Chapter 1110: The Heart of the Old Minister (I)

"Palace Master, are we just going to let Lu Tingxiang and the others off so easily?"

In the afternoon, Xie Xuan, who had personally gone out of the city to see off Lu Tingxiang, Zuo Hongxuan and Miao'an, walked through the streets and alleys accompanied by Su Tang, Luo Qi and more than a dozen disciples of the Xianwang Mansion, and walked towards the direction of Danfeng Garden at a leisurely pace.

"What do you think?"

"What I mean is...letting the tiger go back to the mountains will bring endless troubles." Su Tang explained, "Palace Master, don't forget that they are Jin Fuyu's loyal supporters and will definitely become our strong enemies in the future."

"In fact, this move of the Palace Master... I am also a little confused." Luo Qi echoed, "Since Lu Tingxiang and the others are shamelessly showing us goodwill, why doesn't the Palace Master take advantage of the situation and recruit Qingcheng, Emei, and the Lu family for his own use?"

"You think too simply of Lu Tingxiang, Zuo Hongxuan and Miao An. You want to use them, but you don't know that they are also calculating against you." Xie Xuan said lightly, "There is no such thing as a free lunch. Why do they lower their status and kowtow to us? Why do they abandon the dignity of the 'leader of a faction' and flatter Xunyi, a junior? In the final analysis, they consider their own interests and the long-term plan of the three families. On the surface, they are sincere and take the initiative to show weakness to us. In fact, all they pay is a smile and a few insignificant flattery, but what they want to get from us is real and tangible benefits."

"This……"

"This is like a business. They invest one or two taels of capital in us, and they must earn back ten, a hundred, or a thousand taels." Seeing Luo Qi and Su Tang thoughtful, Xie Xuan continued to add, "At present, we have 'old friends' such as Jueqing Valley, Longxiang Mountain, Sanyi Gang, Xiangxi Teng Clan, and Hexi Qin Clan, as well as 'new friends' such as Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, and Tang Sect. In addition, the emerging Xilu Wuzong, our own business is enough to make a lot of money. There is no need to let Lu Tingxiang and others get involved, and there is no need to give them a share of the pie for nothing. What's more, they are ambiguous with Jin Fuyu. If they have any ill intentions, wouldn't we be digging our own graves if we rashly entrust them with our confidants? There is a saying that 'when two powers are mutually beneficial, choose the more important one; when two powers are mutually detrimental, choose the lesser one'. We repeatedly weighed and considered, and finally decided that it is not worth taking risks for them, so it is better to stay away from them."

"Since the Palace Master doesn't trust them, why not just cut off the roots?"

"One wave has not yet subsided, another wave rises, and chaos often arises from this. We overcame all difficulties to overthrow Qingfeng at the "Anti-Traitor Conference", which is bound to set off a huge uproar in the Central Plains martial arts world. Although the heroes of the world do not say it, they are more or less dissatisfied with us in their hearts. The current situation is unstable, from the famous and upright sects to the gangsters, from the Mongolian Tatars in the north to the Song Dynasty in the south, all are watching and waiting for an opportunity to act. As long as there is a slight movement in Luoyang City, those who do not want us to "stand out" will definitely take advantage of the situation and rush in. After all, after a unique "Anti-Traitor Conference", the pattern of the Central Plains martial arts world has undergone earth-shaking changes. Except for ourselves, no one wants a 'giant' with unprecedented power and strength to appear in the martial arts world, because its appearance will inevitably pose a huge threat to the rule of the court and the balance of the martial arts world. Therefore, people with ulterior motives hope that the situation will continue to be chaotic so that they can profit from it. But for us, the top priority is not to eliminate dissidents, but to stabilize the situation and calm down this storm as soon as possible. As for Lu Tingxiang, Zuo Hongxuan and Miao An...if they can distinguish the pros and cons and judge the situation, they should hide their light and hide their spirits after returning, and don't try to cling to Jin Fuyu and oppose us, so as to avoid being caught in the crossfire."

Looking at Xie Xuan's righteous words, Luo Qi frowned and said hesitantly: "Excuse me for asking, is this what the Palace Master meant? Or... is it what Master Xiao and Chief Teng meant?"

"These are not the opinions of a certain person, but the general trend." Xie Xuan replied, "If we unite, we will coexist, but if we separate, we will perish. On this point, I have reached an agreement with Xun Yi, Master Xiao, and Chief Teng."

"From what the Palace Master said, has the Xianwang Palace, Jueqing Valley, and Xiangxi Teng Clan... reached some kind of tacit understanding?"

"That's right! From now on, Xianwang Mansion, Jueqing Valley, and Xiangxi Teng Clan are a family that will stick together through thick and thin. I don't want to hear any remarks from Xianwang Mansion disciples that are detrimental to the harmony among the three families." Xie Xuan said solemnly, "Remember, if Xianwang Mansion wants to make a comeback, or even move to a higher level, it must rely on the strong support of Jueqing Valley and Xiangxi Teng Clan."

"Although they are 'one family', they are three different forces after all." Su Tang looked at Xie Xuan with a flickering look, carefully probing with deep meaning, "Patriarch Teng and Valley Master Xiao have a deep father-daughter relationship, and the Xiangxi Teng tribe and Jueqing Valley are of course of the same blood. Compared with them, the status of our Xianwang Mansion... seems a little awkward. If we are in doubt, the position and attitude of Xianwang Mansion... doesn't seem to be as important as theirs..." "What exactly do you want to say?" Seeing Su Tang's vague words, as if he meant something else, Xie Xuan couldn't help but be startled, and asked in a deep voice, "We are all family, you can say whatever you want, there is no need to hide it."

“As you command!” Su Tang clasped his hands together, his eyes becoming more solemn, his expression becoming more complicated, “Excuse me for being frank, but Xianwang Mansion has always been self-reliant and has never fallen into vulgarity since its establishment. Even when Ling Xiaoxiao usurped the throne, Xianwang Mansion still stood proudly in the world and never bowed down to anyone. But now… we are joining forces with the Teng Clan and Jueqing Valley, and there are also the Sanyi Gang, Longxiang Mountain, Xilu Wuzong, and Hexi Qin Clan stirring up trouble. In the future, we will definitely take their feelings into consideration and follow their opinions in everything we do. What’s worse… Xianwang Mansion will have to live by their faces. Over time, won’t we, the disciples of Xianwang Mansion, be inferior to others? Will Xianwang Mansion exist in name only…”

"What nonsense!" Xie Xuan waved his hand impatiently and lectured, "The Northern Xian King has a successor, so how can the Xian Wang Mansion exist in name only?"

"To be honest, Liu Xunyi... Young Master is exactly the person we are most worried about." Su Tang said worriedly, "Although we don't know the specific details of how the Palace Master and Valley Master Xiao made peace, we are not blind or deaf. The situation in Danfeng Garden last night is enough to give us a glimpse of it. Jueqing Valley and Xiangxi Teng Clan are not only inseparable, but even turned the tables and took the initiative to replace the disciples of Xianwang Mansion to guard the inner court. In this regard, the Young Master not only did not raise any objections when he woke up this morning, but was very pleased. This shows that Valley Master Xiao and Clan Leader Teng do not trust Xianwang Mansion at all, but the Young Master... has no sense of this."

Xie Xuan explained: "Valley Master Xiao and Clan Leader Teng are Xunyi's mother and grandfather, so Xunyi wouldn't be surprised if they protected him. As for the trust...Valley Master Xiao and I only reached an agreement this morning, so what happened last night is not enough evidence."

"Even so, they turned enemies into friends with the Xianwang Mansion out of care for the young master. The alliance between the three families was based on the blood relationship between the young master and them, not other conflicts of interest. If there were no blood relationship, they would hope that the Xianwang Mansion would fall into decline, and that Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao would ruin the future of the Xianwang Mansion..."

"So what?" Xie Xuan was very dissatisfied with Su Tang's radical remarks, and said angrily, "Xun Yi is not only the flesh and blood of Chief Teng and Master Xiao, but also the descendant of the Northern Sage King. This is a fact that cannot be changed by anyone, and you don't have to doubt it."

"Palace Master, what we doubt is not the young master's background, but his feelings towards the Xianwang Mansion." Su Tang was unwilling to be outdone and argued with Xie Xuan. "Although he is the son of the Northern Xianwang, the Northern Xianwang is no longer here. Not to mention that there is no father-son relationship, even if there is... it will gradually fade with the passage of time. On the other hand, Chief Teng and Master Xiao are around the young master all day long, caring for him and showing him great concern. It is hard to guarantee that the young master will not be grateful to them. As everyone knows, at yesterday's "Eradication of Traitors Conference", Chief Teng publicly proposed that the young master return to Xiangxi. Chief Teng has always been mature and prudent, why did he suddenly say such a "irrelevant" argument? What exactly does he want to do? In my opinion, Chief Teng intends to hand over the foundation of the Teng clan to his own grandson. If the young master does not have a sufficiently loyal feeling for the Xianwang Mansion and does not have an unbreakable sense of belonging, it is inevitable that his mind will be shaken under the lobbying of Chief Teng and Master Xiao..."

"This morning, Xunyi has made his position clear to me and Valley Master Xiao. We are all his closest people, and he will never betray any party..."

"Even if he didn't betray the Xianwang Mansion, he would find ways to integrate the Xianwang Mansion into the Teng Clan and Jueqing Valley. Such a result... is no different from existing in name only?
"How do you know that it must be Xianwang Mansion that integrates into Teng Clan and Jueqing Valley, instead of these two families integrating into Xianwang Mansion?" Xie Xuan frowned, his tone becoming increasingly hostile. "I, Valley Master Xiao, and Clan Leader Teng cannot influence the overall situation. Only Xunyi can decide the future of the three families. He is now like the center of a vortex. The people around him should either leave as soon as possible or slowly move closer to the center. There is no other choice."

"The young master is indeed the young master of the Xianwang Mansion, but who can guarantee that in a year or two, or three or five years, he will not become the young master of Jueqing Valley? And the young patriarch of the Xiangxi Teng Clan?" Su Tang was determined and stubborn. "Palace Master, don't forget that he was once a disciple of the Xianwang Mansion, the master of the Jing Clan, the Black Hand Fan, the adopted grandson of Ren Wuya, the flag master of the Tomb Tiger Flag of the Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace, and the son-in-law of the Pan family... Not long ago, he was still an official of the Song Dynasty court. In just a few years, he has changed countless identities. Who can guarantee that his future... identity will not change again and again? If we gamble with the future and fate of the Xianwang Mansion and sacrifice the lives and property of the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion, wouldn't it be... too risky?"

……

(End of this chapter)