Chapter 1080: The Intent to Kill (Part )
"Expect?" Xie Xuan frowned, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, "Whose 'expect'? You are not the worm in Ling Xiaoxiao's stomach, how do you know what she is planning?"

"This..." After being questioned by Xie Xuan, Deng Quan quickly apologized, "This matter... is indeed my wishful thinking. I was not thoughtful enough. I hope the Palace Master will punish me."

"Ling Xiaoxiao is greedy, selfish, sinister and vicious. How could she give up after such a great defeat? If she knew how to restrain herself, the Palace Master would not be killed, and the Xianwang Palace would not have fallen to this point today." Xie Xuan looked up at the calm lake and said meaningfully, "Although Qingfeng is dead, the foundation of Wudang is still there. Ling Xiaoxiao will never let down her guard, and the people of Wudang hate us to the core. There is no guarantee that they will not take risks out of desperation. Therefore, we must not take Ling Xiaoxiao and Wudang lightly. Tell Lin Fangda and the disciples who stayed in the palace to keep a close eye on their every move day and night. Send more people to lurk around the Xianwang Palace to ensure that we can receive news from the palace in time."

"Don't worry, Lord. I will do my best on this matter..."

"What I want is not to do my best, but to be absolutely sure." Xie Xuan interrupted Deng Quan's confident words in an unquestionable tone, "Don't think that everything will be fine if Qingfeng dies. As long as we don't root out the problem, the Xianwang Mansion will never have peace."

"Master of the Palace!"

Murong Bai, who was worried, became even more conflicted after hearing the conversation between Xie Xuan and Deng Quan. He hesitated for a long time before he stammered, "We have violated the wishes of the young master by snooping into the news of the Xianwang Mansion without authorization. If we send more people to lurk around the Xianwang Mansion... wouldn't we be throwing the young master's orders behind our backs? It might even be suspected of... pretending to obey but actually disobeying. If the young master knew that we were spying on Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang people behind his back... I'm afraid it would be difficult to explain. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to take over his job?"

"This..." Hearing Murong Bai's concerns, Deng Quan, who realized it belatedly, couldn't help but feel speechless. He subconsciously cast his gaze towards Xie Xuan who was deep in thought and said, "In fact, the young master would not agree that we would hold Ling Xiaoxiao hostage..."

"There is a question that I have never been able to figure out. For you, is it more beneficial to have loyal ministers or virtuous ministers?" Xie Xuan stared at the Ningcui Lake, which was as smooth and flat as dark amber, and muttered to himself with an inexplicable meaning, "When the Lord of the Palace was alive, Xie had never thought about such an annoying question. Because in front of the Northern Sage King, 'loyalty' is 'virtue', and 'virtue' is 'loyalty'. The Northern Sage King is meticulous, cautious, far-sighted, and has no plans left out. He always anticipates the enemy and hits the key points with every move. There is no need for us 'subjects' to bother to consider whether his orders are right or wrong, let alone worry about whether his decisions will lay hidden dangers for the future. It's a pity that not everyone in the world is the Northern Sage King, and not everyone has a wisdom as shocking as the Northern Sage King. Even the Northern Sage King's own flesh and blood...it is difficult to be perfect."

"This……"

"The three of us have served the Northern Sage King for many years, and have experienced ups and downs together, and life and death, at least eight hundred times. Therefore, we should be called brothers who share life and death and are loyal to each other. At this quiet night, Xie might as well open his heart to the two brothers and say a few words from the bottom of his heart."

Having said this, Xie Xuan suddenly turned around, staring at Murong Bai and Deng Quan who were looking at each other with a pair of eyes that flickered, and said in a secretive manner: "In fact, Xunyi and I have different opinions on the 'evil thoughts' of Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang remnants. As for their 'final destination', Xunyi and I have completely opposite ideas. At the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference', if Murong Bai had not advised me to judge the situation, I would not have let Xunyi act on his own accord, and I would not have let the tiger go back to the mountain and ruin the overall situation."

Murong Bai seemed to hear something strange in Xie Xuan's words, and hurriedly said, "We understand the feelings of the Palace Master, but the Young Master has ordered..."

"Since we are Xunyi's uncle, we should share his worries and help him solve his problems." Xie Xuan interrupted Murong Bai's defense without any hesitation, and said righteously, "At the critical moment, the three of us must say what he wants to say but cannot say, and do what he wants to do but cannot do. Leave the reputation of 'good man' to Xunyi, and as for the infamy of 'evil man'... it is undoubtedly our responsibility. In this way, we can be worthy of the heroic spirit of the Northern Wise King in heaven and live up to the trust of the first lord."

"I want to say something but can't, I want to do something but can't..." Deng Quan was shocked by Xie Xuan's impassioned speech, "The mansion master is talking about..."

"In fact, after returning from the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference', I have been thinking over and over again, weighing the pros and cons, trying to convince myself to obey Xun Yi's decision, but the more I thought about it, the more worried and scared I became. In the end... I couldn't get over the hurdle in my heart. Therefore, I think there are some things that must be done without hesitation and without regard for one's own safety. Ling Xiaoxiao and the remnants of Wudang..." At this point, Xie Xuan's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his tone was as cold as ice, "They must be eliminated as soon as possible!"

"what?"

When Xie Xuan said this, Murong Bai and Deng Quan were all shocked and took a breath of cold air.

Murong Bai suppressed his inner fear and asked cautiously, "What is the mansion master talking about...what if Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang people are plotting something bad?"

"No!" Xie Xuan decisively broke Murong Bai's fantasy and said pointedly, "No matter whether Ling Xiaoxiao and Wudang have any ill intentions, we cannot keep them. We must strike first."

"The Lord of the Palace asked us to disobey the orders of the Young Master. This..."

"The Palace Master has clearly promised the Young Master, how can he go back on his word..." At this moment, Murong Bai and Deng Quan were caught off guard and became confused and incoherent.

"Human relations, face, reputation, glory... Xunyi has already obtained everything he wanted at the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference'. Everyone in the world remembers his chivalrous spirit and benevolent heart. Now, let him continue to be his 'righteous gentleman', and we will privately help the Xianwang Mansion eliminate the biggest threat and put an end to all worries. This... is exactly the important task I want to give you." Xie Xuan's words were sonorous and resounding. "If everything goes well, no one will know about it, and everyone will be happy. But if there are any mistakes... we will bear the responsibility alone, and it has nothing to do with Xunyi."

"Master, please think twice!" Murong Bai suddenly woke up from his trance and urged impatiently, "Although Xunyi is now the young master of the Xianwang Mansion, he will be the master of the Xianwang Mansion soon. If we are accused of going back on our word, how can he, as the 'head of the family', escape responsibility? I think this matter is absolutely unacceptable..."

"At worst... let Xunyi behead the three of us and let us apologize to the world." Xie Xuan waved his hand nonchalantly, "As long as we can clear the obstacles for the rise of the Xianwang Mansion, what's the joy of living? What's the fear of death? We should not avoid doing things that we should do just because we are afraid of death."

"You are wrong, Lord! It is not that we are afraid of death, but that the young master has repeatedly ordered us not to kill Ling Xiaoxiao and Wudang. As disciples of the Xianwang Mansion, how can we go against the master?" Murong Bai argued, "Lord, how do you know that the young master really wants those false fame and fortune? How do you know that the young master 'wants to say but cannot say', 'wants to do but cannot do'? We have not yet seen through the young master's true intentions, but we act on our own initiative 'for him'. This... is no different from usurping power?"

"presumptuous!"

Xie Xuan seemed to be irritated by Murong Bai's argument. His fiery eyes instantly turned cold, causing Murong Bai, who was still talking incessantly, to change his expression. His Adam's apple moved slightly subconsciously, and he swallowed hard, as if he was trying his best to calm his uneasy mood.

"Master, that's not what I meant..."

"I, Xie, would risk my life for the overall interests of the Xianwang Mansion, and you... actually slandered me for usurping power?" Xie Xuan laughed in anger, his laughter full of loss and grief, "I admit that your loyalty to the young master is commendable. But you must understand that the young master is not the Northern Xianwang after all, and he can't make plans and win battles thousands of miles away like the Northern Xianwang. He is young and impulsive now, and he will inevitably run into obstacles everywhere and suffer in the unpredictable world. If we want to help If he wants to gain a firm foothold in the Central Plains martial arts world, he must give timely advice and bold corrections as a "veteran". As the old saying goes, "The offense of the elder monarch is small, but the offense of the younger monarch is great". Murong Bai, you know that Xunyi is too kind-hearted and not well-thought-out, but you blindly obey him without considering right and wrong, which will only make him more and more self-righteous and stubborn. If you are so "faithless" that only cares about the superior and the inferior, and does not care about right and wrong, it will sooner or later kill Xunyi and the Xianwang Mansion. "

"I……"

"What the Palace Master said is very true and reasonable. This matter... the Young Master's consideration is indeed inappropriate." Xie Xuan's lofty speech gradually won the approval of Deng Quan. "In fact, we don't need to let the Young Master know. We can set up an ambush for Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang disciples on their way south, without anyone noticing..."

Having said this, Deng Quan waved his hand and lightly stroked his neck, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. We are helping Xunyi make amends for his mistakes..."

Seeing Murong Bai's frown and hesitation, Xie Xuan, feeling disheartened, could not help but sigh bitterly: "Forget it! I spoke frankly to you tonight because I regard you as a brother with whom I can talk about anything. As brothers, we will not force you to do anything. If you have a grudge and are unwilling to betray your master, just pretend that you didn't hear anything tonight. I won't blame you. Let Deng Quan handle this matter alone, and I believe... it will also succeed."

"no problem……"

"and many more!"

Before Deng Quan could happily agree, Murong Bai, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly made up his mind and bowed to Xie Xuan: "I just spoke out of turn, I hope the Palace Master will not blame me. You treat me like a brother, how can I not appreciate your kindness?"

After saying this, Murong Bai cast a complicated look at the overjoyed Deng Quan. After pondering for a long time, he finally put aside all distracting thoughts and spoke resolutely: "Although Qingfeng is dead, Wudang still has two masters, Gu Ri and Gu Yue, in charge. If you go alone, it will be extremely dangerous if something goes wrong. I... will go with you!"

……

(End of this chapter)