Chapter 1123 No One Can Be Trusted
"A bystander sees more clearly than an involved party. I'm just afraid that you will wrongly accuse a good person and take your anger out on the innocent."

While observing Liu Xunyi's reaction, Xie Xuan defended himself: "There are some things... maybe only I dare to tell you, and only I can explain it clearly."

"What does Mr. Xie want to say?"

"I'm going to say something that's inappropriate but must be said." Xie Xuan said, "In fact, Xunzhen is the most deserving hero for overthrowing Qingfeng and his daughter at this 'Eradication of Traitors Conference'. As for the others... they were just following Xunzhen's plan. In terms of deploying troops, we are far inferior to her. In terms of hard work, we are also far inferior to her. In terms of hard work and great achievements, we are still far inferior to her..."

At this point, seeing Liu Xunyi's flat reaction, Xie Xuan changed his mind and said, "Just now, Xunzhen suddenly mentioned that Master Gan accepted the 500,000 taels of silver notes. I think her real purpose is not to collect the debt from you, but to remind you indirectly that the Gan family of Luzhou is not as righteous and selfless as you think."

Liu Xunyi frowned and reminded meaningfully: "Thank you, Master Gan is your friend."

"It is precisely because Gan Yonglin and I have such a close relationship that I understand his way of dealing with people better and am more sympathetic to Xunzhen's good intentions."

"Shouldn't I show some leniency to the Yuan family father and son?" Liu Xunyi asked suspiciously, "Do you think I should follow Xunzhen's wishes and punish them severely?"

"I can see that Xunzhen is very angry about what the Yuan family did, and she really hopes that you can punish them impartially. But in order to save your dignity, she did not hesitate to go against her own wishes, and even pretended to be indifferent when she was held hostage by Yuan Ting. Xunyi, Xunzhen did not break her promise, and she really helped you as much as she could. I think... even if you don't appreciate her, you should understand her and not misunderstand her." Xie Xuan's expression changed, and he said seriously, "Take a step back, even if Xunzhen didn't have this concern, based on my judgment alone... you shouldn't be so lenient to Yuan Xiao and his son."

"Do you also want to say 'rewards and punishments are clear, rewards and punishments are orderly, and rules are rules'?" Liu Xunyi's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone became intriguing, "Do you think Yuan Xiao and his son must be killed?"

"I don't know whether I should kill you or not, but I know what Xunzhen said makes sense. Once you are unfaithful, you will never be trusted again."

At this time, Xie Xuan, who was always good at observing people's words and expressions, was surprisingly stubborn. It seemed that Liu Xunyi's "kindness" to Yuan's father and son made him very puzzled and dissatisfied.

"Master Xie and Xunzhen really are... great minds think alike. If that's the case, why did you remain silent just now?"

"First, as an outsider, I shouldn't interfere too much in Xilu Wuzong's family affairs. Second, Xunzhen and I don't have completely the same views." Xie Xuan replied in an orderly manner, "Xunzhen cares about why Yuan Xiao didn't receive a severe punishment? And what I care about is... why did you entrust Yuan Ting with such an important position?"

"I just said..."

"You just said that Yuan Ting underestimated the enemy and was careless. He was wrong but not guilty. In fact, I think Yuan Ting was not only wrong, but also guilty!" Xie Xuan interrupted Liu Xunyi's explanation righteously, "You know, it was this boy who revealed the secrets of Xilu Wuzong and the four prefectures of Shangjing to Qingfeng. It was because he could not withstand Qingfeng's torture that he revealed all your secrets to the opponent. Recalling what happened just now, he held Xunzhen hostage in a hurry. Although he was a little overconfident, it was out of filial piety after all, and it was still a heroic act. However, before you could coax and intimidate him and scold him a few times, he took the initiative to give up resistance, and even knelt down with tears and confessed his guilt. All signs show that this boy is proud on the surface. , daring to act. But deep down, he is weak-willed and afraid of death. Xunyi, I know Yuan Ting helped you in the Northeast and was deeply appreciated and respected by you. But the fact is, 'You can know a person's face but not his heart, and it is difficult to draw a dragon or a tiger's bones'. Yuan Ting is suspicious and fickle, and his heart is not strong. He may be able to do his best and be loyal when it comes to life and death, but once faced with a life-and-death crisis, this person may not be able to take on the responsibility. As we analyzed by Ningcui Lake, some people have been deceiving themselves to the bone, and they don't even know it. In terms of methods of doing things, in terms of tenacity of character, in terms of loyalty... Yuan Ting is a world apart from his father. Even if he is devoted to you today, he will waver in his will when he encounters danger tomorrow, and he may even betray you again..."

"Yes!"

Before Xie Xuan finished speaking, Liu Xunyi spoke up: "Do you think I don't know what Yuan Ting has done? Do you think I don't know that he is a coward at heart? Do you think I don't know that he... is not worthy of being reused?"

"What?" Xie Xuan, who was talking freely, was stunned by Liu Xunyi's three questions. "Could it be that... you already knew Yuan Ting's weakness? If you knew, why did you..."

"Because I knew this, I was even more determined to save his life and let him replace Yuan Xiao as the leader of the Yuan Clan."

Liu Xunyi's almost contradictory answer made Xie Xuan confused. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became: "What do you mean? Why... I don't understand what you are saying?"

Liu Xunyi did not directly answer Xie Xuan's confusion, but changed the subject and asked seriously: "Do you believe me?"

"Of course!" Confused Xie Xuan nodded subconsciously in response.

"Since Mr. Xie believes in me, can you please listen to what I have to say from the bottom of my heart?"

"you say!"

"I hope Mr. Xie will not only understand Xunzhen's good intentions, but also take the time to understand mine." Liu Xunyi smiled at the confused Xie Xuan and said in a veiled manner, "After all, the person you should be 'close to' is me, not the Young King of Qin."

"hiss!"

It seemed like a casual teasing, but it made Xie Xuan's heart tighten suddenly, and the look he gave Liu Xunyi became indescribably complicated and tangled.

Who is Xie Xuan? He could certainly hear the hidden meaning in Liu Xunyi's words. It was to remind him to make clear his position and not to "turn his elbow outward".

Knowing that Liu Xunyi had misunderstood him, Xie Xuan could not help but feel flustered, so he hastily explained: "Xunyi, actually I am not..."

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Before the timid Xie Xuan could take the initiative to ease the awkwardness, someone suddenly knocked on the closed door, causing his voice to stop abruptly.

"Who?"

"I'm Tang Afu."

"what's up?"

"Send medicine to Liu Xunyi on behalf of Miss Pan." "You..."

"Thank you, Master. I'm a little tired." Liu Xunyi stretched his limbs lazily, breathing heavily and said, "You've been busy all day, go back and rest early!"

"Oh well!"

Seeing that Liu Xunyi was exhausted and had no intention of talking to him, Xie Xuan, who had assessed the situation, did not insist. He agreed reluctantly, then opened the door and met Tang Afu, who was holding a bowl of medicine.

As they passed each other, Xie Xuan looked at Tang Afu again and again. But Tang Afu ignored him and walked into the room. From beginning to end, the two did not exchange a single word.

"Brother Tang, why are you the one delivering the medicine?"

Liu Xunyi's states when facing Tang Afu are completely different from when facing Xunzhen and Xie Xuan.

When facing Xunzhen, he was cautious. When facing Xie Xuan, he was strong-willed. Only when facing Tang Afu would he temporarily let down his guard and reveal his fatigue, laziness, anxiety and sorrow.

The reason is that compared with Xunzhen and Xie Xuan, Tang Afu has the least interest in Liu Xunyi.

"The Valley Master is worried about you, so he asked me to..."

"Actually, I understand even if you don't say it." Liu Xunyi took the medicine bowl, dragged his heavy body to the bedside, patted the edge of the bed gently with his hand, and invited Tang Afu enthusiastically, "Don't be shy, come and sit down!"

Hearing this, Tang Afu subconsciously took a half step back, looked at Liu Xunyi who was drinking medicine with his head tilted up with strange eyes, and flatly refused: "I only deliver medicine, not... warm the bed."

"puff!"

As soon as Tang Afu finished speaking, Liu Xunyi was caught off guard and felt a choking sensation in his throat, and the medicine that he had just poured into his mouth sprayed out.

"Bed warmer?" Liu Xunyi couldn't help laughing. "I never thought that the famous 'ruthless swordsman' would be so shy in private?"

"I didn't expect that the famous Liu Xunyi would flirt with men in private." Tang Afu retorted, "Is it because of the hot-blooded youth that he is inevitably agitated..."

"Cough cough!"

Tang Afu made jokes in a serious manner, which made Liu Xunyi, who wanted to play a trick on him, admit defeat.

After the joke, Liu Xunyi thought of today's experiences again, and the smile on his face froze and disappeared. After a moment of melancholy, he suddenly had an idea, and hurriedly sat up straight, and asked Tang Afu carefully: "Brother Tang, have you found that I am different today than before?"

"What's the difference?" Tang Afu was stunned, as if he didn't understand what Liu Xunyi meant.

"Take a closer look..."

"What are you looking at?" Tang Afu frowned slightly, looked Liu Xunyi up and down, and shook his head slowly, "Except that he is thinner and looks a little weaker, there is no other difference."

"Don't you find that I am particularly eye-catching today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Brother Tang, don't laugh at me for being sentimental. I feel like everyone in Danfeng Garden is watching me, openly or secretly. My every move, every word and deed is under their surveillance." As he spoke, Liu Xunyi suddenly felt sad. His eyes became more lonely and his tone became more sad. "Today, although I have found my long-lost relatives, I inexplicably feel unprecedented loneliness. It seems... everyone is calculating something, worrying about something? No one is willing to open their hearts to me, and I dare not be open to anyone... As the saying goes, 'It's hard to be confused', and it was not until today that I understood the true meaning. Sometimes, the more you know, the more suspicious you become. It's better to be confused and happy. Now I... have no one to talk to, no one to trust. Even Mr. Xie who saved me from the dire situation, I... Alas!"

Liu Xunyi's words were short but his meaning was deep. His forced smile could not hide his inner melancholy and frustration as well as his bitterness and helplessness towards reality. Tang Afu was a man of great insight and gradually saw through his frustration, so he tried to comfort him: "I may be watching you out of concern for you, and I may not be monitoring you out of a desire to harm you. After all, it's hard for someone like you to not attract attention when you have so many identities and are involved in so many things. You say you have no one to talk to and no one to trust... but that's not true. At least you can trust me."

"Believe you?" Liu Xunyi laughed at himself, "Will you be open with me?"

"meeting!"

Tang Afu's resounding answer made Liu Xunyi startled, and the mockery on his face gradually subsided. He stared at Tang Afu, who was neither humble nor arrogant, and tested him word by word: "Then tell me, were you sent by Master Xiao to monitor me?"

"No!" Although Tang Afu's tone was neither hot nor cold, his attitude was extremely sincere, and his words were simple and direct, without any hesitation or concealment. "To be precise, I am no longer a member of Jueqing Valley, so how can I monitor you for the Valley Master?"

"What?" Liu Xunyi was shocked. "How could you..."

"This morning, the Valley Master ordered me to leave Jueqing Valley. From now on, I will stay by your side, live and die with you, and never leave you."

……

(End of this chapter)