Chapter 1135: Secret Thoughts (IV)
"Tang Afu?"

Xunzhen was quite surprised by Liu Xunyi's answer. He turned his head to look at the blurry figure on the other side of the lake. He pondered for a while and seemed to understand something: "If you hadn't mentioned him, I would have almost missed a good show."

After saying that, Xunzhen turned her gaze back to Liu Xunyi, but compared to the hesitation just now, her eyes now had a hint of amusement, and she asked: "Now your relationship with Tang Afu... seems a little different. You are so inseparable, which is neither like the character of the ruthless swordsman nor like your style. Could it be that... Master Xiao secretly acted as a 'matchmaker' for you?"

"Xunzhen, ah Xunzhen! Your eyes that can see through everything are rare in this world." Liu Xunyi was once again deeply impressed by Xunzhen's wisdom, and his admiration was beyond words. "As long as you can see everything in the world, no matter how many secrets are hidden behind them, they can't be hidden from you."

"What I saw was only what you wanted me to see." Xunzhen smiled calmly, then changed his mind and asked in a coquettish tone, "As for the inside story, I wonder if Master Liu is willing to enlighten me?"

"Hahaha... This is not a secret, and it will never be a secret."

Xunzhen's funny appearance made Liu Xunyi laugh. After collecting his thoughts, he told him the story of Tang Afu's departure from Jueqing Valley.

Although he told Xunzhen the inside story, he only briefly mentioned many key information. Especially when he and Tang Afu counted on their fingers and carefully analyzed the value of each person around them, Liu Xunyi did not mention a word.

Xunzhen knew that Liu Xunyi was avoiding the main point, but he had no intention of exposing it, so he asked, "So you trust him very much?"

"Although Brother Tang is a loner, he is a man of great loyalty. Moreover, he has a tragic family background and a miserable life. For many years, he has regarded Valley Master Xiao as his only relative in the world. Regardless of how he views me in his heart, based on his deep feelings for Valley Master Xiao, he will definitely keep his promise and remain loyal to him until death."

"Without Tang Afu, Jueqing Valley will surely suffer a great loss. This move by Valley Master Xiao is tantamount to cutting off one's own arm." Xunzhen sighed, "She knows very well that the Jianghu is treacherous and full of murderous intentions. She also knows that she cannot convince you to go back to Jueqing Valley with her, so she carefully selected one of her most proud disciples in her life to guard you. This shows how important you are to her."

"Yes! Master Xiao treated me... He was indeed very kind and righteous. There is nothing to say." Liu Xunyi could not deny it. "But think about it, Second Master Xie was willing to serve the thieves and endure humiliation in order to save me. Didn't he treat me with all his heart?"

Xunzhen sensed a clue from Liu Xunyi's slightly tired tone, but he was not in a hurry to point it out. Instead, he pointed the finger at Tang Afu again: "You just compared Tang Afu with Valley Master Xiao, and thought that he didn't plot against you. In that case, the advice he gave you must be different from that of Palace Master Xie and Clan Leader Teng. Is it more in line with your wishes?"

"It may not be what I want, but at least... he cares more about my feelings."

"What do you mean?" Xunzhen's eyes flashed, and he asked tentatively, "From what you implied, it seems that Palace Master Xie and Clan Leader Teng... don't care about you?"

"I have no dissatisfaction with Second Master Xie and Chief Teng, and there is no rift between them. I just... I just feel that they would rather impose what they think is 'good'... on me." Liu Xunyi was worried that his inappropriate wording would cause unnecessary misunderstandings from Xunzhen, so he carefully considered every word and thought over it again and again. "Tang Afu is different. He cares more about what I think and what I think is 'good'. He is like standing behind me, supporting me without hesitation in doing anything, whether it is right or wrong. Second Master Xie is more like standing in front of me..."

"What about before his death?" In fact, Xunzhen had already guessed the answer, but she pretended to be ignorant and insisted that Liu Xunyi admit it in person.

"The people standing in front of me... are more like teaching me how to do things step by step." After hesitating for a long time, Liu Xunyi finally spoke out the frustration in his heart, "I believe that they have no ill will towards me. It's just that sometimes... they still regard me as a child who knows nothing about the world. Some things are inevitably arranged too carefully. They are used to giving me instructions as elders, fearing that I am young and reckless. If they intervene in every detail, then whether I am in the Xianwang Mansion or in the Xiangxi Teng Clan, I am afraid that I will be a puppet in name only... I can neither be independent nor free, and I will completely become a dandy who stretches out his hand for clothes and opens his mouth for food. Such a situation... is really not what I want."

"Liu Xunyi is famous and powerful. How can a real man be willing to be inferior to others for a long time?" Xunzhen smiled as if he had suddenly realized something, "After all, you, Liu Xunyi, can't escape the world's prejudice."

"I……"

"It's human nature, nothing surprising! But I'd like to hear what Tang Afu has to say?" Xunzhen waved his hand to interrupt Liu Xunyi, who was looking ashamed and hesitant to speak.

"What Brother Tang said really surprised me." Liu Xunyi recalled Tang Afu's advice and stated it simply. "He didn't speak for Valley Master Xiao or Clan Leader Teng just because he was a disciple of Jueqing Valley. Instead, he advised me to... try to get rid of the control of these seniors and accumulate strength again."

"Heh! Tang Afu's words may seem pertinent, but they are actually targeting Xie Xuan and the Xianwang Mansion." Xunzhen said contemptuously, "He knows very well that Valley Master Xiao is very affectionate to his son, and that the elders of the Teng clan are very shrewd and calculating. They will never interfere with you as easily as Xie Xuan did. At least, they won't interfere so obviously."

After that, Xunzhen glanced at Liu Xunyi, whose expression changed slightly. He knew that Liu Xunyi must be looking down on his calculations again, so he changed the subject and began to praise Tang Afu: "Let's not talk about Tang Afu's original intention. Just talking about the facts, his suggestions are indeed quite reasonable. If you want to make achievements in the Central Plains martial arts world, you must live up to your name and hold great power. You must never be a puppet of anyone. I'm not showing off, but the young king Qin did a great job in this regard. All matters of the Xilu Wuzong in the Central Plains martial arts world are decided by you, the deputy sect leader. In comparison, Xie Xuan's approach is a bit..."

"About this matter, maybe you and Brother Tang are right. I really don't want to be bound by others. But the problem now is..."

"The problem is that Tang Afu is teaching you how to stay, which is the second step. What is troubling you now is the first step, why stay?" Xunzhen answered confidently, "Before you figure out the first step, the second step is meaningless. Therefore, no matter how reasonable Tang Afu's words are, it is still not the answer you want." "That's right!" Liu Xunyi suddenly raised his head and said in a concentrated voice, "Since you can tell me the crux of my problem, can you give me another solution?"

"What you want is nothing more than a reason to convince yourself, so that you are willing to stay and face the right and wrong in the world with high morale." Xunzhen ignored the huge changes in Liu Xunyi's mentality and expression, and continued to talk to himself calmly, "In this case, I can give you a reason to stay."

"Really?" Upon hearing this, Liu Xunyi, who could no longer suppress his excitement, stood up suddenly, and looked at Xunzhen with increasingly nervous eyes, "I beg...Miss Xunzhen to give me some advice!"

"In fact, you are already doing it without my advice. It's just that the authorities are confused and lack someone to break the last layer of window paper for you." Xunzhen slowly stood up, walked in front of Liu Xunyi, looked into his eyes, and said word by word, "When you are in a high position in the government, you worry about your emperor; when you are far away in the rivers and lakes, you worry about your people. In the past, you did not avoid life and death, and moved forward courageously. Your original intention was loyalty and righteousness, in order to serve the country. Now you have fallen into the rivers and lakes, and you are a wanted criminal of the court. It is hopeless to serve the country on the battlefield. In this case, why not change your goal, which is also worthy of the word "loyalty and righteousness"."

"Gululu!" Liu Xunyi swallowed hard and asked anxiously, "Change? What?"

"Repay the favor!"

"Repay a favor?"

"That's right!" Xunzhen nodded heavily and said righteously, "You said that after this disaster, you have now washed away the grievances, reborn in Nirvana, and reunited with your loved ones unexpectedly, and your life is complete. In this case, why don't you be kind and help others achieve perfection? Especially those who have done you a favor. You like to talk about morality and feelings in everything, so repaying the favor should be a matter of course. People have risked their lives to help you through danger. Now you have the opportunity to repay their kindness. Why not try to repay their kindness? Who knows... In the process of repaying the favor, you will find something more worth pursuing in this life. Otherwise, you are young, but you act like a half-hearted, bored old man all day long."

"You mean... instead of me worrying about where to go, why not forget about myself for a while and accompany others on their journey?"

"What? Others can risk their lives for you, but you can't risk your life for them?"

"Of course! Of course! I, Liu Xunyi, am not some high-ranking official, so why should everyone revolve around me?" Xunzhen's words were like a revelation, which enlightened Liu Xunyi, who had been depressed for a long time, and he responded repeatedly, "If I can't serve my country, repaying my gratitude is also a kind of loyalty."

"At least you are loyal to morality!" Seeing Liu Xunyi's obsession wavering, Xunzhen's mood suddenly brightened, "What's more, repaying a favor is a natural gift for you. It will come naturally."

"This... why?"

"Because most of your benefactors are from the underworld, and you have no choice but to stay in the underworld, the situation is a perfect match." Xunzhen explained with a cunning look in his eyes, "Now you can not only stay here with a legitimate reason, but also openly and openly, enter the inner circle, and make great achievements in the underworld."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi's mind moved, and he understood instantly. He raised his foot and stepped closer to Xunzhen, and in the blink of an eye, the distance between them was less than half a foot.

At this moment, the burly Liu Xunyi stood straight in front of the petite Xunzhen like a steel gun, looking down at Xunzhen who was gradually feeling the pressure and became a little embarrassed, and jokingly said: "Listen... why do I suddenly see a tail?"

"Tail?" Xunzhen was stunned, and subconsciously looked up at Liu Xunyi, "What tail?"

Liu Xunyi pointed behind Xunzhen with a serious face and reminded her softly, "Miss Xunzhen, your fox tail has been exposed."

"You..." Xunzhen's cheeks flushed after Liu Xunyi exposed her thoughts. After a little shyness, she made up her mind and took a half step closer to Liu Xunyi, closing the distance between them by another three points. She looked at him with a pair of eyes that seemed to be able to speak without hesitation, and challenged him with a righteous tone, "How can there be a reason to help someone for free? Of course I have a selfish motive in helping you! Along the way, the person who has done you the most kindness is now far away and right in front of you."

"You mean... yourself?"

"Isn't it?" Xunzhen took the initiative and didn't give Liu Xunyi a chance to refute. "If I were to be frank with you, I might not be in the top ten. But if I were to ask you for a debt, I would definitely be ranked first!"

……

(End of this chapter)