Chapter 260: Slinging Mud

Chapter 260: Splashing Dirty Water

"The first day of the first month of the Jiaqi Year—this is the deadline left by the Northern Town's Judicial Office for our senior brother's tenure. Today is already the seventeenth day of the twelfth month, and with the time reserved for going to the Wa people's area, we have less than ten days left!"

"Perhaps even ten days are gone."

Zhao Qingxia strained to open his dark eyes, wiped the blood streak under his nose, and spoke indistinctly: "Muxitang will open on the twenty-fifth, and I must go to Laizhou Prefecture to report. The rules of Muxitang have always been to not wait past the deadline."

Old Li's strike was truly ruthless, look at how he beat this kid, it's good that Master Ma's current lover isn't human, and there's no elder to worry about, otherwise...

Master Ma unconsciously shivered, reached out toward Zhao Qingxia, and a handkerchief popped out from his palm.

Zhao Qingxia rolled his eyes, grabbed it irritably, and wiped his nosebleed with a grimace.

The nearby crow, Duo Duo, showed a complex expression of pity and amusement, couldn't help but lower her head.

Li Jun watched this scene and a faint smile curled his lips.

In fact, he had a good impression of Zhao Qingxia. Though this kid was seen by Mo Xu as a martial fool who didn't take his duties seriously, his wholehearted bravery and righteousness suited Li Jun's taste.

He deliberately 'trained' the other party for a while, partly to remind Zhao Qingxia not to think that the Chu Wu Gate had fallen, Wu Ya Hua was dead, and Duo Duo had become a rootless floating weed.

On the other hand, he was actually comforting the girl's heart in this rough way.

A punch-throwing, protective elder brother who only helped his kin and not the righteous, for a girl like Duo Duo who had always been in a state of drifting and falling, perhaps this was more real and solid than verbal comfort.

Moreover, for Li Jun, all his expertise in gentleness in this life had probably been focused on the courtesans of the Teaching Hall, and he wasn't skilled at caring and inquiring about the cold.

"So now, the time we have to settle the Mo Jin father and son is not abundant, we can't sit and wait for the other side to make a move."

Li Jun no longer looked at the ambiguous little actions between the young man and woman, his gaze turned to Master Ma.

"Old Ma, I remember you had quite a few lovers in Mo's Huangliang Divine Artifact Forum?"

"Ding..."

Master Ma, holding a hammer to knock on the red eye of the helmet that had been knocked askew, muttered: "What nonsense, those were all true loves I once had sincere feelings for!"

"Alright, true love, true love."

Li Jun casually replied, "In a moment, you'll enter the forum and expose the fact that Mo Jin's father and son colluded with the Wa people's area's Huangshi Group. Let your 'true loves' help spread the word."

Master Ma seemed to understand Li Jun's intention at once, and chuckled: "No problem, those old ladies, if you want them to reconcile with me, it's probably not realistic. But to spread gossip about the Mo Gong troops, each of them would probably be more eager than anyone else."

"After all, these armed forces of Mo Xu haven't spared these ladies from fighting on the battlefield these years. I guarantee that their father and son's reputation will be a big hit!"

Duo Duo worried: "But currently we don't have solid evidence like cargo details or cash transactions. Even if we make a big fuss about this matter, it probably won't have any substantial impact on Mo Jin's father and son."

"There are ways to deal with solid evidence, and ways to deal with catching shadows. I didn't expect to rely on these rumors to make Mo Ke step down, just as long as he can't sit still."

Li Jun said indifferently: "Those who are eyeing the position of the main officer of the Mozheng Corps in Tianzhi Society probably won't be few. When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. As long as someone takes the lead to deal with them, there will naturally be others to follow and push them down. When the public opinion is in place, the evidence will jump out on its own."

The more and more it had that kind of sinister taste of the Imperial Guards.

Zhao Qingxia and Master Ma looked at each other, and both silently thought the same thing in their hearts.

"As for you."

Li Jun turned to look at Zhao Qingxia, "I remember you said before that Mo Jin had contacted you, wanting to buy your research results and entry into the hall for a high price?"

"Ah, yes!"

Zhao Qingxia nodded, angrily said: "But I refused him at that time. A mere one million silver taels to buy my Mimic Martial Arts, this is simply an insult to me!"

"When Master Ma's matter has fermented enough, you go and contact Mo Jin."

"What for?" Zhao Qingxia didn't understand.

"He wears shoes, you are barefoot, who feels more uncomfortable stepping in the dirty water?"

Li Jun sneered: "If you tell Mo Jin now that you are willing to sell the Muxitang entry quota to him, and are willing to personally clarify the matter of the Mozheng Corps smuggling arms, do you think he would choose to sit down and talk with you?"

Zhao Qingxia was stunned: "Would he believe me? I think Mo Jin probably isn't that stupid, we've already torn each other's faces, and he still wants to talk terms with me."

"You kid are really stupid enough!"

Master Ma said with a tone of hating iron that couldn't be turned into steel: "Others' faces aren't as shallow as yours, easily torn open. These people who pride themselves on their background and forces, they dislike most to have a showdown with us mud-legged people, it's not worth it!"

"If it can be solved with money, they won't want to take action. Even if they want to settle accounts later, they won't choose this time when public opinion is not favorable to them."

Zhao Qingxia finally caught a hint, "Then what price should I ask him?"

Li Jun took over: "As high as possible, whether it's silver taels or research equipment, you can ask for whatever you lack."

"Will our lion's mouth scare him off directly?"

Master Ma sneered: "You don't have to worry about that. You'll ask for a sky-high price, and he'll naturally haggle. As for whether the negotiation breaks down, it doesn't matter, anyway, it's better to get some."

"To deceive?"

Zhao Qingxia and Duo Duo exclaimed in unison.

Their thoughts obviously hadn't caught up with Li Jun and Master Ma.

"Of course it's to deceive, otherwise do you think we're really going to negotiate with them?"

Master Ma grinned: "First create momentum, then negotiate, finally we'll turn our faces. One-time, all the principal and profit will be recovered!"

In the past twenty-four hours, Mo Jin had been sitting on needles, as if a sharp blade was on his back.

Since two days ago, a large number of rumors about the Tianzhi Society's Mozheng Corps colluding with the Huangshi Group to smuggle arms suddenly appeared in the entire Mo Xu's Huangliang Dream.

Although there was no fatal key evidence, the descriptions were meticulous and seemed to be true.

Some were even described in such detail, as if someone had been watching the whole process when Mo Jin was shipping goods, making him break out in cold sweat and unable to sit or stand still.

Moreover, as time passed, the number of rumors continued to surge daily.

At once, the entire Mo Xu public opinion was in an uproar, all the arrows pointing directly at his father.

Even the internal elders of the Tianzhi Society were alarmed and ordered an inquiry into the Mozheng Corps.

What surprised Mo Jin even more was that Zhao Qingxia actually took the initiative to contact him at this time.

"Having a backer is really different, even dared to reconnect to the Huangliang Dream again? Aren't you afraid I'll lock your position and send someone to kill you?!"

Looking at Mo Jin's gloomy expression, Zhao Qingxia didn't rush to retort.

He just snapped his fingers, and a sofa appeared out of nowhere behind him. Zhao Qingxia sat down on his own, took out a miniature long sword, propped up his legs, and slowly trimmed his own fingernails.

This was the most annoying posture he had come up with after consulting Master Ma.