Chapter 1079: The Intent to Kill (I)

As the night deepened, not only did people feel exhausted, but even the bright stars and moon hanging in the sky gradually dimmed. The dark world, shrouded in endless weariness, was extremely bleak, extremely quiet, and extremely cool... like a cloud of fog, a pool of stagnant water, and a wisp of cold wind.

Accompanied by Murong Bai and Deng Quan, Xie Xuan walked from the inner court to the shore of Ningcui Lake. Along the way, they "tacitly" looked at each other's noses, noses at mouths, and mouths at hearts, without saying a word.

"Cough cough!"

Standing by the lake and looking around, Xie Xuan saw that there was no one around and it was as quiet as death. His vigilant eyes relaxed a little, and he broke the silence between the three of them with a tired and hoarse voice: "Xunzhen has seen through the current situation and knows that we are not in harmony with Teng Sanshi and Xiao Zhirou, so he deliberately played a trick of 'playing hard to get' in front of me, intending to tie me tightly to their boat."

"Since the Palace Master is very observant, why should he be led by her? He can just... take advantage of the situation and completely draw a line between himself and the Young Prince of Qin." Murong Bai said angrily, "Today, the positions and attitudes of the various factions in the martial arts world are very clear. They will never accept a person who is entangled with foreign races and making decisions in the Central Plains martial arts world. Therefore, if the Young Master wants to lead the Xianwang Palace to make a comeback, he will have to solve this problem sooner or later."

"That's right!" Deng Quan agreed. "If Xunzhen wants to leave, then let him leave. This will save us from having to chase him away in the future."

"I, Xie, know this truth. But... Xunzhen is extremely smart. She dares to cheat me at this critical moment. Even if she agrees, I will not let her go."

"Why?"

"Alas!" Xie Xuan said bitterly, "You don't know, just now in the inner court... Xiao Zhirou asked me to take Xunyi back to Jueqing Valley directly."

"what?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Murong Bai and Deng Quan felt nervous and looked indignant.

"How can Xiao Zhirou be so selfish..."

"I guess that taking Xunyi away is not just Xiao Zhirou's idea, but also Teng Sanshi's wish." Xie Xuan said with a wry smile, "Although I have righteously rejected her unreasonable request, I am not sure whether Xiao Zhirou is willing to accept it, and whether Teng Sanshi has any tricks up his sleeve... "

"That's why the Palace Master tried his best to retain Xunzhen, in order to get her to help us keep the Young Master." Murong Bai suddenly realized.

"Xunzhen worked so hard to 'send' Liu Xunyi back to the Xianwang Mansion, he will definitely not watch his hard work go to waste. Teng Sanshi has always valued his reputation. If Xunyi was not his grandson, I am afraid he would rather die than have anything to do with Shao Qinwang." Xie Xuan nodded lightly, "Right now, we need Xunzhen's help, and likewise... she also needs our support. It is hard to part with each other. Xunzhen and I both know this very well."

"Yes!" Deng Quan said helplessly, "Qingfeng is dead, and the common enemy between us, Teng Sanshi, and Xiao Zhirou has disappeared. What will follow is an inevitable 'internal fight'. At present, Teng Sanshi is not only the patriarch of the Xiangxi Teng tribe, but also temporarily serves as the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world. His strength and influence cannot be underestimated."

Seeing Xie Xuan and Deng Quan's worried faces, Murong rolled his eyes and said comfortingly, "You don't have to be too pessimistic. I believe that with the young master mediating, this 'internal fight' will not get to the point where it cannot be resolved. In any case, the Xianwang Mansion, Jueqing Valley, and Xiangxi Teng Clan have become real 'in-laws' because of the young master. As the saying goes, 'family is family after all, broken bones are connected'. As long as the young master inherits the family business of the Xianwang Mansion, no matter how much we 'fight' with Teng Sanshi and Xiao Zhirou, it will be a family matter. Even if the family quarrels behind closed doors, it will never benefit outsiders."

"That makes sense." After hearing Murong Bai's consolation, Deng Quan's depressed mood gradually eased a little, and he joked, "If the people from all walks of life were not afraid of us being 'one family', they wouldn't have tried their best to sneak into Danfeng Garden tonight. They stuff money and gifts, and even the guards at the gate have become their objects of flattery. Haha... When the Palace Master was alive, he was like the moon surrounded by stars, and his glory was no more than this."

Hearing this, Murong Bai's mind moved, and he moved closer to Xie Xuan and Deng Quan, and said meaningfully: "At present, the leaders of various martial arts sects have settled in Danfeng Garden. They have sent people to pass on messages to me. One is to care about the young master's injury, and the other is... hope to have a private chat with the palace master."

"It's as expected." Xie Xuan smiled indifferently, "Before the 'Anti-Traitor Conference', most of these well-known and upright sects were not on the same side as us. Some of them fawned on the powerful and followed Qingfeng's lead. Some of them stood by and watched, trying to laugh at our jokes. The current result is far beyond their expectations. Xunyi has single-handedly affected the Xianwang Mansion, Jueqing Valley, Longxiang Mountain, Sanyi Gang, Xiangxi Teng Clan, Hexi Qin Clan... plus the Xilu Wuzong who is as powerful as a tiger. Who in the Central Plains martial arts world dares to compete with such a huge and complex force? If they don't restore peace with us as soon as possible while the situation is not stable, are they going to wait for us to settle accounts with them later?"

"Among them, Qingcheng and Emei sent people to pass on the message fourteen times, and Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, and Shuzhong Tang Sect each sent people to pass on the message seventeen times. However, the most eager person was Lu Tingxiang from the Jiangnan Lu Mansion. In just one or two hours, he sent people to pass on the message thirty-two times, just to find a chance to talk to the mansion master alone." While speaking, Murong Bai had already cast an inquiring look at Xie Xuan who seemed to be thinking about something, and tentatively asked, "I wonder what the mansion master thinks?"

"In the past, Lu Tingxiang, in order to seek the position of deputy leader of the Central Plains Wulin, repeatedly plotted to murder Xunyi, and his means were despicable. In terms of the grudges he had with us... he is far more hateful than Zuo Hongxuan and Miao An." Xie Xuan pondered, "Now, this boy has repeatedly shown us his courtesy without caring about Jin Fuyu's consideration. Perhaps... he has some intention of 'making up for his sins with merits'. But apart from that, there is no guarantee that he will not have other intentions. When the Lord of the Palace was alive, he once commented that this boy was a hypocritical hypocrite. Don't look at his well-dressed and handsome appearance. In fact, he is treacherous and cunning, full of evil intentions, and especially likes to change his attitude according to the situation and add insult to injury. In the past few years, he has been wavering between the Xianwang Palace and the Jinjianwu. His character and virtue are a world away from his father. Xie despises this person from the bottom of his heart and really doesn't want to get too close to him."

"Lu Tingxiang is so fickle, we don't need to pay attention to him..."

"No!" Xie Xuan interrupted the indignant Deng Quan and thought, "Xun Yi has just returned to the Xianwang Mansion. The overall situation is not stable yet. It is not appropriate to make enemies, especially not to offend a mean person like Lu Tingxiang. I think it is enough to play along with people like Lu Tingxiang and be open and honest... There is no need for that."

"Then tonight..."

"Since it's just a casual affair, we have to do it openly and aboveboard." Xie Xuan sneered, "Meeting in private will inevitably arouse suspicion. I'll find a chance to reminisce with him, Zuo Hongxuan, and Miao An tomorrow." "The mansion master means... not to meet anyone tonight?"

"No!" Xie Xuan said seriously, "I only saw one person tonight."

"Who?"

"Shaolin Abbot, Xuanming!"

"Why?"

"Because of Wu Shuang."

"This……"

Seeing Murong Bai and Deng Quan looking confused, Xie Xuan smiled slyly and explained, "I'm very curious, what is the connection between Wu Shuang and Shaolin? What did he write in the secret letter that changed Xuan Ming's attitude today?"

"This……"

"There's more!" Xie Xuan frowned slightly, and while telling Murong Bai and Deng Quan what he was thinking, he gradually fell into memories. "Wu Shuang first appeared at the martial arts conference. He secretly exchanged the 'paper sign' to help the mansion master successfully advance to the first competition. Therefore, the mansion master was able to win the championship in the martial arts conference, and he also contributed a lot. The mansion master once asked Wu Shuang why he helped him, and Wu Shuang replied, 'Because the mansion master has helped someone before, he was just entrusted by that person.' Therefore, I want to find out for the mansion master what kind of intricate connection he has with Wu Shuang? Who is the person who was helped by the mansion master mentioned by Wu Shuang?"

Murong Bai seemed to understand what he heard, and asked hesitantly, "Could it be that Xuanming knows these secrets?"

"I don't know how much Xuanming knows about Wu Shuang's secrets." Xie Xuan answered frankly, "But he must know more than me. More importantly, if Wu Shuang really has some unknown connection with the Xianwang Mansion, it would be a good thing for us."

"Good news?" Deng Quan was stunned. "Wu Shuang is Yeluqin's son. The Palace Master wouldn't want to bring him into the Xianwang Palace, right?"

"Of course not! What I mean is that knowing yourself and knowing your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. The more we know about the people around the young King Qin, the easier it will be for us to grasp the scale when dealing with them in the future."

"That makes sense..."

"We can't rush into Wu Shuang's matter. We need to investigate it bit by bit. You don't have to worry too much about the situation in Danfeng Garden. I have my own way to deal with it." Xie Xuan waved his hands absentmindedly, the smile on his face gradually faded, and his words became cautious and solemn. "The most urgent matter... I have a more important task for you to do."

"what's up?"

"Tell me about the news from the Xianwang Mansion first." Facing Murong Bai and Deng Quan who were full of suspicion, Xie Xuan changed the subject and asked instead, "Did Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang remnants do anything unusual?"

"This……"

Murong Bai and Deng Quan looked at each other, both of them seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if they had some reservations.

"There are no outsiders here, so just say what you need to say. There's no need to hide anything."

"Yes." Under Xie Xuan's impatient urging, Deng Quan's eyes straightened and he answered with his hands clasped. "Reporting to the Palace Master, according to the news spread by the disciples who stayed in the palace, after Ling Xiaoxiao returned to the Xianwang Mansion, she first sent people to set up the mourning hall, and then sent people to build coffins to contain the bodies of Qingfeng, Yan Bugui and the dead Wudang disciples. She settled the Wudang people in the guest house to rest, and returned to the inner courtyard alone to pack up things. Even dinner was eaten separately, and there was no gathering to plot. Judging from their actions, Ling Xiaoxiao had no intention of waiting for an opportunity for revenge, nor did she intend to occupy the magpie's nest. It is expected that... they planned to mourn Qingfeng and Yan Bugui in the Xianwang Mansion, and then carry the coffins back to Wudang."

……

(End of this chapter)