Chapter 1125: Intimate Persuasion
Liu Xunyi's heartfelt words made Tang Afu's heart restless for a long time.

He frowned, his eyes were like torches, and he carefully looked at the "old friend" in front of him who he had known for a long time. Suddenly, he found that the face that was originally very familiar had become a little strange for no reason, and even a little elusive.

"Brother Tang, why are you staring at me?" Liu Xunyi stroked his chin with his hand, looking at Tang Afu with curiosity, "Is there something dirty on my face?"

"I think... I should take back my answer." Tang Afu answered without blinking his eyes, "You are not different from your past self, but very different."

"What do you mean?" Liu Xunyi raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, "What's the difference?"

“Like a different person.”

"Just because of my suspicion of Mr. Xie? My scheme against Yuan Ting?"

"You probably wouldn't have done that before... nor would you have bothered to play these conspiracies and tricks." Tang Afu's eyes sparkled, and his calm tone contained extremely complicated emotions, "Valley Master, Clan Leader Teng, Mansion Master Xie, Xunzhen... and of course me, all of us have misjudged you... No! Not misjudged. To be more precise... we underestimated you. In fact, you hid deeper than any of us."

"Brother Tang, are you praising me or scolding me?" Liu Xunyi pretended to be unhappy, "Why does it sound... quite sarcastic?"

"The sharper the words, the more sincere the praise." Tang Afu replied, "You... are indeed worthy of being Luo Tianjin's son. Just now, I saw a hint of his shadow in you."

"What kind of shadow?"

"Forbearing, suspicious, wise... cunning. On the surface, he seems confused and bewildered. But in fact, he is very insightful. He sees the people, things, and events around him more clearly than anyone else, and understands the intertwined interests of all parties better than anyone else."

"Really?" Facing Tang Afu's half-truthful teasing, the smile on Liu Xunyi's face became brighter and more intriguing. "Maybe... after stumbling back and forth in the sea of ​​fire, blood and rain, and experiencing the warmth and coldness of human nature, and seeing through the fickleness of the world, I discovered the cruelty of the rivers and lakes, the loss of morality, the wickedness of human hearts, and the uncertainty of fate... good people have to go along with bad people in order to survive, and the Holy Spirit who saves all living beings is forced to become a violent and wanton demon. Even Guanyin, who saves people from suffering... will gradually lose her true self and become a cold-blooded and heartless King of Hell who regards human life as worthless. Is it strange that I, who used to be whimsical, have become suspicious and cunning?"

"No! You, Liu Xunyi, have never been Guanyin, because you are quick to take revenge and kill people without blinking an eye. You are not Yama King either, because you always have a scale in your heart. Even if the Song Dynasty court persecutes you in every way, you still refuse to rebel openly. In comparison, you have the heart of a bodhisattva and the means of Yama, more like... the angry Vajra."

"Haha... what a 'wrathful King Kong'! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much, it hurts so much!" Liu Xunyi clapped his hands and laughed so hard that he fell backwards, and at the same time he cursed without any etiquette, "In this bastard world, if I don't act like a wrathful King Kong, I'm afraid other people will treat me as a 'good fortune boy' who can be fooled by others. Those with a little conscience will just extort money from me, but if I meet bastards like Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao who have lost all their consciences, they will not only extort money from me, but I wish I could even lose my life in their hands. As the saying goes, 'every failure makes you wiser.' This time, I almost lost my life, and I almost got the eternal infamy of 'disloyalty and unfilial piety' and 'unkindness and unjust' into my coffin. How can I not reflect on myself? I won't repent? I won't learn from my mistakes and change my past bad habits? If I forget the pain after the wound has healed, I'm afraid even God won't help me next time."

"Well said!" Tang Afu's eyes lit up, his brows full of praise, "Based on what you just said, I believe no one can easily play you in their hands again."

"Brother Tang, you just said that you saw the shadow of the Northern Sage King in me. Is that true?" Liu Xunyi's smile slowly faded, and his eyes gradually became solemn. "If that's true, I only have one question for you. If I, Liu Xunyi, am the 'Northern Sage King', are you, Tang Afu... willing to be my 'Xie Xuan'?"

"Liu Xunyi, do you really have this idea?" Tang Afu's face changed slightly, but he did not show excessive surprise. After all, Liu Xunyi's thoughts were beyond his expectations, but it was reasonable after careful consideration.

"From the moment I learned about my life experience in the dungeon of the Xianwang Mansion, I felt worried. I, Liu Xunyi, am no longer a lonely person who 'eats for one person and feeds the whole family'. I can choose not to plan for my own future and destiny, but I cannot help but consider my loved ones and friends around me." Liu Xunyi sighed, "The Jianghu is not like the market. There has never been a saying of living and working in peace and contentment. The Jianghu is not like the temple. No one can live in seclusion and pursue ambitions, or be content with poverty and simplicity. People in the Jianghu are helpless. They are either powerful or poor. The life-and-death struggle of the Jianghu is vividly reflected. Most people in the Jianghu despise the etiquette of the dynasty, and are unwilling to farm, raise livestock, fish and mulberry. They have neither salary nor land, and can only rely on robbing and plundering to gain wealth and honor. They first seek to settle down, then seek to rise to prominence, and finally seek a life of fame. Therefore, even if I don't cause trouble to others in the Jianghu, others will cause trouble to me. Instead of waiting to die, it is better to take the initiative."

"From your tone... you seem to be regretting something?" Tang Afu looked at Liu Xunyi, who was as calm as a lake, with doubt, and asked tentatively, "In your mind, is serving the court the only orthodox way for people with lofty ideals to pursue fame and fortune? Wandering in the martial arts world... whatever famous and upright sects, or prestigious families, even if they are honored with the supreme position of 'Master of the Martial Arts World', they are still low-class and cannot be accepted by the elegant halls." "Brother Tang, you are too kind. I just feel that wandering in the martial arts world is like a rootless duckweed, and success or failure is often just a matter of days and nights. Just like me... I was a shameless traitor who was not mentioned in history yesterday, but today I have become a chivalrous hero admired by thousands of people. Here, prosperity and decline are like a passing glance, which is dazzling and difficult to distinguish between true and false."

"Does serving the court guarantee you a life of ease and comfort? A life of rapid advancement?" Tang Afu teased, "You were once an official appointed by the court, and a loyal and brave general with a heart of gold and blood, but what happened? You are not familiar with the ways of the world, do not understand the intrigues, disdain intrigues, and are unwilling to collude with evil... Didn't your self-proclaimed 'golden rice bowl' that you claim to have a guaranteed income be kicked over by someone? You only say that being in the underworld is not easy, why don't you say that being in the government is also unpredictable?"

"This……"

"You can't be blamed for this!" Tang Afu waved his hand to interrupt Liu Xunyi who was about to speak but hesitated, and said helplessly, "You grew up in Lin'an since you were a child. The Song Dynasty court has raised you. It is natural that your thoughts are difficult to change for a while. However, the current court has already regarded you as a traitor and treason. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, you can no longer turn back. If you want to survive, you can only live in the rivers and lakes. From now on, no one will calculate your merits and demerits, no one will plan your career, and no one will pay you a salary. If you want to live gloriously today, you can only rely on yourself... rely on the sword in your hand. No matter what you want, you must take it, fight, grab, and rob it yourself! For this reason, you have to learn the "regardless of consequences" and "unscrupulous" behavior in the rivers and lakes. If you always maintain "humility and courtesy" like you did in the court, and whitewash yourself as "graceful", not only will you get nothing, but you will be ridiculed and even starve to death."

"Brother Tang's words pierce my heart and make me feel ashamed." After a long silence, Liu Xunyi finally gave up the last bit of obsession in his heart and laughed sadly, "It is precisely because I see my situation clearly that I have this knot in my heart. I told Xunzhen that I would never be threatened or manipulated by others again, and this is also what I meant."

"Since you have already made a plan, why do you have to look back?"

"Because my heart is extremely uneasy." Liu Xunyi said bitterly, "Since I opened my eyes this morning, everything I saw, heard, thought and imagined has made me feel extremely upset and uneasy. The funny thing is that I am obviously very nervous, but I can't even explain why I am nervous."

"Because the change was too sudden, it was hard for you to accept it for a while." Tang Afu seemed to resonate with Liu Xunyi's panic, and said calmly, "Back then, the Tang family was slaughtered overnight, and I couldn't believe it for a long time. The trembling from the bottom of my heart was greater than all the horror in the world, and I still can't help feeling heavy in my heart when I recall it. Like you, when the incident happened, I just felt that everything was a mess, and I didn't feel too much fear, nor did I have time to feel sorry for myself. But when I gradually calmed down, the more I thought about it, the more panicked I became, and the more desperate I became... so young and ignorant that I really couldn't bear such a heavy burden, and I jumped off a cliff to commit suicide in order to get rid of it. This matter... I believe you should have heard about it from the Valley Master."

"I have heard of it." Hearing Tang Afu talking about the sad things again, Liu Xunyi's eyes also became dim.

"Although my misfortune is a funeral, your misfortune is a happy event, and the extreme joy is also a tragedy. People's emotions always have similarities." Tang Afu said indifferently, "In the final analysis, it is because the misfortune has disrupted the life we ​​are accustomed to. The future will be very different from the past, and it is inevitable that there will be some worries in our hearts."

"Wandering around, fleeing everywhere... What's wrong with breaking this kind of life?" Liu Xunyi laughed at himself, "No matter how the future changes, it will be better than being on the run. It seems that I am really worrying too much."

"As the saying goes, 'A nest of gold or silver is not as good as your own thatched nest.' For a person who is used to wandering, if he suddenly settles down, the result may not be as good as people imagine." Tang Afu joked, "Otherwise, you wouldn't be so worried."

"This……"

"Instead of worrying about trivial matters, it is better to let nature take its course. At worst, we can deal with it as it comes. Life is short, why waste it? No matter whether the original intention is right or wrong, and the result is good or bad, just give it a try and start over. With your peerless martial arts, you are not afraid of any evil spirits." Seeing Liu Xunyi's hesitation, Tang Afu changed the subject and consoled him loudly, "You just asked me if I am willing to be your 'Xie Xuan'. In fact, the answer was obvious from the moment I stepped into the room. You...just give the order, and I, Tang Afu, will accompany you to the end, no matter what difficulties I face!"

……

　But I am afraid that in a moment, my soul will be blown away by the wind. I have been walking on thin ice all my life, who knows my anxiety?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)