangzhou said solemnly, "I made it myself three years ago as a gift for my mother. My mother loved it very much and never left it."
"So he threatened the lives of his loved ones." Fang Yunhan nodded to show his understanding, and said, "But you obviously didn't do everything he asked."
"Yes." Qiao Shangzhou nodded, smiling and looking somewhat smug, and said, "That person thought that Lu Xiaofeng and I were just acquaintances, and that we didn't know each other well and couldn't trust each other. How could he know that I had known Lu Xiaofeng when he was ten years old?"
Lu Xiaofeng's martial arts master and background are indeed a mystery. He had an intersection with Qiao Shangzhou when he was a child. I'm afraid that this is something that few people in the world know.
But now is not the time to explore Lu Xiaofeng's background.
"So the two of you have agreed that you will fake your own death and superficially obey the conspirators' wishes, making Lu Xiaofeng the murderer. But in this situation, you will become a hidden force and can jump out at any time to help redress Lu Xiaofeng's innocence."
Fang Yunhan raised a finger, "But I still have one thing that I don't understand. Are you wearing Lu Xiaofeng's clothes because he ran back to pretend to be a corpse?"
"Of course there needs to be a corpse there to make it look 'normal'," Qiao Shangzhou admitted.
Fang Yunhan was slightly surprised: "He led everyone away, and after escaping, he sneaked into Wanxiang Tower earlier than those people. In such a short time, he actually exchanged clothes and shoes with you, and even changed his appearance?"
Qiao Shangzhou sighed, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have known that he could actually change his appearance and shrink his bones."
Fang Yunhan added: "Since you have already faked your death, why don't you just lie in the coffin and let Lu Xiaofeng investigate it himself?"
"Because the messenger asked me to pretend that I died at the hands of Lu Xiaofeng. So I really injured my heart meridian with my finger force, and then pretended to be dead. This way I could deceive the people who rushed to the scene to check my body."
Qiao Shangzhou pointed at his chest helplessly, gasping for breath. He was a first-rate master, but at this moment he was like an ordinary sick old man, breathing shortly. He said, "I'm seriously injured, and the method of feigning death by tortoise breathing won't last long. I'm also old, and I can't stand being hungry for long. Only if he replaces me can the conspirators in the dark not get suspicious, and it will be convenient for us to act."
It was precisely because Qiao Shangzhou himself was seriously injured and unable to act alone, and his confidants did not have the military force he could trust, that Qiao Shangzhou followed Lu Xiaofeng's advice and asked Fang Yunhan for help.
Fang Yunhan said, "What if they check the body's injuries again? Wouldn't the uninjured Lu Xiaofeng be exposed?"
Naturally, Lu Xiaofeng could not injure his own heart meridians. He was alone now. If he did so and something went wrong, he would probably be powerless to resist and die in a daze.
Qiao Shangzhou hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "After all, I am still the leader of the martial arts world, and the cause of death is so obvious. After I lie in the coffin, there will be someone guarding me day and night, so I shouldn't be subject to a second inspection."
Fang Yunhan thought about it and nodded.
In fact, nothing is absolute in the world. The plan of Qiao Shangzhou and Lu Xiaofeng was hastily arranged. In many places, they could only rely on vague judgment and gamble, so it was not very thorough.
But in the world of martial arts, when the risk is no more than 30%, at least 99% of people are willing to take a chance.
Fang Yunhan walked a few steps in the woods and said, "What you said is indeed very logical from beginning to end, but there is one thing."
He turned his head to look at Qiao Shangzhou, "The note was given to me by Lu Xiaofeng, but now Lu Xiaofeng is not here, how can I be sure that you have cooperated?"
"Since you've come to ask for help from Mr. Fang, you've made preparations." Qiao Shangzhou said seriously, "He said, if I tell you one word, you'll believe it."
"Oh?" Fang Yunhan smiled. He must be referring to what was written on the note.
Qiao Shangzhou pointed at the inferior iron sword in the bamboo scabbard, and said without any ambiguity in his eyes: "This is the best sword in the world."
Fang Yunhan was startled for a moment, then laughed and said, "Haha, you have good taste. Let's go then."
Qiao Shangzhou caught up with him and asked, "Where are you going?"
Fang Yunhan said: "Why don't you go back and see your mother first?"
"If I die, someone will naturally go back and inform my mother, and then they will be able to help me find out about her safety." Qiao Shangzhou said with a bitter look on his face, "I just didn't expect that at my age, I would still cause my mother to be deceived and worried."
"But you are still injured. Find a place to heal. The most important thing for you now is to protect yourself." Fang Yunhan said as he walked, "Do you have anywhere to go?"
Qiao Shangzhou thought for a moment and said, "Then I will live in Qusai Winery in the north of the city. There are always some drunkards and beggars around there. After I change my appearance, I can blend in with them and definitely won't attract any attention."
It is impossible for anyone to look for the shadow of the leader of the martial arts world in such a place. This place is indeed strange, so it is safe.
"Okay, I'll come find you when things get better." Fang Yunhan said, "You met the Peony Messenger. What was he wearing at the time?"
Qiao Shangzhou said briefly: "She is wearing a green long skirt, barefoot, and holding a red umbrella. She is a woman. However, she is known for her thousand faces. The next time she appears, she may not be dressed like this, or even of this gender."
"Um."
The two were almost out of the woods at this time. Qiao Shangzhou was going to find a small path to disguise himself and then return to Luoyang City. He stayed in the woods for a while and watched Fang Yunhan leave.
Fang Yunhan walked in the woods with his hands behind his back. The moonlight was cut scarcely between the branches and leaves of the trees. The sparse light and shadows shone on him. The blue cloth robe seemed to become lighter. His back was elegant as he walked away gradually.
When Fang Yunhan could no longer be seen, Qiao Shangzhou suddenly realized that since they met tonight, the young man had always been in control of the topic.
"No wonder..." Qiao Shangzhou murmured softly, "Lu Xiaofeng, if one day your friend..."
The martial arts leader who was about to step down might have suffered a serious heart injury, and he shivered involuntarily in the night wind.
He tightened his clothes and could only be thankful that this man was still walking on the right path.
