“Hehe, actually, there's no need to pin all our hopes on Lao Li. Although the Imperial City's Embroidered Uniform Guard is strong, given Lao Li's status, he might not be able to invite a high-ranking martial artist from among them.”

Zheng Tianpeng said casually.

He had no intention of belittling Li Tianxiang, but these were the kind of words you said when Li Tianxiang wasn't around.

Otherwise, Li Tianxiang would have exploded.

And everyone else heard something else in his words.

“Lao Zheng, could it be that you can find another expert to help us?”

Wang Xuedao asked tentatively, his expression full of suspicion.

The others also turned to look at Zheng Tianpeng, their eyes full of different colors.

Because Zheng Tianpeng was actually an anomaly among the five great families.

He was completely different from the others, possessing neither a powerful background, nor the legacy of his ancestors, nor any remarkable military achievements.

When Zheng Tianpeng was young, the Zheng family couldn't even be called a great family.

But this man rose up bit by bit, taking steady steps, each one solid and unwavering, leaving no room for criticism.

He was skilled in social maneuvering, personable, always smiling, and possessed a silver tongue.

Whether it was a big shot in the imperial court, someone from the nine streams of society, or just a common peddler, he could get along with them all.

But if he was really as kind as he seemed, a benevolent person, he would never have achieved his current status.

But if you were to say he was hypocritical, vicious, and utterly depraved, that would be doing him a real disservice.

One could only say that this person was decent, had good luck, and worked hard enough that he was favored by the heavens.

But faced with the current situation, the advantages mentioned above were far from enough.

What the five great families needed now was powerful strength, an expert who could help them deal with Chen Xiao.

And that, in the eyes of Wang Xuedao and the others, was something Zheng Tianpeng couldn't provide.

Zheng Tianpeng knew what they were thinking just by looking at their faces.

He smiled mysteriously and said softly, “You all know about Fahua Temple in the west of the city, right? The abbot of the temple, Grandmaster Yuandian, is a close friend of mine. When I was young, I once saved his life…”

“Oh? You have a life-saving grace towards Grandmaster Yuandian? This is the first time I've heard of it."

Zhao Yuanjie's old face showed a slight hint of surprise, but it quickly faded away. "But that doesn't seem to help our current situation, does it?"

Fahua Temple was a grand temple in the Imperial City, and Abbot Yuandian was a well-known and respected Buddhist monk.

But Grandmaster Yuandian was better known and respected for his Buddhist teachings, his compassion, and his wisdom… but he wasn't a martial monk!

Not to mention Grandmaster Yuandian, you couldn't even find ten martial monks in the entire Fahua Temple.

Even if you could find some, they would only be monks practicing introductory skills, and compared to a peerless top expert like Chen Xiao… forget it, there was no comparison.

Wang Xuedao asked whimsically, "Lao Zheng, could Grandmaster Yuandian be a peerless master? Is the identity of a Buddhist master just a disguise?"

Hearing this, Zheng Tianpeng rolled his eyes. "Lao Wang, you should watch fewer of those messy novels and movies, you're getting old, how can your imagination still be so rich? Looking at Grandmaster Yuandian's frail appearance, how could he be a peerless master?"

"Then why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Wang Xuedao glared at him, dissatisfied. "If Grandmaster Yuandian isn't a peerless master, then aren't you just talking nonsense?"

"Not so, not so!"

Zheng Tianpeng shook his head. "Grandmaster Yuandian isn't a peerless master, but that doesn't mean there aren't any peerless masters in Fahua Temple!"

Everyone's eyes lit up at these words, and they asked one after another.

"There's a peerless master in Fahua Temple, who is it?"

"Lao Zheng, stop being mysterious, tell us quickly!"

"Lao Zheng, if you talk any more nonsense, I'm going to get angry!"

…

"Hehe, I'm not talking nonsense, I'm just afraid that if I say it directly, you won't be able to handle it!"

Zheng Tianpeng chuckled twice, then suddenly asked, "Twenty-four years ago, a crazy monk suddenly appeared in the Imperial City, do you remember?"

"The crazy monk from twenty-four years ago?"

Song Kaijiang only recalled it for a moment before remembering. "Of course I remember, I hadn't retired yet back then, I personally led troops to besiege him…"

Speaking of this, Song Kaijiang recalled his military career, but when his military career was linked to that crazy monk, it suddenly didn't smell so good.

"Ah, that crazy monk was really powerful, I still have lingering fears even after all these years."

Song Kaijiang sighed, then didn't say anything more.

Because in the end, he was defeated, and it was precisely because of that defeat that he ended up retiring early.

Otherwise, the Song family's position wouldn't have been at the bottom of the five great families.

Zhao Yuanjie's eyes lit up and said, "I remember too, that crazy monk, tsk tsk tsk, I've never seen anyone so powerful!"

"It seems that the chief of the Imperial City's Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jiū Qiānsuì (Nine Thousand Years), personally took action to suppress that crazy monk in the end."

As soon as Zhao Yuanjie finished speaking, Wang Xuedao retorted, "You're wrong, it was Jiū Qiānsuì and Superior Gāndào working together who suppressed that crazy monk… Lao Zheng, why did you suddenly bring up that crazy monk, he wouldn't be in Fahua Temple, would he?"

Wang Xuedao's guess made everyone's eyes burn with excitement as they all looked at Zheng Tianpeng.

Zheng Tianpeng smiled kindly and admitted, "That's right, after that crazy monk was defeated, he was sealed in Fahua Temple, listening to the monks of Fahua Temple chanting scriptures every day, receiving the purification of Buddhism."

"In recent years, he is no longer as crazy as he used to be, and he listens to Grandmaster Yuandian's words."

"I have already asked Grandmaster Yuandian for help, and Grandmaster Yuandian has agreed to my request, but only this once, but I think once is enough, no matter how strong Chen Xiao is, he will not be a match for the crazy monk."

After hearing Zheng Tianpeng's words, everyone was greatly encouraged, and the big stone in their hearts was finally lifted.

"Eh? That's not right, you just said that the crazy monk was sealed by Jiū Qiānsuì and Superior Gāndào working together. Although Grandmaster Yuandian can influence his madness, I'm afraid he can't undo his seal, right?"

Zhao Yuanjie suddenly found a loophole in Zheng Tianpeng's words.

Everyone agreed, after all, Grandmaster Yuandian was just a respected monk with no strength to even truss a chicken, how could he possibly undo a seal created by two great experts working together?

"Hehe, the seal was naturally not undone by Grandmaster Yuandian."

"The seal was undone by the crazy monk himself."

Zheng Tianpeng seemed to have expected someone to ask this and said casually, "As far as I know, his strength is more than ten times stronger than it was back then!"