Chapter 163 Good fortune and misfortune depend on each other
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival.

After half a month of careful care, Liu Xunyi's injuries had recovered almost completely. Early in the morning, Lin Fang brought him Luo Tianjin's order, summoning him to the central hall for a meeting at noon.

Being able to go to the central hall to discuss matters is definitely a rare honor in the Xianwang Mansion. Usually, only the mansion master, the seven heroes and the three fan holders have this qualification. Even the eight sect masters in the mansion are not often summoned by Luo Tianjin. They are only summoned temporarily when there is an occasional errand.

Today, Luo Tianjin personally summoned Liu Xunyi to discuss matters. Everyone thought it was a great thing, but Liu Xunyi himself was the only one who felt very nervous and uneasy.

Liu Xunyi was not aware of Cheng Qiu's death. So during the days he was recovering from his injuries, he was always worried about his situation. But what surprised him was that on the morning of the third day of the Chinese New Year, Ling Xiaoxiao said that Cheng Qiu was coming soon, but why was he still nowhere to be seen until today?

Originally Liu Xunyi had prepared himself to die, but the repeated delays and "no news" made him nervous again.

Morning and evening, day and night, he was both looking forward to and fearing the result, and this cycle has been repeating over and over again until today. For more than ten days, although his injuries have become less and less severe, his inner anxiety has become heavier.

Until today, when Lin Fangda brought Luo Tianjin's order, Liu Xunyi's uneasy heart finally settled down. No matter whether he was alive or dead, it was better to wait for the clouds to clear and see the moon than to wait endlessly.

At noon, when Liu Xunyi came to the central hall with a nervous mood, Luo Tianjin, Ling Xiaoxiao, Luo Hongxuan, Luo Ningyu, as well as Xie Xuan, Jiang Yiwei, Deng Changchuan, Murong Bai, Su Tang, Luo Qi, Lin Fangda, Ling Qing and others had gathered in the hall.

In addition to the people Liu Xunyi was familiar with, there was also a strong man about forty years old sitting next to Su Tang.

He was wearing a tight black robe that was held up by his angular muscles. He had sharp eyebrows, fierce eyes, big ears, and a stern demeanor, which made him look intimidating without even getting angry. It was needless to say that he was already emitting a terrifying murderous aura from head to toe. The most eye-catching thing was that his face, neck, hands, and any place not covered by his robes were intricately covered with scars.

These shocking scars were like military exploits, showing that this man had been through hundreds of battles and had gone through fire and water, risking his life for the Xianwang Mansion over the years.

He is none other than the Black Fan Master of the Xianwang Mansion, Di Mo. He is also the one with the highest martial arts, the most ruthless methods, the deepest mind, the most contributions, and the one most favored by Luo Tianjin.

There are rumors in the Xianwang Mansion that Di Mo is very likely to join the ranks of the Seven Heroes in the near future. By then, the Xianwang Mansion will no longer be the Seven Heroes, but the Eight Heroes.

Different from the upper three gates and the middle and lower two gates, the lower three gates are directly related to the survival of the Xianwang Mansion, and are related to the status and honor of the martial arts world. If the Xianwang Mansion wants to intimidate the martial arts heroes, it must rely on the lower three gates to a large extent. Therefore, the lower three gates are the place with the most disciples in the Xianwang Mansion, and are also the most dangerous.

Di Mo has been with Luo Tianjin for more than ten years, and has been in charge of the Lower Three Sects for more than ten years. During this period, he has never disappointed Luo Tianjin and is one of Luo Tianjin's confidants. This shows that he has outstanding skills and good methods.

Di Mo returned home three days ago. Liu Xunyi only met him once, but they did not speak.

Today, almost all the important figures in Prince Xian’s mansion were present, and the scene was very solemn and grand.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi's heart sank again, and he thought to himself, "It seems that my death is really coming."

Everyone sat on the left and right, all silent. At this moment, there was another person standing in the hall, a red-faced man with a guilty look and gloomy eyes. This person was the leader of the Jing Clan, Xu Heng, who had saved his life from the Broken Halberd Valley.

"Xunyi, you're here." As soon as he saw Liu Xunyi, Lin Fangda hurriedly took the initiative to step forward.

"Greetings to the Lord, Madam, Young Master and Young Miss! Greetings to Second Master Xie, Third Master Jiang, Fifth Master Deng and Seventh Master Murong! Greetings to the White Fan, Green Fan and Black Fan!" Liu Xunyi bowed respectfully to everyone in turn. His words were steady and his manners were generous. On the surface, there was no sign of anything unusual.

"Let me introduce you. This is the leader of Jing Sect, Xu Heng." Luo Tianjin pointed at Xu Heng and then introduced him, "He is Liu Xunyi."

"Greetings, Master Xu!" Liu Xunyi bowed, and Xu Heng nodded slightly as a response. He didn't say much, but the look he gave Liu Xunyi was always quite complicated.

"Xu Heng is the one who was ordered to bring Cheng Qiu back." Jiang Yiwei suddenly said, "Liu Xunyi, do you have anything to say now?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi was startled, and looked around the hall rather obscurely, seeing only familiar faces, but no trace of Cheng Qiu. Although he was suspicious, Liu Xunyi still acted calmly and replied softly: "Master Jiang, Xunyi has nothing to say."

Jiang Yiwei nodded slightly with deep meaning, then turned his gaze to Luo Tianjin. After seeing Luo Tianjin's determined eyes, he suddenly shouted at Xu Heng: "Xu Heng, do you admit your guilt?"

"Xu Heng admits his guilt!"

Xu Heng was so frightened that his legs went limp and he fell to his knees with a plop. He lowered his head slightly, stared at the ground with anxious eyes, and did not even dare to breathe.

Seeing Xu Heng who was silent as a cicada, Liu Xunyi frowned and thought of something in his mind. However, he did not speak, but stood aside quietly, watching the situation.

"Xunyi, do you know what crime Xu Heng committed?" Luo Tianjin suddenly asked Liu Xunyi, who was shocked and quickly replied, "I don't know."

"He lost the person I wanted." Luo Tianjin said calmly, "Cheng Qiu was killed on the way to Luoyang."

"hiss!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Xunyi took a deep breath. At the same time, a sense of relief mixed with doubt secretly surged in his heart.

He was puzzled as to why Cheng Qiu was killed? And by whom? Fortunately, once Cheng Qiu was dead, no one could expose his identity in the future.

"This……"

"Zheji Valley." Luo Tianjin said directly, "He was killed by a group of bandits who blocked the road and robbed people." After saying that, Luo Tianjin also sneered softly, and it was unclear whether it was disbelief or disdain. "Xu Heng!" Jiang Yiwei said coldly, "Where were you when Cheng Qiu died?"

"At that time, I was blocked by the rain of arrows from that group of thieves, so it was difficult to save him..."

"When Cheng Qiu's life was hanging by a thread, why didn't you fight to the death?" Xie Xuan questioned, "In the end, Cheng Qiu died, but you came back alive. What does this mean? You and I know it very well. That night, it was clearly you who was greedy for life and afraid of death, and only cared about your own life, regardless of Cheng Qiu's life or death, right or not?"

"I……"

"You disregarded Cheng Qiu's life and death, which is disregarding the Lord's order." Jiang Yiwei continued, "The Lord hates those who are afraid of death the most. As the Lord of Jingmen, you broke the law knowingly. Not only did you mess up your job, but you also lost the face of my Xianwang Mansion. You should be punished more severely." After that, Jiang Yiwei turned his gaze to Di Mo who was silent, and asked gloomily, "Di Mo, he is your man, what do you say should be done with him?"

"According to the rules of this mansion, anyone who fails to do his job due to fear of death should have his hands and feet cut off, be expelled from the mansion and never be employed again!" Di Mo stared at Xu Heng with a complicated expression, as if there was a hint of helplessness and bitterness of being disappointed in his friend, but his tone was extremely tough and without hesitation.

"Third Master, please spare me! Please spare me!" Upon hearing that his hands and feet were going to be chopped off alive, Xu Heng was immediately terrified and his face turned pale. He begged for mercy hastily, "I know I was wrong. It was really because of the situation at the time that I was forced to do this..."

"Palace Master!" Deng Changchuan pleaded with Luo Tianjin, "Although Xu Heng was wrong, this incident was indeed too unexpected. There were only four of them at the time, and it is said that there were dozens of bandits, and they set up an ambush on the mountain. Not to mention that Xu Heng didn't have the ability to protect everyone, I think even if I was in that situation, I'm afraid it would be difficult to escape unscathed. So please forgive him for the fact that Xu Heng has served the palace for many years and has worked hard even if he has no merits!"

"Di Mo, what do you think?" Luo Tianjin turned his gaze to Di Mo and asked calmly, "You promoted Xu Heng, do you have anything to say?"

Di Mo looked at Xu Heng, who was sweating profusely from fear, and could not help but sigh helplessly. He then stood up and knelt down towards Luo Tianjin and said, "Please, Lord, spare Xu Heng's life temporarily for his loyalty and long years of service, and allow him to atone for his sins in the future."

After all, Di Mo has followed him for many years and he still has some feelings for Xu Heng.

Xie Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said in deep thought: "Master, now is a time of trouble, and the house is in need of people. Although Xu Heng is not very talented, he has been cultivated by you for many years. It would be a pity to expel him from the house today. In my opinion, Xu Heng can be spared from death, but he cannot be forgiven for his crime. For the time being, I will remove him from the position of the Master of Jingmen and demote him to an ordinary disciple. I will decide on his reward or punishment based on his performance in the future. What do you think?"

Luo Tianjin nodded slightly and said to Xu Heng calmly: "Since so many people plead for you, I will spare you this time. However, a coward like you must not be the master of Jingmen again. I will demote you to be a disciple of Jingmen again and hone your skills."

"Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Second Master, Thank you, Third Master, Thank you, Zhishan!"

Xu Heng kowtowed to Luo Tianjin and others repeatedly as if relieved of a heavy burden. Although he was quite disappointed about losing the leader of Jingmen, it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't have to have his hands and feet chopped off and be expelled from the mansion.

"Master, now that Cheng Qiu is dead, there is no evidence. What about Xunyi?" Lin Fangda asked impatiently, "When Cheng Qiu died, Xunyi was still recovering in the mansion, his life hanging by a thread. So this account can't be put on him, right?"

"Shut up!" Ling Xiaoxiao shouted unhappily, "The Palace Master hasn't even spoken yet about how to deal with Liu Xunyi, but you're already rushing to clear him of any connection. How can that be disgraceful? Do you think we'll frame him for this?"

"Hehe... I dare not! I dare not!" Lin Fang smiled awkwardly.

Under Liu Xunyi's solemn gaze, Luo Tianjin smiled slightly and turned to look at Xie Xuan. In fact, they had already communicated everything secretly, so Xie Xuan took the initiative to speak at Luo Tianjin's signal: "Palace Master, since Cheng Qiu is dead, no one can confront Liu Xunyi face to face, and we can't keep doubting like this, which will inevitably chill the hearts of these younger generations. As the saying goes, don't employ a person you doubt, and don't doubt a person you employ. Looking at Liu Xunyi's various performances after coming to the Xianwang Mansion, he can be said to be dedicated, courageous and resourceful, and he is also quite thoughtful in handling things. He is a rare talent. Therefore, I suggest that Liu Xunyi can continue to stay in the mansion and entrust him with important tasks, so that he can serve the Palace Master sincerely."

"I brought this boy into the mansion, so I am willing to act as a guarantor for Liu Xunyi!" Deng Changchuan took the initiative to speak.

"I am willing to do so too!" Lin Fangda followed closely behind, and said anxiously, "I am willing to use my own head as a guarantee that Xunyi has no bad intentions, otherwise I am willing to chop off my own head!"

"Master, I am willing to do it too!" Luo Qi said solemnly, "Liu Xunyi handled the matter of the East Sea Tea House quite well. He is indeed a rare talent."

"Master, I am also willing to be a guarantor for him." Su Tang said.

"Dad, I am also willing to vouch for Brother Liu!" Luo Hongxuan suddenly spoke. Even though Ling Xiaoxiao stared at him with displeasure, Luo Hongxuan still spoke righteously, "Dad is known as the Northern Sage King, and has many friends from all corners of the world. How can you suspect that Brother Liu is disloyal just because he is so brave? Could it be that only mediocre people can join our Sage King's Mansion? Wouldn't this discourage people with lofty ideals? If any masters with real skills dare not join us, wouldn't it be a loss for our Sage King's Mansion?"

"My Lord, what you said is correct!" Murong Bai nodded and said, "If a strong side wants to last forever, it must attract heroes from all over the world to join it."

Seeing so many people come forward to guarantee him, Liu Xunyi was moved, but at the same time, he felt guilty. While he was moved by their generosity, he despised his own mean behavior even more. He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings and felt extremely sad.

Luo Tianjin laughed and said jokingly, "Although Liu Xunyi has only been in my mansion for a few months, he has already bribed everyone in my mansion. Well, since so many people are guaranteeing you, I will keep you and forgive your past background. But I hope you will not let me down, and don't let down the trust they have in you today."

"Thank you, Lord Palace Master, and everyone for your kindness!" Liu Xunyi hurriedly bowed his hands in thanks, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness today, and I will never forget it!"

"Okay then!" Luo Tianjin suddenly raised his voice, making the noisy hall suddenly quiet. Everyone's eyes were focused on Luo Tianjin, but Luo Tianjin's eyes were fixed on Liu Xunyi without blinking, which made Liu Xunyi's heart tighten.

"Liu Xunyi once won face for our Xianwang Mansion at Lu Mansion in Jiangnan, and then he went to the Western Regions to fight for the Jingfenghuayu Tu without fear of life and death. Later, he went to Yingchuan, rescued Yu'er at the East China Sea Teahouse, and Fengming Tower, and all of these were done in an orderly manner. Xianwang Mansion has always been clear about rewards and punishments. Disciples who do wrong will be punished, and those who have made contributions will also be rewarded." Luo Tianjin said slowly, "Now that many people have recommended you, and they all praised you for your courage, strategy, and comprehensiveness, this lord has decided..."

At this point, everyone's heart was in their throat, and everyone looked nervous and curious. No one knew what Luo Tianjin was going to reward Liu Xunyi with.

"Promote Liu Xunyi as the new leader of Jingmen, replacing Xu Heng, and in charge of Jingmen's 300 disciples!"

……

(End of this chapter)