The carriage moved forward slowly.

Xu Zhaonan sat on the right, his robes adorned with bright yellow and deep red. His gaze was calm and gentle, radiating an imposing presence without anger.

"...In May, I had Huang Quan taken care of... Remember him? I quite liked him. He was the one who set up our first meeting, always smiling, a fat guy who seemed to get along with everyone..."

"...Why did I kill him? For you... This year, he changed. His territory expanded too much, he had too many men under him, a bunch of sycophants, and he started looking down on you. He came to me and said, 'Lord Xu, that skinny He Wen is no match for us anymore. What does he have besides a big name?' Since he looked down on you, I helped you get rid of him..."

"...That fat bastard, he dared to resist when he knew I was going to kill him."

"...You know, Chen Juefang killed his entire family of thirty-six people, and he didn't resist. He could have saved more lives if he hadn't."

"...Why kill him? The fat bastard was always smiling and eloquent... But in my territory, anyone who disrespects the Fair King disrespects me... Xu Zhaonan."

Xu Zhaonan tapped his fingers, looking at the person across from him.

"...This year, he came and said he wanted to get rid of you. That dead ghost Huang Quan wasn't the first... Especially at the meetings, those scholars under him said that your reputation was too big, and they had to get rid of you first, or there would be trouble – I treat you like one of my own! I, Xu Zhaonan, treat you like one of my own!"

"...What is Xu Zhaonan all about? Xu Zhaonan believes in the Great Brightness Sect. He Wen, people who believe in the Sect are honest. The books of the Great Brightness Sect tell us that we should be moral and have a clear conscience. To those above, we should respect Heaven and our ancestors; to those below, we should be worthy of our fellow believers and the people. Why am I, Xu Zhaonan, able to rally people? Over the years, I have never let down my brothers!"

"...But now you are letting me down. You are reaching into my territory. Do you really want to start a war?"

The carriage rumbled along, the autumn wind occasionally revealing glimpses of the street scenes and the sky through the cracks in the curtains. Xu Zhaonan stared at He Wen in front of him. After a long while, he saw He Wen sigh.

"You really went too far with the Reading Society."

"There's no 'too far.' In the two years of the Fair Party, how many people have you and I killed? How many people did that madman Zhou Shang kill? You issuing orders in my territory is what's called 'too far'!"

"The people in the Reading Society have good ideas..."

"Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes, Brother He. Let's talk frankly behind closed doors. Don't play dumb with me here. Issuing your orders as the Fair King in my territory, forbidding the indiscriminate killing of people from the Reading Society – you want to win the hearts of the Reading Society, but I guarantee you that not a single one of them will escape to your territory. If we don't come to an agreement this afternoon, I'll start mobilizing the Wusheng Army to Taihu Lake tonight – and I won't be the only one doing it!"

He Wen sat there, looking at him calmly. Xu Zhaonan's eyes were filled with anger, and he leaned back. After a moment, he pointed at He Wen.

"This time, you didn't listen to advice."

He Wen leaned forward, his eyes lowered, then he looked up.

"Lord Xu, make up your mind and join me?"

"What?"

"From beginning to end, I haven't been joking. I've been laying everything out on the table, but no one believes me. They think I'm joking, that I'm playing some kind of conspiracy, trying to eliminate someone... No, Lord Xu, the Fair Party is in a precarious situation. Put aside your Jianghu honor and join me in making reforms. Gao Chang has already decided to join me. Together, we won't be afraid of Shi Baofeng and Zhou Shang."

"...You think I'm a fool?" Xu Zhaonan tilted his head and looked at him. "Why reform? Get rid of Jianghu honor? If you don't have honor, what kind of person are you? Those things from the Southwest are just for fooling idiots! You really believe them?"

"Lord Xu, don't you really believe them?" He Wen looked at him with a half-smile, then raised his hand. "Huang Quan was taken care of because he touched your concubine, why bother? Brothers are like limbs, wives are like clothes. Even if many people think it was a miscarriage of justice, even if it was true, just give her to him. In terms of ability, Huang Quan was more capable than Chen Juefang."

Their eyes met.

"...Hehehehe... Hehehehe hahahaha." Xu Zhaonan couldn't help but laugh, his teeth showing. "Hahahaha... Huang Quan, haha... That concubine was someone I had just taken a fancy to, everyone knew that, my new favorite. He, a commander of the Undying Guard, let that kind of news spread, what was I supposed to do? If I didn't touch him, wouldn't people think he was so important that I couldn't touch him? He was testing me... As for the concubine, did I care? Don't even mention that he didn't have his eye on her, even if he did, he could have just talked to me privately, we could have shared. We are brothers, why not share the fun, right?"

"Lord Xu...magnanimous." He Wen paused, then smiled, "Now it feels like we're talking behind closed doors."

"Right?" Xu Zhaonan laughed, "You bastard, you would have killed him too... But speaking of which, the girl was pretty good, a decent woman. If I hadn't killed her along with Huang Quan, we could have all appreciated her today."

"Next time, definitely."

He Wen showed a smile, but Xu Zhaonan pointed at him with a fierce gaze, his finger frozen in the air for a long time. The smile on He Wen's face gradually turned calm, and even became cold.

"A thousand sails pass by the sunken boat, and ten thousand trees bloom in front of the sick tree. The Fair Party is beyond saving, Lord Xu."

"The Fair Party was never going back, and there's no need to go back. Either you're plotting against us, or you've been deceived by those people from the Reading Society, having delusions." Xu Zhaonan paused here, "No, the people from the Reading Society can't deceive you – you've been deceived by Ning Yi from the Southwest?"

"...The Fair Party Congress, in the end, is just a series of compromises. It's meaningless, and will eventually turn into another Fang La. And Lord Xu, these problems will ultimately come down to the issue of organization..."

"Look at you, your mouth is full of the Southwest's heresies..."

"Whether there are problems or not, in the end, we have to go to the battlefield. Lord Xu, in that battle between the Jurchen Western Route Army and the Huaxia Army, Zong Han and Xiyin led the troops, and their generals were all proficient in arranging troops... It was useless. A grenade was thrown, and all your troop arrangements were bullshit. The Southwest directly dispersed their troops, and the orders could still be carried out. Everyone would use their brains. Try throwing your Wusheng Army out there." He Wen said, "...This is a change unprecedented in thousands of years."

"The Southwest will collapse sooner or later. Mr. He, you don't need to consider him at all."

"Lord Xu, do you also believe in the saying that what is strong is easily broken?"

"What I believe in is the doctrine of the Mean of you scholars. Mr. He, since ancient times, those great things, the one that looks the best and the one that looks the worst, are the ones who will be eliminated... Everyone talks about inner demons, He Wen, the Great Brightness Sect is the real inner demon. Have you seen what's in the minds of those believers? You've been reading books your whole life, do you know what's in the minds of those at the very bottom of this world? You want to reform? You want organization? You want everyone to read? Self-awareness? Only a few people out of a thousand can do it!"

Xu Zhaonan leaned forward, his gaze serious: "You can use some methods to force everyone to become like this! Ning Yi can do it, and he can still hold on, he's amazing. But I'm even clearer that it will explode sooner or later. What inner demon? I've also seen the hearts of this world for a lifetime! Ning Yi is going against it, using every means, he's amazing. But there will be an end... The Southwest talks about investigating things, about laws. What I'm talking about is the law, you're all doing things that violate the law!"

He Wen laughed: "Lord Xu, you really know a lot about the Southwest."

Xu Zhaonan looked to the side and waved his hand: "He Wen, don't lead the conversation there, I said, it's very likely that you want to deal with someone... Everyone rose up in the chaotic world, and we've been helping each other for more than a year, I, Xu Zhaonan, have treated you well, if you don't tell me, I can only assume that you want to deal with me... As for being encouraged by the Southwest, if you really want to go all out and turn around, then what you've been doing recently has been too clumsy."

He Wen sighed, he thought about it, and then leaned forward again: "Time will tell the strength of a horse, and time will reveal a person's heart. Like this, if I really have bad intentions and want to deal with you, Lord Xu, it's only right for you to fight back. But if... after a while, you find out that I'm really going all out, wanting to reform, I want to establish rules, using the fire of the Reading Society to gather those who are truly willing to take the right path... Lord Xu, you've read the Southwest's theories, at that time, ask yourself, will you follow me or not?"

Xu Zhaonan stared at him, he opened his mouth, his gaze confused, and said nothing.

He Wen lowered his voice: "People from the Southwest did come, they found me, asked me about my ideas, and they confirmed that they would support me. Lord Xu, nothing is easy in this world, do you want to be a Fang La, grabbing a few concubines and enjoying yourself for a few years, or do you want to really do something in this world, maybe get a good ending? Lord Xu, think about it, even if you can't make up your mind now, it won't be too late, as long as you're willing to reform, willing to talk about rules, our door will always be open to you."

"...That's not what the people from the Southwest said to me."

"Chen Fan from the Southwest came."

He Wen said this lightly, and in the carriage, Xu Zhaonan's breathing became heavier.

"...Lord Xu, running here, issuing orders to your territory during the congress, directly provoking you, fighting one against four, as you said, these actions are a bit clumsy. If I didn't have any cards in my hand, how would I dare to do this? Also, since you've read those things from the Southwest, you should know that since I'm determined to make this degree of reform, I can't be wishy-washy and slow. Even if I have to cut flesh, making my attitude clear is the most important thing. Just like Ning Yi, if he wants to rebel, he has to kill the emperor, cutting off the relationship between the two sides with one stroke..."

"...I don't expect you to believe me directly, Lord Xu. If you think it's a conspiracy, then treat it as a conspiracy. But we're behind closed doors today, and I, He, have considered myself dead from the moment I rebelled. This matter is difficult, you find it unbelievable, but I'm not afraid of you, even if no one follows me, I'll still fight all four of you today! Either you kill me, or I kill you! Because if I don't do this, the Fair Party is finished – and you'll be finished too!"

He Wen's voice was high for a moment, then it lowered again.

"...I think this difficult path is the only path. If you really don't believe it, Lord Xu, then there's nothing I can do, but if you've thought about it carefully and feel that it makes sense, I don't ask for anything else, I just hope you'll leave a little room. As you said, my orders have been sent to your territory, and those people from the Reading Society won't be able to get out either, but before you've thought it through, if they are arrested, can you not kill them for the time being. If there's going to be a war, I only ask you for this, even if it's... a little understanding between us."

Xu Zhaonan looked at him.

The carriage continued to move slowly, and when they reached a certain place, Xu Zhaonan got up and got out of the carriage, he tapped his finger on the long seat in front of He Wen.

"If what you said is true... Zhou Shang is much more normal than you, you're brothers... a lunatic!"

He lifted the curtain of the carriage and got out. He Wen laughed, he turned his head and looked at Xu Zhaonan's departing figure, and said: "Zhou Shang said he would follow me. Lord Xu, consider it."

"I'll go to your great-grandfather—"

Xu Zhaonan waved his sleeves and strode away.

The curtain fell, covering the bleakness of the late autumn outside. He Wen sat in the carriage, his gaze becoming serious, and then gradually becoming lost...

He went to the small courtyard where he lived and received several other people. When night came, Shi Baofeng came by carriage, and He Wen took him into the study.

Compared to Xu Zhaonan in the afternoon, Shi Baofeng's attitude was more fierce and more accusatory. His son had his hand chopped off by someone from the Southwest, and now wherever he went, it was a talking point to pressure people, and he immediately rebuked He Wen.

He Wen didn't care at all, he was too lazy to even pour tea for him.

"Lord Shi keeps talking about the Black Flag people doing things, who saw it?"

"Tongshan Monkey King Li Yanfeng at the time..."

"Tongshan Li Yanfeng is a hoodlum, his father was trampled to death by the Luliang cavalry in Zhuxian Town back then, how could he not be able to do such framing and nonsense! Xu Zhaonan said he was a bastard this afternoon!"

"Does Mr. He mean that Li Yanfeng deceived people, and I, Shi, also deceive people? My son lost a hand—"

"From the Five Lakes Inn incident, it was you, Shi, who first lashed out at me. It just so happened that the Second Young Master's incident came out, and you tied the Reading Society, the Black Flag, and me together. Who knows what you're planning!?"

With a bang, Shi Baofeng overturned the tables and chairs in the room.

"You have no sons..."

"My son died when I was in prison!"

The sound was noisy, and two figures confronted each other in the room, Shi Baofeng's fingers trembling: "He, we've known each other for so many years, regarding today's events, you say I wanted to deal with you..."

"Isn't that so? That batch of pamphlets from Five Lakes Inn, your son made them, you didn't know? Also Nong Xian and Zhao Jingci... If you weren't coming at me, what were you trying to do? The Black Flag did it... Are you trying to say that I ordered the Black Flag to chop off Weiyang's hand!? Say it if you can!"

"...I... I was using those pamphlets to make you express your attitude towards the Reading Society!" Shi Baofeng's tone was hesitant, "The Reading Society is going to cause trouble sooner or later, it will become a hidden danger, how many times have I told you..."

"Regarding the Reading Society, how many times have I told you my thoughts, did you ever listen!?"

The two had known each other for a long time, although they couldn't be called friends for many years, at least they were close partners after the Fair Party rose up, and could be considered the most friendly among the several Kings. At this time, Shi Baofeng trembled and sat down on the chair next to him, He Wen crossed his arms, and the two were angry for a while before He Wen turned around.

"I founded the Reading Society," he said.

Shi Baofeng took the teacup next to the chair and wanted to pour tea, but at this time he waved his sleeves and swept everything off the tea table, shards flying: "He, you even lied to me?"

"Brother Shi, I've told you many times, you treat it as a joke, but in any case, a decision must be made." He Wen turned around and brought another set of tea utensils from the side, "The Fair Party is coming to an end, it looks like a picture of flowers and boiling oil on the outside, but it's when its root of the problem is about to come out. I must make this reform, join me."

"..." Shi Baofeng stared at him, then his gaze softened, "Can't you... figure out a way after this meeting is over?"

"As long as this meeting is over, the word 'compromise' will drill into the Fair Party's bones, and after that, no one can remove this root of the problem."

"—Then you're making such a big scene in front of the whole world!"

"I want to use a fire to burn the Fair Party, so that the whole world can see! What He Wen wants is for the whole world to see clearly, and then the Phoenix will be reborn from the fire!"

"You're a lunatic..."

"I've been crazy for many years, Brother Shi." He Wen said, paused, and lowered his voice, "People from the Black Flag did come, but they didn't do the Weiyang thing, they said they support me, General Gao and Lord Xu are also interested. Brother Shi, make up your mind and join me, the Fair Party can't be saved without a major reform, without scraping the bones to cure the poison."

"You... as expected, you're with the Black Flag..."

"Chen Fan from the Black Flag came, if he had taken action, Weiyang would be dead, Li Yanfeng could still speak? I told you, he's just a monkey show hustler."

"..."

Silence for a moment in the room.

After that, there were several rounds of earnest persuasion and quarrels.

The argument on this day actually had no conclusion to speak of. On the thousands of miles of Jiangnan land, in the Fair Party's five territories, large numbers of troops were already beginning to gather under various orders.

For two years, the Fair Party's five factions have been developing wildly. In many places, their territories are intertwined, and there are also many small forces whose affiliation is actually undetermined participating in it. Once a confrontation occurs, a large-scale chaos is bound to occur in the foreseeable future.

But since the Fair King showed hostility, the other four had to take action.

The next morning, Zhou Shang also came to see He Wen, his attitude was also direct: "I'm here to see a dead man."

He Wen looked at him for a while: "...Let's do it together."

……

In the city, the Fair Party Congress was still in progress. After the meeting this afternoon, Xu Zhaonan, Shi Baofeng, Zhou Shang, and Gao Chang met privately to exchange their attitudes.

"He Wen is crazy, he said he wants to create a new Fair Party."

"Mr. He said that you're with him."

"He said the same to me about you..."

"Mr. He said that the people from the Southwest are on his side."

"Either he's lying..."

"Or, Ning Yi has good means, thousands of miles away, he solved the Fair King with a few words... rebelling against himself..."

"What do we do now?"

"What else can we do, join hands and kill him."

"Are we all of one mind?"

The four looked at each other, Zhou Shang couldn't help but laugh out loud, just as he was about to speak, he only heard the sound of commotion coming from not far outside, followed by the signal fireworks arrow.

At this time, riots caused by the Reading Society often occurred in Jiangning City, which was not surprising, but this time the fireworks were of a very high level. After a moment, someone came to report that on Jingwen Street, which was a must-pass after leaving the venue, the Fair King was assassinated, and at this time, the fighting was still going on.

"This scale is not small." Listening to the sounds coming from afar, Zhou Shang smiled.

"Who did it?" Shi Baofeng frowned.

"I haven't done anything yet." Xu Zhaonan said, "Do you want to go take a look?"

Gao Chang, who had been relatively silent, sat at the table drinking tea.

"Let's go see when he's dead."

He said.

……

Evening of September 13th, Jiangning, the end of Jingwen Street.

Just after the Fair King He Wen left the venue, and the carriage entered this street, numerous assassins appeared from all directions, using a large number of bows and crossbows, and even pottery jar grenades, to launch a concentrated assassination on He Wen's carriage.

Explosions spread.

The carriage compartment with iron plates was blown up and rolled on the street, and then fierce fighting broke out on the entire long street. At this time, both sides of the fighting were the most elite soldiers, and the intensity of the killings that unfolded in the blink of an eye had already surpassed the countless skirmishes that had unfolded in this city in the past few months.

The first round of conflict officially unfolded...