Chapter 1112: Things Have Changed (Part )

"Second Master!"

Just as Xie Xuan was patiently analyzing the situation to Su Tang and Luo Qi and explaining the pros and cons, a tired and hoarse voice suddenly sounded from a distance.

Then, a man with sad eyes, haggard face, plain clothes and old robe, and heavy steps walked through the bustling crowd and slowly approached.

"Lin Fangda?"

After identifying the person, Xie Xuan was stunned at first, and subconsciously looked around, as if looking for someone else.

"Second Master, you don't have to look. It's just me."

"Why did you come to North City when you weren't at the Xianwang Mansion keeping an eye on Ling Xiaoxiao?" Xie Xuan's tone was quite unhappy. "Didn't Deng Quan tell you..."

"Eighth Master has told me exactly what Second Master meant." Lin Fangda shook his head slowly. "I came to North City and wanted to see Liu Xunyi, but when I got to the gate of Danfeng Garden, I couldn't get in. After hesitating for a while, I still... disappeared. I wanted to go back home, but unexpectedly I met Second Master..."

"Why not?" Xie Xuan seemed to see that Lin Fangda was in a bad mood, so his expression eased and he tried to comfort him, "You are Xunyi's sworn brother."

"What do you mean by sworn brother? I don't deserve it." Lin Fangda said self-deprecatingly, "Today, he and I are of different identities and statuses. What qualifications do I have to call him a brother? What's more, he is surrounded by famous heroes. If he still recognizes a mediocre person like me as his brother, wouldn't it be shameful?"

"Lin Fangda, stop being so sarcastic." Xie Xuan frowned and said angrily, "Others may not know Xunyi's temper, but don't you know it too? He is not a snob who only seeks fame and fortune. Not to mention that you are still the head of the Xianwang Mansion, and you are no less than anyone else. Even if you are a beggar begging on the street, he will not despise you."

"He may not ignore me, a big brother who has accomplished nothing, but I know myself. Others don't despise me, but I... despise myself."

"you……"

"As the saying goes, 'It's better to do it today than to wait for a day', why don't I treat you to tea today? However, you must have been tired of the best tea. Therefore, I will not invite you to the East Sea Tea House to drink a pot of good tea that costs hundreds of taels. I will only invite you to drink the large-leaf tea that costs only one penny a bowl on the street. I hope you will honor me with your presence."

"Lin Fangda, what are you doing..."

"bring it on!"

While he was speaking, Lin Fangda had already reached out and grabbed Xie Xuan's arm, pulling him towards the tea stall on the street without saying anything.

"Lin Fangda, you are so bold..."

"No problem!"

Xie Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly at the furious Su Tang and Luo Qi, then calmly followed Lin Fang into the tea stall and sat down at a low table against the wall.

"You all look like rude men, but you don't want to work in broad daylight. You gather at the tea stall and chat nonsense. Aren't you afraid of getting bored? Are you all full? If not, jump into the well and drink. If you are full, get out of here and stop sitting here and getting in the way!"

At Su Tang's instruction, more than a dozen disciples from the Xianwang Mansion stormed into the bustling tea stall, yelling and cursing to drive away other customers who were drinking tea.

Seeing how ferocious they were, each holding a knife or a sword, the tea drinkers dared not act rashly. They dropped their tea bowls and fled in a hurry.

"Oh! Gentlemen, my teahouse is registered with the government, and the tribute from the Xianwang Mansion is not less than a penny. However, a serious business cannot withstand the tossing of the gentlemen..." "Old shopkeeper, we will take care of all your business today." Luo Qi, with a smile on his face, greeted the tea stall owner who was in a hurry, and stuffed a silver ingot into his hand. Then, he pointed at Xie Xuan and Lin Fangda by the wall and reminded them, "Serve us good water and tea. We will not sit for long, let alone cause trouble. We just borrow your place to chat for a while."

"Hey, hey, hey!" The old shopkeeper was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. "Please sit down, gentlemen. I will serve tea right away."

After the noise, Su Tang and Luo Qi consciously led the people to sit around, allowing Xie Xuan and Lin Fangda to talk alone.

"Haha, the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion are as overbearing as ever." Looking at the majestic people in the tea stall, and then at Xie Xuan with a slightly frown on his brow, Lin Fangda picked up the teapot to pour tea, and smiled with a hidden meaning in his words, "Second Master, don't be surprised. You are in a high position, and you are always surrounded by people when you go in and out. It has been many years since I have seen such an occasion. Little do people know that the people below have always been arrogant and rude in doing things. It's not that we don't know etiquette, but... there are too many filthy places and too many people from all walks of life. We are too lazy to be hypocritical with them. Once upon a time, I was often ordered to conduct open and secret investigations in Luoyang City. I have been to all kinds of corners, all kinds of crooked businesses, and all kinds of cunning and greedy villains. Like them, no matter where I go, I will always be in trouble. No matter where you are, you can just push the door open without saying hello. When you announce the name of the Xianwang Mansion, you will only get fear and respect. Over time, you will develop a habit of being arrogant and domineering. You dare to do whatever you want, ask whoever you want to serve you, scold anyone you don’t like, and beat anyone who dares to disobey you. At least in Luoyang, no one dares to say "no". Of course, you will occasionally encounter tough guys... But what about the Luoyang General Wang Xutong back then? What about Zhao Yuan, the Tianji Marquis of the Song Dynasty? No matter how tough they are, they can't be tougher than the Xianwang Mansion. Although the owner of the mansion repeatedly warned us not to bully others by taking advantage of our power, some people are born "cheap bones". The more polite you are to him, the more he will be arrogant and don't know what's good for him. You are arrogant to him and order him around, but he will nod and bow to you and obey you in everything."

"I was once as young as you, and I also lived in the mountains and rivers, fighting with all kinds of rogues and villains for fame and fortune." Xie Xuan said nonchalantly, "Do you really think the Palace Master doesn't know that you have two faces inside and outside? It's just that he knows that evil people still need to be dealt with by evil people, and at the same time he understands the difficulties of disciples in the Palace going out on business. Therefore, as long as you don't cause a big mess, we will generally turn a blind eye and pretend that nothing happened."

"Yes! The Palace Master has a keen eye and can see through everything. How could our tricks be hidden from him?" When he mentioned Luo Tianjin, Lin Fangda's eyes darkened and his tone became more sad. "The more cunning and sinister a person is, the weaker he is and the stronger he is. The Palace Master taught me this truth."

"That's enough! There's no need to talk about the past." Xie Xuan said with a serious expression, interrupting Lin Fangda's sigh impatiently, "What's going on in the mansion? Ling Xiaoxiao..."

"Madam has been hiding in her room. She did not show up this morning when the Wudang disciples mourned Qingfeng. According to Gu Ri and Gu Yue, they don't want to stay in Luoyang City any longer. If nothing unexpected happens... they will set off to return to Wudang in two or three days." Lin Fang replied with little interest. "Ning Yu is still the one with the most miserable life. She has been crying silently since yesterday afternoon until now, wishing she could shed all her tears. It's all my fault that I am as stupid as a pig, with a clumsy mouth and cheeks. I want to comfort her but don't know how..."

"We will set off in two or three days..."

When Xie Xuan heard the arrangement of Gu Ri and Gu Yue, a chilling light suddenly flashed in his calm eyes. However, the slight change in his expression was so fleeting that Lin Fangda did not notice it at all. Xie Xuan sighed and said helplessly: "The girl is indeed pitiful. If Ling Xiaoxiao was not her biological mother, I would have kept her no matter what."

"Actually, I went to find Liu Xunyi...because of Ningyu's matter."

"Oh?" Xie Xuan's eyes changed, and he secretly became alert in his heart, "Xun Yi Gu Nian Yu'er's feelings, letting Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang remnants go yesterday was already a special favor, you... what do you want to do now?"

“Second Master, please don’t misunderstand. I am extremely pleased that Liu Xunyi remembers Ning Yu’s kindness to him and is willing to let Madam and Wudang off the hook. How could I dare to have any more extravagant hopes? I just… just…”

Lin Fangda kept rubbing the tea bowl with his hands, and his words became hesitant, as if he was worried and couldn't speak, and he couldn't explain it for a long time.

"Just what?" Xie Xuan asked suspiciously, "Fang Da, you always speak your mind, what's wrong with you today?"

"To be honest, I... I have an unreasonable request, and I hope Second Master will fulfill it." After hesitating for a long time, Lin Fangda finally made up his mind. He suddenly raised his head, and his slightly trembling tiger eyes looked at the puzzled Xie Xuan with longing, and said intermittently, "I want to stay with Ningyu all the time, no matter... where she goes?"

"Stay with her all the time?" Xie Xuan's face changed slightly, and he asked suspiciously, "You mean... you plan to leave with her?"

"Yes!"

"Lin Fangda, you... are confused!"

Xie Xuan originally wanted to call Lin Fangda a "bastard", but when the words came to his lips, he temporarily changed them to "stupid".

“The Xianwang Mansion has raised me, the Second Master, the Seventh Master, and the Eighth Master have cultivated me, I know... I shouldn’t leave rashly for my own selfish reasons, but…” Due to his emotional excitement, the tea bowl in Lin Fangda’s hand shook violently, and the tea spilled everywhere, wetting his sleeves, “But I tossed and turned last night, and after thinking about it, I think now is the best time for me to leave. First, Ningyu has suffered misfortunes many times, and she needs familiar people around her to care for her. Second, the Xianwang Mansion has already passed its lowest, most difficult, and most dangerous time. Now not only has Liu Xunyi returned strongly, but he has also brought back many powerful relatives and friends, which is enough to make the Xianwang Mansion make a comeback. I predict that the Xianwang Mansion will be full of talents in the future and will become more and more prosperous. On the other hand, I, Lin Fangda, am not good at literature or martial arts. If I stay, I will be a useless person. Not only is I worthless, but I will also occupy the position of the leader of Xiumen, hindering the advancement of those who come later. Sooner or later, I will be disgusted. Thirdly, Liu Xunyi is no longer the Liu Xunyi of the past, and Lin Fangda is no longer the Lin Fangda of the past. We can never become good brothers again. In front of me, he will only become more and more embarrassed. In front of him... I am even more at a loss and find it difficult to deal with myself. Thinking of this, it is better to part ways as soon as possible, cherish the friendship of the past... and forget each other in the rivers and lakes. "

……

(End of this chapter)