Chapter 107: Return to the Sea (Part )

It was the middle of the night, the hour of Yin was approaching, and the dim candlelight was still flickering in Luo Tianjin's study.

There was an invitation on the desk. Luo Tianjin's eyes were deep and his face was thoughtful. I wonder what he was thinking about?
"Brother Jin, it's almost dawn." Ling Xiaoxiao stayed by Luo Tianjin's side all night long, never leaving. Looking at her husband with a frown on his face, Ling Xiaoxiao felt uneasy as if a huge rock was hanging in her heart.

Ling Xiaoxiao walked around to Luo Tianjin's side, massaging his shoulders and whispering, "The farce at the East Sea Teahouse has not yet ended. If we rashly send Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi to Luoyang, Wang Xutong and his son will inevitably become suspicious."

"The person Wang Xutong really wants to see tomorrow night is me. As for the two juniors, they are just an excuse." Luo Tianjin said indifferently, "And Liu Xunyi's performance today is really a bit strange. This boy is sometimes smart and sometimes confused. He once went to the Western Regions alone and was fearless and at ease in a place where good and bad people mixed together. From this point of view, he is definitely not a reckless and impulsive person. But this time in the East China Sea Tea House, he was short-sighted and acted rashly. He even followed Lin Fangda to make trouble, as if he did it on purpose..." At this point, Luo Tianjin couldn't help shaking his head and muttered to himself, "This is not like the Liu Xunyi I remember! So if he appears in Tianxiang Tower tomorrow night, I am afraid that not only will it not resolve the conflict, but it may even cause more trouble."

Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly realized, "After all, the root cause is still Liu Xunyi. He is the reason for our success and failure. Brother Jin, you even figured out his temper so clearly, it's really rare." Somehow, when Ling Xiaoxiao said this, there was a hint of inexplicable sourness in her tone, and she said in a yin-yang tone, "I have never seen you teach Xuan'er so attentively on weekdays. I really don't understand why you care so much about Liu Xunyi, an outsider? Brother Jin, don't forget that Xuan'er is your only son."

As if he could hear the resentment in Ling Xiaoxiao's words, Luo Tianjin was slightly stunned, then burst into laughter, and suddenly stretched out his hand to hug Ling Xiaoxiao, who was pretending to be unhappy, around the waist, patted her belly lightly, and said jokingly: "Then why don't you give me a few more sons? This way you won't talk about Xuan'er all day long."

"Brother Jin, you are so frivolous!" Ling Xiaoxiao's cheeks flushed instantly. She quickly pushed Luo Tianjin's arm away, took a step back, and said angrily, "You and I are already this old, and you still say these sneering words? What will happen if our children hear it?"

"You and I are legitimately married, so what's wrong with talking about private matters?" Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "Madam's appearance at this moment is still the same as the 'little sister' I knew more than 20 years ago, reluctant to refuse but also willing, and extremely shy."

"Bah!" Ling Xiaoxiao spat and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Wang Qingshu has a very bad reputation. Unlike his father, this young prince is a very calculative person and cannot stand the slightest loss. I'm afraid... even if Wang Xutong doesn't care about this matter, Wang Qingshu may not let it go."

"This is another reason why I arranged for Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi to leave Luoyang temporarily." Luo Tianjin replied with no objection, "The current situation is in chaos, and we are in Luoyang, which is full of dangers. I don't know how many people are secretly eyeing us, so at this time, we must not be enemies with the Mongolian court, and it is best not to provoke these Mongolian dignitaries. Wang Qingshu is a self-righteous dandy. If he sees Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi tomorrow night, he will definitely make things difficult for them. And with Lin Fangda's stubborn temper, he will definitely turn against him. As for Liu Xunyi..." Luo Tianjin's words paused, and he hesitated and pondered, "Although he voluntarily offered tea to admit his mistakes, it seems that he is considering the overall situation, but I always have a strange feeling... I feel that with him around, the conflict between the Xianwang Mansion and the General's Mansion will only become deeper and deeper..."

"So Brother Jin asked them to leave Luoyang City temporarily. First, to let them avoid the attack from the Wang family father and son, and second, to prevent any unexpected disaster from happening in Tianxiang Tower tomorrow night." Ling Xiaoxiao is very smart and she heard the hidden meaning in Luo Tianjin's words in a moment.

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin nodded and smiled, "It was originally just an insignificant farce, but if they refuse to give in and keep arguing, it might turn into a bloody disaster. Since they can't do anything to Wang Qingshu, it's better to avoid his edge for the time being, as the saying goes, 'turn a big thing into a small thing and a small thing into nothing', so as to avoid hurting the harmony."

After that, Luo Tianjin turned his gaze to the invitation on the desk and said with a half-smile, "Mr. Pan's birthday is coming soon. It would be most appropriate to send Xuan'er to attend this event, but now I hope Xuan'er can go with me to meet Wang Xutong, so that he can take the opportunity to increase his knowledge. Therefore, it is difficult to pick out a suitable candidate for the time being, so I will simply hand this matter over to Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi."

"Mr. Pan's birthday? In previous years, we just sent some birthday gifts to show our sincerity. Even for his 80th birthday three years ago, we only sent gifts. Why do we have to send someone specially to celebrate his birthday this year?" Ling Xiaoxiao asked in confusion.

Luo Tianjin reached out and gently touched Ling Xiaoxiao's nose, reminding her: "Did Madam forget the ten-year agreement between the Pan family and the Qin family? Hehe..."

"Bang bang bang!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi walked into the study room one after another. They both looked confused, and it was obvious that they were still confused about leaving Luoyang.

"Master of the Palace..."

"Keep this invitation."

Before Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda could kowtow, Luo Tianjin had already thrown the invitation on the table into Lin Fangda's hands. Lin Fangda quickly glanced at it and saw the five flamboyant characters "Yingchuan Pan Chuba" in the signature, and the doubt in his eyes became more intense.

"Palace Master, this is..."

"Mr. Pan's birthday is coming soon. You two should go to Yingchuan on my behalf to wish Mr. Pan a happy birthday."

Liu Xunyi couldn't help but frown upon hearing this, and whispered to Lin Fangda, "Brother, who is this Mr. Pan Ba?" "I only know that Mr. Pan Ba ​​is an old friend of the mansion master, and he was once a hero in the martial arts world." Lin Fangda answered ambiguously, "But he has rarely been around in the martial arts world for decades. I heard that he changed his career to do business, so I don't know much about him."

Luo Tianjin pointed at Liu Xunyi and said with a smile, "Master Pan is now a real businessman. Therefore, few of you young people have heard of his name. It's not surprising that you don't know him. He was born on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. His parents were illiterate, so they named him 'Pan Chuba'. He has been running a shipping business in Yingchuan for decades. Now he is successful and wealthy, so friends who are familiar with him will respect him as 'Master Pan'. By the way, Master Pan and Mr. Shen of Dongshan Company are also business friends."

Liu Xunyi looked at the invitation, still with some confusion in his eyes, and murmured to himself: "I thought that the people who made friends in the Xianwang Mansion were all fellow martial artists, but I didn't expect that among the friends of the mansion master, there would be such a rich man."

"Although Mr. Pan is now a recluse, has stopped socializing and rarely interacts with friends in the martial arts world, he was once a martial artist after all." Ling Xiaoxiao said, "You may not know Mr. Pan, but if I mention his fellow disciples, I'm sure you must have heard of him."

"Please explain clearly, Madam."

"Ba Dao Qin Gang."

"hiss!"

When Ling Xiaoxiao said this, Liu Xunyi was shocked and asked in surprise, "The 'tyrant sword' that Madam just mentioned is the founder of one of the four great martial arts families... Hexi Qin Clan, Qin Gang?"

"That's the man." Luo Tianjin replied, "Master Pan and Qin Gang were fellow disciples and brothers. They both belonged to the 'Guihai Dao Sect' back then."

"Guihai Sword Sect...Guihai Sword Sect..." Liu Xunyi frowned and repeated silently, "I have heard people mention this long-lost sect. It is said that the swordsmanship of Guihai Sword Sect is unrivaled in the world, and its unique swordsmanship is even known as the 'ancestor of all swords'. However, Guihai Sword Sect has disappeared from the martial arts world for decades, and its unique swordsmanship has long been lost. How could it be..."

"It has been a whole sixty years since the Guihai Sword Sect declined." Luo Tianjin sighed, "You only know that the Guihai Sword Sect declined, but do you know why it declined?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda both looked curious.

Luo Tianjin explained, "Because of internal strife. In fact, the Guihai Sword Sect back then was divided into the Yin and Yang branches. The Yin branch believed that the essence of swordsmanship lies in the inner cultivation of yin and softness. The Yang branch believed that the essence of swordsmanship lies in the outer cultivation of gang and fierceness. The Yin and Yang branches each had their own supporters, and they have been arguing for many years. Later, it even evolved to the point where the Yin and Yang branches would openly compete at the Sect Leader Conference every ten years. The winning side would be able to nominate a new Sect Leader and take charge of the life and death of the Guihai Sword Sect for the next ten years. The losing side would be suppressed when the opportunity arises. Until sixty-five years ago, Mu Sheng, the last Sect Leader of the Guihai Sword Sect, came to power. He was shocked by the good, hated the evil, was quick-witted, and had unparalleled wisdom and courage. Especially in terms of martial arts attainments, he was a natural genius that only appears once in a hundred years. When Mu Sheng took over the position of Sect Leader, he was only thirty years old. He was in his prime and had achieved great success."

"I never thought there would be such a strange person in the world?" Liu Xunyi exclaimed subconsciously.

Luo Tianjin smiled faintly and continued, "Mu Sheng was originally from the Yin branch, but he was determined to resolve the prejudices between the Yin and Yang branches that had accumulated for hundreds of years and vowed to unify the Sea Sword Sect. Although his ambition was good, he acted too hastily. Under his leadership, the Yin and Yang branches were in conflict with each other, scheming against each other, and there were also treacherous people who sowed discord and plotted frequently, causing the conflict between the Yin and Yang branches to become more and more serious."

Looking at Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda with surprised faces, Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly said, "So in the third year of Mu Sheng's ascension, the hatred between the Yin and Yang branches had reached an irreconcilable point. The resentment of the two disciples broke out, and the fight changed from secret to open, and even evolved into a fight. At that time, Mu Sheng had no power to turn the tide, and could only watch the Guihai Sword Sect being destroyed in his hands. Due to exhaustion and anger, Mu Sheng fell ill and died after struggling for two years. Before he died, he handed the upper and lower volumes of "Guihai Sword Technique" to his two most beloved disciples, and told them that if they wanted to practice "Guihai Sword Technique" to perfection, they must practice both inside and outside, and harmonize Yin and Yang to achieve perfection. He also asked the two disciples to revive the Guihai Sword Sect for him after completing their merits."

Before Ling Xiaoxiao finished speaking, Luo Tianjin suddenly sneered and said contemptuously, "But Mu Sheng never thought until his death that his two most trusted disciples would be the initiators of this catastrophe. They have always followed Mu Sheng, but have never truly supported him. On the contrary, they have long been incorporated into the Yin and Yang branches respectively, pretending to be harmonious in front of Mu Sheng, but in fact they are secretly competing with each other, only recognizing their own branch as the Guihai Sect, and doing everything possible to exclude dissidents. This internal strife is tantamount to severing the meridians for the Guihai Sword Sect, and the martial arts sect that has stood for a hundred years has fallen apart. Within just a few months after Mu Sheng's death, the Guihai Sword Sect, which was once famous all over the world, completely disappeared from this world."

A story from the past in Jianghu made Liu Xunyi feel mixed emotions and deeply touched. Lin Fangda was even more stunned after hearing it, and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

Suddenly, Liu Xunyi's expression changed, and then he looked at Luo Tianjin with shock, muttering: "If I'm not mistaken, one of the two disciples who betrayed Senior Mu Sheng was Qin Gang, the 'ancestor of the Qin family'. The other one was... the one who sent out the invitation, 'Yingchuan Pan Chuba'."

……

(End of this chapter)